The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Anambra partners China to build cultural centre

    Governor Willie Obiano has tasked the  Chinese government to help facilitate the completion of some projects being handled by Chinese companies in the state, especially the international airport.

    He said due to the slow pace of work at the airport, the Anambra State government had undertaken the construction of one of the runways until the company is ready to commence work in full.

    The governor, who spoke while receiving the delegation of Chinese officials, led by China Ambassador to Nigeria Dr Zhou Pingjians, in Awka, stated that Anambra has many beautiful cultural sites, which his administration has painstakingly upgraded in the past one year in order to qualify either Owere Ezukala or Ogbunike Cave as UNESCO world heritage site.

    The visit was the fallout of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, Indigenous Artwork, Culture and Tourism existing cultural exchange programmes with the Chinese in the past one year.

    “We have cultural artefacts which represent different periods in our development like the Igbo-Ukwu culture, all these are interesting things to be explored in Anambra,” he said.

    The governor reiterated Anambra State government’s readiness to partner the Chinese to build a cultural exchange centre as conceived by the ministry, and a consulate office in the state, as well as speedy completion of the  airport.

    Anambra State Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Indigenous Artwork, Culture and Tourism Mrs Sally Mbanefo thanked the Chinese ambassador for inviting Anambra Cultural Troupe as the only cultural troupe to perform in the Chinese New Year celebrations in Abuja last January.

    She disclosed that Anambra State and China have agreed to partner in building a cultural centre in Awka, noting that ‘our universities are already offering in Mandarin as a course.’

    According to Mbanefo, over 70 percent of the visa applications in Nigeria are from Anambra State, and so “we have agreed on the need to establish a consulate in Awka. We are also building an airport in Anambra State and we are collaborating with Chinese on this.”

    Read also: NEPAD trains 500 Anambra youths

    She assured the delegation that Anambra is the safest state in Nigeria while commending the Chinese government for offering to train Anambra State cultural troupe in calisthenics in China. She noted that the Chinese have earlier lavished Anambratroupe with gifts and have invited the troupe to Chinese New Year next year.

    China Ambassador to Nigeria Dr Zhou Pingjian said that the aim of the visit was to explore cooperation opportunities at sub-national level, noting that China-Nigeria relations has been cordial and very productive and as such should cut across board at all levels.

    He praised the vision of Anambra State government, stating that China is working in sync with the vision of Anambra State.

    “In China, the Congress has passed a law on foreign investment, which is in line with the vision of Anambra State. China is creating more enabling environment for foreign investors,” he said.

    He stressed that Nigeria and China have so much in common in terms of economic and population size that there is no limit to their cooperation.

    The Ambassador thanked Governor Obiano for sending the state cultural troupe to their New Year celebration while commending the troupe for the spectacular performance. He also assured the state of their readiness to help facilitate all projects being handled by the Chinese companies in the state.

  • Fela resurrects at FESPACO

    Fela resurrects at FESPACO

    Afro-beat legend, the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, ‘resurrected’ at the screening of a feature documentary, Meu Amigo Fela (My Friend Fela), in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The film, which won the Paul Robeson Award for best film in the Diaspora at the 26th edition of The Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), was written and directed by Brazilian filmmaker Joel Zito Araujo, Chinyere Elizabeth Okoroafor reports.

    Inside the cosy Neerwaya Cinema, international and local cinema lovers filled the 300 red fabric seats to watch the 92-minute documentary that resonates around the complexity of Fela’s life. The film teases with infectious rhythms and disappears too swiftly, while other repetitive melodies dig in for the long haul.

    My Friend Fela as mediated through Carlos Moore’s narrations combines good present and past footage, interviews, images and music to present a comprehensive, intimate description of Fela, as seen from the eyes of those who knew him closely.

    The documentary begins with a song, Why Black Man Dey Suffer, criticising the evil of white colonialists and stating the predicaments of African people since colonisation. Fela asks, ‘Why black man no get money today?’ And then he explains that the black man was minding his business before a group of white persons showed up. “Na since them trouble start.”

    The song like many of his songs serves as a confrontational platform for social justice, but unfortunately, it causes him to become a target of Police and Army harassment, arrests and violence. His popular song, Zombie, was a song on the ruthless approach of Nigerian military government without mercy. The song results in a brutal military raid of Kalakuta that Fela had declared an independent republic.

    To understand Moore’s presence in the documentary as the dynamic, informative guide that leads the audience through the intricate, stimulating and occasionally disturbing life of Fela, the documentary vividly takes us through Moore’s background as an Afro-Caribbean. He mentions his fugitive experience in his native Cuba, his own political awakening inspired by working with Malcolm X and the work of Maya Angelou.

    Moore connects his interest in civil right activism to the moment when Fela in his tour of America in 1969 met Sandra Izsadore in Los Angeles, an African-American and  former Black Power radical

    Before then, Fela was a man who didn’t like black’s inferiority to white supremacy as witnessed during his studies in Britain.He couldn’t take a cigarette or drink alcohol. In an interview with Moore, Izsadore told Moore: “I asked him what he was singing about and he told me he was singing about his mother’s soup. And I said ‘with all the injustice happening in the world, you are singing about your mother’s soup?’ Sandra said she began to give him books to read.

