The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Blind music act wins talent hunt

    Blind music act wins talent hunt

    He dreamt of a future when he would rule the airwaves and his songs on every lip. Today, 18-year-old aspiring gospel artiste, Godspower Ikharehon, is one step closer to his dream.

    Beating 467 other contestants, Godspower, a.ka. BOG, emerged winner the SOO Live The Dream™ Music talent hunt that comes with N200, 000 prize money, a recording contract from Dihoo Records and a trip to Dublin, Ireland where he is expected to perform at the Crowne Plaza Hotel courtesy of Perod’s Foundation, sponsors of Miss Nigeria Ireland beauty pageant.

    Participating in the event, BOG said was a deliberate act to show his talent to the world. In short, he was out to make a statement, an act which was seen in the passion with which he battled for the prize.

    To those who feel their lives are over due to one disability or the other, BOG, a pupil of Ihogbe College for the Blind in Benin, the Edo State capital, said he had shown there is great ability in disability.

    The hunt was aimed at identifying budding music talents of the oriented youths from Esan Northeast/Southeast Federal Constituency of Edo State.   It was an initiative sponsored by a member representing Esan Northeast/Southeast Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Sergius Oseasochie Ogun.

    At the hunt, the 18-year-old prided himself with a unique voice and dexterity with the keyboard. He gave such thrilling performances that dazzled the crowd and the judges, comprising Muyiwa Asenuga, a.k.a Nomoreloss, Sydney Shocker, Monique D Vibes and Elcee McEdwards.

    And like story of most great men, BOG wasn’t always so confident. Once upon a time his life, he suffered from depression owing to his condition, and then, music saved his life.

    “I have music to thank for taking me away from self-pity and putting me in the limelight of his community. Whenever I go to church and listen to people sing I feel very happy. In fact, inside me I would wish I was the one doing the songs.  There were times I felt hopeless, especially with my condition.

    “I used to say people can walk, sing, see and here I am not being able to see; I felt that was how my life would be wasted but one day I took a decision and made a step to start singing. That decision helped me to get over self-pity and built my confidence that music is for me. Since then, I have never looked back and I must say that immediately I took that first step, God took it up from there,” he said.

    As he stood with hundreds of other hopefuls in the initial audition, he did not imagine he would make the first 120 contestants. After the number was screened from 120 to 20, to be named among the top, BOG said, boosted his morale and increased his energy to battle for the prize.

    He said: “While I was at home I usually believed that I would win but when the auditions started and I started listening to some of the contestants , I was afraid that I had lost it all. My condition helped me to be serious in the sense that when I heard the performances of the other contestants, it spurred me to work harder. The fact that I don’t see their faces was an advantage to me.”

    He made the list of the top 10 contenders and emerged winner. His pronouncement as winner drew a load and emotional applause at the grand finale held at the Social Hall of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, Ubiaja, Edo State.

    It was an overwhelmed BOG that took to the stage: he fell down on the floor with joy, started dancing while being held by his brother. The move that brought the audience and fellow contestants to tears.

    Delighted Godspower  said he can’t wait to release his first single. He advised the young and aspiring talents: “I believe that everybody has a talent that needs to be harnessed; it will only take you to look and identify your talent and use it to prosper. I wish my story will touch them to believe in themselves and take a decision not to run away from their country. We have great opportunities here. I don’t know why many are running away from a country with potentials. ”

    Deborah Christy Odiboh, 16, won N100,000 for emerging second, while sound engineer, Destiny Ogunnubi, got N50,000 as third place winner.

    While presenting prizes to the winners, Ogun said he was happy with the outcome of the event and believed the next edition would be better.

    “I am satisfied with the turnout of the event, it was wonderful, my prayer is the by the time we host the second edition next year the turnout will be more than this,” he said.

     

     

  • BSN is 50

    BSN is 50

    BIBLE Society of Nigeria (BSN) will be 50 on February 8, next year. To celebrate the golden event, the body has unveiled activities lined up for it.

    At a briefing yesterday, its General Secretary, Rev Richard Dare Ajiboye, said the Society, which was inaugurated in Lagos, started from a small office with  a small staff, which has grown over the years.

    He listed some the achievements of the group as: translation of the Bible into 24 nigerian languages, distribution of over two million bibles last year; publication of special editions of the Bible, such as the 100th Anniversary of Nigeria last year and establishment of Area offices in all the 36 states, among others.

    He said the celebration would kick off on February 2, next year with an exhibition, followed by a youth rally, luncheon and end with a lecture/awards on February 8 at the MUSON Centre, Lagos.

    Ajiboye unveiled the logo of the anniversary at the briefing.

    At the event were Chairman, BSN@ 50 Planning Committee, Mr Gbenga Olayeye; the group’s Elders’ Forum, Pastor Bayo Oladosu and BSN’s Assistant Secretaries, Pastor Victor ‘Oluwadamilare (Publishing and Kola Shokunbi (Finance).

