Category: Arts & Life

YETUNDE OLADEINDE writes on the wonderful Adire show titled, ‘African Fashion Week Brazil’ that happened recently in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

BRAZILIANS, experts reveal are quite adventurous when it comes to clothing and accessories that are richly coloured and sophisticated.  Many love a fusion that comes with creative messages they can identify with culture.

The city of Sao Paulo Brazil came alive recently as it welcomed designers from all fashion capital of the world – London, Paris, Ghana, and of course Nigeria for the median edition of the much anticipated Africa Fashion Week Brazil, a glamorous fashion show organized by wife of Oni of Ife Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi in partnership with businesswoman Silvana Saraiva, Chairman of Brazil Chamber of Commerce and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of FeaFro Institute, Brazil.

The  international fashion show which is aimed at promoting the richness of African culture through fashion and more importantly, promoting trade and investment in the creative industry, was held at the Expo Center Norte, Sao Paulo,  Brazil. The three day event which kicked off on Thursday, May 25th, to 27th, saw a spectacular showcase of Africa’s cultural heritage and fashion.

The runway saw a display of classy cuts, haute couture, and ready to wear trendy pieces all distinctly made with the Adire and Ankara fabric, to the delight of the audience. It also featured a special showcase of Adire Oodua by Nigeria’s frontline designer Ejiro Amos Tafiri.  A-line adire dresses with statement sleeves, asymmetric tops paired with adire trousers, and long skirts with extravagant organza hem were the stars of the collection, all made with different types of adire.

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Designers, Fashion By Ashani, Wuraola4lar , Chiefo, Adire Teems, Pilz and Poiszn and Blingshiki, and Ejiro Amos-Tafiri who were supported for the event by the Nigerian.

 Export Promotion Council and Enterprise Sponsors, Providus Bank, floored the runways with amazing designs, which projected the rich culture and dynamism in Nigeria’s fashion.

For the organiser Olori Ronke Ogunwusi, it was a delight to see that the Adire fabric of Nigeria is indeed taking centre stage at Africa fashion week Brazil “It’s a great thing indeed for Nigeria as Adire is now being sort for across. ” she says.

Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, better known for her passion for the development of African culture and heritage is the founder of Africa Fashion Week London and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria. She is also the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Adire Oodua Textile Training Hub and Vice Chairman House of Oduduwa Foundation.

For her, Africa Fashion Week Brazil not only celebrates fashion but also serves as a channel for black emancipation. The event she says aims to dismantle the deeply ingrained perception of inferiority associated with Afro-Brazilian fashion and culture. It sought to empower the Afro-Brazilian community by providing a platform to showcase their talents, challenge stereotypes, and redefine their identity on their own terms, while improving economic ties between both countries.

With the successful hosting of the AFWBrazil, the countdown is on for this year’s edition of the Africa Fashion Week London.  Billed to hold from the 27th to 29th of October,  the AFWLondon will play host to about sixty designers and a hundred exhibitors from around Africa and Europe. It is Europe’s largest fashion event aimed at promoting African design talent from the diaspora, Founded in 2011 by Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, AFWL is focused on encouraging trade for African designers within the global community and helps to nurture them on a global scale.

IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF reviews Nirvana’s Children’s Day television commercial which sends an enduring message to those involved in the act of child’s upbringing and urges stakeholders in the country’s fast moving entertainment industry to pause and ruminate over the Corporate Social Responsibility anniversary message.

WHILE many have discussed this in hushed tones or play the ostrich, there is a general consensus that contemporary music in any society plays a strong role in shaping how children grow into adulthood and how these songs and music shape their lives and thinking.

It must be admitted that over the years, especially with the coming of hip-hop music genre and the desire of songwriters and their promoters to capture their audience, lyrics have become lurid and they tend to hype on the concepts of sex, drugs, violence and internet fraud. Ironically, these songs are not only listened to by adults but also kids as well as songs that promote these themes are played in occasions they attend and even their birthdays and they even use these songs to organise dancing competitions for them during their birthdays.

This is alarming. As these kids assimilate, not only these songs, but the themes they promote. As depicted in a trending video –a communication material, pieced together by #teamX3M, a Lagos based creative powerhouse for  Nirvana water brand to mark this year’s Children Day the company is reiterating the fact that there’s s subtle link between the purity of the children’s minds and the water.

That is why the campaign is not only instructive but a reminder of the inconvenient truth many have chosen to ignore or pretend it is not there.

In the video, of about two and half minutes, featuring some select children, the opening montage is a gentle reminder of the fact that one in three of Nigerian songs actually promote sex, substance abuse and violence.

