Entertainment
Celebrities Unite for Peace Ahead 2023 Elections
A non-partisan body of eminent individuals in Nigeria’s entertainment industry has charged Nigerians to come together in order to achieve a hitch-free and peaceful elections come 2023.
The entertainers who under the aegis of Celebrities United for Peace (CUP) include actors, artistes, poets, among others, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.
The member of CUP frowned at the degree of hate speech, fake news, and sentimentalism which is rife on social media. They also encouraged Nigerians to embrace patriotism and seek collective interest above other individual or sectional interest.
On Tuesday, CUP organized a media briefing with the theme ‘2023 General Election and National Peace/Order’ in order to express their plans and line of action toward the elections.
Present at the briefing were the Special Adviser to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Steve Eboh; Dr. Mrs. Olusola Darasimi; the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas; representatives from the Department of State Service (DSS); veterans and upcoming acts in the entertainment industry; among others.
Addressing pressmen at the briefing, the convener of Celebrities United for Peace (CUP), Mr. Andy Chukwu observed: ‘Owing to the commencement of electioneering campaign in line with INEC directives, electorates are bound to pitch tents with different political parties and candidates. This usually gives rise to verbal warfare as supporters are always ready to go the extra mile to market and promote their candidate. Sometimes this results to hate speech, dissemination of fake news to discredit their opponents with resultant violence’.
‘Having carefully considered the effect of these vices we have offered ourselves as mediators between the citizens, the political parties, and the candidates to educate them on the need to jettison hate speech, fake news, and shun violence before, during, and after the elections. As we have experienced even before the advent of the 2023 general election calendar, the social media space, regional platforms, and religious communities have been unnecessarily charged by fake news, social instigation, tribal, and religious sentiments’
‘Our ultimate goal is to reignite unconditional patriotism amongst the citizenry and make the protection of our unity and peaceful corporate existence an endearing necessity of collective interest. To this end a peaceful 2023 election becomes sacrosanct. Our focus is to disabuse the minds of all stakeholders and the general public from extremism, hate speech, fake news dissemination and violent engagement throughout the electoral process. The expected impact of this will activate a national conscience-oriented mentality and strategic hacking of these vices from the roots will dismantle agitated structures of conflict and guarantee a rancor-free election’, NAOSNP gathered.
Assuring Nigerians about the nonpartisan nature of the group, Andy Chukwu shared: ‘We are quite aware that most creative minds have pitched tents with different political camps and interests. We, Celebrities United for Peace, are devoid of any partisan interest or tribal alignment, as we are committed to moderating and nurturing the conscience of all for the emancipation of a united and peaceful Nigeria beyond the 2023 election.’
The convener used the opportunity to praise the efforts of all security agencies in Nigeria to avert violence and maintain orderliness. ‘But for the gallantry of our law enforcement agents especially the DSS whose capacity in intelligence gathering and management have ensured national stability as most of these vices are obvious threats to our national unity and security at large’, Chukwu concluded.
In the same vein, the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas briefly addressed pressmen. ‘We are not interested in a party, we are interested in Nigeria, in good governance and peaceful elections. That is why we are having this. We want a greater Nigeria.’
‘If you see an actor campaigning for a candidate, they are free to campaign but Actors Guild of Nigeria is not the one campaigning, the Producers Guild is not the one campaigning, Nollywood in general is not campaigning. We are interested in Nigeria. We also want to tell the principals of each political party, please can you convince us with your ideas about good governance’, Rollas noted.
Shakira has announced the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring Nigerian Grammy-winning star, Burna Boy.
The Colombian superstar revealed on social media that the song, titled “Dai Dai,” will be released on May 14.
“From Maracaná Stadium, here is ‘Dai Dai,’ the FIFA World Cup Official Song 2026. Coming 5/14. We’re ready!” Shakira posted on X alongside a teaser for the track.
The announcement has sparked excitement among football and music fans, especially with Burna Boy becoming one of the African artists to feature prominently on a World Cup anthem.
Shakira is no stranger to World Cup songs. Her 2010 hit Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) became one of the most iconic football anthems in history during the tournament in South Africa.
Recent World Cup theme songs have also featured global stars. In 2014, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte performed We Are One (Ole Ola) for the tournament in Brazil.
