The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Racism defines Breasts in Names of Flowers

    Racism defines Breasts in Names of Flowers

    Title: Breasts are Names of Flowers

    Author: Amrah Aliyu

    Reviewer: Umar Yogiza Jr.

    POETRY unearth the complexities colours of poet’s conscience whenever the rainbow is fading away. Amrah’s ‘Breasts Are Names of Flowers’ reads like tales that mirrors everyone’s own life. The poems did not interacts like a first collection of poetry, the poems; stanza after stanza unravels innocence, beauty, dark curiosity and the chronic thirst for so many imprisoned truths at the same time.

    There are tastes in the young Amrah’s poetry that demands all one’s senses. The ghastly arrangement of delectable emotions, lost, lust, pains and everyday watching and passing of the uncountable helpless deeds. Poems after poems Amrah cowed you to go back softly, again and again, her multifunctional identity in ‘I Was Raised By Rebels 39’ commands your reason to pause and understand, in this pondering poem Amrah leads you mildly to how she was raised by warriors rebels who taught her to look the sun in the eye. She paints the poem with common and familiar imagery: ashes, burn, thunder, diamond bearing our faces, tears like a melody of indigo, voices that make rain. She wonders if everyone has a brain and are reasoning

    Her mother; A rebel/taught me to pull/Pull the trigger/There’s a place within her breast/where flowers do not wither./She wore fire on her tongue/I swear the rhythm of Attah’s voice break down

    Undisciplined squads of so many abandoned restitutions of so many wounds, scars, lost, cravings and negligence takes the center stage of Breasts are Names of  Flowers, like a drunk driver. The recklessness of telling in some of the poems has many doors, faith and age long traditional devotion that serves as many forms of oppression and interrogation has no hidden place. The voice in each in each of poem became a grave of grass The beauty in them become sceneries that refuse to be on canvas, the narrator of these poems sets the tones like a giant untamed lion; knocked mad by elephant hunger, ‘I do not forget! “Their memories rooted deep in my veins, they have risen in me again”. Amrah, to some extent beautified her boiling, colourless rage, at times the poems are a damage bridge; war at both ends as seen in Listen I 49, ” How many more cuts can she take? Butane, propane —and a chunk of dirt”, in the Listen II 57:

    The poems began with the girl next door/The one who lives in my last poem/Her eyes are wordless stories /Can you hear her/Breaking into the sea?/Listen/She dares to rise again.

    Poems like ‘Invincible’ usher us into the frightening room Amrah bolted with succulent joy and pain, like a first time love making. The poems shows us the height of the hills of pain young Northern Nigerian girls climb and keep up climbing without restitution or hope.

    I was born Invincible/like a root deep down the ground /My fingers; droplets of moist/in a desert filled with/wandering bones /My skin is made of broken glasses/so i was born to hide. to be silent. to be dead/In the eye of the night

    In the last two stanza, in twelve lines, Amrah unearthed and listed pains according their cuts, suffering of so many generation of girls and girl-child; who were forced by culture, cowed by religion, and frightened by culture to become mothers, to become the murderer of their beautiful dreams and talents and to continue the business of birthing children.

    Let me hide here/in the room of his veins/I see him, my savior/the man who gifted me silence/like sand dune, he blows me away /Hides me in Tombs, Ashes/other times— for safekeeping /He is god/the one that holed my cord./So, I let him slice; I, my mother/and her mother bled/Bit by bit.

    Cleaning anthologies of dirty histories with sincere inquisition, perfection and iron-hunger for the truth is achieved only when the poet keeps away religion, custom, history and tradition. Amrah writes about love like a heartbroken one who love and had her heart broken into pieces of dark poetry. The poems in the Breasts are Names of Flowers are carved from our suffering and smiling: worst to worse steps by steps of our developments; degradation, abandonment, unfinished wars, revenge, yearns, trauma, grief, lost, hope, etc, Amrah approaches our wounds, pains and unhealed scars like a doctor and medicine rather than the sufferer. “Chop off that serpent, dangling between his legs, she called him pa, yet he dared covered her with gloom, perhaps when he is unsullied, the sun will rise again” she writes in She Was 10.