The video now shows these kids being asked about the understanding of some lurid songs and their choruses. For instance, the children are asked to say what they understand by “Chop banana”. They innocently say what they understand about that line which in actual sense is a lyric about sex which is actually delivered in a coded language.

They are also asked what they understand by “Riding it” (another sexually explicit lyric) and they give, yet again, very innocent responses.

The video now ends with the need to help these kids protect their innocence.

The campaign is a unique corporate social responsibility which touches an area many, including parents, have chosen to ignore. And that is why the Nirvana brand has created a kind of awakening that is not meant to directly promote the brand but highlight how much it values and cares for the society where the brand sells.

Conceptualised by X3M Ideas, a leading creative agency in Nigeria, the essence of the TVC was captured through a well-selected dramatis personae and a familiar setting to match. In the short video, the creative agency of the consumer goods company, tells an enduring story through exceptionally good Nigerian kids, which is currently trending. Beyond serving as a positioning tool for the brand, the campaign depicts how an unregulated entertainment industry can impact children negatively.

From beginning to the end, the agency brings a human face to the campaign and connects well with an average Nigerian, especially children, teachers and parents.

From any angle one chooses to look at it, the campaign sends a powerful message which is difficult to ignore.  Perhaps the greatest beauty of the commercial was the choice of setting and the Nigerian children which connect easily with the target audience. In a world that moves too fast, the campaign is saying; “safeguarding the innocence of our children must be done at all cost. Let’s all work together to preserve their purity.”

Again, the campaign has simply played up the uniqueness of #teamX3M. It will be recalled that one of the campaigns from the 11 year-old agency behind the commercial was recently adjudged among the best 40 most successful campaigns promoting good causes.  In collaboration with the West Africa Research Centre (WARC), 2022 Good Report released its global report and listed the agency.  The Good Report is produced in collaboration with WARC, worldwide authority on marketing effectiveness and publisher of the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, a global benchmark of creative excellence in advertising. Recent records have also shown that the agency occupies a special class among creative agencies in Nigeria and Africa.

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

The 9-year-old Ijebu National Museum received a big boost at this year’s Ojudeoba Festival as the Director General National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Otunba Segun Runsewe presented the.museum with a plaque of commendation.

Otunba Runsewe who was led on a tour of the museum by the curator Wanda Ibru commended the curator and her committee members for doing a brilliant job in sustaining the rich cultural heritage of the Ijebus.

Ijebu National Museum located within the Awujale Pavilion is a well-secured in-house museum opened on March 8 2014 to mark the 80th birthday of Oba Sikiru Adetona Awujale of Ijebuland.

Appreciating the efforts of the monarch in the preservation of Ijebu heritage, Runsewe noted that a country without history would find it difficult to make progress.

He called on other ethnic nationalities in the country to take a cue from the Ijebu National Museum, saying each state or ethnic nationality should be able to tell its own stories to tourists and culture enthusiasts.

“What we are trying to do now with this in-house museum, is to encourage other states to take a cue from it so that they can have their own museums and when people come to their states, they have stories to tell tourists and cultural critics. For me, this is absolutely commendable and that is why I gave a plaque today (yesterday) to the Ijebu National Museum for doing a great job. For reminding us, if you don’t know where you are coming from it will be difficult to make progress.

“The younger ones today can see what happened in 53 with Tv, the sculpture of the Oba which they change from time to time to look very unique. For me, I must commend the Curator and the committee members for doing a brilliant job and sustaining this museum. What we need to do now is to link up this museum with other international museums. I’m sure in another few years, they will be thinking of expanding the museum,” he added.

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The DG who also presented the Awujale with a plague at the pavilion recommended that every year organisers of  Ojude Oba should pick a cultural object from the festival to enrich the museum collection.

On this year’s Ojude Oba, Runsewe said, “Today, we are talking of experience, celebrating life with culture and royalty of a people that believe in their cultural brand. Now, both the Ijebus at home and abroad have come out in their numbers. I was at the immigration desk at the airport, on my way from Abuja. I was informed that over 2,500 diasporans arrived for this year’s Ojude Oba. That is to tell us that this is cultural content we must take seriously.

“Today, Ogun State is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. You hardly hear of any kidnapping or violent crimes. So, if we have this kind of festival we need to promote and make sure it’s well preserved and promoted globally. We need to make sure that it cements a new future for our great country.

“Yesterday (Thursday) we all heard Mr. President telling us his relationship with the Awujale who, of course, is the oldest serving monarch in the history of mankind. Both leaders have come a long way. Today, nobody is talking about religion or any other thing. We are talking about celebrating the people.

According to the curator, Wanda Ibru the museum has been witnessing increased patronage from tourists and students noting that the museum is still undergoing development as the music section that will showcase works of Ijebu music icons such as Kwan 1 and Salawa Abeni will be opened soon.

