In this July 20, 2010 photo, Russian councilman Jean Gregoire Sagbo speaks to constituents in his district in Novozavidovo, a village 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow. People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare _ an honest politician. Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia. (Sergey Ponomarev / AP)

NOVOZAVIDOVO, Russia — People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare – an honest politician.

Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia.

In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo’s election as one of Novozavidovo’s 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. But among the town’s 10,000 people, the 48-year-old from the West African country of Benin is viewed simply a Russian who cares about his hometown.

He promises to revive the impoverished, garbage-strewn town where he has lived for 21 years and raised a family. His plans include reducing rampant drug addiction, cleaning up a polluted lake and delivering heating to homes.

“Novozavidovo is dying,” Sagbo said in an interview in the ramshackle municipal building. “This is my home, my town. We can’t live like this.” [READ MORE ...]

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa kisses the Claret Jug after winning the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, July 18, 2010.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen won his first major golf title yesterday with a seven-stroke victory in the British Open at St. Andrews.

The 27-year-old clinched his maiden major title with a composed display of front-running after taking the lead on Friday.

Oosthuizen began the final day four strokes clear of Paul Casey and carded a 71 to finish 16 under around the Old Course.

Westwood picked up two shots in a round of 70 to edge into second on nine under, with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (68), Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (71) and England’s Casey (75) in a tie for third on eight under.

World number one Tiger Woods, who was aiming to win a third successive St Andrews Open, was unable to make up any ground and ended well adrift on three under after a level-par 72 that included double bogeys on the fourth and seventh. [READ MORE ...]

Ghana’s Black Stars beat the United States Yanks after scoring a second goal in overtime to qualify for the Quarter finals. Ghana is the only other African country to ever reach the Quarter finals. Ghana will be meeting with Uruguay on July 2nd 2010.

Ghana is currently the only African team still in the World Cup. They finished second in their group with four points after one win, one draw and one loss. Due to the remarkable win by the Germans over Australia, the Black Stars made it into the 2nd round with goal difference on their side.

The World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. As we celebrate this very special moment, the first such event to be held on the African Continent, we are trekking the web looking for cool and exciting sites and gadgets about the World Cup. We will keep our list growing as events progress. If you find a cool site that is not on our list, drop a comment.

1. The Group Predictor by Castrol Football: This is a very cool tool. It helps predict how well your favorite teams will do during the championship. The site also carries other predictors such as the tournament predictor, match predictor etc. It is a sure win in originality. (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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2. The Marca Calendar: Marca.com created a very unique Calendar that captures the groups and schedules for the world cup. They rank high on originality. (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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3. A Virtual Global Competition – FIFA has outdone themselves: Besides being a very information site, we think FIFA.com has done a fine job in presenting World Cup related information but they have lots of icing on the soccer pudding with an online World Cup tournament all soccer fans can play for free in the safety of their homes without the recommended rigorous physical training required to be good at the sport. What do you think? (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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4. ESPN’s iPhone App will knock your socks off: It’s their thing. They know sports and market it well. Their World Cup iPhone App is a knockout, probably one of the best out there. What do you think? (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5. Navigate South Africa with Find and Follow – SA: Find and Follow – SA is a free blackberry app that helps you navigate South Africa during the World Cup and … beyond. With it you can Stay on top of the latest scores, news, and schedules, as well as make informed choices about hotel, restaurants, transport and other services during the World Cup. What do you think? (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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6. Live Commentary on Goal.com: If you can’t watch the game live but would like to know what’s happening, then Goal.com should you stop. They run live commentary on the games giving you a good idea where things are and who is doing what. What do you think? (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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7. Find Match Schedules on Fifa.com: Fifa has put so much work into organizing information on their site. It is a good stop for all things World Cup related. Their schedule is cool and keeps you current on scores and upcoming games. What do you think? (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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If you know of a cool World Cup gadget or site, drop a comment.

The 2010 Hip Hop World Awards (HHWA) took place at the New Expo hall at EKo Hotels and Suites on May 29th 2010. Man of the night was Artist Wande Coal who received the Artist of the Year and Hip Hop Revelation of the Year Awards. He also received the Album of the Year and Best RnB/Pop Album for his Mushin to Mo’Hits Album. His song ‘U Bad’ received best Pop single at the event making the Artist the most recognized Artist at the event. For more information on the event, visit http://www.hiphopworldawards.com

HHWA 2010  FULL LIST OF WINNERS

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Best album (solo or group) in year under review, that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (in every realms: songwriting, production, rendition and promotion) and acceptability (sales, popularity)

MUSHIN 2 MO’HITS
Artiste: WANDE COAL
Producer(s): Don Jazzy
Record Label: Mo’Hits Records