    ‘My Beau Is A Painter’ is reinforced with terse imageries and lines that cut open bandaged injuries of Northern Nigerian girls, she writes with bubbling blood like a slice throats of a healthy rams. Lines like “Can you hear the splatter clatter of his brushes on the canvas? When the dawn comes calling he likes to own me, as he coloured me:” she colour her verse with springing reality that burns, invokes and provokes; that remains awake in one’s heart’s eyes, Amrah unfastened untouchable deeds deem sacred by faiths and customs like a broom:

    When inspiration come calling/He likes to own me/As he has coloured me:/Soon, inspiration comes knocking again/He grabs his bruises and start to paint me. /Today, I want out:/Let it be written in history that/I’ve failed those before me./Let it be written, that/My beau is a painter/And, I refuse to be his canvas.

    These stories of violence against the dreams of the young Nigeria, especially Northern Nigerian girls/women are not new, they happen every day near you, in points of fact they are happening even right now, they are as old as man’s desires of a woman’s body. Amrah held and control memories lens: new and old as she likes, pausing, speeding and turning sentence to sentence, she disinter bones and quicken them like God

    Voices/I pass this time/Without a cheer/I won’t preach warmth/No love either/Cascades /Under my eye/This eye is cooler than ice/Earth compels my breath/I will/Forgive those dog/That cling to my vein/I will /Forgive them/For staining my white lace/Leaving me red in rage/I will /Forgive them /Before they marry the winds /Cascades/Under my eyes, cooler than ice/Earth compels my breath/But,/Not a flower, /On the hideous tombs/There shall be two-headed snakes/Not a flower.

    Breasts are Names of Flowers, Published by Amab Books & Publishing, Year: 2022, Page: 79, Review by Umar Yogiza Jr.

    Umar Yogiza Jr. Is a poet, builder and literary promoter. Meeting poets and collecting words gives him joy. He lives and writes between Lafia and Abuja where he waits the falling of the coin of his life tossed by God and Devil. He’s the Creative Director at Orpheus Literary Foundation Abuja and Imodoye Writers Residency Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • ‘Through my stories, I inform society’

    ‘Through my stories, I inform society’

    Ernest Nnamdi Onuoha is a novelist,poet and politician. He is also a public analyst and a graduate of Abia State University, Uturu. A member of the Association of Nigerian Authors,some of his books include Challenges of Existence, Biafra Victims, Beauty in the Rubble and others. Apart from being published in many journals, home and abroad, he is a manager with Dana Pharmaceuticals, overseeing the Southeast. He says in this interaction with EDOZIE UDEZE that the quest to find solutions to numerous human problems challenges him to write and lots more.

    WHAT triggers your muse?                                        

    The quest to find solutions to humanity many challenges and the curiosity to understand nature, the beauty of cascading waters, the flurry of the sun rays upon the earth, the freedom in creation to choose what cause to pursue.  My mind is also challenged by various limitations of human nature, the several births and deaths, of pleasure and pain. For these chains of phenomena, of contradictions and ironies, my mind flows through the pen pouring emotions and spirituality into the map of life.

    At what point in your life did you realise you would be a writer?

    At the intersection of life where my mind found a bridge to cross the river.

    What book triggered the muse in you and why?

    It was the reading of David Copper Field by Charles Dickens that arose my literary mind because of the setting and characters and challenges too, which were like my own challenges in life. No wonder, the title of my first novel is: Challenges of Existence and published in 1999.

    Of all the books you have read which character struck you most?

    I cannot stuck myself with one character, but each character had a foot print in my life, be it the Woman of Substance by Barbara  Taylor Bradford, I will take Manhattan by Judith Krantz and House of Symobles(the Eagle Woman) by Prof Akachi Ezigbo and others. Some gave me motivations, some determination and Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare interpreted love to me.

    In what genre of literature do you express yourself most?

    I have been able to find a medium of expression of the inner recesses of my mind through prose and poetry. Through prose we tell our stories, which are entertaining as well as didactic. Through story we inform our society, persuade and transfix our cultures in the mind of readers. Poetically, we scribble aesthetically in various form of styles, concentrated sentences which appear condensed, yet captures our imagery, deep thoughts, spirituality, culturalism and authorial idiosyncrasies.

    How has writing shaped your life, world view?

    Reading and writing have been an eye opener to me bringing the world at my door steps. By reading the works of other Writers, they took me to their world, to their emotions, perceptions and beauties of various lands and culture which in turn distilled and poured out from my mind through poetry and storytelling. It is indeed the remaking of a man.  

    Who is your favourite author, how, why?

