On the eve of the 2012 African Cup of Nations, 25 footballers including Seydou Keita from Mali, Demba Ba from Senegal, Charles Kabore from Burkina Faso, and Lawali Idrissa from Niger, have spoken out in solidarity with millions of people facing hunger across their region.

They are appealing to the international community to work together so that “We CAN win the match against hunger”.

In the face of an emerging food crisis in West Africa, Mali and Barcelona star Seydou Keita said: “If we act now we could save the lives of women and children who are always the first victims of food crises.

Read the entire story on allAfrica.com >>

Actor Idris Elba’s alter ego “Driis” has released a new song called “Private Garden”. Watch the video and let us know what you think.

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Angola’s Leila Lopes has joined the ranks of 3 other African beauties to win the Miss Universe title. Making her the 4th African to ever win the title.

Margaret Gardiner from South Africa won the first Miss Universe title for Africa in 1978, Michelle Mclean won the second Miss Universe title for Africa representing Namibia 2 years after its independence from South Africa in 1992. In 1999, Mpule Kwelagobe representing Botswana won the third title. She was also the first black African to take home the title.

The 25 year old Angolan beauty has worked with various social causes. She has helped poor kids, worked in the fight against HIV and has also worked to protect the elderly “I think now as Miss Universe I will be able to do much more” says the beauty queen.

Contestants hailing from 89 nations spent the past three weeks in Sao Paulo for the 60th anniversary of the beauty contest that had an anticipated worldwide audience of one billion. Mexico’s Ximena Navarrete, last year’s winner, was on hand to relinquish her crown to Lopes.

The 2011 Nigerian Entertainment Awards recently took place in New York on Labor Day weekend honoring 26 different trailblazing Africans in entertainment. Below is a list of those who were crowned as the best in their game

Music

Best Album – MI2 (MI)
Best International Artist – Nneka
Best Music Video – DJ Tee
Best New Act – Wiz Kid
Best Pop/R&B – Waje
Best Rapper – MI
Best US Female – Naira
Best US Male – Rotimi
Best Gospel – Lara George
Hottest Single – Oleku (Ice Prince)
Best Indigenous Artist – Duncan Mighty
Most Promising Artist – Jhybo
Best Music Producer – Sam Klef
Best Pan African Artist – Fally Ipupa

Film and Television

Best Actor in Film – Ramsey Noauh
Best Actor in TV – Frank Edoho (Who wants to be a Millionaire)
Best Actress in Film – Omoni Oboli
Best Actress in TV – Dami Adegbite (Tinsel)
Best Directing in Film – Lancelot
Best Best Picture – Inale (Jeta Amata)
Best Pan African Actor – Chris Attoh
Best Pan African Actress – Jackie Appiah

Miscellanous Categories

Best World DJ – DJ Obi
Best Comedian – Gordon
Best Entertainment Exec – Audu Maikori
Best Entertainment Promoter – Tiwaworks

Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot of Kenya celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the women's 10,000 metres final during day one of the 13th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Daegu Stadium on August 27, 2011 in Daegu, South Korea. (August 26, 2011 - Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Kenya will on Friday move up to second place on the medals table when Vivian Cheruiyot adds the 5,000 metres gold to the one she won in the 10,000m race on the opening day of the 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics on Saturday.

The Kenyans will burn out Ethiopia’s perennial challenger, Meseret Defar, and then consolidate their gains by providing cover for Cheruiyot’s final burst of speed to the tape.

Cheruiyot’s gold will bring the gold count to five after Ezekiel Kemboi blasted away with 150 metres to go to clinch Kenya’s fourth gold in the 3,000m steeplechase on Thursday.

Read The Full Story Here >>

It is good to be Cameroonian soccer star, Samuel Eto’o these days. Russian Billionaire, Oligarch Suleyman Kerimov will be making Eto’o the highest paid footballer and athlete in the world with a payout of €20 million per season over the next three years. All the 30-year-old has to do is pass a medical and play with Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos for small-club-with-big-ambitions Anzhi Makhachkala in the Russian province of Dagestan. His former club won’t be hurting too badly either … financially that is.

Inter Millan will be selling the Cameroonian player to the Russian club for $52 million.

