UNITED Kingdom-Based Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare and Prof El Anatsui are among the world’s 14 leading international contemporary artists whose works will be presented by the leading auction houses. The works will be presented by Christie’s, as donation to Zeitz London Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), the first major contemporary art museum in Africa opening in September.
Other artists include Roger Ballen, Yto Barrada, Peter Beard, Eamonn Doyle and Niall Sweeney, Frances Goodman, Kendell Geers, Antony Gormley, Rashid Johnson, Isaac Julien, Harland Miller, Athi-Patra Ruga and Pascale Marthine Tayou.
The works will be offered in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction on the March 8. The proceeds will be used towards Zeitz MOCAA’s endowment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the museum.
Also, the works will be exhibited in London from March 3 to 7 as part of 20th Century at Christie’s, a series of auctions that take place in London from 28 February till 10 March.
Its Executive Director and Chief Curator Mark Coetzee, said: “Zeitz MOCAA is dedicated to creating a platform for artists from Africa and the world, and providing Access for All to our exhibitions and programming. The extraordinary generousity of artists from around the world in donating to this fundraising auction will guarantee that we fulfil our mission for years to come.”
A major highlight of the auction is El Anatsui’s Warrior (estimated to cost between £400,000 and £ 600,000) one of the artist’s iconic ‘bottle-top’ works. Moulding thousands of aluminum bottle tops that he sources from distilleries near his home in Nsukka in Nigeria, Anatsui creates finely worked tapestries sewn together with copper wire – grand, variegated ‘cloths’ that ripple across West African history, tying together past and present. Warrior is a virtuosic display of dynamism and movement, the image of a figure in gold is woven into the single layer of the metal fabric, appearing to leap lithely out of the work and into the space before it.
More highlights include Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Boy Balancing Knowledge II, estimated to cost between £50,000 and £ 70,000), which uses the commercial history of widely-available patterned ‘African’ fabrics – which are in reality produced in the Netherlands and exported to Indonesia – to explore ideas of African authenticity in the global market.
Pascale Marthine Tayou’s Poupée Pascale reinterprets the adornment rituals of West African sculpture by clothing his crystal figures in costumes made from the debris of daily. At the same time, these works speak to Antony Gormley’s own deconstructed human figures, or Isaac Julien’s work on China’s shifting sense of itself in a hyper- globalised 21st century.
Housed in the historic Grain Silo that has stood on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront since 1921, Zeitz MOCAA is a path-breaking, not-for-profit institution, which will look to nurture art from across Africa and the African Diaspora. Developing a programme that will help celebrate and historicise African art while supporting new artists, the museum will be housed in one of the most historic structures in Cape Town. The building, comprising 9,500 square metres will display works in 80 galleries over nine floors and is being designed by Thomas Heatherwick. While the size of the museum space itself will enable African and Diaspora artists to be exhibited on a grand scale, in its commitment to art education and open access, the museum will also look to communicate a distinctive sense of art that is available to all – and that will look to inspire generations of artists to come.
Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine
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Shonibare, Anatsui lead artists to MOCAA
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‘It‘s sad to see your community lose everything to insurgency’
A Maiduguri documentary photographer, Fati Abubakar, 31, who is holding an exhibition titled: Bits of Borno: Bruised, Not Broken at Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos, says it is traumatising to see the community she grew up in lose everything to insurgency. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.
Is the exhibition designed to change the narrative about Borno State?
Exactly, and what really inspired me was the fact that a lot of images coming out of Borno only focused on the conflict and I was unhappy with how we were being portrayed only as a conflict zone. So, I decided to start a project where people can see the everyday life of people living in Bornu State that they are surviving even in the midst of adversity. That was my main reason for the project.
What inspired you as a photographer?
I have a background in health. When I was doing my Public Health programme, I was introduced to using media for addressing issues within a community. So, I was able to take that and bring it to my community; and of course mainstream media focus has been on the conflict. I just felt that there are untold stories from Borno State.
Why are the works not titled?
It was deliberate. We want people to think about what they are seeing, to decide for themselves what the image is saying. So, it is very much open to interpretation; that is why the images are untitled.
How representative are the photographs of the reality in Borno?
I just felt that people needed to see bits and pieces of Borno. That is why the title of the exhibition is: Bits of Borno. As I said, when you google Maiduguri you will to see a lot of stories of conflicts. That is available to everyone, but we run the risk of being defined by what other people think has happened, and there are a lot of other stories that are unexplored, like these people who have survived. There was a point in time people thought that there was no one walking around in Maiduguri. So, it is important for them to see faces of these people who have survived. That is why the series is called the Face Series, so that we can see the faces of those that survived.
How much of your experience of the conflict reflect in the collection?
You know when you live there, it is very unpredictable and there is a lot of tension. So, I would say that my experiences have been similar to all the ones that people living within there have experienced. Some days there are bomb blasts; other days there is gun firing. But being able to live even amidst all that, and there hasn’t been danger or whatsoever that I have experienced. But I have seen a lot of dead bodies; I have seen bomb blast happening; and I have seen gunshots, people losing everything. So, my experiences are similar.