    I do not have a favorite Author, but I have Authors who have impressed me with their works. Some became activists like Profs Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and many others.

    When you read a book what are the salient things you look out for most?

    When I am reading any book of literature, I am interested in character plotting and character development. Deviant characters do not impress me. How the story line builds up humanity is my concern. Descriptions of sceneries interest me also.

    How do you arrange your library at home and in the office?

    Books remain my most valued assets, therefore they occupy important place in my home. A room is devoted to my library with bookshelves.   I ensure that every book in my library must have been read by me. When new books are purchased, I first, keep them beside my bed for quick reading, when I am done, they are now placed at the shelves in my library for researches and further reading.

    Would you again and again like to be a writer?

    Writing is a calling, a gift from the Almighty Creator. I love what I have done and will continue to do, which is being a Writer. Through my books I contribute  to the development of the society.

  • A year of boom for culture

    A year of boom for culture

    From all indication, the culture sector will boom and blossom this year more than ever before. Edozie Udeze writes on some of the major programmes lined up by stakeholders and artists to keep the sector busy and exciting.

    ARTISTS and culture administrators are always roaring to go. The culture sector in Nigeria is one sector that has never lacked ideas or plausible programmes that excite the society. The year 2023 will not be an exception. There are signs in place already to indicate that, more than the previous years, the sector will boom and bloom. Exciting events are underway, indicating that, in all intents and purposes, artists are ready to keep creating works in the areas of visual arts, dance, writing, drumming, songs, entertainment and more.

    This is so because this is one sector that never slumbers nor sleeps. By April, for instance, ArtMiabo will be in town to host the Afrobeats Arts Festival. This will involve most of the artists that designed Fela’s album covers while the Afrobeat king reigned supreme with his Afrobeats renditions. Miabo Enyadike who runs the international festival is based in South Africa. Her love for African arts has enabled her to overcome the world in the use of discarded materials to produce amazing pieces of arts. In this vein, Miabo has been able to gather lots of artists from all over the globe to join in her infectious belief that art can be done from any type of waste materials. As it is now, she has many apostles of the waste to wealth, who will also be in Nigeria for the Afrobeats festival come April.

    Besides this, the doors of National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, will be opened to the public in April. According to its general manager, Professor Sunday Ododo who is also an artiste, President Muhammadu Buhari will declare the apex culture edifice open in April. “By then”, Ododo revealed in an earlier interview, “the place would have been ready and we will hand it over to the president to declare it open. You will recall that the president made the renovations possible by releasing enough funds for the overall renovations”.

    When this is done, the Theatre will be fully opened to the public. In addition, all the dilapidated departments and halls in the Theatre which have now been put back to use, will be ready for use again. Film shows will be back. The main bowl long discarded, will be fully used to host artists for total entertainment.

    It will be the old National Theatre once again where thespians, artists, culture lovers, actors and all, will be converging as often as it is necessary to unwind and celebrate the rudiments of theatre.

    It is a hopeful year by every stretch of imagination. It is a year that the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will be electing new officers. The Camillus Ukah-led administration is expiring this year. So the next convention in Abuja is to bid him goodbye as new aspirants have even begun to jostle to succeed him. An election year in ANA is usually full of exciting intrigues, characteristic of an association filled with the highest calibre of the intelligentsia. Moments of tension will come. Backbiting will ensue. Name calling must occur. But they all must happen in order to find reputable hands to run the affairs of this body of writers who have chosen to tell stories; to keep the society abreast of issues that trouble the people through plays, poems, novels and more. Indeed, the politics of ANA is quite engrossing, stimulating and full of trappings of the more you look the less you see.

    What of the drama section of the sector? Many playwrights are ready to turn Nigerian electioneering promises into stage dramas. Comedians are working behind the scene to come up with the appropriate slogans, stage antics and razzmatazz, to thrill the public. Their works will certainly be awesome, harping and hitting on the many tricks and coinages political leaders use to confuse and confound the populace. Script writers are eager to produce what will stun and shock the nation and bring lots of laughter into the hearts of people. Then, theatre will come alive again in diverse ways.

    The visual arts sector that has never been discouraged, not even in the time of global lockdown is ever wired to do more. As artists put finishing touches to their brushes, producing new works, exploring new techniques and experiments, the possibility of attracting local and international attention to Nigerian arts beckons. Just at the same time, private art galleries are ready to host, exhibit and showcase both new and older artists. As they do so, plenty of money will exchange hands as artists also smile to the banks.

