The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • ‘Tar Ukoh erred’

    ‘Tar Ukoh erred’

    Who was deputy to the late Hubert Ogunde at the National Troupe of Nigeria? Who co-founded the National Troupe of Nigeria with him in the late 80s? National Troupe Artistic Director/CEO, Mr. Tar Ukoh claimed on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that he co-founded the National Troupe with the late Ogunde. Renowned culture activist, film critic, playwright, theatre director and former deputy editor of The Guardian, Mr. Ben Tomoloju, in this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, dismisses Ukoh’s claim.

    WHAT is your reaction to the claim by Tar Ukoh that he co-founded the National Troupe of Nigeria with the late Pa Hubert Ogunde?

    Thanks for this all-important inquiry. It is very important because it has to do with public morality and a sense of history in Nigerian cultural development. There is no truth whatsoever in Tar Ukoh’s claim that he co-founded the National Troupe of Nigeria with the late Chief Hubert Ogunde.

    In fact, he was far too junior in the hierarchy of the troupe to ever assume such status. Ukoh was only one of the artistes shortlisted to report to the Chief’s Ososa camp for training after a nationwide audition covering all the states of the federation in 1989. I say this authoritatively because I was the leading member of the media team covering the development and our strategy was in the area of development journalism.

    The foundational aspect is not so simple as to ascribe the status of founder or co-founder to just anyone. Ogunde remains, indeed, the founding father of the troupe as a national ensemble. But the very idea of establishing a National Troupe for Nigeria was raised by the late Prof. Dapo Adelugba in one of his theses, about two decades before the troupe was established.

    In 1985, Colonel Tunde Akogun was the Federal Sole Administrator for Culture, a dynamic administrator and graduate of the humanities. This was the point at which Adelugba’s former colleague and another iconic theatre Director, Uncle Bayo Oduneye, was appointed to head a Review Panel on Theatre and Film. One of the recommendations of the panel was that the Federal Government should establish a National Troupe. Thereafter, a wider panel of which Ben Murray-Bruce and I were the youngest members was constituted.

    Some of the famous and elderly artistes in the panel were Pa Steve Rhodes, Elder Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, who was the director of NCAC, Elder Demas Nwoko, Naiwu Osahon, Chief Taiwo Okupe, Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, Chief Eddie Ugbomah, Mr. Dan Awodoye and Mr. Shola Agbaje-Williams, both of the Federal Department of Culture, and a host of others. The meeting was held on September 25, 1985, at the Conference/Banquet Hall, National Theatre, Iganmu. Under the guidance of Akogun and advisory input of Aig-Imoukhuede, a template was prepared for the future of the cultural sector, and one factor that stood out was the prospect of establishing a National Troupe. Mr. Dan Awodoye, then an assistant director of Culture, was the officer from whom I first heard about an impending Ososa Experiment.

    The experiment marked the beginning of the evolution of the National Troupe of Nigeria, using the Ogunde Theatre Troupe as a demonstration outfit. Between 1985 and 1986, there were regular trips from Lagos to Ogunde’s Theatre Village in Ososa, near Ijebu-Ode involving Akogun, his supervising Minister Tony Ukpo, Permanent Secretary, Ason Bur, Awodoye, Mrs. Uyah, journalists and schedule officers from the ministry, among whom were the recently-retired Director of Culture, Mr. George Ufot, and the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Grace Gekpe.

    To cut it short, the Ososa Experiment culminated in a theatre fantasia, a command performance staged by the Ogunde Troupe and associate artistes in 1986, at the main bowl of the National Theatre, with President Ibrahim Babangida, represented by Lt.- Gen. Sanni Abacha, as the Special Guest-of-honour. That was the point where the President proclaimed that the Ogunde Theatre Troupe (underlined) should form the ‘nucleus of the National Troupe of Nigeria’. A few weeks after,  the troupe travelled to Agadir, Morocco, to represent Nigeria at the Afro-Arab Festival of Popular Arts as the nucleus of the National Troupe of Nigeria.

    I was a member of the cultural delegation and there was not the faintest sniff of any name like Tar Ukoh in the group. It is indeed very wrong for Tar Ukoh to make this kind of claim. This is the kind of thing you experience when the national educational policy relegates the study of history in the school curriculum. It gives all kinds of opportunists the platform to lay false claims to heroism.

    As the pioneer Arts Editor of a national newspaper, what do you know of Ukoh’s track record, either as a co-founder or pioneer artiste of the troupe?

