Between Charlize Theron And Genevieve Nnaji

GENEVIEVE NNAJI
Genevieve Nnaji is a household name in most homes in Africa for her exciting and thrilling performances in Nigerian movies and she has won the African Academy of Movies Award for the Best Actress in Africa. But, can you compare her to Charlize Theron the sultry South African World Class actress celebrated in the Western world?
Of course, Charlize Theron does not know who is Genevieve Nnaji. But Genevieve Nnaji knows who is Charlize Theron. But can we call Charlize Theron an African Beauty?
Well, an African beauty is an African beauty no matter the colour, class or creed.
CHARLIZE THERON WITH HER OSCAR.
Actress - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)
The Ice at the Bottom of the World (2006) (announced)
The Brazilian Job (2006) (pre-production) .... Stella Bridger
Aeon Flux (2005) .... Aeon Flux
North Country (2005) .... Josey Aimes
Head in the Clouds (2004) .... Gilda Bessé
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) .... Britt Ekland
Monster (2003) .... Aileen
The Italian Job (2003) .... Stella Bridger
... aka Braquage à l'italienne (France)
Waking Up in Reno (2002) .... Candy Kirkendall
Trapped (2002) .... Karen Jennings
... aka 24 Stunden Angst (Germany)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) .... Laura Kensington
... aka Im Bann des Jade Skorpions (Germany)
15 Minutes (2001) .... Rose Hearn
... aka 15 Minuten Ruhm (Germany)
Sweet November (2001) .... Sara Deever
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) .... Adele Invergordon
Men of Honor (2000) .... Gwen Sunday
... aka Men of Honour (UK)
The Yards (2000) .... Erica Stoltz
Reindeer Games (2000) .... Ashley Mercer
... aka Deception (UK) (USA: working title)
The Cider House Rules (1999) .... Candy Kendall
The Astronaut's Wife (1999) .... Jillian Armacost
Mighty Joe Young (1998) .... Jill Young
... aka Mighty Joe (UK)
Celebrity (1998) .... Supermodel
The Devil's Advocate (1997) .... Mary Ann Lomax
... aka Devil's Advocate (USA: DVD box title)
... aka Im Auftrag des Teufels (Germany)
Trial and Error (1997) .... Billie Tyler
Hollywood Confidential (1997) (TV) .... Sally
That Thing You Do! (1996) .... Tina
2 Days in the Valley (1996) .... Helga Svelgen
Children of the Corn III (1995) (uncredited) .... Young
CHARLIZE THERON
Charlize Theron does not need any introduction in Hollywood with an Oscar, Golden Globe and other highly coveted awards in her kitty for her laudable and remarkable accomplishments in acting leading roles in several box office best selling films.
Charlize Theron Awards
2004 Academy Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
2004 Silver Berlin Bear Best Actress
2004 BFCA Award Best Actress
2004 CFCA Award Best Actress
2004 DFWFCA Award Best Actress
2004 Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
2004 Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
2004 Independent Spirit Award Best First Feature
2004 Independent Spirit Award Best Female Lead
2004 Sierra Award Best Actress
2004 NSFC Award Best Actress
2004 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2004 VFCC Award Best Actress
2003 NBR Award Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
2003 SFFCC Award Best Actress
2000 Bambi Shooting Star: Female
GENEVIEVE NNAJI
Genevieve Nnaji's most popular movies include "Honey 1& Honey 2","For Better For Worse 1& 2" and over 200 other titles. But there is no official filmography. Because, even Genevieve Nnaji cannot recall all the movies she acted. And you cannot blame her. The Nigerian movies are mass produced and what Charlize Theron earns in one year could be used to produce over 30 Nigerian movies within 10 months.

Charlize Theron is the fantasy of Genevieve Nnaji and the ultimate dream of every actress coming up in Nigerian Nollywood, Indian Bollywood and the other woods.

Linda Ikeji: No Regrets Modeling

I had a special feature on Fashion, Modeling and Beauty (FM&B) Magazine in the Comet newspaper of Nigeria and I want to share it with you. Enjoy.

