A Night Out with President Clinton at The Clinton Global Initiative
On Nov. 7, When in Foundation’s (WiN) leadership led by its CEO, Ms Chetachi Ecton attended the Clinton Global Initiative’s 20/30 event in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA. When In need Foundation is honored to be collaborating with Clinton Foundation 20/30 members in addressing the great challenges of the next generation. WiN Foundation supports the work of the Clinton Foundation’s global programs, alongside the most exciting business and government leaders, industry innovators, and preparing for their roles as global leaders of tomorrow. Welcoming President Clinton to the stage was actress and business woman, Jessica Alba and a great music performance by The Parachute!When In Need Foundation kicks off Students Annual Scholarships
On Nov 4th, When in Need Foundation kicked-off its financial scholarship awards for the next 3 years to students at 3 different schools in the Philadelphia area. St. Francis de Sales school, John W. Hallahan Catholic High School and The City School (formerly known as Philadelphia Mennonite High School) are the first beneficiaries of the donation. Presenting the awards at the various schools was When In Need Foundation’s team and its President, Ms Chetachi Nwoga Ecton who stressed that the scholarship was part of the foundation’s mission of giving back to the community and helping minority and disadvantaged students who are struggling with paying their tuition or are at risk of losing their spots at their respective schools. Transforming Lives, Creating Impact…
Creating Impact! Transforming lives…
The transformation and renovation of classrooms at Samuel Njemanze Memorial Primary School Owerri, Imo State continues! The students will be resuming in their new classrooms and they are very excited. New chairs, desks and whiteboards have been installed. WiN Foundation continues to inspire and motivate the entire community. The school’s leadership, students, teachers, parents and entire community are all WINNERS!
Newly renovated classroom
A Happy Principal!
New Classroom
New Whiteboard, Desks and Chairs
New Classroom awaiting students!
Upstart Label ChiBase Productions Targets Worldwide Audience For African Music
By Patricia Meschino | August 19, 2014 11:44 AM EDT
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/6221868/chibase-productions-profile-african-music-label
As the ancestral home of American jazz and the blues, Jamaican reggae and Trinidadian calypso, the music of Africa has had a far-reaching influence on genres throughout the world. Yet contemporary African artists, with few exceptions, struggle to impact beyond the continent, or fan bases within African expatriate communities in the U.S. and Europe.
The recently formed New York City-based label ChiBase Productions aims to establish a mainstream presence for the diversified sounds emanating from a continent with over a billion people spread over some 50 countries, singing in a wide array of languages and dialects, juxtaposing cutting-edge technology with ancient traditions.
ChiBase Productions’ Nigeria-born founder and president Chetachi Ecton was inspired to set up the label three years ago, following a Thanksgiving gathering in her Philadelphia home.
“My (American-born) children were listening and dancing to these beautiful Nigerian songs that I had never heard before, so I wondered, if there is such lovely music being made in Africa, why isn’t it played on the radio or on TV here? So I decided to start a label that can take African music to the world and see what kind of difference it can make,” Ecton explained in an interview with Billboard at her midtown Manhattan office.
Ecton presides over several successful enterprises, including a Philadelphia-based home healthcare agency and the When In Need (WIN) charitable foundation through which she is currently rebuilding and completely furnishing an elementary school in her hometown of Owerri (referred to as Nigeria’s entertainment capital). Ecton is a recipient of several citations for her achievements in business including the 2011 Entrepreneurship Award from Philadelphia’s African and Caribbean Business Council. Drawing from her business experience, passion for Africa and lifelong love for music, Ecton has structured ChiBase Productions as a one-stop entertainment platform offering artist development, licensing, joint ventures, distribution, marketing, touring and management services.
“Somewhere in an African village there is another Alicia Keys, Mary. J Blige, Snoop Dogg or Rihanna; I want to help these struggling artists to flourish and become superstars somewhere else besides their country of origin,” stated Ecton, who recently visited several African nations where she met with artists with whom she is interested in working, although she did not disclose their names nor their (potential) affiliation with ChiBase.
ChiBase Productions’ initial release, due early next year, will likely be a themed compilation album featuring African artists collaborating with acts of various backgrounds, offered ChiBase Productions’ senior vice president (and industry veteran) Cristy Barber.
“Based on my experience, themed compilations will be the most effective way to break African artists in international markets, especially America,” notes Barber, a Grammy-nominated producer for the 2003 hip-hop/dancehall compilation Red Star Sounds Presents Def Jamaica (Island Def Jam/Def Jamaica), and a producer of the 2011 compilation Reggae’s Gone Country (VP Records/Warner Nashville), the first reggae album to reach the Country Album chart, peaking at no. 65.
