Stan Grant gave this remarkable speech, it shows us that things are indeed changing maybe not fast enough but they are changing. When a man opens his mouth and all his ancestors who were denied freedom of speech, finally have a voice.
Well done Stan Grant, you've made your ancestors proud, you've made your people proud, you've made your country proud.
Now this applies to the United States of America too, who is going to stand up and be counted?
The children of Nigerian migrants who came
west are returning to the land of their parents - and finding the jobs
and opportunities that Britain has failed to deliver, writes Inigo
Gilmore.
The champagne is flowing at the bustling Fahrenheit
rooftop bar with its sweeping views of Victoria Island's skyline. With
glasses clinking young Nigerians returnees from the diaspora jostle to
tell of their tales of the opportunities they've unearthed since coming
home. They call them the repatriates - or more simply the "repats".
Among the guests at Fahrenheit, a hub for diaspora
returnees started by a London-trained Nigerian lawyer and designer, was
Kemdy McEarnest who had only moved to Lagos just seven months earlier.
He talked exuberantly about how Nigeria was on the up and the range of
opportunities he had developed for his own PR business since coming to
the country. He said if Nigerians can return in large numbers then the
country could really "grow".
Sitting alongside him was Aisha Shaba. I had earlier met
Aisha when I had visited the set of "On the Couch", a talk show on the
Nigerian Spice TV fashion channel. Aisha grew up in Hammersmith in west
London and told me it had been a steep learning curve in the hustle and
bustle of Nigeria since coming back four years ago after graduating from
university.
She landed a part in the country's biggest soap opera,
"Tinsel", and has now moved on to other acting parts in film and TV as
well as working as a presenter. "A lot of people are coming back now.
And I think that's an amazing thing," she said.
Where young educated Nigerians in the diaspora might
previously have looked to build their futures in cities like London,
Paris or New York, growing numbers are now looking to return home even
though the country still faces huge problems with a dilapidated
infrastructure, poverty and widespread corruption.
They've also been encouraged by the recent election of
President Buhari who has pledged to stamp out corruption and build a new
Nigeria. Africa's most populous country - with over 170 million
inhabitants - has huge natural resources and vast potential.
Some might say these "repats" are among the lucky few -
and there is certainly a whiff of resentment, even some hostility
towards some of them. But those I met were keen to argue that they had
taken some big risks in returning home, giving up careers and
opportunities elsewhere.
They also argue that it is skilled, educated Nigerians
with vision, like themselves, who could be best placed to contribute
towards changing the country - and in turn persuade others with skills
and resources to come back. They believe they can blaze a trail for
others.
Many of these repats also resent and fiercely reject the
stereotypes of Nigeria which they say are routinely trotted out in the
international media, of an impoverished country with little hope, ravaged by Islamist insurgency.
They want to challenge such perceptions by starting up new businesses
and industries, improve the country's infrastructure and grow the
economy.
One of those who has come back and is now at the
forefront of trying to change perceptions is Baba Jallah Epega who runs a
major communications and events company. He left at the age of 6 and
grew up in the UK, but returned to Nigeria two years ago. He moved to
Lagos with his wife Helen Isibor-Epega, a highly accomplished composer
and musician who performs under the name The Venus Bushfires.
Baba Epega's EMC3 communications company has many
high-profile clients in Nigeria and beyond, including those looking to
now invest in the country. He is regularly approached in Nigeria and the
UK by young people who are looking to come back, or by their families.
He explained: "A lot of people ask me personally how do
we go back to Nigeria and they are often between the ages of 21 and 35.
They are often young professionals who may not yet have kids. Some
families in UK are sending their kids to Nigeria after university to try
and see what they can do. The more people that visit for holidays, even
to visit their families and friends, the more they challenge and reject
the often regressive 'poverty porn' images and negative stories that
have been portrayed.
"As you can see there has been a big boom for the arts,
for fashion, music and film. And then there are others who are setting
up agri-businesses, engineering, mining companies, you name it. You can
feel there's a big rush."
'A brain gain'
His wife Helen is enthused by this development. She
said: "I would definitely encourage people to come back, especially
those who are well-trained, highly-educated, forward-thinking and
progressive. I think during the last 25 years a lot of people who could
leave, left. And it was brain drain and now we're seeing more of a brain
gain."
The "repats" are keen to promote another image of Lagos -
an upwardly mobile population who see massive opportunities. During my
visit many repats were among the guests at a huge party to mark the
launch of the American beer Miller Genuine Draft, which was held in a
park. International and Nigerian DJs, including local big names DJ Caise
and DJ Xclusive, were playing from behind decks on top of a giant
illuminated stage designed like a huge boom box, with the party goers
thronging below. The scene could have been Miami, New York or London.
With music thumping out behind us and swirling strobe
lights flashing across a mass of guests busting their moves, I came
across a TV presenter who had just come back from living in New York and
other Nigerians returning from across Europe. Near the red carpet,
where TV hosts jostled to interview the celebrity guests including
musicians, artists and fashion designers, I met Michael Ugwu, the
General Manager of Sony Music West Africa.
Michael graduated with an MSc in Economics from
University College London and back in his motherland he has emerged as a
leading music and entertainment entrepreneur.
He said: "I was born in the UK. I was living in there my
whole life and then I came back to Nigeria. And it's been like a roller
coaster.
"But it's been fun. Lagos is home now. Africa is where it's at. So if you are not in Africa, come back." Follow Inigo Gilmore on Twitter: @InigoGilmore
Image captionThe advert has stirred up a storm of debate online, with a lot of commentators calling it racist
A Thai cosmetics firm has withdrawn its video advertising a skin-whitening product after it was attacked on social media for being racist.
The advert for 'Snowz' features famous Thai actress Cris Horwang attributing her success to fairer skin.