Linda Ikeji: No regrets being a model
MODELING star, Linda Ikeji was relaxing with a friend five years ago when a radio jingle cut short their discussion. It was the SilverBird International Fashion Show jingles calling for application as a model.She and her friend debated whether to apply or not. Linda had just then been offered a university admission. It was thus a battle on the way forward for days.The love for the model job which has always arrested her attention from childhood, won the day.Indeed that timely decision has since shaped Linda’s modeling and entertainment career.

She was one of the models discovered during the show.Her name thereafter became synonymous with different brands.She is set to give back a part of what the society and modeling have offered her.She wants to be a publisher. In the next few weeks, her magazine Fashion Model and Beauty, will be on the newsstand.According to Linda, the eye-popping colour magazine is her contribution to the industry that launched her to fame and wealth.

She hopes the magazine will create a platform for international and local modeling and fashion markets to thrive. To the Imo indigene, the magazine “is a dream fulfilled” as she had always wanted to contribute to the fashion, modeling and beauty sectors.“This grand effort is a dream fulfilled as I have contemplated a long time ago of how to contribute my quota to the modeling industry”, she said.The glossy magazine will celebrate the nation’s topmost fashion designers, milliners, beauticians, photographers, style writers among others. It will be circulated in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Linda believes that the magazine will bridge the gap between Nigeria and UK in the areas of its focus. “This is geared towards keeping the two countries abreast of the current trend in each country”.Linda is optimistic that the magazine will add something new to Nigerian journalism. The glossy, colourful nature of the paper will create excitement in the industry. It promises aesthetic beauty and rich content to compete with papers in UK”, she said.

Embarking on such gigantic project of publishing such colourful paper will involve huge sums of money and lots of encouragement. Where are all these coming?According to her, several people have given her the push to soldier on. She recalled how she went through thick and thin to bring the vision to friction.“I never relented in working on the vision to achieve reality”.She confessed garnering sufficient experience to propel her to any height she seeks to attain.

Linda who said modeling is fun and excitement, stressed that the job has earned her respect among notable people across the world. the English graduate from the University of Lagos, who said she began modeling in her first year at the ivory tower, recalled how in the early years in the business, she received anonymous calls threatening her not to take one job or the other.She said her greatest assets are her pair of legs. Indeed, her legs have taken her to the highest pinnacle of a career, where straight, smooth legs are complements.

“Modeling is about having the right body make up to fit into the brand an advertiser wants to portray. You must fit that particular product, otherwise there will be a mismatch”. A daughter of Roman Catholic parents, Linda said her faith almost scuttled her desire to become a model. At the early stages, people in the church complained of the clothes she wore on stage, especially as some of the programmes were shown live on television. But she weathered the storm, believing that she was doing a job.

“My father gave me all the encouragement I needed, at the beginning, to forge ahead. My mother was not all that disposed to it. She had her reservations”Seven years on, she says one must be focused no matter the distraction.Linda had worked for top designers. The list includes Tiffany, Amber, Dakova, Labannella, Mudi, Mon-Ami and Kesse Jabari.She has also featured in many fashion shows, including Silver Bird Fashion Show 2001 and Ecofest. She has won the Model of the Year Award and PABHA 2001.

Linda has graced the billboards, posters, calendars, newspaper and TV advertisements of MTN, apple Cosmetics, First Atlantic Bank and MTEL, among others.She is the Chief Executive Officer of Black Dove Communication Limited, a flourishing event and modeling agency based in Yaba, Lagos. She has no regrets being a model because it has brought her fame, wealth and affection.“No, I cannot lie, modeling has brought me money and popularity. Anywhere I go, I am easily recognized in the crowd”.

She said her diversification into publishing will enable many people get jobs. This is my contribution to the society which has offered me a lot”, she said.She said she is prepared to settle down when the right man, who should be generous, comes along.She advised up coming models to be committed and focused in their vision, no matter the obstacles on the way.“Many people have a misconception about models. But that is not all to it. People just judge you on appearance. This is not fair”, she noted. She loves relaxing a lot, especially with her siblings.

http://www.cometnewsonline.com/linda.html

Abba Babbi: Guardian of African Beauties

ABBA BABBI

Abba Babbi is a quiet Nigerian artist and writer who recorded his first song in 1984 in the US. And did not record another song until 2003. He performs only by special request.