Bolaji Alonge is a journalist who has taken the medium of photography to project the world. In this interview with EDOZIE UDEZE at the Artmiabo International Festival held in Lagos recently, he took time out to emphasize on the timeliness of Afrobeats and what the music has done to give positive image to Nigeria and lots more.

BOLAJI Alonge is a journalist, a renowned photographer who has toured almost all parts of Nigeria taking pictures of epic scenes. He uses his art not just to talk about the society but to also correct some misplaced concepts about the entity called Nigeria. At the Artmiabo International Festival which took place in Lagos recently, Alonge featured as one of the foremost artists. He came with lots of his works; works he has done over the years that give symbolism to afrobeats, to the Nigerian scenic views, cultures, traditions, institutions, name it.

He said simply, “I use my art to represent Nigeria, to say good things about our society, the whole environment. It is not that we do not have bad sides, but my emphasis is usually on the good and bright sides. There is no society that does not have bad sides, ugly scenes, lopsided development. I present our society in a beautiful way because often we get carried away by what does not work in our society”.

He went on; “By this it diminishes our reputation. For us, the afrobeats music represent our identity. Outside, even when people abuse us, they still go back to dance to our music. So, our music speaks for us. So, it is a good thing. We now relate that to our art, to the photographs we often take. Our music is now the in-thing. We have stopped or rather reduced the time devoted to listening to foreign music. And that is why part of what we do in this festival is to resonate or rather give more attention to afrobeats, to this genre of music that is our own through and through”.

Alonge is ever ready to also use photography to overcome bad ideas people have about Nigerian. From North to South, East to West in Nigeria he has travelled and traversed to capture glorious scenes, some epic, some ancient, others modern and efficacious in the Nigeria developmental levels and stages. “Our music is our art and we use it to relate to who we are. Now this is how we communicate. This is how we live. It comes in naturally for us to communicate with our type of art. You see the works over there. They all show afrobeats in action. I am also an apostle of the Africa shrine which is where the afrobeats is totally enmeshed”.

In ensuring that he promotes all the good ideals that help for a new Nigerian art, Alonge indulges those who have the same goals as he has. His works are spellbinding, authentic and highly spectacular. “I try to also encourage young Nigerians to always focus on the good and not on the bad. Or spend time on the internet insinuating and talking nonsense. We should take it upon ourselves to promote our society, our people generally. It does us no good if we are the ones destroying our country before the international community”.

According to him, people should desist from celebrating only the ills, the bad. “You won’t even hear or see the British or an American, for instance, talking about the bad aspects of their society, their social life and so on. So, my art is to eulogise Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful country, yes, it is a good place to be. There are a few bad things that need to be corrected. But that does not make it a very bad place. For me, art is one of those ingredients we can use to correct some of the wrong impressions about our people, the society and art itself”.

A thorough-bred professional, Alonge is rugged on the job. Tall and dashing, he appears too macho in an impressive way. His frame as a person showcases Nigeria as a society full of the best in human and material resources. He exhibits life, life to the fullest as he strides along with his camera. There is this pride and air of importance about him that shows that he lives what he preaches. His strong belief in the authenticity of the Nigerian project is infectious. All the pictures he showed to this reporter represent the best of the beauties of Nigeria. “I go about looking for such pictures”, he teased, his eyes full of pride.

For a queasy instant, you would think Alonge is exaggerating. Then suddenly he began to open and flip through his collections. You are now taken temporarily through his amazing collections that traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria. He looked up, grinned and continued. Of course, how seldom one meets such an enthusiastic and gregarious photographer. He attaches great importance to impressionistic photos that lift the spirit, that make a dull day, a bright one. These are the sorts of pictures you cannot easily or readily encounter in libraries or galleries or museums. He has them, he cherishes them and he exhibits them whenever the occasion calls for it. In all these, he is quintessential, outstanding, tidy. He produces the best there can be.

“I document Femi Kuti and now we have Made Kuti. I document all of them. I have been very close to the Kuti family in the last twenty years or thereabout. I am an ambassador of the shrine. I was 20 years when Fela passed away. And so, I couldn’t have been going to shrine at that age. Afrobeats is big. It is done all over the world now. People are conscious of it; people listen and dance to it. If you open the internet, you see me all over the place promoting the afrobeats”. Where necessary also Alonge helps the younger ones in the act of photography. For him, this sort of mentoring goes a long way in keeping the legacy on and on and on.