To be honest, it is very traumatising and it is very sad; a community you grew up in now lost everything and is struggling with the economy and schools burnt down. It is very difficult to adjust. So, it is very traumatising. A lot of people have lost close family members and friends. For instance, my mother lost her best friend who was shot in her kitchen. Those are really traumatic experiences for us. Even if you did not lose somebody close to you, the fact that your whole community is torn apart is incredibly depressing.
What is your take on the exhibition
My theme is showing the peoples’ resilience. I want people to see my people from Borno State as strong and very keen to move on. They have experienced a lot of trauma, but they are surviving. That is what I want people to know.
It is a counter narrative; we want people to be comfortable knowing that people still live there. Whatever is meant to happen to you will happen anywhere. We don’t want people to feel like if they come to Borno State their life will end after all there are people living there.
How did you cope with the challenges of documenting the different places, people and scenes in the midst of a bombings?
As a photographer, my experience has been fairly easy because I speak the local dialect, which is Kanuri, and people are very comfortable. You know, when you engage people in conversation in their local dialect, it makes them more comfortable and they are able to trust you; and it is a community that I am very familiar with. So, it was fairly easy.
Explaining further on the exhibition, she said: “We had a small one in Maiduguri, we continued in Abuja and we are here in Lagos. We will be going back to Maiduguri for the grand finale on March 1 to 3.
How long will the exhibition run?
I have not really given it a life span. I want it to be an ongoing project, but what I am doing is to teach other people so that they can continue with it if.
Other challenges?
Well, the challenges have been cultural because it is something that has never been done before, and for me being a female I had to face the issues where people don’t know how to deal with female in a certain profession. And art wasn’t viewed as a profession, so I struggled to make them understand what I was doing. And of course we have the military presence there, so it is very tense. I had to remove my fear so that the story had to be told. Also, not many people, sometimes, are open to being photographed; and because it is an extremely hot desert environment. So, as a photographer the hot weather can be traumatising and it takes its toll on you. I want the publication to be a coffee table book. Fifty years from now, I want people reference it as these are the stories of the people who lived in Borno at a certain time. -
Bruised, not broken: Borno through the lens
A travelling solo exhibition of photographs, Bits of Borno: Bruised, Not Broken by photojournalist Fati Abubakar has opened at Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos. The 80-piece collection captures the resilience of ordinary Nigerians and how they are defying the odds to keep hope alive, despite the Boko Haram insurgency in the region, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.
The audience was a handful while venue was small. But the size of exhibits on display was 10 times more than the audience.
Notwithstanding, the theme of the exhibition, Bits of Borno: Bruised, Not Broken was not only apt, but also raised many issues about the socio-economic impacts of the insurgency, humanitarian and rehabilitation challenges as well as the resilience of the people.
The 80–photograph collection exhibited by Abubakar at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos is a visual narrative about experiences of the people of Borno since the begining of the Boko Haram insurgency. From the images exhibited, there seems to be more than the on-going fight against Boko Haram in the three Northeast region (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) State.
In particular, the photographer who deliberately did not title the exhibits mirrors the entire life of the people in and out of the war zones, their day-to-day survival and socio-cultural activities such as night life, football competition, farming and the like. All the exhibits speak for themselves. Yet, there are images that are reminders of the bombings and destruction of life and properties in the region by Boko Haram.
One of such photographs that signpost the insurgency is ‘Boko Haram is evil’ graffiti on a wall, which represents the views of everybody in the region. It is written in black and bold letters making it conspicuous to all eyes. However there are images that help change the narrative of Borno State; they tell more than the bombings and destructions. Also, on display are photographs whose setting and mood show that despite the odds, life goes on in the state.
Two drummers, a well-dressed young Kwayam girl with lots of colourful beads on her hands and neck, a traditional ruler on a horse during a procession with his subjects are some of the bits of Borno State as captured by Abubakar’s lens.
Interestingly, too, few photographs show children playing around cars and rubbles from bombings.
On the flip side, for instance, in a photograph showing a Kwayam matriarch, Abubakar highlights some historical life of Kanuri people among which Kwayam, one of the ethnic groups in Borno, is reported to be marginalised. Although the Kwayam live in a larger community, children born into the tribe do not attend formal Western or Islamic schools. It is also reported that there is widespread resistance to modern education as the Kwayam fear a loss of cultural values if it favours modernisation through integration.
‘In Kanuri history and despite the fact that true Kanuri have Kwayam among their ancestors, people seem to think of them as foreign and not part of the Kanuri.’
According to report, they are often marginalised and as a result older Kwayam wives only marry off their daughters to their tribesmen to avoid absorption of non-Kwayam elements. And this separatism has succeeded in preserving the cultures and traditions of the Kwayam.
Abubakar did not restrict her camera lens to historical life of the people. She captures how an average farmer in Borno battles to feed his family amid insecurity in the land. The farmer, who is picking vegetables on his farms simply wants prosperity for himself and the community. He is committed to farming to avoid famine.
Borno State Commissioner of Home Affairs, Information and Culture Muhammed Bulama stated that of the $9billion worth of properties lost by three states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) to insurgency, Borno State accounted for about $6billion loss.
