entertainment

The book details recommendations, case studies, and solutions for how the industry can reshape itself to enable a post-COVID-19 comeback.

The African Energy Chamber  officially launches its book titled, ‘African Energy Road to Recovery: How The African Energy Industry Can Reshape Itself For A Post COVID-19 Comeback’; The book details recommendations, case studies, and solutions for how the industry can reshape itself to enable a post-COVID-19 comeback.  

Africa’s oil and gas industry is facing extraordinary circumstances. An ongoing energy transition and new efforts to decarbonize the world are weighing on oil demand. The shale revolution is exacerbating these pressures. And of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on markets around the world, accelerating and intensifying existing trends.

The African Energy Chamber hosted its virtual book launch for its first book titled ”African Energy Road to Recovery: How the African energy sector can reshape itself for a post-COVID-19 comeback” alongside its advisory board members, moderated by Verner Ayukegba, SVP at the African Energy Chamber on March, 16^th at 4PM SAST.

The advisory board members, who lead the narrative within the book, provided insight into what the book has to offer and presented their own opinions and solutions to the sector’s recovery. “The book is an amazing thought process and is highly recommended to everyone as it gives important insight into the value chain. The opportunity for African independents is the prolific, hydrocarbon- rich basins within the continent. A credible plan for execution, supported by a strong management team, will always attract capital,” stated Kola Karim, CEO of Shoreline Natural Resources.

The book provides an in-depth look at the current African energy landscape through the provision of resources including maps and graphs, detailed analysis of risks and opportunities, and key insights from industry giants that provide a framework not only for moving forward in a post-COVID-19 context, but excelling. Through the presentation of interviews with industry experts and informative articles that seek to examine the entire energy value chain, the book is particularly critical in understanding the current context and catapulting Africa’s energy industry to success.

“There are some great discussion points in the book which seek to outline skills training and local content. NOC’s are working daily with international operators and having projects to foster the local content is really the right way to build skills and transfer knowledge,” stated Remi Mouchel, Director of Operations and Chairman of the Executive Board, IFP Training. “Everyone should take the time to buy this book,” stated Akinwole Omoboriowo II, Chairman, CEO of Genesis Energy Group. “The book is power packed with a lot of information and case studies. The beauty of energy transition is that it has been a deliberate policy for most African countries pre-Covid-19. The notion around producing power around technology has been very significant and as a result, reshaped Africa’s comeback post Covid.’’

“The book is power packed with a lot of information and case studies”

With the abundance of sizeable discoveries, emerging large-scale projects, and Africa’s exponential range of opportunities for investment and growth across the continent, the book provides information and recommendations critical for the continent in moving forward post-COVID-19. The book is based on the advice and knowledge of the AEC’s advisory board, a group of industry executives and experts that offer the best solutions to Africa’s industry, and is critical for every current and potential stakeholder.

“You need to create a good system upfront that addresses the physical, cyber and technological components of assets and addresses those issues in a way that maintains operational resiliency,” stated C. Derek Campbell, CEO of Energy & Natural Resources, Inc.  “The book does a good job of explaining technology and operational technology environment that comes together with African operators that need to look at how they operate in this industry 4.0 environment.”

“I am encouraging people who have not bought their copies to do so. As we look into the future, post Covid-19, we are going to see this continued infusion, conversions of the operational technology world which is where the oil and gas industry has deep experience.,” stated Jovita Nsoh, Regional CTO Strategy  & Innovation, Microsoft. “I think South Africa is ready,” stated Nosizwe Macamo, Executive Chairman & Founder of Raise Africa Investments. “In the book, there is a whole section which talks about regulatory certainty. In South Africa, we are finally at a point where we have a bill that deals directly with what the upstream should look like. When I look at the mature oil producing countries, like Nigeria, there is so much African countries can actually learn from each other.’’

The Road to Recovery addresses these challenges head-on, detailing all of the major challenges facing African oil and gas stakeholders, as well as workable solutions that will keep the industry on a strong and stable growth path. Again and again, our oil and gas sector has proven its resilience and adaptability. The world still needs oil and gas, and Africa still holds enormous untapped potential. The African Energy Chamber will remain a committed partner of choice for the industry as we advance into an uncertain future.

The digital copy is currently available on Barnes and Noble: bit.ly/38RBoDT  and pre-orders on the following major platforms:

Amazon – amzn.to/30PcSib

Google Play – bit.ly/30OhEN8

Barnes and Nobles – bit.ly/2P2UMqB

New licensing agreement will significantly boost the availability of UMG’s African and International repertoire to music fans across Africa

–New markets include South Africa, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Senegal; with UMG catalog now also widely available across French-speaking territories for first time.

