The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Behold the Forbidden City

    Behold the Forbidden City

    Looking at the entrance, a first timer would not know what lay ahead. The Forbidden City lay quietly in between the Tenement Square and the vast Palace Museum; built during the Ming and Quing dynasties. It represents the enduring and resplendent civilisation of China in many ways through its magnificent architecture; displays of the palace as it was originally furnished; through galleries of Chinese calligraphy and paintings; bronzes; ceramics; jewelry; clocks and other art works from ancient times.

    The Forbidden City accommodates 50,000 visitors daily. Onward they marched in their number. Young, old, men and women from various tribes and races. A wide stretch of land with brilliant architectural designs. Each section was thronged with spectators and tourists alike. Even the natives were not left out.

    The construction of the Forbidden City began in 1407 and was completed in 1420, covering approximately 780,000 square meters. With 9,999 rooms encircled by a 10 meter- high wall, the Forbidden City stands as the highest and most well preserved complex in China. The labourers were well paid to be able to build such nice edifice.

    All the buildings were made of wood and became very dangerous during the dry season. It has been burnt down twice after being struck by lightning in 1420 and 1670. Rebuilt 240 years ago, it has 85 percent of its original plan. Now, there are pins on the roofs to checkmate this. Each building had animals carvings on it.

    Every wooden door in the palace had carvings made of pure gold. Its artistic designs left many in awe.

    The Forbidden City, being a palace of feudal power is divided into two: the outer and inner courts. The outer court was where the emperor held grand ceremonies. In it were: the Hall of Supreme Harmony; the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony; the Hall of Literary Brilliance and the Hall of Marital Valour.

    The inner court, where the emperor dealt with routine government affairs and lived with his empress and concubines, contains: the Palace of Heavenly Purity; the Hall of Union; the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

    Following the completion of the Forbidden City, it served as residence for 24 emperors from both dynasties. The different buildings were for different functions. It was called The Forbidden City because nobody was allowed into the complex. It was strictly for the emperor, his family members and palace workers.

     

    The Hall of Supreme Harmony

    This refers to the harmonious co-existence of all creatures in heaven and on earth. In it, important events were held including: celebrations for the New Year; the winter solstice; the emperor’s birthday; enthronement ceremonies; imperial weddings; coronation of empresses and the launching of major military expeditions.

    It features the highest level of decoration with a gold-lacquered throne carved with dragon designs occupies the middle of the hall. Above this throne hangs a tablet. The floor is paved with square bricks made of fine clay.

    Around the Palace were 308 simple yet elegant copper and iron vases to be used for firefighting and were usually filled with water. Whenever the temperatures become low, charcoal will be burnt underneath to prevent the water from freezing. But it was never enough to keep the Palace from burning.

     

    Empress Dowager Chongqing

    In an era when family and state formed a unified system, a son’s position fundamentally affected that of his mother. Consequently, the empress dowager enjoyed supreme status. Even the emperor would refer to himself as her son and subject.

    She lived in the Palace of Longevity and Health for 42 years.

    She was highly regarded for her great virtue and benevolence and for keeping the palace in harmony, for treating her subordinates well and for not intervening in state affairs. So, the Qianlong Emperor, who sought to be the model of filial piety paid the highest respects to her, served her with great reference and showed her his respect by conferring her with nine honorary titles on different occasions.

    In imperial practice, the length and prestige of her title reflects the great esteem her son held for her.

    She died at 86 as one of China’s longest queen mothers.

     

    The life of the Emperor

    The inner courts were the Emperor’s residence where he sits in power till he dies. He is stuck there, because his security is of paramount. That explains why there are no trees.

    The Emperor stays there most of the time in the evening and night. There, he systematically chooses a concubine from a UNIX. For each night, one is chosen either for diplomatic reasons or sometimes, for physical.

    Sometimes, the emperor’s life is not so sweet. He has no freedom of movement and is lonely most of the time.

     

  • Moyo Ogundipe: A couple of good cuts

    Moyo Ogundipe: A couple of good cuts

    Prof MOYO OKEDIJI, a Nigerian scholar at the University of  Texas in Austin, United States, pays tribute to a renowned artist and award-winning television producer/director Moyo Ogundipe, who died on March 1. He was 69. 

    out of an entire lifetime, if you can get a good five-minute cut, that’s a treasure,”Moyo Ogundipe reminisced last time we spoke in the middle of the summer, in Austin, Texas. We were looking back and looking forward. “Of all the precious moments you collect into your priceless cuts of memory, the most important moment is now,” he concluded. We were reading a painting he was giving me as a parting gift. The title of the painting: “An Opera: Xylem of Being.”

     

    2004

    Moyo Ogundipe climbed out of his bed and, totally nude, sauntered from bedroom to sitting room where I lounged sipping my coffee really black, dragging on a Turkish cigarette. I surveyed him from head to toe, before rebuking, “Next time, could you wear something, please?”

    “Was it for real?” he asked. “It really happened, right? This is for real?”

    “What is for real?” I responded.

    “What happened yesterday? Did we really have that mind-blowing opening of my solo exhibition at the Denver Art Museum? Did we have such an unbelievable crowd at the reception? Did the interview with television stations really take place?” he asked me. I had never seen him so excited before. “You need to calm down, Sir Mo,” I responded.

     

    1989

    “Do you know the meaning of all this bombing?”Ogundipe asked me. He did not wait for me to answer. “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

    “What do you mean?” I asked.