He is currently based in Lagos, Nigeria.

He is a lover of beauty and has discovered and promoted several Nigerian models.
He is still a good director of modeling careers. And his models love him, because he is very disciplined and generous. He is the guardian of over ten female models.

Welcome to Our World of Fashion, Modeling and Beauty

Welcome to our beautiful and wonderful world of Fashion, Modeling and Beauty.

Join us to celebrate the icons of modern fahion, modeling and beauty and how we can appreciate the beautiful and wonderful gifts of life to make our world a better place for everyone. You and I and everybody.

My name is Linda Ikeji and I am the CEO of Black Dove Models and the Publisher of Fashion, Modeling & Beauty (FM&B) Magazine.

I am not new in the Internet. Because, I have granted interviews to Norimitsu Onishi New York Times October 3, 2002 and recently Orikinla Osinachi of http://kissesandroses.blogspot.com published a feature on me as the "Highest Paid Model in Nigeria". And I am really flattered.

Well you can read the full story by Norimitsu Onishi, because it says a lot about what FM&B Magazine will be publishing as we go on as partners in progress.

Enjoy.

Globalization of Beauty Makes Slimness Trendy

by Norimitsu Onishi New York Times October 3, 2002.

With no success, Nigeria had been sending contestants to the Miss World pageant for years. Winners of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria went year after year to the Miss World competition, and year after year the beauty queens performed remarkably poorly.

Guy Murray-Bruce, the executive director of Silverbird Productions, which runs the Most Beautiful Girl contest, said he had almost resigned himself to the fact that black African women had little chance of winning an international competition in a world dominated by Western beauty ideals.

Then in 2000 he carried out a drastic change of strategy in picking the Most Beautiful Girl and Nigeria's next international representative.
"The judges had always looked for a local queen, someone they considered a beautiful African woman," Mr. Murray-Bruce, 38, said. "So I told the judges not to look for a local queen, but someone to represent us internationally."

The new strategy's success was immediate. The Most Beautiful Girl of 2001, Agbani Darego, went on to clinch the Miss World title in Sun City, South Africa, last October. She became the first African winner in the contest's 51-year history.

Her victory stunned Nigerians, whose country had earned a worldwide reputation for corruption and fraud. Now, all of a sudden, Nigeria was No. 1 in beautiful women. Ms. Darego, who was 18 at the time, instantly became a national heroine. But soon pride gave way to puzzlement. In a culture where Coca-Cola-bottle voluptuousness is celebrated and ample backsides and bosoms are considered ideals of female beauty, the new Miss World shared none of those attributes. She was 6 feet tall, stately and so, so skinny. She was, some said uncharitably, a white girl in black skin.

The perverse reality was that most Nigerians, especially those over 40, did not find the new Miss World particularly beautiful. The story does not end there, though. In the year since her victory, a social transformation has begun to take hold across this nation, Africa's most populous. The change is an example of the power of Western culture on a continent caught between tradition and modernity. Older Nigerians' views of beauty have not changed. But among young, fashionable Nigerians, voluptuousness is out and thin is in.

"After Agbani won, girls look up to me and ask me how to get slim," said Linda Ikeji, 22, an English major at the University of Lagos.
"Before, fat girls were the rave of the moment," said Ms. Ikeji, who is 5 feet 8, weighs 130 pounds and now finds work as a part-time model. "Some fat girls thought they had an advantage over me. But Agbani changed everything."

Here in Lagos, the commercial capital, the thin "It" girls are now called lepa, using a Yoruba word that means thin but that was not applied to people before. The lepa girl has had a popular song written about her, called simply "Lepa." Nigeria's booming film industry has capitalized on the trend by producing a movie, "Lepa Shandi"; the title means a girl as slim as a 20-naira bill. To anyone who has traveled across the continent, especially in West and Central Africa, the cultural shift is striking. In the United States slimness may be an ideal, but many ethnic groups in this region hold festivals celebrating big women. In Niger many women take livestock feed or vitamins to bulk up.