He has pictures of old TBS, Takwa Bay. Some were taken like six or ten years ago.  The pictures show rare and natural contents. That of the TBS is remarkable. It shows the original Tafawa Balewa Square before it was defaced recently. He also took an exhibition to the UK titled Iconic Lagos. It was a show of all shows, depicting the good scenes that make Lagos a show stopper city, a city that never sleeps or slumbers.

By Edozie Udeze

THERE was once an Artists’ Village at the National Theatre premises, Iganmu, Lagos. It is not that the Village has finally disappeared or gone into extinction. No. Far from it. But does it still exist? Is the Artists’ Village still there in its original place and location? Yes and no! Yes because there are yet some artists and other manner of people inhabiting the premises. There are some artists; big, small and others yet to start off who are on ground making use of the facilities in the village in one guise or the other.

A visit to the premises last weekend depicted all manner of activities happening within the settlement. A few years ago, the management of the National Theatre, led by its former General Manager, Mallam Kabir Yusuf sent bulldozers, caterpillars and security agents to level down some structures in the village. A brutal and ruthless action, the demolition left a lot of artists in tatters, stranded, homeless and without offices. Most of them lost art works worth millions of naira. Unfortunately, Yusuf described those structures as illegal and therefore were deemed unfit to continue to distort the master-plan of the Theatre. Notwithstanding that many of those properties were erected by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), a sister parastatal, Yusuf still went ahead with his mission. Today the place is still in ruins.

In the midst of the wanton destruction, some artists gathered in earnest to sue for compensation. Today, Yusuf had left office, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information under whose tenure the act was done and who equally promised some palliatives to those affected, has also left office. In the meantime, some well-to-do artists on the premises have relocated. Some who still have their studios there are living on borrowed time. Even though they try to settle down to produce some manner of works, the atmosphere indeed is bereft of beauty and friendliness that help creativity to blossom. This place was once bubbling with endless ideas of creativity, art works, rehearsals, stage dramas, musical productions and presentations, dances, auditioning, et al.

At one point, film producers, directors, those hunting for new and fresh talents converged there. Even big Nollywood stars were often seen there to either watch plays or do rehearsals. The Little Theatre within the premises has truly withstood a test of time. Within its ambiance, plays were done, offices existed for the comfort of those who needed to function from there for the purposes of proximity. There was no weekend one or two cultural or literary shows would not happen in the premises. Now, Yusuf has killed the fun. The place, to say the least, is an eyesore now. With all manner of kiosks, makeshift stores erected on the premises it can now be conveniently tagged artists’ ghetto. It is truly the darkest period in the history of artists, particularly those who lost artefacts, costumes, masks, sculptures, props and other properties at the time of the destruction.

One of them, Monday Goubadia, who is still hibernating in his workshop there, spoke in a subdued voice. “I am still here because I will soon finish building my house. After that I will relocate and will make my house my studios. I lost plenty of art works when the destruction took place. Unfortunately, years after, we have not got the compensation promised us. The amount of sculptures, masks, woodworks and ceramics I lost here ran into millions”, he said.

He regretted that as it is now, they do not know who or where to channel their grievances and petition. “Those in-charge then have all left office. The artists helping us to actualize our demands have left to different locations and places”, Goubadia, a Benin-born multi-talented sculptor and wood carver, said.

As may be imagined, all kinds of unscrupulous elements hang around the village in all corners. Makeshift homes litter here and there. Old stores, formerly beehives of life and activities have turned moribund with some relics of them serving as gatekeepers for the homeless. Away from this hobnob, is a mechanic workshop, with all manner of vehicles receiving attention from mechanics. Those ones occupy the frontage of the Little Theatre. That spot used to be a lovely esplanade, spacious for auditioning, rehearsals and hangouts when the Village was up and doing.

As the mechanics busied themselves knocking one or two bolts together, some artists clustered on the pavements, chatting, discussing and clasping. The most pathetic sight to behold now is the former library owned by NCAC. Apart from it being abandoned long ago, the building housing some of the best stocked books on culture in times past is now sitting on a pool of flood water. In fact, it is already submerged just like most of the remaining structures within the premises. Save for the red brick walls that still give it some level of modernity, this NCAC library will soon be due for demolition due essentially to neglect.

This area of the Theatre used to house the offices of Nigerian Guild of Editors, Newspaper Proprietors and others. Except for NAN that is not far from there and has since remained active, the NGE has fizzled away. A former CBAAC office nearby has also evaporated. All you see are relics, archival resemblances of what used to be enviable structures for big time institutions and corporate offices.

GOVERNMENTS at all levels have been urged to harness tourism potentials across Nigeria to boost the country’s economy.

The Planter of the Christ Apostolic Church, (Adamimogo Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain) World-wide, Prophet Sam Olu Alo who gave the advise, lamented that nation’s tourism destinations were largely left untapped.