    “It’s now totally an American world,” Ogundipe said. “Moyo, you have to go to America. You’ll love it. We must go to America and enjoy its fleeting years of freedom. It’s going to be available for next 20 years and it would be gone. Let’s go to America.”

    “But what is Bush bombing Saddam got to do with it?” I asked him.

    “This ongoing war (The Dessert Storm) is the official start of a world dominated by America. Let’s go to America and watch it happen. You’ll love it. The US will be the centre till 2020.”

    2020 sounded so futuristic in 1989. I told him, as always, “America, not for me.”

     

    1974

    I was a first-year undergraduate at the University of Ife and was having an interview for a summer job at the WNTV (Western Nigeria Television) in Ibadan. I arrived Ibadan the day before my interview schedule. The television authorities lodged me at a guest house in Apata, far from the location of the WNTV. The Director of Programmes, who did the interview, assured me that they would find my “art gifts” useful at the Art Department of the television station. He asked his administrative assistant to type out a contract for me. She offered me coffee and I accepted the offer, thus she set aside the task of typing my contract letter to make me the coffee. I sat patiently, waiting, for her to get out the coffee things, but every second ticked like an hour. I just wanted my contract.

    In walked a young man, certainly some 10 years older than me, but a century ahead of me in terms of polish, poise and personality. He wore jeans pants and a tan jacket over white shirt with no tie. He nodded in my direction and smiled at the lady making my coffee, who said: “He is waiting for you, Mr. Ogundipe. Please go inside,” nodding in the direction of the office of Director of Programmes.

    He said: “Thank you,” to the woman, opened the door and went into the DOP’s office. I asked the lady, “Who is that?” She answered: “Mr. Moyo Ogundipe. He just interviewed for position of deputy producer.Both of you share the same first name of Moyo. And you are both artists. He graduated from the university where you are studying.”

    “Oh, that’s the Moyo Ogundipe?”I exclaimed. “I’ve heard so much about him.”

     

    1978

    I returned to the university at Ife after graduating to start teaching and begin a career in the world of art and academy. Locally, I was stoking a reputation for making bad posters and my services were in high demand. I loved drawing these black and white phantoms, and if you wanted to make posters of them, good luck. Theater and drama directors including, Ola Rotimi, Chuck Mike, Wole Soyinka and Kole Omotosho were already working with me to make bad posters for their productions.

     

    1979

    “Mo, how you dey?”Moyo Ogundipe knocks on my door. I lived in the Boy’s Quarters of Dr. Kole Omotosho, a professor of African languages and literatures at the University of Ife. With me, in one tiny room, lived Lolu Akingbola. He was a colleague of Moyo Ogundipe at the WNTV at Ibadan. Lolu was famous nationally as a gifted newscaster. But one day, Lolu became part of my world at Ife.

    I returned from classes one day, and packed my car at the side of the house as usual. I opened the door, and saw a man in my bed. It was Lolu Akingbola. He was sleeping and I did not wake him. Later in the evening, he woke up and we shared a drink.

    “Here,” Lolu announced. “I’m here to join you.”

    “What of your work at the Television House?” I asked.

    “I’ve given it all up,” Lolu said. “To come and join you at Ife.”

    “Sure. That’s really what you wanna do?” I asked him.

    “At least for now,” he responded. “Suits me,” I agreed. He knew what he wanted.

    Two weeks after Lolu left Ibadan to move in with me at Ife, Moyo Ogundipe knocked on the door. I gave him a cold beer, and Lolu joined us. “So, this rascal is now living with you,” Ogundipe said, as we began to talk art, drink and smoke.”Yes,’ Lolu declared. “Na Ife man dey now o.I de my jejeley here with Moyo.”

    Ogundipe narrated his plan to use the television to stage a grand return of Fela to Nigeria. Fela was living a nomadic life as he moved to find a home for his music. Soon after Fela left Nigeria for Ghana, the government of Ghana was deporting Nigerians from  Ghana.Fela left Ghana for a short spell in the United States. The military regime in Nigeria had destroyed his properties and business in Lagos. Fela just returned from Berlin where he caused a sensation with his 50-person band, creating a permanent atmosphere of wahala that was waiting to scatter in such an explosive mix of music, entertainment and heroic sexuality. What was often understated at that time was the progressive politics, which was Ogundipe’s favorite interest in Fela’s music.

    “Fela,” Ogundipe informed me, “is now available in Lagos and I want to stage a nationwide promotion of his music.” “Good,” I responded. “Where you come in, Moyo, is this.” Ogundipe paused for effect. “I want you to make the meanest of the bad posters you’ve ever made for me. I want it now because I want the promo to start now.” “We’ll do it,” I assured him.

    Six weeks later, the lavish show opened at the Amphitheater of the University of Ife, in 1979. It was a huge success for Fela’s career and a made for television feast rounding up the seventies.

     

    2000

    Ogundipe had completed his master’s degree at the esteemed Maryland Institute College of Art, and I had just joined the Denver Art Museum as a curator for African and Oceanic arts. I was passionate about showing the new art works that Africans were producing, and I wanted to bring the new art to Denver. It soon became clear to me there was no better strategies than for me to bring Moyo Ogundipe in conversation with existing works in the Denver Art Museum. He decided to move from Maryland to Colorado after we talked.

    I went with my friend Elizabeth to pick Moyo Ogundipe up at the Greyhound Bus station in Denver, CO. It was early February morning, but it was not snowing or even chilly. His load was light: only a few paintings rolled up and a small traveling case. I drove him back home. The two-bedroom apartment was perfect for us both.  I showed him his bedroom, and showed him my bedroom. The sitting room we held in common as studio and study. We stayed like that for four of the most productive years for both of us.

