The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Spreading message of peace

    Spreading message of peace

    When art collectors, enthusiasts and friends of Ridwan Oshinowo gathered at the opening of his solo art exhibition, tagged: Seeds of peace, the sower and the envoy, at the National Museum in Lagos, not many had the inkling that the show would be more than an art event.

    Apart from attracting a representative of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, and the regular Lagos art enthusiasts, the exhibition was attended by arts and Islamic scholars, such as Prof Sheriffiden Adetoro; Imam AbdurRahman Ahmad; Dr. Owolabi Junaid; Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti and Lt. Col Aliyu Emekoma.

    A talk by AbdurRahman on the theme of the event set the tone for the evening. He urged Nigerians to learn to live together peacefully, noting that everyman is equal before God– whether black or white – and that creativity is a universal heritage of man and not western or oriental.

    He said everything God does points to oneness of sustenance, which defines Islam. “God is the master designer. He creates harmony in all the creations. This also promotes peace among people. However, we are from dust and will return to dust. But we must not fail to take home the messages of the arts. We are united by creativity and may we be inspired to live in peace with one another,” he said.

    Also Adebule, represented by the Head of Service Alhaja Sherifat Jaji, said the message of peace and peaceful co-existence which is being passed through the exhibition is very instructive. She stressed that the need for religious tolerance and harmony cannot be over-emphasised, especially at this time when criminal activities are being perpetrated against humanity around the world in the name of religion.

    “At a time like this, all true adherents of different religions belief must unite in denouncing these criminal elements more importantly, we must also not relent in the effort to regularly showcase the true teachings and tenets of our religion to the world. This is particularly relevant for the young people who must be protected against being led into taking actions and exhibiting attitude that have no basis in our religion. We must commit ourselves to building a peaceful society in which we see each other as one. It is only in this atmosphere that our society can achieve meaningful progress and development,” she added.

    According to Ebiti, the exhibition marked the second attempt to create awareness of the depth and vastness of messages from the Holy Quran, especially as regards peaceful and harmonious coexistence amongst mankind. “Therefore, the theme for this exhibition is very relevance and appropriateness to today’s reality. Islamic art forms especially calligraphy has existed from the early days of Islam whereby mosques and various monuments were inscribed with different quotations from the Holy Quran,” he said.

    Ebiti, however, decried the shortage of Islamic art facilities in the state’s tertiary institutions. “We crave the indulgence of the various state and federal governments to establish Islamic art facilities in our tertiary institutions,” he added.

    The exhibition which ended last Sunday featured paintings, calligraphy and mixed media.

     

  • Conversations with Soyinka

    Conversations with Soyinka

    It was an evening of cerebral stimulation, glitz and sublime entertainment when Globacom Limited, the telecommunication giant, treated the art community and undergraduates to An Evening with Wole Soyinka at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. It was evident that at 81, the Nobel laureate is still resilient in his stance against injustice. He was quick to voice his distaste for discrimination, terrorism, falling standard of education and what he called lies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the literary feast. Evelyn Osagie reports. 

    It could be likened to a table of rich and assorted literary dishes where the cream of the Nigerian art world, particularly the literati, came to dine.

    The wine was a quality blend of the old and the new, and the earnings of the night – an entertaining feast of documentary, drama, music, dance and conversations on budding issues.

    And like most interesting feasts, there was a side ‘dish’ where Ego, a musician, and children dance troupe Footprint of David prepared guests for the night servings. The stage performance of Soyinka’s play Alapata Apata by Bolanle Austen Peters Production and thrilling songs by music maestro Tunji Oyelana and the Koko master himself, D’Banj, added spice to the night.

    What made Globacom’s literary feast, tagged:  An Evening with Wole Soyinka, special was not just the musical, literary and stage performances by renowned icons of the literati and music world, or the unveiling of the N4.5m Glo Literature Prize for undergraduates. It was also not the thought-provoking conversation with three award-winning writers, in which Soyinka called for an emergency declaration on literacy in Nigeria, the correct use of language in whatever tongue; and aired his views about former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

     

    Soyinka an uncommon patriot

    For the guests, including renowned JP Clark and his wife, Ebun; Gen Alani Akinrinade; Odia Ofeimun; Kunle Ajibade and Lady Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, the persona of the celebrator was the stint of the event. As a renowned social critic, his voice screams loud against injustice. Being a playwright, an essayist, poet, novelist and theatre director, Prof Soyinka is an embodiment of literature, whose creative voyage is laced with diverse awards and recognitions. Besides being a Nobel Laureate (1986), his artistic recognitions include: the Enrico Mattei Award for the Humanities; the Leopold Sedar Senghor Award for the Arts; the John Whiting Literary Prize; the Benson Mendel of the Royal Society of Literature; Premio Litterario Internazionalle Mondello, Italy and the UNESCO Medal for the Arts.

    The event also featured a documentary on Soyinka and a chat session  steered by Sefi Atta, the 2006 winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa; 2013 Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin and 2009 Caine Prize winner E.C. Osondu. They engaged the Nobel Laureate on his works, thoughts and the state of the nation; and later on, each read from Soyinka’s works.

    For  Globacom Chairman Dr Mike Adenuga Jr., Soyinka’s uncommon patriotism and commitment to the “defence of truth” has made him a pride of the black race. It was the third time that Glo would be holding a forum to celebrate the Nobel Laureate, having held a “Night with WS in Lagos in 2003 and Accra, Ghana, in 2011.

    Commending writers in his goodwill message for putting their footprints on the world literary map, Adenuga said his company  was set to raise future literary giants. He noted that Soyinka is an “epitome of diligence” worthy of celebration.

    He said: “Prof Soyinka is a sedulous writer and raconteur par excellence, whose works have for decades remained study materials the world over and will be for generations to come. We are, indeed, proud to be associated with this colossus and are delighted to host him here tonight. He has not only remained steadfast in his pursuit of social justice and good governance, but has all his adult life been one of the icons of Nigeria’s moral fabric.

    “As part of our holistic appreciation of the importance of literature in society, tonight, we will launch a special prize in Literature for undergraduate students across the country to promote the study of literature in our tertiary institutions. Who knows, perhaps we might just be on the way to discovering another Prof Soyinka, Atta, Folarin or Osondu.”

     

    Documentary on Soyinka

    A documentary on the life and times of the        Nobel Laureate began with a powerful dramatisation of an excerpt of  Soyinka’s English translation of D.O Fagunwa’s novel, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole rendered by Jimi Solanke. It featured short interviews of Soyinka himself, Odia Ofeimun, Francesca Emmanuel, Promise Ogochukwu, Kunle Ajibade and Jimi Solanke, who when asked to describe Soyinka in one word, called him “Iwin”, which roughly translates into spirit of the forest.

    Odia Ofeimun said: “He is a writer I would not write like. But if you see Soyinka in what I write that shows how far he has touched me. How shy and timid would our literature be without Wole Soyinka’s writing. You remain the same old flame.”

    On the part of the Managing Director, Macmillian, Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, knowing Soyinka gave her fulfilment. She said: “May you live to a very old age drinking your wine”.

     

    Conversation with Soyinka

    During the chat, it was not hard to see that the author felt at home as he discussed literature, his writing and budding issues in the country. Although it was not the first time guests would be dining with or listening to the Nobel Laureate, they were particularly entrapped by his jokes, his calmness and the relaxed style with which he addressed each question and shared his thoughts. Hear them.

