Some Holiday Humor

Nigerian Preacher Named #49 in Newsweeks' Top 50 Most Powerful People in the World

E. A. Adeboye

A Pentecostal preacher from Nigeria has made big plans to save your soul.

You may never have heard of E. A. Adeboye, but the pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the most successful preachers in the world. He boasts that his church has outposts in 110 countries. He has 14,000 branches—claiming 5 million members—in his home country of Nigeria alone. There are 360 RCCG churches in Britain, and about the same number in U.S. cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Tallahassee, Fla. Adeboye says he has sent missionaries to China and such Islamic countries as Pakistan and Malaysia. His aspirations are outsize. He wants to save souls, and he wants to do so by planting churches the way Starbucks used to build coffee shops: everywhere.

"In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes' walk of every person," he tells NEWSWEEK. "In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving." Such a goal may seem outlandish, but Adeboye is a Pentecostal preacher: he believes in miracles. And Pentecostalism is the biggest, fastest-growing Christian movement since the Reformation.

One of the strangest images from the 2008 campaign was the YouTube clip of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in church, head bowed, palms turned up toward heaven, standing silently as Thomas Muthee, a Pentecostal preacher from Kenya, prayed for her freedom from witchcraft. The clip (and a NEWSWEEK article about it) triggered its own little culture skirmish, with secular observers calling Palin a "wack job" and conservative Christians responding "There's nothing wrong with her church!!!" Few commentators on either side noted how normal that scene was to hundreds of millions of Christians around the globe.

The world now has about 600 million Pentecostals, the largest group of Christians after Roman Catholics. In Asia, the number of Pentecostals has grown from about 10 million to 166 million since 1970, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In Latin America, Pentecostals have expanded from 13 million to 151 million; in North America, from 19 million to 77 million; and in Africa, from 18 million to 156 million. By 2050 most of Africa will be Christian, estimates Grant Wacker, professor of Christian history at Duke University—and most of those Christians will be Pentecostals.

Modern Pentecostalism was born in America in the early 20th century, when a former Methodist minister named Charles Parham began teaching that Christians who were filled with the Holy Spirit could, like the disciples of Jesus, speak in tongues. (The sound, for those who have not heard it, is extraordinary: like crooning or keening or jibber jabber.) From the start, the faith appealed across ethnic lines to the poor and the marginalized. Its lack of denominational structure meant "you didn't have to have a highly trained and educated clergy with a long graduate education," says Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the divinity school at Regent University. "Common people [were] pastoring common people." Televangelist healers like Oral Roberts helped keep the movement growing.

Pentecostals believe that the Holy Spirit is always at work in the world and that certain people possess its gifts: speaking in tongues, the healing touch, the power to cast out demons and witches. An emphasis on prosperity and healing attracts converts without savings accounts or health insurance. The emphasis on Biblical inerrancy and on rigid social rules—no drinking, no smoking, no premarital sex—offers structure for people whose lives have been devastated by addiction or illness. In places like Africa (and indeed, like Palin's Alaska at the turn of the last century), Pentecostalism finds fertile ground among adherents of native religions who already believe the world is alive with spirits.

By Pentecostal standards, Adeboye is mainstream. Formerly a mathematics instructor at the University of Lagos, he began working at RCCG translating the previous pastor's sermons from Yoruba to English. He took over the congregation in 1981. His success, he says, is rooted in his message. "Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by, he says. "We pray for the sick, but we pray for their prosperity, for their overcoming of evil forces and so on. While we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now." At a recent revival meeting in London, Adeboye and his ministers preached 12 hours straight to a crowd of 30,000. At the altar call, hundreds of people rushed toward the stage from every corner of the arena, visibly filled with euphoria. They call their pastor "Daddy."

Behind Adeboye's extraordinary success is his reputation for honesty. While other Pentecostal pastors (including some Nigerians) have been accused of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural powers, Adeboye remains above the fray. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on pressing social issues. He recently made a public-service announcement condemning discrimination against people with HIV. He distributes his message globally through Facebook and MySpace, a self-published magazine called "The Mandate," and a digital-cable channel called Open Heavens TV. His appearance is straitlaced: he always wears a pinstriped suit, a gleaming white shirt and a bow tie.