    That evening, as we sat down to unwind after dinner, and we began to celebrate with wine and smoke, listening to Fela’s “Open and Close, I explained my mission to him.

    “Sir Mo,” I called his attention….

    “Please, please, ah beg, ah beg. Na you knight me!” he remonstrated as usual.

    “Seriously, Sir. Mo,” I said. “I need from you the meanest solo show at the Denver Art Museum. Even if we have to start from the scratch, from going to get paint and canvas from the stores, take a long sleep and we begin work tomorrow.”

    Sir. Mo nodded and we raised a toast to a great show.

    Six months later, Moyo Ogundipe’s solo work was showing and he was the toast of the art world at the biggest art museum of the Rocky Mountains. And now he was standing before me in the nude pondering the faint line between real and dream.

     

    2017

    “Our friend, Moyo Ogundipe has passed on this morning,” Tunde Fagbenle’s baritone announced. Something skipped in my mind as it said: “Out of an entire lifetime, if you can get a good five-minute cut, that’s a treasure; Moyo Ogundipe got a couple of good days,” looking into the galaxies of colours prancing in the musical notes of the fathomless operatic painting he gifted me.

     

  • Toward a workable Nigeria

    Toward a workable Nigeria

    Nigeria is not working as it is currently constituted. There is a clear and present danger that the country may fall apart if something is not done urgently to restructure the ship of state. The rage in many quarters of the country is the call for restructuring. Of course, this is easier said than done. It is, indeed, noteworthy that Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba, a committed journalist, who was elected into the Imo State House of Assembly, has given his remarkable insight into making the Nigerian federation work in his book: Reinventing Nigeria – The Plebisciterian Option. He calls the new form of democratic government he recommends for the country “Plebisciterianism”.

    Emelumba traces democracy back to Ancient Greece wherein, according to him, “The Greeks, who invented democracy, were responding to the challenges of their small city-states.” Democracy by direct rule of the people as practiced by the Greeks later gave place to the concept of democracy as a representative government in Medieval Europe. In the march of civilisation there were byways of monarchies, dictatorships, ideologies, parliamentary and presidential democracies etc. Emelumba puts his case upfront thus: “Africa, including Nigeria, as the last historical victim of colonial onslaught, seems to be stuck, and even satisfied, with experimenting with the democratic inventions bequeathed to her by Europe and America. This should not be so. The peculiarity of Nigeria, given its unique historical and cultural diversity, demands otherwise. We cannot afford to be stuck with any model of democracy as though it were sacrosanct or gospel. We must rise to the challenge of our complex society and think of the model of government that will best serve our purpose. We may be stuck with the broad concept of democracy, since the evidence of history has shown that it is the best form of government, but not with any particular model.”

    Reinventing Nigeria – The Plebisciterian Option is Ememelumba’s response to Frantz Fanon’s clarion call in his seminal anti-colonial book The Wretched of the Earth, to wit, “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” For Emelumba, Project Nigeria is not working because only the “beneficiaries of the flawed Nigerian federal project pretend that it is working.” From the very beginning, Emelumba asserts: “The Amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914, which gave birth to Nigeria, was done by fiat, not by the consent of the people.” Nigeria existed as a divided nation such that the South would have wanted self-rule by 1957 even as the North wanted the matter deferred because the region was not ready. Even as Nigeria gained flag independence on October 1, 1960, there was so much distrust amongst the diverse ethnic nationalities. He cites a 1942 statement of the Sultan of Sokoto as having “urged the southerners who desired a united Nigeria to embrace Islam.” Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who later became Nigeria’s first prime minister has this 1947 quote to his name: “I should like to make it clear that if the British quitted Nigeria now at this state, the northern people would continue their interrupted conquest to the sea.”

    Amid the contradictions, the January 1966 coup took place and in time charges of “Igbo domination” hit the rafters. Then the July 1966 northern revenge coup happened, intervolving pogroms, the fratricidal three-year civil war and predatory military dictatorship. Emelumba deposes that military decrees such as the Land Use Decree, the Revenue Allocation Decree, the NYSC Decree, and the Federal Character Decree rendered Nigeria’s federal project prostrate. The creation of what Emelumba calls “monarchical presidency” in an all-powerful federal government thus makes for “a federal arrangement that has become extractive, because it concentrates more on what values it can extract from the people than the values it can allocate to them.” In writing Reinventing Nigeria, Emelumba aims at bringing forth “a federal project that will be more inclusive of the nationalities that make up Nigeria.”

    Thomas Hobbes in his classic Leviathan underscores the need for the Social Contract that elicits the making of a real state unlike the state of nature as epitomized by Nigeria in which life is “nasty, brutish and short.” Nigerian constitutions are almost always written by the military only to fraudulently append the lie: “We, the people.”

    In his elucidation of “Plebisciterianism”, Emelumba proposes that “there shall be zero elections at the federal level, and that the states and regions shall indirectly elect both an executive president and a prime minister.” He goes further to propose: “1. There shall be, as in India, both regional and state governments. 2. The regions shall be the federating units. 3. There shall be a mixture of both presidential and parliamentary systems of government, or put simply, a plebiscitarian democracy.”

