Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

Group exhibition First Rhythm, organised by Printmakers Association of Nigeria, will hold at the Quintessence Gallery, Parkview, Ikoyi, Lagos on Saturday, October 28.
It will feature works of Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, Associate Prof Salubi Onakufe, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, Omoh Sophia Igbinovia, Timipre Willis-Amah, Mike Omoighe, Juliet Ezenwa Maja-Pearce, Moses Unokwa, Ojo Olaniyi, Bode Olaniran, Pius Emokpo, Inyang Effiong and a host of other great artists.
It is uncommon for Nigerian printmakers to gather under one roof to share practice, learn from each other and exhibit. This exhibition, according to the organisers, is the beginning of an adventure and Quintessence is happy to be part of the journey. “First Rhythm will feature many prints, which have never been on public display before and many of the works convey a sense of community and have formed new narratives. They are demanding, and exciting methods that will invite questions from admirers of the techniques,” the organisers said.
The exhibition is borne out of the desire to place printmaking formally in the public eye so as to increase the collections in homes and permanent archives. It is also the desire of the association to make a lasting impression in the promotion of new developments in printmaking. The printmaking techniques, the experimental and contemporary approach have becomes matters for public discussion.
Printmaking is the art of creating prints from an artwork with that element of originality that differentiates it from photographic reproduction. The methods of printing include lithography, etching, serigraphy, plastocasts and relief.
It took the introduction of graphic method of Intaglio printmaking in workshops by Rudolf Harold van Rossen, a Dutch artist, in 1963 and 1964, to prompt Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya to change from painting to pursuing printmaking as a career. Bruce has continued to investigate Urhobo folklores through which his works unfold. Today, Prof Onobrakpeya has lots of disciples.

Following the barage of criticisms that trailed the recently unveiled Awolowo statue in Ikeja Lagos, Hamza Atta, the sculptor who created the monumental piece, explains the concept and execution of the public art. 

I was in Abuja few days ago and they were all talking of the great significance of what the Lagos State Government is doing in creating awareness of our arts and culture. In my opinion, creating monuments and memorials needs to be part of our urban policy and urban design. Not only does it enliven communities, but these works of art serve as an expression of common community values and preserve the heritage of our country.

 What was the concept behind the sculpture?

When we were asked by Terra Kulture to carry out our interpretation of this great man, our first course was to research him further. Pa Awolowo was a great reader and thinker and this is the aspect of him that we wanted to capture. Awo had mental magnitude; he recognised that in this changing world brain power as opposed to brawn was where we must invest, especially in the youth. That is why he extolled education and a minimum wage and the benefits of this vision are seen throughout this nation.

The sitting posture of the new monument, keeps him in good company. The statue of arguably the most famous of the American Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was done with him sitting majestically. It was this majesty that we sought to capture in our depiction of him – a leader of men. A standing Awo has been done several times before. Our philosophy is not to copy but to create original works of art.

We only feel joy when we see the droves of people who have been making their way to its location to take pictures alongside this great man. That was the intention of Lagos State and that is what we hoped that we would assist Lagos State to achieve.

This is community art that we hope will create attachment and pride in one’s community and a desire to make things better for all. We also hope that it inspires all citizens to read about this great man and learn lessons from what he was able to achieve. Our youth should be trying to implement all the good things that they learn from great leaders. As a result of this sculpture I also have learnt so much of what this great son of Nigeria achieved and sacrificed on behalf of Nigeria. I am ecstatic that in all the noise, no one has said that it does not look like him!

There has also been much talk of his shoes and the fact that they are laced. Pa Awolowo did also wear shoes with laces but to be very honest it was because of the detail that we wanted to put into the sculpture that we chose to sculpt laced shoes. It is an expression of our art and attention to detail. We never foresaw that it would create such controversy. Our intention was to show that his were large shoes to fill.

We feel that we have participated in something that is home-grown and celebrates our own. This is what we have to do to create awareness, inspire and give confidence to our youth. Can you imagine the kind of confidence a Mandela, Martin Luther King and even our Barack Obama have given to the black race and to humanity as a whole?

We have local champions here and I am delighted that Lagos State and their wonderful Governor Ambode see it fit to honour a national leader, even though he was not from Lagos State.

This is the kind of inclusion that we must have in our country if Nigeria is to be great. We must celebrate our own.

• Atta is with Polystyrene Industries Ltd, Abuja

OVER 100 books were distributed at this year’s edition of the Lions Club International World Literacy Day at Aunty Ayo International School, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Tagged: “Every Child Must Read No Child Must be Left Behind”, the event, which was organised by Ikoyi Lions Club, had in attendance 105 secondary school pupils.