    More dance-dramas will happen. Already Bolanle Austen-Peters, this lawyer turned artist, art promoter and playwright has started the year with some dance-dramas anchored around Nigerian stories. This genre of the theatre will blossom more thus exposing more of the social issues that bind the people together. The stories are usually inspiring to the soul, to art lovers and thespians.

    The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has promised that all the traditional programmes will equally happen. Then, new ones will be introduced where and when necessary to beef up the sector. As tourism booms, the Osun Osogbo festival will happen in a bigger way. As at now more countries have indicated interest to participate in this UNESCO recognized festival. The groove will come alive again.

    However, all the programmes by the parastatals will take place. Thus, the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), National Troupe of Nigeria, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the Theatre, NICO, National Gallery of Arts and other will perform to the fullest. In the meantime, European nations holding some of Nigeria’s artefacts are likely going to return them. The exercise is already ongoing and it is hoped that the retrieval and the reparation will continue. The Minister of information Alhaji Lai Mohammed is already working hard to ensure that the remaining relics are returned to Nigerian museums.

  • Purity, authority of Ade-Are crown

    Purity, authority of Ade-Are crown

    Long before the coming of colonial administration and civilisation, the Yoruba have had their political, religious and traditional system led by  their Oba (King).

    Ade (crown) takes the highest pedestal among items that are used for the coronation of a Yoruba Oba, among other items like Opa Ase (staff of authority) and many more. In fact, the conferment is incomplete without the Ade (crown). 

    After being installed as leader, a Yoruba Oba must not reveal his face to the public. Instead, he wears an Ade or Adenla.There are several crowns, including the one called Orikogbofo, which reflects the personal taste of the king, among  others. 

    For the Ooni of Ife, there are different crowns available to him, but the most important and sacred is the Aare crown, which a new Ooni must wear before being installed. The most respected, most significant and most exalted, is “Ade-Aare” (Are crown). 

    Ade-Aare is the crown worn by the Ooni of Ife, the direct descendant of and the holder of the royal stool of Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba and human race. Ade-Aare is a heavily beaded, heavily ornamented crown and by extension equally acclaimed to be very heavy in actual weight.

    The sacred Aare crown is the only physical symbol of authority that the Ooni inherited from his ancestors. It is believed to have been made from several items, such as cutlass, hoe and 149 other undisclosed objects.

    The Ifa oral tradition reveals that the Aare crown is very heavy and it is believed that the Ooni is spiritually empowered to wear it during the Olojo festival; the crown is too heavy for him to bear on any other day.

    The history, sacredness and authority of this beaded crown can be traced to the first King that ruled the whole world. He is called NIMROD – by the Hebrews, Lamurudu as known by the Yorubas or Aramphael – as called by Arabs (Ora Ife onile ina). He ruled the whole world ruthlessly with the exhibition of the power of the Sun and Fire and without recourse and respect for Olodumare, the Almighty God. 

    Consequent upon Nimrod’s confrontational attitude to the Almighty, God raised Oduduwa – the deity of prayers (ti oba ina ja, o da ina,o ba oorun ja ,o da orun); he fought fire and conquered fire, fought sun and conquered sun.

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    Oduduwa is called Dua by Arabs, Adura by Yoruba and Adua by most ancient tribes of the world. He neutralised, subdued, conquered and totally eliminated Aramphael who never wore the sacred Aare crown. But Oduduwa was the first to wear the crown that descended to the earth from Oke Ora hills in Ife.

    Oduduwa’s mandate is to establish structures and make the world a better place for mankind. Thus during his second coming through chain, unlike his first coming as a spirit being in charge of prayers in the presence of Olodumare – Olu odu to mo Ade Are.

    Oodua became the first beaded crown wearing King in the world – The Are crown. Oduduwa hereafter, established the royal ruling system of governance in the world whilst the beaded crown became an inheritance of Oonirisa in Ile to n fe – Ile-Ife.

