African Voices features Nigerian Actor, Kae-Kazim, others

Nigerian-born actor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, will come under the global spotlight this weekend as the Globacom-sponsored magazine programme, African Voices on CNN, focuses on him and two other film professionals in Africa.

According to CNN International, the three actors are being featured in the programme to show how Africa has been influencing the global film industry.

Kae-Kazim was born 57 years ago, but relocated with his family to England shortly after. He came to international prominence in 2004 after he featured in the blockbuster film, Hotel Rwanda, which replicated the Rwandan crisis.

His role in the film fetched him further parts in several other films including, Black Sails, Slipstream and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s end. He recently came back to Nigeria to train a group of filmmakers for the global scene. He has also been rewarded with several awards for his acting prowess. His awards include Africa Movie Academy Award for Best actor in 2012. He was also a nominee for the Gemini Award for Best Performance in 2004.

The programme will also feature Osborne Macharia, a photographer, and Likarion Wainaina, a filmmaker, both of whom are based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Macharia, 33, is a commercial photographer whose success stemmed from a failure he recorded in 2010 while studying for a degree in Architecture. During the lacuna between the failure and his next attempt at re-writing his examinations, Macharia found his passion in photography and taught himself digital artistry.

His works focus on themes of Afro-futurism in culture, identity and fictional narratives. He won the Kenya Cannes Lion Award in 2015, and featured in Lurzers Archive 200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide in 2016 and 2018.

Likarion was born in Moscow, Russia, 31 years ago but returned to his native Kenya where he has been in filmmaking for seven years.

Apart from filmmaking, he is a theatre artist and television director who has also worked as a gaffer and cinematographer.

He is a member of the Phoenix Players in Nairobi, a group which has given him a wealth of experience in his chosen path while horning his talents in numerous television and film productions.