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Most critically and commercially adjudged artiste in the year under review Overall most successful artiste for the year under review
WANDE COAL
Real Name(s): OJOSHIPE WANDE JNR.
Album Title: Mushin 2 Mo’Hits
Record Label: Mo’Hits Records

SONG OF THE YEAR
Most popular song from an album in year under review. Decided by voting

“YORI YORI”
Artiste: BRACKET
Album: Least Expected
Producer: Dekumzy
Record Label Ape Planet

RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Best single recording (on-air only or released) by artiste or group in year under review. Originality and production very essential

“HEAVEN PLEASE”
Album – TIMI (Unreleased)
Artiste – Timi Dakolo
Producer – Cobhams Asuquo
Record Label – (Unreleased

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
The individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed songs/album in the year under review. His CV for the year includes top notch tracks and production credits no one can fault.

DON JAZZY
Album/Song Title – “Banana”, “U Bad”
Artiste(s) – Wande Coal

BEST MUSIC VIDEO (AWARD GOES TO DIRECTOR)
Best conceptualised, best edited, best picture, best directed and most exciting video in year under review as voted by fans and decided by the jury.

CLARENCE PETERS
Music Video Title – “Finest”
Artiste – Knight House Ft. Sauce Kid & Teeto

BEST R ‘N’ B SINGLE
Best R&B single in year under review (by single individual or group)

“STRONG TING”
Artiste(s) – Banky W
Producer – Cobhams Asuquo

BEST POP SINGLE
Best pop single in year under review (by single individual
U BAD”
Artiste(s) – Wande Coal
Producer – Don Jazzy

BEST R ‘N’ B/ POP ALBUM
Best R&B or pop album in year under review (by single individual or group)

MUSHIN 2 MO’HITS
Artiste- Wande Coal
Producer(s) – Don Jazzy
Record Label- Mo Hits Records

BEST RAP SINGLE
Best single released on-air recording of a rap song

“SAMPLE Remix”
Artiste(s) – Terry Tha Rapman Ft. Stereo Man & Pherowshuz
Producer – Pherowshuz

BEST RAP ALBUM
Best album by a rap artiste or group in year under review

CEO
Artiste – Dagrin
Producer(s) – Sossick, T-Frizzle, Dokta Frabz, Sarz
Record Label – Missofunyin Entertainment

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL
Rap Artiste with best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album

MODENINE
Song Title – Bad Man
Album Title – Da Vinci Mode (Not released in year under review)
Record Label – Red Eye Music

BEST COLLABO
Best R&B, Pop or hip hop collaborative track (including cameos) in year under review

“KOKOROKO”
Artistes – Kefee Ft. Timaya
Producer – K Solo

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)
Single male artiste with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album

DAREY ART ALADE
Song Title – “NO STARS”
Producer- Cobhams

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
Single female act with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album
LARA GEORGE
Song Title – “KEEPER OF MY DREAMS”
Producer – Wole Oni

BEST STREET HOP
The most popular street-hop single in year under review

“FREE MADNESS Pt. 2”
Artiste(s) – Terry G

NEXT RATED
Most promising upcoming officially unreleased act in the year under review
SKUKI
Song Title – “BANGER”

HIPHOP WORLD REVELATION OF THE YEAR
Best New artiste in the year under review

WANDE COAL
Real Name(s): OJOSHIPE WANDE JNR.
Album Title: Mushin 2 Mo’Hits
Record Label: Mo’Hits Record

So much controversy has surrounded the change of the Official World Cup Song from Somalian Artist K’Naan’s “Waving Flag” to Colombian Artist Shakira’s “Waka Waka”. Some prefer the former while others prefer the latter and then there are those who say it should have been sung by a South African. Which would you have chosen? Shakira’s song which features South African band Freshly Ground or K’Naan’s “Waving Flag” featuring Will.I.Am and David Guetta?

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WAVING FLAG Video

WAKA WAKA Video

Sade (Nigeria), Kojo Antwi (Ghana), K’Naan (Somalia), P-Square (Nigeria) and Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa) get nominated for the 10th annual BET Awards.  The network revealed that Queen Latifah will host the momentous event.

See below for a full list of nominees.