Among the Calabari people in southeastern Nigeria, fat has traditionally held a cherished place. Before their weddings, brides are sent to fattening farms, where their caretakers feed them huge amounts of food and massage them into rounder shapes. After weeks inside the fattening farms, the big brides are finally let out and paraded in the village square.

Ms. Darego, the same Miss World who has helped change young Nigerians' perception of beauty, belongs to the Calabari ethnic group — and thus may seem particularly unattractive to her own people. "If she was in a crowd of other African women, I wouldn't regard her as a beautiful woman," said Ken Calebs-Olumese, who does not belong to that ethnic group but, as the owner of the exclusive Coliseum nightclub here, knows beautiful women.
"The average African woman is robust, has big hips, a lot of bust," he said. "That's what she offers in terms of beauty. It's in our culture." Mr. Calebs-Olumese, who is 56, drew a blank at the mention of lepa. Still, he acknowledged that he was "speaking from my generation's perspective."

While the transformation in youthful tastes was linked to the Miss World victory, it started, some said, with an earlier event.

In 1998, M-Net, the South African network seen across Africa on satellite television, opened a search for the "Face of Africa." The winner was promised a three-year, $150,000 modeling contract with the Elite agency in New York. Not surprisingly, M-Net, which shows mostly American movies and TV shows, chose a skinny, 6-foot-2 teenager from Lagos, Oluchi Onweagba, who was not considered particularly pretty here but became a hit on the runways.
"That was the start," said Frank Osodi, 36, a fashion designer whose studio in the Surulere district in Lagos was a hive for models and beauty queens one recent morning. "Before, if you were thin, people thought you were sick, like an AIDS patient. Now if you have a skinny member in your family, you don't have to be ashamed."

Indeed, parents are now urging their daughters to take part in beauty pageants. In the past, the Most Beautiful Girl competition drew just enough contestants to hold a pageant, Mr. Murray-Bruce said. For the 2001 contest there were only 40; this year there were 400.

No one is predicting whether the youthful preference for thinness represents a fad or a lasting cultural change. But Maureen and Mary-Jane Mekowulu, slim 18-year-old twins who are students at the University of Nsukka in southeastern Nigeria and were visiting their parents here, said they would continue to exercise every morning and abstain from eating after 6 p.m.
"Because of Agbani, people have realized that slim is beautiful," Maureen said of the Miss World. And the Most Beautiful Girl of 2002 would reinforce that impression, said the contest's producer, Mr. Murray-Bruce. "She's even skinnier than Agbani," he said.

Surma The African Maiden

This is the grown up Surma beauty from Ethiopia.

As an artist who has done studies in anatomy, I don't see anything offensive in the natural depiction of this native maiden who in most cases go topless even in our villages in Africa.

THE PHOTOGRAPH IS NOT PORNOGRAPHIC.
She is not even erotic.

She is classic and exotic.

This native maiden should be recommended for international modeling career. She is a classic black beauty.

She reminds me of my ex-girlfriend Chinwe the first time I saw her topless.

I am saving the picture as a screensaver.

The Surma tribe is a very unique ethnic group in Africa.
They have some unusual cultural practices.
Seeing is believing!

Umkhosi WoMhlanga: The Zulu Virgin Dance

ZULU VIRGINS IN THE REGALIA OF THE REED DANCE.
I have put some countries in Africa as "No Go" Areas for me in order to maintain my chastity and retain my sanity, by keeping away from impressionable and vulnerable girls and women.

I am still in retreat on Bonny Island to escape from the sexual harassment of nubile maidens and young women in the villages, urban towns, and cities in Nigeria. And since January 1st, 1999, I have not slept with any girl or woman.

