Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

This little but great book written by Mr. Clement Ezeolisah, a Public Affairs practitioner with over 20 years’ experience, brings together in a simple but concise manner, the art of effective communication.

The handbook is a credible source of information and I tag it “Effective Communication Made Easy”, especially in this age where reading culture is on a very steep decline.

The handbook brings together in a simple and understandable manner all you need to know about communication in a very interesting manner laced with storytelling.

In this age of WWW, where messaging has been reduced to the click of a button, this handbook also draws attention to importance of message content part of which the author described as “the non-verbal cues or messages which must be taken seriously”. Generally, this handbook calls attention to efficient deployment of the various tools of communication and their proper usage.

The title of the book: “Succeeding in Communication” is apt and recommended to everyone as a must read, because communication is key in succeeding in all that we do and Ezeolisah successfully broke down what everyone needs to know about communication, making it easy to understand without losing the essence for which the book is written.

This hand book reinforces what you know, calling attention to some aspects of effective communication you may have neglected. To the young, this book will help you understand more clearly the essence of “the message” and the need for proper messaging through the right channel for optimum benefit.

The handbook has 62 pages, divided into seven chapters. Chapter One is more in number with 17 pages. It lays the foundation for the book as it discusses the definition and types of communication, throwing up issues such as the often neglected role of body language in verbal and nonverbal communication.

The chapter progressively moves from intra-personal communication, to inter personal communication, to oral communication and then mass communication, before talking about communication in writing to advance official work and of course the WWW. The flow of this chapter makes the book reader-friendly and easily understood.

Chapters Two and Three are on the five elements of communication. These explain clearly the role of the sender, the message which can be seen from the perspective of “what” i.e. action expected from the receiver and the “why” i.e. the purpose or expected impact of the message, the channel, receiver and feedback. Feedback, the author rightly noted is I quote, “very important in the communication process as it provides fidelity and confidence for the communication process” and assures the sender that his message is received.

Chapters four and five titled: “Writing formal/business letters” and “writing reports” are also of great importance. We must all take time out to study these chapters as they would help revive writing skills which have been found to be defective especially with our youths, who have substituted proper writing with abbreviations and slangs used on social media, thereby greatly impairing their writing skills.

Chapter Six like chapters four and five centers on a very important aspect of communication which a lot of people still find very difficult. “The art of writing minutes of meeting”, this is one of the parts of the book that really excites me. This is because a lot of people find this an uphill task and in most cases they get it wrong.

Every person who works in an office must critically study chapters four to six in the hand book as they teache you proper and meaningful written communication at meetings and the ways and gains of preparing for meetings. Also, the order for writing the minutes of meeting and what is expected under each headline is explained and like the author points out, this knowledge is needful as anyone can be called upon to be the secretary of any meeting.

I recommend this hand book “Succeeding in Communication” to everyone. It is a book to read, re-read and kept for reference. It is the teacher you may not have had and your private personal avenue for correcting yourself on various communication issues without necessarily exposing your ignorance. It is effective communication made easy written by Ezeolisah.

Last Wednesday, Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, popularly called Kongi, turned 82. The Open Door Series held at Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) in his honour, with Nigeria’s survival amid corruption topping the discussions. The art community was at his Ijegba country home in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to celebrate the octogenarian with diverse theatrical performances, essay competitions and a discourse on Corruption: A Battle for the Arts. EVELYN OSAGIE was there.

A night of forest intellectual dances, drama

The evening opened with a dance by masqueraders and other trappings of an artistic feast –  symbolic of what was to come.

The dance, dramatic and musical performances were rich accompaniments to the night of discourse on corruption and its place in the polity. Kongi is 82. And what exciting way to celebrate Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka than a dash of colourful creative feasts of a diverse kind.

And so the evening stage was set, right inside Soyinka’s Ijegba Forest home in the ancient city of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

After a long walk through Soyinka’s house to the forest, the ethereal-like amphitheatre hidden behind the trees, venue of the event, added a certain appeal to the intellectual feastings of the night.

It was packed with scholars, social activists, theatre experts and culture enthusiasts. Welcome to the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) at Ijegba Forest.

The yearly event that coincides with the birthday of Soyinka is put together by the Zmirage Multimedia Limited in collaboration with United States-based Global NewHaven.

According to the organisers, besides celebrating Soyinka,  the series raises conversations on burning national issues and promotes creativity in the young.

