The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Time to give up?

    Have you ever felt caged by situations and it seemed there was no way out? There is a feeling that some people have when they are in a little space or a crowded space; it is the anxiety that they are shut in and cannot escape. This feeling is called claustrophobia. This feeling is not only limited to a physical space, however, because people can also feel overwhelmed by situations in their lives as though they want to suffocate.

    No matter how intense your feeling of being trapped is, it is nothing compared to what 33 hardworking miners experienced in 2010 in Chile when they were trapped in a mine. The Copiapó mining accident occurred at the San José copper-gold mine, Atacana Desert on August 5th to be precise. The miners were trapped about 2,300 feet underground and remained there for several days. Families gathered, rescuers laboured, engineers strategized, media reported, but there was nothing compared to staying about 700 metres underground for 69 days. The mine had a history of being unstable and had earlier recorded two accidents. When the mine caved in, a large granite rock with an estimated height of 450 feet, width of 330 feet, thickness of 100 feet and weight of 700,000 tons blocked the miners 5 kilometres from the entrance.

    The experience put untold pressure on the miners. For 17 days, they could not tell if any effort was being made to rescue them until the first drill broke through. They lived largely in darkness, experienced serious heat and could only ration their grossly limited food. While the efforts to save them was highly commendable, more amazing was the strength of the 33 miners to survive physically, mentally and emotionally underground. Here are a few valuable qualities they demonstrated that can help us survive any situation we may find ourselves:

    1. Courage: this is one of the strongest qualities that can ensure survival. Fear is a major contributary factor in deaths recorded during emergencies. It has been reported that it is actually possible to die of fear. When fear occurs, there is a surge of adrenaline in the body sending the heart to a level of overdrive. While the elderly and people with preexisting heart condition are at a greater risk of dying through fear, it has not been ruled out for other categories too. However, fear doesn’t only kill directly; sometimes people act in response to fear and endanger their lives by doing something drastic such as jumping out of a moving car in anticipation of an accident. Jeff Wise told the story of a 26-year-old woman who was trapped in an elevator for half-an-hour when there was a blackout in her neighbourhood. Because she was in a small space in darkness and could not use her cell phone, she panicked. She was discovered unconscious after 30 minutes and she later died in the hospital. Can we really compare being trapped in an elevator for 30 minutes to being trapped underground for 69 days? Rather than panic and do something stupid, the miners decided to be courageous and stay strong. That was one of the major reasons they survived. Fear is anxiety over what may happen, which eventually may not happen. Don’t give in to fear.
    2. Hope: hope is one of the strongest elements in the fight for survival. Hope is a deliberate choice to believe there is a reason to fight. On the other hand, hopelessness is a feeling of despair, through which all desire to fight is lost. It has been reported that hopelessness is one of the major causes of suicide. According to Wikipedia, a data released in 2016 revealed that United States hit a 30-year high of suicide rate and 2018 result showed that it had continued to rise. World Health Organization research published by Spectator Index on July 29, 2018 showed that out of every 100,000 suicide cases in the world, 15,000 were from Nigeria. Now, of all the reasons to be hopeless, in my opinion, I think being trapped underground for 16 days without knowing of any attempt to rescue you tops the list. Even worse is the fact that rescue was not achieved until the 69th and 70th days. It is amazing that not a single miner died in the incident. If they could hope in such an impossible situation, I believe you can too.

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!

  • Saving nature…ESG to the rescue

    The urgency to raise the bar of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues was the fulcrum of this year’s lecture by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports.

    Discussants at the annual public lecture of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), have underscored the need for companies and organisations to see Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues as an indispensable component central to their corporate sustainability.

    In view of the foregoing, ICSAN is challenging its members to, as secretaries, take up the responsibility of ESG compliance to the various boards ororganisations they serve. The secretaries were also challenged to transit beyond mere minute taking to being versatile  in  key areas that affect the board including ESG, which ICSAN believes is capable of making or marring organisations that either embrace or ignore it in the 21 century.

    ESG is the tripod for appraising the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a company or business. These benchmark help to better establish the future financial performance of companies particularly with respect to return and risk.