    In the Emelumba structure, the subsisting six-geo-political zones of today shall be constituted into regional governments which will serve as the federating units, boasting of its own constitution, its own police, and managing its own natural resources. The region can create additional states to reflect and accommodate the ethnic diversities therein. As the federating units, the six regions will necessarily “meet and agree on powers to be given to the centre, provided that they will include powers over currency, foreign policy, defence etc.” The agreements will be subject to a referendum. In “The Plebisciterian Option”, according to Emelumba, “The leader of the party that wins the majority of the seats in the parliament becomes the president of the country. The leader of the party that wins the second-most seats in the parliament becomes the prime minister.” In regard to the regional governments, Emelumba proposes: “Every region shall have a governor-general, who will be elected by the states that make up the region. The governor-general shall be a member of the presidential council, which will meet every quarter to approve government policies. Every state shall have a governor that is elected by the people of that state.” The minutiae of the proposals cannot be elaborated here. It suffices to stress that Emelumba makes a strong case for the accommodation of almost all interests, majority and minority alike.

    A major highlight is a change of name for the dear nation such that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall become the United Nationalities of Nigeria (UNN). This must not be mistaken for the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)!

    The critical structures of the new order such as the electoral body, the judiciary, and the security agencies are given considerable attention by Emelumba. He ends with a graphic illustration of the new federal structure of the proposed United Nationalities of Nigeria.

    Emelumba has indeed written a thought-provoking book. It is praiseworthy that this generation of Nigerians are thinking deeply about the dire problems of the country and committing their thoughts to the printed word. Emelumba’s work obviously bodes well for Nigeria, but the catch can be seen in the saying that Peter Mbadiwe Ezeala calls forth in the in the Preface to Reinventing Nigeria, that is, “the devil is in the details.” No matter how perfectly a constitution is made it will still be operated by human beings. It is difficult to do away with the phrase: “All things being equal…” Things never end up being equal. That’s why even the Titanic sank. As the musician sings, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” There’s the necessary correction to be made because what is written on the cover is “plebisciterian” while the inside pages bear “plebiscitarian”.

    Mankind must continue to dream of worthy causes. Emelumba dares to dream despite the dire dimensions of the Nigeria sphere. His proposal deserves urgent consideration. Emelumba’s patriotic duty through his book Reinventing Nigeria – The Plebisciterian Option deserves national recognition.

     

  • Hard battle against piracy

    Hard battle against piracy

    Why is the Federal Ministry of Justice’s presentation of the reviewed Nigerian Copyright Draft Bill to the Senate being delayed? This is the question stakeholders from the academia and creative industry gathered at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in Lagos to tackle. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME was at the seminar.

    •58 per cent of products in circulation is pirated

    for many years, the war against piracy  has been fought on many fronts. Stakeholders, such as right owners, the Copyright Commission, collecting management organisations, security agencies and the judiciary, have battled pirates to no end.

    Penultimate Saturday, a special event with the theme: “Innovation: Improving Lives” was held to commemorate World Intellectual Property Day. It was organised by Copyright X Nigeria Alumni, under the auspices of Cora-Arterial Network Nigeria in conjunction with Harvardx (Copyright X). The event provided a platform for stakeholders to assess how far the Ministry of Justice has gone in the presentation of the Copyright Draft Bill to the National Assembly for hearing.

    It was also to celebrate the Nigerian Copyright X Affiliate Programme with the topic: “Nigerian Copyright Reforms: The Role of Civil Society”.

    Lagos Zonal Director, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. Obi Ezeilo, said the fight against piracy was ongoing, but lamented the commission’s shortcomings, especially in the areas of capacity and logistics.

    Ezeilo, who represented NCC’s Director-General Mr. Afam Ezekude,  said the commission raided five warehouses of books worth millions of naria at Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos. Over 58 per cent of products in the  markets, he said, is pirated.

    According to him, the commission used 10 trucks to evacuate items from the warehouses in a three–day operation. He noted that the commission impounded 28 containers of pirated works valued at over N10 billion.

    Ezeilo, who spoke on Nigerian Copyright Reforms: The Role of Civil Society, called for supports and intelligence reports from civil society groups and collecting management organisations. He explained that a Draft Bill has been sent to the Ministry of Justice for harminsation and presentation to the National Assembly for public hearing. He therefore urged stakeholders to pressure the Ministry of Justice to push the Draft Bill reform in order to pass it to the National Assembly.

    Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) Chairman Chief Tony Okoroji stated that government needs to up its game in the battle against piracy noting that wealth is no longer measured by the size of blocks and bricks but by the intellectual property.

    He however commended the organisers and expressed optimism that the CopyrightX participants and the alumni would be the future of copyright advocacy and development in Nigeria.

    In a communiqué issued at the close of the conference, the stakeholders resolved as follows:

    • That we are deeply concerned about the delay in presenting the Nigerian Copyright Draft Bill by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to the Senate to commence public debates and plenary session on it. We hereby call for prompt response and action from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice;
    • That we call on the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), to do a structural re-engineering of its enforcement process for effective operations through advancing its capacity building and man power and adoption of innovative technology etc.;
    • That we call on the NCC to share the final draft bill with major stakeholders, including Copyright X Nigeria Alumni and all participants in the 12-week course;
    • That other professionals such as those of visual artistes and dance guilds etc, be encouraged to have their own Collective Management Organisations (CMOs);
    • That all CMOs, Civil Societies and stakeholders in the creative industry and knowledge economy should activate intelligence efforts to complement the NCC’s effort;
    • That Copyright X Nigeria Alumni is ready to collaborate and work with other key stakeholders in the creative industry and knowledge economy to advance the course of improving the lives and well-being of Nigerians without unnecessary competition and rivalry amongst existing stakeholders and group.