    I was the pioneer Arts Editor of The Guardian, to be specific. And, let me tell you categorically that the issue of co-founder is out of the question. Don’t let it come in at all, for it would amount to a clear case of impostorship. But, as far as his track record is concerned, sometime in the late 80s, I sent a senior reporter on the desk, Mr. Dili Ezughah, to look for interesting materials in the North for the arts page. He visited Jos and brought a report, among others, about a cultural group led by a young theatre artiste named Tar Ukoh. Of course, I trusted his judgment and used the story, for reasons of national spread in our coverage of the arts and the input of the youth in creative enterprise.

    This was well before the inception of the National Troupe. It was the first time I encountered the name, not the person of Tar Ukoh. Later, a nationwide audition was held by Ogunde to recruit pioneer artistes of the troupe. After the final selection, members of my desk like Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, who was my immediate assistant, and Mrs. Yetunde Ojuba (nee Adjoto) made it a point of duty to visit the Ososa Camp. I also joined Col. Akogun, Col.  Ukpo and Mr. Ason Bur on their trips to the camp.

    It was during one of those trips that I saw a familiar face and guessed who it was. He gladly confirmed that he was the same  Ukoh about whom we published a story earlier on. I was happy that he was selected as one of the pioneer artistes in the camp. Lo and behold, when I visited again, Tar Ukoh had left the camp. He must have had his reasons, but that is the fact.

    For how long did Ukoh work as a member of the troupe?

    I don’t know. But the Personal  Assistant to Chief Ogunde, Mr. Adeleke Adelegan, said he spent only five days in the camp and left. What I know is that our visit was weekly at a certain point, and between one and the next, Ukoh who is now the director-general of the Troupe had disappeared. This, again, is a fact. So much for a – quote and unquote – ‘co-founder ‘. He was just one of the artistes and he didn’t even measure up to be considered a worthy example professionally during the brief period he was there as a trainee.

    Who were his contemporaries then, if he did work there?

    Sorry. Would you say a trainee who stayed just five days at a training camp really worked there? On the basis of responsibility and professional discipline, how would you describe that attitude to what you call work? Some of the artistes who were recruited at the same time with him are still in the troupe in higher capacities.

    But to answer your question, I can remember Donald Donga, Edward Gondo, who is now the Benue State Director of Culture, Terfa Aondo, Halima Sule, Christie Okuogu, one Aniefiok ( I think she’s late now), Cornette the female acrobat, Ahmed Aliu and Jumoke Coker. These are just the few names I can recollect. There’s the dance instructor called Coach.

    All the artistes are no longer in the troupe. Some are abroad while others are exploiting the local scene.

    I met Ayuba Yari in Gombe State a couple of years back. He’s engaged as the resident choreographer of the state Arts Council.

     What is the implication of Ukoh’s claim on the calibre and quality of leaders in the creative sector?

    It is so broad you can’t tie it to just an individual. You see, the creative sector is so overwhelmed with this culture of jobs for the boys that professionalism in the service is smothered. It is a systemic problem, and part of the consequences is that the arbitrariness employed in the appointment of public officers sidelines the ground-rules for determining cognate experience, competence and ethical standards in the beneficiaries.

    That probably explains why they spend so much time and energy trying to prove that they are qualified for the positions, including unnecessary self-dramatisation instead of hitting the ground running upon their assumption of duty.

    Concerning this claim, what you expect, in the first instance, is that Ukoh would deny or re-affirm such a vexatious statement, since it is in the public domain. There is a rejoinder already, posted by the  late Ogunde’s PA, Mr. Adelegan. How can someone go on air via a national television network and make such bogus claim and expect the enlightened public to ignore it. Adelegan also posted a list of artistes selected for training in 1989 where the name of Ukoh appears under the Plateau State section with other artistes from the state selected for the training.

    I mean, he should come into the open and contest Adelegan’s rejoinder. Silence means consent, so this individual is open to full denunciation on the basis of public morality. This development is an insult to the intelligence of  Nigerians. And one hopes that this is not what Ukor sold to those who appointed him as chief executive of two parastatals – the National Theatre and the National Troupe – contrary to the letter and spirit of the legal instrument setting them up which provide that the troupe should be headed by an Artistic Director as chief executive and the National Theatre by a General Manager in equal executive capacity.

    The implication is really broad and the miasma spreads odiously from even the appointing authorities. I hope you know that there are certain levels of public office that should be advertised whenever there is a vacant position to be filled. That hardly happens these days. So, you have a lot of back-door appointments, leaving the public service replete with apologies instead of executives.