    Speaking on this year’s theme: ‘Understanding environmental, Social and governance (ESG) issues as a strategy for corporate sustainability‘ at Nigerian Institute ofr International Affairs (NIIA) Victoria Island, Lagos penultimate Thursday,  Lead Consultant Thirstle Praxis Consulting Limited (TPC), Ini Abimbola, said despite the absence of a properly drawn up global framework, ESG has become a global phenomenon and embedded in the modus operandi of every organisation; yet rarely enforced.

    Abimbola said ESG is one of the eight components of WHO Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  She explained that ESG is also embedded in the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles. She however, notrf that some banks either flout outrightyor partly implement ESG, while some look away from the level of compliance of their potential debtors before offering them loans. She therefore appealed to organisations to protect the environment by being ESG-compliant, while also ensuring policies governing their various work places are enticing enough to further encourage and attract both staff and potential employees.

    Said Abimbola: “Before you give credit, have you taken note of the debtor’s ESG factor? Does that debtor give you a good environment impact assessment (EIA) of the area in question from which it is requiring that loan to operate? As the creditor, you need to visit the place to find out the validity or otherwise. Banks should not just grant credit to a potential investor but go extra mile to visit the investor’s g host community and see that that business will not impact negatively.”

    Abimbola bemoaned Nigeria’s inability to walk her talk towards effective enforcement of ESG. She lamented that the scenario has also embolden the private sector to follow suit, albeit with flagrant disregard.

    Almost every year, Abimbola said, Nigeria continues to churn out agencies upon agencies with varying mandates bordering on protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, protection of natural resources, to mention but a few. Nevertheless, most of those agencies turned out to be toothless bulldogs, she added.

    “Oftentimes, people have been complaining of heat, but I tell you this is just the beginning. Climate change is so bad, and it comes from the fact that we are felling trees but refuse to plant another.

    “In Nigeria, we do a lot of talking but we don’t walk our talk! We have agencies too numerous to count. If you read the Act that sets up these agencies, you will be happy with yourself, but are they fulfilling their mandate?

    “Implementation has always been a problem. Government in Nigeria is not sustainable and that has trickled down to the private sector. So if we don’t change issues about ESG incorporation in our business, we are going to see lots of business brought down because the economy is not fine.”

    to them. So as an investor, when you see certain symbols, you know this companies, you know whether they are below or above certain standards. That will ultimately tell where you put your money. We also issue compliance report on a weekly basis. ”

    Besides, Orojimi said NSE has a whistle blowing policy which encourages individuals to draw its attention to environment infractions by companies.

    “We signed an MoU with EFCC (Economic Financial Crimes Commission), since it is beyond our purview to  prosecute. All we do is when we carry out investigation, and whatever we discover, we pass it on to EFCC.

    In addition, Orojimi said NSE is the only stock exchange that uses artificial intelligence to monitor the stock market.

    The President of ICSAN Mr Samuel Kolawole, admonished members to broaden their knowledge in order to be abreast of all activities.

    He recalled how his versatility as a company secretary of a publishing firm-University Press Plc,goaded his path to the company’s zenith.

    “As company secretaries, we are supposed to broaden our horizon; and because we are versed in so many areas, we have the opportunity to become the CEO someday,” Kolawole said.

    “As the company secretary of a publishing firm, I realised that most of those that were board members were individualsacross varying fields.  So, I benefitted a lot from discussions and deliberations during board meetings. But along the line, I also discovered that it was important that I got involved in a lot of things they were doing. I was interested in all aspects of the business. I didn’t just hide in the secretariat. I was helping to prepare annual reports.eventually, I became the MD of the company.

    “It’s a pity that as lawyers and chartered secretaries, we just keep to a small portion of what we know and don’t want to get concerned about what is going on elsewhere. It’sabout time we stepped out of our shells.”

    Earlier, Chairman of the occasion Muhammad Dele Belgore (SAN), urged shareholders of companies to think beyond the traditional profit-making mindset to how they are also improving the environment of their host communities.