“The scale of destruction is much which Borno State and the other two states cannot shoulder. The states do not have the capacity and resources to bear the burden of the insurgency,’’ he said. -
Foundation donates to commission for IDPs
Nero Asibelua Foundation has partnered National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons ((NCRMIDP) to complement the government’s efforts to resettle displaced persons (IDPS).
Its President, Mr. Nero Asibelua, said the help became necessary because of the hardship refugees and displaced persons were facing. He added that the government should be left with handling governance. He called on well-meaning Nigerians to join in the fight to save the people.
“The Foundation is passionate about restoring dignity to displaced persons, refugees and migrants and, therefore, offers to partner the government through the NCRMIDP to achieve the goal.
“The business of running a country should not be left for government alone. As responsible citizens, everyone should help by ensuring that their immediate families are properly and lawfully maintained, help the less privileged in our society as this will in turn correct the ills in the nation at large,” he said.
Asibelua spoke in Lagos when the foundation hosted the Commissioner for National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMIDP) Sadiya Umar Farouq, who is one of Nigeria’s female crusaders for peace, transparency and good governance.
He said the meeting was aimed at ensuring that IDPs settle in their new environment by ensuring mechanisms are provided for lasting solutions to reintegrate the displaced persons periodically back into society.
According to him, this would give hope to the affected, making them know that they are not alone.
The items were for the provision of proper accommodation for IDPs at its Settlement Centre. They include 32″ Plasma TVs, refrigerators, deep freezers, washing machines, cooking pots, electric kettles, mircowave oven, among others.
Mrs. Sadiya Umar Farouq and the Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mrs. Margret Ukegbu, who received the gifts, commended Nero Asibelua Foundation for the gesture, saying that Federal Government had begun plans to resettle the over 500 IDPs from the region in their various communities. She disclosed that there were also plans to equip them with skills so that those who might not wish to go home would have viable means of livelihood.
According to her, the commission is aware of the state of internal displacement in the region and the issues that affect them. She said policies were being put in place by the government to ensure those affected were provided with food, water, medicine and shelter alongside provision of durable solutions towards their resettlement. -
Osundare, Osofisan, Darah, others bid Emecheta farewell
As remains of renowned novelist Buchi Emecheta are buried today in London, some of her colleagues, including celebrated poet Niyi Osundare, iconic dramatist Femi Osofisan and her publisher Margaret Busby bid her farewell in these tributes. EVELYN OSAGIE reports.
She stole the hearts of many through her stories. She put the global spotlight on the plights of the African girl child and woman. Born on July 21, 1944, to the family of Alice Okwuekwuhe Emecheta and Jeremy Nwabudinke from Ibusa, Delta State, celebrated novelist Buchi Emecheta defied all odds to become a seasoned writer. Generations now call her “Mother”.
But sadly, last month, the cruel claws of death found her in her London home at 72. Her remains will be interred today at St Pancras Cemetery, 278 High Road, East Finchley, London N2 9AG. According to the family, the service will take place in the Islington Burial Chapel, which will be followed by the interment at 11:00 am. It was also gathered that a reception will hold by 1:00 pm at The Old White Lion, which is across the road from East Finchley tube station, 121 Great North Road, London N2 0NW.
Even in death, the legacies of the late Emecheta live on. In her lifetime, Emecheta wrote over 20 books, including In the Ditch (1972), Second-Class Citizen (1974), The Bride Price (1976), The Slave Girl (1977), The Joys of Motherhood (1979) and The New Tribe (2000).
As she is being laid to rest today in London, the literati, including celebrated poet Niyi Osundare; her publisher Margaret Busby; iconic dramatist Femi Osofisan, Prof Godini G. Darah and Ghanaian literary scholar and poet Kofi Anyidoho bid their colleague and friend goodbye in this write-up which is second in the series on the late novelist.The unintended feminist
– Niyi OsundareThe world has just suffered the sad, irreplaceable loss of a woman who willed herself into significance; a writer who literally wrote each work with blood from her veins. Husbandless and with five children at age 22, Buchi Emecheta pressed the abundance of life’s challenges into the richness of art, producing some of the most frequently cited works in contemporary African literature. From The Joys of Motherhood to Second Class Citizen, from The Bride Price to Destination Biafra, her graphically-titled works deal with various aspects of African womanhood, its countless travails and repressed possibilities. Very much in the league of writers like Flora Nwapa, Ama Ata Aidoo, Mariama Ba, and Bessie Head, Emecheta played an un-ignorable role in the gendering of modern African literature and the feminist/womanist theorising which serves as its intellectual correlative.