LAGOS and SANTA MONICA, March 17, 2021 – Boomplay, the leading music streaming and download service based in Africa and Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced a new landmark licensing agreement that will extend licensing of UMG’s global music catalog from 7 to 47 countries across the African continent, as part of an extended relationship that will benefit African musicians and talent and expand the listening experience for Boomplay users across Africa.

In 2018, UMG became the first major global music company to license music to the service, which has continued to grow its audience reach and influence across Africa in recent years. Boomplay’s catalog currently stands at more than 50 million tracks and it boasts the largest repertoire of local African content globally, with 50million monthly active users (MAU). The renewal and expansion of this licensing deal with UMG, will enable African music fans across the continent to experience the best in both domestic African and International talent.

As one of the first entrants in Africa, Boomplay has been at the forefront of the music streaming market since 2015 and has a deep understanding of the local market. Now the leading African platform, in December 2020, Boomplay surpassed the 100 million app downloads milestone on Google Play. During this time, Boomplay has supported numerous African artists, across a variety of projects, including: The “concert of the year” – which saw UMG-signed Nigerian singer songwriter Tiwa Savage shut down Lagos with her debut performance of 49-99 and saw Boomplay invest in the first-ever documentary film focused on the history of Afrobeats.

Boomplay also gave away 250 million megabytes of data to users free of charge, so they could stream music online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Boomplay and UMG East Africa held conferences that brought together industry stakeholders to find ways of growing and supporting the African music community even further, as highlighted by Boomplay’s announcement to commit $1 million to support up-and-coming artists from the continent.

This agreement underscores UMG’s ongoing commitment to support and grow Africa’s domestic music ecosystems, while also creating new opportunities for Pan-African talent to reach new audiences domestically, regionally and around the world.

Over the past 5 years, UMG has taken a holistic approach to expanding operations across the continent, opening new divisions in Nigeria, as well as becoming the first major music company to establish divisions in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Morocco alongside UMG’s longstanding operations in South Africa. This presence will continue to grow throughout 2021 and beyond, as UMG continues to further extend the company’s ability to support domestic artists on the ground across Africa and globally.

Boomplay users will now have access to UMG’s extensive catalog of both local and global recording artists and labels including: Tiwa Savage (Nigeria), Nasty C (SA), Mi Casa (SA), Sauti Sol (Kenya), Cassper Nyovest (SA), Toofan (Togo), Tekno (Nigeria), Suspect 95 (Côte d’Ivoire), Brenda Fassie (SA), Tenor (Cameroon), Black Coffee (SA), Dena Mwana (DRC), Singuila (DRC), Locko (Cameroon), Hugh Masekela (SA), Charlotte Dipanda (Cameroon), Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania), Alpha P (Nigeria), Tomi Owo (Nigeria), Cysoul (Cameroon), Major League Djz (SA), Fior De Bior (Côte d’Ivoire), Larry Gaaga (Nigeria), Prince Kaybee (SA) alongside international artists from the world’s largest music catalog including: Da Baby, Drake, Lil Baby, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Booba, Dadju, Tasha Cobbs, Niska, Lionel Richie, Rihanna, Motown’s Catalog and Bob Marley.

UMG’s African Labels will also be supported under the new agreement including: Def Jam Africa, the continent’s first label dedicated entirely to the best in African hip-hop, afrobeat and trap music which launched in five countries in 2020, Motown Gospel Africa, AI Records, Afroforce1 and other distributed labels including: Kalawa Jazzmee, Aristokrat, Family Tree and Soulistic amongst others. The agreement also includes artists and labels distributed via Electromode and Ingrooves Music Group within the continent.

Recent projects include the release of Rhythms Of Zamunda: Music Inspired By Coming 2 America. The acclaimed 16-track Def Jam Africa compilation traces a musical roadmap through Western, Eastern, and South African soundscapes, introducing listeners to some of the continent’s most exciting artists was released last week.

Boomplay’s Director of Content & Strategy, Phil Choi, added “Since our original deal with UMG, the African music industry has seen exponential growth and made huge strides towards being the next powerhouse that it should be. We’re excited to continue partnering with the UMG team to help promote their African and international artists by bringing their catalogue to even more regions across Africa.