     

    Belgore also challenged company secretaries not to relent in pushing ESG especially to boards that are adamant, saying the need to uphold it is in consonance with global best practice.

    “We must all understand that long were those days that shareholders would converge and all they did was share profit. Now, ESG came into reckoning due to some fundamental challenges affecting the world; and as companies, we all have to be responsible by making our modest contributions for its cause.”

  • ANA fetes 11 writers at NIBF 2019

    The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will be fêting 11 guest writers today at its Authors’ Groove holding at the 2019 edition of the Nigerian International Book Fair holding at the University of Lagos, Book Fair Ground (Jelili Omotola Auditorium).

    With the theme for this year’s Authors’ Groove as “Pushing the Writer’s Craft & Business in the Age of ICT”, the writers are expected to champion its special panel discussion, focused presentations and performances.

    The 11 selected writers at the Panel Discussions and a medley of presentations are Akeem Lasisi,Folu Agoi, Henry Akubuiro, Eriata Orhibabor, Taofeek Olatunbosun, Lola Akande,Dagga Tolar, Oladele Medayese. Tolani Salawu, Abigail Ohiero and Dickson Ekhaguere. The event will hold between 2pm and   5pm.

    The book fair, organised by the Nigeria Book Fair Trust, of which ANA is a council member and one of the constituent bodies, will also have ANA maintaining an exhibition stand throughout the duration of the fair (which opened on Monday and would run till Saturday, May 11), where it holds a daily literary clinic for the benefit of aspiring authors and showcase notable books by its members and invited guest authors.

    The event, according to a statement by the organisers, promises to be an avenue for book exhibition, signing, presentation of awards, cultural activities, reading and networking. “ANA members in and around Lagos are enjoined by the statement to attend the Authors’ Groove and be at the fair ground,” ANA Lagos Chair, Yemi Adebiyi.

     

     

  • ‘Regular reading impacts on children’s learning abilities’

    An education expert, Dr. Ekua Abudu, has observed that  constant reading activity does a lot of good to a child’s learning abilities. Despite the decline in the reading culture among Nigerian youths, she argued that there are still solutions to this unhealthy trend.

    She made the arguments at a programme tagged: “The magic in the world of books” that was meant to celebrate reading and the book held at Greenwood House School, . The event, which had in focus fun but proactive solutions to boosting the reading culture, featured a writer of children literature, Omotayo Oyetayo, who took the children into the exciting world of books as she read to them. It had the school’s pupils, teachers and parents in attendance.

    The event saw selected pupils reading their favorite books. Pupils came dressed in their favorite book characters, alongside their parents who were also dressed in diverse costumes.

    “Reading plays a major role in vocabulary building”, began Dr. Abudu, “The trick is to make reading fun for children so they won’t feel overwhelmed. This can be achieved by reading together before bedtime or weekends and asking them questions that will help improve their creative side”.

    She continued: “The common narrative from people who do not read is that reading is a boring act. In some instances, they say  reading makes them want to sleep, it’s not fun! Reading to  a beginner could be fun indeed. One first and foremost, needs to identify their interests and align it with what they choose to read. Books are worth their weight in gold, and commendable are the efforts of schools, educators and education experts in encouraging reading culture in pupils. A usable library helps in proffering information in details to pupils in different formats in an effort to encourage and promote good reading culture, which is an advantage to personal and societal development.”

    For Dr Abudu, who is also the co-founder of the school, the ability to engage in fluent English communication, quality writing, fast and accurate thinking that qualifies an individual as smart requires “lots of reading and exposure”. The exposure and learning can come through books,” she asserted. “Consequently, one can travel the world with the mind through books, and learn about the culture and lifestyle in different parts of the world through reading. A rich library is non-debatable. We, at Greenwood House School, ensure that well-equipped libraries are an integral education constituent of the school based on the acknowledgement that without such resources, it is impossible to boost literacy.”

