RED CARPET | 30/05/24 | SUPER HD
Metadata
- RED CARPET | 30/05/24 | SUPER HD
- May 30, 2024
- Content Type Program
- Language English
- Transcript/Script Hello and Welcome to VOA’s Red Carpet, I am Jackson Mvunganyi. This week on Red Carpet, we chat with Cameroonian award winning rapper and singer Naomi Achu. Cartoon Network and Max announces an all-Nigerian cast for “Iyanu,” the epic superhero animated series created by Nigerian animator and storyteller Roy Okupe, we visit Washington’s National Portrait Gallery to check out the an exhibition featuring one Hollywood's greatest portrait photographers. Those stories plus, the story of the Victorian dress among the tribal Damara women in Namibia. Let’s go! Trending Vivo Fashion, a Kenyan company, recently launched its first U.S. location in Atlanta, Georgia, becoming the latest African fashion brand to go global. The store’s inauguration was presided over by Kenyan President William Ruto on his state visit to the U.S. Founded by Kenyan fashion entrepreneurs Wandia Gichuru and Anne-Marie Burugu, Vivo which sells mainly Kenyan-made products has 27 locations across Africa. The Cartoon Network and HBO’s Max recently announced an all-Nigerian cast for “Iyanu,” the epic superhero animated series created by Nigerian animator and storyteller Roy Okupe. The series is a blend of traditional African lore and contemporary superhero elements. Roy tells me why it was important for him that the studios announced an all-Nigerian cast to bring the uniquely African story to a global audience. SOT //Jackson// A cast has been announced. Can you tell us about some of the people in the cast? And and there is an all African cast, correct. All Nigerians. //ROY OKUPE, award-winning filmmaker, author, speaker and entrepreneur // Yes. I've been. Ohh yes, all Nigerian. And you know I've been waiting and dying to to to for this announcement to drop because this is one of the first thing that was very important to me in the Nigerian show. I wanted Nigerians to voice Nigerians talking like Nigerians for a global audience. So we have people like at this where I told me Wellington chef below. Awesome Chico Jacobs. Sarah Johnson, who plays Ryan. We have a. A lot of a very, very, very, very talented group of voice actors from Nollywood that are that are going to blow people's minds when the show comes out. MUSIC/ NAOMI ACHU ((INTRO)) Naomi Achu is a two-time Afrima award winner, songwriter, rapper, and singer from Cameroon. She made waves in the music industry with her unique Afro-fusion style. She is currently in the U.S. and spoke to VOA’s Sunday Shomari: SUNDAY Hello and welcome to Red Carpet. This is Sunday Shomari and today I'm blessed to have the one and only, two-time award winner, Afrima award winner, Naomi Achu from Cameroon. NAOMI ACHU, Cameroonian singer and rapper Thank you so much. What a big intro. I'm so happy to be here. -SONG INSERT- SUNDAY Tell me Naomi, you won Afrima Awards twice. Tell me about this experience of Afro fusion NAOMI ACHU My main genre, I'm going to say is Makossa that that's the one that the outside world knows, Yes. But growing up outside of Cameroon, like in Europe, that's where I adopted Afrobeats and I was able to do an Afro fusion. I sing in English.I sing in French because Cameroon is a bilingual country. And sometimes I'll put one or two, two words, in my father's, my father's tongue. So the journey of music for me has been very colorful. Because I look at situations, I look at stories, I look at it, I take experiences and I just pen them down and turn them into music. -SONG INSERT- SUNDAY Tell us about Pepe and the production of Pepe and how things went and you came to Nigeria. Talk a little bit of that song. NAOMI ACHU Well, Pepper is produced by a Nigerian beatmaker and I went to Nigeria to shoot the music video there with his team. It was great. I figured that since the song is highly African and I'm singing in broken English, I'm rapping in broken English. Why don't I go to Africa and shoot the music video there. So Executive Scott, who is the beatmaker and the producer of the track, he, you know, brought me in, took me to his people and boom. Mercy Aigbe was a costar, very big Nollywood actress. I'm so happy to call her my sister and for her to have been in the music video all around, I felt like it was a great production and I hope you enjoy it. ART/ HOLLYWOOD PORTRAITS ((INTRO)) He captured the most famous faces in 1930s and early '40s cinema — Garbo, Crawford, Bogart and Gable. Now the work of George Hurrell, one of Hollywood's greatest portrait photographers, is on display at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. For VOA News, Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. ((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory CG: "Love on the Run"/MGM)) ((youtube logo in right corner)) They were the A-list celebrities of their time. And behind the camera that captured these stars was George Hurrell. ((end credit)) With his elegant dramatically lit portraits, the photographer made a name