Franck Kacou, Managing Director, Universal Music Africa, who lead’s Universal Music Group’s activity across French-speaking Africa said, “We are excited for our artists and labels to be available now to music fans across these 25 French speaking countries, but also to reach audiences across the rest of the continent. Africa is rich with artistic talent and musical culture and continues to inspire millions of Africans for whom music is an essential part of their daily lives. Working alongside Boomplay, we will help introduce these talents to new audiences, as the appetite for music continues to grow throughout these countries.”

Sipho Dlamini, CEO, Universal Music Group, South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “We are delighted to expand our relationship with Boomplay, who over the past few years have shown themselves to be dedicated to providing the best in music to fans across the continent. Through this extended agreement, Boomplay will now help supply improved access to the world’s largest and most diverse music catalog to their broad user base, as we continue to introduce the best in African and international music to the rapidly growing streaming audience across Africa.”

Tosin Sorinola, Director of Artist and Media relations said, “We are very optimistic that this expansion will further embed the blossoming relationship between both parties. As a platform, we are committed to ensuring that we help artists spread their music and that our users have access to all the music they love wherever they are. This expansion will afford us an opportunity to help open up more music to our users and opportunities for artists in the new regions.”

UMG content will now be available via Boomplay in the following markets: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, DRC, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea- Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tchad, Togo, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Click here for Universal Music Africa

About Boomplay
Boomplay is a music streaming and download service owned by Transsnet Music Limited.  Boomplay houses millions of songs，videos and entertainment news, connecting music lovers with their favourite songs anytime, anywhere. It currently has over 50 million monthly active users and has been downloaded over 100m times on the Google Play Store. The service is currently available for Web Android and iOS use.  The app, which won the Best African App at the 2017 Apps Africa Awards, allows its users to stream and download their favourite songs and videos, as well as subscribe to flexible daily, weekly or monthly plans to access premium features such as ad-free streaming. Over the years, different payment platforms have been introduced so music lovers are able to pay for music via mobile money and bank cards. As the Home of Music, Boomplay aims to empower the African music eco-system to unlock its full potential.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

Despite missing out on the final nomination for the Oscars, the Fisherman’s Diary is once more making news across the country and the world after it was acquired by Netflix.

This latest achievement for the Cameroonian movie had been teased for some time now by its frontline star Kang Quintus, who had intimated something big, will be dropping on March 1.

“After making it to the Oscars list, The Fisherman’s Diary has now become the 1^st Cameroonian Film to be acquired by Netflix. This is big news for the Cameroon Film Industry and a proud moment for all Cameroonians… Many more Cameroon Films to follow,” Kang Quintus wrote.

It has been an unforgettable year for the movie after picking up various awards last year and taking the Cameroonian movie scene by storm. Last year the Fisherman’s Diary was one of the major success stories for the Cameroonian movie industry picking up awards in the country and beyond. At the Golden Movie Awards in Ghana and the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Nigeria, the Film snapped up 10 awards, adding to awards in Instanbul, Cameroon, and a host of other countries.

And in 2021 the movie picked up from where it left off and was selected for the 93^rd Oscars. Unfortunately, the film did not make the final cut.

 “The Fisherman’s Diary a big thank you to the following artists for all the Amazing Soundtracks in the movie: Ewube, Salatiel, Mr Leo, Awu, Vernyuy Tina, Fhish, Lesline, Belvia and Achuo. Details on when the film will be available on the Netflix platform will be announced soon,” Kang Quintus added.

Speaking about the development, the Executive Producer of the Film, Kang Quintus, excitedly explains, “We are happy to have made history with this film. For us, aside from being a good reward for hard work, this deal grants the opportunity for our content to reach a global audience. Hopefully, this would be the first amongst many, not just for me and the team, but for other Cameroonian filmmakers,” Kang Quintus said in a press release.

In the same press release FilmOne Entertainment Managing Director Moses Baptope said: “The Fisherman’s Diary is our first deal with a Cameroonian filmmaker. We are excited because it aligns with our visions to go beyond Nigeria, becoming a Pan-African brand that projects the best African content to the world. Netflix affords us access to a global audience, and judging by the film’s impact, and its numerous awards, we have little doubt that it will be well received the world over.”

The Cameroon film industry is gradually bringing itself to the forefront of the African movie industry. With constant film releases, and awards won, both nationally and internationally, the Cameroonian public should rest assured that they are very close to taking over in due time, and the Fisherman’s Diary is setting the pace.