    Other speakers at the conference were Zonal Director (Southwest), National Board for Technology Incubation Dr. Julie Momah; Chairman, Chairperson (Nigeria) Arterial Network Mr Jahman Anikulapo and Dr. Ifeoma Sodeinde.  At the event were Society of Nigerian Artists, President Mr Oliver Enwonwu; Tade Adekunle; Dr Olatunbosun Taofik and Fola Martins, among others.

     

  • Secrets of success, by life coach

    Secrets of success, by life coach

    Call him a mentor, you may not be wrong. But he prefers being called a life coach. Ayo Olanrewaju Benson, a chartered accountant, public speaker and author, takes delight in people and what affects them.”I am passionate about helping people to achieve their full potential in life through my books, seminars, public speaking, among others, he said. In some of his interactions with people, he has come to know some of their challenges. After those appearances,Benson said: ‘’I get calls from people asking me to help improve their situation through coaching. I invited some of them and helped them create  businesses of their dreams or fix a pattern that is recurring, which may prevent them from achieving their full potential.’’

    But he changed tact when he realised that he could not help all who came his way in like manner. He resorted to holding seminars for them. ‘’I organised the seminars to take a group of people and teach them not just skills, but to fire them up emotionally to conquer their fears and realise their dreams.’’

    Of all God’s creatures, Benson noted, only humans may choose not to reach their full potential because ‘’we have a choice! Whether that choice is intentional or not is irrelevant, it is still our choice nonetheless! Trees would grow to reach their full potential, so would animals and birds and so on’’.

    His seminars, he said, were free because he made money from similar venture in the United Kingdom (UK). ‘’When I organise seminars in UK, people pay from 400 pounds and above; if you change that to naira then very few people would have benefited. Since my goal is to make our community better I allowed people to attend for free. You will not believe the fulfilment of people calling to say how things have changed for them in a very short period of time.

    ‘’A young woman, who has been nursing the idea of starting a business for more than five years, came to the seminar and I got a call later, she was brimming with excitement. She told me she just raised enough money to start the business because she was inspired at the seminar to set goals and take prompt actions on her idea. I am very proud that these people, whose lives are gradually changing, would also be an inspiration for others who would think that if that person can do it, I can too. I recorded the seminars so that they may reach more people on www.ayobenson.com’’.

    Opportunities, Benson said, abound at the seminars which participants can benefit from. ‘’The starting point’’, he said, ‘’is that people must know there are opportunities all around us today and my primary role is to teach them to find it. Finding opportunity is just a little part of the challenge, but individuals must take responsibility for their situation to enable them think creatively about making a change. In my seminars, I teach people how to achieve instantaneous change, using the technology called Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). It is a powerful change catalyst that manipulates the mind, use of language and unique method of processing stimuli that leads to rapid change in personal behaviour. Successful people use their mind to attract whatever they want’’.

    Drawing a parallel between why some are successful and some are not, Benson asked : ‘’Have you ever wondered why some people are said to have the Midas touch as everything they touch turn to gold? Well, if you learn how to direct your mind then you too may be able to achieve whatever you set your mind to; this is the key lesson I want people to take away from my seminars.’’

    Money, he noted, is exchange of value; the more valuable you are in the market place the more money you attract. The only way to increase your value is by working on yourself, learning new skills, attending seminars, reading books, searching for innovative ideas etc. The more you increase your value, the more money you attract.

    He is preparing for his next seminar billed to hold on May 27. Tagged: “Breakthrough financial freedom seminar”, it is targeted at those likely to make an impact in the community. According to Benson, there are few people with leadership ability and the way to expand positive influence and change is to groom these leaders to enable them achieve bigger things to make Nigeria better.

    The seminar will cover six distinct areas. Quoting the Bible, he said: ‘’As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,’’ adding: ‘’the foundation of all successes must start from the mind; therefore, I want people to learn how to manipulate their minds to get what they want and avoid what they don’t want. The seminar can be accessed through www.ayobenson.com to register.

    Whatever talent you have, do not wait to use it because you have only today’’. He closed with a quote by Bill Keane: “Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

     

  • Three women writers for Ebedi

    Three women writers for Ebedi

    Once again Ebedi International Writers Residency is having all-women residents.

    The residency based in Iseyin, Oyo State, is playing host to three women writers from Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria – Gloria Mwaniga (Kenya) Cecilia Sefa Amoafowaa (Ghana) and Nana Aisha Abdulqadir (Nigeria).

    The Ebedi International Literary Writers Residency is a private initiative for writers to complete ongoing works in a conducive environment at no cost to the writers. Since its inception about eight years ago, the Residency has hosted over 80 writers from eight African countries. Many of the past Residents (fellows) have used the residency to produce international award winning books. The latest is Ayobami Adebayo a 2016 Ebedi Fellow whose novel, Stay With Me was recently shortlisted for the 2017 Bailey Women’s Prize for Fiction. The new residents, who arrived last month, will stay till the end of May.

    Cecilia is a teacher at the Tamale Senior High School, Tamale, Ghana. She is the Vice President of the Ghana Association of Writers in the Northern Region of Ghana. Cecilia, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, is also the author of the book, Poetry Excursion on an African Mind (2014) which was selected for study for the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic year at her university.  She has also published an online novel entitled: Secondary Rhythms. In addition, she has featured in many publications such as Myjoyonline’s Poetry Delight, the Mirror Newspaper and some online magazines.

