Nairobi News

Rapper Nonini has been nominated for this year’s Afro Awards which took place in Los Angeles California on November 6.

Nonini is being recognised for his Colour Kwa face campaign which he launched in 2012.

The Afro Awards is a non-profit humanitarian and excellence award that seeks to reward individuals and organisations for their active contribution to humanity and great impact on global society.

This year’s Afro Awards will have its maiden edition in Los Angeles at the Regal La Live.

“For this year’s upcoming Afro Awards 2022 event you (Hubert Nakitare, Nonini) have been nominated as one of our special honorees at this year’s maiden edition in Los Angeles.

We won’t be able to meet our goal without your presence, we will be glad to have you present in person to grace the event and receive your honoree award trophy plus certificate of recognition from the Los Angeles mayor,” read part of the letter addressed to Nonini.

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Nonini could not hide his excitement as he wrote, “What an honour to be considered and nominated for @afroawards2022 for the @colourkwaface campaign going down in Los Angeles this coming weekend. Truly Humbled @kenya_consulate_la.”

While recording his 14th song for his fourth studio album, his charity work for people with albinism started.

His video producer at the time, Willy Ousu, took him to the airing of the documentary, In my Genes, which was shot and produced by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o in 2012.

The event, he said, humbled him profoundly.

“At the end of the documentary showing the plight of people living with albinism, Lupita said anybody in any career could participate in making their lives better and I felt convicted that she was speaking to me,” he said during a past interview.

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“I started wondering why I never used to see many of them on the street even though I knew there were more people around with the condition. I wondered why there were very few obituaries of their deaths. I remember being told that when they died, they disappeared.”

Curious and concerned, Nonini went on a reading spree on albinism. And what he discovered made his heart go out to them.

“We would drink Sh5,000 in one weekend while someone could not afford a tube of cream that would enable him to walk in the sun,” he said.

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Stubbornly, he sought sponsorship from Safaricom and organised the first walk in 2012 to raise awareness about the condition.

Nonini is not the only celebrity to have been nominated for a humanitarian award others include, David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known by his stage name Davido, Tina Weisinger (Founder of HAPAwards), Lea Cher Pump (Owner of The LadyLike Foundation), His Royal Majesty Oba Yisa Olusola Olaniyan (Humanitarian and Founder of AHBEAH Awards).

Also to be honoured are Rochel Pamphile (CEO of Rocky R&P Entertainment), Dr. Lance McCarthy (Business Consultant; Humanitarian), Fatimoh Muhammed (Philanthropist; Humanitarian), Afro Nation (World Biggest Afrobeats; Humanitarian), Sam Anwuzia (Founder of ZAFAA Awards; CEO Nollywood Entertainment; Humanitarian) and

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Others are Ade James (African Legendary Photographer; Humanitarian), Yinka Rythym (Musician; Philanthropist; Humanitarian), Charmaine Blake (Owner of Charmaine PR Firm), Kandias Conda (Owner of Celebrity Brand) and Madam Lara Okunnubi (Philanthropist/Humanitarian).

Also to be honoured is the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs Fatima Maada and Ayuko Babu (Founder & CEO of the Pan African Film Festival and Seye Kehinde, a renowned Nigerian Journalist.

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