Tagged: Corruption:  A battle for the arts, this year’s edition, the seventh, dedicated to Prof Femi Osofisan, featured a night of thrilling cultural/theatrical performances and deep cerebral ruminations and discourses tagged the “advocacy segment”. The night’s feasting was the climax of the WSICE celebrations that featured an essay competition involving 82 secondary pupils from various schools.

“The Open Door Series WSICE began in 2010 is conceived to enrich young minds and engage the platforms of literature, arts and culture in affirming and upholding the dignity of man. As is traditional to the project in the past six years, it is to coincide with the 82nd birthday celebration of the Nobel laureate Prof Soyinka, who is the grand motivation behind the project, and after whom it is named. It is,” according to WSICE Executive Producer Alhaji Teju Kareem.

 

Plays against corruption

 

Rousing chants and poetic renditions rent the evening air as a fire burned on each side of the amphitheatre, releasing warmth and smoke that evoked a surreal ambiance. Every section of the floor in front of the audience was the stage. From the market scene to dance and musical performances, each jointly condemned corruptive practices in every spheres of the country.

Yinka Ola-Williams’poetic resurrection and rendition of Soyinka’s Lost Poetry and the humourous yet witty and historical Ricee and Etike Revo Wetin dance-drama, directed by Dr Tunde Awosanmi,also  called attention to the role of the masses in a revolution

The two large screens on both sides of a symbolic map of Nigeria made from electric lightings in the forest gave the venue a modern appeal. Open Door Series’ creation – “Corruption”, which might have been erected for emphasis (it was later burnt  at the end of the night’s event, symbolising the dawn of a new era of true “change”) stood its middle behind the high and low podiums.

The fluidic nature of the performances was worthy of note. The plays flowed seamlessly into each other and into the discourse, along with the two podiums raised above the floor to accommodate the performers and the members of the advocacy segment.

Akin to the “gods” and “goddesses”, observing the unending script of mankind, the “discourse party” sat on the small stage in front of the big one, watching the performers as if they were part of the cast. This effect, perhaps, was employed by the organisers to lighten the burden of discussing a weighty subject like corruption at an evening feast – and they succeeded.

On the advocacy podium were the special guest of the evening, Prof Osofisan, who was praised for his creative efforts at advocating against corruption; the segment’s chair, Prof Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka; the two keynote speakers, Mr Tunde Fagbenle and Prof Segun Ojewuyi, and the four women-discussants – Sola Salako of the “No banking day”saga; Hafsat Abiola-Costello, founder  of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND); women’s advocate Rose Moses and social commentator Kadaria Ahmed.

One could say that the setting and stationary role of the members of the advocacy segment was, somewhat, symbolic of the indifference of adept individuals towards politics, governance and nation-building – which is typical of a popular adage: “if true masqueraders refuse to dance, mediocre would have a field day on the dance floor”.

 

The fight against corruption for arts sake

 

Ajayi-Soyinka put it succinctly in her speech, following the performances and keynote addresses;  saying: “Advocacy is a fundamental human quality that should come naturally. However, I recognise that throughout history, we always make one excuse or another if we are unable to help people. The connection between advocacy and corruption, it is that power factor between the privileged and the disadvantaged. Government bears the huge responsibility to lead the way by policy and action. It is the future and survival of the whole nation.”

Her statements opened up the discourse for the night. It was agreed that the arts cannot thrive in an atmosphere polluted by moral decadence and corrupt practices. Artistes were urged to focus on becoming the change they desire to see by expressing it in their works and deeds.

While praising Soyinka for inspiring advocacy in the arts, Osofisan observed that corruption is moral absence that starts from very small things. He called for a holistic change that would involve everybody. He said: “I salute Prof Soyinka 82 times. Some of us started writing because of him. He inspired us to make arts a kind of advocacy for social justice and for humanity. Corruption will not just change by itself. We have to fight for it. The kind of economy we run is such that everybody is forced to steal – not stealing with the gun but stealing with the pen. If we don’t correct this by restructuring the economy, I fear this could go on.”

Citing plagiarism, corrupt practices in the entertainment industry and the media as other forms of corruption, Fagbenle lamented that the arts have been immersed in corruption as the rest of the country from the onset. He said an average Nigerian is “synonymous with corruption” and Nigeria seen as “the incubating room of corruptive activities in the world”.

He warned artistes to be mindful of the messages they send out, especially to children, urging that the arts must lead the way in the battle against corruption “before it kills the arts and us all”.