Best Female R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Melanie Fiona
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Best Male R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Raheem DeVaughn
Maxwell
Trey Songz
Usher

Best Gospel
The Anointed Pace Sisters
Kirk Franklin Presents Artists United For Haiti
Tamela Mann
Marvin Sapp
Vickie Winans

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Ester Dean
Lil Kim
Nicki Minaj
Rasheeda
Trina

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
B.o.B.
Drake
Fabolous
Jay-Z
Ludacris

Best Group
Black Eyed Peas
Clipse
Diddy-Dirty Money
New Boyz
Young Money

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Melanie Fiona
Nicki Minaj
Wale
Young Money

Best Collaboration
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – Video Phone
B.o.B. f/ Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Drake & Trey Songz – Successful
Drake f/ Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem – Forever
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – Say Aah

Video of the Year
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – Video Phone
B.o.B. f/ Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Melanie Fiona – It Kills Me
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town

Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Gil Green
Anthony Mandler
Chris Robinson
Hype Williams

Best Actress
Taraji P. Henson
Regina King
Mo’Nique
Zoe Saldana
Gabourey Sidibe

Best Actor
Quinton Aaron
Don Cheadle
Idris Elba
Jamie Foxx
Denzel Washington

YoungStars Award
Selena Gomez
Lil JJ
Keke Palmer
Willow Smith
Tyler James Williams

Best Movie
Avatar
Law Abiding Citizen
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
The Blindside

Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Tamika Catchings
Vanessa James
Candace Parker
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year
Carmelo Anthony
Usain Bolt
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Tiger Woods

Viewers Choice Nominees
Beyoncé – Sweet Dreams
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Monica – Everything To Me
Rihanna f/ Young Jeezy – Hard
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – Say Aah
Young Money (Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Drake, Tyga) f/ Lloyd – Bedrock

Centric Award
Melanie Fiona
Maxwell
Chrisette Michele
Monica
Sade
Best International Act
Kojo Antwi (Ghana)
Chipmunk (UK)
Dizzee Rascal (UK)
Estelle (UK)
Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) (South Africa)
K’NAAN (Somalia)
M.I. (Nigeria)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Corinne Bailey Rae (UK)
Sade (UK)

Coast to coast, African fashion designers are getting much-deserved attention from the American fashion industry. At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, the ARISE African Collective brought some colorful faces and fresh talent to the New York fashion scene. Now Californians are getting a taste of what African style has to offer. African Vibes magazine rolled out the red carpet in style to celebrate its fourth anniversary of shining a positive spotlight on Africa and Africans, by presenting the “I Wear African” fashion show at the Avalon in Hollywood. [READ THE COMPLETE STORY]

The United Nations has mobilized some of the foremost artists of Africa and the airwaves of the world in launching a song and music video to drum up support for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of combating hunger and poverty across the continent.

With a catchy tune and rhythm, the song is sung by eight artists reflecting the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the targets for reducing extreme poverty, hunger and disease, while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability – that world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015.

Between the verses a chorus declaims the iconic cry for freedom from the wars of liberation against Portuguese colonialism in Africa: a luta continua, the struggle goes on – only this time against each of the evils that deprive Africans of their human rights to a decent life.

The song, entitled “8 Goals for Africa,” has also been recorded as a video to be screened across all fan parks and public viewing areas at soccer’s World Cup in South Africa next month, an event expected to be watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It will be disseminated free of charge locally and internationally.

“There can be no spectators in the fight against poverty,” UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said at the song’s launch ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.

UN Information Centres (UNICs) around the world are already calling on media in their regions to report on and air the song and video now.

“This is a great opportunity to raise popular awareness of the MDGs, with the potential to reach millions of people,” UNIC South Africa said. “The organizers are hoping that when the song is played during the World Cup matches, audiences will already recognize the song and be able to sing along with key phrases.”

The eight artists are: Yvonne Chaka Chaka (South Africa), Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Oliver Mutukudzi (Zimbabwe), Mingas (Mozambique), Eric Wainaina (Kenya), HHP (South Africa), Baba Maal (Senegal), and the Soweto Gospel Choir (South Africa).

Hugh Masekela and Jimmy Dludlu (both South Africans) are two of the instrumentalists and the song was produced by world-renowned music producer, Arthur Baker. The music was composed by Mr. Dludlu, with lyrics by Mr. Wainaina.

LOS ANGELES, May 3, 2010 / FW/ — Bringing a new and fresh aesthetics to contemporary African style, “I Wear Africa” fashion show brought a positive spotlight on Africa and Africans.

Produced by African Vibes magazine, the runway show was held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Avalon in Hollywood with international superstar and singer Awilo Longomba — known as the “King of Techno-Soukous Music” as celebrity catwalker, shaking his hips and gyrating across the runway as the evening’s special musical guest.

The magazine honored Awilo and celebrity fashion designer and “Project Runway” alum Korto Momolu with a Diamond Award for uplifting their African heritage through music and fashion.

The designers who participated in the “I Wear African” fashion show included Sheila Denanyoh (Ghana) of Ill-la-la Designs; Arthlene Legair (Dominica, West Indies) of the Legair Brand; Kahindo Mateene (Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC) of Modahnik; Maryanne E. Mokoko and Stephanie T. Mouapi (Cameroon) of Côté Minou; Mekdes Tefera Taye (Ethiopia); jewelry designer Monalisa Okojie (Nigeria) of NEHITA and Christiane King (Ivory Coast), who is a contestant on this season’s “Project Runway.” [READ MORE]