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HumAngle Foundation officially commenced the Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy (SCOJA) Fellowship with workshops in Kaduna and Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, on Nov. 10, bringing together community journalists and human rights advocates to enhance skills in ethical storytelling and evidence-driven reporting.

The third batch of the training commenced on Monday, Nov. 17, in Maiduguri, Borno State. 

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, the fellowship aims to build the capacity of community journalists and advocates across northern Nigeria.

A total of 90 fellows from nine states — North West (Kaduna and Kano), North Central (Benue, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa), and North East (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) — have been selected. 

On the first day of the workshop in Maiduguri, Jos, and Kaduna, the fellows were introduced to HumAngle’s newly developed Standards of Journalism Excellence and Advocacy guide. The guide covers conflict-sensitive reporting, accountability, countering disinformation, digital safety, and solutions journalism. 

According to Abdussamad Ahmad, HumAngle’s Security & Policy Analyst, the manual was designed to support journalists and advocates working in conflict-affected regions where ethical clarity and accuracy are critical. 

The workshops also examined the role of community journalists, who often serve as the first witnesses to social issues and crises within their localities. Their proximity to affected populations positions them to capture realities that shape public understanding. Other sessions focused on data-driven storytelling, mapping community challenges, and identifying collaborative solutions.

Hassana Danyerwa, Founder of the FeelNHeal Initiative, said she found the sessions valuable. “We all need emotional hygiene, not just for our bias but also for our ego,” she said.

Through her initiative, Hassana provides psychosocial support to communities and individuals, and noted that the session reinforced the importance of maintaining emotional balance when reporting sensitive issues.

Building on this, fellows also reflected on the broader difficulties of reporting in environments shaped by insecurity, misinformation, and public mistrust. Facilitators encouraged them to approach their work with precision, empathy, and a strong commitment to verification, particularly when documenting the experiences of vulnerable groups.

As the North East workshop continues, sessions for North Central and North West fellows concluded on Nov. 13, marking the completion of training for these regions.

The inaugural SCOJA Fellowship cohort features participants from a wide range of local media and advocacy organisations, including WikkiTimes, The Middle Belt Reporters, and Voice of Arewa, among others.

Over the next six months, fellows will report on issues within their communities and execute targeted community advocacy projects. They are also expected to share their learnings within their local organisations, further amplifying the impact of the fellowship.

At the Walk of Fame ceremony honoring her late husband on Thursday in Hollywood, Chadwick Boseman’s widow shared the underpinnings of the actor’s creative success.

Simone Ledward Boseman, who married him privately before his death on Aug. 28, 2020, first described the “42” and “Avengers” star in video from the event as “a spiritual teacher fortified by a family and close friends that kept him grounded in faith.”

“Chad taught all of us a great deal,” she said in a speech that came after words from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” co-star Viola Davis and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler. “His heart was so vast he could give each and every person a specific part of him and still have so much left to share with the world.”

She said she still sees synchronicities far too often to call them random — his star, for example, is No. 2828 on the Walk of Fame — and is at those times reminded that her husband is “still teaching.”

“You lived with honor and you walked in truth,” Ledward Boseman said. “You are as brilliant as you were beautiful and as courageous as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, we thank you.”

She followed that by reading her husband’s own words in the form of his “Instructions for Creative Work.”

Simone Ledward Boseman, center, poses Thursday with “Black Panther” actors Letitia Wright and Michael B. Jordan after the dedication of her late husband’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)

“Write the vision and make it plain,” she recited. “Keep that word fastened in your journal and shut it in your bolted drawer until the appointed time.

“Let the ideas, the visions that God gives you, fester inside of you. Let the word that he has put inside of you bubble over. Do not speak it to another until the time appointed by God.

“The secrecy of the vision is the second stone laid in the building process. It is the project’s fortress, for a word spoken too early on the ears of men is a bulldozer and a stumbling block.

“Forget the self that entered the process and be made into a new creature through the work.”

For the unveiling of the star, she called the actor’s brothers Kevin Boseman and Derrick Boseman with her to the red carpet, where they were met by Davis and director Ryan Coogler.

The star — in the movies category, of course — is at 6904 Hollywood Blvd., in front of the Hollywoodland Experience store.

The film now streaming has been celebrated as one of the best of the year

A film has just been added to Netflix’s extensive library which has already been dubbed a ‘phenomenal’ period drama featuring an actor’s ‘performance of a lifetime’.

Train Dreams is streaming from November 20 on the service and looks to be the latest high profile, must watch title. Like most new releases, subscribers can expect it to be available from 8am on the release day.

Like a number of big releases from the streamer that have come out this year, such as Frankenstein and Ballad of a Small Player, it has enjoyed a limited release in cinemas. Now, it is easier than ever for film fans to watch as it can be streamed from home.

The film is an adaptation of the bestselling novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. According to the synopsis, the story follows Robert Grainier, whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America.

Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys and they build a home together.

However, his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.

The cast includes Star Wars and Black Mass star Joel Edgerton, William H Macy, Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones and Irish actress Kerry Condon.

Following its run in theatres, Train Dreams has managed to earn an impressive 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have lavished it with praise with many suggesting that it is one of the must watch titles of the year and earning it plenty of awards buzz.

One reviewer claimed: “Train Dreams is the most hauntingly beautiful film of the year.” Another added: “Train Dreams is without a doubt one of the most extraordinary films of this year, the type that will stick with you, deep in your mind and heart, long after the credits roll.”

Other reviews have suggested that the film might be considered as one of lead star’s Joel Edgerton’s finest performances of his career. One verdict claimed: “In an age of spectacle and noise, Train Dreams dares to whisper. It invites you to slow down, breathe and notice the spaces between moments. A simply stunning film from start to finish.”

Another review went so far as to declare: “This is one of the great films of the year. In time, it will become one of the best in a decade, then one of the movies that people speak of when asked what inspired them in their life. It is a masterpiece.”

Fans who have gone along to the cinema to see the film on the biggest screen possible before it streams, have shared similar views. Sharing their thoughts online, one person posted: “Phenomenal character study. Simple, yet compelling story. Gorgeously shot.”

Another added: “Beautifully melancholic tale that highlighted so many paradoxical aspects of life in a magnificent way. 10/10 would recommend.”

While a third commented: “An incredibly poignant and artful masterpiece. Joel Edgerton quietly pulls off a performance of a lifetime. Clint Bentley adds another notch in his belt for delivering a moving film that feels like an intimate journey.”

Someone else listed plenty of reasons to watch it as soon as possible. They said: “Such a beautiful film. Absolutely loved the scenery and what a soundtrack, timeless. Joel Edgerton, with his amazing performance and screen presence, really took the audience on a trip with him through each phase of this extraordinary story. Be sure and not to miss this, this is definitely one to remember!”

Train Drams is streaming on Netflix.