    Before the coronation and installation of a new Ooni of Ife, the Ooni-designate is moved into seclusion at a shrine known as Ilofi in the ancient town of Ile-Ife,  where he will spend 21 days as part of preparation for his coronation. At the Ilofi shrine, the Ooni-designate will be initiated into different cults, taken through the rudiments of his duties as the Ooni of Ife after performing series of traditional rites at the shrine. After this seclusion period, he is then brought out to the open, coronated and installed with his staff of office and the Ade Are. Apart from this day of his installation, Ade-Aare is worn once in a year, only during the yearly celebration of Olojo Festival, when the Ooni comes out of Iledi, a secluded place, where he is expected to spend seven days, prior to the festival.

    Historically, it is known that there is a strong relationship between the sacred Aare crown and the Ogun deity, the god of iron, due to the crown’s iron component. The crown must be brought before the Ogun deity at the Okemogun shrine during the annual Olojo festival celebration in Ile Ife. 

    According to Ifa oral tradition, corroborated by a chief priest of the Aare crown, the crown is believed to attract people to itself when the Ooni wears it. During the Olojo festival, people often troop out to behold the crown and on sighting it, they offer prayers because the presence of the sacred crown symbolises peace, unity, blessing and prosperity. History dictates that the reigning Ooni must not look inside the crown because any attempt to do so would result in him joining his ancestors. 

    It is believed that when the Ooni puts on the mysterious crown, he is instantly transfigured into his true nature, Orisa (deity) whose visage has been said to become too dreadful to behold. 

    The crown serves as traditional legacy from one reigning king to another and this particular sacred Aare crown was the inheritance of the Ooni from his progenitor, Oduduwa. The sacred Aare crown is kept in a separate room in the palace under the watchful eyes of the high priest of the crown, while sacrifices are offered on a regular basis as tradition demands from time to time. 

    *Aderemi is Principal Museum Education Officer

    National Museum, Onikan-Lagos

  • Photographer’s view of Nigeria’s many splendours

    Photographer’s view of Nigeria’s many splendours

    In Kelechi Amadi-Obi’s Amazing Nigeria photography exhibition, he goes beyond capturing what is in front of himself to setting the mood and catching the magic that light and shadow communicate, Chinyere Okoroafor writes.

    Peering deep into Nigeria’s treasures, award-winning photographer, Amadi-Obi spent 12  months travelling across the country to capture 30 detailed views of tourism destinations of the Southeast, West and North zones.

    For Amadi-Obi, the journey was to tell a profound story about Nigeria’s rare, forgotten panoramic vistas and show what beauty looks like across Nigeria.

    The works, which were showcased in a public art display were recently hosted by Ecobank Pan-African Centre, (EPAC), at its head office complex in Lagos.

    It was curated by SMO Contemporary Art and supported by The Macallan and Ecobank.

    The photographs featured spectacular mountains, valleys, breathtaking waterfalls and awe-inspiring landscapes. The creative artist went into a risky adventure to develop a documentary of motion and still-life images of Nigerian landscapes, unleashing the lushly eco-friendly endowment that Nigeria is blessed with; such that is either ignored or have been sidetracked by the event of time, like the insecurity, ethnocentric divisive approaches towards its cultural diversity, which in a way, disrupts tourism spirit in the country.

    From the captivating scape of Ado Awaye Hills to the Agbokim Waterfalls and Aurara Waterfalls, Amadi-Obi in his Amazing Nigeria’ created one of the most important photographic collections within the country’s Archives and acquired by Birmingham Central Library in 1990.

    The exhibition was aimed at showcasing a “resilient and hopeful country.”

    Through these photographs Amadi-Obi revealed the face of a country rarely seen from spectacular vantage points including the canyon and falls of Ahwum, the mysterious Iyake suspended lake, the magnificent Mambila mountain range, and the rocky hills of Ado Awaye.

    Amadi-Obi’s solitary journey of discovery is the pinnacle of a rich career working as a visual artist, fine art and fashion photographer, publisher and master teacher. At a time when the incessant drone of bad news is increasing, Amazing Nigeria reminds us of the power of art to transcend the ordinary and urgent; it is Amadi-Obi’s commitment to ignite hope and change our perceptions. He urges us to be still and reflect on the reality of our beautiful land, draw inspiration, and renew our vision.

    “I believe perception often becomes our reality. It is how we look at the world around us. The digital world and books have become agencies from which perception collates. We form a conclusive opinion of a place without ever visiting it because of the impression fed,” explains Amadi-Obi.

    He disclosed that with the project, he decided to go on a journey to discover Nigeria for himself, experiencing the pitch-dark caves of Ogbunike to the cascading waters of Agbokim and Obudu Mountain where the beauty of nature has no end, adding that the images represent the beginning of a journey to discover the true beauty of Nigeria.