The invitations to come to South Africa have been turned down, because of the pornographic reports from my randy cousins and friends in South Africa on their sexual escapades among the native people. The recent news that the king of Swaziland just lifted the ban on sex for girls below 18 did not excite me. Why should girls under 18 be harassing their king to lift the ban on sex?

They said the young king who is 36 years old just added a new bride to his harem. And she is only 17. A virgin. So, he was compelled to lift the ban on sex.

I have always heard that South African girls are very sexy. And I am not surprised, because I have been informed since the 1970s when the celebrated "Ipi Tombi" of South Africa came to Nigeria for the FESTAC '77 and they were very sexy in their choreography. And when they left, my high school, the St. Gregory's College did the Nigerian adaptation of the "Ipi Tombi" musical with the selected school girls from the Holy Child College. The girls were naughty and made fun of me for not messing around with them. And when I wanted to organize my own dance troupe, 22 of the girls signed up and only 4 boys joined from my school.

I have to live like a monk to discourage the girls and women from coming. But, they kept on coming. There were over 30 girls coming to visit me. But, I only visited three of them after so much persuasion.

Beauty is one of my greatest attractions and having so many beautiful models as my friends and companions became the talk of the town until I fled to the Bonny Island. And even here in my retreat, two young women have found good excuses to visit me. But, I have not fallen for their temptations.
Here is the report on the "Umkhosi WoMhlanga: The Zulu Virgin Dance."

BACKGROUND
Once a year, in the heart of South Africa's Kingdom of the Zulu, thousands of people make the long journey to one of His Majesty’s, the King of the Zulu nation's royal residence at KwaNyokeni Palace. Here, in Nongoma, early every September month, young Zulu maidens will take part in a colourful cultural festival, the Royal Reed Dance festival - or Umkhosi woMhlanga in the Zulu language.

For visitors to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa's most Popular tourist destination, the Reed Dance festival Offers the unique opportunity to experience the natural beauty and majesty of the Kingdom of the Zulu, combined with the vibrant spectacle of Zulu cultural life. The road to the Reed Dance festival runs north from the city of Durban, and winds through the green lushness of the North Coast sugar-belt, skirting through the Kingdom's world-renowed wildlife reserves of Zululand and Maputaland.

Finally, it leads into the gently rolling hills and valleys of Zululand, a landscape rich with the silent memories of the heroic clashes of the Anglo-Zulu War, which took place more than 100 years ago.

Steeped in the history of the rise of the Zulu kingdom under the great King Shaka, the Reed Dance festival has been tirelessly celebrated by countless generations, and attracts thousands of visitors from throughout the country and from across the world. A dignified traditional ceremony, the Reed Dance festival is at same time a vibrant, festive occasion, which depicts the rich cultural heritage of the Kingdom of the Zulu and celebrates the proud origin of the Zulu people.

RITUAL CELEBRATION
The Reed Dance is also a celebration of the Zulu nation and performs the essential role of unifying nation and the king, who presides over the ceremony.

The festival takes its name from the riverbed reeds, which are the central focus of this four-day event. The reed-sticks are carried in a procession by thousands of young maidens who are invited to the King's palace each year. More than 10 000 maidens, from various communities throughout the province of KwaZulu- Natal, take part in the Reed Dance ceremony, with the rest of the Zulu nation helping them to celebrate their preparation for womanhood.

It is a great honour for the young women to be invited to take part in the Reed Dance ceremony, and its also a source of great dignity and pride for their families and communities.

According to Zulu traditon, only virgins are permitted to take part in the festival to ensure that they are ritually 'pure'.

COLOURFUL OCCASION
The Reed Dance festival is a solemn occasion for the young women, but also an opportunity to show off their singing, dancing and beadwork, the fruits of many months of excitement and preparation.

The women of KwaZulu-Natal make some of the finest beadwork in Africa, and the Reed Dance is an especially vibrant and colourful occasion on account of the rich beadwork on display. For visitors to the Reed Dance, this exquisite handiwork can provide a unique souvenir or gift to take home.