     

  • Museum at 70: Whither the museum service in Nigeria

    Museum at 70: Whither the museum service in Nigeria

    On November 11, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) celebrated 70 years of the museum service in Nigeria. The choice of Esie Museum for the anniversary was hypocritical for many reasons, including neglect.

    What has Esie Museum to show for being the first museum in the country? Established in 1945, following the discovery of over 800 soapstone figures, Esie Museum has been a victim of neglect as its infrastructure, which is an apology, is still not too different from what it used to be in the past. It would have been better for the money used for the celebration to be utilised to improve on the physical development of the museum being the first in Nigeria. It is shameful that the first museum has not advanced from its primordial state when others after it have received preferential attention.

    But the pertinent question is, what is there to celebrate, considering the decadence into which the inexperienced and ignorant leadership, past and present, that have passed through the system after the exit of  Prof Ekpo Eyo has plunged the museum service?

    Against the backdrop of the expectation of an efficient and effective museum service, rather than celebrating, it should have been an  occasion for sober reflection and stocktaking for the management of the museum institution and the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and the National Orientation Agency. They needed  to have pondered over some pertinent questions in view of the low ebb the establishment has sunk over the years since the departure of the ‘fathers’ of the museum service in Nigeria, which terminated in the glorious epoch of the late Eyo, the first indigenous Director of the Federal Department of Antiquities and later Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

    In fact, the heart bleeds anytime an x-ray of the state of the museum service is undertaken, which had experienced what  can be referred to as El dorado during the tenures of Kenneth C. Murray, Bernard Fagg and Eyo. May their gentle souls rest in peace.

    It is a fact that when Eyo, an archaeologist and museologist, was at the helm of affairs at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the members of the staff and the public spoke of the institution in glowing terms. His tenure witnessed the rapid development of the museum service in all facets, including but not limited to infrastructural development, capacity building, appointments based on competency, care of collections, scheduling and maintenance of monuments, exhibitions, including travelling exhibitions and staff welfare.

    The same cannot be said of the present leadership, which is a round peg in a square hole, judging from the state of affairs in the institution which exudes a catalogue of woes.

    In a television interview recently on the reasons for the celebration, the Director-General, Mallam Abdallah Yusuf, said: “Because the National Commission for Museums and Monuments is still existing.”

    What a puerile and naive response from the Chief Executive Officer of a research and intellectual institution. Perhaps, he is correct either from the standpoint of his own assessment or because he has not improved on the state of the institution since his assumption of office about six years ago.

    At the last count in 1986, when Eyo was retiring, there were over 53 scheduled monuments across the country, all in good condition. Today, the story is different as the number of monuments across the country can be counted on the finger tips as the majority, including those in the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture (MOTNA), have deteriorated and have disappeared from the earth surface. A visit to the museums’ collection storage across the country, particularly Lagos, Jos and Benin, will make a true museum professional weep. No thanks to the tenterhooks of neglect by the museum leadership. The installed air conditioners have long broken down while the usual regular fumigation of the collections storage aimed at preservation to deter agents of deterioration is a thing of the past. If it is not possible to improve on the status quo, must the  facilities or activities be allowed to deteriorate or stopped? It is worthy to note that other West African countries with whom Nigeria entered the museum service, such as Ghana, Mali and Niger, are growing in leaps and bounds while we are retrogressing. An example, the Museum Centre in Jos, established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultured Organisation (UNESCO) in the 1970s, for the training of museographers, that used to attract patronage from museums in other African countries has become a caricature and a laughing stock since its metamorphosis to the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies (IAMS). It no longer enjoys patronage from West African and East African museum institutions because of its appalling standard. The school can be likened to a living dead.

    Apart from the care of collections and the maintenance of monuments, including MOTNA, other areas that need attention, such as the primacy, integrity and ethical considerations of the collections, appointment of dedicated and knowledgeable staff to leadership positions, with round pegs in round holes, relevant staff training and development, vigorous ethnographic research/archaeological excavations across the country, matched with corresponding publications, settlement of antiquities vendors to discourage illegal trafficking, pursuit of aggressive educational programmes in all the museum stations, are, to past museum professional employees, including the author, who have seen it all in the museum service, mindboggling questions begging for answers.

    There is no gainsaying that things have gone awry in the National Commission for Museum and Monuments; a situation that calls for urgent intervention to stem the tide of decadence. To watchers of the commission, it is not surprising that this is so because the leadership of the ministry that is expected to be a watch dog did not help matters because of pecuniary gains. There have been unabated calls from the workers for the ministry to beam its searchlight on the institution’s leadership. Instead, the ministry allegedly busied itself witchhunting whistle-blowing union officials for speaking out against the leadership.

    The oddity at the commission has been laid bare in the public ‘court’ as a Macedonian call for anticipated salvage.  The leadership of the new the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, under which the NCMM will function in the new dispensation, should take  action to prevent an imminent collapse of the museum service in Nigeria.

    A stitch in time saves nine!

     

    • Akanbiemu is the resident curator, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
  • Books battle politics at arts festival

    Books battle politics at arts festival

    Discussions at this year’s Ake Arts and Book Festival, with the theme, Engaging the fringe, were revealing. Taboos, transgender issues, marginalisation, conflicts, oppression and personal experiences were debated at the festival, which featured Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai and Prof Niyi Osundare, among others, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports. 