    Cecilia, who is a major newscaster on Bishara Radio and a regional newscaster on Savannah Radio in his native Ghana, and President of the Ghana based Autism Help Foundation, will work on her autobiography and another poetry collection during her residency. She will also mentor Iseyin students in the art of story -telling and the preparations of some Ghanaian dishes.

    Gloria is a freelance writer with the Nairobi based Nation Newspaper and the East African Newspaper. She, a graduate of the University of Nairobi, is the author of two children’s books with Moran Publishers (2013 and 2014) as well as the author of a soon to be published paper titled: “Reconstruction of Womanhood in 21st Century Narratives for FEMRITE”.

    Gloria also has Poetry publications in two anthologies ‘Fresh Paint’ by Goethe Institut and Amka Space for Budding Writers, 2010 and 2015. A Certified Script writer and Adjudicator at the 2015 Kenya Schools Drama Festival, Gloria has also written numerous arts and culture articles online at www.nation.co.ke and the eastafrican.co.ke. Her soon to be published short story, BOYI was shortlisted in Writivism.

    Gloria wishes to use her time at the Residency to complete work on a new novel. She will also understudy the art of weaving of Aso Oke by the Iseyin weavers with the hope of imparting her knowledge to students in Iseyin and Nairobi.

    The third writer, Nana Aisha Abdulqadir who is a native of Niger State is a student at the College of Education, Minna.  She has attended many Writers Conferences and Workshops and has had a stint as a Presenter on the Niger State Television Station.

    During her stay in Ebedi, Aisha will complete work on her debut literary books, a novel entitled Icicles of Desire and a poetry collection, What Next. She will also mentor Iseyin students in the art of public elocution and teach them some Hausa and Fulani songs and dance.

     

  • Catching them young

    Catching them young

    Nigerian and Spanish communities recently gathered in Lagos for the launch of FCBESCLA Academy, Lagos, the first in sub-Saharan Africa.  The event, described as a mini-cultural festival, paraded beautiful and well-costumed cultural and traditional dance troupes from the six  geo-political zones of the country, a gifted and talented five-man violin group and most-flexible Sasa dancers that made the experience captivating and a life-time memory.

    The ceremony, which held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, was attended by dignitaries from all walks of life including Lagos State Governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by Mr. Deji Tinubu, chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission.

    Others were Vice President FC Barcelona, Mr. Pau Vilanola; General Manager, FC Bacelona, Mr. Fran Carbo; former Chairman, Punch Newspapers Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, renowned actor and former Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Richard Mofe Damijo; wife of Mr. Leslie Oghomienor, Mrs. Yetunde Oghomienor and Mr. Kayode Adeleke, Vice President, Russel Smith Group, among others.

    As early as 7am guests had already started arriving for an event scheduled to start by 10am. The fan zone was opened  at 10am to guests, thus offering  them unique opportunity to  enjoy themselves  and win various take home items, which included good quality branded polo shirts and brand manifestation materials.

    It was trendy and fun-filled to see many fans have their faces painted to the amusement of their children. The atmosphere was carnival-like.

    Barcelona  top shots, who flew in from Spain for the opening ceremony, were thrilled by a sensational acrobatic displays and mesmerising dance steps by the colorful Atilogu troupe. This was followed by sensual Tiv dancers that kept the spectators glued to their positions as their camera clicked. The emergence of the three Ekpe masquerades – symbol of honour, royalty, strength and dignity, of Efik people of South-south zone, changed the mood and tone of the scenery. The visitors from Spain and others were overwhelmed and thrilled. To the crowd, it was an uncommon memorable moment of glitz, elegance and glamour laced in the fiber of the Nigerian culture.

    Another crowd puller was the Eyo and Agere, the mystical cultural symbol of Lagos, which were amazing sight and sound to behold and admire as they paraded the vicinity of the venue with a live band.

    The fanciful and colorful combination of the Atilogu and Abang display was a different spectacle, affirming that the FCBESCOLA Lagos experience was bound to be different in setting standard. Nyok, Fulani, Hausa and Sasa dancers added other flavours and mouth watering taste to the epic outing of the brand in Nigeria.

    During the main ceremony, the state box and covered stand were filled to  capacity. The event brought out a youth population of over 5000 students invited from various education districts in Lagos.  The show climaxed in speeches, cultural display, match past and the official presentation of instrument of authority. After the dignitaries were introduced, a team of three talking drummers, led by Samson Onifade, set the stage agog with their drums beats. The two nations’ anthems were creatively done by the violin players.

    Chairman, Blaugrana Group, owners FCBESCOLA, Lagos, Mr. Leslie Oghomienor, commended the effort of the governor, his team and the entire people of Lagos and the officials from Spain for their support.  He also thanked parents, who were bold enough to take the step of faith with the visionary. He revealed that, ‘the brand is with the strong quest so that the talents we are growing imbibe the genuine essence of our diverse culture and, our value of effort, ambition, teamwork , and humility with integrity, love, unity and honesty as the spokes of our wheels of progress and youth empowerment’.

    “This project is our own way of giving back to this great community called Nigeria as we desire to grow a youthful and vibrant enviable society of ambitious and humble leaders who believe in themselves and working audacious as a team with a rewarding effort,” he said.