    Although science has proven that Intelligence Quotient (IQ) differs in humans due to genetics, she observed that it can also be developed and strengthened through personal efforts of reading. Abudu said: “But reading has to be a continuous process to encounter new words and improve one’s knowledge horizon. A very critical question now should be: what does it mean to read? Reading is not just the ability to recognise, pronounce and understand words; it requires an in-depth mind process of decoding the messages and taking into cognisance of how the words are used in different contexts to aid better imagination. This helps in retention of the words, phrases, grammatical construction and capacity to use them at will.”

    While arguing that the responsibility should not be left sole for the educators, Dr. Abudu hinted that reading habit is best formed during childhood. “Habits formed during these formative years can hardly be eroded. The role of teaching the children how to develop a solid reading culture is not just for schools alone. Parents should make it a point of duty to be involved in the early development of their children; to interact with them to get familiar with the kind of knowledge being impacted in them from school, and then devise means to enhance this knowledge.

    “Parents should make it a routine to get their children to read and summarise a book depending on the child’s age bracket. The impact of reading cannot be over emphasised. Not only does one get exposed to more knowledge, it equally helps to boost analytical thinking skills, thereby strengthening learning abilities. Possessing the ability to analyse details can be formed through reading, as most times after reading a book or a piece of writing, the opportunity to critique or discuss it with others might come up. When a child is constantly exposed to this, it mentally stimulates the child and over time creates a strong, analytical thinking skill,” she said.

  • Nollywood portraits through the lens of US-based artist

    Iké Udé is a Nigerian-born, New York-based photographer, who have showcased his works in many countries of the world. His first exhibition in Nigeria titled: Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty will hold at Alliance Française at Mike Adenuga Centre, 9, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos from June 1 to 16.

    Udé is an aesthete, dandy, writer and founder of the seminal artfashion print magazine Arude, 1995-2009. He is the author of Style File: The World’s Most Elegantly Dressed, published by Harper Collins in 2008.

    He has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and has been reviewed in a number of publications including Art in America, The New Yorker, Art Daily, L’UOMO Vogue, Flash Art, and The New York Times. His articles on fashion and art have been published in magazines and newspapers worldwide.

    Throughout his innovative career, Udé’s work has been exhibited at Leila Heller Gallery, New York (2013), the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence (2013), the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis (2014), the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam (2014), the Palm Springs Museum of Art, Palm Springs (2015), and the National Academy Museum and School, New York (2015), amongst others. Udé’s work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum, Washington D.C., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, the Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York, the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, the Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, NE and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum, Providence, RI. He currently lives and works in New York.

    In this interview, Udé speaks on his technique and style and what to expect at the forthcoming exhibition in Lagos.

    How long have you been away and what is the bond home?

    I’ve been away since 1981 and spend most of my life in Manhattan, New York-mostly in the bohemia, downtown New York City. I became acutely aware of Africa and my Pan Africanism as a result of looking at Africa from the outside. It’s a radically different perspective than resident Africans who are within the continent and really don’t get an objective, hardcore view of themselves, in relation to their fellow Africans and in relation to nuanced international machinations and the aesthetic, no less the politics of looking, the demeaning framing or ciphered Western gaze of Africans as the quintessential other. So, the bond, to borrow your term, is immeasurable, intact and intense.

     Tell us about your years of practice as a photographer

    I studied photography with the great and late Roy DeCarava. It was mostly in the black and white tradition with emphasis on composition and darkroom post-production editing. I hated the darkroom and didn’t pay much attention to it. But studying with him made me aware of the importance of the medium. Thereon, in the 1990s, with the exception of my Uli series that referenced the Igbo Uli body paintings, I’d employed the photo medium for conceptual photography-which was more about concepts and semiotics of representations than aesthetic concerns. But this ultimately left me unsatisfied and yearned for a radically new way of making rather than merely taking photographs. I yearned and eventually found a distinct signature visual language and style of making picture in the photography medium that is uniquely my own and instantly recognised as Udé’s pictures. Thus far, I’ve focused on both self-portrait and portraits of other people who interest me for various artistic, historical and/or myriad representational reasons. The “Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty”, being an excellent example.

    What were the difficulties you encountered when you first started photography and exhibitions?

    None really. If any, it is in the technical aspects of camera operation and lighting-mostly because I didn’t like doing them but would rather hire excellent assistants to take care of it. To my surprise, I’d since mastered these technical aspects too. My chief interest is in composition, lighting, colour, atmosphere and other imaginative, poetic, aesthetic, artistic needs of my respective pictures. Exhibition wise, my work and style doesn’t easily fit into the “African/Black” box of photography or art. I’m fiercely and proudly independent and don’t like to fit into any category or movement, say.

    How many exhibitions have you had?

    So many solo and group exhibitions to name. Please see my website and my gallery’s website for examples: Ikeude.com  or http://www.leilahellergallery.com/artists/ik-ud

     How would you describe your technique and style?

    Painterly, elegant, beautiful, smart, art-historically-informed-fluent-correct.

    What is your collection for the exhibition addressing?

    A radically smart, intelligent, elegant, beautiful, anti-safari-perspective and dignified mode of African representation and representations in general, beyond the African subject.

    What is the tittle of the show?

    “Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty”

    What first drew you to photography-and how did you discover it?

    From childhood when our family photographer would come over to photograph the whole family on almost a monthly basis

    What do you think makes a memorable photograph?

    The style, the how (composition, form, lighting, color) and other precious, unquantifiable intangible poetics. I think that emphasis on political or socio-political content of a picture becomes irrelevant once the topical issues of the picture fades or are forgotten with the passage of time. But an exquisitely and imaginatively, well composed picture is invariably timeless in its appeal, regardless of when or where it was made.

    How has social media played a role in your photography?

    The internet more than, say, social media has played a convenient and resourceful, informative role for me. Surfing the internet has exposed me to plethora of varied images, styles, traditions, etc., that I wouldn’t have otherwise come across and learned from.

    How does black and white vscolor play into your work? Do you find them to be totally separate or complementary?

    I studied black and white photography and consumed more of it before colour photography. It’s much easier to achieve a harmonious picture in black and white photography than in colour. Evidently, a superbly realised colour photography is far superior to a black and white photography. But the mastery and fluency with colour is the hardest thing ever for a painter or photographer. Yet, if one understands why black and white photography is easily harmonious and works, it yields one the answer to how to make perfect colour photography. So there is visual, aesthetic, poetic dialectic between the two. It took me a while to figure it out, appreciate it and make the most of it.

    How many exhibits for the show? In colour or black and white

    The whole exhibition is in colour. There are 64 individual portraits and one grand group portrait of all the subjects which I named “The School of Nollywood” a reference to and departure from Rafael’s 1509 fresco, The School of Athens which can be seen at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican

    What inspires this homecoming exhibition and why now?

    The Nollywood Industry. I have such immeasurable admiration for them-their industriousness, tenacity, DIY-can-do-attitude, cleverness, confident, swag, etc.

    What is the unique selling point of the show?

    Nollywood is the Nigerian and African mirror par excellence!

    Who are some of your favourite classic photographers, and how did they influence you?

    When I was younger, Man Ray, Cecil Beaton, Edward Weston, Steichen and photographers from the 1920s through the early 1950s. But since I came into maturity as picture-maker-around 2008-and post my unalloyed conceptual photography phase, it is European Old Master painters that inspire me beautifully. And just as well, I love the ancients, ranging from the Pharaonic Egyptian, Hellenic/Athenian Greek, Pompeii, Assyrian, Indian and Persian miniature pictures; Italian Renaissance and Dutch/Flemish painters. I’m also profoundly indebted to colours and rhythmic abstractions and colours of African fabrics-especially the West African fabrics as well as South African ones. I love the freedom, fearlessness, inventiveness, beauty and poetics of the African fabrics.

    What do you think are some clichés in photography you steer away from yourself?