    Meeting Sandra and learning why he shouldn’t despise black’s complex life but embrace the fact that black’s life is as important as the white who frustrates its existence especially in America. It was then that Fela first began to think in an Afro-conscious way.

    As Moore said, recalling from Fela’s interview with him, it was Sandra who gave him the education he wanted. She was the one who opened my eyes.  She talked to him about politics, history and she blew his mind. It was reading her copy of Malcolm X’s autobiography that realised that he wanted to play African music.

    Izsadore also comments on Fela’s regressive attitudes toward women, spreading his attention among 27 wives and countless lovers in his Kalakuta. This remains a sad irony for the son of an outspoken feminist advocate. The film suggests that his mother’s death, after being thrown from a second-storey window during a raid, robbed Fela of a coherent political model and steered him toward arcane spiritual beliefs. His detachment from reality peaked when he contracted the HIV virus, refusing to acknowledge either the illness or the benefits of Western medicine. He died in 1997.

    Some of the characters who feature in My Friend Fela such as LemiGhariokwu- who designed some of Fela’s most arresting album covers- and drummer, Tony Allen. While their conversations take a different route on My Friend Fela, the recordings are also complemented by figures who contribute to the Fela discourse either intimately or professionally. These figures include Seun Kuti, Fela’s youngest son, Ray Lema, Congolese jazz musician who has paid tribute to Fela in his music, and Babatunde Banjoko, an illustrator and photographer who contributed to Fela’s album covers.

    The documentary also ruminates on Fela’s powerful relationship with his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and some of the 27 women whom he famously married in a day.

    At the end of the documentary, both Moore and Izsadore agreed that Fela’s struggle and death were worth his relevance as a cultural figure, just like Bob Marley.

    The history behind the story

    When Carlos Moore, a Cuban intellectual, who speaks more than three international languages, relocated to Brazil with his family where he has been teaching and researching about Latin American culture, he contacted Araujo to make a documentary of his friend Fela. Moore’s decision to recreate Fela’s life, struggle and death after 12 years of his death came after seeing several of Araujo’s films; he concluded he was the best filmmaker to do the job.

    Sitting with Moore and listening to fascinating stories about Fela, an African Afro beat music icon he had never met, Araujo, was charmed. Later, after reading a copy of Fela’s biography titled Fela: This Bitch of a Life, it dawned on Araujo that there was a need to document the life of a man who gave it all for an important struggle he never actualised. He said he was interested to do the film and at that moment he started to look for funds in Brazil to do the film, “But it was difficult because in Brazil they didn’t know Fela but only the new generation (of artistes),” he said.

    “So, the supporters, the producers said to me, ‘this guy is important but Brazilians don’t know about him,’ and it was frustrating,”he said. After spending more than six years seeking funds from the Brazilian government, Araujo finally received the first money to do the film, but then another film about Fela from Alex Gibney’s 2014 work titled: Finding Fela, had already been released. Rather than been discouraged, Araujo said he took it without any trouble. “I said there is no problem, I will go ahead and do the film about Fela, the Fela that is important to us Brazilian people through our own eyes,” he added.

    To Araujo, writing and directing the documentary about the life of Fela was to use the channel to raise the Pan African consciousness into the lives of Afro-Brazilian new generation.

    To execute the job, Araujo did face some difficulties. He was refused a visa and it was the intervention of Wole Soyinka who finally got Araujo and the writer Carlos Moore into the country, but their crew members were denied visas.

    For Moore and Fela, it was love at first sight. Working as a journalist in France, Moore was contacted by the then Nigerian government, which was organising an international black festival.

    In Moore’s narration, ‘I came to Nigeria with my family in February 1974 and immediately I arrived the country, I heard Fela’s music and fell in love with it instantly. I asked one person to arrange for me to meet him. So, I was taken to Fela by Dr. Ola Balogun and that was how we met.’

  • 2019 Osun festival will be a huge success, says Ataoja

    Five months ahead of the annual Osun Osogbo festival, plans to make this year edition a huge success and different from the previous ones have begun in earnest.

    The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, during the visit to his palace by a team of a tourism, art and culture consultancy group, the Equity Global led by its Principal Consultant, Mr. Williams Derrick, said the economic value of the festival to Nigeria is immeasurable.

    Oba Oyetunji said the festival annually contributed not only to the local economy but the national economy with influx of people from all parts of the world to participate in the religious tourism.

    He explained that he was determined to preserve the heritage of the festival and the Osun Sacred Grove, which was listed among the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage site in 2005.

    The Ataoja said as a custodian of Osun deity he has the responsibility to ensure her preservation and safe keeping preservation.

    The first class monarch, who denied alleged sales of Osun deity, which he described as an “immovable spirit,” advised the people to disregard the accusation.

    He maintained that selling Osun deity amounts to selling his throne as the Ataoja of Osogbo, saying he derived part of his power from the existence of the Osun goddess.

