Guardian

TWO Nigerians, Dakore Egbuson and Ayo Makun will join their Ghanaian counterpart Ama K. Abebrese to host the 2013 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which holds on April 20 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

According to a statement signed by Mr. Tony Anih, AMAA Director of Administration, the host for this year awards were carefully selected to give guests new experience and promote unity in Africa, which the awards scheme has been promoting in the last nine years of its existence.

He said, “each of them will bring to the stage on April 20 at the Gloryland Cultural Centre their vast experiences as celebrities, event and TV hosts. AY’s pedigree as a comedian is outstanding. As an actress and TV presenter Dakore is a class act. Abebrese will hold the audience with her unique and definitive mastery of English language as a former British TV presenter and one of Ghana’s best female actresses.’’

On the organisers’ plans to have a hitch-free event, Anih explained that the AMAA team is working hand-in-hand with officials of Bayelsa State, the host said to deliver a new experience to guests this year.

”We are working very hard to make sure we don’t have logistics problems, which has always been one area we have been falling short of expectations. Again our guests must also bear in mind that Bayelsa is not Lagos or Abuja, where we have ready-made infrastructure that can support event of this magnitude. Bayelsa is still developing as a city and the present government of Governor Dickson is working hard to make the city a modern one,’’ he said.

BORN on October 14, 1978 to parents, who hailed from Bayelsa State, Dakore Omobola Egbuson-Akande has been missing at social gatherings for close to two years now.

Recall that shortly after her colourful marriage to Lolu Akande, heir apparent to Chief Akande’s dynasty, she fizzled out of public eye, shunning movie roles and attendance at high-octane events, preferring to channel her energy at raising a family.

Many were surprised to see the actress again as she glided gracefully into the Silverbird cinemas for the premiere of I will take my chances, a movie by Ini Edo and Emem Isong.

The outing was her first since the arrival of her baby girl. She was all-beautiful at the event without any telltale sign of motherhood.

Dakore was also one of the artistes who performed at the presidential dinner held to celebrate Nollywood at 20. She did two songs, a Nina Simone’s number and another song to the delight of the audience. She reeled out some old tunes in a manner that re-launched her into the mainstream entertainment world.

The gorgeous mother of one, who says, I” love African stuff, you know, even if it's not print, but it has to have that African thing. It's my persona; it's where I am mentally. I have emancipated myself from the mental slavery that comes with the western way of doing things. I'm an amalgamation of those two. Seeing that I'm contemporary - young, and I am African inside” this is just a perfect moment to re-launch herself in public consciousness.

AMA K. Abebrese is an award winning actress, TV presenter and Producer of Ghanaian origin with a wealth of experience in Film, Television and Media.

The Ghana-born star was raised in the UK where started her career and is now based in Ghana.

As a well known TV presenter and producer of shows like her resident entertainment chat show, On the Sofa, which was extremely popular with viewers in the UK where she interviewed international celebrities such as Akon, Ziggy Marley, Idris Elba, and Rihanna as well as top African celebrities.

She also was the host and producer of the long running popular ‘One Touch’ music request show, for some years on OBE TV (Original Black Entertainment Television) in the UK.

Ama K. began her TV career at YCTV (Youth Culture Television) a charity training facility in West London as a youth where the highlights of her time there was when she interviewed Hollywood legends Harrison Ford and ‘Star Wars’ director George Lucas. She moved on to co-host the youth entertainment programme ‘Pass da Mic’, a show in collaboration with BBC2, where guests interviewed included the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, rocker Mick Jagger, and football legend Kevin Keegan, whom she interviewed. She went on to report on BBC2 ‘English File’, reporting about the interactive image filmed on location in California.

A trained actor, Ama K. has performed as part of the Lyric Theatre summer company in the play ‘Chinese Whispers’ on the London stage. She also portrayed the lead female role in the short play ‘Three Nights’ at the Diroma Theatre in London. She played a cameo role in the 2006 African film ‘London Get Problem’.