Read the Full Story at Yahoo Sports >>

At the IAAF World Cross Country Championships last year in Bydgoszcz, Kenya won all individual and team gold medals available. Such stunning dominance was not repeated in Punta Umbria on Sunday, as Ethiopia got among the medals more than last year, but Kenya still emerged as the No.1 cross country nation quite comfortably.

Kenya won gold in every individual and team category in Punta Umbria apart from two. The junior women’s team title went to Ethiopia, while the blue ribbon men’s individual crown was won by Imane Merga of Ethiopia. [Read More]

Ethiopia’s Hailu Mekonnen sprinted to victory in the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, taking advantage of the absence of world record holder Haile Gebrselassie.

Mekonnen won in two hours, seven minutes and 35 seconds in dazzling sunshine before paying tribute to his countryman, who pulled out of the race after a freak training injury. [Read More]

8 African Films nab an award at the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF). Winners were announced at the PAFF filmmakers awards today during a brunch ceremony at Locals Sports Bar & Grill in Los Angeles. PAFF, America’s largest and most prestigious international Black film festival took place from February 16 to 23, 2011 at the Culver Plaza Theatre. The festival will end its run tonight with the closing film, “DWB: Dating While Black,” written, directed and produced by Van Elder.

The festival selected a total of 121 films, representing 31 countries, 75 feature length films (narrative and documentaries) and 46 short films. The festival handed out prizes for Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards.
Themed, “Experience Your World,” PAFF wanted to take its movie goers on a cinematic journey with screenings from around the world – that is, such countries as Angola, Austria, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, South African, Nigeria, and of course, the United States. PAFF hopes these films with global appeal will open the minds of its audiences, and transport them to lands far away and back home again … without ever packing a suitcase.

And without further ado, the winners are:
Best Picture (Narrative Feature)
Besouro (Brazil), directed by João Daniel Tikhomiroff

Honorable Mention:
The Athlete (Atletu) (Ethiopia), directed by Davey Frankel & Rasselas Lakew

Best Documentary Feature
Thunder Soul (USA), directed by Mark Landsman

Honorable Mention:
War Don Don (USA), directed by Rebecca Richman Cohen

Best Short Film (Narrative Short)
The Abyss Boys (South Africa), directed by Jan-Hendrik Beetge

Honorable Mention:
Hear Me (USA), directed by Kenn Michael

First Feature Film by a Director (Narrative Feature)
I Will Follow (USA), directed by Ava DuVernay

Honorable Mention:
Hopeville (South Africa), directed by John Trengove

Audience Award Narrative Feature
The First Grader (Kenya/UK), directed by Justin Chadwick

Audience Award Documentary Feature Film (Documentary Feature)
Gang Girl: A Mother’s Journey to Save her Daughter (USA), directed by Valerie Goodloe

Audience Award Short Film
The Black Mozart in Cuba (Guadeloupe), directed by Steve James

Pan African Film Festival Board of Directors Awards

Best Short Film
Precipice (UK), directed by Julius Amedume

Best Documentary Film
The Manuscripts of Timbuktu (South Africa), directed by Zola Maseko

Best Feature Film (Best Feature Narrative)
Viva Riva! (DRCongo/France/Belgium/South Africa), directed by Djo Tunda Wa Munga

Honorable Mention:
The Child, (Nigeria), directed by Izu Ojukwu
The Figurine (Nigeria), directed by Kunle Afolayan

Pan African Film Festival-British Academy of Film and Television Arts/LA (BAFTA/LA)
Festival Choice Award
I Sing of a Well (Ghana), directed by Leila Djansi

The 2011 Pan African Film Festival is sponsored by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Fund, Macy’s, Wells Fargo Bank, Sony Pictures Entertainment, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and the Africa Channel.

For more information, please visit www.paff.org or call (310) 337-4737.

About the Pan African Film Festival
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), America’s largest and most prestigious Black film and arts festival, is gearing up for its 19th year of screening more than 100 films made by and/or about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Europe and Canada. PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the country.

PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon” movie franchise), Emmy Award-winning actress Ja’Net DuBois (best known for her role as the busybody neighbor Willona in the tv series, “Good Times”) and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in African Affairs. PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression.

The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.