The birthday colloquium was aptly titled. With the theme: Arts, Humanity and the Search for Social Justice, to mark the 61st birthday anniversary of Nnimmo Bassey, guests were treated to an evening of total entertainment last week. The venue was the VIP Restaurant, Ikeja, and it was time for friends, associates and admirers to pour encomiums on a man of many parts, a man who has spent almost all his life time writing, working, praying and agitating for the wellbeing of the people.
Nnimmo Bassey is an environmentalist, first and foremost. A trained Architect, he has written over thirty books, delivered numerous lectures, traversed all corners of the world defending the cause of the earth. A nonconformist when it comes to the issues of the environment and its preservation to save mankind, Bassey has no apologies to anyone. This was why the evening was filled with ideals and ideas on how to keep up with the tempo of using the arts to fight for the sanctity of the society. But how has Bassey been using arts to fight for the environment?
The colloquium was handled by Odia Ofeimun, himself a renowned poet, author and writer. As usual, Ofeimun mesmerized with his knowledge of the history of Nigeria. But he warned that if man does not defend the ecosystem, the whole gamut of the environment, the environment will one day defend man. “It is the role of writers to write to improve the society. You write to improve the lives people live. Arts indeed create a sense of humanity. This humanity can be deployed to improve the society. Therefore arts help us to create a world where we can live peacefully together. When the writer has written pointing out issues of environmental degradation, it is time then to take a collective action. This is where the issue of language comes in, for we use languages for proper communication”.
Language, as a potent weapon of communication therefore forms the basis for the arts to thrive. When the artiste has done his part, drawing attention to the norms and worries of the society, it is then moments to look into the issues raised, solve the problems and save the environment. Ofeimun recalled the days of General Sani Abacha when it was difficult for Civil Rights Societies to operate. Then he was the president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) while Bassey was the secretary general. Yet they maintained their zeal and dignity, refusing to be so intimidated by the junta. “The Abaca regime wanted all the human rights groups in the country to come together as a body. But we in ANA resisted this move. We refused to be subsumed by other groups. It was difficult for writers to operate. Already General Mamman Vatsa, one of our writers had been killed by the government. So there was fear everywhere. But a mere press release from the two of us was enough to make the military panic. They couldn’t cage us; we were indeed part of the resistance group”.
He ended with a call for the preservation of the ethnic identities and nationalities. “No society can afford to lose its collective identities. Based on this too we need to preserve our languages for this depends on how we manage to navigate our collective growth and development as a people”.
In between the celebration, Akeem Lasisi and Evelyn Osagie mounted the stage to perform poems and these equally thrilled guests. The two journalists – turned poets and entertainers, this time around heaped their stage renditions around the person and poems of the celebrator. Love and romantic renditions ruled the arena. It was good also to feel the pulse of Bassey’s poems on the environment on stage. The lines sent ripples into the spines of the gathering, bringing to the fore the inner-mind of a great writer.
In his brief speech, Akinbode Olufemi, a long time friend of the celebrator and the engineer of the celebration explained that Bassey means a lot to him and his close associates. “He is a brother, a friend, a mentor. He has passion for the environment but he never for one moment had time to pause to celebrate. This is why we have chosen to be the ones who do it for him. This colloquium is to celebrate him, draw attention to his works on the environment and more. This is why we now have an annual Nnimmo Bassey colloquium, for he deserves it. He has touched lives; he has done a lot, using arts as a tool for social justice”.
Olayinka Oyegbile of The Nation newspapers who handled proceedings heaped praises on the celebrator and referred to him as a writer with a difference. “Here tonight arts meets environment to show us how much this architect – turned pastor, human rights fighter, writer, poet and so on, has used arts to overcome the issues of the environment”. Those who have known Bassey back in the days praised his deep love for humanity. He practically lives for others; a man of large heart and ever eager to help people. Those who spoke included Steve Shaba, Kunle Ajibade, Williams Chima, Jahman Anikulapo; they all traced how they came to meet Bassey many years ago. Their testimonies touched on his total submission to the will of the people in almost everything he does. Yet he is humble, affable and resilient in all things and deeds.
Bassey who came in company of his wife, Evelyn, poured praises on her wife as the pillar of his life. “Without her love and smiles, I couldn’t have come this far. Thank you Evelyn”, he said to her. He also noted that the worries of environmental problems are not limited to the Niger Delta. It has now spread to each region with their peculiar degradations. “So let’s all work to preserve the environment”, he pleaded, as guests were treated to menu-menu.
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