Entertainment

London home of couple who escaped slavery in US gets blue plaque

The London home of slave abolitionists who fled to Britain from the US after escaping slavery in Georgia is to be commemorated in a blue plaque.

Ellen and William Craft are famed for carrying out one of the most ingenious documented escapes in the history of American slavery.

In December 1848, Ellen, the child of a mixed-race slave raped by her white owner, dressed up as a disabled white man and left Georgia, with William posing as an enslaved manservant accompanying his master north for medical treatment.

Stopping first in Philadelphia, then Massachusetts, they were forced to escape the country altogether after Congress passed the fugitive slave bill in 1850, forbidding inhabitants of the “free states” from sheltering formerly enslaved people.

Fearing abduction by the agents of their former enslavers, the Crafts then boarded a ship and made the four-day voyage to England.

They settled in Hammersmith, helping to organise the London Emancipation Society. In 1860, after travelling the UK arguing for freedom for black people and thrilling abolitionist lecture halls with the story of their escape, they published their autobiography, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.

A blue plaque commemorating the home in west London where they raised a family and campaigned for social justice has been placed on 26 Cambridge Grove, a mid-Victorian house.

The plaque was proposed by Dr Hannah-Rose Murray, a historian who works on transatlantic abolitionism.

“Ellen and William Craft were courageous and heroic freedom fighters whose daring escape from US chattel slavery involved Ellen crossing racial, gender and class lines to perform as a white southern man,” Murray said.

“I’m so excited that English Heritage has built on previous work by historians, archivists and local activists to honour their presence in Hammersmith and the UK in general, and recognise the Crafts’ incredible bravery and impact on transatlantic society.”

English Heritage said only about 4% of the more than 975 blue plaques across London were dedicated to black and Asian people, but that it was working hard to rectify the lack of representation. Over the past two years, a quarter of English Heritage plaques have commemorated black or Asian figures.

“Ellen and William Craft’s story is incredibly powerful,” said Anna Eavis, curatorial director at English Heritage. “They are an important part of the anti-slavery movement and we are delighted to remember them with this plaque.”

After the US civil war and the legal emancipation of black people across the country, the Crafts returned, arriving in Boston in 1869 with three children. In 1873, they set up the Woodville Cooperative Farm School in Bryan County, Georgia, for the children of emancipated slaves.

Ellen is believed to have died in Georgia in 1891. William died in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1900, and was buried in the city.

Entertainment

Court admits Mompha’s iPhone in ₦6 billion fraud case

BREAKING: Court grants Instagram celebrity, Mompha, N200m bail

An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday has admitted as evidence an iPhone belonging to social media celebrity Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, in an ongoing ₦6 billion money laundering case.

Mompha, who is still at large, is being prosecuted alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on an eight-count charge of money laundering.

During the hearing, Musa Idi, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the sixth prosecution witness, testified that the phone had undergone forensic analysis conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He revealed that fraudulent documents were retrieved from the device during the investigation.

Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Mr. Suleiman Suleiman, Idi confirmed that the iPhone was seized during the course of the investigation. Suleiman subsequently requested that the court admit the phone as evidence.

Mompha’s counsel, Mr. Kolawole Salami, objected, arguing that the prosecution had not provided the required foundation for admitting the phone, citing the absence of a certificate accompanying the device as stipulated by the Evidence Act.

In response, the prosecutor argued that the Evidence Act’s provisions were not applicable in this case, urging the court to admit the phone regardless.

Justice Mojisola Dada overruled the defence’s objection, ruling in favor of the prosecution. The court admitted the iPhone as evidence, marking it as Exhibit P7.

At a prior hearing, two other documents—a statement from the first defendant and an asset declaration—were admitted as Exhibits P5 and P6.

The witness had earlier testified on July 1 about the EFCC’s investigation, which began after receiving intelligence from the FBI implicating Mompha and his company in cybercrime activities in the United States.

Justice Dada adjourned the trial until January 3, 2025, for the continuation of proceedings

Entertainment

Legendary British singer, Elton John loses eyesight

Legendary British musician, Elton John, has lost his eyesight.

At the premiere of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ The Musical in London on Sunday, December 1, the 77-year-old pianist revealed that while he couldn’t see the show, he thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.

Addressing the theatre audience, the award-winning singer expressed his gratitude for his husband’s support during difficult times.

He said, “As some of you may know I have had issues and now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it.

“To my husband, who has been my rock because I have not been able to come to many of the previews.

“It’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight.”

The music icon had earlier shared that he lost vision in one eye after contracting a severe eye infection during his vacation.

John is one of the best-selling artists of all time, renowned for iconic hits like Your Song, Rocket Man, and I’m Still Standing.

Over a career spanning six decades, he has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

His accolades include five Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards (including Outstanding Contribution to Music), two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globes.

Entertainment

Rapper Speed Darlington arrested again by police

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested Nigerian singer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington barely two months after he was released.

It would be recalled that the singer, also known as Akpi, was arrested on 4 October, following the release of a contentious video in which he allegedly mocked his colleague, Burna Boy’s association with American rapper Diddy, who has faced legal issues with the FBI over charges of sexual exploitation.

The outspoken Nigerian singer was, however, released on bail on October 9 after spending five days in detention.

His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju announced the latest arrest on Wednesday via a post on his official Facebook page.

He wrote, “Our client Speed Darlington, a.k.a AKPI has been arrested by the Nigerian police in Owerri at his show upon return to Nigeria”.