    In his remark, Mr. Derrick, who noted that the Equity Global has been appointed the new consultant for Osun Osogbo festival, said this year edition of the festival will witness some innovations.

    According to him, the Equity Global will this year work with more local people in diverse trades and arts and culture business to make the festival memorable and eventful.

  • ‘Youth empowerment critical to development’

    Paradigm shift in education is vital to youth development, Professor Yemi Akegbejo-Samsons of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has said.

    He said youths, who could manage and evaluate developmental opportunities, should be the focus for the country to move at par with the global world.

    Akegbejo-Samsons, who spoke at a lecture titled: Knowledge economy and career choices for the Nigerian youth, at the Annual General Meeting/Diamond Jubillee of St Patrick’s College, Oka-Akoko, Ondo State, stressed the importance of paradigm shift in secondary schools teaching models as the foundation for producing efficient youths.

    “More modern frameworks can better reflect the aspirations of 21st Century students and the requirements for success as next-generation college students, workers, and citizens. Effective curriculum frameworks encompass subject-matter requirements as well as 21st Century or transversal skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. Assessment needs to change to reflect the new curriculum,” he said.

    According to him, the youth has a significant role to play in the development of any nation. He lamented that they are marginalised and excluded from governance and other developmental processes.

    A new approach to learning in secondary schools, he said, empowers students to learn anywhere. Such approach should provide innovative ways for students to demonstrate what they have learnt and inspire students to synthesise what they have learned and use higher-order thinking and creativity skills to build new contents, he added.  Akegbejo-Samsons is hopeful that the model would greatly help the youths.

    The varsity don noted that secondary schools should focus on building the capacity of students by analysing and understanding each student’s progress toward mastery, and apply evidence-based teaching strategies that address individual learning styles, interests, pace of learning, degree of content mastery and special requirements.

    Inculcating career education into teaching models, according to him, would assist students to develop and execute career plans that would help them to achieve their career goals by taking appropriate courses at the secondary level or other relevant steps and training after the secondary level that would qualify them for particular occupations.

    He said the growing population of  school learners showed the need to introduce and improve on the learning models, adding that teachers should incorporate digital platforms and resources into diverse learning models and teaching strategies.

    The lecture was part of the 60th anniversary  of the school, which turned out to be a happy reunion for the old students. The four-day celebration, which attracted over 200 old students, featured a fund raiser for school development projects, unveiling of old students association logo, unveiling of the association’s constitution and school magazine, unveiling of association membership crest, car stickers, donation of 50 laboratory stools by 82 class set, inter house sports competition, award presentation, thanksgiving service, among others.

    At the AGM, which held at the school premises  penultimate Saturday, St. Patrick’s College, Oka Old Students Association (SPACOOSA) President, Dr. Dele Oludare said  the celebration, which included the inauguration of some completed projects and laying of foundation of new ones as well as an onsite physical interaction of the staff and old students would enhance better relationship among the old and new students.

    “The SPACOSA has very formidable finance and welfare committees that will put our financial resources together to actualise our various projects within the school. The association also aims at enhancing love and unity among members and particularly, to be our brothers’ keeper. In the spirit of oneness, brotherly love should exist among old students. The older generation should assist the younger ones in whatever capacity they can like getting jobs for young graduates or admission into university for secondary school leavers.

    “Education talks could also be organised by individuals or sets on topical issues to help the current students in their overall development,” he said.

    The association agreed on critical decisions about the development plans for the school, which included the setting up of a three-man Electoral Committee, which comprised Mr Mike Adara as Chairman, Felix Aponbiede and Leo Olatunji. The committee was charged with  providing guidelines for the election of the association’s next executive on March 16 and 17, next year.

    Also, the association pledged to honour deserving Patricians and other personalities, who contributed to the growth of the school. Awards were given to members and class sets for their contributions to the school.

    At the events were the Olukun of Ikun, Oba Olokunbola Adedoyin; Regent Asin of Okaland, Princess Adekemi Omorinbola; Hon. Mike Adara; wife of SPACOOSA President, Mrs Omolade Oludare; Lanke Odogiyan (SAN) and Rev. Fr. Ogidiagba Joseph.

    Others were PTA Chairman, Patrick Daramola; the school Principal, Rev Seun Ojamo; Rufus Alejo; Jerome Tolorunlogo; Akindele Salami; Albert Adeola; Otunba Dele Ologbese; Akin Dawodu; Dr. Muyiwa Olusa; Julius Ajowele; Meshack Atere; Christopher Oluwabusola; Stanley Arogunjo; Jerome Ogungbe; Segun Ologundudu andTessy Adodo.

  • Gallery promotes reading culture

    For about 20 minutes, four secondary school pupils selected from the audience sat in front of the hall listening to the guest reader.

    During this period, the National Press Centre Hall of Radio House Abuja, venue of the event, was filled and silent. The reader, a House of Representatives member from Benue State, Hon. Mark Gbilah, who sat between the students read some pages from the popular Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, which clocked 61 this year. A question and answer session followed to test the students’ understanding of the readings.

