Meet Amanda Gorman, youngest poet to read at US presidential inauguration – Newstrends
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Meet Amanda Gorman, youngest poet to read at US presidential inauguration

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At 22, Amanda Gorman made history on Wednesday January 20, as the youngest poet in history to read a poem at a United States presidential inauguration.

The Los Angeles-born writer, who was also named the first-ever national youth poet laureate in 2017, dazzled the world on with her sheer confidence as she delivered ‘The Hill We Climb’, one of her latest poems, at the presidential inauguration.

For Gorman, where there is a will, there is way. Born in 1998, Gorman had a speech impediment as a child  – a challenge she shares with Biden.

But the young daughter of a school teacher was determined to overcome the odds as she worked round the clock to improve her public speaking skills.

To overcome her speech impediment, she started writing. At 14, she joined WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organisation that helps teen girls discover the power of their voice through creative writing.

Gorman’s first shot at public speaking was a second-grade monologue in the voice of Osceola of Florida’s Seminole tribe.

The development, she said, marked a watershed in her passion for written and spoken word.

“I’m sure anyone who saw it was kind of aghast at this 15-pound Black girl who was pretending to die on stage as a Native American chief,” she told Los Angeles Times.

“But I think it was important in my development because I really wanted to do justice to the story and bring it to life. It was the first time that I really leaned into the performance of text.”

Her tenacity and dint of hard work soon shot her into the spotlight. At 16, the young lady became Loss Angeles’ youth poet laureate.

She thereafter continued to pull the strings, becoming the national youth poet laureate — about three years later — while studying sociology at Harvard.

In 2015, Gorman published ‘The One For Whom Food Is Not Enough,’ her debut book. She is also expected to put out ‘Change Sings’, her forthcoming literary project, later in the year.

“I don’t look at my disability as a weakness. It’s made me the performer that I am and the storyteller that I strive to be,” she added.

“When you have to teach yourself how to say sounds [and] be highly concerned about pronunciation, it gives you a certain awareness of sonics, of the auditory experience.”

Pushing for a new America

Much of Gorman’s poems have been about charting a new course for the society, particularly America.

‘The Hill We Climb’ was inspired by the Capitol Hill invasion on January 6 and how to move America forward.

Her impressive stint and quest for societal rebirth had informed her invitation to the presidential inauguration by Jill Biden, the president-elect’s wife, who had seen a reading she gave at the Library of Congress last year.

Standing before a large audience at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Gorman again delivered a healing message, stressing the need for unity in moving America forward.

“And so we lift our gazes not what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside,” she said.

“We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all.”

“If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lighten the blade. But in all the bridges we’ve made, that is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit.

“It’s the past we step into and how we repair it. We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.”

Gorman’s performance was widely praised on Twitter

 Oprah Winfrey tweeted: “I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava, @TheAmandaGorman! Maya Angelou is cheering—and so am I.”

Hillary Clinton tweeted: “Wasn’t @TheAmandaGorman’s poem just stunning? She’s promised to run for president in 2036 and I for one can’t wait.”

-The Cable

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Femi Adebayo, Dayo Amusa fight dirty over Bobrisky best dressed female award

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Femi Adebayo, Dayo Amusa

Femi Adebayo, Dayo Amusa fight dirty over Bobrisky best dressed female award

Nollywood actor, Femi Adebayo has broken his silence on the ongoing drama between his wife, Aduke, and actress, Dayo Amusa.

Taking to the comment section of her latest post, he stated that he now sees that the movie star is coming at him. Femi made it known that she wanted to pick a fight with the wrong person

He stated that if his success is her problem, then she can never have rest of mind because he has just started. He advised her to channel the energy on her career and should stop trying to bring him down.

“I now see that you truly want to come for me. You have actually done it with the wrong person. If my success is your problem, you can never have rest of mind because I have just started. It’s advisable you channel your energy to your career and not be too busy ok bringing me down”.

The whole drama started after Dayo Amusa heavily criticized Femi Adebayo over Bobrisky winning the Best Dressed Female award at Eniola Ajao’s movie premiere.

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Dayo, via her Instagram page, expressed her displeasure at the disrespect melted on the female gender present at the premiere. The actress called the judges and the organizers bluff stating they were wrong and not ok to have named a crossdresser the best dressed female. She claimed they should have created another category created to appreciate crossdressers.

Reacting to it via her Instagram page, Aduke blasted Dayo Amusa for trying to bring her husband down because he was the one presenting the award to Bobrisky. She questioned how the person who presented an award be blamed for it.

Further questioning where the brains of trolls were, she slammed his colleagues disguising as friends for publicly calling him out at every opportunity rather than putting a call through to him.

Taking to her comment section, Dayo Amusa stated that it is okay for Aduke to defend her husband, however, throwing bantas only shows how shallow-minded she is.

She stated that the actor had to own up, take responsibility for his actions, and do the needful. Dayo made it known that she isn’t an enemy in disguise as he added that hypocrisy doesn’t exist in her.

Femi Adebayo, Dayo Amusa fight dirty over Bobrisky best dressed female award

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I sold my house, land, cars, gold just to produce Ajanaku movie — Eniola Ajao

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Eniola Ajao

I sold my house, land, cars, gold just to produce Ajanaku movie — Eniola Ajao

Eniola Ajao, a Yoruba Nollywood actress, spoke with her guests at the premiere of her film, Ajakaju (Beast of two worlds), on the pain and sleepless nights she had prior to and throughout production.

The legendary actress stated that she struggled to finance the multi-million naira project and had to sell up all her properties.

In her words,

“I’m happy tonight comes fast. I’ve been working and working and hoping things get better. This project is so dear to my heart, honestly because I sold all I had at that moment. My buildings, I sold my land, my cars, my gold.”

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The movie will be released March 29, 2024 and the internet is agong with the news. People cannot wait to see the much talked about movie in recent times.

It is beautiful to count the efforts Eniola Ajao’s colleagues, friends, fans and well-wishers put into promoting the film. From individual jingles to collective shout-outs, these people have shown massive love to her to which she is expressively grateful for.

She remarks that she cannot believe people love her until this moment.

Let us anticipate this blockbuster which brings a lot of A-list actors and actresses together to create visual magic

I sold my house, land, cars, gold just to produce Ajanaku movie — Eniola Ajao

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Veteran Nollywood actor Amaechi Muonagor dies at 62

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Veteran Nollywood actor Amaechi Muonagor dies at 62

Veteran Nollywood actor, Amaechi Muonagor, has died after a prolonged illness, at the age of 62.

This was disclosed by a social commentator, Morris Monye, via his X handle, on Sunday.

Muonagor was said to have suffered kidney failure and on dialysis.

The news of his demise came a few days after a viral video where he solicited funds to help him have a kidney transplant.

Monye wrote, “Deeply heartbroken by the news of Amaechi Muonagor’s passing.

“He was a talented Nollywood actor whose presence on our screens was truly masterful.

“We watched with concern as he battled health issues, offering whatever support we could to help him seek treatment in India. This tragic loss highlights the need for better healthcare in our country.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Muonagor, a native of Idemili, in Anambra State, was born August 20, 1962.

He was an actor and producer. In 2016, he was nominated for AMVCA 2017 Best Actor in a comedy.

In 1989, after his youth service, Muonagor started working for the News Agency of Nigeria.

He left his job a few years later for an acting role in his first movie as Akunatakasi in Taboo 1, a Nigerian movie.

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