In “Feminist with a Small “f”!, an article presented at the 1986 Second African Writers’ Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Emecheta opened the floor with the following sentence: I am just an ordinary writer, an ordinary writer who has to write because if I didn’t write I think I would have to be put in an asylum.(My italics)
And later in that article, she delivers this memorable averment: I write about the little happenings of everyday life. Being a woman and African born, I see things through an African woman’s eyes. I chronicle the little happenings in the lives of the African women I know. I did not know that by doing so I was going to be called feminist. But if I am now a feminist then I am an African feminist with a small f. (My italics)
There goes Buchi Emecheta, the unintended feminist, a stubborn, consistent defender of woman rights who taught the world other ways of looking at gender from the African perspective. A feisty, irrepressible person not known for whispering her objection to objectionable situations, Emecheta was a true ‘natural’ who often spoke from the heart. She was here. And still is. And our world is richer through every moment of her 72 years.Inspiration to my many students – Ghanaian scholar/poet
Kofi Anyid2ohoMany thanks, Evelyn Osagie, for the opportunity to pay a brief tribute to our sister Buchi Emecheta. Your request, like earlier news of Emecheta’s passing, found me still speechless. Then I thought of what Emecheta’s passing is likely to mean for the now countless students of mine who have found so much inspiration in her words, in the courage of her thoughts. It occurred to me that the greatest tribute I could pay to Emecheta’s memory must be found in the words of some of my students. So when your email reminder came this morning, I was wondering where to begin. Somehow, Kelechi Osigwe steps into my office, all the way from Nigeria, holding a copy of her M.Phil thesis in which she has celebrated Buchi Emecheta, (together with Flora Nwapa and Chimamanda Adichie), for the courage of her thoughts and the abundance of the fruits of her imagination. So let me yield my teacher’s voice to that of Kelechi, yet another discerning student who has found in Emecheta’s works several things that I missed from my many readings of her novels:
“So [she] walked to freedom, with nothing but four babies, her new job, and a box of rags,” (Second Class Citizen, 188).
Emecheta walks to freedom from this world with accolades for her contribution to African Literature – African Women Writing… (Kelechi Osigwe, M.Phil Candidate, University of Ghana, Legon).Her poignant stories resonate worldwide – Her friend/publisher Margaret Busby
To have been Buchi Emecheta’s editor for more than a decade – the period in which she wrote most of her best-loved and influential books – In the Ditch, Second-Class Citizen, the Bride Price, The Slave Girl, The Joys of Motherhood, Destination Biafra – was indeed rewarding. From the onset, the dedication with which she produced her fledgling works was awesome, given the personal odds she had to overcome, and it became something of a mission for me to help her achieve the readership she so deserved. We bonded perhaps through the fact that we were both young African women taking chances and finding our way in an often challenging literary world (I had become in 1967 “the UK’s youngest and first African woman publisher”). She trusted my editorial judgement, and it was indeed an honour that she dedicated her 1977 novel The Slave Girl: “To Margaret Busby for her believing in me.” Although in recent years her voice had been cruelly silenced by illness, the insightful and poignant stories she brought to life – of Africa and the African Diaspora – still resonate worldwide. What Emecheta achieved is an example and inspiration to us all; she triumphed over inauspicious beginnings to demonstrate the lasting power emanating from the ability to tell an honest story well. Hers was a rags-to-riches tale that everyone now wishes had had a happier ending.
Adieu Buchi Emecheta
– Femi OsofisanWe in the writing community cannot of course but mourn the loss of Buchi Emecheta. But the dirge did not start yesterday. It’s not just because of her death—after all she has left behind a record of outstanding performance, and sufficient offspring to sing her valour. Sadly we have watched, since the passing of Chinua Achebe, and then of Elechi Amadi, the slow and gradual wilting of a season of art and creativity defined mainly by nobility and a superior vision. Emecheta belonged to that generation of writers, now rapidly dwindling, whose lofty minds conceived of art as a grand and holy vocation, a house of healing and dreaming and self-regeneration, a fountainhead of humane values. They are being replaced by the buccaneers of our new mercantile age. That is why the loss is so painful; a further mile away from the golden morning when the artist was priest, prophet and pilot of enlightenment and joy. Emecheta is gone! Goodbye, our grand old Lady of the Pen! When you arrive over there, please be kind to those of us left behind.
A new penumbra of ancestral pantheon – scholar/NOLA president Prof Godini G. Darah
She was in Calabar at the university to mentor students in the humane craft of creativity and criticism. A new penumbra of ancestral pantheon is growing around these writers
and singers of tales, namely: Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi, Isidore Okpewho, and now Buchi Emecheta. We of the Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA) will not mourn but mobilise to continuously celebrate them for making our world richer and safer with stories and laughter.Emecheta was courageous – scholar and writer Prof Kole Omotoso
Margret Busby who published her early novels informed me about it this morning. Sad news. It was known that she had been ill for some time and was not in a position to travel. If there is one writer who suffered in order to write it was Buchi Emecheta. That she succeeded was evidence of her courage and perseverance. May her soul rest in peace.
Her death signals the end of an era – scholar/writer Prof Akachi Ezeigbo
The sad news of the passing away of the renowned novelist, Buchi Emecheta, shocked me beyond words – she died at 72! Though I knew she had been ill for a while, but I had thought she would recover eventually. Her death signals the end of an era – the age that brought recognition and glory to the African feminist literary tradition. Emecheta’s works, especially her magnum opus, The Joys of Motherhood, as well as The Slave Girl, The Bride Price, Destination Biafra, Second Class Citizen, In the Ditch and others, brought international acclaim to African women’s literary production in the late twentieth century. She was a pioneer alongside other iconic writers, such as Flora Nwapa, Ama Ata Aidoo, Bessie Head, and Mariama Ba, to mention just a few. Her voice was one of the first to recreate in fiction the experiences of African women in a very realistic and authentic manner. She was an accomplished writer who won literary awards, was given honorary doctorate degree and who also received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth the Second.