    Impressed by the students’ performance, Hon. Gbilah urged the children to sustain their interest in reading, adding: “It helps you conquer the world. It helps you to get knowledge and become great in life.’’ He said the significance of the book informed the choice of Things Fall Apart for the reading. The session was part of presentation of books and exhibition of National Gallery of Art (NGA) publications held penultimate Thursday by National Gallery of Art, Abuja. It was primarily part of activities to encourage book reading culture.

    Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed said by bringing the books and publications to the public, NGA is taking the  step of making them accessible for appraisal, so that subsequent works would be better. This way, he said, they are contributing to our knowledge in visual arts and other art form.

    The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Deaconess Grace Gekpe, said the lecture, which is focusing on the Nigerians’ poor reading culture, is an issue that is dear to the ministry.

    “Indeed, I want to commend the Gallery for choosing such a topical issue for discourse as the nation at present needs a reset as the current administration moves to the next level. We have to encourage our teeming youth not only to read, but enjoy doing so to garner requisite information, knowledge and understanding to stand them in good stead to cope with the challenges of our ever changing world of today,” he added. The minister later unveiled the publications.

    NGA Chairman, Ambassador Azores Sulaiman said the gallery takes documentation  serious the same way it treats visual art promotion and empowerment of artists in the country.  According to him, the gallery has in the last few years, organised art fairs in various geo-political zones. The idea, he said, is to ensure that no part of the country is left behind in the art sector.

    “I commend them for this and we as a board promise to give them the needed support. Today’s event is very important. This is because the National Gallery of Art is laying bare its history in the area of documentation and how it has grown to become one of Nigeria’s repositories of Books and Publications in the visual art sub-sector. Even more, they want to encourage book reading culture, hence there is a lecture on this issue by Nigeria’s Chief Librarian and distinguished scholar, Prof. LenrieAina,” he added.

    Keynote speaker National Library of Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Prof.  Lenrie Aina, was represented by Deputy Director, Legal Department, Nation Library of Nigeria, Mrs. Idung Akpabio. The event was spiced by cultural performances by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Troupe. A burst of pioneer Director-General of the NGA, Dr. Paul Dike  was also unveiled at the vent.

    NGA Director-General, AbdullahiMuku, who was retiring from service the next day, said at inception, NGA noticed a gap in the then bubbling art scene- the lack of proper documentation of art works by exhibiting artists, which inspired the publication of the books on exhibition.

    “Even with poor funding, which unfortunately persists till now, we were poised to fill the gap and handle this aspect professionally. Did we succeed? We want you to be the judge as you view our body of works in Publications and Books in the past two decades plus.

    “The works you are about to view emanated from our signature programmes, such as the National Symposium on Nigerian Art and the Annual Distinguished Lecture series, among others. The publication is a compendium of NGA’s publications, showing the developmental stages and how much we have achieved in this direction. It is our expectation that this exhibition will make the works accessible to more people than ever before. We are also offering them online to a wider public across the world,” he stated.

    AlhajiYahayaAbubakar, the Etsu Nupe commended NGA’s efforts at organising the event, which has as focus the development of women and children. He called on Nigerians to promote and preserve the nation’s heritage. This, he said, could be done through several methods, especially history, which should be made compulsory in schools.

    “These compiled collections of NGA publications will go a long way in encouraging reading culture,” he added, urging everyone to show interest in the collection and read them.

    Meanwhile, the outgoing Director-General of National Gallery of Art, Abdullahi Muku got a rousing send-off penultimate Friday at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja when he was gracefully pulled out of service by staff of the gallery.

    Amid drumming, singing and dancing, Muku was treated to a lavish party where some workers poured encomiums on him in appreciation of his leadership quality, especially his humility all through his tenure as DG since 2009.

    One of the workers Mr. Dubem Egbunike said: ”He is like a father and very passionate. He shared much affection with staff, which made him very much unlike most CEOs. I am happy he is celebrated today, a record his two predecessors never enjoyed at time of leaving gallery. However, he is a human being who is not expected to be perfect.”

    To the NGA’s union leader, Comrade Musa Balogun, Muku meant more to him than a boss, saying he was a major inspiration and support for his career growth at NGA, adding that but for him, he won’t have gotten to where he is as a Master’s degree holder, who started from ground zero. He praised Muku for allowing him realise his dream.

    Expectedly, the celebrator expressed shock at the celebration though sincerely appreciate the efforts. “For whatever I achieved, I give it to all the staff. Being humble is a base to greater height. It pays a lot. I urged my successor to improve on what I did,” he said amid emotion-filled encomiums.

  • Our legacies in tourism, by Lagos

    Transactions in tourism exceeded N50 billion last Decmber, says Commissioner for Tourism Arts and Culture Steve Ayorinde, who speaks on the strategic policies, enabling infrastructure, tourism master plan and tourism promotion bill, among others, that make the state a preferred destination. Assistant Editor Arts Ozolua Uhakheme reports.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Mr Steve Ayorinde  is upbeat about the Tourism Master-plan Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration will bequeathe to the in-coming government.

