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Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, known as King Sunny Adé ’, is 80 this year. He has devoted more than 60 years of his life to influencing Nigeria’s popular music and promoting the unique sounds of jùjú music. Jùjú is a Nigerian musical tradition that combines intricate rhythms, percussion, guitars, talking drums, call-and-response and Yoruba oral culture. It’s not only entertainment but a vehicle for expressing cultural identity, transmitting proverbs and praise traditions, and social life commentary. Sunny Adé’s career embodies an impressive blend of cultural grounding, musical innovation, entrepreneurial insight and global acclaim. From his beginnings in Lagos to his rise as the globally celebrated “King of Jùjú”, his story is intertwined  with the development of contemporary African popular music. As a social philosopher , I regard Sunny Adé’s music as a tool for social change. This is because it transforms cultural expression into a medium of moral reflection and s...

Patrick Vieira has been officially presented as the new head coach of Senegal, describing his appointment in Dakar as an emotional homecoming. In his maiden 29-man squad selection, the former France international made bold choices by omitting star forward Sadio Mane due to physical issues. Vieira takes charge of Senegal and makes bold selection statement Patrick Vieira has been officially presented as the new head coach of Senegal in Dakar, launching a four-year cycle aimed at maintaining international competitiveness and building toward 2030. Senegalese Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall called the appointment an absolute necessity for the national team. Born in Dakar before moving to France as an eight-year-old, the 50-year-old manager described taking charge of the Lions of Teranga as a deeply personal homecoming. In his first major act, Vieira named an expanded 29-man squad that features significant tactical adjustments and high-profile omissions. ...

LAGOS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Several Nigerian digital investment platforms suffered outages as retail investors rushed to buy shares  ​in Dangote Petroleum Refinery, highlighting the strain Africa's largest-ever share sale is placing on fintech infrastructure. Regulators and market participants have urged first-time ‌investors to be cautious as the record $1.6 billion offering, launched this week by Aliko Dangote , seeks broad public participation through banks, mobile operators and fintech platforms. Neither Dangote nor the underwriters have provided any figures for demand for the shares. However, the disruptions point to strong retail investor interest in the offer and illustrate the growing role fintech firms may play in widening access to Nigeria's ​capital markets. When the IPO launched on Monday, Temi Popoola, CEO of NGX Group, said demand was so high that some investment apps crashed.  "I think ​this particular IPO is stress testing Nigeria's financi...

SEOUL, Sept 16 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted the country's first summit with the leaders of five Central Asian countries on Wednesday, putting critical minerals, energy and supply-chain cooperation at ​the centre of Seoul's push to deepen ties with the resource-rich region. The summit brought ​together the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and capped three ⁠days of bilateral meetings that produced more than 70 agreements and memorandums of understanding spanning ​energy, mining, infrastructure, technology and investment. Speaking at a business forum after the summit, Lee said South Korea ​was seeking to expand cooperation beyond resource imports and deepen industrial partnerships. "Beyond simple raw materials trade, we must strengthen cooperation across the entire critical minerals value chain, from exploration and refining to high-value materials processing and finished-product ​manufacturing,...

JAŸ-Z  brought out some familiar faces in New York City on Sunday night for the world premiere of his upcoming HBO documentary series,  JAŸ-Z in 8 . The rapper joined longtime friend Rick Rubin at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center on September 13, five days before the eight-part series makes its television debut. Rubin, who has collaborated with JAŸ-Z throughout his career, directed the project in his first documentary outing. Several stars were on hand for the premiere, including SZA, Daniel Kaluuya and Leonardo DiCaprio. Questlove attended the screening, along with Fat Joe and Gunna. Slick Rick, Angie Martinez and DJ D-Nice were also among the guests. Following the red carpet, attendees watched a special screening before heading to an after-party at Lincoln Center Plaza. JAŸ-Z In 8 pairs the Brooklyn rapper with Rubin for an extended conversation about his life and the thinking behind some of his best-known work. The series arrives 30 years after JA...

Prime Minister Mark Carney's high-stakes pitch for foreign investment drew a diverse crowd of protesters to Toronto on Monday evening as Indigenous leaders, environmental groups, union leaders and others marched together in opposition of his agenda. Hundreds of executives and global asset managers descended on the city for Canada's first-ever national investment summit. Carney has set an ambitious goal of attracting $1 trillion in new investment over the next five years. Protesters, including representatives of labour unions and climate and housing advocates, mobilized against the event at a downtown rally that grew bigger as demonstrators made their way to the summit's opening gala at the Art Gallery of Ontario, where they were met by a police barrier. The crowd chanted, drummed and waved signs that urged investments in people, health care and the environment. Protesters said they reject the idea of leaving Canada's economic future in the hands of CEOs and ...

HOUSTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday that a ban on ​U.S. oil or fuel exports would be unlikely ‌to help lower energy prices for consumers amidst the Iran war . "We would consider an export ban if we thought that actually might lower ​prices, but that's not the case," Burgum told reporters ​at a G20 meeting on energy in Houston. Burgum, ⁠an appointee of President Donald Trump , said that bans on ​oil, gasoline or diesel exports could lead to retaliatory actions ​from other countries, which could hurt consumers in states like California, which depends partially on energy imports. "We stop exporting product, and then somebody ​says, 'We're not going to export to California,'" Burgum said. Burgum ​said that California already has shut several oil refineries, which over the ‌long ⁠term has helped raise fuel prices there. "California already (has) the highest prices in the country for gas and dies...

BRUSSELS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - European Union envoys have pushed back the expiry of EU Russia sanctions listings by seven days until September 22, ​a spokesperson for the EU's Irish presidency said on Monday, after failing to agree ‌on a six-month renewal. At issue is whether to de-list Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. France has joined Slovakia in a call to remove him, citing national security concerns, EU diplomats said. "France is one of the countries most committed ​to increasing pressure — by all means — on the Russian war machine, as well as ​to supporting Ukraine," a French diplomatic source said.  "We face a specific national security ⁠issue and wish to respond positively to international partners who have approached us regarding Mr. Usmanov." France's ​foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment. The designations, which target nearly 3,000 companies and individuals with asset ​freezes and travel bans, had been due to expir...