    The religiosity and conservative attitude; the expectations of “truth” and facts; obsession with accuracy and technicality invested, expected and even expected or obligated that artists working with the medium abide by. Art or photography isn’t a religion, there and must be myriad ways to employ and work with the medium. And in the hands of artists, the photographic medium and results should concern itself with factuality and truths. The artist must have and feel at liberty to use the medium as he or she sees fit in the service of the resultant, artistic pictures in question. Agencies such as the police force or law enforcement agencies are more suited for taking factual, in artistic photographs and understandably for their legal/security purposes. And they excel at this. I’d say that 98% of fine art photographers are basically reproduction of facts, essentially journalism. And this is due to the religiosity and conservative attitude and “ethical” expectations still expected and demanded in of photographers and in photography. I’m totally against it! There shouldn’t be an ethics of photography or preordained expectant truths or facts in photography, unless for journalistic or legal reasons.

    When you are out shooting-how much of it is instinctual versus planned?

    It depends. Sometimes it is indeed 50/50; sometimes, 40% planned and 60% instinctual. I think that in portraiture, having consumed so many modes of portraiture from antiquity to now, my subconscious mind pretty much guide me during the shoot.

     

  • Gallery unveils exhibition plans

    proprietor, LVI Art Gallery, Lekki Phase I, Lagos, Mr. Julius Iyoghiojie has described the recently held maiden art exhibition tagged Beauty and the Beholder as a huge success that must be built upon. He said the group exhibition was primarily held to create awareness for the gallery in order to drive clients to its future exhibitions and other arts events.  Unveiling plans for the gallery’s major shows slated for the year, Iyoghiojie who has been into art in the last 25 years, said the gallery will follow up and continually reach out to the art market. Such reach out, he said, is to major art schools and organisations in the sector for collaborations or partnering opportunities.

    “We are trying to promote the art, the artist and the gallery. We have our imprints in different institutions like the banks, cultural centres like Alliance Francaise, British Council and so on. We will be having exhibitions and other art events from time to time, from solo to group exhibitions. We are looking at promoting the different schools of art in Nigeria wherein wegather their alumni and organise shows,” he added, noting that it is to promote the different styles of the schools.

    The debut edition featured works of artists such as Bruce Onobrakpeya, SojiYoloye, Raji Ade Nurudeen, Ehigbor O.B.J, Oviri Alaric, OdeyemiOluwaseun, Alagbada Olayinka Pitar Alakhume, Joel Utuedor among others.

    Iyoghiojie, who studied Petroleum Engineering at University of Benin (UNIBEN) sees art as an asset, noting that it is better to give someone an artwork as a gift than a phone or a wrist watch. It is for cultural presentation and it has an aspect of education also.  The last exhibitions featured a mix of my private collections and those by some artists.

    On why  SojiYoloye’s works formed majority of the works exhibited at the last show, he said:  “My relationship with Soji is 25 years old. He is one of my earliest artists way back at the University of Benin. Above all, the bond between us is cemented by integrity and also he is gifted. I hope to host a solo for him; Soji in the house before the end of the year. He described the location of his gallery as strategic because it is central to Lekki, Ajah and Victoria Island in Lagos.

  • MTN Nigeria Supports Drum Festival

    It was time to celebrate heritage and the culture of the peole in Ogun state penultimate Thursday to Saturday, and at its centre was Nigeria’s telecommunication giant, MTN Nigeria.

    The ICT company was all through from the plan of the three days festival to and led and the chief sponsor for the celebration of the unique tradition and culture of residents in the state.

    It was a non stop activities for the African Drum festival cum tourism highlight and it was a hub of people from wide and far who graced the 4th edition of the festival which has come to stay as a platform for people of vatious cultural heritage to showcase their inheritance.

    According to the gate way state government the Drum festival was designed to bring together participants from across the world to showcase the rich cultures of the different ethnic groups in the state through dance, exhibitions, music and Drums.

    Commenting on the  festival, General Manager, Brand and Communications, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge stated that “MTN as a brand is wholly African, and it is committed to ensuring that the African story is shared with the rest of the world.  Drums are symbolic in the African tradition.

    “They project our strength, tell our story, protect the people and promote our legacies. For us, this festival is a worthy opportunity to tell the African Drum story to the rest of the world and that is why we have consistently supported the various editions of the festival.”