The history of African literature in general and Nigerian literature in particular would definitely reserve a prominent position for this celebrated woman of letters who put African literature as well as Black British writing on the global literary map. May her soul rest in peace and may God console her family.Emecheta’s commitment would be missed – Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) President Denja Abdullahi
Buchi Emecheta orchestrated the birth of the womanist theory and advocacy in the literary space and the domestication of feminism within the ambience of womanism through her works devoted to exploring the place of the female in a highly patriarchal society. A committed writer and a master storyteller, Buchi Emecheta has left a loaded basket of books and literary materials widely recommended and in use in different parts of the world. She alongside Flora Nwapa were the inspirational springs for many of our female writers of the latter generations in Nigeria. In 2002, she was with us at the ANA convention which held in Asaba, Delta State, to facilitate a creative writing workshop for younger writers. A lot of young persons who attended that convention found her to be of immense encouragement to their fledgeling art. Her iconoclastic and firm commitment to living her art through personal example would be missed.
Emecheta took Nigerian women’s fiction to international heights
– Journalist/writer Molara WoodLong before the rise of the new generation of female writers, Buchi Emecheta trod a lonely path, taking Nigerian women’s fiction to international heights, making herself a household name at home and abroad. She wrote important books on what it meant to be a woman, and what it meant to be in a foreign land. She overcame great odds; her husband burnt her manuscript, yet she persevered, setting a wonderful example for every writer.
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Drum as a communication tool
When drumbeats sound, many will dance to the tune. But, beneath such tune are other coded messages, Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme reports.
Remember the famous Oyo State radio station Radio O Y O signature tune ‘Ti Olubadan ba ku, tani o joye?’ It was produced with the aid of a talking drum. There are different kinds of drums for different functions in the society.
Among Nigerians, especially the Yoruba, drum is more than an instrument for entertainment. It also serves as a medium through which the people convey important and sometimes coded messages. Even in times of war, drums are deployed to pass classified messages as a strategy to overrun the enemies.
Before modern civilisation infiltrated the culture of many tribes and ethnic communities, the Yoruba people had fashioned out ways of entertaining themselves. During traditional festivals, chieftaincy coronation, naming ceremonies, wedding and other social events, the Yoruba use the drum for entertainment and eulogy.
A Professor of Choreography and foremost Dramatist, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State (FUOYE), Rasaki Ojo-Bakare, described drumming as an essential part of Yoruba culture that is entrenched in all social activities. Ojo-Bakare, who is the Dean, School of Humanities at FUOYE, said drumming is like tonic and energetic to social activities among the Yoruba.
“Yoruba is an interesting place to be and visit, not only because of the important place they occupy in Nigeria but because of their deep culture. There is so much to be proud of with respect to arts and culture. Drumming, especially is a vital part of the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people. Drums are used in special occasions, festivals, carnivals, ceremonies. They even add special effects and style to some bits of the people’s culture. Drums are differentiated by the sound they make, how they are made, history, and appearance. For Yoruba people, ceremonies dictate the kind of drums to use. Above all, drum is associated with the people’s religion, music and other cultural activities,” he said.
Among drums used by the Yoruba people include Omele, Gangan, Bata, Gbedu and Saworoide.
For instance, Gangan, which is commonly referred to as Talking Drum holds a special place in the tradition of the Yoruba people, and it is used in Yoruba folklore cannot be overemphasised. Its origin can be traced to the Old Oyo Empire in Southwest region. It was introduced as a means of communication during inauguration of the Alaafin of Oyo. Talking Drums are also used to imitate different tones and chant patterns of the Yoruba language. Its hourglass shape makes it possible for it to be held under the arm. It is made of adjustable cords. These cords can determine the pitch of the drum. If the cords and strings are pulled hard, the sound or tone from the drum would increase and if the chords are softly squeezed, the sound will be low. They are frequently used in modern churches, festivals, wedding ceremonies and carnivals.
For Bata it is another important drum used by the Yoruba people, a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone larger than the other. It’s used majorly in religious functions, festivals, carnivals and coronations. It’s also used to convey messages of hope, divination, praise and war.
A set of Batá consists of three drums of different sizes. The drums are similar in shape to an hourglass and each drum has two different sized heads. The batá are played sitting down with the drum placed horizontally on the knees. This allows the drummer to play with both hands.
The Iyá (Mother) is the largest drum and leads the group, playing long, complex patterns with many variations and initiates conversations with the other two drums. Iyá is often adorned with a garland of bells and bronze caps called Shaworo which enrich the vibrations and the timbre when the drummer plays the instrument. The Itótele is the middle-sized drum, playing long, but less complex patterns with some variations as well as answering and occasionally initiating conversations.
The Okónkolo is the smallest of the three playing short, simple patterns with occasional conversations and variations.
The Bata drum has different parts which include; Igi Ilu (wooden frame work), leather, Egi ilu (thick brooms for support), Osan (wire work), Iro (black substance placed on the drum surface), Bulala (drumstick made from leather), and cowries.