Barber’s 22 years spent working in the marketing and promotion of reggae at Columbia, Capitol, Elektra, Island/Def Jam, Universal, VP Records and the Marley Brothers’ Ghetto Youths International (where she is currently director of operations), she says, is directly applicable to propelling African artists’ careers beyond the continent. “I have focused my entire professional life on breaking Jamaican reggae acts in America, taking one culture to another, so it is a similar concept working with ChiBase’s African artists,” Barber told Billboard.
INgrooves Music Group will handle the global digital distribution for ChiBase Productions, utilizing their complex network of 600 online and mobile destinations worldwide representing more than 100 territories. INgrooves’ senior vice president Olivier Chastan brought the deal to the company, which was finalized by Gregory Mateo, INgrooves’ director of label and artist development. INgrooves will coordinate their efforts with digital stores and streaming platforms with ChiBase’s marketing and promotional strategies.
“In the beginning obviously the messaging has to come from the label to say this is what we are doing and why it is important, then as they regularly release music and build catalogue there will be opportunities for doing a label spotlight or a catalogue sale on iTunes, pitching with the priorities that we have for that week or month to get great positioning for them” notes Mateo, who, like Chastan, is eager to work with an African-centric label. “When the World Cup was held in South Africa in 2010, it seemed like African music would be put on a pedestal and people would discover new music, but that didn’t really happen so it’s exciting that now a US based label will curate the sounds coming from territories that you don’t normally hear from,” adds Mateo.
The branding of ChiBase Productions begins with the label’s official (invitation-only) launch in midtown Manhattan on Aug. 30. The following evening, the company will co-sponsor the 9th annual Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA), to be held at NYU’s Skirball Center, which honors contributors in various sectors of that West African nation’s immense entertainment industry. Ms. Ecton believes the NEA’s untapped vast international appeal makes it an appropriate initiative for her label.
“We want to sell the NEAs to the world and help them expand as part of our global vision for African music,” asserts Ecton. “Great Nigerian musicians like King Sunny Ade and the late Fela Kuti have attracted large audiences around the world and many more Africans can do the same thing if given the opportunities that we intend to provide for them.”
Related News
• Davido and Tiwa Savage Top Winners at MTV Africa Music Awards
• Nigeria: The New Afrobeat
• African American Music Museum on Track to Be Built in Nashville
Pro Football Player Duane Brown Tackles Diabetes
As an offensive tackle for the Houston Texans, I know how to work hard to achieve a goal. This is especially true when it comes to raising awareness for a cause I deeply care about.
I was a first-round draft pick in 2008, but now I’ve been drafted into a different role: an Ambassador for the American Diabetes Association. It’s an honor to be a part of this organization, as I understand first-hand how serious diabetes is and why raising awareness is key to helping Stop Diabetes®.
Though I myself don’t have diabetes, the disease is very close to my heart because it has affected my family for a long time. My mom was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when I was six years old. As a consequence of her diabetes, she has had a number of health issues, most importantly kidney failure. She is now fighting to regain her health. My grandmother was also diagnosed with type 2 about eight years ago, and both of them have had strokes within the last three years.
As a child, I remember my mom having to take insulin all the time. Her diabetes became worse as I got older. She would improve her diet, then start to fall off of it. I really got on to her about a year ago—and she’s now lost at least 20 pounds. It’s been very difficult and painful for me to see her struggle with diabetes, and as her son I feel it’s my obligation to help her keep it under control.
I don’t want to see others go through what my mom went through, or deal with diabetes in their later years like my grandmother is doing. So, this is my time to raise awareness about this epidemic, especially for the African American community. You see, diabetes is one of the most serious health problems that the African American community faces today—we are almost two times more likely to have diabetes than others.
So this Black History Month, I’m here to encourage everyone, especially the African American community, to stay disciplined and stay active. You know the drill: lose weight if you need to (just 7 percent of your body weight can help!), watch what you eat and exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Take care of yourself! Learn more about the Association’s program and materials to increase awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and its complications among African Americans.
I thought I’d be prone to type 2 diabetes myself, considering the number of people in my family who have been diagnosed. But I changed my eating habits a long time ago, because I know it can be prevented, or at least delayed. Early in my career, I told myself, “You need to be big.” But now at 305 pounds, I’m probably the leanest I’ve been in my career. I’m also faster and stronger. I feel good.
Get informed and educated about diabetes so you can live a healthy life, then take it one step further. I ask you to also help me and the Association advocate for those who live with diabetes every day. Become a Diabetes Advocate to increase awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and its complications among our community. We also need to raise our voice about increasing vital research funding that will improve the lives of people with diabetes and ultimately lead to a cure.
We can no longer be ignorant of diabetes. It’s our job to advocate for those who need our help. Don’t let diabetes rob our community of our lives ahead of us.
Duane Brown Professional football player and American Diabetes Association Ambassador