    Atta: Are you a feminist, sir?

    WS: Feminism is viewed differently…I deplore attempt by society to re-define what any individual should be; which is one of the reasons why I totally disapprove of the activities of the legislative houses, trying to legislate between two consenting adults. I believe in humanity… Be yourself.

    Osondu: Should writers be political or apolitical?

    WS: If you feel strongly enough about certain issues, whether you put them under justice, social welfare, terrorism, one crime, which is totally deplorable, is to force one’s creative temperament in one direction or the other. When I pick up a book and it has nothing to do with improving human existence; it is still about something and it intrigues me. The correspondence between the imagination and reality, for me, that is also literature. That correspondence, way the mind functions, to create a new form of reality from what you call material existence – that is literature. Facists are those who insist that literature must contribute to humanity – it does any way – but they cannot understand the nuance of creativity and what it does to us, as human beings. My temperament is a combative one and it shows in my literature. I cannot tolerate facism.

    Folarin: You have inspired me from when I was growing up. As a younger writer, did you feel such burden of representation, especially as your reputation began to expand, to uphold the Nigerian country?

    WS: I don’t think I gave it a conscious thought. I don’t have an ambassadorial temperament. It is a kind of arrogance to say you are representing the nation.

    By the time the chat was open for audience participation, Adeyemi Daramola of the Department of English, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), got the microphone first.

    Daramola: Could you interpret the metaphors in the poem, Telephone Conversation, in today’s political situation in Nigeria”.

    WS: In terms the main theme, which I call the “negative orderness”, that is most prominence in that poem, are racism and racial discrimination. Who is being discriminated today, I would say we have a situation of the elite versus the rest; sometimes it is the chosen versus the rest. And we see where that leads to – those who consider themselves chosen. That means the persons do not conform; they are the mindless butchers – the Boko Haram and the Isis or whatever they call themselves. These extreme fundamentalists; they believe that they alone have the key to existence… It is this intolerance of each other is that has led to the carnage in the world. That is a solemn aspect of the telephone conversation.

    I wonder how teachers deal with that poem when there are no telephones kiosks? As a student abroad when you are looking for just a penny to buy you a donut and you press, hoping that somebody has forgotten their coins and it drops and you say hey, coffee time.

    Ajibade: In his memoirs, My Watch, Obasanjo described you as a better hunter than a political critic because you are a bad politician; he would rather ask for your advice on vintage wine not on politics. What is your take on this.

    WS: Kunle, I can see that you want us to spend the whole night. Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. The question is who respects the opinion of a liar. I call him a liar. Obasanjo was once described by an economist, the late Ojetunji Aboyade, as “an economic illiterate”. So, the economic illiterate calls somebody else a political illiterate, no problem at all. In My Watch, Obasanjo told the first lie when he says he deplores liars. Anybody like Obasanjo, who is capable of saying that he never plotted to have an unconstitutional third term in office; even as a writer I need a new word to describe him. A person makes a statement that is a lie, but lacks the courage to tell it himself. I have no respect for him. I would be bringing out some of my interventions, titled tentatively, The Republic of liars in which Obasanjo is prominent.

    Bukola Adetuba: Nowadays, teachers are in trouble. They are no longer free to quote from text books. What can you say about this trend?

    WS: It is not only teachers that are in trouble. The entire world of literacy in this nation is in trouble. Most teachers don’t even know what they are teaching; and sometimes teach the wrong thing. I am sure that the same thing is happening in the world of mathematics, in the world of physics and engineering – which is why houses fall down all the time and then some people have the nerve to say it is the work of God. Technology, one form or the other, and humanity itself, is in trouble.

    The problem goes beyond schools; one that is of great concern because there is nothing worse than churning out uneducated pupils from primary into secondary to tertiary. I think there should be a national conference on education. There should be an emergency declaration on education in a state of emergency.

    When we talk about the correctness of the use of language, we are not talking about the English Language. The play Alapata is based on the correct pronunciation of one word, Alapata. If you are going to use the language, use it correctly, so we don’t get confused. There is one particular word that is misused. The abuse of the word “Severally” gives me nightmares. It doesn’t mean many times.

    This session was followed by the reading of three of Soyinka texts. Atta read from Ake: The Years of Childhood, which she said is “the summation of my interests and concerns as a writer: family, history, and social and political conflict; while Osondu read from The Man Died, saying: “It has two qualities that come to mind when I think of Wole Soyinka – the man and the writer – Courage and Humour.” Folarin read from You Must Set Forth at Dawn, which, according to him, “is a wonderfully written memoir, and also because it provides a vivid account of Professor Soyinka’s development as a thinker, artist, activist and scholar.”

     

    Glo prize unveiled

     

    The prize has selected a panel of renowned scholars, including Prof Femi Osofisan; Prof Akachi Ezeigbo; Prof Umar Buratai, Dean, Faculty of the Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof Olu Obafemi of the University of Ilorin and Dr. Promise Ogochukwu, who is the secretary of the panel.

    Ebenezer Kolawole, Gloworld Coordinator, announced that the annual competition is open to students of Nigerian universities, both public and private. The first edition of the award, he said, would be held in 2016, and entries would be accepted for unpublished manuscripts, which should be original scripts.

    “Our objective is to promote the study of all genres of literature. Therefore, Globacom is offering prizes to winners in the following categories: Prose, Drama and Poetry. The winner in each category will receive the sum of N1.5m (one million, five hundred thousand naira),” he explained, adding that this is the first time that any organisation has offered prizes for all the three genres of literature at this level of competition. “We are of the firm belief that the Prize will provide added impetus to the education establishment and to Nigerian students, particularly in the field of literature and the creative industry.”

    Other guests include Prof Duro Oni; Dele Momodu; O.C Ukeje; ace comedian, Bovi and Brazilian delegates.

  • Philosopher reflects on ‘pains of growth’

    Philosopher reflects on ‘pains of growth’

    It was an expressive shift from discourse to disturbance when electricity failed in the middle of the Convocation Lecture to mark the 17th Convocation and Investiture of New Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) at the main auditorium, University of Lagos, on August 13. For significant minutes, darkness reigned and many people in the hall must have wondered about the country’s unstable power supply.

    The lecturer was Prof. Moses Akin Makinde, a retired professor of Philosophy and NAL Fellow, who referred to himself as “the Academy’s philosopher”.

    His subject was apt and timely in the context of the country’s historic electorally- endorsed regime change at the centre. The title of Makinde’s paper was: “Reflections on the pains of growth.” He said: “We shall try to analyse the phenomenon of change in the process of growth. The kind of change envisaged in this lecture is positive change such as associated with progress and growth.”

    In his seventies, Makinde is the DG/CEO of the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance based in Osogbo, Osun State. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of The Nation. An internationally recognised name in the field of African Philosophy, he taught for many years at the University of Ife and, following a name change, at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, in Osun State.

    Makinde offered a “conceptual clarification”  that should be useful in the country’s new political order under President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was popularly elected on a platform of change.

    “The word ‘change’ does not entail forward motion alone. It could be backward motion like turning the hands of the clock forward or backward – backward like Nigeria’s case of oil boom to oil doom. Therefore, while growth involves moving forward, change necessarily does not. It could be forward or backward change,” he said.