An insight into The Fisherman’s Diary

The movie directed by Enah Johnscott and produced by Kang Quintus is a storey of a 12-year-old Ekah (Faith Fidel) who got inspired by Malala Yousalzai, the youngest noble prize winner.

She is determined to go to school in a village of fishermen where it is considered taboo. He drives to break this adage gets her embroiled with her father Solomon (Kang Quintus) experience with girl child education, critiqsite reported.

The film features other actors such as Ramsey Nouah, Onyama Laura, Neba Godwill, Mayohchu, Daphne Njie and Faith Fidel.

About Netflix

Netflix, Inc. is an American over-the-top content platform and production company headquartered in Los Gatos, California. The company’s primary business is a subscription-based streaming service offering online streaming from a library of films and television series, including those produced in-house. In January 2021, Netflix reached 203.7 million subscribers, including 73 million in the United States.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

Apart from the tremendous improvement in the quality and quantity of films told in Cameroon in particular and Africa at large, there is still a lapse when it comes to the marketing of these films in Cameroon. Most Cameroonians are yet to be exposed to the many films being produced year in year out in Cameroon.

It is for this reason that DavLinks.com is created. Davlinks.com has as its objectives to see into it that the Cameroonian population has access to the many films that are being produced in Cameroon at a minimal cost and in a very convenient way.

Launched on January 20, 2021, DAVLINKS comes in as a movie distribution platform, where Cameroonians can pay and watch top-class Cameroonian films produced in Cameroon by Cameroonian filmmakers.

It is a project of a group of Cameroonians headed by former Biggy237 Housemate and Movie Producer Achiri Victor. It is geared towards solving the problem of movie consumption in Cameroon.

“We call on the entire Cameroonian audience and lovers of Cameroonian culture to rally behind this project to get this particular problem of distribution solved. We can only initiate the idea, but with your help, we can make it big,” a communiqué from DAVLINKS noted.

In the past years in Cameroon, entertainment has been growing at a geometric rate. Filmmaking is one of those facets have gotten a greater share of its growth to, from way back film making in Cameroon has been witnessing remarkable progress in terms of passing the intended message to the audience, better cameras and other filming equipment’s are now used to enhance viewing. Quality is one of the most remarkable areas of growth in the filming profession coupled with professional modes of filming.

How to stream or download movies on DAVLINKS

Go to DAVlinks website (DAVlinks.com); scroll to the preferred movie; select stream (25-XAF) or download (1000XAF) as preferred; select payment method (MTN/ORANGE Mobile Money or Master Card); process transactions; All set, relax and enjoy. These services are also available to the international community.

GOALS

There is nothing we focus more on as a company than the quality of our services, customer happiness and the ease with which we allow our clients to access our services. If you ever have any suggestions on how we can improve, please feel free to let us know!

MISSION

We seek to be the benchmark for Cameroonian movie distributions and exposure of Cameroonian movies to its natives and the world at large and also to Bring filmmakers and movie lovers together with a vision to reach 5 million subscribers in five years.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

Picking up from where it left behind in 2020, Cameroonian movie The Fisherman’s Diary is going full steam ahead in 2021. The movie fronted by Kang Quintus and Faith Fidel and Directed by Enah Johnscott has been accepted to represent Cameroon at the 93^rd edition of the Oscars.

“The movie becomes the 1^st ever Cameroon film to achieve this milestone. Thank you to the Cameroon Oscars committee and CFI,” Kang Quintus posted.

“It is a statement that the Cameroonian film industry is doing a lot of work. We have stepped up the game a little bit and it is quite a humble experience that the Fisherman’s Diary is the first-ever Cameroonian film to be accepted into the Oscars to represent Cameroon,” Kang Quintus told Pan African Visions in a telephone interview. 

“I am very humble and it tells us that whatever we are doing here we are doing the right thing and a lot of work is to be done. I can tell you that this is the beginning of many great films as we are heading to August and we are open to partway for that to be possible.”

With the Fisherman’s Diary already making headways, Kang Quintus is already envisaging the production of a new movie before the year ends. “The Fisherman’s Diary is the beginning of many films to come from Kang Quintus Films,” Kang Quintus said.

“As soon as we are done with the marketing and distribution of this film we are getting to preproduction for the next film and all of that is in the pipeline. We have to put all energy behind the Fisherman’s Diary right now because it has to get all the attention it deserves.”

“There are many awards that we have submitted this film to and as soon as the good news comes in we are going to make it public,” Kang Quintus, the Best actor of the 2020 Golden Movie Awards said. 

