QUEEN OF KATWE YOUNG ACTRESS UP FOR CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

The young actress in Queen of Katwe Madina Nalwanga has received  her first Hollywood award nomination for Critics Choice for Best Female New Comer.

Congratulations Madina on your nomination.

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: RACHEL KIWANUKA LIVE ON PAMTENGO RADIO

Rachel Kiwanuka the talented Ugandan Musician will be live on pamtengo.com radio this Friday  from 6pm (UK time) with Dj Billy and Dj Cymoh.

Tune in as the star discusses her upcoming projects and new music.

Uganda has talent!

Conversation With Jozy: Sera Lubowa-Muhenda On Finally Finding Inner Joy

In this latest series of Conversation with Jozy I got to interview a phenomenal woman and great ambassador for Uganda Mrs. Sera Lubowa-Muhenda (Yes! she’s married). Sera is a renowned Singer, Actress and Model born in Mengo, Uganda, was raised in Paris before moving to Texas in the  USA where she is now based. The beautiful young model and wife is a trained Dancer and former Pageant Queen excited to be finally pursuing her music career. Her "sound" is a mixture of Soul, R&B, Afrobeat and Reggae and has been compared to Jill Scott and Corrine Bailey-Rae. She credits her passion for music to Miriam Makeba, Bob Marley, Lucky Dube, Lauryn Hill and other artists who write lyrics from the SOUL.

Where do you live and what do you love most about it?

Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas is a sunny, often quiet but youthful area. There is always something to do whether it’s cultural, relaxation, retail or nightlife. I love it! Best place in the USA I believe!

Have you always wanted to work in fashion? 

Fashion was never on my mind. In fact, I was a tom-goy all the way tip my Senior Prom. That was the first time I wore makeup and a gown in front of my school mates!  I fell into the fashion world at the age of 19 when I began modeling. At home, I’m very simple but when I am in public, I like to showcase a piece of my soul with every look.

Tell me about what you do. What is a typical workday like?

I wake up, do yoga or cardio (depending on the weather). I head to the office, work until 4pm. I head home, write music for other artists (I ghost write) and then hit the gym. After the gym, I cook, clean, work on my own music, and fall asleep.

What are your favourite things about your job?

Writing! I love to write! I can take myself into any situation and come out with a song or story.

Favorite Designer/Celebrity style?

I can never get enough of Valentino. I love the classic beauty of his pieces. Also, my best friend Gloria Mandudi. She is a great designer.
 

What’s your biggest triumph?

Any Woman’s greatest triumph, whether she will admit it or not, is finding her bliss. Her inner joy, her purpose and LOVING herself for it. It was a great struggle in my life but I finally have it!

Best experience in the fashion industry?

Meeting Barak Obama at a fashion show. I never thought fashion would lead me there.

Not so glamorous realities or obstacles of the industry?

Women will harm themselves and others for 5 seconds of limelight. The ugliest part of you will come out when you are desperate. I have been there and I have witnessed it.

Tell me about the music. How did that come about? 

Ever since I was a baby, I was singing. Instead of toys, I was next to the radio. I entered talent shows, attended performance schools and theaters. Vocal coaching. I just knew that music is going to be my life a death. I fully embrace this fact.

Whats your sound like? How do you get it to your audience?

AfroBeat meats Soul, Reggae and Pop. I sing what I see and I love melodies from all over the world. I’m a “World Artist”.

Any future plans?

I plan on traveling to Africa and other Continents this year to showcase my work. I will finally reveal my soul’s fullest potential by the grace of God.

Words of wisdom: What Advice would you give to someone who would like a career in the fashion industry?

Find your joy. Find that thing that holds your happiness and nurture it. Write things down, thank people, smile, dance, cry and forgive. This will build you up. Focus on your Joy.

You can listen to Sera’s music via reverbnation and and soundcloud.
 

Contact:

Website: www.facebook.com/SeraLubowaEXTRA
Instagram: @SeraLubowa
Twitter: @SeraLubowa

 WOW! Such fierceness we wish this young lady all the success!

 

Happy Birthday to African Queen Omotola Jolade!

Oscar Buzz for Lupita Nyong'o in film '12 Years a Slave'

Everyone is talking about Kenyan Actress Lupita Nyong’o and her breakthrough performance in the film 12 Years A Slave which many insiders are saying is a sure bet to get her a Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination. The film was Nyong'o's first major audition as a graduating student from the Yale School of Drama, and her performance is already generating critical acclaim ahead of the film's October 18 release. 

 

The film directed by Steve McQueen is an adaptation of Solomon Northup’s incredible story of slavery and how Northup is duped into traveling to Washington with a pair of smart guys before he discovers the horrible truth he has been sold and no one can help him. His first master appreciates his new slave’s talents, until a zealous and hateful overseer stirs up trouble. Northup is then sold to a  plantation owner who makes his life a living hell and mistreats virtually everyone around him, from his spiteful wife to a young and vulnerable female slave (Lupita Nyong’o). The performances are as vivid as the Southern setting. Co-starring with Lupita in the film are Hollywood heavy weights Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson and Alfred Woodard.

 

About seeing herself in the role for the first time she says "it was a cathartic experience. I wept from the moment Solomon Northup is in shackles right until the very end. "I was happy to be such a wreck. You go through a lot watching the film but it makes you feel closer to humanity. I think it's a real gift to be faced with man's potential for extreme cruelty but also man's resilience and the fact that love really does conquer everything. It's the only answer to these kinds of atrocities and it’s not a passive thing. It's about taking a stand to the point that such a film like this can be made so that we can face our history, embrace it, and move on."

 

Films like 12 Years a Slave and the like that tell stories of cruelty and hatred are vital so we never forget how slavery was allowed  to strip people of their freedom and dignity.

Check out the beautiful actress promoting the film.