    It was a gathering of the literati.The written word was the binding factor. No fewer than 16 books by renowned and emerging authors were discussed in eight chats that featured works, such as Mona Elthahaway’s Head Scarves and Hymens, Pius Adesanmi’s Naija No Dey Carry Last, Igonni Barret’s Black Ass, Helon Habila’s Oil on water and Tendai Huchu’s The Maestro.

    The event was the third Ake Arts and Book Festival held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Of the 81 guest-artistes, authors and writers at the five-day festival, none found book and literature strange or boring. But, Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai confessed that books have taken the back seat in his life.

    el-Rufai, who spoke alongside Prof Howard French on Minding the Business of Africa, lamented that, these days, he hardly found time to sleep well or read a book in a week. Reason? “Battling with politics and policies,” he said.

    “I used to read one book a week, but in the last few years I have been battling with opposition and new policies… These days I do not sleep well; maybe because of the peculiar unemployment problems in the state that I am thinking of,” he added.

    Reacting to questions on effects of climate change, he said, much as climate change is real, “I don’t worry about it because I will be dead when the glazier will melt. What is important is that as long as human exists, you will always see places giving way for urbanisation. Humanity will find solution to that.”

    On planning, El-Rufai said Nigeria is on the cliff financially and “we must first survive tomorrow before planning for 20 years,” noting that he cannot speak for the Federal Government on matters of planning the future because his primarily concern is the state.

    He said, as a government, “we are thinking of the next four years which we are accountable for. As at today, Nigeria spends about 70 per cent of its income on food and fuel. These are the issues that concern us today before we think of attending to climate change.”

    According to him, “the challenge for me is what do I do to create jobs in Kaduna for the youth because no one will sleep in peace if.”

    The former FCT Minister said the problem in the Northeast where the Boko Haram holds sway is huge, blaming it on the absence of federal investments in the area.

    “Three out of four people in Yobe don’t have education. From this, you should know there is danger. The problem is huge in the area and federal investment has been lacking. What we are dealing with now is the neglect by past administrations,” El-Rufai added.

    While El-Rufai was losing sleep and unable to read a book in a week, renowned poet and scholar Prof Niyi Osundare talks, lives and reads books every day even the Holy Bible, which he said, connects easily with ‘our folklore.” He recalled that he encountered the works of William Shakespeare on the streets of Ikere-Ekiti, and that today, when he writes, he feels the impact of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and JP Clark. “I encountered Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in 1965 as it was part of the West African School Certificate Examination syllabus,” he said.

    His Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun earlier tasked corporate Nigeria to support the promotion of reading culture among youths. He said such commitment, which is critical for humanity’s benefit cannot all be provided by the government. He said corporate organisations should complement the efforts of the government in the fight against decline in reading culture among the youths, saying it is only true such collaborations that the situation can be redressed.

    “Literature is the soul of life. It does a lot of things, provokes many issues of interest to mankind. I am happy our young ones are being carried along at the festival and as such promote reading culture.  This is the only way we can get it right. We must encourage our young ones in reading because you don’t give what you don’t have. And from what they learnt, they can transfer into governance in future,” he added.

    He, however, noted that critics must offer constructive criticisms, which he said, is an impetus to good governance.

    European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Michael Arrion, described culture as smart economy and that “you cannot invest in water, health and education if you don’t understand the people’s culture.”

    He commended the organisers of the festival for raising issues that are taboos, be they corruption, language, politics among others in this year’s theme; Engages the fringe.

    He said, issues such as winner takes all syndromes, importance of language in politics, the seeming divide between French and English are very relevant to this year’s theme. He described democracy as when the majority is ruling and minority is being taken care of.

    Interestingly, Osundare reiterated that humanity is at the core of his books, which serve as voices for the poor because he sees a bent world. “The world I saw before me was bent, so I thought I should be part of correcting it. Our society is so unjust. I am still trying to find answers to some of these questions. If you fill your hands with arms and wealth, you will not have space for humanity. In everything, humanity must be put first,” he said.

    He recalled that three of his books were dedicated to his teachers in the primary, secondary and university, saying that ‘teaching is the most important vocation in the world and that it is a calling. I had teachers who gave their all.’

    On his inspiration, he said: “I don’t have problem linking all my readings from the world to what I inherited in my local Ikere. I also savour the messages by classical musicians from across the globe, including Nigeria. In fact, music and poetry are fist cousin and I see my lines with my ears.”

    He noted that there are many Biafras in the country, which must be handled with care. He however said the relationship between Mike Awoyinfa and the late Dimgba Igwe shows that the handshake can really be extended across the Niger.

    He stressed that oppression and conflict can never end in human society but warned: “We must find a way of fighting them. Civilisation and democracy are very young. We will get there but we must change our ways.”

  • Sustaining Sussane Wenger’s legacy

    Sustaining Sussane Wenger’s legacy

    Ten years after the Osun Osogbo Groove was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a world heritage site, some sculptures in the groove are in urgent need of restoration and preservation.

