Yankee Candles - now available in Abuja

A company based in  Abuja has recently started delivering Yankee Candles to residents, schools and embassies within the FCT. 

To order, customers simply request an order form at: Yankee.Candles@yahoo.com. Once the order has been placed, they send you a confirmation email detailing the date and time of delivery. For company, embassies, and school orders, they are on-site once every month for 2 hours for immediate purchases.

Competitive price

According to the distributor: "The best part about this service is that all stock are current and prices are comparable to what is being offered in the actual stores and online. We also encourage all our customers to compare our prices to the current market price."

For more details, please contact:

Alicia B Uzor 

JushUman Beauty and Scents Spa

1093 Joseph Gomwalk Street, Gudu District Abuja

Mobile: +234 (0) 805 520 9307 / 0803 800 0119

email: JushUman@ymail.com

The African Streetwriter unveils Kola Kids Award in Abuja; now accepts nominations

Left: Logo of the Kola Kids Award
Top right: Simeon Ebechidi, CEO and co-founder of the African Streetwriter
Bottom right: Unveiling of 'Kola Kids Award' by Hon. Chijoke Edeoga
PHOTOS by The African Streetwriter

The African Streetwriter, an association that celebrates contemporary African writings founded in Abuja last year, unveiled  a project called the KOLA KIDS AWARD at the Sokoto Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on 27th May 2013.

The African Streetwriter is now accepting nominations for the following awards:

Creativity Award

The creativity award comprise of all aspects, arts, literature, music and cultural exchanges. The awards will honour and promote the child that produces a uniquely entertaining and inspiring project. Forms of art are not restricted to visual arts, performing arts, literature, multimedia, photography, etc.

Top Left:
Sir Victor Anoliefo, founder of Abuja Literary Society.
 Bottom Left: Jide Atta, adviser to TASW
Top and bottom right:
A cross-section of theguests.

Innovation Award

The Innovation awards aims at boosting science, technology and productivity amongst children. Students are often times saturated with theoretical knowledge and not given the opportunity to use their accrued skills to make a visible impact on the world. This section aims to receive as many innovative projects as possible from finished to well documented concepts, drawn up by the kids to solve a problem in the society.

Honorary Awards/Kids Choice Award

This Award is for the adult individual, company initiative that has done the most to promote young people’s personal development and help them achieve their potentials through education and participation in positive activities, especially among disadvantaged or excluded groups. The award includes: Kid’s Man of the Year, Kids Woman of the Year, Kid’s Company of the Year, and  Global Initiative Supporting Children’s Development.

Nominations starts from 27th May and ends on 31st August 2013.

What would the winners get?

For the Creativity and Innovation awards, the winners with the winning ideas/projects would be invited in an all-expenses  paid trip to receive their awards on the day of the KOLA Kids Award ceremony, which is scheduled to hold in November 2013. Winners would be offered the chance to address the crowd about their motivations, inspirations and hope for their work. They would be encouraged to take hold of the opportunity KOLA Kids Award would offer them in terms of exposure to potential sponsors, media hype, personal gratification and possibility of winning the grand prize of the day; an educational grant. They would also become Ambassadors to one of K OLA Awards sponsors and partners and thus be provided with training and tours that will help boost their ideas. All awardees will receive a trophy and a certificate.

For more details:

THE AFRICAN STREETWRITER (FACEBOOK)

WWW.THEAFRICANSTREETWRITER.COM

Italian historical landscapes photo exhibition - May 27 to June 2, 2013, at the Hilton Hotel

The opening ceremony of a photo exhibition tagged Italian Historical Landscapes took place on 27th May 2013 at the lobby of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. The exhibition was conceived as part of the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy ( proclaimed on 17th March 1861) and the celebrations marking the 67th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Italy (established on 2nd June 1946).

In his speech during the occasion, the Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, His Excellency Roberto Colamine, said the exhibition “represents high resolution photographs of typical Italian countryside landscapes and has been organised in Abuja with the sponsorship of the TEAM Group and the assistance of Transcorp Hilton Abuja.”

In addition, Ambassador Colamine said:

“The project is a result of a researched financed by the Italian Ministy of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Polices, with the patronage of the Italian Ministy of Culture, of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and of the Council of Europe.

“It aims to highlight the harmonious relationship between the contemporary rural economic activities, the traditional countryside culture and architecture and the natural environment. 

“It offers an occasion for a reflection on the subject of the human interaction with nature, between the necessities of the rural economy and the need to protect the environment. It highlights the possibility to conduct human activities in the countryside, while at the same time, taking care of the environment.

“In different words, this exhibition stresses the need for sustainable rural economic activities, not only from the moral point of view – often stressed in the “conservationist” narrative of the protection of the environment – but also from a purely economic perspective, because only an approach respectful of the environment can assure that it remains a perpetual source of livelihood.

“With the occasion and with regards to the centrality of rural economy, I wish to recall that the Universal Expo 2015 will take place in Milan on the theme “Feeding the Planet Energy for Life.” Nigeria, whose agricultural sector is the focus of a renewed attention, has recently appointed its commissioner for the Expo, who has recently joined preparatory event in Milan.

