Last chance to apply for the 2011 Creme of Nature Community Action Award - 31-01 (UK)

Last chance to apply for the UK 2011 Creme of Nature Community Action Award. Applications for the Award have to be in by the 31st January 2011.

The Award

The Creme of Nature Community Action Award is all about giving something back to the community that has supported one of the most well known brands in the hair and beauty market for the past 30 years. If you or your organisation has a dream, now is the chance to make it a reality. Imagine what £10,000 cash could do and what it could achieve, then tell us why you need it, and what you intend to do with it.

Applications are welcome from individuals to small groups, but priority will be given to those who have an annual turnover of less than £50,000.

This Award is all about making a real difference. So if you are small with a big idea and just lacking funding, the Creme of Nature Community Action Award could be just what you need to make your dreams come true and start to make a real difference to the community you serve.

What can the money be used for?

There are very few limitations.

It’s up to you to decide what you could do with £10,000. Remember the Community Action Award is a single payment of £10,000. That can take any organisation a long time to save. It can transform the work you do today, into the work you dream of doing in future, for the community you serve. And remember there are 4 runners up cash awards as well.


The Programme for 2011

Applications can be sent from the 10th September 2010 – early applications are appreciated this year as the Judges may decide to meet more than once as the number of applications have increased over recent years, and it will give them greater opportunity to review your application.


Applications will be received up to the 31st January 2011

During February 2011 the Judges will announce the 5 finalist.

The 2011 Award will be £10,000 and there will also be 4 runners up who will also receive cash awards.

1st runner up £1,750

2nd runner up £1,000

3rd runner up £750

4th runner up £500

It will be up to each finalist to promote their cause and get the most online votes from the 1st March to the 31st March 2011. Votes can come from anywhere - one vote per person. It could be a lot of fun, and a great way to get your local community to find out what you do now and what you could do in the future if you won the award.

The presentation will be in the Steve Biko Building in Manchester in late April or early May 2011.

Website www.communityactionaward.co.uk

Application form http://communityactionaward.co.uk/application_form.html

UK MOBO Awards - Music of Black Origin Awards - Nominees 2010

Rappers Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal are leading the nominations of the Music Of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards in October 2010. Tempah is also nominated for best song, best video and best newcomer. The Awards will take place in Liverpool on 20 October.

Kanya King, CEO and Founder of MOBO:
‘I am very proud of the level of talent in the UK today and extremely pleased with the dominance of MOBO music artists in the charts both here and in the US, what a massive change compared to when we started 15 years ago! In the past year alone we have seen 2 out of every 3 number 1 hits was from urban artists! To commemorate our milestone year we are launching various new activities as part of MOBO Organisation’s ongoing growth.’

For more information see www.mobo.com/

And the nominees are.....

Best Newcomer

Tinie Tempah
Professor Green
Scorcher
Labrinth
Devlin

Best UK R&B / Soul

Sade
Natalie Williams
Corinne Bailey Rae
McLean
Plan B

Best UK Hip Hop / Grime

Giggs
Professor Green
Skepta
Akala
Wiley

Best International Act

Drake
Alicia Keys
Jay Z
Rihanna
Eminem
Janelle Monae
Black Eyed Peas
Nicki Minaj
Ne-Yo
Usher
Beyonce
Jason Derulo
Lil Wayne
Travie McCoy
Trey Songz

Best Reggae

Damian Marley
Mavado
GYPTIAN
Vybz Kartel
GAPPY RANKS

Best Album

Plan B – “The Defamation of Strickland Banks”
JLS – “JLS”
N-Dubz “Against All Odds”
Chipmunk –“I Am Chipmunk”
Dizzee Rascal – “Tongue in Cheek”

Best Video - In association with MTV Base

Mark Ronson & The Business INTL ft Q-Tip & MNDR - "Bang, Bang, Bang"
Tinie Tempah ft Labrinth – "Frisky"
Tinchy Stryder – "You’re Not Alone"
Alesha Dixon – "Drummer Boy"
Dizzee Rascal – "Dirtee Disco"


Best UK Act - In association with Lebara Mobile

Tinie Tempah
Jay Sean
Tinchy Stryder
Taio Cruz
Chipmunk
N-Dubz
Giggs
JLS
Roll Deep
M.I.A
Dizzee Rascal
Alexandra Burke
Sade
Plan B
Leona Lewis

Best Song - In association with PRS for Music

Taio Cruz ft Ke$ha - "Dirty Picture"
Tinie Tempah - "Pass Out"
N-Dubz ft Mr Hudson - "Playing With Fire"
Mark Ronson & The Business INTL ft Q-Tip & MNDR - "Bang, Bang, Bang"
Professor Green ft Ed Drewett - "I Need You Tonight"

Best African Act

K'Naan
P-Square
Hip Hop Pantsula
JJC
Banky W.
Concha Buika
Mulatu Astatke
Wanlov the Kubolor
Angélique Kidjo
M3NSA
Yuri Da Cunha
Tinny
Waldemar Bastos
Staff Benda Bilili
BLK JKS


Best Jazz Act

Robert Glasper
Brad Mehldau
Empirical
Phronesis
John McLaughlin

Best Gospel

Faith Child
Guvna B
Rachel Kerr
Jake Isaac
Beverley Trotman

The Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards (des Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens ) - November 8 2010 in Paris

The 5th annual Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards 2010 (des Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens) will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris France on November 8 2010. The ceremony is a tribute to the famous poet, author and politician Aimé Césaire.

The Arts Awards ceremony rewards the best artists and personalities of Francophone Caribbean, Africa and the Indian Ocean. The artists are nominated in categories music, literature and cinema.

According to the blog FMX, this 5th edition runs along side the fiftieth anniversary of African independence. Also in this edition, a connection will be made between the United States, Africa, the Caribbean and France.

The award ceremony is inspired by the BET Awards in US and the MOBO Awards in the UK.

The ceremony will be broadcasted on TV on France 2 and France Ô.

Some of the nominees in the category music are:

Artist of the year
Kolo Barst - Martinique
Kaf Malabar - Reunion
Salif Keita - Mali
Ben Oncle Soul - France

Revelation Artist of the year
Milk Coffee & Sugar - Cameroun, Rwanda and France
Arielle T - Gabon
Yaelle Trulès - Reunion
Kim - Martinique

For more information and for a complete list of the nominees and categories see the website of the Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens at www.lestaac.com

Spanish Concha Buika nominated for Latin Grammys and Mobo

Spanish singer Concha Buika is nominated for the Latin Grammys for her album El Último Trago, in the category Best Traditional Tropical Album. For the album she partnered with Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés.

In April 2009, Buika and Valdés got together in Abdala studios in Havana, convened by Spanish guitarist and producer Javier Limon, to pay tribute to the legendary singer Chavela Vargas on her 90th birthday.

And she is also nominated for the UK MOBO Awards, but in the category Best African Act: Concha Buika (Equatorial Guinea). But Best African Act!?

Buika was born in Palma de Mallorca in Spain, only her parents are from Equatorial Guinea. There is nothing Equatorial Guinean about her music, her music is Flamengo/Jazz.

A live performance with Chucho Valdés


Strange MOBO, in the US she is nominated for the second time as Latin artist, and in her hometown Europe she is nominated as an African Act.

Suzanna Lubrano wins award for Best Diaspora Artist (Netherlands)

Suzanna Lubrano has won the award for “Best African Artist based in the Diaspora” at the Museke Online Africa Music Awards (MOAMAs) 2010. The winners were selected based on African music fan votes. Voting took place from April 6 to May 29, 2010 on http://awards.museke.com

Suzanna Lubrano is a Netherlands (Rotterdam) based Zouk artist. If you're not into Zouk, Kizomba or Afro-Portuguese music you probably would not know that Lubrano has won the Kora All African Music Award for Best African Female Artist in 2003. The Kora Awards are music awards given annually for musical achievement in sub-Saharan Africa. They are comparable to the American Grammy Awards in intent.

Lubrano performing in the Netherlands



And you probably would not know that she received the award in a live TV show which was watched by over more then 600 million people. (Source: NPS)

This summer, Suzanna Lubrano will have many performances in Africa. Shows are coming up in Angola, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe and elsewhere.

Other shows will take place in Europe and USA, among them June 18 in Rotterdam and June 25 in London (IndigO2, with Yuri da Cunha).

Website: http://www.suzannaonline.nl/

Sade Nominated For Brit Award

Sade Nominated For Brit Award. To Celebrate its 30th Anniversary, The BRIT Awards 2010 will include a new retrospective award - The ‘British Album of 30 Years’. The category includes the top 10 best selling albums that have also won British Album categories over the past three decades, and we are very happy to announce that Sade’s debut album ‘Diamond Life’(1984)has been nominated. The award will be voted for by Radio 2 and 6 Music listeners.

In the meantime, here’s the full list of nominations for BRITs Album of 30 years.

BRITs Album of 30 Years
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
Dido - No Angel
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Duffy - Rockferry
Keane - Hopes & Fears
Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required
Sade - Diamond Life
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Travis - The Man Who

Mounia, France's black supermodel elavated to ranks of Knight of the Order of Merit

Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard: Marie-Luce Penchard & Mounia
Mounia, the first black supermodel from France, has been honored by the French government and elevated to the ranks of Knight of the Order of Merit (Chevalier de l’Ordre de Mérite). She was awarded the honor on November 23th at the Ministery of the Overseas Territories in Paris.

In the name of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Marie-Luce Penchard (current Minister of Overseas Territories) described the model as she who had pushed the greatest grand couturiers to “rupture with aesthetique codes in vigor” of the time in order to include black women in their vision of elegance, sophistication and fashion.

The American magazine, Essence Magazine, in 2005, placed her among the most famous black personalities. Her award was welcomed by the minister as a "tribute to the tenacity and fortitude of black women".

Read a full story at Fashion Insider
See the pictures of the reception at Fxgpariscaraibe

Sabrina Starke wins the Edison Public Prize (Netherlands)

Dutch Jazz / Pop Singer Sabrina Starke confirmed her status as fan favourite by winning the Edison Public Prize. Earlier this year Starke won the Edison Best Pop award for best newcomer. She receives the Public prize for her debut album Yellow Brick Road. Starke is under contract with Blue Note Records.

The Public Prize is an initiative of the Edison Foundation and Jazz Magazine. In recent months readers of the magazine voted for their favourite artist and album. Starke received over 42 percent of the vote, chased by the Wicked Jazz Sounds Band with their album The Biggest Sin.

A Woman's gonna Try; The new Official Music video by Sabrina Starke , from her album Yellow Brick Road (C) bluenote 2009



Sabrina Starke's official website

Black media organisation AFROTAK wins second prize in competition “RESPEKT GEWINNT!“ (Germany)

The Afro-German media organisation AFROTAK cyberNomads has been awarded second place for its contribution in the competition „RESPEKT GEWINNT!“ of the “Berlin counsel for Democracy”.

The award ceremony of the Berlin counsel for Democracy will be held 02/12/2009 at 18.30h in HEIMATHAFEN in Neukölln.
More information at: www.berlinerratschlagfuerdemokratie.de

AFROTAK cybernomads was awarded second prize for the spoken word video, were black German, Afro German and blacks in Germany were invited to perform a spoken word piece about respect, tolerance and humanity.



After been awarded as BEST MEDIA Projekt 2005 by the African Youth Foundation, and as BEST MEDIA Projekt 2008 by Foundation for Democracy and Tolerance of the federal government, this new price will be added to the list.

AFROTAK cyberNomads

Singer Izaline Calister won the Dutch Edison Award 2009

Dutch Antillean singer Izaline Calister won the Dutch Edison Award 2009 in the category Jazz/world music. The Edison Awards are Grammy Awards of The Netherlands. She received the Edison for her album Speransa. The award ceremony will be held on November 19th.

Calister’s first videoclip just has been released. The song is called ‘Mi Pais’ (My Country) and tells about her love for her sometimes hampered island. It is a track of her latest cd-release, ’Speransa’. The clip is shot on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.

Izaline Calister's official website



In this BBC documentary Calister talks about her language and the African Tambu music of Curaçao.

Marie NDiaye is the first black woman to win France’s top literary prize (Prix Goncourt)

Today French-Senegalese writer Marie NDiaye (42) won France's top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, for her novel Trois femmes puissantes [Three Strong Women], a novel on family, betrayal and the hellish ordeal of illegal migration from Africa. She is the black woman to win the prize.

Marie NDiaye was born in France, she is the daughter of a French mother and a Senegalese father. NDiaye was raised by her French mother in Pithiviers, a provincial town south of Paris. After her father returned to Senegal, she did not travel to Africa until she was in her 20s. She now lives in Berlin with her three children

Marie NDiaye is the sister of historian Pap NDiaye.

Marie NDiaye: “I grew up in a world that was 100 percent French. My African roots don’t mean much, except that people know of them because of the color of my skin and my name,” she said recently.

“I don’t represent anything or anyone,” she said. “I have met many French people raised in Africa who are more African than I am.”

While she rages at the discrimination still faced by French blacks, NDiaye says she has been sheltered by her writer career.

“I have always had a quite special, marginal life, the life of a writer lucky enough not to have to ask anyone for anything,” she said.(AP)

It’s great achievement for a black woman in France, and it’s also a sign that France is changing. But there’s one thing about Marie N Diaye that leaves me puzzled. She says her African roots don’t mean much to her, but she does write about Dakar and the black migration experience. Apparently roots does matter.