    Last Tuesday, a campaign, Save Our Art, Save Our Heritage, to safeguard the groove was launched with an exhibition at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos with a strong message: “Many of the sculptures created between 1960 and 1980 are in urgent need of repair and restoration. Restoration and preservation efforts must begin immediately or Nigeria risks losing not only the sculptures themselves, but also the important UNESCO World Heritage site designation.”

    Worried by this development, The Sussane Wenger Adunni Olorisha Trust, led by Mr. Femi Akinsanya, initiated the campaign and exhibition to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of the failing sculptural works.

    At a preview session of the exhibition that opened on Tuesday, Akinsanya said this generation of Nigerians have a duty to preserve the spectacular artistic works in the groove and hand them over in perfect form to coming generations.

    “These works serve as a testament to the continuation of the tradition of great creativity of Nigerian artists in our time,” he added.

    According to him, only two of the original artists working in cement are still alive and that, despite age, they are eager and uniquely qualified to do the restoration and to train the next generation of artists and artisans.

    Robin Campbell, a member of the trust said, at the moment, the trust requires not only finance, but also expertise to restore the sculptures.

    On why it is necessary to restore, one of the guest speakers at the exhibition, Mr Victor Ekpuk said: “Memory is that which gives us our sense of self and identity. The preservation of our people’s culture, history and art is a preservation of our people’s memory. The Osun Osogbo Grove and the art in it, is an important memory of a people. Preserving this memory is to bequeath an important legacy for the generations after us, so they not live in a sad condition of identity amnesia.”

    The restoration campaign is not restricted to the sculptures alone as the trust will also restore Sussane Wenger’s remarkable Brazilian style house which houses her personal art collection. This is to make the house a living learning centre that will promote Osogbo art, the legacy of Wenger and Ulli Beier and establish an art residency programme.

    He identified the followings as part of the benefits of the restoration project; conservation of art and heritage in Nigeria’s UNESCO site, youth training and employment of the next generation of Osogbo artists and artisans, employment and economic development through enhanced tourism, establish a foundation for increased promotion of art, providing education and awareness of the unique art legacy within Nigeria and internationally and protect the environment in the unique unspoiled forest.

     

    “These works must be used to rally and inspire generations of Nigerians to remind us that we are a people with worthy cultural and historical achievements. From which we can draw a sense of identity and pride,” Akinsanya added.

    The exhibition, which will run till mid-December is featuring works by members of the Sacred Artists Movement of the Osogbo, such as Sangodare, Adebisi Akanji, Rabiu Abesu, Kasali Akangbe-Ogun, and guest-artists, such as Bruce Onobrakpeya, Polly Alakija and Aldophus Opara.

  • Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    The alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has decried what he called the “gradual extinction” of Yoruba customs and traditions. According to him,  “considering the rate at things move these days, it will be disastrous allowing our traditions go into oblivion in the face of permissiveness”.

    “How many Yoruba sons and daughters can brilliantly articulate their local language? It is frightening that our own language is dangling on the pit of extinction while preference is accorded foreign language, which is English. Languages often hold the record of a people’s history, including their songs, stories, praise, poetry and ancient traditions,” he said.

    Alaafin, who spoke at the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, as guest lecturer on Secret of Language and Culture observed that many indigenous cultures contain a wealth of information about the local environment and their floral and fauna resources, based on thousands of years of close interaction, experience, and problem-solving. He noted that with the extinction of language, man loses access to local understanding of plants, animals, and the ecosystems, some of which have important medicinal value, and many of which remain undocumented by science.

    According to the monarch, the survival of threatened languages, and the indigenous knowledge contained within, is an important aspect of maintaining biological diversity.

    Oba Adeyemi stressed: “languages are now becoming extinct faster than birds, mammals, fish or plants. Of the estimated 7,000 unique languages spoken in the world today, nearly half are likely to disappear this century, with an average of one lost every two weeks.

    “It is most likely that in less than 50 years from now, even some major Nigerian languages, if not encouraged, can become extinct, and lecturers in our Universities would have cause to excite their students with great lectures in a course on, say, ‘ancient’ Igbo or ‘ancient’ Yoruba languages, and of which they would speak with nostalgia, ‘They once flourished in the distant past, but have now become extinct’. This is a disheartening possibility for anyone, who cares about our indigenous languages, the history and unrecorded knowledge they carry within them.”

    The monarch also spoke on African traditional religion, which he said, clearly plays a distinctive role as the ultimate source of supernatural power and authority that sanction and reinforce public morality.

    Continuing, he said: “It is pressed into full service to maintain social order, peace and harmony. Traditional Africans believe that success in life, including the gift of off-spring, wealth and prosperity, are all blessings from the gods and ancestors. They accrue to people, who work hard, and who strictly adhere to the customs, and traditional norms of morality of the community, people, who strictly uphold the community ideal of harmonious living. Only such people could entertain a real hope of achieving the highly esteemed status of ancestor hood in the hereafter.