    Board member/Vice President FC Bacelona Mr. Pay Vilanona, said: ‘Our experience on this trip is inspiringly unfamiliar. Motivating and encouraging, we are bound to help this people to do more and better in teaching our most pride values, a backbone of a complete man, be such a footballer or teacher…’

    Governor Ambode. who spoke through Mr. Deji Tinubu, said: “This enviable project would outlived its visioners generation after generation, no doubt our confident, interest and partnership. This government will do everything humanly possible within our political will to better the lot of our people, through novel cause like the FCBESCOLA. Lagos. To us it is a dream that we are truly convinced would be well lived.”

    Mr Richard Mofe-Damijo, said: “Today’s ceremony is a tremendous exhibition of life of our people. That aside the diversity that we are bound in freedom and unity as one great indivisible entity using our culture and traditional values as pathfinder. Our act is in the arts. Sights and sounds have no language or boundaries. So is sport, especially the new Nigerian oil – football. It is the most cherished art of entertainer in recent times globally. Thus, my involvement. It is a good platform to use in giving back.”

    Mr. Oghomienor  said: “Our dream is to be the best internationally with full academic faculties, facilities and sessions. This, we believe will come to be in the nearest future. The Academy is here to make a difference.”

     

  • Ukenedo’s Silent Voices at Quintessence

    What you would see from the entrance of Quintessence Art Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos, are artworks of Chamberlin Ukenedo are displayed, with colourful fabric petals stuck and sprinkled on the floor to the doorway of the gallery; leading the viewer to a piece on the wall titled: I Rise, I Shine.

    Petals are seen cast on the floor from the alluring piece, contradicting its title, I Rise, I Shine. The mixed media piece on board sets the mood for the show and leads the viewer into the solo art exhibition titled Silent Voices.

    Visitors find themselves glued to the works, especially the portrait paintings on board of elongated subjects with exaggerated facial features, such as bulging eyeballs and over emphasised lips.

    Silent Voices, the mixed media exhibition, as the theme states, passes a lot of nonverbal messages via the face and other parts of the body. “Silent Voices asserts that the face out there is an art piece; for we cry, we squint, we gaze, we frown, we glaze, we scowl, we pout, we leer, we scoff…at the checkered rhythms of life. When we are stripped of words, the eyes are the messengers of the soul.

    “For Silent Voices, non verbal, body language is key for me and for body language, the face sees and does a lot for me, more than other parts of the body. Emphasis is on the eyes because the eyes are the messengers to the soul. And when I make portraiture there is only one area I find very interesting. I see it as one of the most beautiful part of the human body…the eyes can see a lot,” explain the artist.

    Majority of the works are on textured and plain boards. “It is intentional,” the artist says, “I wanted to explore surfaces where I can use less of brush and probably use more of my palette knife.” The exhibition is one of those rare shows which you would want the works to be on view for as long as it takes because you cannot just get enough of the works.

    As a cartoonist, a painter and an experimentalist, Ukenedo says he is influenced by his environment, “my works speak not just for myself, but also for everyone who shares the same existential space, including the disenfranchised. My perception and ability to portray the complexities of human emotions has inspired this body of works about the everyday Nigerian whose condition has forced a new way – a different medium – of expressing the melancholic soul of his life.”

    There were interesting display at the exhibition this year. Ukenedo uses everyday items within his reach, such as oil paint, coffee, pastel, old cassette type wire and buttons, and delicate fabrics, neatly arrayed on the surface of canvas and some on board, which he manipulated carefully to produce captivating pieces, like a minimalist composition made of fragments of intimacy.

    “As an artist I don’t limit myself to any surface,” he said, “I am an artist who likes to experiment, I like to try new things beyond what I see everyday.”

    The artist from Imo State, a graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, has been in the advertising world since graduation. He reveals that this “has improved my art. I have been able to intertwine between advertising and visual art. Advertising is very subjective and visual art is more like my first love.”

    In this exhibition, Ukenedo offers an assortment of artworks that raises questions which need urgent answer. One of them is the high number of suicide cases recorded recently with a piece he titled, I’m Fine! (created in 2016), but the half-faced male subject is not fine because you could see tears dropping from his eye. ”I created this painting last year, when I realised that a lot of people were committing suicide; there is nobody to talk to, there is nobody to share with. It is not everybody that you see on the street that is actually what or who you think they are. People are going through a lot.”

    It is also worth mentioning that the artist brings to mind the Chibok girls, who have been missing for three years. The piece titled, Save Me! features a half-faced female subject with tears running down her face.”I think it was an accidental installation of the abducted girls in the North-East, who are in the place where they need attention. What I did with this material is to show different faces, they are both in tears, one is a lady and the other is a male; the guy is the opposite of what is on the other side of the painting.

    The two paintings produce a strong psychological and emotional tension. The portraits prompt viewers to reflect on the issues, and despite the tears running down their eyes, the male subjects seem to be gazing back at the viewer. The two panel maintain a powerful presence in the show.

    How does he start each piece? “What I do is I create sketches and I build up on them…” His works are in Igbo and Yoruba.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Gallery Breaks Forth From Within on World Art Day