    By implication, Makinde’s intervention was intended as a guide to “positive change”, “forward change”, “progress and growth”. He was clear about the democratic premise of his perspective and quoted from Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address: “…that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from earth.”

    “I shall begin the events of our pains of growth from 1959 through independence in 1960 and the various changes that led to nowhere, but to a lack of positive growth in the polity, “ Makinde said, at the beginning of  an excursion that covered the “First Republic 1959/60”, “Second Republic (October 1, 1979 – December 30, 1983 and Military Rule, December 30, 1983 – June 12, 1993)”, “Third Republic (June 12 – November 17, 1993)”, “Fourth Republic (1999 to date)”.

    In tracing Nigeria’s trajectory, Makinde highlighted two particular military administrations, which he blamed for aggravating the country’s pains. He said: “From Abacha’s era, it appeared that the pains of Nigeria’s growth were getting worse after two possible eras that would probably have alleviated its pains: Buhari’s and MKO’s eras. One was cut short, the other never allowed to be. In all circumstances, Babangida’s and Abacha’s military rules were a setback to Nigeria’s democratic experiment, development and economic growth.”

    However, Makinde objectively painted a picture of pains inflicted not only by military rulers, but also by civilians in power. “We sometimes blame the military interventions for our woes and lack of systematic growth in social, moral, political and economic activities and behaviours,” he said, adding: “Unfortunately, the restorations of civilian rule in 1979 to 1983 and later 1999 till date have constituted severe pains of growth to the nation at large.”

    Against the gloomy background, Makinde argued that Man is the instrument of change and growth in the society. He supported his position with references to Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and played up the role of scientific and technological revolution in advancing human societies.

    Referring to the ascendancy of the APC and Buhari on the promise of change, Makinde said in conclusion: “Now that change has come, the expectations of Nigerians are that this change must be for the better and no longer motion without movement.” He added: “It must also lead to growth in a genuine democracy with strong institutions, employment opportunities, fight against corruption and impunity of various descriptions, enshrine transparency and accountability in governments, parastatals and agencies, social responsibility and social justice, fiscal discipline, morality and rule of law.”

    Three achievers were decorated at the event: Professor Amechi Akwanya as Regular Fellow, Professor Jacob Kehinde Olupona as Overseas Fellow, and Mr. Sam Omatseye, Chairman of the Editorial Board, The Nation, as Honorary Fellow.  In his remarks on behalf of the new Fellows, Olupona, who is based in the United States (US) made reference to the power cut. He sympathised with home-based Nigerians, who experienced blackouts with frustrating regularity. It was a fitting end to the event because it helped to shed light on the burning need for change.  Inaugurated in 1991, the Nigerian Academy of Letters is positioned as “an apex organisation of Nigerian academics and scholars in the Humanities to promote, maintain and encourage excellence in all branches of humanistic studies”. The organisation “is intended to cater for a very important body of disciplines of vital importance to the development and refinement of Nigerian Society.”

  • Immortalising Sango’s legacy

    Immortalising Sango’s legacy

    There were serious misgivings, especially among the elite, about the relevance of culture beyond the new-fangled ideas of cultural diplomacy, cultural tourism and cultural jamborees. In this report, BODE DUROJAIYE examines why Sango remains the only internal vehicle that has kept Yoruba culture going till date.

    Historical background

    The Yoruba communities trace their origin to Oduduwa and the town of Ile-Ife. Oral history has it that after the death of Oduduwa, his seven grandchildren scattered across the Southwest of Nigeria, establishing their respective kingdoms while conquering and absorbing the aboriginal inhabitants.

    Oranmiyan, the youngest prince, founded the ancient Oyo Empire in the Northwest of the River Niger in the then Ilorin Province, now Kwara State. He became the first Alaafin, the progenitor of the Oyos, who transferred the political power to Oyo-Ile.

     

    Sango legacy as

    landmark leader

     

    Born and built with inherent formidable spiritual energy, Tella-Oko, also known as Sango, Oranmiyan’s second son, succeeded Ajaka, who appeared to be a weak ruler, and became the third king of the Oyo Empire. He was a very influential king and was said to have established a new culture and tradition. Historically, it is said that most of the cultural productions and traditions, especially spiritual crowns and emblems, were all products of Sango through his imperial influence.

    Also, historically, Sango brought prosperity to Oyo Empire during his reign. Under his influence, Oyo culture spread within the empire and outside, to the Atlantic Ocean and is, today, known in the world, including North America, Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobego, Cuba), South America, (Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Venezuela) and Europe.

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, said life of Alaafin Sango remained excellent example in leadership, considering the fact that his rule over Oyo was far less than a decade.

    Sango’s brother, Ajaka, the monarch said, was probably deposed because his temperament did not meet the requirements of the turbulent period. He explained that Sango’s dynamic alliances, including marriages, were constructed to pursue the greater interest of Oyo just as he spared no effort at consolidating the military ascendancy of Oyo in the region.

    He said: “Sango was preferred because he was a man of valour, purpose-driven and master of diplomacy. He became king when Oyo was at its formative stage and surrounded by mighty and warlike states such as Nupe, Ibariba and Owu. His charismatic leadership re-defined the character and pattern of inter-group relations and diplomacy and made Oyo the centre-piece of his foreign relations.

    “He was a strong warrior, strengthened to a point of historical dominance, building with glory, vitality and expansion and became a symbol of power and truth, serving as the supreme judge in the Oyo Empire and being the final court. His Ose, representing two axes, was a symbol of justice,” Oba Adeyemi said.

    According to the monarch, modern science was yet to unravel the mystic behind Sango’s form of energy, which manifested in the two essences of life at the same time, asserting that the power of Sango was best demonstrated during the rainy season when the flame and lightening of his Ose produced energy larger and more intense than what mere mortals can generate in a flash.

    To become Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi said, one must undergo the spiritual processes of Sango, adding that during the initiation seclusion, the Alaafin must wear the legendary and spirit possessed crown of Sango as a symbol of traditional authority and spirituality. ‘’In the process of becoming Alaafin, I was also made to undergo inductions in order to be the direct representative of Sango on earth. I was taken through these processes to be educated in the chants, proverbs, praise names, dynastic poetry and panegyrics of my lineage and all previous Alaafin.

    “Then I began the journey with a huge responsibility to protect, defend, promote the cherished values of Yoruba customs and traditions with the zeal and if need be, to lay down my life defending those values. I thank my destiny for making me part of the Sango tradition. Without Sango, there is no Alaafin and without Alaafin there can be no Oyo, Without Oyo, there is no Yoruba land,’’ he said.

    Although his reign was short-lived, Oba Adeyemi said Sango remained a hero for many, adding that the late monarch and the circumstances of his death, as controversial and mysterious as they seem, have remained a reference point across the world.

    “’Sango died with the concern of his people paramount in his heart. He paid the supreme sacrifice and left Oyo more grandiose, more stable, better administered and more secured than he met the nascent kingdom. He is today been remembered as one of the rare African leaders, who became instant success in empire building.

    “Under the inspirational leadership of Sango, the Oyo kingdom became known not just for the effectiveness of its political system, but for its military strength. Sango’s seven years reign was marked with several wars fought to liberate Oyo from its predatory and truculent older neighbours. His short reign consolidated the position of Oyo as the foremost Guinea Savannah State and also secured the independence and sovereignty of the nascent kingdom,” the Alaafin said.