He, therefore, called on the governments to invest heavily in and develop our culture, historical sites, prayer mountains, and other tourist delights to create employment and generate more revenues.

Prophet Olu Alo spoke in Jerusalem, Israel, where he led some pilgrims from Nigeria on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

He said, “We have things that can make our country great and successful in this nation. Ikogosi warm springs, prayer mountains,  and historical spots, are better than those in foreign countries we are traveling to but we don’t attach any importance to them and this is bringing challenges and discomfort.

“My advice to our leaders, the President,  state governors, National Assembly Members, and House of Assembly Members is if can use the privileges they have to develop our tourist sites by investing heavily in them, tourists will be visiting all these places.

“Take Israel for example, tourists from across the world always come in their numbers to visit the country, it is because their government developed their tourist sites to make it attractive to the visitors. And through that,  they generate employment for their people. this is also what is happening in Mecca. Some of the things they developed as tourist attractions represent their culture, tradition, and history.

“If we can emulate them and work on those things God has blessed us with in Nigeria, I believe they will glorify God in our land, increase government sources, and revenue and help in generating employment for our teeming youths”.

The man of God charged his co-pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Jesus wherever with good works and character.

“You have received another name: JP as a person who had visited the holy land, the city of God, use this and the lessons learned here to win souls for Jesus”.

“The most important aspect of it is for us to love one another. It is still missing in our country Nigeria and is causing problems and pains in the country, if we search for the love and find it, our families, homes, and country will be better for it”, he said.

Prophet Alo also traveled to UK from Israel to attend a programme organized to mark the third year anniversary of the Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain and Glorious Generation Partners, UK and EU chapter.

He was at the  Abuja House, the headquarters of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the United Kingdom on the visit of Nigeria’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Alhaji Sarafat Tunji Isola.

Emmanuel Iduma, a creative writer and photographer, was named after an uncle, who the Nigerian/ Biafran war consumed. In his new book, ‘I Am Still with You’, Iduma not only tries to trace his uncle’s fate he also succeeds in opening our eyes to unresolved issues around the war, especially concerning the Igbo question in the Nigerian project. The book is a combination of a number of personal and historical narratives to deal with the past. In this interview with United States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU, Iduma, winner of the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize who worked as an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts, New York, discusses his new book, writing and other related issues. Excerpts:

Why did you decide to write a book tracking your missing uncle?

I had always wanted to engage with the war in some way. I thought I would do this through fiction, but I didn’t find a narrative worth my time and effort. Then it occurred to me that the ideal story was one I had carried with me all my life, implicit in my name: that my uncle, who I was named after, didn’t return home after the war ended.

In the book, there is a reference to Kainene, who Chimananda’s fans are still asking her to tell them where she is. Do you think your uncle’s fate is similar to Kainene’s?

In the sense that Kainene never returned to her family, their fates are similar.

The book is not your typical biography. At what point did it occur to you that it would only work as a mixture of memoir, history, travelogue and reflections?

Actually, I had started writing the book intending for it to be typical—as a linear narrative based on my travels in the southeast. Yet, after the first draft—when I realised that there was much more to handle than a travel experience—I saw that I had to weave in as many narratives as was necessary. In fact, I don’t think of the book, primarily, as a mixture of genres, but as a book in which I combine a number of personal and historical narratives to convey an attempt to deal with the past.

How long did it take you to work on this project?

The actual writing took me three years. But the research began sometime in 2015.

Do you think the Igbo will ever feel truly Nigerian given the atrocities against them in the war?

That is a question for each Igbo person to answer. For me, it is possible to feel so, particularly in relation to the idea that Nigeria is a big enough word for many ethnic identities. The most important thing is for us as a collective is to figure out what a Nigerian identity can mean in more than one sense.

Are there new details you came across after you were done with the book that you would have loved to include?

Yes, but not in a consequential way. There were many details I included which didn’t make the final draft. And one of the things I’m hoping to write more about is the role of photography during the war—a subject I didn’t want to shoehorn into the book.

Tell us about Saraba. How did it come about and what did you accomplish with it?

By 2019, ten years after its founding, we had produced around 40 publications, mainly in electronic format, including the flagship issues of the magazine, a number of poetry chapbooks, and other special issues. A key moment was the publication of a print issue in 2017, as well as a manuscript project that showcased the work of first-time authors. I’m pleased with the roster of writers we published, many of whom are now established in their careers.

Farad, your first novel, is one I believe came ahead of its time. Where did the inspiration to write a novel in which all the characters converge in a church at the end come from?

Farad was originally conceived as a collection of stories, but midway through working on it, I felt it could become a novel-in-stories. The church was a setting with which I hoped to resolve the tensions highlighted by the characters in their respective stories. As for the timing of the book, I look back with gratitude for the way it pointed me to a sure path as a writer.

