The Learner

  Top 7 Kannywood Series of 2024   By Habibu Maaruf Abdu For the Kannywood film industry, 2024 has been a remarkable year filled with unprecedented achievements and historic milestones. These include Ali Nuhu’s appointment as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation and Rahama Sadau becoming part of the federal government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprise Program (iDICE). However, while the year was marred by the losses of veteran actress Saratu Gidado (Daso) and singer El-Muaz Birniwa, it also witnessed the emergence of fresh talent and a notable improvement in film quality. Big-budget productions like  Nanjala  and  Mai Martaba  achieved significant feats;  Nanjala  debuted in Turkey and the United States, and  Mai Martaba was selected as Nigeria’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards. Moreover, Sadau’s film  Mamah  was screened at the prestigious Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. Interesting...

Elon Musk and the Dangerous Spread of Islamophobia By Muhsin Ibrahim One might expect that brilliant people possess a greater capacity to understand nuanced issues. However, this is often not the case. Prejudice and bias can obscure even the sharpest minds, leading to mischaracterisation of basic truths. Elon Musk needs no introduction. Yet, despite the tech billionaire’s extraordinary intellect and achievements, his views and social media posts on anything remotely related to Islam and Muslims reveal a gross misunderstanding and evident bias. Musk’s commentary on the Middle East, since the October 7 attack, and immigration-related issues is riddled with inaccuracies and distortions. I once saw one of such posts. Initially, I thought it was by a parody account. After realising it was indeed Musk’s verified account, I recommended that he read Rashid Khalidi’s seminal book, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine , to cure his ignorance. Now, following the terror attack on the Christ...