    He said the master-plan covers six sectors: Culture and Heritage; Films, Arts and Entertainment; Business Tourism; Nature and Adventure; Medical and wellness and Beach and Leisure.

    He noted that another legacy that the outgoing government would bequeathe to its successor is the Tourism Promotions Agency Law, adding that with the law, tourism promotions subsector would grow.

    Ayorinde, who spoke at the Third Nigerian Travel Awards, organised by Jumia Travels in Lagos, said it was the resolution of the Ambode-led administration to leave the legacy of a solid tourism-driven economy by conceiving a master plan as a blueprint document that would drive development and investment for the next 15 to 20 years.

    He said at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, that the last four years were committed to the governor’s growth agenda on the creative economy through Project T.H.E.S.E (Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports for Excellence).

    According to him,this informs the investment in human capital and infrastructure with impact on the creative industry, which has lived up to its promise in the last three and half years.

    “It should be noted that this strategic intervention did not happen by accident, it has been a deliberate plan derived from a visionary study of the state, its demography and analysis of the creative sector, which has the capacity to absorb the teeming youth population, reduce poverty and crime as well as create jobs with multiplier effects on other sector,’’ he added.

    Continuing, Ayorinde said: “The last three and half years in the state have been eventful in terms of tourism infrastructure development as well as arts and cultural promotion, which we believe, will lay the long-term foundation to make Lagos State a sustainable tourism-driven economy and a leading haven for business and leisure in Africa.

    “In Lagos as you know, we relish in saying Eko For Show, but at the ministry, we see Travel and Tourism beyond the show part. We equally focus on the business and entrepreneurial component of it. We see, and we do our best to create enormous opportunities for stakeholders to further harness the tremendous economic and socio-cultural benefits of marketing a 21-million city-state and one of Africa’s Top 10 economies to domestic, regional and international visitors.

    “Between June 2015 and now, our goal of making Lagos State the preferred destination for tourism, leisure and business travel in Africa as well as promoting sustainable tourism development through enabling environment for both domestic and international tourists has been largely achieved. We have forged a new alliance with critical stakeholders. We constituted a Board for the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture to advise and assist in repositioning the culture and artistic image of the state and we executed in phases the most defining attempt in our country to beautify a state’s landscape with public art installations through indigenous artists,” he said.

    According to him, a new Lagos experience that is arty and chic has been created and is being enhanced daily as government continues to facilitate an enduring infrastructural and security architecture for the business of tourism and cultural arts to thrive.

    He identified the ongoing expansion and reconstruction of the Oshodi-Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, the entry point into the state, as a major infrastructure with strong impact on tourism.  He said by May, a stunning 10-lane world-class road and a multi-purpose bus-terminal that is, arguably, the biggest of its type in Africa will be completed.

    Ayorinde stressed that to put the state ahead in terms of ideas, long-term investments, top-notch infrastructure and human capacity development that are necessary for the expected competition among tourism destinations in Africa requires a long term strategic plan.

    According to him, other facilities, such as the Freedom Park on Broad Street, has been a shining example of a public-private sector arrangement that works.

    “So also is the Amusement Park, which with the plan to create access through waterways will definitely rise in value and patronage.

    “With Badagry as arguabley the leading attraction for slave-trade tourism, among others, the Badagry Heritage Museum and Vlekete Slave Market museum are just about to be re-equipped and furnished after their massive renovation. The completed ‘Point of No Return’ monument, too, is simply waiting for a major development into a theme park that can stun the world as captured in the Tourism Masterplan.”

    He added that as part of efforts to encourage tourism-driven initiatives and promote Lagos as a top destination that offers variety of contents to visitors, the state provided sponsorship and/or institutional support to organisers of major international entertainment and art events, such as the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), AKWABAA Travel Market as well as other indigenous festivals.

    Ayorinde noted that the colourful lifestyle, rich culture and the energy of Lagosians as always showcased at these events are a selling point to drive tourism traffic for economic growth.

    REad also: FTAN calls for stand-alone tourism ministry

    To him, these events provide a platform for airlines, hotels and restaurants, tour operators, travel agents, tourism boards, foreign trade missions, tourism sector travel professionals, the media and general public to interact and exchange experiences.

    On the preservation of peoples’ heritage, he said the state has continued to erect new and maintain all existing heritage and historical monuments in the state. Some of the monuments that depict these and received attentions are  the renovation of Tinubu Square Fountain, Statue of King Ado, the First Crown King of Lagos, Statue of Prince Olofin Atekoye. He added that the state also erected 23 new statues and monuments in parks and major public spaces across the city.

    “The state government’s effort at preserving cultural heritage of the people of Lagos State and its enormous historical values also received a boost with a grant of $600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Dollars) from Ford Foundation towards the architectural design of the proposed Lagos Museum to be sited at the Onikan-Marina arts district, just like the ongoing redevelopment of the J.K Randle Centre for Yoruba History and Culture within the same zone.

    This project, which is due for completion soon, is the reason Lagos State has formally written the British Museum for the release of the historic Lander Stool, a sculptural work that is believed to have been taken out of Nigeria in 1863 and is presently in storage at the British Museum in London,” he said.