Your wife Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s first book is titled Stay With Me. Your current book is I Am Still With You and the book gave us vignettes into your life together. Both titles look like you guys are passing messages to each other. Did this ever occur to you?

Yes, it occurred to me sometime in the process of writing. I’m grateful for the convergence, but even more grateful for our lifelong commitment to corresponding with each other.

What is your writing process like?

I usually intend to work through as many drafts as possible. My nonfiction writing often requires one form of research or the other, and the scope depends on the length of the piece. For a book like I Am Still With You, the process of research was a multi-year one, and I usually included additional research in each subsequent draft. The process of tinkering with the material is never finished until a final draft is submitted.

How has the Windham-Campbell Prize helped your writing career?

It has given me the courage—and the financial resources—to work on new projects.

Aside writing, do you do other things?

I worked as an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts, New York, between 2016 and when I returned to Nigeria in 2019. I continue to facilitate writing workshops for various institutions around the world. I also have a keen interest in taking photographs.

Why did you decide not to give law a chance?

I studied law as an undergraduate at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and went on to the Nigerian Law School, Enugu campus. After I was called to the bar, I didn’t see how I could produce work as a writer while practicing law full-time. But it is clear to me that my training as a lawyer prepared me with the necessary erudition, critical thinking, and attention to subtleties in language that has informed my work as a writer.

Farad’s foreign edition has a different title. What informed that?

The publisher suggested the change, and I thought the title had a clearer ring to it. I still think of it, in the first place, as Farad.

What books have you recently read and which will you recommend?

I’m enjoying reading Ike Anya’s Small by Small, a memoir of his training as a doctor in ‘90s Nigeria. I was moved deeply by Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. Earlier in the year, I found Janet Malcolm’s Still Pictures astutely illuminating.

The pacing of I Am Still With You benefits a lot from techniques of fiction writing. How easy was it for you to achieve that?

I’m glad to hear that. I was clear from the start that the book needed to have a narrative arc. The journeying provided that. I also wanted the book to unite thought with feeling, which is why I was careful in the selection of anecdotes from the war to include. Finally, it was also important to imbue the book with a form of suspense by managing the information I disclosed each step of the way—not because there was going to be a big revelation at the end, but in order to deepen the reading experience.

The Ogidi Day new yam festival came into being in 2006. It was ushered in to bring the people of Ogidi, Ijumu local government area of Kogi State together in warmth, love and peace. Every June, this celebration happens in a way that it attracts people from all corners of the world. EDOZIE UDEZE who attended this year’s edition on June 17th reports on the classical displays of the people’s love for what is theirs and the importance of yam in the annals of humanity.

It is incontrovertible that yam is the king of all crops. The allure it commands, the pulling power it has over humanity, more so, farmers and communal people in Nigeria, is often euphoric. This is what happens at Ogidi, a rural and agrarian settlement in Ijumu local government area of Kogi State every year. June every year has been termed the month of The Ogidi Day. It is a month set aside by the whole community to come together as one to celebrate the new yam festival. This has been put in place since 2006. It was a year when the people that matter in the town, alongside the Oba, came together to fashion out modalities for this epoch event.

Last weekend, all roads promptly led to Ogidi for this year’s version of the festival. The day had begun well. Prominent Ogidi indigenes, home and abroad, have always kept this remarkable date sacrosanct. And so as they arrived from their different locations, the town was set agog. The mood was charged, reverberating positively to welcome visitors, guests and friends of the community. A mountainous town that has produced and groomed prominent citizens, the feel in the air, in homes, in streets, in clusters of settlements that littered here and there, quickly sent chills of hospitality and love into the atmosphere. It was good to be home to a quiet, gentle, fresh and unpolluted peaceful village environment.

As people strolled into the festival arena, that air of colourful beauty, razzmatazz, suffused and enveloped all. The colours of rainbow with which the arena was adorned quickly entrapped and held people spell-bound. In a circular form as it were, the centre served as an ideal platform, a stage where performances took place. As the guests sat in groups and adorned in different uniforms under canopies that were well decorated and properly arranged, the mood was good. Oba Rabiu Oladimeji Sule, sat resplendently amongst other traditional rulers from far and near. He wore smiles on his face.

On both sides of the Oba were dignitaries, high calibre personalities, men and women of timbre and caliber who came in their numbers to identify with their kinds in the town. The colours and other outlooks of the people depicted peace and togetherness. It was clear enough to see how gregarious the youths were. They all smarted out in their best fashion, carriage and mien. Incidentally, the theme of this year was solely devoted to the youths. Consequently, they behaved well, dancing, drumming, clasping their hands all together.