From each region in the Kingdom comes a distinctive craft tradition, and the colours, patterns and styles of the beadwork luxuriantly displayed by the young women, as both ornaments and clothing attest to the region of origin of the craftwork.

HANDING OVER THE REED
As the Reed Dance ceremony begins, the young women prepare to form a procession led by the chief princess. One of the daughters of the Zulu King is also the leader of the group of maidens as they go through this important rite of passage.

Each maiden carries a reed which has been cut by the riverbed and it symbolizes the power that is vested in nature. The reeds reflect a deep mythical connection with origin of the Zulu people, where, tradition tells us, the original ancestor emerged from a reed bed.

In everyday use, these reeds are the building material For the typical domed or beehive hut, iqhugwane, which is found particularly in rural homesteads throughout KwaZulu-Natal.

Zulu mythology has it that if a young woman who is not a virgin takes part in the Reed Dance ceremony, her reed will break and embarrass her in full public view!

And still, today an expectant hush falls on the crowd as the chief princess is the first to choose a reed. Shouts of joy and celebration greet her as the reed remains intact, and, with bated breath, each of the young women takes it in turn to choose a reed.

Accompanied by jubilant singing and dancing, the stately procession winds its way up the hill to the palace entrance where the king awaits, flanked by his royal regiment.

As leader of the group of young women, the chief Princess kneels down before the king and presents him with a reed to mark the occasion, before joining the young women in a joyful dance of tribute to the king.

Olamide: Nigerian Beauty Missing In America.

Nigerian beauty and blogger on My Space Olamide Elizabeth Adeyooye has been reported missing in US where she is attending a university. The details are provided below. We are all looking for her. Spread the word around and join us to pray for her. A night vigil of prayers is being organized for Olamide.But, I wish she is still alive and well.

Had to check this out as legit after receiving an email - and it is. Unfortunately, it seems an ISU student is missing and notification and co-operation as regards local authorities might not have been what it could be. COlleges, local police forces and campus police forces better wake up to an unfortunate growing trend. And people's background, race or color shouldn't be a limiting factor.

She has a Myspace account and another individual has started a page on her disappearance. It contains all the information you need.

Oct 17, 2005 - Illinois State University Police officials are searching for a missing student.

21-year-old Olamide Elizabeth Adeyooye was last seen at Family Video in Normal around 9:00 p.m. Thursday, just three blocks away from her apartment.

Normal police detectives spent today searching her vacant apartment for clues.The college senior weighs 110 pounds and satnds about 5-foot-three-inches tall. She is of Nigerian descent and has shoulder length, natural black hair and dark eyes.

School officials say she drives a dark green 1996 Toyota Corolla with license plate LBG 927.

Posted by Dan in News

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She looks nice..has great smile...

Posted by: farmgirl

Nigeria Winning The War On Corruption

I am becoming convinced that President Olusegun Obasanjo is serious about the war on corruption and he is even ready to surrender himself for prosecution if found wanting as he said corruption has no immunity in Nigeria. And I love that.

As much as I have been very vocal in crying out against his questionable acts, I am also very vocal in approving the laudable acts of His Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. The only credible legacy he can leave in Nigeria would not be his so called Presidential Library Project or his private university, but the solid foundation for the nation building of a New Nigeria where corruption would no longer be the toga of Nigeria.

The good news from News 24 is a good topic for your comments.

Nigeria winning corruption war
14/10/2005 09:38 - (SA)
Abuja - Nigeria's government under President Olusegun Obasanjo is making progress in fighting corruption, a senior World Bank official said on Thursday.

Daniel Kaufmann, head of global programmes at the World Bank Institute (WBI), made his remarks after a meeting with members of Obasanjo's economic team.

"Nigeria is changing for the better. In fact, if the current momentum is maintained and deepened, the progress made in the fight against corruption could become irreversible," Kaufmann said.

Obasanjo's specially appointed economic team has the responsibility to fashion the country's economic reform programme, which also includes chasing and repatriating Nigerian wealth stolen by past leaders and stashed in foreign banks.

'Historical turning point'

He cited improved accountability, integrity in the handling of public finances, reduction in the extent of bribery in some areas like taxation and public procurement, as some merits of Nigeria's economic reforms.