Adeboye experienced a miracle recently on a long and dangerous stretch of highway near Lagos, he says. His car was out of gas, and the gas stations were empty. Then God spoke to him, clearly, and said to keep driving. Adeboye drove 200 miles on empty. Could his gas gauge have been broken? No, he insists, God intervened "because of the need … in a crisis." Adeboye knows well what some in the West have forgotten: in today's world, everyone needs a Daddy.

SOURCE: Newsweek

African Music Original

Here's a nice music video. For translation please contact....

Empower 10,000 Students to Launch Social Businesses

I know some of you are looking at the photos and this takes you back to the time you were in "Grammar" school.
It's that time of the year, times are tough no doubt, but with a small donation you can make a difference.
For a worthy cause log on to http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2500/proj2470a.html

Made in Africa - Super Models

Drink your garri and eat your vegetables O!




Peter Kortenhoven of Sierra Leone



Aminata Niaria of Senegal

Miss ECOWAS 2008 Peace Pageant

For those going home, this is something to check out.

Log on to http://missecowas.org for more information.



The winners of the Miss Ecowas regional beauty contest pose for photographers on Saturday in the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro. Source: BBC

South African Companies Unlock sub-Saharan Africa

Versed in the highs and lows of emerging-market development, SABMiller, Standard Bank, and others are expanding across the continent and beyond.

Name a global economic woe, and chances are Charles Needham is dealing with it. Market turmoil has knocked 80% off the shares of South Africa's Metorex, the mining company he runs. The plunge in global commodities is slamming prices for the copper, cobalt, and other minerals Metorex unearths across Africa. The credit crisis makes it harder to raise money. And fighting has again broken out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Metorex has a mine and several projects in development.

Such problems might send many executives to the window ledge. Yet Needham appears unruffled as he sits down at a conference table in the company's modest offices in a Johannesburg suburb. The combat in northeast Congo, he notes, is far from Metorex's mine. Commodity prices are still high, in historical terms. And Needham is confident he can raise enough capital, drawing on relationships with South African banks. "These are the kinds of things you deal with, doing business in Africa," he says.

For the full article log on to BusinessWeek

It's A New Day O!

I took another personality test as part of the "Reinvention of me" program and I'm still "the glass is half full" kind of guy. I know things look bleak...credit crunch, mortgage crisis, massive layoffs, and the price of suya has gone up 500%.

Well, I thought I'll serve up this music video by Will.I.Am.



Never let up!

Femi Kuti's Day by Day album teaser...

Can't wait to get my hands on this album!! By the way, he is on tour. And will be hitting DC early January.

African Diaspora Film Festival

Very interesting line up of events. I've always envied New Yorkers...right in the heart of art, fashion and media.

For more information log on to http://www.nyadff.org

Botswana !Kung's Men & Women

I was reading a book and it mentioned the !Kung men and women and how they are still living their life in remote locations chilling away frm high tech society, Here are some pics i dug up...

West Africa's Next Top Model

The Nationally syndicated TV Show Next Top Model is schedule to begin in Africa in January 2009. This show will follow the same format as the original American’s Next Top Model created by Tyra Banks. West Africa’s next top model show will be produced by StatsMedia Group an international production company owned by Tope Esan and Martin Fayomi. Supermodel Oluchi Onweagba will be the host for the West Africa series. StatsMedia is the only company that was granted the exclusive rights the form CBS Paramount International Television to produce this reality show in Africa. CBS is the official licensor of the series format.

The format will be produced every season by region on the African continent with the initial start up being in

West Africa. True Love West Africa is the media partner and official magazine for West African’s Next Top Model. The magazine will commence scouting for the 16 contestants of the reality show in December 2008 in several regions in West Africa (Cote D’ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia & Nigeria) with production scheduled for spring 2009. The show will air on major African networks and on cable TV. The winner will receive a lucrative international modeling contract, a cover of True Love magazine and numerous endorsement deals from various companies in the fashion industry nationally and internationally. This version of Next Top Model will not only highlight the models but the continent of Africa for its tourist attractions, cultures, values and its booming 21st century economy.

"War Child" - The Movie

Coming to a theatre near you.

Log on to http://warchild.reelufilms.com/ for more information.

Ghanaians Gear Up for Elections

Ghanaians cast their votes this Sunday for a new president.

Fingers crossed

World AIDS Day

The 1st of December, World AIDS Day, is the day when individuals and organisations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Whilst we have come a long ways since 1988, there is still much more to be done.