    Sango, he said, was also associated with the sacred animal, the ram, and the colours of red and white. “Sango is venerated in Haiti, as a god of thunder and weather; in Brazil, he is known as Xangô; in Umbanda, as the very powerful loaNago Shango; in Trinidad and Tobago as Shango god of Thunder, drumming and dance ; Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela–the Santeria equivalent of St. Barbara, he is known as Changó,” he said.

    Today, Sango festival is celebrated in over 21 countries of the world and all these countries host their various Sango Festivals, where this tradition is practised.

     

    Moves to preserve the

     Sango heritage

     

    Oba Adeyemi said he was determined to immortalise the legacies of Sango, saying that, just-concluded World Sango Festival, is one of such moves. According to him, the purpose was to recognise Oyo as the original ancestral home of Sango and to unite all Yoruba descents and enthusiasts once in a year in Oyo town. He added that efforts are being made by his council of chiefs and the Paula Gomes Cultural Foundation to preserve and safeguard both the tangible and intangible heritage of ancient Oyo town with a view to preparing candidature dossiers for World Sango heritage nominations. Dr Paula Gomes from Portugal is Alaafin’s Cultural Ambassador.

    In the same vein, the Federal Government has expressed its support for Oba Adeyemi and the Paula Gomes Cultural Foundation. This is contained in an official letter dated April 8, with reference number FMCT/ECR/11/461,  written by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mr Nkechi Njele, to the Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

    A copy of the letter was also sent to the Regional Director, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Office in Abuja, Professor Hassana Alidou, was made available to The Nation.

    It stated that Oyo town, located in Oyo State, Southwest holds a remarkable and rich set of tangible resources such as temple, palaces, markets and traditional compounds as well as natural resources like rivers and forests.

    This notable set of buildings and natural resources, Federal Government pointed out, sustain the maintenance of a millenary culture based on a unique and complex traditional, political and religious system.

    ‘’The intangible heritage preserved in Oyo include music, traditional craftsmanship, poetry (Oriki), as well as complex and intense festivities calendar that culminates with the important Sango Festival, make Oyo town a bulwark of Yoruba traditional culture in Nigeria.’’

    The letter continues: ’’Moreover, as it is widely known, Oyo town was the capital of one of the greatest African Empires. As such, it was directly responsible for the diffusion of Yoruba culture, traditions and beliefs throughout West Africa, covering a large territory that extended from the Southwest Nigeria to Benin, Togo, up to Ghana. This same cultural heritage was later on diffused through the Trans-Atlantic slave routes to the Americas and the Caribbean and preserved from generation to generation to date. In some cases, such as in Brazil, this culture was classified as national heritage through the preservation of the Nago communities of Bahia’s Cabdomble.’’

    “Due to the size and scope of Oyo-Sango’s heritage,” the letter went on, ‘’it is clear that this nomination process will require an extended multi-disciplinary research work. It is, therefore, necessary to approve the constitution of an inter-institutional network to support this work and the project implementation. Therefore, I am suggesting that the following will be required to carry out the projects; representative of the Ministry of Tourism Culture and National Orientation, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, UNESCO, the Alaafin’s palace, the relevant local governments, Paula Gomes Cultural Foundation and members from any other relevant organizations.’’

    Essentially, it advised that they will be expected to embark on inscription of Sango Festival into UNESCO representatives list of Humanity for 2015 and 2016 and the inscription of Oyo town into the UNESCO World Heritage list, so as to be listed on National Commission for Museum and Monuments tentative list for submission to the World Heritage Committee in the near future.

    Another letter of endorsement and support to World Sango Festival from the Ministry was later sent to the Alaafin of Oyo. The letter, copy of which was also sent to the paramount ruler’s cultural ambassador, acknowledge the festival as a global one being celebrated in over 20 countries, more importantly as it attracts all Sango worshippers in the country and the Diaspora together with those from the Caribbean, Brazil and Cuba among others.

    Highlights of the 10-day event include cultural displays by various states with their governors as special guests of honour, diverse religious performances, and visits to historic places.

  • Varsity don makes case for for technical education

    Varsity don makes case for for technical education

    The quest for technological advancement will remain a mirage without adequate funding of technical education and priority to sustainable career courses in tertiary institutions, art historian and critic  Prof Ola Oloidi has said.

    The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) don argued that the practice by policy makers to continually make university education elitist while ignoring practical-oriented courses in the polytechnics and universities of technology would continue to work against the quest for technological advancement. This, he said, is a hopeless situation.

    Prof Oloidi spoke on Arts as sustainable career for peace and development at the 6th Auchi Artists’ Convention at the new auditorium, Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, last week.

    “Our universities are still being colonised by ignorant and fertilized illiterates. What is suffering is that they are yet to know the relevance of creativity. In universities, we celebrate elitism. But, in terms of independent and career sustainability courses, we are far from it.

    “Unfortunately, all the universities of technology are operating without technical orientation like the regular universities. We have lots of paper engineers and designers in the universities. If we want peace and development, practical oriented disciplines like arts and design must be given priority. This will stem the unemployment rate.” he said.

    He canvassed adequate funding of technical education because ‘they are training the minds and the hands,’ noting that the nation has many paper work engineers, who are unproductive in their fields.

    Nigeria, according to him, generates academic refugees from varsity education, unlike fine arts that produces self-employed and employers of labour. He observed that half of the graduates from Arts Schools do not look for white collar jobs and they also employ labour.

    “Government should be reasonable and increase the number of arts schools in the country. Education system in Nigeria is confused. There is no hope except we insist on technical education,” he added.

    On the mandatory yet controversial Ph.D degree for art teachers by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), Prof Oloidi described the policy by NUC as a disservice to the creative arts, adding that the greatest wonders of the world were not produced by Ph.D holders, but by creative minds.

    “Ph.D degree acquisition is good if it is not forced. And very soon Ph.D will lose its value as a result of this. In fact, notable Nigerian creative minds, such as Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, the late Chinua Achebe, the late Ben Enwonwu , Yusuf Grillo, Bruce Onobrakpeya did not need PhD to become great artists and writers.

    Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism Princess Annena Elizabeth Jemitola reiterated government’s determination to fund the development of technical education and promote the arts, noting that culture is a way of life of people; and upon this premise is the foundation of every preoccupation in life arts being no exception.

    “As the Commissioner for Arts Culture and Tourism I want to assure you that my ministry sees the event of today as complementary to my duty call, for as I have always believed, having a bearing is first and foremost to have an identity. Our arts and culture give us the needed identity,” she said.

    Jemitola, who was the special guest of honour at the opening of the convention, said she has a great love for the arts and that artists bring dreams, fantasies or illusions to reality for appreciation. “Art is life, art brings love, art makes the world go round in harmony and ecstasy,” she added.

    She stressed that education, if adequately handled, is the greatest legacy society leaves for mankind, noting that education as an instrument for sustainable development is no longer a contestable fact.

    Auchi Polytechnic Rector, Dr. Philipa Omamhe Idogho, said the polytechnic was proud of the contributions and achievements of the School of Art and Industrial Design to the development of art in the country. She said it was difficult to discuss the progress of contemporary art in Nigeria without a significant and copious mention of the Auchi School of Art.

    Urging the school to uphold and improve on the standard, Dr Idogho, who was represented by the polytechnic librarian, Mr Olusheun Ekuoye, reassured that the polytechnic management would continue to give support to the school to ensure it continues to bring glory to the polytechnic.’