    Who were the core artistes Ogunde started the troupe with?

    Core artistes. As nucleus of the National Troupe, the artistes who made the first outing were members of the Ogunde Theatre Troupe, some associates like Coach in the area of choreography on the one hand and some of the dancers mentioned earlier who were drilled in Ogunde’s peculiar and original stagecraft. But there is a particular figure that stood out professionally and intellectually. That was Phillip Igetei, a Master’s degree holder in the 80s who was the substantive National Troupe’s pioneer Stage Manager.

    He now resides in the United States. Igetei and other university-trained members of the troupe under Ogunde should be able to tell their own stories. But, I believe this interaction with you would go a long way to speak for the wives, sons and daughters as well as associates of Ogunde who toiled most assiduously to deliver a long-awaited troupe to Nigeria that we proudly called national. I believe, indeed, that this interaction gives voice to the voiceless against tyranny.

     

  • Celebrating Things Fall Apart@60

    Celebrating Things Fall Apart@60

    Things Fall Apart is 60. To mark the Diamond Jubilee, the literary world inspired by the Christie and Chinua Achebe Foundation will celebrate the widely-read novel written by the late Prof Chinua Achebe. But, unlike when it clocked 50, the book will be celebrated in Nigeria, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Asia and nine African countries between this month and December, EVELYN OSAGIE writes.

    The widely-celebrated novel, Things Fall Apart, written by the late Prof Chinua Achebe is 60. Published in 1958, the epic book is said to be the beginning of modern African novel in English, and has continued to receive global acclaim.

    Sixty years after it was published by William Heinemann Limited in the United Kingdom, the book is set to unite writers from across the globe.

    While politics and religion are threatening to split the country, literature is a unifying force for the nation, according to the Chairman of the TFA@60 Africa Organising Committee, Dr Wale Okediran.

    “Literature unites this country. As you can also see, through Achebe’s iconic offerings, we’re uniting Nigeria with the five-city celebration of activities. Nobody should divide us by trying to plant discord among us. We should not allow whatever is happening to dampen our enthusiasm for literature, as it has its own impetus.

    “Literature is as important as politics, econonomy, banking, etc. Don’t forget, the best literature comes out of the time of great distress. We are using it to celebrate our pioneers of literature. We will also use the celebration to immerse our children in the literary tradition. Penguin will do reproduction of Things Fall Apart; so, the economics is another aspect of the celebration,” Okediran, a former House of Representatives’ member, said.

    In 2008, when the book clocked 50, writers across the world, including their counterparts in Nigeria under the auspices of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), held year-long literary festivities to mark the book’s silver jubilee. The 60th anniversary, which is being spearheaded by the Christie and Chinua Achebe Foundation, will be no less different but has a little twist.

    Beginning from this month till December, Okediran stated, the train of activities will travel across five cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Sokoto with the grand finale at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka) with ANA leading the way. The activities will include symposia to children’s carnival, writing competition, stage presentations of Things Fall Apart and a grand finale with a night of tributes.

    It will also move round nine other African countries, including South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Togo, Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Togo.

    He said: “As a consequence of the global acceptance of the book and its author, it becomes very imperative to celebrate the diamond anniversary of the publication of this very important novel with a colloquium and other literary activities in Nigeria and nine other African countries.”

    On the global front, the train will move round the United Kingdom, United States, Latin America, Canada and Asia.

    The five-city transnational events, according to the organisers, “will also be celebrating the works of one of Africa’s most outstanding writers and the achievements, friendships, partnerships and challenges of African literature this past 60 years”.

    A five-man Africa organising committee to be headed by Okediran will be overseeing the organisation of the event in Nigeria and other African countries, while local organising committees in the five centres in Nigeria and other African countries will also be constituted, he said.

    With the celebrations in mind, The Christie and Chinua Achebe Foundation, has invited abstracts for 15-to 20-minute presentations during the International Conference to celebrate the book’s anniversary.  The conference will hold at five various centres in Nigeria – Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Sokoto, and Nsukka and in the nine other African countries.