    “The vast majority of norms, taboos and prohibitions is directed towards protecting the community and promoting peace and harmony. Communal farmland, economic interests like the market-place, stream or shrine are generally surrounded with taboos, including, who may or may not enter, and when and under what circumstances people are permitted or not to enter such places. Stealing is abhorred. It is in fact, an abomination to steal things relating to people’s vital life-interests and occupation.’’

    Religion, according to him, may be distinct and separate from morality, as many scholars have rightly argued. “’For traditional Africans, however, the line dividing the two is very thin indeed. African traditional religion plays a crucial role in the ethical dynamics of the different groups.

    “In the traditional African background, ‘gods serve as police men’. African traditional world-views invariably outline a vision of reality that is, at once ethical in content and orientation. Human beings and their world are the focal centre of a highly integrated universe.  Human conduct is seen as key in upholding the delicate balance believed to exist between the visible world and the invisible one,” he added.

  • How Bamako Encounters dared the odds

    How Bamako Encounters dared the odds

    It is common knowledge that this year’s African Biennale of Photography (Bamako Encounters) in Mali took off against the wind-seeming political instability, paucity of funds, logistics and apathy from participants as a result of insecurity.

    Yet, its organisers-Mali Ministry of Culture and the French Ministry….and the curators led by Bisi Silva, dared all odds in putting up a remarkable 10th anniversary edition of the biennale tagged: Telling Time. Silva was assisted by Antawan Byrd and Yves Chatap.

    Silva, who spoke with this reporter at the close of the professionals’ week in Bamako, said the curators were ready to put up a good show despite the fears expressed by some organisations, especially the foreign press. She stated that such fears were heightened because of increase in cost of insurance, noting that the organisers were conscious of the challenges of building confidence in global community, which Mali was able to do with the festival.

    “We had the support of everybody. But in context, there were few challenges. With Samuel Sidibe, everything went well. This year’s edition is symbolic, especially after the crises. The applications we got were the largest in the history of the biennale. And for those reasons, it is extremely important. Also, it is a vote of confidence on the festival because of the circumstances,” she added.

    She recalled that the curatorial team appreciated the financial challenges, but was determined to work with Samuel Sidibe in order to make the biennale successful. “I score the festival high because we got beyond what we projected and it was impactful. Above all, apart from issues with resources, time management was a big lesson we took away from the biennale,” she noted.

    Silva said: “Timbuktu, which is at the centre of the crisis, is many hours from the venue of the biennale just as Lagos is to Maiduguri or Yola in Nigeria. Frankly speaking, I don’t go around worried about the crisis in that area of Mali and I love working in Mali, which dated back to 2007. For me, I am home basically.”

    On whether there was gender favouritism in selecting the participants, Silva noted that although the curators were sensitive to gender balance, the female artists made it to the biennale on merit, adding that there was no compromise of curatorial integrity. She said if she were to pick another theme for the biennale, it would still be one which dwelt on contemporary issues happening both in Mali and the continent.

    Speaking on how the festival impacted on the local photographers in Mali, Silva stated that organisers were conscious of engaging Malian photographers and artists at the grassroots level, which informed the initiation of programmes such as Studio Mali, which is less targeted by foreign artists. According to her, it is a community programme across Bamako.

     

  • Echoes of Achebe’s works at writers’ show

    Echoes of Achebe’s works at writers’ show

    The influence of African literature on the world was underscored at the 2015 Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA) conference in Ghana. Over 300 writers and scholars from the continent and the Diaspora gathered to commemorate the 22nd International African Writers’ Day (IWD). The contributions of Nigerian writers, particularly the late Chinua Achebe, dominated the conference, reports EVELYN OSAGIE, who was in Ghana.

    The 2015 Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA) conference sought to address fears over the future of African Literature.

    Over 300 writers and scholars from Africa and the Diaspora gathered in Accra, Ghana to chart a new course for literature on the continent.

    Nigeria’s literature, its writers and their contributions to the development of the continent’s literature came into focus, as the writers called for policies to boost reading culture.

    With the theme: Celebrating the life and works of Chinua Achebe: The Coming of Age of African Literature? the three-day conference was an assorted cerebral ‘dish’ that called for reorientation, infrastructural development, funding, promoting literature and  boosting the reading culture in the continent. It featured a keynote address, diverse plenary sessions, staging of two adaptations of Achebe’s works by Prof Femi Osofisan across diverse venues, such as Ghana National Theatre, the Accra International Conference Centre, the Tang Palace Hotel, and the award ceremony at the Kempinski Hotel.

    The conference’s keynote address was presented by Amb. Henri Lopes of Congo Brazzaville with other presentations by Dr. Margaret Busby and Mr. James Currey, both from the United Kingdom (UK), who had very close professional and personal relationship with Achebe.

    In attendance were writers from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, United States (US), Mali, Angola and Equatorial Guinea

    “We have on several platforms promoted the idea of a formulation for national consciousness development,” said PAWA Secretary-General, Prof Atukwei Okai.

