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Efere Ozako was called to the Nigerian bar over two decades ago and maintains an active practice in Nigeria out of offices in Lagos and Abuja. He initiated the Wetin Lawyers Dey Do … Sef series and TAKAii magazine (Nigeria’s premier law related magazine) both now owned and run by Dtalkshop, to fill what he considered to be a void in legal awareness and education.
He has been active in educating and representing practitioners, and building structures in the legal aspects of the entertainment and creative industries in Nigeria. He has delivered papers in various fora and attended a host of industry related festivals, seminars and symposia, in Africa and around the world.

He has also been a member of several federal government committees and panels instituted to investigate, review and recommend reforms in the entertainment industry in Nigeria.
He recently set up Maxaro Consulting in Lagos Nigeria, a legal advisory firm, strictly for the Entertainment and Creative Industries.

 
 

Wole Soyinka was born on 13 July 1934 at Abeokuta, near Ibadan in western Nigeria. After preparatory university studies in 1954 at Government College in Ibadan, he continued at the University of Leeds, where, later, in 1973, he took his doctorate. During the six years spent in England, he was a dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London 1958-1959. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African drama. At the same time, he taught drama and literature at various universities in Ibadan, Lagos, and Ife, where, since 1975, he has been professor of comparative literature. In 1960, he founded the theatre group, "The 1960 Masks" and in 1964, the "Orisun Theatre Company", in which he has produced his own plays and taken part as actor. He has periodically been visiting professor at the universities of Cambridge, Sheffield, and Yale.

During the civil war in Nigeria, Soyinka appealed in an article for cease-fire. For this he was arrested in 1967, accused of conspiring with the Biafra rebels, and was held as a political prisoner for 22 months until 1969. Soyinka has published about 20 works: drama, novels and poetry. He writes in English and his literary language is marked by great scope and richness of words.

 
 

Isabel Arrate Fernandez was born in 1970. She finished her masters in Film Studies in 1996 at the University of Amsterdam. After graduating from university she started working for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and became involved in the organisation and programming of the Latin American Film Festival for Film and Literature in Rotterdam until 1999.From 2000 to 2002 she worked for Film Investors Netherlands, a government initiative in charge of implementing the tax schemes for film financing in the Netherlands. In 2002 she returned to IDFA to take charge of the Jan Vrijman Fund. IDFA initiated this fund to generate more attention for documentaries and filmmakers from developing countries.

Under her guidance the funds budget for project support increased 50% and the fund developed into a internationally renowned institution with a broad network. As coordinator of fund she has participated in several juries and as consultant in panels and workshops in developing countries.

 
 
Christopher Vourlias is a freelance journalist based in Johannesburg. He is a regular contributor to Variety, the American film and TV news weekly, and has reported on the film industries across sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently working on his first book.
 
 

James Kamawe Over the years, we have watched music evolve and help shape mainstream culture. Nothing has spoken to the souls of the youth in the passed 30 years like Hip-Hop.

In the late 80’s, NWA gave us their perspective of their hometown Los Angeles. This music was accompanied with classic films such as, “Boyz N The Hood” “Menace to Society”. KRS-One mixed the art of rhyming with street imagery and films like “Beat Street” & “Wild Style” followed suit. The cohesive relationship between music and film has open doors for new vantage points and dictated mainstream culture.

In which enters James “Noggz” Kamawe, a Nairobi, Kenya native with a commitment to perfection and a desire to introduce his message of African Prosperity.

“The blunt nature of American society can work against you if you are weak, but complimented by your natural resilience, make you unstoppable”, explains Noggz.

Noggz realized that a naive perspective about Africa was created by the media and would like to assist in adjusting it. “I took it upon myself to be that ambassador who will create the right awareness or at least pave the way for more ambassadors to give the true African perspective, through music and film”, stated Noggz.

As corruption and social inequalities in his home country of Kenya were continuing to take a toll on its fragile economy, opportunities were rapidly decreasing for the middle class and poor. The decision to send James overseas right after high school for a better chance at a future was not an easy one for his parents.

At the age of eighteen, he was on board a one-way flight to Atlanta GA on May 2002. An opportunity to be in the United States is not one to be frowned upon in Kenya. The level of responsibility to have a better life is one with high expectations and no room for compromise. As soon as Noggz set foot on American soil it was a continuous pursuit filled with more trials than triumphs.

After pursuing a business degree at Kennesaw State for two years and working numerous minimum wage paying jobs, Noggz opted out of college to focus on building his music career. He quickly established himself locally and was already getting paid to perform. Between 2003-2005 he opened shows with performers such as, Nameless, Wahu ,Red San, Hardstone, Nonini and many others. The music industry looked like it had availed itself for Noggz. By 2008 Noggz was featured on a song “Cos I can” which was released in London and garnered moderate success on radio. Shortly after, the lack of experience and an unclear vision stalled the dream temporarily, forcing Noggz back to reality.

The decision to go back to school became cardinal and Noggz not only found solace in music, but in film production as well. Noggz Attended the Art Institute of Atlanta where he developed his skills as a writer, producer and editor. He has since incorporated his entertainment venture Circle Group Entertainment and launched the hip-hop publication www.hiphopabc.org.

 
 
Gregory Mwendwa Kiio
 
 
Will Jansen - Director Hivos regional office for east africa
 

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