    The abstracts, not exceeding 200 words, would be on any of the sub-themes, such as  ‘Conflict Generation and Resolution in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’ ‘African Literature after Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’ ‘The Achebe Spirit in the Emergence of Modern African Literature,’ ‘Managing Changes and Transitions in a Pluralised Society: Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in Reference,’ ‘Africa at the Crossroads of Development and Good Governance: What Has Literature Got To Do With It?’ ‘Traditionalism versus modernism in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,’ ‘Sexualities and subjectivities: Women in Achebe’s Novels,’ ‘Imagining a New Africa: The Rhetoric of Transformation in Literature and Oratory,’ ‘The Dialectics and Symbolism of Things Fall Apart,’ ‘Prophesy and Poetry in the works of Chinua Achebe,’ ‘Culture, Nationalism and the African Writer,’ and ‘Literary Influences, Impacts and Imitations across Generations.’

    At the end, papers presented will be edited and published into a book that will fossilise the gains of the celebration of  the book’s contribution to the contemporary discourse on African literature, 60 after Things Fall Apart.

    All abstracts should be submitted electronically to: Things Fall Apart60@yahoo.com  and copied to waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk. The deadline for submission of abstracts: March 15; notification for abstracts acceptance; March 30; and full paper submission deadline: May 30.

    A literary competition will be organised for secondary school pupils in the five centres. The contest will be organised with the provision of copies of Things Fall Apart for the pupils to read for one month before the competition, which will be in the form of a quiz, reading comprehension and one act dramatic enactment of any part of the book by participating schools.

  • Thespian marks 60th birthday with seven books

    Thespian marks 60th birthday with seven books

    The week-long activities for the 60th birthday celebrations of Dr Femi Adedina, a theatre arts teacher and Deputy Provost, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Oto/Ijanikin, climaxed penultimate Saturday with a thanksgiving service and reception. The events were attended by the celebrator’s students, relatives, colleagues and friends, ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports. 

    Dr Femi Adedina, who turned 60 recently, is a maverick. It was no surprise that he launched seven books as part of activities celebrating his birthday. And that is synonymous with Adedina’s personality.

    The week-long event featured lecture, poetry rendition, interactive session with the celebrant and a command performance, among others.

    The first day featured a birthday lecture titled: The current global aspiration for education in the 21st century: What change has Nigeria? by Prof Ayodeji Peter Agbonjimi, a professor of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Law, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo.

    Tuesday book launch attracted a legion of Adedina’s contemporaries, and those who for years, fed from his fountain  of wisdom, to shower encomiums on a man regarded as a  father, a thespian, a dramatist, a poet, a communicator, a playwright, a humanist and an administrator par excellence.

    The books are Mama’s Tales of Love, Time and Tide, The Communicaque and Highway to Nothing.

    Other are Notes of a Migrant (A memoir) and Learn to Communicate Volume I and II.

    Renowned playwright and satirist Prof Femi Osofisan said he is a father to the Adedinas. “Femi is like a son to me,” Osofisan began with a smile.

    “For the past 20 years, we’ve been quite close. He has shared his moments of joy and challenges with me and I was very glad to be an adviser. To make things more complicated, his wife is one of my adopted daughters right from her school days,” he added.s

    Osofisan urged Adedina not to rest on his oars, but use his birthday to project greater exploits in his field.

    “You are not fulfilled yet!” Osofisan said, jokingly teasing the celebrant.  “Until death, nobody has paid his dues (in Theatre) except you are lazy. Even after you may have produced a masterpiece, you still keep working. Femi has done a lot but I expect him to still do more so as to aspire to greater heights.”

    Dr Henry Hunjo Department of English, Lagos State University (LASU), also likened his former teacher to a person who reveals his greatness through humility.

    “Adedina is a great man whose greatness is found in his friendliness, and principled stance. He is a man of everybody. He taught me at undergraduate level and ever since we have been brothers. He is an all-round teacher- a teacher both in the classroom and on the street. In the school of life, he remains a personal teacher to me. Everything about him teaches you something about life.

    Mercy Olowoyeye, former student of the celebrant, who was also the President of Theatre Arts Students Association (TASA) of AOCOED, recalled fond memories of her former teacher’s ‘iron hand’.

    ‘’He drained us,” Olowoyeye said, ‘’with a blend of laughter and frowning.

    “He is a disciplinarian who does not tolerate excuses because he’s a workaholic and he does not give us time to play. In my time, I was the president of ATAS and I also led groups in different courses. Dr Adedina would tell us there is no room for failure and whatever it would cost us, the purpose of that task must be achieved. He encouraged us both financially and morally as members of TASA. He combined the role of a father and teacher together,” Olowoyeye recalled.

    But while many seem to deride him for his no-nonsense posture, the celebrant’s better half Bunmi said virtue ‘lured’ her to him. “He is a disciplinarian and I know I can’t change that. I have come to know him as a strong and steadfast person; and that aspect attracted me to him. I feel happy and fulfilled because of his achievements,” Bunmi added.