for himself in the 1930s and early '40s Hollywood — its Golden Age. Hurrell’s work is on display through January 5 at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. ((For radio: Ann Shumard is senior curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington)) ((Ann Shumard, National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator)) ((Female in English)) "From that collection of 70 photographs, we've chosen 20 that we really felt were highlights of that collection, that show a range of actors who were really top-drawer Hollywood stars during the 1930s and 1940s.” ((NARRATOR)) ((VOA of gallery or archive of Hollywood in 30s)) Born in Ohio in 1904, Hurrell originally studied to become a painter. But by the mid-1920s, he had moved to California and found a bigger market in photography. NATS: "Glamor girl Marlene Dietrich." An introduction to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio in the early 30s changed his life. At that time, MGM was issuing dozens of films each year. ((For radio: Again Shumard)) ((Ann Shumard, National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator)) ((Female in English)) “So basically, one film a week is going into the theaters. So, there's a tremendous need for images to promote these films. And Hurrell steps into that role with, you know, with great ability.” ((NARRATOR)) Among the big names on display are Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, ((Mandatory CG: "Love on the Run"/MGM)) ((YouTube logo in right corner)) who starred together in the 1936 film “Love on the Run”; ((end credit)) Marlene [[mar-leen-uh]] Dietrich who, Hurrell said, used to take a full-length mirror to photo sessions so she could see exactly how she looked; and John Barrymore, a star from a high-profile family of American actors. ((For radio: Marlene Harrison is the head of exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery.)) ((Marlene Harrison, National Portrait Gallery)) ((Female in English)) “We like to show a variety of different time periods at the portrait gallery. We are unique in that we are both an art museum and a history museum. We have art curators and historians, and that — really it lends itself to telling biography.” ((NARRATION)) Hurrell's approach defined glamour for the movie industry. He became known for inventing the boom light. ((For radio: Here’s Shumard)) ((Ann Shumard, National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator)) ((Female in English)) “And it gave him flexibility and the ability to move the light around and take advantage of, you know, of the shadows that it could really create.” ((NARRATION)) Hurrell’s star faded with the invention of smaller cameras. At the time, he declared, “the glamour was gone.” ((Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA News)) FASHION/ Namibia Victorian Dress ((INTRO)) [[Victorian dress was forcibly imposed on Namibia’s indigenous ǂNūkhoe (PRON: Nah - KWEE) women by German colonizers in the late 1800’s. Despite its origins, these styles persist today as a symbol of resilience. Lee Garises reports Windhoek, Namibia]] ((NARRATOR)) In Windhoek's Ausspanplatz business district, an unassuming clothing shop is quickly becoming the go-to place for the country's latest craze, the Horokhoes (pron: Ho-row-KWIS) Here, designer Zebora Gowases-Endjala (pron: Go-wah-SES, END-Jah-LAh) spends hours, responding to the growing demand for what was once a fashion pariah. ((Zebora Gowases-Endjala,Tailor)) ((Female, in English)) “Previously, it was difficult for some ladies who sow and seamstresses to make cultural dresses. And with the demand these days, they can really make enough money. A lot of money to sustain them.” ((NARRATOR)) Victorian dresses have been popular for some time in Namibia but are experiencing a surge in popularity, especially among tribal Damara women. Fashion designer Lerato Gaweses is here for a fitting of her first Horokhoes and says it’s a way for Nukhoe, translated as black women to express themselves. ((Lerato Gaweses, Fashion Designer)) ((Female, in English)) “I’m quite excited for the era we are in, as a young Damara lady and as an emerging fashion designer for our #Nukhoe ladies.” ((NARRATOR)) To some women here, the dress has a strong sense of history. Speaking at the launch of the Nisa Nukhoedi Windhoek (PRON: NEE-sa, Nah–KWEE-dee) cultural market, human rights activist and independent presidential candidate Rosa Namises says this is a way for Namibian women to reconnect to with their past. ((Rosa Namises, Human Right Activist)) ((Female, in English)) “What we want to do as people and as custodians of our culture, we want to reclaim it.” ((NARRATOR)) The Horokhoes dress looks back to the European dress styles that were imposed upon Damara women during the 31-year German occupation of the country that ended in 1915. [[FOR RADIO: (5) Rosy Eixas (PRON: Eh-HASS) organizes events to celebrate Damara women.]] ((Rosy Eixas (PRON: Eh-HASS), Event Organizer)) ((Female, in English)) “So back in the day when women were transitioning