Ama K debuted her screen acting career in the 2010 film Award winning critically acclaimed film 'Sinking Sands', playing the lead female character 'Pabi' opposite Jimmy Jean-Loius. The film is written and directed by award winning Leila Djansi, the film deals with issues of domestic abuse; Ama K won praises from many critics for her portrayal of the abused lead female character. The film was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film festival as part of the official selection.

She played the role of 'Araba' in the Revele films 'Elmina' feature which was featured at the Tate Modern Gallery in London in 2010.

Ama K starred opposite Hollywood actress Kimberly Elise and Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, in the movie, Ties that Bind. The film topped the nominations of the 2011 Ghana Movie awards with a staggering 21 nominations and won nine awards including Best Film. It won Best Diaspora Film at 2012, San Diego Black Film Festival.

Ama K was the recipient of the Best Media Personality award at the 2010 Ghana UK Based Achievement Awards (GUBA) in London.

Ama K was the winner of the coveted ‘Best Actress’ in a Lead Role at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), known as the African continent’s Oscars.

She was also the winner of ‘Best Actress’ at 2011 Zimbabwe International Film Festival.

Her nominations include, Best Actress at Ghana Movie Awards 2010, Best Newcomer at Ghana Movie Awards 2011, Favourite West African Actress at Screen Nation Awards — UK and Best Pan African Actress at Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2011.

She was nominated for Best Actress in a Lead Role at the 2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards 2012. She holds a BA in Media Arts and Drama obtained from St Mary's University College, Surrey.

AYO Richard Makun, AY is a multi-talented, multi-award winning stand-up comedian, and one of the most successful comic acts in the country.

The first Male child from a family of seven from Ifon, Ondo state, AY was born and bred in Delta State. He had a very humble and unassuming start, parlaying his charm and talent to a successful career in the Nigerian comedy scene.

He gained fame through impersonating Rev. Chris Okotie in his hilarious jokes, and by 2006, when he began; he was named the Best Up-Coming Comedian in Nigeria.

That wasn’t AY’s first award. The gifted comedian holds an enviable record of being the first student to direct a convocation production in the history of Theatre Arts Department of the Delta State University, where he graduated in 2003.

In his campus days, he received many awards including: The Most Fashionable Student on Campus (1999 and 2000); The Most Celebrated Student on Campus (2001), Best Showbiz Promoter (2001), Jaycee Club Socio-Cultural Personality Award (2003), and The Most Celebrated Theatre Arts Student (2003).

As a literary offshoot of his creative overflow, AY wrote the column, Going AY-Wire as a guest columnist with The Sun Newspapers, (Nigeria’s most circulated National Daily) and also wrote another monthly column titled Jokes Apart in Gbenga Adeyinka’s monthly comedy journal, Laffmatazz. The multi-talented comedian also presented The AY Live on The Morning Drive every Friday from 6am to 10am on Rhythm 93.7 FM, Lagos.

AY has become the ‘father’ of many upcoming acts and established acts that are doing well in the industry, through the monthly AY’s Open Mic Challenge that held every third Sunday, at The National Theatre and later at The marquee of Federal Palace Hotels and Casinos, Lagos.

The AY Show, arguably the best Comedy Show on Nigeria TV, shows on many terrestrial television stations across the country including Africa Magic, winning BEST TV COMEDY SHOW in 2008, and has from its onset become a must watch for its teeming fan base. The AY brand also publishes Nigeria’s first comedy magazine, and he hosts (across the country, too) the usually out-sold comedy and music concerts, AY Live.

AY Live holds an enviable quadruple record breaking title on the attendance to its annual concerts in Nigeria and London. In 2007, he held Lagos spell bound when the second edition of AY Live, Lagos Invasion drew a record crowd forcing him to do two shows instead of one, as planned. Two years later, similar feat was reenacted in Nigeria’s Federal Capital City, when AY Live, Abuja Invasion stood Abuja still, and becoming Abuja’s most attended entertainment events, ever.