Career Gems Archives

In Career Gems November 22, 2019 By Women of Rubies

JAY Z AND BEYONCE’S DAUGHTER, BLUE IVY WINS SONGWRITING AWARD

Jay-Z and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter has won a songwriting award at the age of seven.

Blue Ivy bagged the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award at Sunday’s Soul Train Awards for co-writing her mother’s hit Brown skin girl, a song celebrating dark- and brown-skinned women.

Blue Ivy gives a vocal performance that opens and closes the song, which also features Wizkid and Saint Jhn.

The Carters were not at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas to accept the honour named after the legendary Motown songwriting duo Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Blue Ivy shares the win with Beyonce, Jay-Z, St Jhn and several other co- writers.

This week could get even better for Blue Ivy.

In Career Gems November 21, 2019 By Women of Rubies

MODEL SLICK WOODS REVEALS SHE HAS STAGE 3 MELANOMA CANCER

Slick Woods, the model who trended when she walked the runway for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty fashion show while in labour (read here), shocked her fans when she took to Instagram to reveal she’s undergoing chemotherapy.

She has now revealed that she has stage 3 Melanoma cancer. She told TheShadeRoom that the cancer is spreading and she’s currently fighting for her life.

Celebrities and Slick’s fans have been sending in messages of support.

She also took to Instagram to write: “Stop treating me like a victim.”

Credit: LIB

In Career Gems November 20, 2019 By Women of Rubies

ALICIA KEYS AND HUSBAND, SWIZZ BEATZ PRESENT A CASE STUDY ON THEIR LIVES AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz presented a case study on their lives at the prestigious Harvard Business School.

The power couple, who are both Grammy award winners, presented their work entitled, “Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys: A Power Couple”. Their presentation was about the success of their personal and professional partnership.

Though the presentation held over the weekend, Alicia Keys took to Twitter this week to reveal the news and also to share photos.

She wrote: “Friday was a powerful day. My baby, Swizz Beatz, and I presented case studies on our lives and business at Harvard Business School.”

She added: “As a kid I never would’ve imagined this! If we can do it, you can do it better.”

Swizz Beatz graduated from Harvard Business School. He earned a certificate from Harvard’s Owner/President Management Program.

Earlier this year, Swizz Beatz helped put together “Gordon Parks: Selections from the Dean Collection” at Ethelbert Cooper Gallery and was featured in The Harvard Gazette.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have been married since 2010 and share sons Egypt, nine, and Genesis, four.

Credit: LIB

In Career Gems November 20, 2019 By Women of Rubies

COME 2020, THE BALTIMORE SUN MUSEUM OF ART WILL BE ACCEPTING WORKS FROM FEMALE ARTISTS ONLY

The Baltimore Museum of Art will celebrate 2020 by adopting a daring new policy designed to reverse the art world’s historic marginalization of female artists.

Museum director Christopher Bedford said Thursday that every artwork the BMA obtains for its permanent collection next year — every painting, every sculpture, every ceramic figurine, whether through a purchase or donation — will have been created by a woman.

“You don’t just purchase one painting by a female artist of color and hang it on the wall next to a painting by Mark Rothko. To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.” -CHRISTOPHER BEDFORD

In addition, each of the 22 exhibits on view will have a female-centric focus. Nineteen will showcase artworks exclusively by women and will include works by at least one transgender woman, Zackary Drucker, a Los Angeles-based artist and consultant for the Amazon original television series “Transparent.”

Two exhibitions will explore how male artists perceive women, and another will honor the visionary Adelyn Breeskin, who directed the BMA from 1942 to 1962.

“This how you raise awareness and shift the identity of an institution,” Bedford said. “You don’t just purchase one painting by a female artist of color and hang it on the wall next to a painting by Mark Rothko. To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.”

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment guaranteeing U.S. women the right to vote. More than a dozen local arts groups have prepared some sort of programming to celebrate that milestone, according to a survey conducted by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.

What sets the BMA’s initiative apart, experts say, is the depth of its commitment, devoting an entire year to recognizing the contributions of female artists.

Bianca Kovic, incoming executive director of the New York-based National Association of Women Artists, said she isn’t aware of any other general-purpose museum in the U.S. that has devoted so much time, gallery space and money to showcasing female visual artists.