    She continued: “He stands for what is good and upright. He never compromises. At work, he wears an iron mask. He is not a different person at home except that people think he doesn’t smile or not jovial (laughs); but he is humorous and entertains the children at home.” A fellow teacher at Theatre Arts Department, Mr. Bimbo Adeniyi said the likes of him and others were endeared to the celebrator because of his willingness to share knowledge with others.

    “Some of us look up to him as a role model and try to be like him. He goes to any length once it comes to academics. The interesting thing about him is that he does not do this alone, but tries to mentor other scholars too. He doesn’t care who you are as long as you are a committed scholar; and this is what has brought us together. I’m happy he has made his mark in his discipline,” he said.

    Agbonjimi recalled that the duo’s path once crossed in 1988 when he relocated from Oregun to Ijanikin shortly after he joined the Lagos State University (LASU) as a lecturer.

    “What is the electromagnetic bond between Femi and I? The answer is just one word – books,” Agbonjimi said.

    “We can be described as bibliophiliac because we would first buy books before we buy food, if money is left. The last time we met at the bookshop, Femi bought a book for me on law and economics.

    AOCOED Governing Council  Chairman Prof Tunde Samuel said he fell in love with the celebrator because of his consistency. “Dr. Femi Adedina is one of the brilliant brains in Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education.

    AOCOED is so blessed with many intellectuals, including him. That was what attracted me to him. He is very bold and brilliant. He would say things the way they are, no matter whose ox is gored,” said the professor of Educational Economics.

    The celebrator said some of the books were written long ago without being published, another had its title changed, while two others had their version revised.

    “I wrote The Communicaque during the (Sanni) Abacha’s administration and it nearly put me in trouble. Going through it now, I realised all that I put in the book are still happening.”

    Adedina, who likened Nigeria to a ‘living fiction’, added that her narrative generally provides ample inspiration for writers.

    On the choice of the books at a time, Adedina said: “I’m an iconoclast. I don’t do things that others do. I was initially working towards producing 10 books, one for every year that I have lived. But financial factor, logistics and time frame could not make that feasible; yet I wanted to publish something of standard. So, publishing seven books at a time is like telling the people – “here is a writer’.

  • Onobrakpeya praises UNIUYO for keeping Idiong alive

    Onobrakpeya praises UNIUYO for keeping Idiong alive

    Renowned painter and founder of Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation (BOF) Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya has described university art galleries as credible platforms for town to meet the gown as well as serve as effective teaching aids.

    He said through hosting of art exhibitions, university art galleries create conducive environment removed from the pressures of commercial art where student artists, curators and faculty members can experiment freely in terms of making, exhibiting and curating of art.

    He noted that university art galleries and museums encourage the collection of art works, among the academics.

    Onobrakpeya, who spoke at the inauguration of a new art gallery in honour of the late Prof Stella Idiong at University of Uyo (UNIUYO, Akwa Ibom State, said the university should be very proud to be one of the very few universities in the country to establish and own actual or online art gallery, which he hoped, would be a full-fledged department in the future. The inauguration also witnessed a commemorative art exhibition in honour of the late Idiong.

    “I am, particularly, happy to be part of the process of immortalising Stella Idiong be cause she was one of our own as an alumnus of Harmattan work

    shop, an informal educational artists’forum, which I founded in Agbarha Otor, Delta State. Her participation and creative innovations in printmaking during several workshops she attended had been great inspiration to us. Indeed, this connection opened the way for my many visits to Uyo and my claim as Akwa Ibom son,” he said.

    Onobrakpeya said until her death, Mrs Idiong knew the important role art galleries play in the education of the artist, adding: “She actually established the first gallery of art in the university art department where she encouraged art exhibitions.’’

    He thanked the family of the late Prince Bernard Dampson Isiong and the late Idiong for the magnanimous gift, saying: “We pray that the legacy of Stella Idiong, art teacher, educationist and distinguished fine artist may last forever.’’

  • Mobile Maths Museum targets 45,000 children

    As part of the Turkish Scientific and Academic Cooperation Project (TABIP), the Yunus Emre Institute and the Turkish government have begun projects that promote science, mathematics and academics.

    The Mobile Museum of Mathematics departed Ankara on February 1. The goal of the project is to educate youths between six to 18 in maths and science  across Turkey.