With their awful looking masquerades costumed in dry leaves of banana and plantain with an assortment of long green grasses, the masquerades bestrode the arena and vicinity with some kind of awful majestic presence. The youths were of good cheer. They chanted; they played bangers. They teased, drank endlessly. Their faces appeared somber, glorious. It was good after all to respect and celebrate the god of yam, a wonderful crop that can suddenly make a poor but serious farmer, a big man. Yam is a special gift to mankind. It is a crop that respects and obeys those who are committed to it in time of planting, weeding and staking. And when you celebrate it with aplomb, it rewards you double when the next season comes. This, the youths of Ogidi are conscious of hence the resolve to be alive in their celebrations and appreciation of what yam symbolizes.

In the main, Oba Sule was grateful to the people of the town, friends, well-wishers, all, for their love, support and solidarity with the Ogidi people. “It is a moment for us to be together. It is not just to celebrate the yam festival, it is time to show love; time for us to come together as a people. This is why I have chosen to tag this festival in June as the best throughout Nigeria”. With this remarkable fatherly statement, the arena became more alive and festive. As people moved to and fro in more or less carnival form, they ended up in front of the Oba paying obeisance to him.

As singers sang, as drummers drummed, raising the tempo to a crescendo, attention was focused on the importance of the occasion. Due and colourful respect was accorded the Oba and his clan. As he received visitors after visitors, his face glowed, his countenance transfigured. The event gave him some level of joy that a father experiences when his children have behaved well. Indeed, it was an indaba of a kind.

The Director-General of the festival and an iconoclastic leader of people, journalist and character molder, Mr. Tunde Ipinmisho charged his people to always think home. “We are not here just for the fun of it. We are here as brothers and sisters, lovers and keepers of what binds us together. The yam is for us and we need to celebrate it. And I am happy the celebration has come to stay”. He therefore prayed fervently not just for the celebration and for its success, but for the continued sustenance of the Day. For Ipinmisho, a former editor of The Sunday Times, time has come for people, communities to begin to think home. It is only when indigenes think home that progress will come, development will follow and jobs will be created. For him, gradually the dream of 2006 has today metamorphosed into an internationally acclaimed festival.

Chief Nike Okundaye, Nigeria’s foremost culture expo and ambassador also spoke in the same vain. Clad in her long overflowing trademark dress, Nike was flamboyant and dripping with tradition. In her stead also were some of her girls, boys inclusive, those she has nurtured and trimmed into the adire business and tradition over the years. In tow, they adored her, followed her closely as she marched elegantly within the large esplanade. She said “This is our day. It is our festival. It is time to remind ourselves that we have cultures and traditions to celebrate, to preserve”. Nike Okundaye equally has a large expanse of compound nearby sprawling with her artworks. It is a centre carefully built to entrench arts at its best.

Nike’s presence was felt everywhere-her adire batiks, her peculiar gele style, almost worn by everyone around her, gave splendid colours to the outing. Dresses in core native styles showed how colourfully good fashion could go to give class and vent to an occasion. And when it was time for her to present the new yam, Nike equally brought class to it. After praying for more successful harvest years for those who live on the land, she strolled around the arena with one tuber of yam in her hands. This was a demonstration of respect for the crop. It was to show guests the significance of a tuber, more so, since it was the products of Ogidi farmers

Performances

Troupes came from different states. From Ondo came the Owo Shekere dancers. From Enugu came the atilogwu with their beautiful adanma masquerade. Adanma is a female masquerade, made-up like a woman as she did cat-walk, waving gracefully to the crowd. As the Enugu dancers, resident in Abuja, displayed acrobatic nuances of atilogwu the crowd cheered. Overtime, atilogwu has remained, just like the Owo shekere dancers, one of the main cultural expos of Nigeria. So the crowds were elated to watch them thrill, somersault and display some ridiculously dangerous but beautiful acrobatic dance patterns.

Also from Edo came palace singers and dancers. With songs purposely waived around the splendour of a king for which the Binis are known, the women dancers approached the frontage of the high table with measured dance steps. They danced slowly, eulogizing the Oba, singing his praises. They dazzled. They mesmerized. They gesticulated. While prostrating and kneeling to show their unalloyed loyalty to the king, the drums beat higher, the sounds went frenzy, evoking opulence, appealing to people to accord their monarchs due recognition. The sounds proved that the king is the ancestral representative of the whole community.

There was Yagba Troupe. Others were the Olaga dancers, the Tiv Troupe, the Agbo olode’s performers and more. The moment groups began to do parades as part of showcasing their presence, the Ogidi masquerades and the Eyo from Lagos tore into the venue. Theirs were electrifying entrance that rightly added vibes to the occasion. It was all momentous.