from leather or forced to transition from leather to fabric, it was a very painful period of resistance and losing a culture.” ((NARRATOR)) Gowases Endjala says reclaiming the style is helping Namibian women reclaim who they are. ((Zebora ||Gowases-Endjala)) ((Female, in English)) “It's been such a long time we didn't show interest in our own things but now I feel so good. Even little girls come to me and say that I want a Damara dress.” ((NARRATION)) The Horokhoes is a dress that recalls Namibia's colonial history, and a powerful statement about moving beyond an ugly past. ((Lee Garises,VOA News, Windhoek, Namibia.)) SPECIAL REPORT/ China Investments ((INTRO)) Chinese investments are increasingly finding a foothold in Africa, particularly in the vibrant entertainment industry. VOA’s Kahli Abdu explores how this funding is restructuring African music, film and digital content creation. ((NARRATION)) In an era where digital transformation is paramount, streaming services play a pivotal role in the global dissemination of African music and arts. But as these platforms grow, so does the influence of international investments, particularly from China. Boomplay, a leader in Africa’s digital music services, illustrates the transformative impact of streaming platforms. With over 75 million users, Boomplay facilitates unprecedented worldwide access to African music. Natasha Stambuli, an executive at Boomplay, offers her insights on this digital revolution. SOT: ((Natasha Stambuli, Executive at Boomplay, (Female in English)) “I think with the rise of the Internet, and we all are aware and now the whole world is going digitally. So, this has helped with the streaming services. It does help to cross borders. You know, now the artists that probably back then used to have to sell copies, like physical copies. Now you can sell it in a click, and it's sold and you can see your royalties real time.” ((NARRATION)) However, the expansion of digital platforms like Boomplay is not without its challenges. Literacy gaps and infrastructural shortcomings are posing significant barriers and threatening to slow the momentum. SOT: ((Natasha Stambuli, Executive at Boomplay, (Female in English)) “So, the educational element of things is still something that we're still trying to push so that it's easier for everybody as a whole, for the artists, for consumers. Why are they consuming what they're consuming? Why do I have to pay for the content whereby, you know, I would say I used to get it for free?” ((NARRATION)) Examining the broader ramifications of foreign investments, we see how Chinese strategies are interwoven with the evolution of Africa’s entertainment sectors. Professor Marcus Vinicius de Freitas, an expert in global economic policies and Chinese investments, offers detailed insight into how China’s strategic investments are influencing Africa’s entertainment sectors. SOT: ((Professor Marcus Vinicius de Freitas, Global Economic Policies Expert, (Male in English)) “So, you do see that Chinese investments have made a lot of efforts to improve the infrastructure in Africa. So, it's what we see is that China is developing networks throughout the continent in all sectors that are possible, and the entertainment industry is one of them.” ((NARRATION)) The cultural exchanges fueled by these investments enrich both African and Chinese landscapes, showcasing the power of cross-cultural collaboration. SOT: ((Professor Marcus Vinicius de Freitas, Global Economic Policies Expert, (Male in English)) “And of course, one of the things that is important for China is also to expand the inter-cultural connections with the continent so that as Africa gets to know a little bit more of China as an investor, Africa is also going to learn a little bit more about Africa and Asia. And Africa is also going to learn more about the things that are of interest of China.” ((NARRATION)) Yet, concerns over creative freedom persist, with fears that foreign investments may impose restrictions that shape content to fit specific cultural and political agendas. SOT: ((Chris Fenton, Former Executive at DMG Entertainment, (Male in English)) “Analysts or diligence companies can actually describe a particular kind of Chinese investment as something that maybe he's too risky to invest in. Everything has to be whitewashed so that it looks like the Chinese system is the best system on earth.” ((NARRATION)) As Chinese investments continue to pour into the African entertainment sector, balancing beneficial growth with the preservation of African creativity poses a complex challenge. The future of this relationship is set to significantly influence the cultural and economic outlook of the continent. ((Kahli Abdu, VOA News, Washington.))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Topic Tags SUPER HD
- Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
- Program Name Border Crossings
- Network VOA
- Expiration Date June 30, 2024 23:59 EDT
- Embargo Date May 30, 2024 07:41 EDT
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - Africa