“What the Baltimore museum is doing is so cool,” Kovic said. “We think all museums should do it. It’s particularly important that the BMA is creating a platform for woman artists to showcase their work, because that will inspire other women to make art. Even today, female artists are highly under-represented in museums. We have a lot of work still to do about educating the public on the importance of women in American art history.”

The BMA acquired its first work by a female artist — a painting by Sarah Miriam Peale — in 1916, just two years after the museum was founded. Nonetheless, just 4% of the 95,000 artworks in the permanent collection today were created by women.

“We’re attempting to correct our own canon,” Bedford said. “We recognize the blind spots we have had in the past, and we are taking the initiative to do something about them.”

Last year, Bedford’s decision to sell seven artworks in the museum’s collection by such modern masters as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Franz Kline to purchase paintings and sculptures by women and artists of color aroused an art world uproar. A letter to the editor in the Sun by David Maril, who father was an artist who served on the BMA’s board, described that decision as “horrendous.”

The museum sold five of the paintings for nearly $8 million and used some proceeds to buy works by such prominent contemporary artists as Mark Bradford and Amy Sherald.

The highlights of next year’s exhibition schedule likely will be a two ticketed shows: a selection of videos by the South African artist Candice Breitz that opens in March and touches upon such topics as the lives of immigrants and sex workers, and a retrospective of paintings by the renowned abstract expressionist artist Joan Mitchell that debuts in September.

But the exhibition schedule also includes such well-known Baltimore-based artists as Grace Hartigan, Betty Cooke and Jo Smail.

“This is the start of a much-needed change,” said Shan Wallace, an artist whose photographs and collages of Baltimore will be exhibited in a group show during the spring.

She said that it’s “absurd” that the BMA’s holdings include just 3,800 artworks created by 1,500 woman artists and designers when the museum is located in a city where 53% of the population is female.

“I think that what the BMA is doing will get other institutions to show more women artists,” Wallace said. “I am glad that my hometown museum is embarking on something this important.”

Other local cultural groups celebrating women artists include Everyman Theatre, whose inaugural New Voices Festival will highlight the work of three female playwrights; Johns Hopkins University, which in May will host a major scholarly conference on women, gender and sexuality, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, which is running an exhibit of the works of the late sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, including several works that celebrate motherhood.

Bedford said the BMA expects to spend up to $2 million next year to purchase art by female artists — and that’s just the beginning.

“This is a declaration of intent going forward of the kinds of exhibits we will have and the kind of acquisitions we will make,” he said. “There can be no beginning and no end, just a consistency of effort in the right direction.”

Culled from: baltimoresun.com

Credit: Baltimore Sun, Mary Carole McCauley

In Career Gems November 18, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

SOUTH SUDANESE MODEL, ADUT AKECH HONOURED AS ONE OF TIME 100 RISING STAR IN 2019

Born during a journey to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, South Sudanese native Adut Akech is currently one of the fashion industry’s most in-demand talents, as well as one of TIME’s 100 Rising Stars 2019.

Having spent her earliest days as a refugee, Adut and her family eventually emigrated to Adelaide, Australia, where she lived out her life as a student and joined a local modeling agency.

In 2016, she was cast as a global exclusive for Anthony Vaccarello’s debut Saint Laurent show. Since then, she has become the muse of renowned designers, such as Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, who brought her to the 2018 Met Gala, and Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, who has tapped Adut to open and close multiple shows for the brand.

She has also walked for Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Miu Miu, Prada, Versace, and more.

To date, Adut has shot campaigns for Fendi, Moschino, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Versace, etc. She has also appeared on the covers or within the pages of American Vogue, British Vogue, Italian Vogue, Vogue Paris, Vogue Korea, i-D, and more, working with legendary photographers such as Steven Meisel, Inez & Vinoodh, and Tim Walker.

Her personal journey has been already covered by the likes of CNN and the New York Times, The Guardian, and many more, with TIME recognizing her as one of the “25 Most Influential Teens of 2018.”

Outside of her career in fashion, Adut has recently begun working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to promote causes that support refugees around the world.

She hopes that her own story can serve as inspiration for many to become more invested in alleviating the plights of refugees.