    According to the commissioner, the state is also very mindful of culture infrastructure investments, which informed the ongoing construction of Six Eko Theatres across the state. This, he said, is a project conceived by this administration to encourage creativity and create more spaces for theatrical and musical productions and offer platforms for upcoming artistes across arts and culture sector.

    Four of the six theatres located at Opebi, Badagry, Igando and Epe are almost completed and will be delivered by the contractors in May.

    Interestingly, the age-old Glover Memorial Hall in the heart of Lagos is ready to wear a new look by May as restoration work is currently ongoing there. This is where the first film screening was done in Lagos State in 1903 and that iconic structure will roar back to life like a new bride courtesy of the art-loving Governor Ambode.

  • Dangerous walking stick

    A report by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Disability Statistics Centre, which was cited by Quora in 2013, showed that 6.1 million Americans who were living outside institutions were users of mobility assistive devices such as walking sticks and canes. Across several countries of the world, there are many more who use walking sticks. Basically, a walking stick is a device that assists people to get from one location to another when walking. Its benefits include assisting with balance and bearing weight to take pressure off of muscles.Some people also use walking sticks for fashion statements.

    As beneficial as walking ticks are, they are not without side effects. A patient-support website named “patientslikeme” stated that such side effects include shoulder pains, back pains, social anxiety, falls, joint pain in the hand, etc. There is also the problem of addiction; persons who are supposed to use the walking stick as a temporary measure tend to depend on it because of the immediate comfort it provides and fail to get rid of it. Walking sticks can also make muscles become weak because they are being supported.

    There is something that provides immediate relief and temporary support like the walking stick, which is not only dangerous but is also capable of making one’s success muscles grow weak. It is called “excuse”. Think about it, you don’t need an excuse unless you are in trouble. You don’t look for who or what to blame unless your competence, integrity or character is questioned. At that moment, an excuse seems like the best way to get past an unpleasant situation. All you want is a way of escape from the impending consequences of your action. The first time you give an excuse, it is like a walking stick you lean on because you are weak. Then comes the next one, and the next one, and yet another one. Before you realise it, you have become addicted to excuses and you have become permanently defensive.

    Michael Straczynski made a profound statement that “People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives”. You may not realise it but making excuses is a skill and people can get really good at it. But according to Benjamin Franklin, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else”.

    Some people consider giving “good excuses” as a sign of intelligence. They believe it demonstrates their smartness and speed of thought. Well, George Washington thinks differently because he said, “Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses”.The victory of excuses is usually short-lived because it lacks substance. Excuses are not sustainable because they lack the value and credibilityto create a good future.

    The moment a person stops making excuses is the first time he sees the real worth of his life. He realisesthat he has deceived himself for too long. You can only test your balance when you drop your walking stick. How would you ever know the level of your improvement and development if you put all your weight on the walking stick? Let your excuses go and take responsibility.

    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!

    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!

  • Therapeutic side of Asidere’s sketches

    There are good reasons to look forward to Duke Asidere’s forthcoming solo exhibition. One of these is that the exhibition, titled: Sketches & Therapy, will feature 150 sketches by the artist.

    It opens at the Hourglass Gallery’s new space on Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday by 4 pm. The opening will feature a book presentation of the artist’s sketches by Dozie Igweze, the gallery owner.

    Here is the story behind this book of sketches. Igweze and Asidere had discussed it for many years. They agreed it would be better to create a document of the sketches rather than having them simply dispersed to individuals. Besides, they thought it would be important to enlighten the public more about art. This would include acquainting them with creating art, the ideas behind the works and the conflicts the artist encounters during the creative process.

    However, the book project was shelved as other more urgent endeavours obtruded into their schedules. Asidere would continue to do the expected: hold several solo exhibitions. As for Igweze, that would be the impetus he needed to write his first art book, titled: The Storyteller of Agbarha-Otor – the Visual Tales of Bruce Onobrakpeya.

    On this coffee-table book, he wrote about the renowned Nigerian artist, Bruce Onobrakpeya, exploring his early influences and highlighting how these influences impacted on his art.  

    In 2016, the duo thought the time was ripe to produce the book. Now, the collectors would have a bird’s eye view of all the artworks without having to collect them all. As Igweze’s second book, it opens the creative vent for the third one, which he says he is writing on the pioneer Nigerian artist, Abayomi Barber.

    Meanwhile, the sketches featuring at the exhibition, which ends April 6, were the fallout of the artist’s two-year stint at the Delta State Polytechnic’s Art department, which desperately needed a visual arts lecturer. Asidere had joined the staff of the Ogwashi-Uku-based tertiary institution in 2004. This was years after he  resigned from the Auchi Polytechnic, where he had lectured between 1990 and 1995 with the likes of Sam Ovraiti and the late Ben Osaghae prior to his relocation to Lagos for full-time studio practice.

    The Ahmadu Bello University-trained artist had agreed to work at the Delta State Polytechnic, because the job offered him not only the opportunity to serve, but also provided a chance for reflection and self-healing from the emotional turmoil he was then experiencing.