    The 2019 edition of the African Drum Festival, featured over 20 states, 14 foreign countries and 70 private troupes. It played host different ethnic groups who performed in dance, exhibitions, music and Drums.

    It is worthy of note that the support for the Drum festival is one of the numerous efforts of the ICT company in showcasing the African culture to the world. The company has been at the forefront of the promotion of African heritage through sponsorship of indegnous festivals – Osun Festival, Golibe Festival, Nwonyo fishing  Festival – that seek to showcase the unique traditions of our people.

  • ‘The Platform’ holds talk growth on May Day

    As Nigerians commemorate workers day today “The Platform” is holding talks at The Covenant Place, beside the National Art theatre, Lagos, by 9am.

    With the theme: “The Drivers, Enablers and Obstacles to our Growth”, the event will be looking at the components that drive, enable and obstruct economic growth from a personal, organisational and national level.

    It will be outlined by our strong line up of local and international speakers who will speak and do justice to this subject.

    The Platform is a non-profit initiative of the Covenant Christian Centre designed to facilitate growth in the areas of personal capacity and productivity as well as foster national development in Nigeria.

  • Cameroonian, three Nigerians for Ebedi writers’ residency

    Four residents have arrived in Iseyin, Oyo State, for the April/May 2019 edition of the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency programme. EVELYN OSAGIE reports.

    Ebedi International Writers Residency has opened its doors to four young writers, who came to the ancient town of Iseyin, Oyo State, for the April/May 2019 edition of the programme.

    They are a Cameroonian and three Nigerian writers -Howard Meh-Buh (Cameroon),Rasaq Malik Gbolahan (Nigeria), Nseabasi Akpan (Nigeria) and Bello Muhammad Bello (Nigeria).

    Since September 2010, the residency, which is a private initiative for the use of writers wishing to complete their ongoing works in a conducive environment at no cost to the writers, has consistently opened its doors to writers across Africa. It has since hosted about 120 writers from 10 African countries, many of whom have won several local and international literary prizes.The residencywill offer them its full boarding facility for six weeks.

    The newest residents, like their predecessors, are expected to mentor secondary school pupils in Iseyin as part of their community service during their stay and have a publishing opportunity with a Lagos-based Publisher, Literamed Publishers.

    Meh-Buh is a PhD student of Microbiology in the University of Buea, and a staff writer for Bakwa Magazine. His works have been published and/or accepted in a couple of anthologies and magazines, including The Africa Report, Bakwa Magazine, Brittle Paper, The Kalahari Review, and Aerodrome. He was one of the participants of the Literary Exchange Programme for Creative Nonfiction, organised by Goethe- Institut Nigeria, Goethe- Institut Cameroon, Bakwa Magazine, and Saraba Magazine in May and November 2017. This also made him a guest at the Ake Arts and Book Festival in 2017, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. In 2016, his story “Reef 32” was on the long-list of the Bakwa Short Story Competition.

    During his time at Ebedi, he would be working on his debut novel, set both in Cameroon and Bangladesh, inspired by the time he spent there, studying for his Masters’ Degree. He would also work with secondary school pupils in Iseyin by teaching them French language and creative writing.

    The second writer, Gbolahan, a graduate of the University of Ibadan, is a poet, who hails from Ibadan. Razaq was shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize in 2017.  He is one of the six nominees of the Poet Lore Puschart Prize. His works have appeared in various journals, including Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, Spillway and Sentinel  among others. He is the author of the chapbook, No Home in This Land, which is edited by Professors Chris Abani and Kwame Dawes and will be published in the United States later this year. Razaq, whose attention to culture and folklore is remarkable, is a young Nigerian author expected to break the ceiling in the coming years. He hopes to use his time at the Ebedi Residency to complete work on his next Poetry collection and mentor Iseyin pupils in the art of performance poetry.

    The third writer, Bello from Zaria, Kaduna State, is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. as well as Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee United States. In 2013, he represented the University of the District of Columbia at a Conference for Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). Bello, who is fluent in Arabic, English, Hausa and Yoruba, is the author of “Small World Golden Words: 234 Axioms and Aphorisms”, a book of original thoughts and observations. Apart from working to develop another manuscript of aphorisms and poems, Bello would use his time in Ebedi to engage secondary school pupils in Iseyin in the area of thinking and writing aphoristically.

