Discovery of the Week: Argungu Fishing Festival

The highlight of this annual festival is a 45-minute fishing frenzy in which over 5,000 men armed with giant nets take to a protected part of the Argungu River and compete to see who can land the largest fish. There’s also canoe racing, wild duck hunting, bare-handed fishing, diving competitions and swimming contests along with nightly revelry, including drinking, singing and dancing. 

The festival takes place in late February, early March, in Argungu, a riverside town in Kebbi state, Nigeria.

SHOCKER: Blasphemy row erupts after Italian clothing firm erects billboard of bare-breasted nun in Naples ahead of Pope Francis' visit

Our dear God save us oooo! A billboard featuring a praying bare-breasted nun has sparked a blasphemy row after it was erected in an Italian city ahead of a visit from Pope Francis.



The advert, which shows a topless model wearing part of a nun's habit and jeans, appeared in Naples two weeks before an official papal visit.
Locals complained the image was offensive and called for it to be taken down.
But Italian clothing chain Rosso di Sera, who put up the 20 x30ft billboard, denied it was deliberately intended to offend as part of a publicity stunt.

Visit: Pope Francis (Picture: AFP/Getty)

It said it would only remove the advert if it was forced to do so by a national advertising disciplinary body
In a statement, a company spokesman said: "We recognise that we have made a strong marketing choice but there was no intent to blaspheme. Trivialising the act of prayer was not the intention in any way."
The Pope plans to visit Naples on March 21, ahead of a trip to Pompeii.

Channel O Will Be Shut Down in Ghana Forever At The End Of This Month

After well over two decades of serving the African continent with good music videos, M-Net is set to shut down Channel O Africa from March 31st.

This doesn’t come as a surprise as Channel O has been obviously kicked off the pecking order by Sound city, MTV Base and even Trace and Hip TV.

M-Net on, March 10, announced that the music on Channel O Africa is moving house on 31 March when the channel stops airing on DStv channel 320 and GOtv channel 70 (where available).

Channel O will hand over the baton to AfricaMagic, who are taking over as the new home of local music in Africa.

One of the results of this new approach was the termination of the rest of Africa feed of Channel O, to allow M-Net to create customized music content according to regional preferences on its existing Africa Magic brands where the rest of Africa’s music talent will get ample space to shine.

The statement from M-Net said: “From 1 April, subscribers can tune into AfricaMagic World (GOtv channel 10 and DStv channel 155) to keep abreast of the best in West African music talent.”

“The channel will get viewers into party-mode with an hour-long daily music show which will showcase the latest music videos made in Africa. Maisha Magic Swahili on GOtv channel 4 and DStv channel 158 will continue to support the East Africa’s musicians by promoting their music videos on various music shows.”

Breaking News: ISIS finally says 'yes' to Boko Haram

Where are those analysts who reassured us that ISIS will never accept Boko Haram?....  God save us oo.
Beirut: Islamic State militants have accepted a pledge of allegiance by the Nigerian-grown Boko Haram extremist group, a spokesman for the Islamic State movement said.
The development comes as both movements, which are among the most ruthless in the world, are under increasing military pressure.

Islamic State seized much of northern and western Iraq last summer giving it control of about a third of both Iraq and Syria.
But it is now struggling against Iraqi forces seeking to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, while coming under fire from US-led coalition air strikes in other parts of the country and in Syria.
Boko Haram, meanwhile, has been weakened by a multinational force that has dislodged it from a score of northeastern Nigerian towns.
But its new Twitter account, increasingly slick and more frequent video messages and a new media arm all were considered signs that the group is now being helped by IS propagandists.
Then on Saturday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio recording online that pledged allegiance to IS. On Thursday, the Islamic State group's media arm Al-Furqan, in an audio recording by spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, said that Boko Haram's pledge of allegiance has been accepted, claiming the caliphate has now expanded to West Africa.
Al-Adnani had urged foreign fighters from around the world to migrate and join Boko Haram.
"We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims ... And will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity, in hardship and ease, and to endure being discriminated against, and not to dispute about rule with those in power, except in case of evident infidelity regarding that which there is a proof from Allah," said the message.
J Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, noted the Islamic State group's quick acceptance of Boko Haram's allegiance and said that the bond highlights a new risk.
"Militants finding it increasingly harder to get to Syria and Iraq may choose instead to go to northeastern Nigeria and internationalise that conflict," he said.
The Boko Haram pledge of allegiance to IS comes as the militants reportedly were massing in the northeastern Nigerian town of Gwoza, considered their headquarters, for a showdown with the Chadian-led multinational force.
Boko Haram killed an estimated 10,000 people last year, and it is blamed for last April's abduction of more than 275 schoolgirls. Thousands of Nigerians have fled to neighbouring Chad.