UCHE JOMBO,MAMA GEE, MONALISA CHINDA, etc FOR NOLLYWOOD ROADSHOW IN KENYA!

Monday, 23 May 2011 23:06

There seems to be a real love affair between Nigeria and Kenya and it has nothing to do with football and everything to do with Nollywood!  Word getting to us let us know that a number of top Nollywood stars will be jetting off to Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, May 25, 2010 for a weeklong function dubbed the 'Nollywood Road Kenya' and it will end on Tuesday, May 31, 2010.  Organised by the Nigerian High Commission and the Nigeria Export Council the event coincides with the inauguration week for Nigeria’s newly re-electedPresident Jonathan Goodluck. The good times are really rolling for the industry as the actors and actresses have become the jewels to be courted and courted they are!  From mouth-watering endorsement deals, glamorous magazine covers, now they are headed on an all-expenses-paid trip to Nairobi, Kenya this time courtesy the Nigerian High Commission in Kenya. The Nigerian High Commissioner, Dr. Chijokwe Wigwe has also revealed that Ramsey Nouah and Nkem Owoh will be attending the weeklong event.  Those also listed are Mama G (Patience Ozokwor), Desmond Elliot, Comedian John Okafor and Uche Jombo and Monalisa Chinda to name a few.  In an interview with Kenyan TV station K24 Wigwe said, ‘Nollywood did the font work for us (Nigeria) where diplomacy had no reach. They prepared the soft landing for the team.’ Adding that he is pushing for a ‘joint Kenyan and Nigerian movie’ at the end of this project.   The group will arrive on Wednesday and host a press conference at the Safari Park Hotel; this will be followed by a seminar and workshop on Nollywood, dubbed the ‘New Dawn for African Integration’.  This will be the opening ceremony that will be addressed by top government officials like Kenya Minister of Information and Communications, Hon. Samuel Poghisio, Minister of National Heritage & Culture, Hon. William Ntimama, Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, David I. Adulugba Esq., CEO Kenya Film Commission, Peter Mutie and CEO, Kenya Export Promotion Council, Ruth Mwaniki.  After the opening ceremony, the team will then head to United States International University (USIU) for an interactive literary night featuring the award winning play ‘Angels in Darkness’ written by Michezo Afrika of USIU. On Friday, the Nollywood Roadshow Kenya hits the road starting from the Safari Park Hotel and proceeds through the City Centre and winds up at the University of Nairobi for an interactive session with the students and faculty from the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of Journalism. Then the party heads to Brook House Performing Arts School, Karen for a presentation by the school’s Drama Club.  On Sunday there will be a gala dinner to celebrate the inauguration of Nigerian President Jonathan Goodluck. A one-on-one session of the Nollywood stars will follow on Monday with their Kenyan counterparts.