Also in attendance was Olayinka Braimoh, a governorship hopeful in the state. He came in company of his train to declare his support for the occasion. Others were business tycoons, scholars, top civil servants, politicians, Obas and kings from all over. Moments were also spared to raise funds for the well-fare of the town and its many developmental projects.

When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie described Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s writing as “wonderfully observant and beautiful”, she drew attention to the young writer, who is 23. At 18, he wrote a short story, which made an editor get in touch with him and also got him an agent. Now, Ibeh, a student on a fully funded MFA programme at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States has international book deals for his debut novel, ‘Blessings’. In this interview with United States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU, Ibeh discusses the novel, writing, African literature and his literary influences. Excerpts:

Congrats on ‘Blessings’. When did you realise you wanted to write?

I don’t know that I had an exact moment of epiphany, to tell you the truth, but I do recall writing these overly dramatic plays in secondary school that my dear uncle, bless his heart, wouldn’t stop boasting about to his friends. I knew I wanted to see him express that gusto always.

What sort of preparations did you have to get to this stage of your writing career?

I don’t know about preparations, so to speak. My writing isn’t a conscious process. I think it’s more reactionary – I happen to read so much, and, as a result, write. To write this novel, however, I was holed up in my campus apartment at the height of the pandemic, unplugged from social media (so much that I had friends calling to check if I was alive), writing nearly from morning till evening.

How did you conceive the idea for ‘Blessings’?

Part of my education as a teenager was in a boarding school. It occurred to me a few years ago that I haven’t quite read much literature set in a boarding school, which is strange when you think of it because boy the stories that abound!

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How long did it take you to write?

About two years. The first chapter was probably written in early 2020 and completed last year.

Is ‘Blessings’ your first full manuscript?

It is.

Aside attending Chimamanda’s workshop, what other support have you had from her?

There is, primarily, the inspiration; I read Purple Hibiscus as a teenager and knew I wanted to try and make people feel the same way the book made me feel. More concretely, perhaps, would be that I got my first ‘major’ publication in a respected literary magazine in the US as a direct result of the workshop. This in addition to varied support that I’m not quite sure is in my place to publicly share just yet.

What is your writing process like?

I used to have one – and I miss having one. Now I just write whenever I’m able to sit myself down in front of a computer. Or when I have a strict deadline.

What books and authors have shaped your writing?

It’s a long list, but if I had to narrow it down, it always comes down to Cyprian Ekwensi, Buchi Emecheta, Chimamanda Adichie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anne Tyler and Raymond Carver.

There have been arguments for and against MFA. What is your position on MFA?

It’s the same as everyone’s – take the opportunity if you can. But don’t sweat it if you don’t want it or can’t get it. You’re no less of a writer in any form. I’ll add though that I really love my programme.

What are the ingredients of a good writing?

I think different things work for different people (it’s one of the things you learn in an MFA!). For me, I’m always on board with a good, coherent plot, clear, concise language, reasonable pacing, and characters that seem real to me.

What defines a good writer?

My answer to this question changes depending on the season. Lately, it’s anyone who’s able to get the writing done, to begin with.

Do you believe in art for art sake or art for social change?

It definitely can be a bit of both, no?

Do you think African writing is taking its slot at the global stage?

I do actually, and it’s such a joy to behold! So much hard work put in over the years by our forebears and how lucky are we to witness the fruits?

Do you agree with those who think Western publishers/editors are not equipped to properly edit African novels because of cultural differences?

No. At its core, literature, after all, is about the human condition and experience. And despite many arguments to the contrary, my feeling is that we are much more similar than we are different and any decent human being should be able to get that. Besides, cultural differences or not, I wouldn’t underestimate the abilities of a good editor who’s willing to listen and learn, be they Western or African.

There is this debate about African literature dying. What do you think?

I think, as always, the question to begin with is: What is African literature?

What books will you recommend for summer reading?

I’ve been reading – and loving – ‘The Underground Railroad’ by Colson Whitehead. Before that was Love after Love by Ingrid Persaud, which was such a heartbreaking delight. And you would very likely find me randomly talking to someone about Arinze Ifeakandu’s simply stunning collection ‘God’s Children Are Little Broken Things’.

Where do you foresee ‘Blessings’ taking you?

I honestly don’t like to jinx it by thinking too much about it. I enjoy the feeling of waking up in the morning to yet another surprise.

Finally, describe the way you felt when ‘Blessings’ got the international book deals?

To find a publisher for the book in the language it was written was one kind of high. To be able to introduce the book to readers around the world through a language I don’t even speak myself? Now that’s a Blessing.