Cocktails - Opening of European Film Festival

Message from His Excellency Ambassador David MacRae

Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and Ecowas

Dear Cinema lovers,

The Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, the Embassies of the European Union Member States and the Embassy of Switzerland have the pleasure to present the 2011 edition of the European Film Festival in Abuja. The 2011 Film Festival is part of our activities to mark Europe Day.

This is the fourth Film Festival that we organise in a row. We are encouraged by the success of the previous editions and we are convinced that this year’s will be even more entertaining. We are pleased to bring a superb line-up of European films to the Nigerian audience.

Cinema is an important expression of culture both in Nigeria and Europe. We look forward to sharing with the Nigerian public the variety, richness and potential of European cinematic art. We hope you will enjoy these movies and that you will appreciate the diversity of the European film industry.

We are convinced that this festival is an excellent platform to share values and build bridge and mutual understanding.

- Ambassador David MacRae

  Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and Ecowas

(Culled from the 2011 European Film Festival brochure)

Embassy of Spain: Storytelling Performance and World Book & Copyright Day

The storytelling event to mark the World Book and Copyright Day, organised by the Embassy of Spain, was fun and totally different from the usual story telling. It was a story telling performance--- a PLAY. It is the story of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. The play director, Mrs. Laura Elorriaga, acted herself as Robin Hood. Her horsemen were Newman Gonpil and Ignacio Garrido (Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Spain). The children acted as trees, flowers in the forest as well as the stone wall and windows of the palace.

When they stormed the palace of the king, acted by a Japanese gentleman who was just picked out from the audience, Robin Hood and her horsemen used bow and arrows (they mimicked the shooting of an arrow) while throwing ropes to climb the palace. Once inside the palace, the king surrendered, ending the play.

The children just loved it! They were instant performers as they were just picked out from the audience by the play director, to act in a part, while the play was in progress.

The introduction was made by Ignacio Garrido, Deputy Head Mission, Spanish Embassy. The guest speaker was Rosemary Nwangwu of Unesco. She is the National Programming Office (Education).

Also present at the event were Eva Barta (Cultural Officer, Embassy of Spain), Monica Dominguez (also of the Embassy of Spain), Bibi Bakare (of Cassava Republic) and Gillian Parker (of the NGO Reading and Writing)

The storyteller Laura Elorriaga, is the Director of CLAP (Combining Learning, Acting and Playing ). According to her, she is in Abuja only for a week, just to do the play for the Spanish Embassy.


The venue of the play was at Casalinda, located at No. 8, Colorado Close, Maitama.

Everybody had fun! Thanks a lot, Embassy of Spain. We look forward to next year’s celebration of WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY!

Related post: World Book and Copyright Day 2010 at the Embassy of Spain

Laura Elorriaga, middle, with her co-performers

Laura Elorriaga, director of CLAP, performs in Abuja

Scenes from the storytelling perfomance

Scene from the storytelling performance of Robinhood

Scenes from the storytelling performance

Scene from the storytelling performance

Eva Barta and Laura Elorriaga

Members of the audience.
Top right - Monica Dominguez with another guest.
Bottom: left - Bibi Bakare of Cassava Republic; middle - Gillian Parker of RAW

 Related post: World Book and Copyright Day 2010 at the Embassy of Spain

Celebrating womanhood in Abuja

Women of different nationalities celebrated the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY on Friday, 11th March 2011, at the Dunes Continental Restaurant on Ironsi Way, Maitama, Abuja.

The event was organised by Maryse Coutu (as part of her farewell to her Nigerian experience) and her friends Johanne, Patience and Milad, in partnership with the Abuja International Women's Club.

The night started off with talks by three speakers followed by dinner and dancing till midnight! The guest speakers were:

a) Gillian Parker who talked about a new reading and writing NGO aiming to support literacy development and creative writing programmes in Nigeria. She talked about RAW's aims, future projects and how they plan to achieve their goals, explaining how you can get involved in RAW's programmes.

b) Doctor Ilana Lapidos-Salaiz, US Department of Defense HIV Program (Nigeria) Manager of PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief). She talked about how she balances caring for her family, nurturing her career and trailing her spouse through 5 countries over the past ten years.

c) The third speaker was Hauwa Shekarau, National Vice President of Nigerian Women Lawyers, who drew on her personal experience to highlight some of the social difficulties for women in accessing high levels of education.


The emcee was Patience Bentu, Public Relations and Communication Specialist. Photos by Araceli Aipoh and Thalie Jibrin.

Celebrating womanhood in Abuja - more pics

Monica and Newman's Nigerian wedding

Newman (from Plateau State, Nigeria ) and Monica (from Pontevedra, Spain) invited friens and well-wishers to their wedding on 12 February 2011 which was held at the Cyrprian Ekwensi Centre, Garki, Abuja. The colours of the day were purple, red and blue. These photos were taken at the event.

Embassy of the Philippines celebrates EDSA DAY

In commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the Embassy of the Philippines in Abuja, led by H.E. Nestor Padalhin, Ambassador of the Philippines to Nigeria, held a series of activities on Friday, the 25th of February 2011. The day started off with a Holy Mass at the Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature, followed by a flag-raising ceremony at the Philippine Embassy, a commemorative programme, and a Filipino breakfast. In attendance at the programme were members of the ASEAN diplomatic corps, expatriate and Nigerian friends of the embassy, as well as members of Pusong Pinoy (an association of the Filipino community in Abuja).

The following photos were taken at the event.

Concert to promote classical music in Nigeria

The Philharmonics Company in cooperation wit the Embassy of Norway in Nigeria organised a concert and a tour as part of an effort to promote classical music in the country, on 4th March 2011, at the Lagos Room of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

In town to spearhead the concert and tour, which have become an annual event, was world renowned Norwegian pianist, Geir Henning Braaten whose career as a classical music pianist has spanned decades, taking him to different countries to perform with the best conductors and musicians in the world.

The Philharmonics Company is a registered enterprise with the aim of promoting classical music in Nigeria as well as discovering young artists and encouraging the study of music by organising workshops and training. Some members of this group are Andrew Egbuchiem, Kingsley Idegun, Abiagam Austine, Nwanko Chioma, and Callistus Egbuchiem.

The concert followed by a buffet dinner was attended by many members of the diplomatic corps.