Its President, Lion Soledotun Karim-Yusuf, lamented that reading culture dies everyday in the Nigerian youth, stressing that it was because of the waning reading culture that the club took the initiative to donate books to secondary school pupils to encourage them to read.

“There is a need to reiterate the reading culture in Nigerian youth, not only to enable them speak correct English, but to open their minds to a world that they did not exist. It is quite sad that most youths do not utilise their library. We want to help change the popular perception of a black man as someone, who does not read. We, in Lions Club, particularly in Ikoyi, are concerned about the future of our children. Great minds are readers,” she said.

The 145 books were donated to pupils of Grace School, Gbagada; Aunty Ayo International School, Ikoyi, and adult participants at the event.

The Principal, Aunty Ayo International School, Mr. Femi Agbede, said reading takes one to places one never thought of going. “When you read you meet so many great people through the books they have written and those that were written about them.

“Reading gives a perspective of the world and helps you figure out what you can do to make it a better place. When you read, you acquire vocabularies and this helps you to express yourself and goes a long way to boost your confidence. I am pained by the dearth of the reading culture among our youths, that’s why initiatives like what the Ikoyi Lions Club has done is commendable and should be encouraged,” he said.

The guest speaker, a Senior Correspondent with The Nation, Evelyn Osagie, encouraged the pupils to open their minds and take up reading as a favourite pastime. While quoting the former United States President Barack Obama, Osagie noted that most geniuses and leaders of thought are also avid readers. She said: “Obama describes reading as a gateway skill that makes all other learning possible. According to him, if you know how to read, then the whole world opens up to you. Indeed, reading has a lot of advantages, you learn about the world around you and beyond: people, places and more. It teaches you character as explained by the late American poet, Maya Angelou, ‘any book that helps a child to form the habit of reading is good for him’. It helps you to conquer fear and gives you the power of knowledge.

“Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka while talking about the immense power reading of books has over tyranny, observed that ‘Books and all forms of writing are terror to those, who wish to suppress the truth’. “Reading not only opens you to the world of knowledge around us, it takes you to places that you’ve not been before.” she said.

Osagie also performed a poem: Under the Iroko Tree from the late Soji Simpson’s Poetry Collection, ‘Meditations’ as compiled by his brother, Femi. While linking the poem to the political scenery in Nigeria, Osagie submitted that though the poet went missing in his youth 43 years ago, his poem has remained relevant today.

“I encourage you to imbibe the habit of reading. And if it is already one your hobbies, then, I urge you to read ferociously; read as if you are looking for something you’ve lost. But it’s not enough to only read and dump a book for another one. It’s important to document your thoughts too. You should write down various bits of your life. Always have a jotter and pen handy so you can write down snippets of your thoughts as they come to you. Remember, like the late Soji Simpson, he never dies, his words live on long after he has gone,” she said.

The Project Committee Chairperson, Lion Abdul KarimYusuf stressed that the event was one of the activities planned for the centenary celebration of the Lions Club, which was founded in 1979 with its headquarters in Chicago.

“We have selected some activities to celebrate the existence of the Lions Club for 100 years. Aside from the Community Reading Project, the club also plans to feed the hungry, provide medical and surgical empowerment, a pediatric-cancer activity for kids living with cancer and medical assistance for the diabetic patients,” he said.

According to him, the International Literacy Day is set aside to promote literacy as an instrument to empower and stress the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.

The Organising Committee of the 19th session of the Carthage Theatrr Festival has called for entries from Tunisian, Arab and African professional theatre troops into the competition section and the parallel programming section. The entries should be sent to the Director of the Carthage Theater Days, which will hold in Tunis from December 8 to 16. Applications can be sent by e-mail or by post to the Director of the Carthage Theater Days not later than 16 October at the following address: 16 bis rue de l’Autriche, Belvedere, 1002 Tunis – Tunisia. For further in formations, please contact e-mail: contact@jtc.tn, by fax: 0021671786829 or by phone: 0021671280678.

The application should contain the followings: completed application form (download from www.jtc.tn), a biography of the author, the director, the actors and the technicians along with their photos, synopsis as well as a presentation of the concept of the theatrical show explaining the dramatic, aesthetic and staging approach, technical sheet with all the scenic elements needed as well as the sound and light technical requirements. Also to be included are attestation of their first performance, specifying the date and the place along with photos of the theatrical performance, the press kit with all the critical and media elements as well as the poster of the show and an audiovisual recording of the show in high resolution.

A statement by the director of the Carthage Theater Days said the first performance of the applying show must have taken place after the close of the 18th session of the Carthage Theatre Days 2016. It should also be noted that the selection committee reserves the right to choose or approve nominations for the official competition as well as the parallel programming and to refuse any work that does not share the values of the festival.

The approved entries will be taken care of by the Carthage Theater Days in terms of accommodation and internal transport.