The company behind the product, Seoul Secret, issued a "heartfelt apology", saying it had not meant to offend.
The incident has reignited the debate about attitudes to skin colour in Thailand.
Comments about the shade of a person's skin have been commonplace in a country with an abundance of skin-whitening products, although many younger Thais now refuse to accept the stereotypes associated with skin colour.
'Heartfelt apology'
"In my world there is tough competition. If I don't take care of myself, everything I have built, the whiteness I have invested in, could be gone," Cris Horwang warns in the video advert.
At that point her skin turns almost black, and a young, and very white, rival appears by her side. She looks down in dismay at her dark complexion and muses "if I was white, I would win".
The advert stirred up a storm of debate online, with many Twitter users critical of the advert itself as well as the decision to withdraw it.
One person wrote on a Thai-language forum Pantip.com: "I'm perfectly fine being dark-skinned and now you're saying I've lost? Hello? What?"
"Suggesting people with dark skin are losers is definitely racist," wrote another.
"What we intended to convey was that self-improvement in terms of personality, appearance, skills, and professionalism is crucial," the firm said.
Image copyrightAFPImage captionSkin-whitening products like this one in Ivory Coast are available in many parts of the world
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says that as an advertising slogan it could not have been blunter - ending as it does with "Eternally white, I'm confident".
The abundance of skin-whitening products available in Thailand, and the efforts many Thai women go to shelter from the sun, highlights the obsession with pale skin, our correspondent says.
Two years ago, when Nonthawan "Maeya" Thongleng won the 2014 Miss Thailand World beauty contest, much comment centred on how dark her skin was compared to typical contestants.
At the time she said she wanted to encourage all other women who felt insecure because of their darker skin.
Darker skin is often associated in Thailand with manual, outdoor labour, and therefore with being "lower class".
Also much of the urban elite are of ethnic Chinese origin, who tend to have lighter skin than the indigenous people of the Thai countryside.
"This is not a problem that is unique to Thailand. It's a problem that exists all over the world," says social critic Lakkana Punwichai.
"The issue also underlines the issue of class in Thailand, where those with darker skin are viewed as the poor from the rural north-east. We look down on them, on Cambodians, and Indians with darker complexions.
"However, attitudes are changing as Thai elites start to look down on women who long to be white, the same way some westerners look down on "blonde bimbos"," she said.
Elijah appeared in Channel 4’s new programme ‘Rich Kids Go Shopping' Channel 4
A university dropout from Camberwell says he used his student
loan to earn tens of thousands of pounds a month playing the stock
market Click Here!.
Elijah Oyefeso went to the University of Buckingham to study business
management but dropped out after successfully investing his student
loan in stocks.
He now lives the high life in London, staying in a £5,000-a-month
flat in Kensington. He also recently bought a £125,000 Mercedes GTS.
As well as expensive cars he has an extensive collection of watches including one from Cartier worth £21,000.
Mr Oyefeso poses in one of his Instagram pictures
The 21-year-old appeared in Channel 4’s new programme ‘Rich Kids Go
Shopping’ that follows how rich youngsters make and spend their money.
In the programme he claimed his income on a 'bad month' is between £20,000 and £30,000
He refused to reveal what he can earn when the going is good but said: “On a good month, I don't think I can tell you that. Click Here!”
However he said he once lost £10,000 in a single day.
Mr Oyefeso is now hoping to build his brand, DCT Training Group, and is now helping others invest in stocks but his advice costs £107 a month.
'You want to leave a name when you're gone. Think about JP Morgan, the assets are worth 2.6 trillion. So that's a lot.”
The University dropout hit the headlines last year after he crashed his gold Lambourghini into a £60,000 Bentley.
He says he has a weakness for super cars, “When you're little you've
got your ideal car, you've got your dream car. Some kids are like '"I
want to get a Bugatti, I want to get a Ferrari."' But I got it.
my dream, I worked for it, I got it”
After 3 years playing the stock market the ex-student now wants to give a little back by building his mother a house in Africa.
He said: 'It's a surprise I haven't told her yet.'
The first episode of Rich Kids Go Shopping aired on Monday night.
Elijah is just one of the entreprenuers and opportunists aged 21 and
under that appear in the series.
Hackney schoolboy to join elite debaters in world championships
Ife Grillo (second from left) and Team England
A Dalston schoolboy has said he is “incredibly proud and happy” to be selected for England schools debating team.
Ife Grillo, 17, from Bridge Academy in Laburnum Street, Dalston, will join team-mates from Eton and Westmister in Stuttgart, Germany, where the World Schools Debating Championships will be held this July.
The team has long been the domain for privately educated pupils but Ife’s inclusion breaks the mould.
The 17-year-old already has some superb achievements to his name.
He has debated in the House of Commons, is the vice-chair of a national charity, mentors primary school students and has started his own organisation to encourage youth campaigning.
Speaking to the Gazette, Ife said: “I am incredibly proud and happy to be selected. I owe a lot to Debate Mate, they have changed my life.
“There is a lot more to debating than just debating, it provides you with valuable skills.
“Your mentality can be something that sometimes holds you back. You can think that pupils from Eton will be better because they are privately educated and it takes a lot to break that mentality.
“Debate Mate made me feel I was never limited and could achieve any of my aspirations.”
He is the first member of the team to have been coached by the Debate Mate, which targets schools with above average numbers of children entitled to free school meals.
Grillo is Debate Mate’s first student to be selected for Team England.
CEO and founder of Debate Mate Margaret McCabe, said: “We are really proud of Ife as we are of all our amazing Debate Mate students. “With the support of our mentors, his Debate Mate peers, and the wider debating community, he has worked incredibly hard and we are sure he will do himself and his country proud.”