    The goal is to reach 45,000 children across the country. With 35 various stations for maths-related activities, the Mobile Museum of Mathematics offers children a plethora of various ways to engage with maths and improve their skills.

    The Mobile Museum is also accompanied by an expert teaching staff members, allowing the children to participate in various programmes led by the teachers.

    The Mobile Museum of Mathematics will meet with children in Osmaniye, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraþ, Þanlurfa, Mardin, Adyaman, Malatya and Ankara. Its first stop was Adana, at the Sarçam Temporary Shelter, where they were able to bring the wonder of mathematics and learning to refugee children.

  • Book on Nigeria’s first photographer for launch

    After centuries of hiding behind anonymity, the identity and works of Nigeria’s first indigenous professional photographer Jonathan Adagogo Green (J. A. Green) will be unveiled  at a book launch in his honour on Thursday, March 1 at 11am, at the Royal Banquet Hall, Presidential Hotel, the Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    Titled: African Photographer J. A. Green (Reimagining The Indigenous And The Colonial), the book was  published by the Indiana University Press United States.

    The event is being organised by Emeritus Prof A. J. Alagoa’s Onyoma Research.

    Born in Bonny, Rivers State in 1873, he studied photography in Sierra Leone and then established a studio in Bonny where he became one of the most prolific and accomplished indigenous photographers in West Africa.

    Green, whose identity remained hidden behind his English surname, maintained a photography business in Bonny and worked mostly in the Niger Delta and its environs. His work covered a wide range of themes, including portraiture of the British colonial officials, European merchants, prominent chiefs and elites and their families, particularly in Bonny, Kalabari, Opobo and Okrika.

    He also photographed scenes of  life, including women making handicrafts, iron workers and weddings as well as commerce and buildings; both administrative and religious.

    Some of his great iconic photographs include that of the late Oba Ovonramwen of Benin Empire in 1897, the British hulk and War Canoes published in prestigious newspapers and magazines like the London Illustrated News and other European publications.

    Although his photographs were published in England and Europe to much acclaim, Green remained anonymous for more than a century and, according to Anderson and Aronson, he was ‘an African photographer hiding in plain sight’.

    The editors of the book Professors Martha G. Anderson and Lisa Aronson and the contributors, Emeritus Professor E. J. Alagoa, Tam Fiofori and Christraud M. Geary, uncovered 350 of Green’s images in archives (in Britain and the US) publications and even private albums in Nigeria and abroad that celebrate the indigenous and the colonial during Green’s career as a  photographer.

    According to the organisers of the launch, the book ‘unifies these dispersed photographic images of Green and presents a history of the photographer and the area and times in which he worked.’

  • Reps praise Coker’s tourism drive

    Reps praise Coker’s tourism drive

    THE House of Representatives has commended the domestic tourism agenda promotion and development drive of the Director-General Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorusho Coker.

    Chairman House Committee on Tourism, Culture and Information, Hon. Ogbeide-Ihama Omoregie, said with the clear-cut vision of NTDC boss and his focus on domestic tourism, Nigeria will soon correct the anomalies in the tourism sector.

    Speaking at 2018 budget defence, Hon. Omoregie charged the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed to take the campaign for better attention and funding for tourism to the Federal Executive Council meeting in order to actualise the progressive plans for the industry.

    Hon. Omoregie, who described tourism as a veritable tool for enhancing national unity, generating huge revenue for government, creating jobs and drastically eradicates poverty in the nation, declared the support of the House for NTDC.

    “We will support and partner with NTDC to ensure tourism growth in Nigeria, to explore it’s potentialities in infusing unity among Nigerians, generate good revenue for government, create employment for our people, and put money in their pockets,” Omoregiesaid.

    He, however, disclosed the decision of the House to kick against the sale of the National Theatre, while calling on the Minister of Information and Culture to wade into it and resolve the internal crisis in the establishment.

    The committee made a case for an intense focus on domestic tourism, saying: “We have to develop our tourism assets, destinations, cultural heritage and festivals. Mambilla Plateau, Ojude-Oba and National Parks, among innumerable others, are there for us to develop and explore to woo foreign tourists and better the lots of our dear nation and her good people.”

    Coker while defending the corporation’s budget for 2018, described tourism as big business, disclosing his intention to focus on domestic tourism, “to make the best use of what we have and consume more of Nigeria, while using technology as a pivotal tool.”