    The School of Arts and Industrial Design Dean, Mr Oladapo Afolayan, identified lack of studio spaces, staff offices, classrooms, toilet facilities for students, equipment and installation as some of the challenges faced by the school. He requested for the Environmental Studies building when they move to their own complex at Philipa Idogho Campus 3.

    He also listed power generating set that can take welding machine, kilns, and processing machines, digital applications for graphic and photo-shop as equipment the school needed urgently.

    Six old students honoured for their achievements in the arts were Duke Igbinedion; Mr Olu Ajayi; Dr Margaret Ajiginni; Mr Frank Mukoro; Dr. Anthony Etuokwu and Mr Makun Omoniyi.

    The convention also featured art exhibition, workshop, talk-shop and fashion show.

     

  • Fond memories of Abiola

    Fond memories of Abiola

    Life is a hypocrite and living it is an even greater lie. It causes everyone to dance to unfamiliar rhythms and prompts a forgetfulness that is a recurrent cycle. It is factually ephemeral, and this is its realistic abstract than the concrete of the joys that we find in it. The scar from an injury may have healed, but the tortuous period of pain and pang is best described by the sufferer. Fact is, no other person can best explain a mother’s birth pain than she, who has herself laboured and later came to birth; same way as homelessness, which is not the narrative of one who dwells in palatial hacienda.

    Truth has charted an unwavering cause, so that the dead can rest well where their souls are reposed, and those who are living in Judas’ denial can choose to come clean, stay dirty or have their hoary scalps interred as un-worthy sojourners to earth.

    The President Who Never Ruled is the story of An African Self-Made Billionaire as written by Jamiu Abiola, the son of the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola – and his late wife Kudirat- the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 general election in Nigeria. In a total of one hundred and ninety seven pages, forty four chapters and three parts, the writer takes the reader through a journey with a true insider perspective, one that is akin to an on-the-spot account in the heat of a warfare.

    Records cannot but be set straight and as a Yoruba adage has it, lies could thrive for a thousand years, but truth will always have its day of reckon. The days of sober reflections are indeed here, as doubt and blurry vision are to receive emancipation from their hitherto shackles. The tragedy of liars and lies thrives in the delusion of decapitating truth for its sinister antonym, but unknowingly, the auto-decimation of pathological liars and all devious species of the human kind is as guaranteed as phenomenal constants

    In this timely non-fiction, the author arouses our consciousness to the fact that, August 4, 2015 would have marked the 78th birthday of the Late Chief MKO Abiola, which is somewhat related to the same year he entered politics (1978); while his late wife, Kudirat Abiola would have turned 63 years, but the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections on June 23 of the same year, by the Ibrahim Babangida led military administration leaves Nigerians with rhetorics that one hopes will soon become answered questions some day.

    Jamiu Abiola rightly corrects the wrongs of near-established untruths and assumptions and does it brilliantly by piecing the past to the present, in a bid to offer, unmistakably, the Absolute Truth about his father, as well as his mother, thus providing a template of integrity and a Sanskrit of honesty for those whose zest and thirst for the unbiased account remain effervescence.

    The beauty of this narrative fact takes the reader to the background of the The late Chief MKO Abiola, whose demonstration of precocious attributes strikes a chord, because such innate perception is a rarity in many of his age then and even as of now. Salawu and Zuliat Abiola-his parents- would not have asked for a greater gift from their creator, especially with the losses his parents suffered in having children, before he eventually became “something that was witnessed” (Moshood).

    The author moves controllably through various stages in his father’s life and presents to the reader another era which generated huge controversies. The ITT years brought with it its grass to grace accounts, and unlike what was peddled in hushed tones and songs, the late MKO Abiola Worked hard and long as a trained accountant and as an astute businessman to attain the height he reached and made the money that was his.

    His relationship with the Nigerian Military was set on course when the Ministry of Defense owed the organization he worked for –ITT- a whopping 3.5million Pounds. Having started the journey with the telecoms giants on April 1, 1969, Abiola went on to be the lifeline for the organization over a long period of success.  His success at helping to repatriate company funds redefined his status, and this propelled him further towards healthier ambitions.

    The persons of the former Chief of staff of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Usman Katsina; the permanent Secretary at the ministry of Defence then, Mr. Yusuf Gobir and the Army Signals Inspector, the late Lt. Col.  Murtala Mohammed featured. Each of these men played key roles in all that led to Moshood’s early breakthrough and as the saying goes, the deeds of men live with them and in-fact outlive them.

    On page 70, paragraph 4, the author writes:

    “… Moshood, in his thirties, became one of Africa’s richest men. His orientation changed completely afterward and his main interest became a quest for an ideological meaning to life”

    It was at this juncture that his ideals emerged. He needed to do more and that he would not be stopped by any opposition in sight. Moshood may would have rested on his oars, but the poverty in the country caused him to want to do more as he was the epitome of philanthropy. Jamiu Abiola in this factual account reveals the very fabric of his father’s personality, as his weakness was in strengthening others in need.

    The demise of Murtala Mohammed, an honest man resulted in another turn for ITT. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was later the Head of State, neglected the communications firm had thrived under the headship of an administration that was accountable, but he however kept government expenditure low, which was a noted positive.

    The chronicle of “The President Who Never Ruled” also examines the presidential aspiration of the acclaimed winner of the 1993 general election. Although he suffered a crushing defeat at the party’s convention in Benue while under the banner of NPN, he did not decamp. Shehu Shagari however won the election and took over the reins from Obasanjo in 1979. Having finished his first term, a second term was guaranteed for the Shehu Shagari led government, but five months into the administration it was toppled, on December 31 1983 by General Mohammadu Buhari.

    On page 78, last paragraph, Abiola said of Shagari’s government:

    “The fact is now glaringly evident that among the factors which contributed most significantly to the demise of the Second Republic was the absence was any objective and critical assessment of is workings while it lasted.”

    The defining moments in the late MKO Abiola’s political career opened when he won at the presidential convention held on  March 27, 1993. Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe- who later vied as Abiola’s vice presidential candidate – and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar were defeated by Abiola to be the Social Democratic Party (SDP) flag bearer. Although, the late Alhaji Shehu Yar’adua supported Atiku Abubakar, his bid to have him as Abiola’s vice presidential flag bearer did not succeed, thus causing a rift between Abiola and the Yar’ardua team. It was also mentioned, that though the military gave green light in allowing democracy reign, the Head of State then, General Ibrahim Babangida wanted Pascal Bafyau, who was the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress to be Abiola’s running mate.

    HOPE 93 however left many Nigerians hopeless, beginning from the appointment of Chief Tony Anenih by Alhaji Yar’ardua as SDP chairman. It must be stated, that names are as important as our legacies, which is why the role played by the likes of Arthur Nzeribe – Association for Better Nigeria; Bassey Ikpeme, who ruled that the election must not take place; Dahiru Saleh, that prevented Professor Nwosu from releasing the election result.

    Former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, under whose administration the cataclysm held sway and the inventor of the interim government scheme; to Chief Ernest Shonekan, whose inability to say no is at best treacherous to a kinsman; to Baba Gana Kingibe; who deserted his fellow flag bearer for obvious pecuniary passion; to the late General Sani Abacha, under whose machination Alfred Rewane became history, Kudirat Abiola was assassinated, Abiola incarcerated and the hope of Nigerians became concretely lacerated and mutilated. General Abdulsalami Abubakar also played a role by his refusal to release the late MKO Abiola even after other political prisoners were released from detention. This to the Abiola family has casts him in the light of those whose names and legacies must be forgotten as long as the family’s pains still linger.