    “The formula, which has been most profitably and successfully adopted and practiced in other countries, such as Norway, is that in a given country every year the Education Ministry undertakes to agree with all publishers that 2000 copies of every worthy book published, upon selection by an intellectual standards board, be bought and distributed to the libraries throughout the country.”

    He called for the proactive support of government for the book industry. He said: “Through the continuous encouragement of the publication of works created by African writers, by the acquisition of certain books approved by a Quality Validation Board, such a policy will inure to the benefit of all the critical sectors in the chain of the African book industry.

    “It will help to fill our libraries with books, our writers are empowered to be able to buy time from running after other forms of livelihood pursuits and devote their time and energies to the creation of more books for our people; the enlightenment levels of our society will be enhanced and our ingenious publishing industries will be supported and developed.”

     

    Celebrating Achebe’s legacies

    The 22nd International African Writers’ Day (IWD) celebration, which was a major highlight of the conference,  was dedicated to Nigeria’s literary icon, Achebe (1930 – 2013), acknowledged all over the world as the most influential African writer of his generation.

    Okai urged young, up-and-coming writers to build upon or take Achebe’s legacy as a point of departure. “His writings, including the novel, Things Fall Apart, introduced readers throughout the world to the creative use of language to and from factual inside accounts of modern African life and history. Through his literary contributions and championing of a big and bold vision for Nigeria and Africa, Achebe helped reshape the perception of African history, culture and place in world affairs,” he said.

    “Let me say that I do think decency and civilisation would insist that the writer takes sides with the powerless. Clearly, there’s no moral obligation to write in any particular way. But there is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless. I think an artist, in my definition of that word, would not be someone who takes sides with the emperor against his powerless subjects.”

    The above quote by , reechoed by his eldest son, Dr. Ike Achebe, reaffirmed the mantra of the writers as they commemorated IWD attended by Ghanian President John Dramini Mahama, who was represented by a minister.

    For Achebe’s son, celebrating his father’s legacies called for reflection on his father’s mission as a writer “to restore the dignity of the African person and of all powerless persons everywhere: by restoring, as he called it, balance of stories”.

    “The acronyms Pan African Writers’ Association, PAWA, is also fortunate in this case, in putting us in mind of, and reminding us, of Chinua Achebe’s engagement with the dynamics of power and its relationship to literature. But, of course, PAWA is serious business, and writers associations the world over, but especially in Africa, play a much needed role in providing protection to the powerless, and freedom of expression: protection that Chinua Achebe held to be very dear to the development of society. That is why it is most gratifying for me to be among you.

    “With so many Achebe scholars gathered here, all of you much more qualified than I, to speak on Achebe’s life and work, I look forward to spending the next days, listening and learning from you on the various ways these ideals, and the ideals around the emergence of modern African literature, impinge on the Achebean mission. We, the Achebe family, thank all of you, the writers of the national writer’ associations of African and the African Diaspora for this great honour you have done Chinua Achebe; I thank Prof Okai and PAWA for inviting me. I thank you all for listening to me; and I wish you fruitful deliberations.”

     

    Awards galore

    Besides Achebe, four Nigerian writers –HRH Chukwuemeka Ike, the late Festus Iyayi and Osofisan – were part of 16 dignitaries honoured for their contributions to the development of African literature with the PAWA Patron of the Arts and Honorary Membership awards during the conference.

    Other recipients included the late Kwame Nkrumah, Emeritus Prof Ekwueme Thelwell, the late Mamadou Traore Diop, Amb. Lopes, Dr Busby, Mr Currey, Prof Jophus Anamuah- Mensah, Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee and  Nabanyin Pratt, among others.

    Both awards comprised a diploma, a plaque of the PAWA emblem, a gold medal, and the PAWA stool of Royalty (with the PAWA emblem carved on it). The stool was used to induct the awardees during the award ceremony on the second day of the conference.

    It would be recalled that Wole Soyinka, J.P Clark, Okara, Gabriel Okara, were past recipients of PAWA Honorary Membership award. Others included Nadine Gordimer and Maya Angelou; while the late Achebe, the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan were PAWA Patron of the Arts awardees, of which former Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Secretary-General, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and his Libyan counterpart, Muammar Ghaddafi were also recipients.

    “Their years of creative labour and achievements have placed them firmly among those distinguished of African and the Africans in the Diaspora to be lauded,” PAWA Secretary-General noted.

    Moved by the accolades showered on him and his counterparts, the writer-turned-monarch Ike said: “Nigeria’s contribution to the development of the continent’s literature has been tremendous and I hope it would continue like that. Chinua, whom I like to call “Aliba” – as the Igboman would call Albert,  was a very dear friend, honest and trustworthy. And our friendship grew to become like brothers because, apart from us being from the same province, we had similar attitude to life and similar interests. It is a good thing that PAWA is celebrating him. He deserved it.”

     

    Season of plays

    Another highlight of the conference was staging of the adaptations of two of Achebe’s works by Prof Osofisan at the Ghana’s National Theatre. Osofisan’s The Discombobulation of a Rookie Patriot, a stage adaptation of Achebe’s novel, A Man of The People, was staged on the opening Thursday evening; while the conference came to a close with the staging of his Arrow of God: The Wound of Man, a stage adaptation of Achebe’s novel, Arrow of God.