Source: Leading ladies Africa

In Career Gems November 18, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

EMOTIONS CITY FACILITATES IT’S 5TH PAN AFRICAN TRAINING.

Emotions City is a Research-Driven, Nation-Building, Training, Coaching and Consulting Firm that work with leaders with top industries using original, home-grown research, and principle-based methodologies. The company which has trained over three thousand professionals in 2019 just concluded it’s high level engagement and training in Rwanda in it’s bid to preserve what is human and expand it’s reach .

The Principal of Emotions City and Lead Coach; Oyinkansola Alabi, also popularly known as Emotions Doctor and Lead Researcher and Facilitator of EMOTIONS CITY said the fete is one of it’s 2019 goals and 2020 will see the company expanding globally and training more people. The Incredible blend of gift and skill is one of Nigeria’s clearest and high impact trainer. She has trained tens of thousands of executives who desired to achieve a high level of Emotional Intelligence and recently became the first Nigerian to attend the prestigious YALE CENTRE for Emotional Intelligence USA. The Cornell University trained Human Resource Executive. MSc Psychology candidate. Rational Emotive behavioural therapist. Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. Executive Life Coach. Hypnotherapist.

Six Seconds Network Licensed Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, member of the British Psychological Society, International Coaching Federation (ICF), and one of the hundred recipients of Nigeria’s most inspiring women award on international women’s day 2019.

Oyinkan works strictly with thinkers, decision makers, influencers as well as the most vulnerable in society. She is shaping Organisational culture and instructing them on how emotional intelligence skills increase productivity, happiness and profitability.

In Career Gems November 15, 2019 By Women of Rubies

ALICIA KEYS TO HOST THE GRAMMYS AWARD FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW

Alicia Keys will be for the second time in a roll host the 62nd edition of the Grammy awards.

According to Recording Academy, the Grammy award winner will be returning to its stage for the second time later in January 2020. The music star while reacting to the news said she thought it was a one-time thing.

“At first I did think last year was a one-time thing but when the opportunity came back around there was no question about returning as the host of the Grammys award. Last year was such a powerful experience for me. Not only did I feel the love in the room, but I felt it from around the world and it confirmed the healing and unifying power of music,” she said.

During the last awards show, Alicia showed out by simultaneously playing two pianos, and brought the audience to tears during her opening monologue with influential ladies like #MichelleObama and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Alicia Keys is no newcomer when it comes to the Grammys as she had been nominated 29 times and has gone home with 15 Grammy Awards! [Instagram/AliciaKeys]

Alicia Keys is no newcomer when it comes to the Grammys as she had been nominated 29 times and has gone home with 15 Grammy Awards! The 62nd edition of the Grammys will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

Credit: pulse.ng

In Career Gems November 15, 2019 By Women of Rubies

TWO NIGERIANS, NJIDEKA AKUNYILI CROSBY, OLUWASEUN OSOWOBI NAMED IN 2019 ‘TIME 100 NEXT’ LIST

Two Nigerian women, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi have been named in the first-ever ‘TIME 100 Next’ list.

TIME 100 Next — an offshoot of TIME 100 franchise — brings to spotlight 100 rising stars around the world who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more.

The initiative, according to the organiser, is to provide a breakaway from the traditional definition of world changers, which are mostly dominated by politicians and the rich.

Crosby, Nigerian-born visual artist, based in Los Angeles, California, who was named in the ‘Artist’ category, made the list for her works, which focus on the cultural differences between Nigeria and the US.

Born in 1983 and raised in Enugu, Njideka is one of the daughters of late Dora Akunyili, a professor and former director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control of Nigeria (NAFDAC).

According to TIME, her works have sold for millions at auctions.

“But in 2018, it was possible to see one at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art free of charge—you didn’t even have to go inside,” it wrote.

“The visual artist was only the second person to be chosen to create a mural on the walls of the museum itself, which was visible from Grand Avenue’s sidewalk. It featured brightly colored scenes of domestic life: in one section, a woman rests her elbow on a table, seemingly deep in thought. Akunyili Crosby—who moved to the U.S. from Nigeria in her teens—is known for such scenes, some of which are autobiographical and incorporate references to both countries.”

In 2017, she won the Genius Grant award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Owosobi, on the other hand, made the ‘Advocates’ category for her campaigns against sexual assault in Nigeria.