    Revealing some of his on-the-spot discoveries, Amadi-Obi said that a visit to the Osun Oshogbo shrine shows a well-preserved and managed grove and relatively cheap to go to. “The management of the grove is constantly restoring the sculptural pieces and artworks while in some places, there is less infrastructure to attract tourists. At Ogbunike cave, the government has built houses but no one is in there. It was locked. A guide that took us around came in with a bike from the town. Meanwhile, there are few structures on the ground with no one managing them.

    “Ogbunike cave is very pitch-dark just like any other cave. I was able to make my studies about cave photography before I embarked on that. Ogbunike is very dark and inhabited by bats. So, I have to go there with portable lights to enable light shooting. This is one goal I intended to achieve because everyone who has been to Ogbunike would confirm that it is completely dark. But with these pictures, I succeeded in revealing the beauty of the cave from the inside,” he said.

    He stated that one of the challenges in harnessing some of Nigeria’s endowed tourist sites is negligence by the government. According to him, some places have not been developed at all. Places like the Mambilla Plateau are like several local governments on the mountain. There are no roads, just a track lane. The only mobility to the mountain is by bike or distant trekking. He said it is an amazing place to be with sightseeing views on top of the mountain.

    “For the Awhum Monastery, it is made sacred for spiritual upliftment. It is managed by Nuns who guard it jealously to prevent fetish worshippers on the ground. There is a Virgin Mary image there to represent the essence of the place while encouraging people to visit, worship and feel free, instead of turning it into a sort of secular jamboree,” explains Amadi-Obi.

    Amadi-Obi said one of the major aims of the project is not just photography but about telling Nigerian stories. “Nigeria is a great country. We just need to see it, believe it and work towards its greatness through a believable story like this. This is one of those steps to reveal the different layers of not just our topography alone but how endowed we are,” he said.

    He said one of the major aims of the project is not just photography but telling Nigerian stories. “Nigeria is a great country. We just need to see it, believe it and work towards its greatness through a believable story like this. This is one of those steps to reveal the different layers of not just our topography alone but how endowed we are,” he said.

    He also explained that the concepts and beliefs of national integration towards one indivisible nation are just a mindset. According to him, most times, Nigerians are never divided when listening to music or watching sports. They tend to forget their differences in such moods which could also reflect in a project like this.

    “I do find it awesome how vast Nigeria is, but get more worried when the entire region is not secured. People are compelled not to travel as much as they could because of these challenges, but the whole issue here is about perception. For instance, people have always been curious about the Mambilla Plateau. Each time anyone travels, he learns something new out of curiosity.

     ”This, in a way, is an instrument for national integration because it tends to being  information about places, opening people’s minds about the people and culture. When that starts to happen, integration takes place. However, there are simple things that need to be put in to create that tourism attraction. Most of these sites do not need massive infrastructure to get them running. It could be just good roads for vehicular movement, or hotels for lodging because nature has already provided the entertainment.”

    For instance, I was in Riyom to see the famous Riyom rocks with triangular shapes. But when I got there, I met a small community of farmers around the rocks. I curiously enquired if they make money out of the site, but to my surprise, they said no, that they were just farmers occupying the place as home. However, if there is a basic infrastructural development that would attract visitors, the natives can reap the economic benefits of the nature around them. Even at that, souvenirs can be created out of the wonderful beauty of nature around them.

     The exhibition curator, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, founder, SMO Contemporary Arts said: “At a time when the incessant drone of bad news is increasing, ‘Amazing Nigeria’ reminds us of the power of art to transcend the ordinary and urgent; Amadi-Obi’s commitment to ignite hope and change our perceptions of our country, and of what truly represents Nigeria in all diverse complexities.”

    Amadi-Obi is multiple is award-winning photographer whose images have been showcased in leading global publications, including Vogue Italia, Emporio Armani, Forbes and Microsoft, among others.

    The  lawyer-turned fashion photographer and mentor to a generation of creative talent in Nigeria’s fashion, film, music, art and celebrity circles took this meditative journey into the heart of his homeland after a rich career spanning over 20 years.

  • ‘How experience can attract foreign tourists’

    ‘How experience can attract foreign tourists’

    Father of Nigerian Tourism and former president, Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Chief Mike Amachree has tasked private sector tourism industry practitioners to be proactive and aggressively market the country as a leading tourist destination in Africa.