    Gallery Breaks Forth From Within on World Art Day

    The National Gallery of Art (NGA) and Thought Pyramid Art Gallery, Abuja, have held an exhibition in commemoration of this year’s World Art Day (WAD).
    In 2011, the International Association of Art chose Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, April 15, to mark the day. With the theme, Breaking Forth From Within, the exhibition featured 40 works by staff of NGA and some from the national collection. It had impressive works expressed through various media, such as acrylic, textile, metal, relief sculpture, paintings, photographs, tie and dye and compu-graphics. There were images of landscape, stories of everyday life and abstract works.
    One of the works that easily caught viewers’ attention was a relief sculpture piece titled: Have Seat by Uche Mbele. It is an interesting image of a group of men urging one another to sit down at a table. The table had on it what looks like a crest with a bird on it tied up with ropes. According to the artist, the bird is a dove, symbolising peace and the rope tied around it “is simply saying that peace is not allowed free reign in the country – specifically, Nigeria. But, also it is reflective of the unrest in other parts of the world. The crest represents a nation and the men urging each other to have seat are eager to find a way to untie the bird through dialogue so that peace will reign.” The call for peace is so beautifully expressed in this sculpture that one could actually suggest the sculpture to be made a national symbol.
    Another piece that is eye-catching is Disvirgined by Simput Semshak. It is oil on canvas abstract rendered in two colours – white and red. It is hard to tell if what attracted viewers was the intriguing title or the pure beauty of such a ‘plain’ piece of work. The word plain is used here because it is a splash of red and white paint on a white canvas. The title of the work left one to his or her own imagination for interpretation.
    One of the exhibitors, Kizito Ekeng, had three compugraphics on display, including When the Sun Goes Down, a beautiful image of the sun setting in a serene village scene. He said the art work represents a beautiful woman slowly coming out of her prime as she ages.
    The Director-General NGA, Mr. Abdullahi Muku, said talent is everywhere in our society and that creativity needs to draw on the widest possibility of talent. He explained that NGA was working at connecting commerce, creativity and artists.
    “This effort is being focused on particular areas, which include cultivating creative mind-sets that are economically viable; growing cultural economic development partnerships and collaborations and supporting the visual art industry’s efforts at developing and exploiting higher value business and marketing strategies among others,” he added.
    The curator, Mr Zakaria Adamu, expressed the hope that the Day would be celebrated bigger and better in subsequent editions. Breaking Forth From Within is one of the exhibitions by NGA to showcase its in-house talents.

  • Footprints of Nigerian women

    Footprints of Nigerian women

    If you are thinking of buying one book this year or for the last time in your life, there is only one that you should really consider: The Art of Nigerian Women by Chukwuemeka Ben Bosah (BB).  BB is a role model, a man with talent and output worthy of celebration.
    I can no longer remember how BB and I fell in love with one another, but our relationship became consolidated with his first book, A Celebration of Modern Nigerian Art: 101 Nigerian Artists which he released in 2010. Then he came to Austin when I hosted a conference in honour of dele jegede, the distinguished scholar and fine artist with an old Genesis beard that defines the territoriality of his body. By that time, BB had released Celebrating Chinua Achebe: Essays on His Life, Legacy and Works. I loved this book and decided to buy from him about 50 copies that I gave away to others. And then I discovered we shared a common interest in poetry—as it turns out, I am so small compared to him, too little to share the same reading space. Glimpses from his forthcoming The Lamentation of the Returnee will announce his uncommon talent. Just wait.
    He has done what will become definitive as the preeminent coffee table book on 75 of our outstanding women artists, supported by brilliant essays from Frank Ugiomoh, Moyo Okediji, and Neelika Jayawardane, all in 355 pages of enriching and inspiring text and images. Other sound voices, presented under the matriarchal rubric of the “power of women,” include those of Chiderah Aalisa Monde, Carol Boram Hays, Tobenna Okwuosa, Abiola Bolarinwa, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Erica Garber, Minna Salami, Nkechi Abii, and Tushar Hathiramani. Clearly, a distinguished cast of artists and art historians reflecting on production and experiences, in addition to wonderful and delightful artist statements.
    Moyo Okediji, one of the continent’s best in semiotics, sets contents in context, combining images with poetry. His masterpiece contribution to the book merges genres to create compelling textual narratives. Moyo is a competent reader and decoder of images, adding an eclecticism of words to the eccentricity of creativity.
    This is a beautiful book—hardy, sturdy, majestic. Its beauty is like that of an onion, from cover to cover—as you peel one skin, it reveals a layer of another set of beauty. Colourful, vibrant, brilliant. The emotive forces of images move me from laughter to happiness, but also eliciting some moments of sadness.
    Let me tease out just a handful of the many ideas that the images in the text convey. Those that provide a reconnaissance that take us back to the origins of our ideas, our identity, are particularly instructive. Women understand their own past, their own making, their own ambition, even the enemies they have. So, it is not a surprise that a number of images by the women artists indicate the siege in which we find ourselves, like the very oxymoron of citizenship in contested spaces. In other images, women speak truth to power, and in metaphors, of the release of their gender from marginality, revealing talents and enlightenments. Social alliances come through, from one image to another, permeated by cultural assumptions and logic. The women offer reflections about Nigeria, but also about their gender. As to be expected, there are strong voices on feminism and womanism. Yes, powerful words, images and reflections on innovations, revolutions, and inspirations are all embroidered into a tapestry that reveals collective efforts and individual achievements. The women artists take strong, powerful, purposeful strides defying anonymity—the bane of past historiography on women. The maidens are now in the open! No one is faceless and hidden any more. Erstwhile ‘hidden figures’ have established footholds in the expanding creative space, from the house to the art market place. The book has broken silences, and given us fresh perspectives on women artists in Nigeria. Clearly there are many more women artists to come to light; nonetheless the work is a bold contribution that future scholarship will expand. In the Art of Nigerian Women, BB presents:
    i) a diversity of ideas of talented artists;
    ii) passion, translated into forms;
    iii) distinctions between images and voices; and
    iv) the variety of forms of installation sculpture, painting, textiles, multimedia installations, and photography, among other stunning works that women artists produce.