The Bata drums actually are becoming very, very popular all over the world today, even here in the U.S., but are already very popular in Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela. And these drums have been around for a long time. Some Yoruba believe that one of the kings of Yorubaland, Sango,
Omele ako fondly called Omele is known as the Sakara drum. It is a shallow drum with a circular body made with baked clay. Goat skin is used in making the heads of the drum while spaced pegs around its body are used for tuning. They are used during wedding ceremonies, traditional coronations and festivals
Gbedu, which literally means “a big drum”, is a percussion instrument traditionally used on state occasions or during ceremonies of Ogoni, the ancient Yoruba secret society.
The Gbedu drum is said to have been brought to the Lagos area in the seventeenth century by Edo diplomats, symbolising the hegemony of the Benin Empire. Among the Yoruba, Gbedu drum signifies royalty.
It is covered in carvings representing an image of a goddess, animals and birds. They are played by drummers using both their palms and drumsticks. It signifies royalty in the Yoruba land. In ceremonies, such as the Isagun rites, the Oba might dance to the music from the drum and no one else is allowed to do the same.
Saworoide also known as Saworo is a type of talking drum decorated with brass bells and chimes. Such bells are attached to leather straps for support. They are called Shaworoide and Shaworo in Cuba.
As a vital part of the cultural heritage of the people, whenever there is a social event such as weddings and funerals there are drummers around. In cities, such as Ibadan, there are drummers plying their trade on weekends without any specific invitation to occasions. These drummers could stop by many celebrators allow such drummers – with restrictions on their performances – to join the celebration so that they can make some money.This way, the tradition of passing the art of drumming, which often appears effortless, but which involves very difficult process and long apprenticeship, to live on.
Recently, global and local brands that want to resonate with the people, have now realised the need to connect with the people through drumming. For instance, in announcing the credential campaign which was used to christen Goldberg from the stabled of Nigerian Breweries, the promoters of the brand saw drum as a symbol of unity and leveraged on it in all their campaigns. Aside the fact that it played a prominent role at various places where the event held, its major campaign, which was used in print and billboard shows a Nollywood artist, Odunlade Adekola proudly holding Gangan, the talking drum as a message career.
With it, Nigeria Breweries simply caused a stir in the market. Though, it was the first time such campaign would be launched in the market, the successful use of the drum performed the magic of bringing in Your Excellence through an excellent tool of entertainment.
Already, Heineken is being addressed as ‘chairman’ while trophy, a strong competition to Goldberg is known as ‘honourable’. By the new credential campaign, the company appeared to be sending a message that wherever ‘excellency’appears, ‘honourable and others would be at the back roll. To herald the campaign, the company, against all odds, located a massive restaurant called Aso Rock at Ikotun area of Lagos, a name that is similar to Nigeria’s seat of power, to creatively prove another point that ‘excellency’ resides in Aso Rock.
It is not surprising therefore that Ayan is a drumming family-specific name. Families with long histories of playing the Yoruba drums are often easy to recognise by their names which often include ‘ayan’ as in Alayande; yes, Oga Alayande, the late Principal of Ibadan Grammar School was from such a family. He said he played the drums for many years before starting elementary school! Any name with ‘Ayan’ as part of it – given or family names: Ayandele, Ayandipo means the person who bears that name is from a family with a history of drumming.
As a brand that appeals to the Yorubas, Goldgerg has thus announced its new name and campaign with drum and this has registered in the sub consciousness of the consumers. To analysts, the brand loyalty to the people’s culture may trigger the respect Goldberg would command in the market. -
Abejide Adewale Aladesanmi(1938-2017)
Ayo Fajana writes on the life and times of the late Abilagba, Olori Omo Owa of Ado-Ekiti, whose remains will be buried on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti.
I confess my sin for failing most of his literary obligations. I found my mind pulled towards rockier shores, first longings leapt up to brush my heart as distant voices appeared to frustrate the first assignment; the biographical sketch of Oba Daniel Aladesanmi II upon which he gave an authority. Prince Aladesanmi enthused “Oba Aladesanmi dynasty of which I am the patriarch found you diligent and capable in Ado historiography. We, therefore, cannot resist the prospect of this arduous task of our father’s chronicles.”
I was thrilled with hope and fired with ambition to blue pen until some of his brother princes plotted against it for reasons best known to them. Still unruffled, I compensated the world as I relished more of my skills by a full page tribute in The Nation of January 7, 2014. Indeed, Anirare was an Oba of erudition, indisputably; his chronicles should not be submerged under sludge of platitude.
I partially accomplished the second literary task upon which I prepared 18 pages text on The Reformed Ogboni Fraternity -Reminiscences since 1914, a centenary paper commemorating the 100 years anniversary of the Society. The paper full of startling facts could only be delivered by Dr. Orire when I absconded. My agenda setting comments threw me off balance. “I am totally neutral in this forum, some of the things I say today are basically from literature of some books, newsletters, dispatch and journals, so I don’t have the burden of restraint to comply with the rules of the fraternal club”. By my multiple training and also for flair in cultural history, I fully understand both Media Art and History are vital inter-play between formal and informal organisations, the symbiotic connections which have major impacts on public perception of how members practice their craft and the social contract that ‘Society deserves to know’
Prince Adewale Aladesanmi, undauntedly, a Senior ROF and Free-masonry, doubles as a member of the Board of Trustees. Indeed, he was a fine specimen of the tenets. I recalled very vividly the volatility and the ignorance of non-members, especially my immediate family, when I chose to deliver the centenary paper. One of my siblings drew my wife’s attention to the fact that he would not be responsible for my rescue and, emphatically, the retrieval of my body should anything on towards happened to me.
