Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

Grammar school pupil Chidera Ota leads the GCSE roll of honour with 15 A*s. The 16-year-old studied at Highsted Grammar School, Sittingbourne, which is ranked 58th in the Standard's table of state schools in London and the South-East. She has gained admission to study Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Maths and Further Maths at A-levels in King’s School, Canterbury. She scored As in English Literature and Language, Maths, Statistics, French, German, Latin, History, Sociology, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. She also made an IT qualification worth three GCSEs. Chidera, who lives with her Nigerian-born parents - Uchenna, a GP, and Mercy, a nurse - in the Isle of Sheppey, wants to become a doctor. Congratulations Chidera. Source(s): Sahara Reporters, Daily Mail(UK) and @419positive (#ff - Twitter)

Ifeyinwa Umeike was born on the 21 of April, 1972, the fourth in a family of seven children. She hails from the Igbo tribe of eastern Nigeria whose people are renown for their commerce, bravery and artistry. She is a graduate of economics from the University of Ibadan. She says that art constitutes the greater part of her life, although she received no formal training in this field. She paints in gouache and has adopted the use of local Nigerian fabrics which add a touch of bright color to the delicate pastel effect of the paintings. The technique of stencil-like cut outs must be carefully observed to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of each painting. Apart from selling and exhibiting her art in several galleries in Nigeria, she has made a book cover design for the American Women’s Club in Nigeria. It is entitled Lagos Easy Access. She currently resides in Canada and her work can be seen at Galeria Quetzal in Cleveland, Ohio, and Nicole Gallery in McCormickville, Chicago. You can see...

Chi-Chi Nwanoku, MBE is a British classical double bass player and presenter on BBC Radio 3 Requests. Chi-Chi was born in London of Igbo and Irish parents and grew up in the UK but spent two years in Imo State, Nigeria. Nwanoku graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London with the Principal’s Prize and the Eugene Cruft Double Bass Prize, and was awarded four scholarships, including the Royal Society of Arts, allowing her to further study with Franco Petracchi in Rome. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 1998 and awarded an MBE for Services to Music in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2001. She is Professor of Double Bass Historical Studies at The Royal Academy of Music, a visiting Professor at Double Bass at Trinity College of Music in London. She is principal bass with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (of which she is also a founder member) and Endymion Ensemble, and a regular guest with string quartets and chamber groups. Her instrument was made in ...

Precious Williams was first published aged eight when her poem took first prize in a poetry competition (she won £2). Since then she has been a Contributing Editor at Elle, Cosmopolitan and the Mail on Sunday's 'Night & Day' magazine. Precious's work has also been published in The Times, Marie Claire, the Sunday Times Magazine, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Financial Times, Glamour, Korean Vogue, New York magazine, Wallpaper and several other publications. Her journalism focuses on health and lifestyle features and celebrity interviews. Notable interviewees include [click on each link to read the interviews] Jon Bon Jovi, Nina Simone, Yoko Ono, Destiny's Child, P Diddy, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz, Naomi Campbell and Ali G. Born in the UK, Precious is of Igbo and Sierra Leonean descent and she has lived in London and in New York. She studied English Language & Literature at Oxford and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Periodical Journalism from the...

Unoma Nguemo Azuah was born at Ogwashi-Ukwu in Delta State to a Tiv father and an Igbo mother. Most of her formative years were spent at Nsukka as a high school student in Q.R.S.S Nsukka and as an undergraduate in the English Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she edited the literary journal—The Muse. She currently teaches Composition and Creative Writing at Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee. She is an MFA graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She also has an MA in English from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, both in the US. The numerous literary awards she has received include, the Hellman/Hammett award, Leonard Trawick award, and the Urban Spectrum National best novel of the year award by an African born writer for her debut novel—Sky-high Flames. Source: EverythinLiterature . Special Thanks to Sokari Ekine

Nkiru was born in Lagos in 1981. She studied architecture at the Barlett School of Architecture, University College London , where she received the undergraduate Dissertation Prize (2004). After working on the Dalston action plan, she continued her studies at the renowned Rice School of Architecture in Texas. She has been awarded the Margaret Everson-Fossi Travel Fellowship for excellence in design (2008), the Mary Ellen Hale Lovett Travel Fellowship (2007) and the Deans Visionary Project Award (2007). Nkiru's work speculates on the future of public space in cities, her future histories addresses issues of hyper density, congestion and scale in the growing megapolis. In 2009 her work was exhibited at the Anderson Hall, 'Mega Infrastructures: Strategies for Superbia' exhibition in Texas and at the d3 Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nkiru/show

One to watch Chima Anya is half Igbo and half Romanian. By day, Chima is a medical doctor but as a hip-hop MC his credentials are stellar. Having already shared stages with hiphop legends KRS 1, Amp Fiddler, Flava Flav and having already received support from Mary Anne Hobbes (Radio 1) "A Dope ass MC", Huw Stephen's (Radio 1) "I'm sure we will be playing more of this man" Ras Kwame (1Xtra) "Futuristic hiphop- we are looking for the doctor to come and save hip-hop", DJ 279 (Choice FM) "Hope yet for UK hiphop", Shortee Blitz (Kiss FM), Chima is surely making a name for himself. His Debut album "New Day" reflects the change that is needed to effect some balance the uk hiphop scene. Entirely produced by Astrosnare, the two hooked up having ascended to the top of the hiphop scene in Oxford making it a natural alliance. The first double AA side single saw Chima enlisting some fellow UK hiphop Luminaries Soweto Kinch and Jehst in joini...