    He sought to unburden himself, regain his sanity and renew his spirit through the sketches he did within this period. His pencil strokes  evoked his inner quest to make some meaning from out of his experiences. As he travelled through Asaba expressway, the inner roads of Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku and Ubulu-Unor, he sketched the people he  encountered during his journey. He also sketched the models in his art classes as well as his students.

    For Asidere, the sketches were aimed at capturing fleeting moments and quickly documenting emotional states. Any attempt to render them on canvas would dilute the intensity of his emotions. Hence, he opted for the spontaneity of pencil on paper. He wouldn’t want to lose even a second in putting down his ideas for his viewers.

    The sketches, as therapeutic outlets, are no preambles to bigger works. They are indeed, fully-formed artworks. The artist has always treated sketches as the end products. He lets the viewer into the true state of his mind with the sketches he called “The Empty Room” series, in which he depicted the room he stayed in while at the Delta State Polytechnic. The sparsely-furnished room had only a mattress on the floor, a picture on the wall and few other items.

    This room reflected the loneliness and emptiness of his life at the time while he sketched what flitted through his mind on paper as though he was writing them down in a diary. Or, perhaps, they could be described as a travel journal since they share the artist’s experiences on the road.

    The artist also used some of the sketches as post mortems of his already completed artworks. With them, he, so to speak, revisits his original oil paintings in the form of sketches. He mulls over the figures, mulling over how he could have done things differently, like change some of the colours.

    His figures seethe and froth with so much energy and vitality, evoking movement rather than passivity. Through them, he tells his story of the country, which for him is one of hope, love, desperation, optimism and despair. With them, he decries the dysfunctional society he lives in and operates from. The viewer not only discerns the emotional impetus behind them, but also identifies with some of these emotions.

    Born in Lagos in 1961 to a sailor with the Elder Dempster Company, Asidere was exposed to the early strong influences of his mother, who ran the household while the man of the house was away. It was thanks to these influences that women feature as strong powerful figures in his art. In a homage to his mother, he also explored the strength and bravery of the women around him.

    Averse to conformity, he developed his style of figurative expressions. Since 1995, when he established his art studio in Lagos, he produced works that suggested the exploration of the streets of Lagos. He captures the energy and chaos of these street, chafes at the insanity of the local politics, the country’s decrepit infrastructure and the declining standards of living.

    Years under the guidance of the late Gani Odutokun at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria rubbed off on his artistic sensibilities. So did his years at the Auchi Polytechnic.

    The exhibition, which will be the first since the Hourglass Gallery relocated to its bigger space on Victoria Island from Ikoyi, will pave the way for others of its kind, Igweze promises.

  • Why you need a coach?

    Everyone needs a coach, this was the opening statement of Bill Gates TED TALK. According to him it doesn’t matter whether you are a basketball player or tennis player, we all need a coach.

    It is unfortunate that although accepted on a global scale and in more progressive climes, coaching is only beginning to catch on in Nigeria. We think of coaching more in terms of sports and fitness.

    In the TED talk earlier referenced by Bill Gates he made a strong point for coaching in the educational sector, not for students but for teachers, it may come as a surprise that a billionaire like Bill Gates will advocate for coaching not for executives or big shots but for teachers.

    The question you may be tempted to ask is who is a coach and why do I need one?

    A coach is an individual that is trained to partner with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

    Eric Schmidt former CEO of Google states that one of the best advices he ever got was to hire a coach, according to him he resented the idea, and even resisted it, he didn’t see the need for it, after all he was the CEO and was a good CEO, he wasn’t a child and didn’t see the need for one, after working with his coach Bill Campbell (who was not a tech guru) he came to the conclusion that everybody needs a coach, and that his coach was very valuable to his success at Google.

    As opposed to a counsellor, a consultant or an advisor, a coach is less concerned about their opinion or about giving you great sounding advice, they are more focused on you and how they can help you turn your strengths and weaknesses into advantages for your success.  A coach helps you unlock your inner wisdom and see blind spots that you might not notice. A coach can help you see yourself as other people see you. A coach can help you see when your actions are not in line with your personal goals and vision.

    Coaching matches the particular needs and situations of each client to solutions.

    From my experience as a certified life coach whether it is helping clients with procrastination, clarity, confidence and esteem or goal setting, I have realized that every session leaves the client with a deeper level of self-awareness and one step closer to their ideal life.

    Who needs a life coach?

    • High performing individuals
    • Employees that want to transcend from good to great
    • Organisationsinterested in developing employees who lead balanced and meaningful lives.
    • Business executives who recognize the importance of an extra set of eye
    • Creatives and entrepreneurs who want to tune into their ability to work smart and not hard
    • Politicians and leaders who need to strengthen their emotional quotient to become better leaders and not rulers
    • Individuals who need to maximize their opportunities in life
    • Individuals who need to take their relationships to the next level
    • Individuals who need their core strengths to be identified, along with how best to leverage them
    • Individuals who need help to be more decisive, take action and to create a vision.
    • Individuals who are stuck and know that they need to get to the next level
    • Individuals who have a vision but lack a plan to execute said vision.
    • Individuals who realize that their actions do not correlate with their plans.
    • Individuals making a major transition and are afraid of change or need help easing into the new phase.

