Why not try Jollof Rice this Sunday. It makes for a wonderfully tasty and easy Sunday dinner. Everyone likes it, adults and kids alike. I still remember as a child eating this meal every single Sunday. There are several ways to cook this dish. This particular recipe came about by trial and error. It turned out to be a simplified version. Which simply means that I have used fewer ingredients and you can feel free to add more meats of your choice.

I didn't know how to cook it. So I asked my Mom and my cousin Yvonne how they cooked it. Then I made it several times, making changes here and there, particularly using less fatty meats. I have made it how I like it. Once you try it, you can experiment with various meats, vegetables, seasonings and amount of oil. Then you will have the perfect recipe for your taste.

Jollof rice can stand alone as a meal or you can serve with fried chicken and fried plantains.

Jollof Rice Guide

You will need:

3 C raw rice (parboiled, see Tips below)
1 lb peeled shrimp
3 lbs chicken (or some combination of chicken and beef)
6 oz can spam (or smoked turkey)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped, optional)
2 C frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp salt
2 tsp seasoned salt (Lawrys is great)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 C cooking oil
1 C water

Remove any skin and fat from the chicken and meat. Cut up into 1 to 1/2 inch pieces. Peel your shrimp and place in bowl with

meat and chicken. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp seasoned salt and stir. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Dice spam (or smoked turkey) into small (1/2 inch) pieces. The spam is probably salty enough so no need to add salt. Place in a bowl by itself. Spray the bottom of a large non-stick skillet with cooking oil spray. Turn burner on high. If you use regular oil, use a Tbs of oil and cook on medium high instead. Test oil by dropping some droplets of water into hot skillet. Oil is ready if water skittles around.

Add chicken, meat and shrimp to pan and stir around quickly with spoon until golden brown and cooked. Transfer back to pan. Cool, clean and then spray the same skillet with cooking oil spray. Fry the spam until medium brown. If you are using smoked turkey, there is no need to cook it any further.

Add the spam to the bowl with meat, chicken, and shrimp. Set aside.

Make your Sauce

Believe it or not Miss Universe 2010 has commenced and the girls have already begun to bid for the crown and sash, and everything else. People all over the world have begun to pick their favourites. But only time would tell who will clinch the prize and make her country and continent proud.

Nigeria – Ngozi Odalonu – 22

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Angola – Jurema Ferraz – 25

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Botswana – Tirelo Ramasedi – 21

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Egypt -Donia Hammed – 22

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Ghana – Awurama Simpson – 22

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South Africa – Nicole Flint -22

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Tanzania – Hellen Dausen – 23

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Zambia – Alice Musukwa – 22

Ghana's top striker Asamoah Gyan, who missed a decisive penalty kick during the 2010 FIFA world (South Africa) is back this time to make a wrong decision, In Singing ?. Gyan Collabo with Ghana's 50 cent - Castro De Destroyer  in this video called  African Girls.

“Featuring on that song is my first professional stint and it has really exposed me. The offer I have received from other Hiplife musicians to feature on their album has been tremendous and encouraging but I am only waiting for the release of 'African Girls' which has been remixed to suit current music happening in the musical industry,” Asamoah Gyan aka Baby Jet said. 

WATCH : Castro ft Asamoah Gyan (Baby Jet) - African Girls

Paw-Paw’s screen twin, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki was one of the distinguished Nigerians who were accorded  recognition some Thursdays ago  by the Federal Government.

A gesture which generated controversy as many stakeholders in the movie sector blamed the government  for failing to extend the same treatment  to the other actor.

It was however the  stakeholders’ conviction  that both diminutive actors started off  their careers same time, featured in the same movies  and won many laurels together and therefore desire to be honoured jointly.

But a new twist to the story is the fact that Paw-Paw is now being held responsible for his own misfortune as far as the nomination for the award was concerned.

Source: Vanguarf 

It recently concluded the shooting of a movie in honour of one of the nation's solid ambassadors, skilful player extraordinary and former captain of the Super Eagles, Austin Jay Jay Okocha.

The movie titled "Feet of Destiny" according to our source star Emeka Ike as Jay-Jay . It centres on the life of the ex-international footballer and his exploits in the field of play.

Emeka while confirming this revelation said, the movie is receiving finishing touches as it features some Hollywood stars.

Also featuring in the movie are Jimmy Jean Luis, Nigerian born Hollywood Hakeem Kae Kazim, Kira Obyron and many others. Kudos to Hollywood for this initiative.

Editors note…………..The extract from an article published by Guardian UK below,  references a letter sent by Pule to the Mandela family. It also quotes a family member saying that no proof of paternity could be obtained because her mother has died and DNA tests would not be possible.  This  is untrue.!!. Paternal and maternal links can be established over many generations using modern DNA profiling techniques.