    In attendance were a novelist and philosopher from Cote D’Ivoire, Prof Tanella Boni; another novelist publisher and president of Gabon Writers Association, Ms. Sylvie Ntsame Ngomo; the Nigerian delegation of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) led by its then President, Prof Remi Raji, who rounded off his tenure penultimate week; the then Vice-President, ANA, who is now the President, Alhaji Denja Abdullahi; the then National Financial Secretary, Mrs Chinyere Obi-Obasi and former ANA President, Dr Wale Okediran.

    There was also a Columbian, Carlos Granes Mata; a special delegation from Equatorial Guiunea, Marta Santos and Pombal Maria; Gema Mangue Nguema Nzang; Celso Celestino Moreo Mangue and Antolin Ela Ela Asama, who are from Angola.

     

  • Etisalat discovers new talents behind the lens

    Etisalat discovers new talents behind the lens

    It was a celebration of top photography talents. Launched in 2010, the Lagos Photo Festival has become a yearly international photography event that seeks to establish a community for contemporary photography, while uniting local and international artists through images that capture individual experiences and identities across the continent.

    For Azu Nwagbogu, the Director, Lagos Photo Foundation, organisers of the festival, the photo feast is more than just a fiesta. “It captures the African story from Africans’ perspective. It enables us to understand why we have to take ownership of our own image and our own story or narratives. In the past, the narratives that were made about Africa or our country were given to us by outsiders. At Lagos Photo, we strive to take ownership of, and  communicate this internationally because the world is shrinking around us. So, it is very important for us to join the digital revolution and begin to communicate the more impactful vision for the country, the continent and for humanity as a whole.”

    With the theme: “Designing Futures”, this year’s edition fielded images by 35 renowned artists from Egypt, France, South Africa, Italy, Ivory Coast, United Kingdom (UK), India, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Morocco, DRC, Ghana, Germany, New Zealand, United States (US), Switzerland, Guinea and Nigeria. The month-long event also featured exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, screening, and large scale outdoor installations in congested public spaces in Lagos. This year’s theme and conversation of interest explored dialogues surrounding contemporary design in Africa.

    Although the festival has since ended, many will not forget its servings in a hurry.  One of the highlights of this year’s photo fiesta was the Etisalat Photo Competition, an initiative sponsored by Etisalat, Nigeria, which was aimed at empowering budding photographers by giving them a platform for positive engagement through social media and technology. The submission of entries started from July 6 to September 28, through the official LagosPhoto App after which the three winners emerged from votes through the same app.

    According to the Curator, African Artists Foundation (AAF), Cristina De Middel the competition offers a platform for Nigerians to “tell compelling narratives about Africa and Africans through images that are inspired by their creativity”.

    And Kelvin Abidemi Oladiran, a budding photography talent, is one of many talents discovered during the fiesta telling Nigeria’s fashion narrative through his lens.

    Oladiran’s winning entry emerged winner of the 2015 Etisalat Photo Competition in the “Fashion” category.

    With the theme: I love 9ja, the competition was divided into four categories: fashion, places, people and food. There was no winning photograph in the food category.

    Besides choosing the winning entry in each category, the organisers also adjudged the best in the three with Oladiran emerging the overall winner, a prize that comes with a Canon Camera EOS 550D. Adeboye Thomas, whose entry won in the “People” category, was the first runner-up and an iPad Mini Three, while Ima Mfon’s, who won the “Places” category, earned him the prize of the second runner-up and a Nokia Lumia 930 for his effort.

    Having bagged the first place prize, Oladiran said, he is still basking in its euphoria of the month-long feast. Besides, shooting him to limelight, he said, wining has also boosted his passion for photography. “This is very inspiring and encouraging to get rewarded doing what you love to do. I really appreciate Etisalat for this platform they have created for Nigerian youth,” he said.

    At the presentation of prizes, Head, Events and Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thani, said the competition was in line with the company’s vision of encouraging creativity and innovation through the creation of, and support for credible platforms for youths.

    “Etisalat is passionate about innovation and creativity. We have also been in the forefront of promoting excellence, nurturing talent and providing platforms for people to express themselves and communicate their ideas. It is in this light that we have organised the Etisalat Photo Competition and also sponsored the festival right from inception about five years ago.”

    The festival, which opened to the public on October 24 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, also featured other satellite exhibition venues of Lagos arts and cultural spaces from Omenka Gallery to Africans Artists’ Foundation. It also featured at the Stranger Lagos; Goethe-Institute; Nimbus Gallery; Alara Concept Store; A White Space Gallery Yaba Tech, and Quintessence. Outdoor exhibitions in public spaces included Muri Okunola Park, Falomo Roundabout (Ikoyi), Awojobi Park (Onike), and Freedom Park.