“It is, therefore, clear that the arts has a leading role to play, not only in the battle against corruption but more importantly, against corruptive influences in society. We must recognise and engage the arts in its activism capacity; and stop the glorification of those corrupting and enriching themselves in our midst,” he said.

In his keynote address, Ojewuyi drew allusions from Soyinka’s Death and the Kings Horseman, which according to him, is 40 years on stage this year. He said corruption should be viewed from political and spiritual points, saying it is unfortunate that Nigeria sacrificed three of its exemplary leaders, such as the late Dele Giwa, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and the late Chief Bola Ige.

He said: “Neglecting our women has led to spiritual abyss. The lack of compass in our spiritual life has caused the political misdirection and corruption that we are experiencing. So, the two are tied into one…At this point, let me depart from the play and go to three of our leaders that we have sacrificed, such as Chief Bola Ige, a man who was in charge of our justice system, a potential president of this country, assassinated in his own room and we have all gone about our business – not of living but of dying.’’

This year’s 7th Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) project marking Prof Wole Soyinka’s 82nd birthday anniversary will open with an advocacy lecture, Corruption: A Battle for the Arts by Tunde Fagbenle at Ijegba Forest Threatre, Abeokuta tomorrow by 7 pm,  reports Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme 

The yearly Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) holds today and tomorrow. It coincides with the 82nd birthday of the Nobel laureate, Prof. Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka, the grand motivation of the project.

The WSICE is being organised under the auspices of the Open Door Series – designed and promoted by Zmirage Multimedia Limited with the United States-based Global New Haven.

Topics to be addressed by the various segments of the event were selected to reflect  happenings in Nigeria and around the world.

The event’s theme is Corruption: A battle for the arts. It is however, divided into two segments – the youth and the adult.

The youth segment will feature an essay writing competition by students while the adult segment will feature two keynotes on the main theme as well as an all-female panel of discussion on Corruption as it affects children, women and our common humanity.

For the youth, the theme for the yearly essay competition is Challenges or not, I love my country and the writing competition will feature 82 students tackling the topic — in a reality television-like setting. In addition, 18 past winners of the yearly competition will be congregated to write commemorative essays on same topic.

The wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, will have a special mentorship session with the 82 student- essayists and 18 past winners, along with 1000 other children from various schools in and around Ogun State on the youth essay topic. This is a tradition which Mrs Amosun has held strong over the years as it presents one more opportunity for her to impact and encourage the youths.

According to Alhaji Teju Kareem, executive producer of WSICE, “This year’s theme/topic for the youth segment, is aimed at awakening the patriot in young Nigerians, even as many in the older generation have become disillusioned due to the recurrent failure of the Nigerian State.

‘’As usual, the 82 student-essayist and 18 past winners with WSICE officials will pay a courtesy visit to Governor of Ogun State Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and proceed to the country home of the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka at Ijegba for a unique personal one-on-one experience.

“And for the adult segment, the choice of topic for the Advocacy forum is to weigh in on the current battle against corruption by the government, especially to see how the arts can use its civilising principles and tools to help the society cleanse itself of the virus of material and moral corruption.”

Kareem added: “The arts cannot thrive proficiently in an environment polluted by the pervasive scourge of graft and moral decadence.”

The Open Door Series WSICE began in 2010 as an avenue to enlighten and enrich young minds through the use of various art forms, including literature. It is conceived to engage the platforms of Literature, Arts and Culture in affirming and upholding the dignity of man.

“Focusing on the youth as the future of humanity, the WSICE seeks to foster unity among mankind regardless of nationality, ethnicity and religion. The project aims to combat fear, socio-cultural and religious intolerance amongst humanity and in its place foster a sense of unity, tolerance of diversity and subsequent embrace of and respect for each other’s differences”, said Kareem.

Producer of the series, Haneefat lkharo, said that “the youth (secondary school age) are our main target because we believe at that age, their minds are still open to receive and process change and they are also curious enough to explore and accept the unique nature of mankind.”

Mrs Yemisi Alatise is the first African to become International President of the Inner Wheel Club. She spoke to NNEKA NWANERI on her growing days and how she became a leader of philanthropists from  129 world countries.

For Mrs Yemisi Alatise, it is all about serving humanity. Little did she know that she would one day lead millions of women in the International Inner Wheel Club. She is not only the first African to hold that position she is also the first Nigerian to reach the peak of the service Club.

Her election was done through postal voting system whereby the nominees never saw their voters, neither were they able to rig or canvass votes. Every contestant is nominated by each participating country and circulated all over the world. They are seen only by the works of their hands and the activities of contestants through their Curriculum Vitae.