      He said it was the only way the country’s tourism industry could attract foreign tourists and grow as a destination.

    Amachree recalled that him and  other tour operators attended tourism programmes and fairs in various parts of the world with flyers and brochures to market Nigeria. His words: “People like Jemi Alade of Jemi Alade Tours, Wanle Akinboboye of La Campagne Resort, myself and others used to go to different tourism events to market the country.

    “With the advent of the internet, marketing the country as a destination could be done physically and through the net. I urged the practitioners to use these avenues to aggressively market the country to foreigners. I also urge them to partner  locals to develop more tourist sites and products that will grow the industry.”

    He said there are many attractions  across the country that are yet to fully develop as tourist sites that local and inbound tourists can visit.

    The tourism guru, who was part of the development of many tourist sites in the country, urged council chairmen and wealth-to-do individuals to invest in the building and development of tourist sites in the country. He said: “In the past, as ATPN President, with my team, I moved around the country, visiting known and unknown tourist sites to publicise and draw attention to these sites.

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    “I remember visiting Bauchi, at the mausoleum of former prime minister, the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. I saw that it was a tourist site that should be developed and publicised for people to come and visit, I drew the attention of the state authorities. With the support of the state tourism board, I quickly corrected this by making the site more accessible to tourists. I also allotted shops to souvenirs and artefact sellers. Today, it is one of the foremost tourist sites to visit in Bauchi State.

    “There are so many places like all over the country that need to be discovered and packaged as tour sites.

    Amachree urged the practitioners, especially tour operators, not to wait on the government but should do things on their own when the desired help from the government is not forthcoming: “It is our industry and we must do everything to keep it alive.’’ 

    We don’t have to wait for the government until they develop the industry for us.”

    He used the opportunity to commend private sector industry practitioners for their resilience and ability to forge ahead post COVID-19. He said: “I want to use this also as an end of the year message to my colleagues in the industry. I know the year has been very challenging especially in the light of the huge loss suffered during the COVID 19 pandemic. I commend them for bouncing back despite not getting the desired help from the government. They should continue the good work and I am sure soon Nigeria will become the desired destination we want it to become.”

  • Meditation on Nigeria’s trajectory

    Meditation on Nigeria’s trajectory

    My story is a tale of a bard who has lived through an impasse. It is a tale of many failed attempts. It is a tale of survival in a country where nothing works. It is a tale about little inside jokes that only those who wear my shoes can fully appreciate. It is a tale about ‘elder days’ and my transition into contemporary madness and curated cacophony. I never knew the span of it is this humongous, until I lifted my head from the easel. I am telling my tale with ink, with hues with impasto, with marks, on paper, on linen, on cotton, on wood. I hope that you can relate.”

    These statements are pointers to understanding the form, style and philosophy behind the recent solo exhibition by Muyiwa Akinwolere entitled Introspection, which opened at the Thought Pyramid Arts Centre, Ikoyi Lagos on December 10 to 30.

    The exhibition, which first opened at Yusuf Grillo Gallery School of Arts Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos on November 8, last year, featured most recent paintings and drawings. Thematically, Muyiwa’s body of works though appears child-like, but it addresses relevant issues, stimulates creative conversations and provides possible answers to both simple and complex questions confronting the society.

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    Having gone this far in his professional practice since his years at Osogbo, where he encountered the works of great artists such as Susanne Wenger, Duro Ladipo and Twin Seven Seven, this travelling exhibition could serve as a crucial self-assessment.

    Upon graduating from the university, he experimented with ideas in his head via drawings. He fused elements from Ona with caricature figures from way back in his secondary school days and soap stones carvings that he saw during his Osogbo years.

    And gradually a distinct hybrid form began to emerge that was slightly figurative, but mostly abstracted. Ever since then, his art has transformed a great deal to the extent that he uses it to comment on social and political issues in the society in a satiric manner that borders between metaphor, hyperbole and sarcasm.

    Muyiwa’s works are inspired by the Onaism movement which is synonymous with the University of Ife where the pioneering proponents patterned their art after the works of Yoruba traditional carvers like Arowogun of Osi- Ekiti and his protege, the late Lamidi Fakeye.