    It is interesting to note that in 2015 according to an ICF and HCI study, 60% of respondents from organizations with strong coaching cultures report their revenue to be above average, compared to their peer group who did not have coaches, progressive organizations have employed coaches to get their employees through difficult situations like retrenchment, conflict resolution, clarity, goal setting etc.

    Before you hire a coach ensure the individual has gone through requisite certifications and trainings that qualifies them as a coach. Anyone who hires a coach must be ready to put in the work, be teachable and stay accountable.

    All the greats have coaches because a coach helps you see what you cannot see, how important is your success to you? How important is living the life of your dreams to you?

    According to Bill Gates without coaching there is no way to improve, and without improvement complacency sets in. To find out more about how coaching can improve your life follow me on Instagram @coachgbemz and LinkedIN at ‘GbeminiyiObadan or e-mail me at gbemieobadan@gmail.com.

    Some of the most successful people in the world – in business, in sports, in the arts – work with coaches. Michael Jordan, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey; they all work with coaches to improve their performance in their business, career, health or some other aspect of their life.

    What are you waiting for?

    Coach Gbemz- Certified Life and Clarity coach

     

     

  • Foundation offers scholarships to Makoko kids

    Residents of Makoko Community, Lagos State, will not forget in a hurry the day a non-for-profit, Caregiva Foundation, came on a humanitarian mission there.

    No fewer than 500 persons, including women and children, benefited from donations by the group.

    Like children receiving their father back home after a long sojourn, they trooped out enmasse to receive the “ august” visitors. Some could not hide their surprise when they saw that the visitors were youngsters between 20 and 27.  What was even more interesting was how children and teens were calling the visitors “Daddy”, “Mummy”, as they held their hands.

    Tagged: “Visit to Makoko Community”, the event was organised by Caregiva Foundation. The initiative, the foundation said, was borne out of the “desire to give back to the society by providing love, care, and support for the less-privileged that are financially, mentally, and physically challenged”.

    The maiden event witnessed the feeding of over 300 children, the donation of rice, salt, vegetable oil, noodles, slippers, clothes, among others, to orphans and the needy. The foundation also ssssspledged to support five children in their education and 20 others for vocational training.

    Although they were familiar with such visits from well-spirited individuals and groups, the Baale of the Community, Chief Aide Albert Jeje, noted that the foundation’s team, who were youths, was truly inspiring. He urged the foundation to assist the community in alleviating its water problem in the community.

    “We are so happy to receive Caregiva Foundation here. It is impressive seeing that youngsters are the ones behind all the great gifts that are brought for us today. I am speechless and so grateful.

    “Most of the children living in this community don’t have access to good and basic education since there is no money to send them to school. Some of them are orphans. They hardly eat three square meals a day. And so we are praying that God will continue to bless the good work that these youngsters have started,” he prayed.

    Thirteen-year-old Olanike Adeniyi could not hide her joy, saying that the giveaways were coming at the appropriate time.

    “I am thankful for protecting us here in Makoko. I lost my mother when I was only nine months old and was abandoned by my father. I was raised by my grandmother, who feels that after my secondary education, I should either be married off or just learn a trade. I want to grow up to be an important person in the society one day. I wish to be part of those that will be assisted in furthering their education.”

    For seven-year-old Ezekiel Iroko, who is aspiring to be a medical doctor, the foundation’s gesture will serve as relief to his mother who has been the breadwinner ever since he lost his father at a tender age.

    Like the Baale, Aisha Ademola, a young widow and mother of one who was one of the beneficiaries, was also full of thanks to the group for the gifts, stating that the food items would go a long way to alleviate their hunger.

    For the President and founder of the Caregiva Foundation, Bunmi Banjo, the gesture was part of the foundation’s social responsibilities in reaching out to the less-privileged. She disclosed that the foundation will sponsor at least, five children on their education and 20 others for vocational training.

    The foundation, Bunmi said, is geared towards putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged and the orphans in the society by showing them love, care and support.

    “Makoko as the largest slum community in West Africa with over 200,000 inhabitants and thousands of children living here need help. We sincerely hope that other members of the society, who are well to do will support a cause like this and come here to show the children love,” she admonished.

    The programme was supported by Chemart Pharmacy, Metropolitan Motors, Taos Beauty Brand, Tricontinental Oil Service and Mrs Bakers Bakery.

    The community leader, who received the foundation team, Chief Benjamin Aide , commended the spirit behind the donation, saying that the gesture would go a long way in bringing smiles to the needy.

    Aide said: “It is at times like this that you know those who are passionate about meeting the needs of the less privileged and the needy. What the foundation has done today shows that their efforts were based on passion and commitment to the plight of the downtrodden. We can only commend them and urge them to continue to identify with this community and other vulnerable places at large.”