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☆ Nigerian producer pumps out AI-powered Afrobeats
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Vining Ogu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Aug 8 (Reuters) - When artificial intelligence (AI) apps started spreading in Nigeria's music industry, Eclipse Nkasi thought his days as a producer were numbered. It gives people a new experience ... and that's how I believe AI is really going to shake things," Nkasi told Reuters. Nkasi and three friends switched on OpenAI's ChatGPT programme and set it to work helping them create the nine-track album "Infinite Echoes". "There are certain things that will become obsolete" due to AI, Nkasi said. But it should also create opportunities for artists to reinvent themselves and do their work better and quicker, he added.

Persons: Nkasi, Omotolani Alake, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAGOS, Lagos

☆ Fame-crazed Nigerians sing and cook their way to the record book
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nigerian gospel singer Oluwatobi Kufeji, 39, sings as he attempts to break a Guinness world record of longest singing hours, in Lagos, Nigeria July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Seun SanniLAGOS, July 13 (Reuters) - A Nigerian man has completed more than 200 hours singing, another managed a 100-hour live video on Instagram, while a masseuse's bid to massage people for 75 hours ended in exhaustion. The three are among more than a dozen Nigerians aiming to set Guinness World Records in the latest craze to hit Africa's most populous nation. Then Lagos-based gospel singer Oluwatobi Kufeji took to singing for 200 hours to help boost his career. Still, she managed 50 hours and said that would be enough to make the record book.

Persons: Oluwatobi Kufeji, Seun Sanni, Hilda Bassey, Masseuse Joy, Vining, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Seun, Guinness, Records, Thomson Locations: Nigerian, Lagos, Nigeria, Seun Sanni LAGOS, Ekiti

☆ Dancing the blues away: Nigerian salsa teacher fights mental health stigma
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, July 5 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Emeka Adindu says salsa saved his life. Growing up in a country with deep-rooted stigma against mental health issues, Adindu, 35, found solace in the popular Latin dance as he battled abuse, depression and suicidal thoughts. "Salsa was the only thing that could make me smile all those days that I was battling, fighting with my demon," he says. A 2021 UNICEF report shows one in six Nigerians aged between 15 and 24 are depressed, anxious or have other mental health issues. Medical professionals say the stigma associated with mental health in Nigeria's culturally conservative society makes matters worse.

Persons: Adindu, Princess Solomon unwound, Abraham Achirga, Vining Ogu, Angela Ukomadu, Bhargav Acharya, Devika Organizations: UNICEF, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Abuja

☆ Beans and violins - orchestra blends classical roots with modern Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Members of Vesta Orchestra and Opera Foundation perform during a concert they organized at the Alliance Francaise de Lagos / Mike Adenuga Centre in Lagos, Nigeria May 20, 2023. It was the latest show staged by the Vesta Orchestra, founded in 2017 by violinist Rosalyn Aninyei, which has enlivened the classical music scene in Lagos by performing new works by contemporary Nigerian and African composers. The music had clear connections with the classical repertoire rooted in Europe, but the choice of the Yoruba language and the story anchored the performance in Nigeria. "I am so happy that there are events like this in Nigeria," said Kayode Oshundun, who was attending his first performance by Vesta. "My flat was actually behind the opera house and it was always a dream of mine to come home ... and discover our own classical music," she said.

☆ After 100 hours of non-stop cooking, Nigerian chef seeks world record
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Nigerian Chef Hilda Bassey, 27, attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time by an individual, in Lagos, Nigeria May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade AdelajaLAGOS, May 16 (Reuters) - A Nigerian chef has spent 100 hours preparing meals non-stop, aiming to set a Guinness World Record for the longest ever cooking session by an individual. Hilda Bassey, a chef in the mega city of Lagos, has captivated the country with her marathon cooking, which started on Thursday and ended on Monday night. The current longest cooking record is held by Indian chef Lata Tondon, who set a time of 87 hours and 45 minutes in 2019. Bassey's time will need to be certified by Guinness World Record officials before it can be made official.

☆ Lagos governor re-elected in victory for Nigeria ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Lagos state gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Babajide Sanwo-Olu, arrives his polling unit to cast his vote, during the gubernatorial election in Lagos, Nigeria March 18, 2023. The Lagos election was the highest profile among races for powerful governorships in 28 of Nigeria's 36 states, as well as for state assemblies across the country. Voting was postponed to Sunday at 10 polling stations in a Lagos neighbourhood following disagreements between INEC officials and voters over the location of polling units. In northeastern Adamawa, a conservative and largely Muslim state, electoral officials were collating results after a race that could produce Nigeria's first elected female governor. Voters were still casting ballots in two districts of oil-producing Rivers state where the INEC failed to deliver voting materials.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

[1/5] Supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) wear traditional attire with APC branding during a campaign rally in Abuja, Nigeria, February 11, 2023. Ahead of the Feb. 25 vote, political rallies and campaign events have become catwalks for colourful printed fabrics twisted into elaborate dresses, tunics and headscarves. He wore an LP-emblazoned, green, red and white version of a traditional hat and held a wooden walking stick that is often used as an accessory among Hausa men. "You can see the stick here which means I am a full Lagosian by virtue of this campaign in Lagos," said Ahanotu. "This is our official regalia for APC presidential campaign council," she explained.

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