The Mail & Guardian SA reproduced a letter sent by Pule to Mandela in August last year, a month before she died from a stroke at her home in Bloemfontein.

“Dear Tata, Please kindly be advised that this is not an easy letter for me to write,” it said. “However, pardon my request as it touches on a very long-outstanding sensitive and confidential matter. My request therefore it is to kindly request you to let me meet you, as I believe you are my father and I am your daughter.”

The paper reported that Pule learned the identity of her “tata” (father), in 1998 from her 85-year-old grandmother, Winfred Monakali. Her mother, Seipati, had died in 1992 without telling her the story.

It is not the first time that 92-year-old Mandela, who was a charismatic young lawyer and is now in his third marriage, has faced paternity claims.

But his grandson Mandla played down the fresh report, saying it was too late to investigate. “I can’t give you issues of might be or might not,” he said. “These are issues of blood. It’s unfortunate that the lady is dead because the only way we can prove someone is a member of the family is through a DNA test.”

He added: “This is not new to my ears. We do get people claiming to be members of this family. But my grandfather is elderly and he is all I want to focus on.”

Former South African president Nelson Mandela may have fathered an illegitimate daughter following an affair in 1945, his foundation has said.

Mpho Pule’s claim matched the documentary record of Mandela’s life, Verne Harris, a spokesman for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said. But, Harris stressed that only a DNA test would provide absolute confirmation.

“This is the point at which we hand the matter over to the family,” he said Friday.

Pule, who died last year, is said to have found out who her father was from her grandmother in 1998.

Now her children are continuing her fight to be recognised as the seventh child fathered by the former apartheid-era freedom fighter, the daily said.

While the allegation that the former South African president, 92, was unfaithful while married is not new, no claim of paternity is ever known to have been confirmed.

According to Pule’s grandmother, Mandela had a brief affair with her daughter Seipati Jane Monakali in Cape Town in 1945 by which time he had been married to his first wife, Evelyn, for a year and already had a son.

Monakali died in 1992 without revealing her secret.

Pule is reported to have repeatedly contacted the foundation in the hope of meeting her father.

Her calls and letters went unanswered until last October, when the foundation wrote to say it had “verified” the information she had sent them and asking her to contact them. Unfortunately, Pule had died of a stroke a month earlier.

Pule’s family is now waiting to hear from Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, who is said to be handling the claim. No one from Mandela’s family could be reached for comment.

Source:The Mail & Guardian SA

Source: Radcliff Mongbeh

SEXY ex housemate Makosi Musambasi is set to make a dramatic comeback to this year’s house.

The stunning ex cardiac nurse will set hearts thumping in the house, in her shock return to celebrate 10 years of Big Brother.

Her latest set of knock-out photos will also set hearts fluttering too.

Makosi famously had sex with winner Anthony in the Big Brother pool and later asked for a morning after pill in the Diary Room.

After leaving the house she faced deportation – and was reported to have worked as a hooker.

But now she’s looking to make a BBig impression with her return to the house!.

Makosi Musambasi's photos

Source: .zimbabwemetro

He dreams to create his own style, walk his own path and become one of the greatest Sierra Leonean artists ever. Inspired by a determination to succeed, Soufian Kamara aka Souferior is working hard to release his debut album in December 2010. The hit single 'Pull Na Do' was one of Sierra Leone hottest music for two week.

“My expectation of this album is nothing less than a classic. Expect hard lyrics and vocabulary content,” Souferior tells salonejamboree in an exclusive interview.

WATCH  Souferior - Pull Na Do NEW SINGLE ( Performed In Studio)

In the meantime, the young artist says he has recorded more than 100 songs including mix-tapes such as ‘Through tha Streets’ in the Sacramento and Bay area, earning him lyrical respect and recognition. With his upcoming street album titled ‘Tha Lion's Den’ and more projects on the way Souferior vows to represent Africa and his motherland through his music.

“My inspiration comes from within, my roots and where I come from. The fact that I can represent my country through my music, and gain international recognition as a Sierra Leonean artist is my inspiration. I want to make my people proud of me,” he says.

 Furthermore, Souferior is inspired by the likes of Nas, Tupac Shakur, Jay Z, Big L, Big Pun, Akon, Dr Dre, Busta Rhymes, Bob Marley, Lucky Dube, The Roots, Biggie, Rakim, Ludacris, Cassidy, Method Man, Mary J Blige, Common Sense.

BEEAFRICAN IMAGE: Souferior & Some of his fan In Sierra Leone During Akon Concert 7/12/2010

Souferior Origin & Struggle

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 1st, 1983, Souferior is the second to last of seven children. He grew up in different parts of Freetown, from Aberdeen Road and Regent Road- Lumley in the west to Dundas Street and Berwick Street in central Freetown.

He attended the Ronsab Preparatory School at Spur Road and later the Sierra Leone Grammar School. 
 