"This year and 2006 may prove to be historical turning point in Nigeria's anti-corruption efforts if resolute reforms in key areas are fully implemented," Kaufmann said.

His presentation relied on worldwide governance indicators issued periodically by the World Bank. Kaufmann heads the governance and anti-corruption desk at the WBI in Washington.

However, he said, Nigeria's private sector ethics were not improving.

"The notion that corruption is an exclusively public sector affair is a myth because it takes two to tango," he observed.

Kaufmann criticised foreign firms operating in Nigeria, saying they too were not free from unethical practices. - Sapa-dpa

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'Leaders robbed Africa blind'

France to help recover Abacha loot

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Linda Ikeji:The Highest Paid Model In Nigeria.

Linda Ikeji: The Highest Paid Model in Nigeria
Linda Michael Ikeji is the highest paid model in Nigeria. She is exciting and thrilling in her mesmerizing catwalk on the runway since she began modeling in 1998 at 17 and has been an instant success all the way. She is only 5’8 tall, but she has the perfect physique for the catwalk with her slim and trim figure and chocolate complexion. Her sexy figure is her best asset in modeling. She is also very disciplined and humble. She is also known to be gracious and generous since her days as a student of English at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. She graduated and chose to set up her own enterprise instead of looking for employment like millions of other graduates in Nigeria who are still applicants. She believes in her talents and good education.

Linda is the pride of her parents, five sisters and one brother. And she has successfully organized over two major events since she launched her Black Dove Modeling and Events Management company on the mainland of Lagos in Nigeria.

She has written a book on fashion, beauty and modeling in Nigeria.

“But, I am producing my fashion and beauty magazine first before the book. It is called the Fashion, Modeling and Beauty Magazine (FM&B) and will be launched before the Christmas,” Linda said in her modest office in Lagos on Monday September 26, 2005.

What is African Beauty?

WHAT IS AFRICAN BEAUTY?

Defining African beauty
We talk a lot about "African beauty", but what does that term signify? Dark skin, short virgin hair, big flat nose, big lips, full figure, big hips and backside – is this the true version of an African beauty? If you straighten your hair, put on hair extensions, are embarrassed by your flat nose, big lips and big butt – does that mean you're not proud of your African beauty?

Is it true that in this day and age we all subscribe to the popular concept of beauty that condemns plump, dark-skinned women? The recent Nokia Face of Africa pageant raised these important questions about African beauty. Face of Africa judge and TRUE LOVE editor Busi Mahlaba had this to say: "There's no beauty like African beauty - our skin tones, our figures and our shapes are distinct and unique in all of the world!" Busi believes African beauty is about the pride and dignity with which we wear our African identity on a daily basis by celebrating our shape, enhancing those features unique to us (such as our small waists and wider hips). She adds: "African beauty is reflecting who you are outwardly; it's embracing our cultures and traditions, and honouring them." She also maintains it's about being able to straddle the dual roles we women in Africa face today, expressing our traditional values and heritage while living and working in a totally Western world. One way of doing this is by introducing elements of our culture into the way we dress (such as combining a suit with a headgear of African beads).

Happy in our own skin? An article which appeared on June 29 this year in the Mail & Guardian by Cheri-Ann Janes and Malena Ammusa, entitled "Happy In Our Own Skin", claims that according to some men, every guy's dream of beauty is the "it" girl who's thin and fair-skinned. However, I'm sure we've all noticed the growing South African phenomenon of women liberating themselves from this conventional stereotype of beauty by being comfortable in their own skins. Gone are the days when African women were frowned upon because of their black skin, broad noses, curly hair, thick lips and big butts – now women with thin lips and no butts have resorted to plastic surgery to achieve these features! Beauty guru Leigh Tosselli has also gone on record as saying South Africans have come a long way in accepting and embracing African beauty. "We're starting to see a strong sense of ethnic identity – even South African models are starting to realise that they don't have to have hair extensions and blue contact lenses to be beautiful." Now, more than ever, what it means to be African and beautiful no longer depends on how well African women mimic Western aesthetic ideals. Popular Afro-centric hairstyles and fashion speak for themselves. We've become so comfortable with our natural attributes that our white sisters envy us for our beautiful, glowing, clear, wrinkle-free skins, our sparkling white teeth, our strong facial features and our inherently dignified postures!