For the 2018 tournament in Russia, Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi released Live It Up.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA rolled out multiple soundtrack songs, including Hayya Hayya (Better Together) by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This week, African Voices, the Globacom-sponsored magazine programme on CNN International, turns its searchlight on Ejatu Shaw the London-based photographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work continues to refract heritage into striking visual poetry.
Born in 1996, Shaw is a graduate of University of Westminster, where she earned a Master’s degree in Photography Arts in 2020. Yet the true genesis of her craft predates the academy. It was during a 2013 family sojourn to Sierra Leone that her creative awakening first flickered—like light finding its way through a narrow aperture—setting her on a path of introspective exploration.
Her oeuvre is a delicate tapestry, interweaving strands of Islamic faith with the vibrant textures of African heritage. Echoes of the great studio photographers of the 1960s and 1970s—such as Malick Sidibé, Sory Sanlé, and Omar Yahia Barram—resonate subtly within her compositions, like ancestral voices carried on a visual wind.
From these influences, Shaw has cultivated a practice rooted in memory and self-inquiry. Through self-portraiture and conceptually layered projects, she transforms personal recollections into images that speak with both intimacy and universality—mirrors in which the past and present quietly converge.
Her ascent has been both swift and assured. In 2025, the British Fashion Council named her a New Wave Creative, affirming her place among a new generation of cultural vanguards. In the same year, her lens captured figures of global renown, including Angela Bassett for EBONY, Cynthia Erivo for The Guardian, Sunday Times and Vogue, and Usain Bolt for Puma.
She also conceived and shot the album cover for Craig David—each frame a testament to her evolving visual language.
African Voices airs on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with further broadcasts on Sunday at 3:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and repeat transmissions on Monday at 3:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.—an invitation to witness, through Shaw’s eyes, a world where identity is not fixed, but fluid, luminous, and ever unfolding.
Nigeria-born Afro-pop star, Joeboy, whose melodies now ripple across continents, takes centre stage this week on the Easter edition of African Voices, the Globacom-sponsored CNN magazine programme.
In a captivating session from Lagos, show anchor Larry Madowo drew out the rhythm of Joeboy’s journey, tracing the arc from a starry-eyed university dreamer to a maestro whose songs now traverse the globe like whispered secrets carried on the wind.
Born Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus in 1997, Joeboy—affectionately dubbed Afrobeats’ “lover boy”—embarked on his musical odyssey in 2017 with a viral reinterpretation of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.
This pivot from rap to melodious crooning caught the discerning eye of Nigerian artiste and entrepreneur Mr Eazi, who, upon discovering him on Instagram, extended an invitation to join the emPawa Africa Talent Incubation initiative—a sanctuary for budding African talents where raw potential is nurtured into brilliance.
The partnership bore fruit in 2018 with the release of Fààjí, featuring Mr Eazi, and soon after, Joeboy was signed to Warner Music Africa. From there, his ascent became a symphony of milestones: the intoxicating single Baby in 2019, followed by Beginning, which amassed over 23 million views on YouTube, and Love & Light the same year.
Collaborations with Mayorkun yielded the spirited tracks Don’t Call Me and All for You, further cementing his place in the Afrobeats constellation.
Joeboy’s debut album, Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic, unfurled in February 2021, a melodic tapestry of youth, hope, and desire. By 19 May 2023, he unveiled his sophomore studio effort, Body & Soul, preceded by the evocative singles Sip (Alcohol), Contour, Body & Soul, and Duffel Bag. In 2023, he teased the world with Only God Save Me and the extended EP Body, Soul and Spirit, offering listeners a window into the essence of his artistic spirit.
February 2024 marked another milestone as he launched his own imprint, Young Legend, soon releasing Osadebe, a track that resonated nationwide with the familiar warmth of homegrown brilliance.
Joeboy’s dedication has been richly rewarded. He clinched Best Artiste in African Pop at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and Best Pop at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. His music has earned numerous nominations, including at the City People Entertainment Awards and The Headies, affirming his status as a luminary of contemporary African sound.
The Easter edition of African Voices featuring Joeboy will air on DSTV Channel 401 at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, with repeats at 11 a.m.; Sunday at 3:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Monday at 3 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.; and Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. The schedule will be mirrored the following week, culminating in Monday at 3 a.m., giving audiences multiple opportunities to bask in the artistry of a musician whose voice carries the pulse of a continent.