Last year the Fisherman’s Diary was one of the major success stories for the Cameroonian movie industry picking up awards in the country and beyond. At the Golden Movie Awards in Ghana and the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Nigeria, the Film snapped up 10 awards, adding to awards in Instanbul, Cameroon, and a host of other countries.

An insight into The Fisherman’s Diary

The movie directed by Enah Johnscott and produced by Kang Quintus is a storey of a 12-year-old Ekah (Faith Fidel) who got inspired by Malala Yousalzai, the youngest noble prize winner.

She is determined to go to school in a village of fishermen where it is considered as taboo. He drives to break this adage gets her embroiled with her father Solomon (Kang Quintus) experience with girl child education, critiqsite reported.

The film features other actors such as Ramses Nouah, Onyama Laura, Neba Godwill, Mayohchu and Daphne Njie.

The film has won best film in India and New York, picking up Best director, best film, best soundtrack and best production nominations at the prestigious PAMA in Paris, France.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

Cameroonian movie The Fisherman’s Diary has received fifteen (15) nominations at the Ghana Golden Movie Awards. This is a record that The Fisherman’s Diary has been able to set as no film from Cameroon has been able to get that at an international festival.

“We have had 61 festival selections so far in 29 countries internationally. Recently, we became the first film to win 6 awards at the Festiva Ecrans Noirs in Yaounde. It is a sign to say we have a product that does not only cut across Cameroonians but cuts across the national boundaries,” Kang Quintus told Pan African Visions.

“We have made waves in 29 countries and 6 nominations in a festival like that with other great films in Africa and we dominating the entire festival is an honour for not just me but the entire country Cameroon. It tells us that the Cameroonian cinema is there and we are ready to compete with any other country and not just in Africa but the world at large.”

Kang Quintus has been nominated in 2 categories; Best Actor and Best Sound Editor and he say it is a humbling experience. “It tells you that whatever you want to do in life you should do it right. Take your time, make sure that everything is 200 per cent and do not settle for 100 per cent. Shoot for 200 per cent and if you end up with 100 per cent you are still perfect but if you shoot for 100 and end up with 50 per cent it is a failure,” Kang Quintus said, as he continues the national tour of the Fisherman’s Diary.

“It was a lot of time and talent that went into the project and this is just a reflection of hard work that went into the film.”

Faith Fidel, the young actress continues to make headway into the movie industry as she was nominated in three categories. She was nominated under the categories of Best Actress, Most Promising Actor, and Golden Discovery.

Fisherman’s Diary Premiers in Buea/Limbe Back on

Following the killing of six children at Mother Francisca International Bilingual School in Kumba, South West Region of Cameroon on October 24, 2020, the Management of Kang Quintus Films cancelled the premiers of the movie in Buea and Limbe. The premiers were to be held October 30 for Buea and October 31 in Limbe.

Speaking to Kang Quintus he says work is underway to have the movie premiere in Buea and Limbe. “Right now we are currently talking with our sponsors Orange Cameroon, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, and other well-wishers of the project,” He said.

“We are looking at how to reschedule the date probably it might be this week or next week for Buea and Limbe but we are working on it. This decision will be communicated soonest.”  

Complete Nominations

Best Actor – Kang Quintus

Best Actress – Faith Fidel

Best Overall Film – The Fisherman’s Diary

Best Director – Enah Johnscott

Best Cinematographer – Rene Ettat

Best Screenplay – Enah Johnscott and Proxy Buh Melvin

Best supporting Actress – Ndamo Damarise

Best Supporting Actor – Cosson Chinepoh

Best Art Director – Nkanya Nkwai

Most Promising Actor – Faith Fidel

Best Sound Editor – Kang Quintus

Golden Discovery Actor – Faith Fidel

Best Soundtrack – Ewube Official

Best Indigenous Film – The Fisherman’s Diary

Best Editor – Diba J Blerk

About the Fisherman’s Diary

The movie directed by Enah Johnscott and produced by Kang Quintus is a storey of a 12-year-old Ekah (Faith Fidel) who got inspired by Malala Yousalzai, the youngest noble prize winner.

She is determined to go to school in a village of fishermen where it is considered as taboo. He drives to break this adage gets her embroiled with her father Solomon (Kang Quintus) experience with girl child education, critiqsite reported.

The film features other actors such as Ramses Nouah, Onyama Laura, Neba Godwill, Mayohchu and Daphne Njie.

The film has won best film in India and New York, picking up Best director, best film, best soundtrack and best production nominations at the prestigious PAMA in Paris, France.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor