Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

In 2008 Ifeoma became the first Nigerian to be signed by Ford Model World, the biggest model agency in the world. Ifeoma's success is a follow-up to her success in beating 16 other young Nigerian girls to the 2006 Nigeria Model Awards (NMA) held in December of that year. The 19-year-old slugged it out on the New York runway with 44 other models from different countries for the Ford Model World. Though she failed to emerge as one of the five runners-up, who were from Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Brazil and Belarus, Ifeoma's outstanding outing earned her a modelling contract with Ford. Standing at 5.11, Ifeoma said she is set to conquer the world and surpass the level of wave-making Oluchi Onweagba and Bisi Sowemimo.

Lloyd Nwagboso was born in Bolton, England. He is a Model signed with Boss model management in Manchester. Lloyd has modelled for clients such as Armani, Reebok, Adidas, Burtons, JJB, Manchester United, Selfridges, Ted Baker and a host of other fashion and sport companys. Lloyd has appeared in TV Commercials for Matalan, JJB Sports, Im a celebrity get me out of here and DFS. He was voted one of the top 25 most desirable men on Myspace as judged by British Magazine Publication 'More' in 2007. He appeared on Living TV's ibiza 2008 as one of the dynamite hosts and is to appear in Living TV's Britains next top model in 2009.

Vicki began her formal training at Hammersmith & West London College, studying a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts. On completing this course she went on to Middlesex University where she graduated with a BA (HONS) Degree in Dance Studies. It was here that she discovered her passion for dance and choreography. In 2001 Vicki auditioned and was successful in gaining a place as a dancer for Impact Dance ( www.impactdance.co.uk ) a professional Hip Hop Theatre company. During her time with Impact Dance she took on many roles including Dancer, choreographer and Youth Artistic Director. Vicki is a Creative Projects Manager (CPM) for East London Dance ( www.eastlondondance.org ). She joined the Nike UK Team ( www.nikewomen.com ) in 2005 as a Nike Dance Athlete and Master Trainer for the Nike Rockstar Workout, a dance based fitness workout. Since 2005, Vicki has appeared in numerous publications including Health and Fitness magazine, Cosmo Girl, Fitness Professionals, The Telegraph,...

Iheoma is challenging the patriarchal nature of Nigerian politics by encouraging and preparing women to seek positions of authority at all levels of governance and bringing women to the forefront of decision-making bodies. Iheoma believes that the exclusion of women is a major reason for the ineffectiveness of the Nigerian government in meeting the needs of the vast majority of Nigerians. To reverse this situation, Iheoma is building the capacity of urban and rural women to advocate for their rights and to include themselves in governance structures and political processes by participating effectively in Nigerian politics and decision-making at local, state and federal levels. To make her efforts sustainable, she also addresses on a broader, deeper level the systemic exclusion of women in the political structure in Nigeria. Unlike many other gender-focused initiatives, Iheoma’s goes beyond women’s empowerment rhetoric and provides women with the resources they require to affect change ...

Faith is the daughter of a Nordic-American single mother and a Nigerian politico father, She was raised as the sole African girl in a small farming community in Washington State and attended Harvard on scholarship. After Harvard, she moved into the forests of Southeast Asia and became the first black Buddhist nun of Thailand. Her memoir about this experience, Meeting Faith (W.W. Norton & Co.), received the 2005 PEN Beyond Margins Award for Best Memoir (of 2004). Her trip to Nigeria inspired the PBS documentary " My Journey Home ," produced by award-winning filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña and written and narrated by me. Her work, called both “luminous” (O Magazine) and “remarkable” (Book-of-the-Month Club), has been widely published and anthologized, credited with “[reaching] into the expanding geography of black women’s experiences” (Belles Lettres). Honors/fellowships include a UNESCO International Artists Bursary (Italy); Best American Essays shortlist; the Banff Cent...

From one employee and one $350,000 project in the company’s first year, Megen Construction has grown to employ 57, posting revenue of more than $40 million. The firm has been involved in many high-profile Greater Cincinnati projects, including the Fountain Square revitalization, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Its owner, Evans Nwankwo, is a native of Nigeria whose family was uprooted by Nigeria’s civil war in the late 1960s. Despite his father's passing just before his 10th birthday, Evans and his 12 brothers and sisters all completed their education and went on to college. Evans attended Texas A&M University. In 1982, he earned a degree in building construction engineering. Megen won the Associated General Contractors of America 2005 Aon Build America Award for its work on the Freedom Center and was named 2004 Midwest Region Construction Firm of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agen...

Nkwo Onwuka is an award winning fashion designer, she also has a degree in psychology. Nkwo is inspired by the wild freedom and innovation of the '60s and '70s and strong African influences. This fusion has produced a new and exciting style called 'Afro - Bohemian Chic'. This collection debuted at Kulture2Couture 2007 where she won the Phoenix Award presented by the Mayor of London's office in conjunction with the V&A. Nkwo is dedicated to keeping Africa's traditions alive and working on projects that support communities and encourage self-sufficiency. Through African art and design, we can promote a positive image of Africa and show the world that there is more to the continent than poverty, starvation and war. Nkwo is also a volunteer with Kambani . She has helped children with fashion in arts and continues to push her artistic boundaries. She is also keen to develop children's awareness of cultural diversity through fashion in arts.

Obioma Nnaemeka is Professor of French, Women's Studies, and African/African Diaspora Studies and Director of the Women's Studies Program at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She is also the President of the Association of African Women Scholars. Professor Nnaemeka has published extensively on literature, women's/gender studies, development, and African/African Diaspora studies. Books Female Circumcision and the Politics of Knowledge: African Women in Imperialist Discourses Engendering Human Rights: Cultural and Socio-Economic Realities in Africa (Comparative Feminist Studies) Sisterhood, Feminisms and Power in Africa: From Africa to the Diaspora

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe is a political scientist and historian, and director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, Senegal. Among his books are African Literature in Defence of History: An Essay on Chinua Achebe (Michigan State University Press, 2001) and Issues in Nigerian Politics Since the Fall of the Second Republic 1984-1990 (Edwin Mellen press, 1992).

Ikechukwu Uche (born January 5, 1984 in Aba) is a football - striker who currently plays for Getafe CF, in Spain's first division. He is the younger brother of another footballer, Kalu Uche who also plays in Spain. Uche's footballer career began with Amanze United and Iwuanyanwu Nationale. Aged just 17, he moved to Racing de Ferrol in the Spanish second division, appearing in 24 games in his second season, which ended in relegation for the Galician squad. Uche then joined Recreativo de Huelva for a fee of $300,000, and scored 12 goals in his first season, becoming the league's top scorer in 2005-06, at 20 in just 28 games (with five braces), as the Andalusians returned, as champions, to the first division after a three-year absence. In his first top flight year, Uche scored on eight occasions. Notably, he netted in three consecutive matches in November 2006 (with wins at Celta de Vigo and against CA Osasuna), as Recre finished eight. During the 2007-08 season, Uche joined M...

Ijeoma Uchegbu holds a Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience within the School of Pharmacy, University of London. Ijeoma obtained her PhD from the School of Pharmacy, University of London in 1994, was appointed to a lectureship within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Strathclyde University in 1997 and a Chair in Drug Delivery at Strathclyde University in 2002. In 2006 Ijeoma was appointed to the Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. Ijeoma’s research in pharmaceutical nanoscience has provided insights into nanoparticle design for drug delivery, producing nanosystems (nanomedicines) that promote oral drug absorption and drug transport to the brain for example. Ijeoma and Andreas Schatzlein have also designed an anti-cancer gene medicine that is currently in pre-clinical development. Ijeoma is the Science Secretary of the CRS, a US based learned society with interests in the delivery of pharmaceuticals, former Chair of the Academy...

Nwankwo (Centre) Dr. Abraham Nwankwo is the Director General of the Debt Management Office (DMO). The DMO was established on 4th October, 2000 to centrally coordinate the management of Nigeria’s debt, which was hitherto being done by a myriad of establishments in an uncoordinated fashion. Nwankwo is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and remains one of the few to have graduated with a 1st class degree in Economics.

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien is the Founder/President, Growing Businesses Foundation . Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF) is a principal provider of Micro Credit to downstream Entrepreneurs, SME growth advocacy and Sector support. It has long enjoyed the trust and confidence of Government and NGOs and is typically regarded as a partner of first choice in issues affecting communities at the grass root level. To date, this foundation has made credits possible to approximately 4,000 enterprises since inception. Ndidi has also served as the Director of Strategy at the Nigerian Communications Commission and as a judge on Nigerian TV series, Entrepreneur TV.

One to Watch Kashmere aka Iguana Man is a versatile hip hop artist with a discography of some 32 commercially available appearances. Born Obiesie Adibuah on 22 January 1980 in London, Kashmere came blasting into the psyche of the UK hip-hop fraternity in 2002 with his EP Raw Styles, released under the Iguana Man moniker on Receptor Records. The track had a lo-fi dirty delivery much like the US group Gravediggaz, and gained much airplay on London's many pirate radio stations. Mixing with critically acclaimed hip-hop producers Braintax, Mr. Thing, and Breakin' Bread helped Kashmere to hone his production skills. This culminated with the release of his 2004 debut album, Technical Illness/Back Hand Slap Talk, on Low Life Records. The album was produced by Braintax, and had his signature raw style akin to a live mix, with the scratching on the album executed to perfection by Mr. Thing, and additional beats performed by Kashmere and Ghost giving it a truly home-grown sound. Th...

(with Ciara) Osinachi Nwaneri is a young “super” talent taking the pop, R & B and hiphop music industry by storm. Raised in the Washington DC area in Bowie, Maryland, he has touched so many ears in college campuses, nightclubs, mixtapes, local radio stations and now nationwide. As a music producer he has generated much more internet buzz nationwide than even many artists from the same region. His work is so broad and versatile and ranges from hiphop to pop and round the bend to even rock, R & b and then dancehall. The ability to make music for anyone from anywhere in the world in any genre of music, gave super-producer Rodney Jerkins of Darkchild productions no choice, but to sign Osinachi within 24 hours of hearing his music on one of his hundreds of songs circulating nationwide on CDs and on the internet. He currently resides in Hollywood, California and is currently working with major celebrity artists namely Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, Academy Award Winners 36Mafia, and is o...

Afro soul Chidinma Okafor was born in Lagos, Nigeria to an evangelist father. She began singing in her father's Assemblies of God Church in Suru Lere, Lagos, Nigeria at the age of 6. By the time she was 10 years old she had established her self as a soloist. Her crystalline voice set her apart from other singers. By the time she was 15 years old it was obvious that she would become a great singer. Surrounded by all ethnic groups of Nigeria gave Chidinma Okafor an advantage. She became fluent in all the Nigerian languages as well as the English language. Her unique abilities for languages allowes her to sing in Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa and English. She has become a true Nigerian singer like her hero Fela Kuti, singing not only to her ethnic group, but to all Nigerians. Her ability to write great songs have made her a household name. In 1999 she featured in an album entitled “IDE JI NDUM”, popularly known as “OBI NASOM RIKPO”, one of the best selling albums in Nigerian music. In 20...

Ike Eze is the founder of QSpace, the first company to deliver credit reports to consumers over the web. He is now the CEO of Centrro , Inc. which develops search tools for consumers seeking financial products like credit cards, mortgages, and loans. KnowBeforeYouApply is one of these online products. Ike is also a guest writer on Huffington Post .

Dr Uchenna Okoye qualified at the prestigious Guy's Hospital, London and has a special expertise and interest in Cosmetic Dentistry. She is the Clinical Director of London Smiling Dental Group and one of an elite group of dentists with membership in both the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She is on the board of the British Association of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr Okoye lectures and works closely with Aesthetic dentists in the USA to ensure her clients have the best of all cutting edge techniques available in the world. She has completed her training in Aesthetic Dentistry at the New York University (Rosenthal Institute) and lectures widely. As an honorary clinician at St George's Hospital London she routinely dealt with complex cases referred by other dentists and brings this expertise to her clients general dentistry needs. Beyond running her own multi-clinic practice, Dr Okoye appears often on television and radio and is a f...

Chidi graduated from Cambridge University and worked in advertising before switching to fashion photography. His work has appeared in i-D, Jalouse, Arena and Vogue and his commercial clients include Alexander McQueen/McQ, Stussy, Clements Ribeiro, Nicole Farhi, Virgin Music, Pepe jeans and Galeries Lafayette. He is currently based in London and travels widely for work.

Chinyere started off life as a fashion designer assisting in the studios of Majan Pejoski, Matthew Williamson and Y.M.C. Since 2003 Chin has been working as a fashion stylist on music videos, TV Commercials, editorials and fashion shows. Her clients include the likes of EMI, BMG, Universal, Island and she has worked with many bands including Kasabian, Katherine Jenkins, Channel 4, Carlton TV, EIO Clothing and Luke Goss. Chin is based in London.

One to watch PRACTICE is making perfect for tennis ace Ifeoma Kuchler after she recorded a string of victories on the junior summer circuit. The 12-year-old, who lives in Gospel Oak and trains at Islington Tennis Centre in Market Road, recently returned from a spell at the prestigious Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida. Nick used to coach ten #1 players in the world – Agassi, Becker, Courier, Hingis, Jankovic, Rios, Seles, Sharapova and Venus and Serena Williams, as well as a multitude of other world‐class players, including: Haas, Kournikova, Arias and Vaidisova, to name a few And her six-week stint under the tutelage of the famous tennis trainer, coupled with determined practice at ITC, and the FCUK Tennis Academy, in Winchmore Hill, looks to have paid dividends. Victory in two Grade 3 Junior Championships, a quarter-final berth in the Scottish Junior Open, a 14-years-and-under semi-final finish and runner-up spot in the McCann-Erickson International Junior Tournament in the Midlan...

Florence Onuma is a graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Jos. She went into full time acting in 1991. Her first movie was Lies of destiny. Others include Aristos, Best Lovers, Black Mamba, Come Back To Me, Disguise, Dream Lover, Friend Of The Family, Passions, She Devil, Silent For Life, Tears and Sorrows, Unchained, Strangers In Paradise, Tears In My Heart and many more.

One to watch Ugochi Acholonu is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences and Technology Design program at Stanford University. She received a Masters in Computer Science with a specialty in HCI in 2005, and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering in 2003. Both degrees were earned at Stanford University. Her research interests include Computers as cognitive tools, User Interfaces and Gaming Technology for the promotion of learning in young children, and cultural influences of access, use, and learning with technology. She is a member of the Institute of design at Stanford .

The world is yet to get a taste of the new soothing, sensual sound of Nigerian Soul /R&B singer, Dozie ; his debut album Redemption , a title subject to change with the set of a record deal, is ready to hit stores late this summer. He has been compared to Sade, Maxwell and even Seal. His melodious voice and distinctive style hold an appealing groove—one that leaves no doubt that this up- and-coming artist is ready to break through the industry with something missing for a while. Dozie was born in England to a Nigerian father and British mother, Dozie spent his early years in both the UK and Nigeria, moving to the U.S. with his family when he was a teenager. The plethora of sounds in his family household ranged from Nigerian pop giants like Fela Kuti and Sir Warrior, to South African jazz gurus like Dollar Brand and Hugh Masekela, to classical composers like Handel and Bach. This early exposure permeated his soul with a love of music that would only manifest itself several yea...

Obed Chukwuma Ariri (born April 4, 1956 in Owerri, Nigeria) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. He also played in the United States Football League for the Washington Federals and in the Arena Football League for the Miami Hooters. Ariri was born in Nigeria, and his middle name Chukwuma means "God Only Knows". He became a skilled soccer player and was scouted by Clemson University's then soccer coach Ibrahim M. Ibrahim. After watching him play in Nigeria, Ibrahim offered Ariri a soccer scholarship to Clemson on the spot. Ariri was drafted in the seventh round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Obed in the 1984 pre-season but was waived before final cuts. After kicker Bill Capece flopped in the final Buccaneer pre-season game, Ariri was hired in time for the start of the regular season and he was their regular kicker that season. He was n...

Frederick Nnabuenyi Ugonna, often abbreviated to F. Nnabuenyi Ugonna (October 12, 1936, in Amaokpara/Ihitenansa, Abia, Nigeria - June 5, 1990, in London) was a Nigerian ethnologist, linguist, and writer. He is best known for his work on the Igbo language and other African languages as well as African literature. Ugonna was the first who initiated the thesis of J. E. Casely Hayfords Ethiopia Unbound (1911) being the first truly African novel; therefore he has written an introduction for the book's second edition in 1966. Ugonna died of prostate cancer in 1990 in London.

Chinweizu is a Nigerian critic, poet, journalist and pan-African Philosopher. Though he has identified himself and is known simply as Chinweizu, he was born Chinweizu Ibekwe in Isuikwuato in the part of Eastern Region that is known today as Abia State, and was educated at Government College, Afikpo. He later attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for college education. While studying in America, during the civil rights era, Chinweizu became influenced by the philosophy of a black arts movement. He later enrolled for a Ph.D. at the State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo, under the supervision of political scientist [Claude E. Welch, Jr. Chinweizu apparently had a disagreement with his dissertation committee and walked away with his manuscript, which he got published as The West and the Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers, and the African Elite by the powerhouse New York based Random House in 1975. He took the book to SUNY, Buffalo, where he demanded, and ...

Chioma Nnadi is the Style/Fashion Editor of The FADER magazine. The FADER, or FADER, is an United States-based music/culture/fashion magazine that covers hip-hop, reggae, independent rock, pop and dance music from around the world. Founded by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen in 1998, The FADER is a freestanding, independent New York City-based magazine. It was also the first publication in history to be released on iTunes. FADER was the recipient of one of the publishing industry’s highest honors, the FOLIO magazine Gold Eddie award for "Best Consumer Entertainment Magazine".

Ekene is a designer and artist who has now moved to Amsterdam from Milan where he studied Interaction Design at Domus Academy and worked at The Big Space. His audio/visual installations have been in galleries in LA and NYC and he has designed and programmed for commercial and non-commercial studios such as R/GA, Local Projects, Associates in Science and Project Projects.

Eme Awa is the bandleader of Union Street and lead singer of Chopteeth . Chopteeth is a 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra exploring the common groove between the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African and American popular music on the planet. The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria. Afrobeat is a spicy stew of Yoruba tribal music and West African pop. Chopteeth then mixes in classic Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and stirs it with choice selections from the James Brown catalog for an intoxicating infusion of righteous grooves. The massive result is a swirl of energetic melodies and call-and-response choruses, driven by interlocking drums and percussion, punctuated by a dynamic six-piece horn section. Funky organ and melodic guitars lay down a sensuous groove. Chopteeth is based in Washington, DC and was recently honored with two Wammie Award nominations by their peers in the Washington Area Music Association...

Okechukwu Ibeanu is Professor of Political Science and Dean, Faculty of the Social Sciences at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the adverse effects of illicit movement and dumping of toxic waste on human rights. Professor Ibeanu was previously programme officer of the MacArthur Foundation overseeing its human rights and Niger Delta programmes. A former Fellow of the United Nations University, Tokyo, he has also been a visiting scholar at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University and the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington D.C. Professor Ibeanu sits on the boards of many research institutions including the Centre for Democracy and Development. He has published extensively on the Niger Delta and Nigerian politics in general including Civil Society and Conflict Management in the Niger Delta (2005). His latest book titled Oiling Violence (2006) is on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Niger...

Ejogo is the daughter of Elizabeth, a Scottish tour guide, and Charles Ejogo, an Igbo entrepreneur. Ejogo's television career began in the UK in the early 1990s, where she presented the children's series Saturday Disney. Subsequently, she has had an acting career in the US. She has appeared in Metro with Eddie Murphy, What's the Worst That Could Happen? with Martin Lawrence, and Love's Labour's Lost with Kenneth Branagh, among other films, and also presented The Carmen Ejogo Video Show — her own video show on BSB's Power Station channel. She starred as Thomas Jefferson's slave mistress in the television drama Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal. Buy Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal What's the Worst That Could Happen? (Special Edition)