At age 13 Souferior realized he has a talent for music, but it was not until he arrived in Guinea in 1998, during the war years, that he decided to take music as a career.
 
Growing up in Freetown, Souferior witnessed and experienced the Rebel War that affected so many Sierra Leoneans. The war, which lasts for a decade and classified as Genocide, affected Souferior's role in the music world, but his ability to share his horrific experience through his music has captured millions of people across the world.

Due to the war Souferior was separated from most of his family members, including his mother and younger brother. With such experience in life, where courage and hope is needed, Souferior's perseverance has showed his ability to cope with high degrees of poverty and hardships in life. Souferior was forced to leave Freetown with other family members and relatives. He lived in Guinea for a few years prior to coming to the United States in 1999.

Living as a refugee in Guinea Souferior learned that war will never be a solution. He says war, no matter how small, always leads to loss of innocent lives, especially women and children, and destruction of development structures.

“War is never the answer, never the solution to a country’s problems,” he says.

His Dreams & Career

In America, he lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, and attended the Snyder High School and later moved to Woodbridge, Virginia, and graduated from Garfield High School. In 2002, Souferior began a Business degree at Consumnes River College in Sacramento and, in 2003, he deferred his studies to concentrate on a career in music. He studied the basics in music- recording and performing. 

Also a talented sportsman, Souferior displays extraordinary and sometimes mysterious skills in most sports he picks up. His zeal for sport comes not from an over competitive nature but from excellent co-ordination, speed and passion for being exceptional at anything he does.

Rhyming and making music is just a talent Souferior is polishing as a tool to express himself and create awareness for all African people and Hip Hop listeners across the world.

As he strives for excellence, Souferior keeps track of developments back home in terms of his country’s music industry. He says he likes a lot of the music coming from Sierra Leoneans and is impressed by the works of Steady Bongo, Kao Denero, Tiger Man, Blakka P, Alonzo and more.

Above all, Souferior gets more encouragement from his first cousin- Super Bowl player Gibril Wilson. He says Wilson has been mentoring him on how to become successful.

“With his accomplishment of winning a Super Bowl and so much more, Wilson has inspired me to be hard working. To see my own close family accomplish their dreams in life makes me proud and motivated,” says Souferior.

Source: Souferior | BeeAfrican | salonejamboree

They all spoke of their role in the attacks that struck a restaurant and a rugby club - the venues hosting fans watching the World Cup football final. After the attacks, a Somali Islamist group said it was behind them.

Al-Shabab said the bombings were in revenge for Uganda's role in sending troops to Somalia as part of the African Union's mission to support the besieged government there.

Investigators in Uganda and Kenya have already detained a number of people they believe were connected to the attacks. But the BBC's East Africa correspondent Peter Greste says it is the first time the Ugandan military say they have found the masterminds.

Tearful

The four suspects appeared in a press conference organised by military intelligence in Uganda's capital, Kampala. The BBC's Joshua Mmali in Kampala, who attended the event, says the suspects were brought in one by one.

Each gave detailed descriptions of how they were involved in the plot, he said. The suspects told the media that they had organised the attacks out of religious conviction.

One of the men seemed remorseful and occasionally cried during his testimony, our reporter says. "I know I'm a monster to you all because of the evil acts that I did… as I told you I wasn't thinking straight," he said.

"One thing I want to stress is that they never promised us any cash." The suspects were asked by journalists if they had been tortured while in custody, but they denied that they had, our reporter says.

One of the men said he was the contact with al-Shabab.

At a separate briefing the head of police, Kale Kayihura, said that 22 people were in custody directly connected to the bombings, our Kampala correspondent says.

About 5,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi are based in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, propping up the fragile interim government.

The force is engaged in frequent firefights with the Islamist insurgents that control much of southern and central Somalia.

Source: BBC News

According to Ms White's testimony, Mr Taylor and Ms Campbell had been "mildly flirtatious" with each other at the 1997 dinner, which was hosted by Nelson Mandela, South Africa's president at the time.

Mr Taylor told the supermodel during dinner that he would send some men to give her diamonds, Ms White told the hearing.

She said Ms Campbell was communicating with the men and was "very excited" about the diamonds.

WATCH VIDEO: Ms. Campbell tells war crimes tribunal of diamonds gift

US actress Mia Farrow, who was at the dinner, also testified on Monday that Ms Campbell had been excited by the gift.

Last week, Ms Campbell told the hearing that two men had come into her room in the middle of the night and given her a pouch of stones, and that she did not know who had given her the gift.

Courtenay Griffiths, a defence lawyer for Charles Taylor, said Ms White had a "very powerful motive" for lying because of a lawsuit over breach of contract between her and Ms Campbell. He also queried Ms Farrow's memory and her impartiality.