Through her organisation, Stand to End Rape (STER), she has reached about 200,000 in Nigeria providing training for health workers and counseling for survivors, according to TIME.

“Telling my story as a survivor, that comes with a lot of stigma,” said Owosobi, who was once honoured by Obama Foundation.

She was named 2019 Commonwealth Young Person of the year.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

In Career Gems November 13, 2019 By Women of Rubies

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PREQUALIFIES FIRST EBOLA VACCINE

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said it had prequalified an Ebola vaccine for the first time, hailing a “critical step” towards its licensing, access and roll-out in countries most at risk of outbreaks.

WHO said Ervebo has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the Ebola Zaire virus

“This is the fastest vaccine prequalification process ever conducted by WHO,” it said in a statement, explaining that “prequalification means that the vaccine meets WHO standards for quality, safety and efficacy.”

The announcement comes hot on the heels of a decision last Monday by the European Commission to allow the release to market of the injectable vaccine, Ervebo, made by US laboratory Merck Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) after the European Medicines Agency gave the product its green light on October 18.

“This is a historic step towards ensuring the people who most need it are able to access this life-saving vaccine,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“Five years ago, we had no vaccine and no therapeutics for Ebola. With a prequalified vaccine and experimental therapeutics, Ebola is now preventable and treatable,” he added.

WHO said Ervebo has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the Ebola Zaire virus and added it is recommended by the organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for vaccines as part of a broader set of Ebola response tools.

The WHO said licensed doses will only be available from the middle of next year.

WHO said it had “accelerated prequalification by reviewing safety and efficacy data as the information became available” and said it was engaged in facilitating licensing for use in countries at risk of Ebola outbreaks.

“WHO, with the support of EMA, has worked closely with many African regulators who have indicated they will quickly license the vaccine following the WHO recommendation,” the world body said.

Since the current epidemic, which has cost some 2,190 lives out of 3,290 declared cases since it began in DR Congo, more than 236,000 people have been treated, according to the WHO, including 60,000 health professionals, with the vaccine, known in the lab as rVSV-ZEBOV-GP.

Merck’s vaccine was administered to them under an exceptional procedure, granting permission to use non-licensed drugs in emergency cases.

A second vaccine still at the experimental stage and developed by Johnson & Johnson for administration in two doses at 56-day intervals, is due to be introduced in the coming days in zones where the virus is as yet absent.

The current epidemic in DR Congo is the tenth in the country since the first in 1976. It is the second most deadly to date after a 2014-2016 outbreak which cost some 11,000 lives and underscored the urgency to bring a vaccine to market.

Credit: pulse.ng

In Career Gems November 13, 2019 By Women of Rubies

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN 2019 BEST GRADUATING STUDENT, MARY EBHOMIELEN IS ALSO THE FIRST FEMALE EVER TO GRADUATE WITH A PERFECT CPGA OF 7.0 FROM THE SCHOOL

Ofure Mary Ebhomielen of the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science was the cynosure of all eyes on Tuesday as she was presented as the best graduating student at the 2019 Convocation ceremony of the University of Ibadan, UI.

Ebhomielen, who graduated with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA of 7.0 received a thunderous ovation when she was presented to parents and well-wishers at the ceremony.

She was given the opportunity to have a special handshake with the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, who could not hide his admiration for the star of the moment.

In her brief speech, which was intermittently interrupted by applause, Ebhomielen, who congratulated her fellow graduands, noted that they were being celebrated because they had burnt the midnight candles.

She noted that success did not come easy, adding that apart from making a good grade in the university, one still needed to prove oneself in the outside world.

Ebhomielen called on those who did not make upper-division to go out there and prove their worth.

Commenting, Olayinka said, “Ofure Mary Ebhomielen is the fourth person ever to have obtained perfect Cumulative Grade Point Average (7.0 out of 7.0) in the 71-year history of the University of Ibadan and the first female. This is worth celebrating and we are indeed very proud of her. The world is now under your feet, Mary, aim for the skies while we keep celebrating you.”

It could be recalled, such fest was also achieved by Mr Daniel Nkemelu from same department (Computer science), who also emerged as the best graduating student in 2016 with overall CGPA of 7.0.