Entretien Marie Ndiaye
Geüpload door fluctuat. - Bekijk de laatste nieuwscontent.

Trois femmes puissantes [Three Strong Women] is the book beneath the French media’s spotlight this rentrée. Three, tenuously linked narratives. At their heart, three women who say no.

Forty year-old Norah arrives at the home of her father in Africa. An egocentric tyrant, he has now become silent and bulimic, and spends his nights perched in a tree in the courtyard. Why did he ask her to come? The answer, Norah discovers, is worse than she could have ever imagined.

Fanta, who used to teach French in Dakar, had to follow her partner, Rudy, to France. Here, Rudy proves incapable of providing her with the rich and joyful life she deserves. He remains under the morbid influence of his mother, who dedicates her life to convincing her entourage of the existence of angels.

Destabilised, Rudy wanders through an angry reality, while Fanta, by his side, is a rock. Khady Demba is a young African widow. Penniless, she tries to find her distant cousin, Fanta, in France. The long journey of emigration she pursues will be punctuated with unspeakable suffering. (source: French book news)

Read: Black woman wins Prix Concourt for the first time

And the MOBO winners 2009 are ...

The MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards took place yesterday (Sept 30th) at the SECC in Glasgow, Scotland.

According to Madnews, the organisers put on the best show in years.

But someone was pretty "pissed". Ex-Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland Kelly has called for an apology from MOBO organisers, claiming that her performance at the awards ceremony was affected by poor sound quality. (Digital spy)

And Nneka won the Best African Act. On the photo Yolanda Brown who won an award in the category Best Jazz.

LIST OF 2009 MOBO WINNERS
Best UK Act: N-Dubz
Best Newcomer: JLS
Best Song: 'Beat Again', JLS
Best Album: 'Uncle B', N-Dubz
Best DJ: Trevor Nelson
Best Hip Hop: Chipmunk
Best R&B: Keri Hilson
Best International: Beyonce
Best Video: 'Single Ladies', Beyonce
Best Reggae: Sean Paul
Best Jazz: Yolanda Brown
Best Gospel: Victizzle
Best African Act: Nneka

Joseph Dunoyer and his Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens

France: Tonight the Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens will be held for the fourth time, but before the event François-Xavier Guillerm of FXG interviewed Guadeloupian Joseph Dunoyer, director general of Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards.

Dunoyer feels good about this year. “A year older, means one year more experience, and when you look at the progress since 23 October 2006, the picture is very positive despite the different waves that we have met during our crusade! “

Dunyor emphasis the location. “ The event will held at the Theater du Chatelet in Paris, a mythical place in the capital and in the French culture.”

Personalities that could give greater visibility to the award ceremony will attend the event. Dunoyer: “ Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand, Teddy Riner World champion in judo, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Patricia Renel, a Caribbean artist who has exhibited in over 47 countries, Sebastien Follin, Willian Galas Sonia Rolland, Antonhy Kavanagh, Omar, Jean-Marc Thibaudier, host of Tele Guadeloupe, Fany J, the revelation of last year, Jacques Martial, Aissa Maiga and many others! For them it is an honour to participate in an event of this size in France.

But the award ceremony also has a deeper meaning. The famous French poet Aimé Césaire told Dunoyer that this event has everything to brotherhood.

Read the interview with Dunoyer on the blog fxgpariscaraibe (French).
(Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard)

MOBO Awards 2009 - Launch and Nominees (UK)

Photo: Kanya King at the launch party
The anual MOBO Awards 2009 will be held in Glasgow (Scotland) this year on wednesday 30th September 2009. The launch party was held on the 26th August in London.

The Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards, established in 1995 by Irish/Ghanaian Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any race or nationality performing black music.

This year 2009 is a success for UK black talent. Years ago founder Kanya King complained of the lack of recognition for black artist in UK. And not so long ago it was R&B singer Estelle who made comments about Duffy and Adele and music industry racism. But things have changed.