Abilagba wrestled with prophetic boon of life interminable with clandestine prince-hood, chronicles of which started on August 4, 1938 when he was born into the royal family of Oba Anirare Aladesanmi II, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti (1937-1983).
Ewi’s royal institution was, ultimately, sacred, no flood gate as it was then possible to differentiate between a real prince and those that suddenly became one. Abilagba’s birth by Olori Awawu Omosuwaola was heralded by Ado tradition, great deal of dialogue, action, music, dance and décor; a total ritual incidence crystallised in the making of the alternate king, culturally referred to as Abilagba, an office which could only be equated to the Edaiken of Benin. There was beating of special royal drums on the three hills surrounding the ancient city of Ado-Ekiti amidst a mysterious seven days downpour. Painfully obvious, I lost the chance to document the rich culture of his royal esteem before his death at the early hour of Saturday, January 21, this year.
We hit it on the right chord at the first briefing last July. He inspired me with the words of Ernest Hemmingway “Someday, I would like to have somebody who really knew me to write a book about me”. Never knew that (iye ku kata kata seyin agbe) translates; his days were numbered.
He was a self-contended person, not interested in most ordinary things and also not in hot pursuit of the extra-ordinary. If one is asked for panoramic review of his 78 years journey of this world, it was discipline all through. Despite all entreaties and endeavours made possible by some of his friends and senior members of the society, such as Gan ri ma pa, the former Senate President, very distinguished David Mark, Dan Etete, Prof. Jubril Aminu and his cousin A.V.M. Olawumi Adeleye (rtd), Prince Aladesanmi refused to be a full-time player in the profane world of politics and business.
Upon his return to Nigeria in 1967, after his combined honours degree in Accounting and Banking at the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom. Aladesanmi had uninterrupted meritorious services in Banking and attained the post of an Assistant General Manager (Credit and Operation) at the National Bank of Nigeria. Besides, he worked at Lyord Bank and Barclay’s Bank in London. On his voluntary retirement in 1989, he, however, had a Federal Government appointment as a member of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and, subsequently, appointed a Director in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), seconded to African Petroleum.
History shone like a headlight, it did not happen alone in Aladesanmi’s dynasty, I commiserate with Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi III. Indeed, blood is thicker than water, their relationship was not minor shuffling of the royal diary to satisfy some vague personal desires. Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) noted this and remarked that Abilagba’s death would surely mark with an eerie precision some of the royal landscape as he greatly miss his magical skills for conflict resolution.
Tanto no mini Nullum par elogium of this great man, no praise is adequate. There are unending list and variety of talents, resources, skills and gifts which God has invested in him, if you pass through him, you must take away something from him, symbolically, the late Prince Aladesanmi represented one of the few lines in the colours of rainbow, the arch in the middle form the sky for us to admire. He is not easy to imitate and impossible to clone, one has to keep struggling to reach the silver linen of his illustrious cloud. Abilagba, spit and polished, a man of courage and compassion, handsome man of impeccable style and appearance, a man of incisive sense of humor and many more unique attributes of a traditionalist and heir prince. This he constantly and continually demonstrated in dignified fashion in his written foreword to my recent book titled: Ado Kingdom-Path to People’s Culture and Civilisation. He shall be greatly missed. In his children, we see him as we deeply mourn his passing still. Goodnight Omo Olori Alade Elenpe Ekiti.
•Fajana, Personal Assistant to ABUAD Chancellor AareAfe Babalola. -
Harvard inducts Murtala’s daughter
THE CEO and founder of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), a non-governmental organisation, Aisha Oyebode, has been appointed as a member of the Women’s Leadership Board (WLB) at Harvard Kennedy School, Massachusetts, United States.
The letter of appointment, signed by Victoria Hudson, the institution’s Executive Secretary, reads in part: “Thank you again, Aisha, for your interest in working with us to close gender gaps around the world. I would be delighted to have you participate in the Women’s Leadership Board. The contributions of the WLB support the creation of a more gender-equal world using a two-pronged approach: Our short-term strategy focuses on providing women with the skills and tools to successfully navigate existing systems, while our long-term strategy identifies effective policies that can create long-lasting structural change.”
Assuring of the class and standard of the paraphernalia of office, Hudson writes on, “We draw on Harvard University’s unparalleled faculty expertise and its global reach to catalyse our approach and to impact the thinking of those who make decisions across sectors.” Concluding with nostalgic eagerness, she enthused, “I look forward to meeting soon. Warmest regards.”
To some extent, such female accomplishments translate to a growing diminishing return on the “primitive African stereotype”, which continually reflects men and women as belonging to opposite ends of bipolar adjectives – with respect to gender. Rather, this milestone highlights the luminous attributes of a swelling band of African women, preeminent among whom are Nigerians. Notably, is that Mrs Oyebode is thus being celebrated for her milestones like other heroines, such as the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, Dr. Oby Ezekwesilli, Dr. Joel Odumakin, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Mrs Shola David-Borha and Mrs Ibukun Awosika, among others.