Mr Taylor, 62, was arrested in 2006 and his trial in opened in 2007.

The former warlord is accused of arming Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels during the 1991-2002 civil war - a charge he denies.

Prosecutors say that from his seat of power in Liberia, Mr Taylor also trained and commanded the rebels who murdered, raped and maimed Sierra Leone civilians, frequently hacking off their hands and legs.

The war in Sierra Leone became notorious for the widespread use of child soldiers.

Mr Taylor's trial gained little international media coverage until the appearance of Ms Campbell.

Source: BBC News

Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has joined newly-promoted Italian Serie A side Cesena from rivals Bologna.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the option of another year if the club stays in the top flight.

"I'm happy with the agreement with Cesena because they showed how much they wanted me to join them when we started negotiating," Appiah said.

"It's a new start for me although it's still in Italy. They have a project which I'm happy to be part of.

"I've met the management of Cesena and assured them I'll give it 100%."

Appiah, who played for the Black Stars at the World Cup in June, left Bologna last month after just six months due to differences over a new contract.

Despite failing to extend his contract with Bologna, Appiah is grateful to the club for giving him the opportunity to revive his career after a long injury lay-off.

"I'd like to thank the management, players and supporters of Bologna for giving me a chance to get back into football after my long absence.

"It wasn't easy but they gave me a chance and although I didn't feature much for them, they allowed me to get back into the swing of things."

Cesena is the sixth Italian club Appiah has signed for, having also played for Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus and Bologna.

The only club outside Italy the Black Stars captain has played for is Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Hearts of Oak in Ghana.

He fell out with Fenerbahce after a botched knee surgery and the Turkish giants reported him to Fifa for abandoning his contract.

The world governing body ruled in favour of Fenerbahce last year but CAS overturned the decision two months ago which allowed the midfielder to move to Cesena as a free agent.

Source: BBC Sport

British supermodel Naomi Campbell has told a war crimes tribunal in The Hague of the night in 1997 when it is alleged former Liberian leader Charles Taylor sent her a gift of "blood diamonds". Ms Campbell and Mr Taylor had both attended a celebrity dinner in South Africa hosted by then President Nelson Mandela. Here are some extracts from the hearing.

VIDEO: Ms. Campbell tells war crimes tribunal of diamonds gift

ON RECEIVING THE DIAMONDS

"When I was sleeping I had a knock on my door. I opened my door and two men were there and gave me a pouch and said, 'A gift for you'."

She said she put the pouch next to her bed and went back to sleep. In the morning she opened the bag and saw a few stones. "They were very small, dirty looking stones."

"At breakfast I told Miss Farrow [actress Mia Farrow] and Miss White [Carole White, her ex-modelling agent] what had happened and one of the two said, well that's obviously Charles Taylor, and I said, yes I guess it was."

ASKED IF SHE HAD ALSO BELIEVED CHARLES TAYLOR HAD SENT THE DIAMONDS

"I assumed it was. I don't know anything about Charles Taylor. Never heard of him before, never heard of the country Liberia before. I never heard of the term 'blood diamonds' before. So I just assumed that it was."

ASKED WHY SHE HADN'T ASKED WHO SENT THE GIFT

"I get gifts given to me all the time, at all hours of the night. Sometimes without notes. It is quite normal for me to receive gifts."

ON WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DIAMONDS

"I went downstairs to breakfast and took all my luggage with me. I wanted to find my friend [Jeremy Ratcliffe, then head of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund], someone that I trust and who does great things in South Africa for charity, to give them [the stones] to him to do something with them. I didn't want to keep them.

"In 2009, when the United Nations called my lawyer to ask about these diamonds, it was the second time I had spoken to him about them and to my surprise he still has them."

ASKED IF SHE COULD RECALL HOW MANY 'STONES' THERE WERE

"I really can't recall after 13 years, Maybe two or three?"

ASKED IF SHE HAD CONSIDERED THANKING CHARLES TAYLOR FOR THE GIFT

"I did not consider contacting him. I did not know how. I had no way of contacting him and had no intention of contacting him."

COULD THE DIAMONDS HAVE COME FROM SOMEONE ELSE?

"When we discussed it at breakfast, I think it was Mia Farrow who said there was no-one else at the table that would give such a gift. So the assumption was made."

ASKED WHY SHE HADN'T WANTED TO APPEAR IN COURT

"This is a big inconvenience for me.

"I really don't want anything to do with this, and I care about the protection of my family.

"This is someone [Charles Taylor] that I read on the internet has killed thousands of people, supposedly, and I don't want my family in any danger in any way."

Source: BBC News Africa

Ms Campbell, 40, is due to testify at the war crimes trial on Thursday. The prosecution will ask her about allegations Mr Taylor gave her a rough "blood diamond" from Sierra Leone after a celebrity dinner in 1997.