    Jamiu Abiola has through this work un-earthed what many Nigerians may love to forget or at best remember every twelfth day in the month of June. The impact of the huge loss of both parents on a young university graduate as of then and how this painful exit still leaves an unfilled gap in the lives of their children and Nigerians will move one to tears and sober the reader up.

    It is needful to state, that the unforgettable role played by his wife, the Late Kudirat Abiola is a huge attestation to a woman, who lived her life for a just cause, her husband and thus her memory definitely indelible.

    This collector’s item written in episodic plot makes for very interesting and effortless read and as the experiences shared gives the reader an unquestionable and scintillating perspective, we need to ask how we hope to be honourably remembered.

    This is the honour in reverence of the late Chief MKO Abiola and his wife, Kudirat Abiola, whose impact sure resonates here on earth and in without a doubt, in the hereafter.

     

  • ‘Dad’s labour made me who I am today’

    ‘Dad’s labour made me who I am today’

    The late Fredrick Ibitayo Ebiesuwa prayed for grace on behalf of ministers of God on his death bed, not knowing that the last of his sons would one day be a minister. Although he raised his kids in the slums, he fortified them with two enduring legacies – education and morals. Inspired by his father’s legacies, Rev Canon Olujimi Olawande Ebiesuwa of St Paul Anglican Church, Omilani, Surulere is touching lives through his motivational teachings and service to God. He is one of the seven newly ordained Archdeacons of the Diocese of Lagos Mainland. He shares his story of hope with Evelyn Osagie. 

    Growing Up

    I grew up in the Tolu area, the popular Ajegunle slum. I was always fascinated by the presence of the magnificent Tolu Complex (comprises about 16 schools). My father was a school administrator (headmaster) and my mother, a trader. I am the last of three children.

    Being the son of a teacher, academics holds a special place in my life, but football is a major attraction, and centre of it all is the church.

    I was a church boy from age three. My father started our parish, Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Ojoku, in 1980). He was not a clergyman; he was a Lay-reader and later an agent in the Diocese of Lagos. This made church a major aspect of my growing up.

    My father and mother were committed to church work free of charge. I didn’t like it at first. I wanted to play football on Sundays like most people in Ajegunle. In Ajegunle Football holds a grip on the community. I lived at the College Road that shares the same fence with the Adidas field. I was a good footballer but my passion for academics didn’t make me pursue that passion. I played in the popular street competition and refuse to join any club. It was very strange to my friends. I had an upbringing in which you can leave home anytime. Due permission must be taken, my father been a headmaster made sure we didn’t deviate or follow the band wagon.

     

    Father’s role in my

    becoming a vessel

    My father was instrumental in developing my personality. My parents gave us the legacy of education. Being the son of a teacher, he ensured I had my primary and high school education – both in Ajegunle (Christ Assembly Primary School, Rasaki and Ajeromi Ifelodun High School, Osho Drive). I later attended Lagos State Polytechnic, studying Agricultural Engineering for one year before I moved to Lagos State University (LASU), in 1996/97 to study Chemical and Polymer Engineering from where I graduated in 2002. Sadly, my father died a few months to the end of my service on June 11, 2004. I was serving at Government Science College, Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, then.

    That was when I understood what it meant to be a man. Fortunately, he had prepared me to face life on my own. That spurred me to face life and became independent. Today, I can say that my father, knowingly or unknowingly, prepared me for where I am. I strongly believe that I am where I am because of his labour. God is rewarding his labour                                        through me. The day I was preferred an Archdeacon, it was his name that came to my mind first. I remember on his death bed, he and I prayed for all the ministers of God, who labour in God’s vineyard.

    My mother also has a special place in my life as a clergyman. She taught me how to read Yoruba bible and reading of the Yoruba Hymn (Iwe Orin Mimo). I owe my reading, speaking and preaching in Yoruba to the beloved woman. Only she believes in my being a clergyman after graduating from the university. She paid my fees at Archbishop Vining College of Theology, Akure. She prays for me daily and tells me never mind if the priesthood is not “profitable” but encourages me to give it the sacrifice it deserves.

     

    Journey to priesthood

    How I joined priesthood is amazing. Others saw in me the quality of a clergyman, which I didn’t see. Interestingly, I am the only clergyman in the family and the only one, for now, from St Paul’s, Ojoku. Everyone I grew up with wanted to be a professional in their own field, it was unthinkable to want to be a clergyman.

    In the home I grew up, it was unthinkable not to be in church before service started. That was the discipline I received, not knowing I was going to be a clergyman.

    Despite my love for education and football, I was very passionate about the work of the gospel in my early days. God revealed himself to me in the university and since then I have been committed to God’s work. I was the Assistant General Secretary and Bible Study Co-ordinator in Engineering Students Fellowship. From a chorister, I became a member of the Boys Brigade; then, past president of PYC, ex-officio at Apapa Archdeaconry Youth Board and a member of the PCC of the church from age 20.

    However, Rev Folarin Shobo was instrumental to my becoming a priest. One Wednesday evening in 2005, after preaching at the Lenten Service in my church, while I was seeing him off to his car, he advised me to go for selection conference at the Diocese of Lagos.

    That evening he turned, looked at me and said: Jimi lo ko letter e, lo di alufa – write your letter to be a priest. I laughed and said “Revo, I was just made a manager.” I was working at the Life Department of Linkage Assurance Plc (Soji Ogunmade Unit), where a year before I’d won the 2004 best marketer prize and just been made manager of Jimi’s Unit.

    I bade him farewell, but that night, I couldn’t sleep. I woke up and wrote the letter. I didn’t tell anyone at home. By 8am the next morning, I was at Rev Shobo’s house. He informed me that the selection by the Archbishop is fixed for 10am (less than two hours). My Archdeacon Ven Kolawole knew about my application 10 minutes to the interview. The rest is history.

     

    My deciding factor

    Been nurture with Christian ideas helped me come to this decision. The bible was right when it says, “Train up a child in the way he should grow, when he grows he will not depart from it”. I grew in Ajegunle and hoped for a better future, which is good, but deep inside we all feel wealth and plenty of it will end our problems, forgetting that the rich are sorrowful with their wealth just as the poor that have their challenges. Many of us study the courses we studied because we want to be rich. I didn’t want to be a Priest because I don’t like taking from people. I knew I was going to be a clergyman later in life, but didn’t know it would come early. Choosing to take the step when things were taking shape in my life, I can only sum it up by saying it is what God has ordained and it came to pass at the appointed time. Someone asked if becoming a Venerable was a dream-come-true? It is not a dream-come-true because it is dependent on the office of the bishop. Sometimes it may come sooner than you expect. It came earlier than I expected.

    God used my service year (NCCF) to change my thinking. A good name is better than silver or gold. It opens doors in many generations after. When the door opened to go to the seminary that night I couldn’t sleep. It dawn on me that I didn’t want to serve God because I want to be rich. God promised me peace of mind, joy and fulfilling His mandate. With this conviction, I headed for the selection conference, and as I’ve said, the rest is history.