    The last but not the least is Akpan, a visual artist from Cross Rivers State. Akpan, who uses photography to express his artistic talent, has been involved in group photography exhibitions in the United States, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Benin Republic, Syria, Croatia and Ethiopia. In addition, Iseabasi has also organised various photographic workshops in Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Gambia. In 2018, he was part of the Open Africa Road Trip photography presentation in the Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and the Gambia. An award winning Photographer, Akpan is the recipient of the following Photographic awards; The Mo Ibrahim Foundation Photography Competition, One World Media Photography Prize, eLearning Africa Photo Competition Public Vote Prize,Accenture Skills to Success Award, European Union/African Union Photography Prize, The African Artists Foundation Art Award as well as the BBC Focus on Africa Magazine Photo Essay Prize. Akpan will spend his time at Ebedi to update his photography of rural life as well as mentor Iseyin pupils in the art of photography.

     

  • MBGN in search of Every Woman

    The search is on for the next Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN). In this year’s edition of the pageant, the organisers are searching for Every Woman.

    According to Vice President, Silverbird Group, Guy Murray-Bruce, this year’s edition, which will hold in Bayelsa State, will be paying tribute to the multi-tasking woman rolled into Every Woman. He said: “We are searching for a beautiful girl with the intelligence to hold her own”.

    He spoke at the Silverbird Galleria during a briefing to kick-start the 2019 edition. Every woman is a potential mother and wife yet saddled with the under-appreciated responsibilities of being an unpaid nurse, doctor, accountant, economist, teacher, cook, cleaner, driver, adviser, etc. to her family in addition to her professional role, for the career woman. The 32nd edition and will be remarkable in many ways as it is delivered on the theme, Every Woman.

    “She must be a Nigerian by birth and with valid international passport.  She should be above 5feet 7inches tall. Participants must be between 18 to 23 years of age and possess a minimum educational qualification of a secondary school certificate,” Murray-Bruce, who is also Bayelsa State Special Adviser on Tourism Development and Entertainment, said.

    While hinting that this year’s pageant is coming with lots of surprises plus much more exciting prizes for many of the contestants, he called for corporate and the media sponsorship/partnership.

    Screening to select 37 contestants for the pageant, according to him, will hold in Enugu, Owerri, Yenagoa, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Accra Ghana and Lagos for the final screening; while successful contestants will proceed to camp for grooming sessions in various life enhancing etiquette. “The grand finale holds on September 20th at the prestigious Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The winner will drive home a brand new car and have the chance to represent Nigeria at the Miss World pageant, while the first runner up will represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant. As always, we assure everyone of a world class event in line with the best of Silverbird’s tradition. MBGN forms are still available for N10,000 at all Silverbird locations nationwide and at Occasions and Events stores and online at Silverbirdmbgn.com. Registration ends  June 30, 2019.

    “This year’s MBGN is being supported by the Bayelsa State Government, The Bozac Group, Occasions and Events,Silverbird Group, Silverbird Television and Silverbird News 24. The Bozac Group, whose representatives are here with us, are the franchise owners of the classy Fair and White range of beauty brands.”

    Past winners of the MBGN have made huge imprints globally with Agbani Darego now an international super model and fashion entrepreneur becoming the very first Black African Miss World in 2001. Others are Mary Ngozi Bienoseh, Chinenye Ochuba and Anita Uwagbale named African Continental Queen of beauty, reaching the top ten at Miss World 1987, 2002 and 2004.

    Bianca Onoh was crowned Miss Intercontinental in 1989, and Sabina Umeh, PhD, was the first Nigerian to win the Personality prize at Miss World 1990. Toyin Raji was the recipient in 1995, and until recently, Celestine Queen won the Miss Congeniality title in the Miss Universe pageant 2014, while MBGN 2017 Miss Ugochi Ihezue won the 2017 Miss World Top Model of the World title.