The recognition of these paragons is a microcosm of women who constitute the majority of the illiterate population in most communities. Further manifestations of gender bias against women include economic exploitation and impoverishment, exclusion from public life, discriminatory laws and customs, early marriages and sex abuse, among others.
Even the appointment of women into public offices has been “characterised and motivated by tokenism.” Celebrating the women thus implies that women be accorded opportunities to develop their individual talents and to contribute more meaningfully to societal development. Little wonder Mrs Oyebode is passionate about relevant and accessible education as well as empowerment opportunities for women and youth across the continent.
Mrs Oyebode, who studied Public International Law at King’s College, University of London, was called to the Bar in 1989. After a Masters in Law, she worked and acquired experience in corporate and litigation matters, including years of work with an international law firm. To satisfy her voracious academic appetite, she went on to add an MBA in Finance from Imperial College, University of London. -
‘Stakeholders vital to NTDC’s success’
THE Acting Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs Mariel Rae-Omoh has promised to work with stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries to sell the country as a destination of choice.
Speaking at an interactive meeting with stakeholders in Lagos, Mrs Rae-Omoh said her major goal is to sell the country’s tourism potential to the outside world and, in turn, boost our economy.
Her words: “My objectives are to raise the NTDC moral to accelerate the mission of boosting the industry; to cordially work with the stakeholders, and to develop a template for running tourism in Nigeria.
“We can only achieve our goals when the experts in the sector join their voices and ideas with ours. Then, we will set the goals to be met and come out with a practicable blueprint to achieve the set objectives.”
Mrs Rae-Omoh described stakeholders as key in the industry, explaining: “They must be embraced for her to succeed, especially, in this industry.
“Our basic goal is to sell our country to the world; we cannot do it on the pages of the newspapers. Professionals and stakeholders should be the ones fronting the goals on our behalf; so we need to collaborate with them.
“I need a lot of workable advice, suggestions and challenges from those on the field so that the industry can become an economic hold for the country.”
She added that boosting the morale of the staff would further accelerate the mission of boosting the industry.
“The staff is the engine behind the success of any organisation; if they have low morale, the result will be failure so they must be adequately motivated,” she said.
The stakeholders promised to collaborate with the NTDC chief to achieve her lofty goal for the industry.
They described the appointment of Mrs Rae-Omoh as a prayer answered by players to have a professional as the captain of NTDC.
National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) President, Mr. Bankole Bernard, said the industry should celebrate the appointment of Mrs Rae-Omoh, being a tourism professional.
Ayo Olowoporoku of Hotel Supports called for a good regulatory framework to drive the industry.
He noted that many countries, including Kenya and South Africa, have benefited from tourism, charging the Federal Government to fund NTDC to enable the corporation perform maximally. -
Husband seeks help for wife with breast cancer
Mr Olakunle Babalola, 35, an umemployed graduate, is seeking help for his wife, who is down with cancer of the breast.
Mrs Babalola Tolulope Taiwo, a twin and a 27- year-old final year undergraduate, has stopped school because of her condition.
Babalola told The Nation that his wife needs assistance to enable her complete her treatment.
Babalola told The Nation that she was diagnosed of breast cancer in 2014, a week after their wedding. “I noticed the lump on her left breast on our wedding night. Since then, both of us have been struggling to survive. The little money on me was used to commence laboratory tests and some palliative treatments. She had already become pregnant before the commencement of her first six courses of Chemotherapy at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja,” he said.
Babalola continued: “God really helped her to keep the baby intact, despite the chemotherapy. She took the chemotherapy every three weeks for six months. After the chemotherapy, she was scheduled for mastectomy of the Lt (left) Breast. Afterwards, she was asked to do immunotherapy and histopathology. She did one of the tests; the other test of N50, 000 was not done due to lack of funds. During those times, my business crashed. Money stopped flowing in. That treatment lasted for about nine months.”
Later, Tolulope started having re-occurrence of cancer, and this time very painful. She reported back at LASUTH, where another six courses of chemotherapy with some strong pain killers were prescribed.
“She took the first, second, third, and fourth chemotherapy treatment. The consultant stopped giving her the drugs when she went for the fifth course because the drugs were not working for her. That was when a new course of diagnoses was recommended. “She started fresh diagnoses to determine the nature of the tissue and the type of cancer last November. This is both emotionally and financially draining,”Babalola bemoaned.
Babalola took in a deep breath after narrating his ordeal, but emotion betrayed him. He said: “My people, the road has been rough. She is at Lakeshore Cancer Health Centre in Victoria Island (VI), Lagos, for further investigations and treatment. We need your help great people of Nigeria. Please assist her in getting her life back. If she stops treatment, she might die. Please help her by helping me to pay her hospital bills.”
Are you moved to assist? Babalola said his GSM no is: 07063968047 and his bank detail is: Olakunle Babalola, 0034480699, GTBank. His wife’s Account details are: Sogunle Tolulope Taiwo, Account No: 0086021297 and bank: Diamond Bank.