     

    My challenges

    My first challenge was going to Archbishop Vinning College of Theology, Akure leaving my new found love in marketing. The challenge of being a Bishop’s Chaplain, a job I knew nothing about, which became a spring board to where I am today. It helped me to understand the vocation I am into. You can see others’ mistakes and learn from them. God used Archbishop Ademola Ademowo, who appointed me a chaplain to the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Lagos Mainland. I was mentored by Archbishop Adebayo Akinde, who cared for me and taught me as a son and not a chaplain. He made me face the vocation squarely.

     

    Becoming a Venerable Archdeacon

    It was a great delight to see church members, family, friends and well-wishers gathering to celebrate Jesus at the Bishop Adelakun Howells Memorial (BAHM) Church in Surulere. I and six others were consecrated Venerable Archdeacons by the Bishop of the Diocese, The Most Rev (Prof) Adebayo Dada Akinde. Indeed, I felt blessed.

     

    Lessons

    I have learnt that life is a gift from God, He alone understands how best to use the gift. I enjoyed engineering the little I was involved in, marketing became a passionate and almost an obsession. God knew ministry will be challenging in a world that flaunt wealth as god but it is a means to spend ones tim e to serve humanity. It gives a blessing that outlives us. It carries generational blessings for those who do it as a service rather than a venture to make profit. Money is good but life is not all about money.

     

     

  • UNIC condemns domestic violence

    UNIC condemns domestic violence

    In recent times, there has been a growing concern over the rice in number of crimes spring from domestic violence.

    The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, has decried the rise in domestic violence, while reiterated that domestic violence is a criminal offence and a breach of fundamental human rights, stating it should not be treated as a family affair.

    In a programme on Domestic Violence: Breaking the Cycle, Dealing with the Consequences in Lagos, the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Mr OluseyiSoremekuncalled for more proactive measures to curb the menace, saying: “Incest, rape, abuse and all other forms of domestic violence cannot be a domestic affair.”

    Mr Soremekunurged victims to speak out and seek help, being a bold step to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, adding that everyone should revisit family and societal values which place premium on good conduct and good family name.

    The Information Manager of Inter-Governmental Action Group AgainstMoney Laundering in West Africa, Mr Timothy Melaye, who gave thekeynote address, called on all Nigerians to work to raise our voice against this, shame it, shout it down and support the victims. He noted that: “Domestic violence is a problem for all of us, no one knows the next victim, could be your brother, sister, friend, neighbour, cousin, niece, nephew, son, daughter or even you.”

    The programme, which jointly-organised by UNIC Lagos and Warien Rose Foundation, was attended by students, media and people from all walks of life.

    Warien Rose FoundationPresident, Ms EfeAnaughe, also expressed concern about the alarming rate of domestic violence especially those related to sexual assault, child abuse and rape.

  • Osun: Tale of two anniversaries

    Osun: Tale of two anniversaries

    Stakeholders in the culture sector can do more to celebrate Susanne Wenger’s  centenary and the Osun-Osogbo Grove’s 10th anniversary as a World Heritage Site, writes Femi Macaulay, member of the Editorial Board, who  was in Osogbo, Osun State, for the Osun-Osogbo Festival 

    It was supposed to be a special celebration.

    This year’s Osun-Osogbo Festival coincided with two striking anniversaries:  the centenary of the late Austrian artist and Yoruba-culture champion, Susanne Wenger, who died in Osogbo, Osun State, in January 2009 at age 93; and the 10th anniversary of the Osun-Osogbo Grove’s recognition as a World Heritage Site.

    Apart from the usual and commonplace display of festivity connected with the Osun-Osogbo Festival, the celebration did not sufficiently highlight the special conjuncture of the two anniversaries. What was billed as “Susanne Wenger’s Sacred Colloquium 2015″ at the King’s palace in Osogbo featured a paper presented by Yusuf Abdallahi Usman, Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), to mark the anniversaries. Usman’s paper at the August 19 event organised by NCMM was titled “Late Madam Susanne Wenger and National Commission for Museums and Monuments as Springboards to the Development of Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and Enlistment as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

    Usman described Wenger as “a phenomenal woman of different interpretations.” He added: “She was a great artist, culturalist, spiritualist and naturalist, intellectual, researcher, philosopher and philanthropist who devoted her life to serving nature, culture and people. She championed the beautification, preservation, adoration, conservation and unification of nature and culture in the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.” But the event lacked the nature of a colloquium. Much of the period was devoted to indigenous music and singing and dancing by different groups.

    The presence of a representative of the Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria reflected the significance of Wenger’s centenary. The young woman said when she arrived in the country some years ago the Osun-Osogbo Grove was among the first places she visited. She wore a gown made from gold-and-black Ankara fabric designed to mark Wenger’s death. The cloth carried a picture of Wenger and the inscription “Mama Susanne Wenger Iwinfunke – Celebration of Life – From July 4, 1915 – January 12, 2009.”  Some locals, most of them women, were dressed in the same Ankara. In a cultural environment where important occasions are often marked by specially designed commemorative fabric known as aso ebi, it was strange that Wenger’s centenary did not generate such distinctive fabric.

    The same anti-climatic atmosphere marked the finale of the Osun-Osogbo Festival in the Osun-Osogbo Grove on August 21. The river-side statue of the Yoruba water goddess, Osun, in whose honour the festival is celebrated every year, was draped with a white cloth and decorated with palm fronds around its neck. There was a large crowd at the water front where many people engaged in supplications to the goddess. Many devotees wore signature white clothes. A group of devotees from America, Europe and Asia stood out in their white ceremonial dresses.   A lot of people fetched water from the mystic River Osun in white containers for spiritual purposes. In the grove and its immediate environs, the ubiquitous water-filled containers demonstrated the power of faith. The ceremonies of worship involving the virginal votary maid, Arugba, who climactically emptied the contents of a sacred calabash into the river, underlined the spiritually charged activities in the grove.

    Numerous brand promotion materials, mainly by the festival’s major sponsors, created a marketing atmosphere. The biggest corporate sponsors of the  2015 Osun-Osogbo Festival  were telecom giant MTN; Nigerian Breweries, using one of the company’s beer brands, Goldberg; Grand Oak Limited, brewers of Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps and  Kasapreko Limited, producers of Alomo Bitters.

    But, again, apart from repetitive references to the 10th anniversary of the grove’s international endorsement in speeches, nothing uniquely celebrated its decade as a World Heritage Site. The Osun- Osogbo Grove is the site of the Osun-Osogbo Festival, which is a star tourist attraction and draws a high number of domestic and international visitors. Recognised for natural and cultural reasons, the Osun-Osogbo Grove is the second of two UNESCO-branded sites in Nigeria, coming after the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa State, which attained the distinction in 1999.

    In May, there was news of a string of cultural activities abroad in celebration of Wenger’s centenary. “We are pleased to announce the exhibition schedule in the year of the 100th anniversary of Susanne Wenger at the Susanne Wenger Foundation in Krems and other locations,” said a programme released by the Austria-based organisation.  “There will be shown oil paintings, batiks, drawings, photographs of the Sacred Groves and previously not seen works of art… On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Susanne Wenger, Doyin Olosun and Sangodare Gbadegesin Ajala from ‘Susanne Wenger family’ will be present at the opening…There will be guided tours and workshops…The exhibition will be accompanied by the publication SUSANNE WENGER : Artist, Priestess, Adventuress…Special exhibition at the Nigerian Embassy, Vienna, Austria, September 28-30.”