    The participating photographers included: Owise Abuzaid (Egypt); François Beaurain (France); Andile Buka (South Africa); Marco Casino (Italy); Joana Choumali (Ivory Coast); Omar Victor Diop & Antoine Tempé (Senegal & France/USA); Daniel Donnelly (UK); Kadara Enyeasi (Nigeria); Ima Mfon (Nigeria); Delphine Gatinois (France); Robin Hammond (New Zealand) and Navin Kala (India), among others.

    Also speaking on its continued sponsorship of the festival, the Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Francesco Angelone, said Etisalat is passionate about innovation and creativity. “We have also been in the forefront of promoting excellence, nurturing talent and providing platforms for people to express themselves and communicate their ideas. This is why we created the Etisalat Prize for Literature, the first ever pan-African prize aimed at recognising and celebrating writers and other members of the literary community across Africa. We also inspire creativity and innovation with the Etisalat Prize for Innovat.” …

     

  • Twin brothers’ legacy for media

    In every profession, there are those whose contributions and actions play critical roles in the growth of such human endeavour. Often times, such individuals help shape and define the trends and practices and thereby become masters of the trade. This, perhaps, informed the choice of 50 world journalists that make Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe’s book entitled 50 World Editors (conversations with journalism masters on trends and best practices.

    But, who are these world class masters of the pen profession? Your guess is as good as mine. They are drawn from top flight media organisations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The 628-page book is a compilation of conversations with the masters on issues ranging from day-to-day schedules of practising journalists to what defines a news, what defines a front page story, quality of news, tips for success as a reporter, core values of a media house, the defining story of a reporter, and many more. In all, the conversations though share many things in common, reveal some interesting stories about some editors and their media organisations, including personal experiences.

    But, the book, which is a result of the authors’ ten years of traversing the globe interviewing key players in the industry, is not all about editors, but top media players some of them at the apex of the media pole-publishers, presidents, managing editors, editor-in-chiefs, editors, bureau chiefs, line editors and correspondents who made great marks in journalism. The scope is all embracing as it covers practitioners in print, broadcast journalism and international news agencies such as Reuters, AFP and Globalpost. The book is ‘ultimately biographical in the sense that each of the candidates featured in this collection shares his or her own journalism story and in so doing, reflects on the diverse aspects of the practice and precepts of journalism in different generations covering different countries.’

    To the authors, the book is a lived experience rather than a pedantic narrative of scholarly exploration, capturing similarities, diversities and sociological nuances of media operations in different countries of the world.

    Published in 2014 by Corporate Biographers Limited, the book is in three sections A to C, with The Americas having 20 of the 50 masters, while Europe has 19 and Africa and Asia share 11 masters. Nigeria’s newspaper legend Alhaji Babatunde Ajose of the old Daily Times led the pack of masters featured in Section C that comprises Africa/Asia alongside Segun Osoba, Nduka Obaigbena Thisday newspaper), John Momoh (Channels TV), Dele Olojede, Bayo Onanuga (The News magazine), Joseph Odindo (Nation Media Group, Kenya), Ferial Haffajee (Mail & Guardian South Africa among others.

    From The Americas and Europe Sections A and B are masters such as Michael Goodwin (New York Daily News), Jill Abramson (New York Times), Chris Cramer (former President CNN), Alan Rusbridger (The Guardian UK),  Robert Thomson (The Times UK), Victor de la Serna (El Mundo, Spain) and Alan Johnston (BBC Correspondent).

    On the challenges of being editor of Daily Times at the era of Nigeria attaining independence, Alhaji Jose said: “We published a paper that was trusted by the readers. To be trusted you have to show the integrity of a leader. The people knew that I had no political ambition. I had access and was consulted by highly placed government functionaries, prime ministers, presidents. So they know that whatever we did, it was not because I am a Yoruba man. They had seen the paper openly attacking Chief Obafemi Awolowo-the leader of the Yorubas.”

    But given the content of the book, it can be described as the ‘most encyclopedic book on global journalism.’ It ranks among publications such as Martin Walker’s 1982 award winning book, Powers of the press: The World’s Great Newspapers. Apart from that, one unique character of the book is that it presents the journalistic views of the world editors in their own words.

    Again, the public presentation of the book at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos on September 15 was more than a launch. It brought together veterans in the industry to celebrate a worthy product, an effort that would gladden the heart of the late Igwe in great beyond. However, some oversights were noticed in the compilations. For instance, the retaining of late Dimgba Igwe’s email and telephone number suggests the book had gone to press with all the information before the death of Igwe. But, classifying Gillian Tett (Financial Times, USA) under Europe is an avoidable error of proof reading. If charity, they say, begins at home, 11 masters interviewed in Africa/Asia combined is an under-representation by the book, especially when considered against the conditions under which these media operate. Or is it a case of get one, you get all? Nigeria and indeed Africa deserves more representations in the book.

    Notwithstanding, the book is a legacy of a sort for the media industry, which makes it a must read for all-students of journalism, politicians and other professionals. 50 World Editors is a well-packaged book with clean quality prints and is a collector’s item any day. It will be useful for researchers, media operators and practicing journalists irrespective of generation or region of practice.