“I therefore sincerely hope that you will appreciate this exhibition, for its intent to highlight the human activities in our rural landscape and for the astonishing beauty that has been maintained in our countryside and environment.”

Mr. Filippo Macchioni, Executive Director of
TEAM Nigeria and H.E. Roberto Colamine
Ambassador of 

To conclude, H.E. Colamine extended to the Italian and Nigerian citizens and to the members of the international community in Abuja the greetings from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Emma Bonino. He also called attention to the foreword to the exhibition by the President of the Republic of Italy, His Excellency Giorgio Napolito. The event was attended by the Executive Director of TEAM Group, Mr. Filippo Macchioni.

In Abuja.... Pottery Sales and Exhibition on June 2

A pottery sales and exhibition is taking place on Sunday, 2nd June 2013, at the Beacon Suites, Maitama, Abuja. The exhibition aims to highlight the works of women from the Bill Clinton Pottery Village. For more details: 070 2634 9852 or 070 4391 9150. Or email: theabujapottery@gmail.com.

... AND FRENCH SCHOOL BAZAAR ON JUNE 1
The French School of Abuja is organizing a big bazzar on Saturday 1st of June 2013 from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm on the school premises in Durumi district, after Prince and Princess Estate II, Abuja.

You may wish to sell your affairs, your arts or food specialities. The school therefore proposes tables at a price of 3000 Naira each. You can now rent them.

On the occasion of this wonderful day, the school also organizes a great raffle draw with exceptional prices.
Tombola tickets are for sale through the students or teachers or the day itself.

If you would need more information or would like to book a table, kindly contact Victoria 0803 590 59 46 or Barabara 0816 600 94 28.

Visiting the National Children's Park and Zoo Abuja

For lack of tourist attractions in Abuja, one will have to do with what's available, such as the National Children's Park and Zoo. One should not expect too much however as there are no more than a dozen types of animals (or maybe two) at the zoo. And worse, they are unkempt. The areas where are the monkeys are stink... and the animals look miserable and unhappy. To have a zoo, I believe one does not have to keep exotic animals.... ordinary animals will do where children can have a close look. Anyway, we were allowed to feed some of the monkeys with veggies and corn provided by one of the attendants. It meant touching some of them, and later, at the children's playground, also touching the swing... which meant we needed to wash our hands. There was a tap at the entrance... but we were told there was no water and we should use the water in one of the drums. We passed.    

Diplomatic magazine launched at the Embassy of the Philippines

The Ambassador of the Philippines to Nigeria, H. E. Alex V. Lamadrid, 6th from left, receives a
copy of DIPLOMATS EXTRA from the publisher, Raphael Oni. They are flanked by
members of the press and staff of the embassy, Nadj Mangondaya (4th from left),
Fely Ramos (7th) and Clifford Legal (far right)
PHOTO BY INSIDE TRACK

The Embassy of the Philippines in Nigeria (Maitama, Abuja) was the venue for the launching of a magazine with a focus on the diplomatic scene in the country, on the 21st of March 2013. Called the DIPLOMATS EXTRA, the monthly magazine is published by Raphael Oni. 

About a hundred guests from the diplomatic corps in Abuja attended the event, along with guests from the government and private sector. Guests of Honour included H.E. Alex V. Lamadrid, Ambassador of the Philippines to Nigeria; Hon. Ibrahim Bello (Member of the National Assembly); and Senator Enyinaya Abaribe.

Launching of the DIPLOMATS EXTRA magazine at the Philippine Embassy
on April 21, 2013.
PHOTOS BY INSIDE TRACK ABUJA

Guests and members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja

Guests and members of the diplomatic corps

Yasmin El-Rufai Literary Evening and Lecture

Top right: Hadiza El-Rufai (middle) with friends.
Bottom left: Nasir El-Rufai and Hakeem Belo-Osagie with a guest
Right: Hakeem Belo-Osagie talks to NTA.
Photos by INSIDE TRACK ABUJA

Got an invitation to the Yasmin El-Rufai Creative Writing Workshop's Literary Evening and Lecture on the 4th of May 2013 at the Merit House here in Abuja.  On the same day there was a party organised by the Filipino community in Abuja which took place at my residence - which means I had to apologise to the guests that I had to leave and head for Maitama -- and made it just in time to hear Eugenia Abu's lecture on the literary experience, followed by a short speech by the mother of the late Yasmin El-Rufai who read an essay she wrote about her daughter. 

"Yasmin," she said "was more than a daughter to me in that last year I spent with her. She became my friend. She was involved with everything I did. She got to know many of my course mates. She attended our readings and other activities. She critiqued my writing, and what a wonderful critic she was. Every time she looked at my work she made it better." (You may read the whole essay HERE).

The event, which was under the chairmanship of Hakeem Belo-Osagie, was organised by Tunji Ajibade's outfit called Exodus For Art. 

Read a report about the literary evening by Sueddie Agema HERE.