    There is news that a Nigerian publishing company, Grasshill Books, is promoting a new book on Wenger as a way of specially celebrating her in the country where she lived for nearly 60 years before her death. The book is expected to be released to mark the 2015 World Tourism Day on September 27. It is a testimony to Wenger’s cultural celebrity that the Nigerian government in 2008 honoured her with a decoration, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

    A statement by the publisher said: “We are pleased to announce the publication of a new book, Alive In The Sacred Grove – Susanne Wenger from a Nigerian view, which will fill a vacuum that has existed for years.” The statement quoted the author, Femi Macaulay, as saying: “What I set out to do is unprecedented. In concept and execution, this new book on Susanne Wenger is unparalleled because it is written from a Nigerian perspective and with a Nigerian flavour… At the time I discussed my plan with Wenger, she responded positively, saying, ‘I bless your work and your good intentions’.”

    The publisher also quoted the author’s description of the work: “This unique well-researched Wenger portrait offers a fresh experience of her. It consists of an extensive up-to-date close-up profile and exclusive interviews that I had with her. It explores not only her extraordinary life but also her thinking on Yoruba culture and tradition, especially at the transitional stage of her life. It is enriched with expressive pictures of Wenger and some of her eye-catching sculptures in the grove, as well as other important images related to her gripping story. It is a modest way of paying a well-deserved tribute to a loyal vessel of Yoruba divinities; her legacy is undeniable. The book also beams the spotlight on the Osun-Osogbo Grove and the Osun-Osogbo Fesival.”

    With Wenger’s centenary year and the 10th year of the Osun-Osogbo Grove as a World Heritage Site still unfolding, there is time to redeem the under-celebration.

  • Photographers mark their day in style

    Photographers mark their day in style

    Photographers from across the country converged on Lagos to mark this year’s World Photography Day. Evelyn Osagie reports.

    Decked in the army camouflage, Prophet Jacob Arogundade stood, posing for the cameras few metres away from the Military Hospital on Awolowo Way, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    With Nigeria and British’s flags in hands along with other military and religious paraphernalia, Arogundade’s mien,  could pass for a classical piece of art.

    An octogenarian and a prophet, he has not seen that number of photographers before and was happy to be their model.  As the cameras clicked away, he voiced his campaign, “I believe in one Nigeria and the unity of the world. That is why you would always see me with these flags. I am also protesting that Nigeria should treat those who have served this country better”.

    He was oblivious of a picture of another former soldier that is also protesting his abandonment on display few blocks away at the Ember Creeks as part of activities marking this year’s World Photography Day.

    Scenes as Arogundade’s formed the trappings of this year’s edition.

    Indeed, it was as if the paparazzi floodgates were unleashed on the city of Lagos when over 250 cameramen took to the streets with cameras in hand to commemorate of the day.

    Since 2013, the day, which is held yearly on August 19, has been christened as World Photography Day Nigeria by Nigerian photographers who use the occasion to celebrate the sector.

    “The World Photography Day Nigeria is a non-commercial venture, open to all photo lovers including photo-journalists and photo-enthusiasts,”Founder/Convener, World Photography Day Nigeria, Mr Yemi Royal, said.

    With the theme, Creating a viable and unified photography industry, this year’s celebrations, according to Royal, began the previous Saturday with a football match between press and commercial photographers. He noted that  the ‘photo walk’ was part of photographers’ campaigns for a better environment.

    By 11a.m. that morning, the entourage had converged on the Freedom Park, from where they left for the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island (VI). From there, the train moved to Ember Creeks where photo-chat and exhibition held.

    Besides discovering fresh and unique models and subject matters, like Arogundade, several interesting scenarios played out on their walk to the exhibition ground.

    Not minding the curious and questionable looks of onlookers and road users, photographers of various ages took possession of sidewalks, streets, roads and bridges, snapping their hearts away.

    Decked as if gunning for exclusive shots, the trees, houses, passers-by, vehicles, roads, bridges and lagoon of Lagos Island, VI and Ikoyi became the photographers’ subjects of interests.

    They had the power of number on their side: and so they dared what they wouldn’t have done on other days. Besides, crossing the road indiscriminately, as if expecting that vehicles would wait for them, without asking questions or permissions, they focused their cameras on any object of interest and snapped to their hearts delights.

    They didn’t even shake while taking snapshots of three military barracks on their route. But their constant clicking caught the attention of bystanders, and forced some to ask: “What is happening today?”

    At first, afraid that the government had sent them, Ugochukwu, a street hawker, and his counterparts were not particularly pleased with their actions.

    “Don’t take my picture! What is this. Why so many photographers? What’s happening today?”

    “We are celebratingWorld Photography Day in Nigeria. It is our day today! Please, can we take your picture?” Wome Uyeye, an on-air personality and documentary-photographer repliedin elation. Drawn in by the attention and her smile, he and his counterparts then posed for a shot or two. “When would we get the pictures?” they asked. “Check Facebook!” The photographers replied.

    It was their day and they siezed the occasion to make case for the sector.

    The General Secretary, Lagos State Photographers Association of Nigeria (LASPPAN), Mr Yakubu Mohammed, urged the government to pay attention to the sector’s needs by investing in its key players “Photography is the eyes of the world; without it, the world would be blind.”

    Ace artist and Head of Department of Photography, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr Kunle Adeyemi, was of the opinion that pictures communicate more than a thousand words, saying: its importantance to mankind cannot be overemphasised. “A snapshot gives you what you can express with a thousand words; this is why today is very important to photographers and photo lovers across the world. Government should do more to develop the industry.”

    On his part, Mr Royal said the World Photography Day Nigeria initiative was designed  growing the sector. “Our mission is to engage, educate, empower and stimulate the photography community in Nigeria.  Through this initiative, we are offering a new view of photography to a diverse audience of professionals, hobbyists and aspiring photographers, while focusing on satisfying and growing the love for the industry in Nigeria,” he said.

    The stopover of ace football, Kanu Nwankwo, fondly called Papilo,who felicitated them on their day, was another interesting episode of the event. His visit to the train at the Silverbird Galleria came as a pleasant surprise, it was said.

    “Papilo…papilo!” came the screams from the crowd as everyone scampered to get a shot or pose with him. Kanu, whose studio was one of the partners of the event, pledged support for the industry players, saying: “It feels great celebrating this day with photographers and lovers of photographyacross the world. Keep your dreams alive, one day, you’d achieve it.”

    On their way to the bridge linking VI to Onikan, the group rescued a commercial bus driver from having his vehicle impounded by the officers of the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS). The VIS officers and driver soon became models for the group. By the time the entourage reached Onikan, 11-year-old Kehinde, whose mother is also a photographer, became another model for some members of the train.

    Some photographers held roadshows with participants as models. EncounteringProphet Arogundade on the last leg of the walk was the climax, some photographers said.”It tells us that Nigeria should do more for its past soldiers and citizens that have served the country in different capacity,” they said.

    Others said receiving the gift voucher worth N10, 000 was what marked the highpoint of the day. The voucher for photography books, which was presented by Indigo, was given toabout 150 photographers, who attended the event.

    The day ended with a parley with the industry key players, such as former Head of Department, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Sola Akeredolu; ace photo-artist, Uche Iroha and celebrity photographer, Seyi Body-Lawson.