SURVIVAL OF THE BEAUTIFUL

THE AFRICAN BEAUTY BOOK OF THE MONTH.
Is the classic novel "Survival of the Beautiful" by the prolific Nigerian novelist Bisi Ojediran.

Our models are always encouraged to read at least one book a month and at the end of the year we are going to give out prizes to the models who have read up to 12 books in our BOOK OF THE MONTH Selection. Just like the Oprah Book Club.
The African Beauty Book Club will promote the revival of our reading culture.
Because, we believe in Beauty and Savvy.

We hereby recommend "Survival of the Beautiful" to all our models and all our subscribers and visitors.
Now Released: Survival of the Beautiful

Abel falls in love with Kiki, the shabbily dressed lady who turns out a different sort of prostitute, and in return for his kindness, Kiki hands him a 'mystery’ note, which reads: "In the throes of death, a snake bite, bearer's origin, survival of the beautiful, an unknown culture, yet in this same country". The note fires Abel's journalistic curiosity, and his decision to investigate it, brings him in a headlong clash with Price in the 'village of beauty’ and in Lagos. It is an assignment fraught with danger and near-death situations to expose Professor Price and liberate the people.

Reviewed by This Day Newspaper, Lagos Monday, August 29, 2005.

BOOKSPLUS Nigeria Ltd has repackaged Bisi Ojediran's classic novel, Survival of the Beautiful. The novel, described by the author as his most original creative project, was first published in 1999. Peter Abel, journalist and protagonist in many of Ojediran's literary works made his first explosive appearance in Nigerian and global literary space in this composition.

Following its strong impact and its great potentials, the original 30,000-word novel has been rewritten completely and expanded for the international market with a beautiful cover that has Grace Amah of Nollywood fame as its model. Currently under a publishing deal with agents in the United States, the author said he has agreed with the agents for the release of a limited number in Nigeria, because in his words, "Maintaining relevance in Nigeria where I live, work, and write, is very important."

He also promises to be active on the local literary scene on retirement. He is sure the novel, which has been listed on the agent's website, will be published in the United States very soon.

In the classic novel, a Biology Professor is driven by beauty into a morbid experiment of breeding beautiful women in a remote, uncivilized village. The Professor, lost his beautiful wife in an automobile accident, but had exhumed her head to kiss every morning in a bizarre show of love and a tonic for his experiment. In the city of Lagos, Peter Abel, an ace investigative reporter who has the uncanny gift for writing delightful scoops, and celebrates each with a drinking binge, runs into an escapee from Price's village of beauty, Kiki, in a brothel.

Abel falls in love with Kiki, the shabbily dressed lady who turns out a different sort of prostitute, and in return for his kindness, Kiki hands him a 'mystery' note, which reads: "In the throes of death, a snake bite, bearer's origin, survival of the beautiful, an unknown culture, yet in this same country". The note fires Abel's journalistic curiosity, and his decision to investigate it, brings him in a headlong clash with Price in the 'village of beauty' and in Lagos.

The difficult trip and his sojourn in the remote village enables Abel to crack the mystery of Professor Price's experiment, but it is fraught with danger and near-death situations. Abel escapes to the city on a helicopter that takes Price to the village to transport some more beautiful girls to the city. Back in the city, the newspaper story of a heavily bruised Abel draws the attention of the government and Non-Governmental Organizations to begin a massive rehabilitation programme for the people. But he discovers after a long search that Kiki, who had waited endlessly for him, has returned to the village to look for him, triggering another search, this time for a dear one. The desperate search ends with the finding of a Kiki who has been charmed by the villagers into a vegetable, but Abel needed exactly the woman who made it possible for him to love women - nothing less.

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