    Putting global tourism revenue at over $8trillion and employment at over 300million, the NTDC boss revealed that over the years, Nigeria has been fortunate to develop new forms of cultural expression, “like our music, which is huge around the world; our Nollywood is number two in the world; our fashion is simply superb, with our fashion designers competing at international level; our food, our religion enjoy good attention globally. These show how rich we are in tourism assets.

    It is now for us to decide what we want and the ingredients needed, then put them together to prepare a sumptuous tourism meal to be enjoyed by our nation.”

     

     

  • When theatre plays the oracle

    When theatre plays the oracle

    An hour and 30 minutes was all it took to chronicle the socio-economic history of Nigeria and provide a prophecy of how matters will turn out in the country.

    The venue was the Lagos Country Club at Ikeja and the event was a staging of Femi Osofisan’s Once upon Four Robberson. Indeed, drama, a well-known tool of social commentary, played the oracle in this performance and the audience constituted the prophet, delivering the words of the oracle. Ibadan playhouse, the theatre group staging the performance, has a habit of staging a play every month at the same venue.

    The theatre troupe kicked off two years ago and aims to use theatre as a means of charity. They prefer to have people coming to watch their performances and inviting others to come than sending donations, for the aim is not to rake in inordinate profits, but to spread the theatre gospel. In fact, the first Sunday of next month is billed to witness a restaging of Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel.

    The play opens with the execution of a robber – whose luck had found the door and made rapid use of it – at the Bar Beach in Lagos during the military era. After the execution, his fellow purloiners meet at the spot of his execution and reminisce the good old days. Along comes a Muslim cleric, Aafa, with a diabolic glint in his eye, and two of the robbers, Hassan and Angola, try to send him to the grave. The cleric instantly enchants them with a mystical spell and they soon find themselves bowing and scraping in prayer.

    After extensive negotiation with Alhaja and Major, the other two pilferers, the enchanter releases Hassan and Angola from his spell and even agrees to give them a charm to facilitate their robbery on the condition that they do not rob the poor, they onlyrob public places and they do not kill. They agree and he gives each of them a quarter of the required spell so that they can only use it together. They make two successful raids on the market with the spell, which works by making unsuspecting victims dance and go to sleep.

    On the second raid, Major tries to double-cross them by stealing from them after they have stolen from the market, but some soldiers appear at the scene and lodge a bullet in him. The remaining robbers fly to the three winds while the soldiers pocket the stolen cash. Consequently, despite Major’s treachery, the remaining robbers try to rescue him on the day of his execution and are halfway there when the play asks the audience to choose which party wins – the robbers or the soldiers.

    Marxist in plot and diction, the play ran the risk of appearing tedious from the get-go due to the sombre ambience of the opening scene, an execution. There was no distinct opening glee, for indeed, a revolution needs no prologue; all it requires is a spark to get things going. When decisive bullets had despatched Alani, the lead robber, played by a defiant looking Ojo Williams, the tempo switches to high-octane repartee delivery as the robbers argue whether to retire or avenge Alani. Creditably, thespians of the Ibadan Playhouse (the performing theatre troupe) said they memorised and regurgitated long stretches of ‘quadrulogue’, for so we must refer to a snappy argument between four characters.

    They held forte on stage until Aafa, played by Fisayo Akinnibosun, appears and it is imperative to remark here that stage management, if done as properly as a French chef brews his gravy, can have nothing to do with cheesiness. Such was the case as a proper distribution of actors on stage had the overall effect of shooting lines at the audience from all angles of the stage. With your eye continually roving to catch the actor in speech, you would not have the time to sleep. This masterful stroke is not surprising as the director, Muyideen Oladapo, often known on TV as Lala, is no greenhorn at directing.

    A graduate of the Department of Dramatic Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he noted: “Drama is changing rapidly. People no longer want to watch the classic texts of the first and second generation playwrights. They need something new, so if you are going to stage a classic, then you need to revolutionise it. I had to tweak a few things to make it more entertaining.

    ‘’Entertainment was certainly up for grabs as the play, not reliant on excessive use of spectacle, played adequately on farcical choreography, avoided slapstick as much as possible, and did what a complete satire should do; criticise certain societal ills. This is, particularly, true as Major, played by Samuel Oladehinde, utters the following anti-oppression remarks as he is about to be executed, “Today the law is on the side of those who have, and in abundance… But tomorrow that law will change. The poor will seize it and twist its neck.”

    Shortly after that, Angola (Funsho Ayodele), Alhaja (Adedolapo Adesuyi) and Hassan (Segun Adeyemi) swoop in and do a dare devil act in rescuing him. That was certainly not his day to die.

    It is never easy to stage a satire and not turn it into a comedy, Osofisan’s message when writing the play was to speak against socio-economic oppression, and the test to determine if his message has been passed is that quiz at the end that asks the audience to determine who has the day; the robbers or the soldiers.

    Oladapo noted prior to the performance that the robbers almost always win the debate, and as it was those many years ago, so it was last Sunday.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • YABA Art School honours Oshinowo

    In continuation of the celebration of one of Nigeria’s legendary artists Mr. Kolade Oshinowo, who turned 70 this month, the School of Art, Design and Printing Technology, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, is holding a group art exhibition in his honour.

    The show’s  theme Tribute to Oshinowo @ 70 will feature a wide range of media, such as drawings, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, printmaking, textile designs, mixed media and installation art. It will hold from February 23 to March 22 at the Yusuf Grillo Art Gallery.

    Oshinowo retired from YABATECH as a Chief Lecturer on February28, 2008.

    Organising Committee Chairman, Mr Pius Egiolamhen, said the show is also to announce the disposition of the school to resuscitate its annual art exhibition, which started in 1989, but experienced some break.

    “We are conscious of the fact that contemporary art is moving towards the direction of science and it is an opportunity for the artists to collaborate with other schools in the college in the areas of design and fabrication to meet the needs of 21st century artistic endeavour,” he added.

    Some of the participating artists are Rukeme Noserime, Mike Omoighe, OluAmoda, Pius Egiolamhen, Toni Ogunde, Emodi Tonie, Dr Ndubuisi Chinyere, Aderinsoye Aladegbongbe, Titi Omoighe, Adeola Balogun, Dr Irokanulo Emmanuel, Odun Orimolade, Emah Idiong,  Sodade Ayoola, Dr Kunle Adeyemi, Raqib Bashorun and Sorunke Taiwo.

    Others are Omoligho Udenta, Akinwande Festus, Lemon Abigail, DrShoyinka Grace, Adeyemo Akeem, Akano Benjamin, Patience Anthony-Euba, Shade Thompson, Stella Awoh, Nwosu BafiliaAmaka, NwadeJachi, Nwaopara Jane, Tajudeen Adeyoola, Olusesan Oresile, Adetayo Olubunmi, among others.

    According to a statement by the organisers, the yearly exhibition is to create a platform for the lecturers in the school to showcase innovative ideas in visual expression.

    “This is a move in the direction of building bridges to link the various departments in the school to the public, as well as enriching the students’ knowledge in their field of specialisation. We desire that the effort will foster a synergy between the schools in the college and some major industries.

    “More so, it creates an avenue for the school to link up with the art collectors, critics, art writers and art lovers who are constantly waiting on the artists for innovative ideas. Obviously, our students are in factual position to benefit immensely from the outcome of the exhibition and other innovations associated with the collaborations,” the statement said.

  • Youths urged to add value to society

    Youths have been urged to add value to their society by discovering their God-given talents and harnessing them the right way.

    An author, Paul Okoogwa, gave  this charge on Sunday during the launch of his book entitled: “You can make a difference”, at Igando, Lagos State.

    He urged youths to love God, work in line with His will and start taking steps to advance their life.

    “The book would be of benefit to Nigeria because change comes from within. If everybody can live right and make a difference, the country would be a better place. This book is to get the readers stirred up, transformed and to do something different towards reaching their destination in Ife.”

    He said the book showed the love of God for humanity and how humans can love God back in return, by living in conformity to His will.

    A senior Pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Emmanuel Okoogwa, said in the state of hopelessness among youths, the book would enable them to be inspired and purpose driven.

    “It is a spiritual book, the spiritual controls the physical. The content is loaded and anyone that reads the book would not remain the same again,” he said.

    He urged youths to be less materialistic.

    “Those who would make a difference in their world must have ideas, they must be less materialistic and they must seek God,” he said.

    Pastor John Sholesi of the MFM Youth Church said it was time  youths  made a difference in the country.

    “This is the time for us to rise up from our sleep and do something exceptional. This book would be an encounter to a lot of people, their potential would come out and they would do great things in the world.

    “Youths need to come out, we have a lot to do for our nation. We need to do our best for the development of Nigeria. It is our responsibility to stay in the country and make it a better place for ourselves. This book would enable everyone who reads it to make a difference. Youths should let their voice be heard, register and vote,” Okoogwa added.

    He described the author as obedient, disciplined and focused, urging him to continue along that line.