On her blog founder Kanya King writes:" 2009 has been a phenomenal year for UK music, and it’s so good to see UK talent being recognized in the charts. We’ve worked long and hard to get to this point where all these talented UK Artists are finally getting the mainstream success they so deserve. We only have to take a look at the chart positions of Tinchy, Chipmunk, Alexandra Burke, N Dubz this year to see how far MOBO music has come. This is what we’ve been striving for and I’m really happy that UK music is being so widely acknowledged and indeed, celebrated. You just have to look at the calibre of the Best UK Act category to see how strong the UK scene is at the moment! And check out Beverley’s reaction on our video clip when she hears that she’s been nominated - what a beautiful moment. And I’ve just been told it’s her 10th MOBO Nomination! Wow." Read her full story here


Nominations

BEST UK ACT
Alesha Dixon
Bashy
Beverly Knight
Chipmunk
Dizzee Rascal
DJ Ironik
Donae’o
Mr. Hudson
N-Dubz
Tinchy Stryder

BEST NEWCOMER
Alexandra Burke
Jade Ewen
JLS
Laura Izibor
Master Shortie

BEST R&B / SOUL ACT
Beverly Knight
Ciara
Jeremih
Keri Hilson
Lemar

BEST HIP HOP ACT
Chipmunk
Dizzee Rascal
Drake
Eminem
Kanye West

See full list on nominations here

First black Miss England sparks controversy

Rachel Christie is the first Miss England who is black. Christie, 20, a heptathlete from London, is the niece of Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Linford Christie.

But her election has already sparked controversy. Not because she is black, but because she won with only nine votes from the public. The runner up won the public vote with 2,013 votes. But in spite of low public vote the organisers chose Rachel Christie as Miss England 2009.

The organisers defended their vote. Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, said the public played only a part in the contest, choosing one of the 15 top finalists with this vote amounting effectively to a seventh judge in the final selection. Read Organisers defend Miss England vote

See Uk blog Mad news for some black responses.

The nominees of the Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens 2009 (France)

On June 26th the nominees for the ‘Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens’ were disclosed. See list below.

Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens (The Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards) is the annual French award ceremony for black cultural achievements. Since 2006 The Good Music Association has organized the award ceremony, formerly les Césaire de la Musique, to pay tribute to the founding father of the Negritude movement, and to promote cultural diversity of French Afro-Caribbean arts in the fields of cinema, music, literature ...

Although the name Afro-Caribéens refers to Afro-Caribbeans, artists from the overseas department Reunion and from the former French colonies in Africa are also nominated.

The award ceremony will be held on September 21th 2009 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. It will be preceded by a public vote.
For more information go to ‘Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens’

Nominated in the categories

Artiste de l’année (Artist of the year)
Patrick Saint-Eloi
Tanya Saint-Val
Davy Sicard
Rokia Traoré

Meilleur groupe (Best group)
Baster
Amadou et Mariam
Magic System
Ti Kabzy

Révélation de l’année (Revelation of the Year)
Erik
Medhy Gerville
Jessy Matador
Sandra Nkaké

Album de l’année (Album of the year)
Madagasker - Ziskakan
Victor Démé - Victor Démé
Ouvrir mes ailes - Medhy Custos
Inspiration information vol 3 - Mulatu Astatké

Meilleur documentaire (Best documentary)
Katanga business de Thierry Michel,
Le pays à l’envers de Sylvaine Dampierre
Jacques Roumain d’Arnold Antonin
Mémoire vaudou d’Irène Lichtenstein
Tu n’as rien vu à Kinshasa de Mwézé Dieudonné Ngangura

The other categories are: best clip, literature, best essay, best novel, and best fiction.

Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens 2008

Les Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens au Théâtre du Châtelet
Geüpload door LesCesaire.

Black German media organisation Afrotak cyberNomads wins prize

AFROTAK cyberNomads were honoured with the Award Best Media by the German government foundation ‘Demokratie und Toleranz’ for cyberNomads activities starting in 2001 as the first Black German portal on black presence in Germany. The organisation Afrotak Cybernomads is founded by Adetoun and Michael Küppers-Adebisi from Berlin. The award ceremony was held on May 6th.

The online portal CyberNomads will be the first internet portal of black people in Germany to be officially awarded by a government agency.

Katy Perry Extravagant Ensemble At Grammy Awards 2009

Was Katy Perry really flirting you with her extravagant ensemble for the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Not one to let the audience down, the 24-year-old sang her hit song “I Kissed A Girl” - complete with twists and turns along the way.

Talking about the performance just prior to the show, Katy told MTV News, “I’m going to be ascending from the ceiling… By banana!”

Tossing in a little retro choreography in her routine, Ms Perry added, “It’s a little 1940s Folies Bergère Rockette. It’s definitely not like Britney Spears’ 2001 VMA performance of ‘I’m a Slave 4 U’ or something like that. No anacondas on my neck. It’s definitely hopefully going to be one of those moments.”



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