Last week in Lagos, she told of a book she is publishing for women, which will be presented at the next United Nations meeting to be disseminated all over the world. The book, she said, will contain contributions from about 42 countries and hopes to expose issues about the female privileges and challenges, highlighting the abuse of girls and women.

The president said that because Inner Wheel is a non-political group, its cannot enforce and enact but can create as much awareness as possible that some countries, women are endangered species right from the womb; adding that girls are killed either in the womb or right after they are born.

“If a girl escapes being killed before or after birth, she undergoes female genital mutilation in different forms and shapes. If she escapes that, she is taken into child marriage. So, female genital mutilation is not of any advantage to the girl, and we need to educate the upcoming mothers of the ill of the practice, most common in the Middle East and in some parts of Africa predominantly done in Europe for Africans whose parents migrated from the Middle East and Africa.

“Why should a woman allow any other woman mutilate her daughter. We have to stop the vicious cycle, that if it was done to one, it will be done to another. There is no other implication than to save the girl child. It is quite sad that in some parts of the world where women don’t mutilate their girls, it is the girls who go mutilate themselves because the boys will say they won’t marry them because they are not mutilated.”

She lamented that most times, the exercise is borne out of the selfish interest of men to control the sexual urge of the woman, even though it has been proved that mutilation can only make the woman insatiable.

On the dangers of child trading, she noted that there is no harm in teaching a child how to trade, provided the child must be tailored and guided and the girls educated to be streetwise and not follow anyone into their houses.

“I was a street hawker as a child. My mother traded in porcelain wares. When I close from school, I will stop to take some trays and pans and sell. Then, when I close school at 1:30, I will go to my father’s store and help till 5-6pm and collect wares to sell. My mother traded in Jankara market. We lived in Erika. But I had routes to pass.

She said:“We cannot continue with the policy of pamper the girls and push the boys. If girls are pampered, they will be sent to a world where they are pushed. If they are not pushed as children, they will enter a world where they are later pushed to a corner.

“So child traders need to be brought up properly not to hawk all the time on the road and their parents also has the duty to reduce the zeal to use their child to look for money. The minimum they can get within a reasonable time should be enough for them. And they should not exploit the girls and expose them to moral danger.”

Having given her support the ban on street trading in Lagos, she noted that there was no comparison of the Lagos of today and that of 50 years ago when she hawked.

“Lagos of the past and the Lagos we see now is a completely different kettle of fish. The Lagos I grew up in, we walk on the streets till 10pm and still won’t be harassed, but this ban the Lagos State Government has embarked on is for the safety of the child, to be protected from harm, so I support it.

“Touch a heart is not just a philosophy, but a philosophy of the spirit, that whatever we do it with kindness. Yes, we cannot physically touch a heart else it is diseased, but we can touch a heart emotionally by our words and deeds. A heart should not be hurts by our words, but be healed with kindness,” She said.

Although there are more discernible facial forms rendered in flaming red and mauves of blue and purple, Celestial Aesthetics Series 2 is similar to Celestial Aesthetics Series 1 both in form and content. jegede created depth of spatial illusion by painting glowing cloudy images that dissolve into space. A close look at the pictorial surface reveals series of painting techniques that crystallize into sparkling and colorful visual wealth. jegede elevates color far above form in the celestial series in order to prick our affective domain and therefore allow us a peep into the inner crevices of his emotions. We hereby witness the enormous potentials of creative imagination that an artist wields when “emotions are recollected in tranquility”.

 

The Boko Haram Insurgency

 

The Boko Haram series is the second strand of Jegede’s creative exposition. While the first is celestial in concept, Boko Haram series is based on earthly experiences where defined forms were used to illustrate and express temporal emotions. The paintings and drawings in Boko Haram series are formally characterized by precise expertise in draughtsmanship. jegede seems to pointedly display excellent painterly attributes and profound understanding of pictorial composition. He appreciates the necessity of using illustrative forms to clearly depict the theme and sub-theme of Boko Haram, which has become a scourge in the history of Nigeria.