To show support wear red.

For more information log on to http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/

Nigerians sweep MTV Africa awards

Kelly and Nigerian artist D'banj performed together


Wahu was emotional as she collected her prize for best female

Nigerian artists dominated the MTV Africa Music Awards (the Mamas) on their own turf in the capital city Abuja, scooping six of the 10 awards.
D'banj won both the artist of the year award and the best male award, crowning a successful year for the self-proclaimed "entertainer".
Fellow Nigerian rapper Naeto C won best new act, while 9ice won the best Hip-hop award.
Kenyan singer Wahu, who was overcome with emotion, was named best female.
She tearfully dedicated the award to her husband, fellow musician Nameless, and to her daughter who, she said, "is too young to understand how much she inspires me".

Fusion
BBC 1Xtra's Trevor Nelson hosted the show in front of a crowd of 5,000 fans in the stylishly shaped Abuja Velodrome.
Nigerian duo P-Square, who had five nominations, only managed to take home one prize for best group.
Despite not winning, the disappointed twin brothers thrilled the crowd with their stage act.
South Africa hip-hoppers Jozi won the award for the best live performers.
However, Ghanaian artist Samini revealed he was not happy the live award had gone to a "group that plays CDs and mimes".
He added: "If you say 'live' then the music has to be with a band.
"I'm not picking names but I think that the best live performer should go to a live band artist.
"I'm sorry if I'm being harsh here but I'm trying to be straightforward. If I watch you on TV and I see you with a live band, then you better do it on stage for me."
There was a cameo appearance by US rapper The Game, who gave a brief medley of his hit songs.
There were also performances by the rapper's compatriots Flo-rida, and Kelly Rowland.
Other live acts included Seun Kuti, 9ice, as well as HHP from South Africa, but it was the assortment collaborations that stole the show.

HHP came back on stage to join Nigerian singing sensation Asa on her song Jailer, and Rowland performed alongside D'banj.
But the biggest fusion was that of South African rockers Cassette, Kenyan rapper Jua Cali, and Ikechukwu and Naeto C.
American R&B singer Alicia Keys gave a video acceptance speech for winning the best R&B award, as did South African band Seether, who won the best alternative award.

Mama Africa

The legend gong went to the late Fela Kuti, the Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat. The award was received by the star's children, Yemi and Seun.
Speaking of Kuti, Nelson said: "He was the first man I ever heard, all the way from the UK, when I heard African music for the first time it came from this man.
"There could only be one person, only one recipient."
Kuti's children joked in their acceptance speech that they would "not take this award to him yet".
"We'll keep it in our house, and when the times comes then we'll take it to him."
Out of the 11 awards given out on the night the legend award was the only one that was not chosen by the fans.

Winners were selected by fans sending text messages.
There was also a tribute to "Mama Africa" Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who died just over a week ago.
Winners each received a Golden Microphone trophy, which has a futuristic microphone emerging from a globe of the world, with the African continent symbolically placed at the top of the world.

Even though this was an African event there were some non-African artists nominated in different categories, including Lil Wayne, The Game, Coldplay, and Keys.
African music videos were also recognized, with Nigeria's Ikechuku winning the award for the best video for his song Wind am well.

SOURCE: BBC

1st MTV 2008 Awards In Africa scheduled In Abuja Nigeria

Serena Williams Secondary School

US tennis star Serena Williams gives laptop tips to pupils at the Serena Williams Secondary School which she opened 160km east of Nairobi on Friday, November 14.

Where was the hoopla about this in the media? Oh well "we's" the media, so more grease to your elbows Serena.

African Pride

Someone sent this...it shows the sense of pride for their country. If you know an artist repping your country please send the link so we can share the video.

Legendary Singer Miriam Makeba - RIP

Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid, died after collapsing on stage in Italy. She was 76.

In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world -- jazz maestros Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon -- and sang for world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela.

"Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us," Mandela said in a statement.

He said it was "fitting" that her last moments were spent on stage.

The Pineta Grande clinic in Castel Volturno, near the southern city of Naples, said Makeba died early Monday of a heart attack.

Makeba collapsed on stage Sunday night after singing one of her most famous hits, "Pata Pata," her family said in a statement. Her grandson, Nelson Lumumba Lee, was with her as well as her longtime friend, Italian promoter Roberto Meglioli.

More online at cnn.com