As a social commentator, jegede’s visual activism found appropriate expression in painting and drawing the unfortunate terror activities and the devastating mass displacement of people following Boko Haram’s invasions and attacks. The members of the Boko Haram group are self-acclaimed Islamic Jihadists that pretentiously hate and fight against Western education and civilization. The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria came with disastrous terror attacks in most parts of the North-eastern Nigeria. Many villages and towns were completely sacked with houses bombed and razed down. Women and children were violently kidnapped and enslaved while farm products including herds of domestic animals were looted and confiscated. Cities and suburbs including Abuja the capital of Nigeria were bombed with heavy human and capital casualties. These dastardly acts led to unprecedented migration of people from the Northern part, especially the troubled-spots to the relatively safer central and Southern Nigeria. The Internally Displaced People (IDP) became refugees in their own country. They suffered hunger and were emotionally traumatized with many children and the aged losing their lives.

jegede’s witty impulse as a cartoonist manifested while dealing with the social problems caused by Boko Haram insurgency. In the IDP series, he lessened the burden and tension of the havoc by introducing comical interventions in paintings such as Internally Displaced Politician and Internally Displaced Police (Rofo Rofo Fight).

The Internally Displaced Politician is a political pun played on the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Dr. Goodluck Jonathan whose tenure witnessed the peak of the Boko Haram terror activities. Indeed, the unabated escalation of insurgency during his presidency was a major factor that led to his defeat and the ousting of his party from the leadership of the country. jegede painted Goodluck Jonathan wearing a tattered bowler hat and looking despondent with a jaw-in-hand pose. A dark bird perched on the tip of the hat with ominous premonition. The worn-out hat symbolises agony of defeat and the trauma of political displacement.

A white dove that connotes peaceful handing-over of the presidency roosted on the shoulder of the man whose lonely figure is silhouetted against a reddish background. The painting satirizes the reign of Boko Haram terror and the agony of displacement suffered by the people. It castigates Jonathan’s leadership and holds him responsible for the consequences of his actions and inactions.

IDP (Internally Displaced People) is typical of jegede’s early advanced compositions with excellent painterly renditions. The displaced people are depicted with loads on their heads migrating to unknown destinations. The human figures seem to levitate in spatial vacuum since the pictorial field was rendered in birds’-eye view. The composition is very rich in palette considering the variety of receding green tones used to paint the foreground and background. The figures and especially the head-loads were made dynamic by the colorful hues used in defining the forms. The painting looks enchanting in formal presentation despite the unmistakable thematic discomfiture.

There are more thematic and formal pranks played by jegede in order to enrich the exhibition. He engaged excellently rendered pencil drawings to highlight the plights of people who experienced displacement in works such as Internally Displaced Persons and Generation What (Selfie). Using large paper surface, he explored the impact of digital and sophisticated information/phone technology on the older generation who are generally considered ‘analogue’ in thinking. The two elderly displaced people were snapping themselves in the ‘selfie’ style; thereby asserting their ‘youthfulness’ in spite of the trauma of migration and age.

In the exhibition, jegede reconciles the theory and practice of art through a dynamic interplay of cognitive and psycho-motor series. A versatile scholar who has distinguished himself as a researcher into contextual aesthetics he is sensitive to the nuances of artistic production and appreciation. Having survived the tough and slippery paths of creativity and scholarship for over four decades, Jegede has sufficiently mastered the principles of his trade and can therefore generate fresh strategic template for aesthetic considerations.

His humanistic philosophy constantly translates to multiplex visions that are often rendered as visual activism. He parodies the state of the Nigeria nation and wittingly draws attention to the ills of the society. With uncanny visual and verbal poetics, jegede speaks to the core essence of living. He entices the audience with profound technical skills in writing and painting and delivers his messages in coded comical punches.

In this septuagenarian strut, jegede’s emotional contemplations are revealed through his articulation of abstract concepts that are converted into visual reality. He referenced memories by addressing the physical vastness and the metaphysical depth of the universe in the celestial series. He continually demonstrates patriotic concerns on Nigeria national issues despite his dual citizenship as a bona fide resident in the United States of America. He captures the enervating effects of Boko Haram insurgency and forecast the rot and profligacy of corrupt officials that hindered the defeat of terrorism in Nigeria. He reminds us of the albatross around the non-release of the kidnapped Chibok girls in one of the paintings titled Boko Haram (Bring Back Our Girls). He reconciled the two painting styles used for the exhibition by rendering the head of the perturbed Chibok girl in naturalistic approach, while treating the trunk of the girl in abstract expressionism peculiar to the celestial series.

It is plausible to observe that Jegede has upheld to a large extent his revolutionary manifesto declared in the brochure of the 1986 exhibition titled Paradise Battered. He had solemnly pledged to do nothing else than use his art for social and political activism. The Celestial Aesthetics series stands out as an emotional visual dolor that equally elevates the soul as much as the avowed expressive radicalism.