    Over the years, this style of art has become the cannon through which students of the fine art department of the university were taught and expressed themselves. The proponents were Moyo Okediji, Adetola Wewe, Kunle Filani, Babatunde Nasiru and Bolaji Campbell. To Muyiwa, Onaism is the cradle of his art practice.

    Like his forms and content, the titles of his works are not only readily within the language register of viewers but also amusing and sarcastic at times. Little wonder titles such as All that is fair and foul, Dey your dey series, Upside down and Regbe regbe are common place in his exhibitions.

    In Èmi l’ó kàn for instance, Muyiwa depicts a tortoise leading an elephant to fulfill his self-centred ambition, as a commentary on the entitlement and egocentric attitude of  politicians.This and other works provide window of opportunity that will engender conversation in the political space.

    Curator of the exhibition, Mathew Oyedele recalled that as keen observer, Muyiwa draws from his observation to address and comment on social and political issues in the society in a satiric manner that borders between metaphor, hyperbole and sarcasm …

    “In this campaign season, the Nigerian landscape is filled with happenings and events that require introspection, questioning, commentaries and dialogue. This exhibition offers the space for such conversations,” he said.

    The exhibits include Army of the unemployed (ink on paper), -Mimo mimo mimo,  (ink on paper), Untitled, New strains series (ink on paper,  Mai Tamako (ink on paper), We are together, Upside down, The return, Oba koso, Tales by moonlight, -That ludo game, and Whispers in the dark (ink on paper). 

  • Osiyoye’s Tiny Mercies reflects vagaries of life

    Osiyoye’s Tiny Mercies reflects vagaries of life

    Title: Tiny Mercies

    Author: Rotimi Osiyoye

    Reviewer: Chukwuma Ajakah

    Publisher: Out of Sight Hub, 2022

    Pagination:  39

    In this engaging collection of contemporary poems, media and brand management expert, Rotimi Osiyoye extensively explores a wide-range of socio-psychological and economic issues that readily resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds.

    The anthology entitled: “Tiny Mercies” is structured into four divergent but thematically interrelated parts with riders streamlining the intended message. Part 1, The Root, features 11 poems, including the title poem.

    The Root opens with Heartbreak, a two-stanza didactic poem of 32 lines, which hinges on a no love lost filial relationship. Other poems in this segment chronicle some societal ills, revealing themes of neglect, moral depravity, gender-based violence, abuse of power, hypocrisy and terrorism.

    As exemplified in the satire, Equity, the poet explores multifarious thematic concerns, using literary devices and poems that the reader will find captivating. The subject matter of a decadent society is portrayed in Equity, unveiling themes of moral decadence, corruption and lawlessness as mirrored in the lines: “What do we do with the arrogance of a country?/Roads: serving accidents; hospitals: force-feeding/accident victims/death?/Our prisons, so bloated they leak rapists, murderers & felons/…judges collect bribes to forget those/ torched/…Where is your justice/for the officers who decorate our bodies with bullets, kill our children …?/Tell us, what to do with…/ politicians, thieves, terrorists…/whose joy is tearing up our country…”

    Part 2, In Flight, is a travelogue, depicting themes of escapism, rural-urban migration in quest of greener pastures, racism, separation, peer pressure, hope, resilience and disillusionment, which resonate stridently in the four poems – Deserving Blues, Lorry, Reunion in Manchester, Arrival On The Last Day Of August, E Go Be and Migration. As revealed in Migration, a two-line poem etched in a mixture of metaphor and personification, the poems are replete with images of adventurous survivalists, exposing the travails of migrants in cities, especially foreign lands. 

    Part 3 subtitled, God, focuses on religious faith, emphasising the indispensability of God, as the persona struggles to navigate through life. The select poems – Nothing New, Dear God, A Few Signs, and Have Faith, expose man’s frailties and attitude towards God, echoing the message of salvation as panacea to his myriad of troubles.

    Love is the overriding thematic preoccupation of the lyrical poems in Part 4. As instantiated in Not All Losses Are Bad, which mirrors the theme of separation, each poem in this section encompasses subthemes such as infatuation and regrets.

    Osiyoye, an alumnus of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State and University of Lagos, works within government frameworks, re-engineering brands for governmental agencies.

    He is also the author of ‘Digital Affection: New Frontiers for Relationships’.The political scientist brings a wealth of experience to bear in his writings.

    The simplicity of language and admirable style in the delivery of “Tiny Mercies” make the anthology a must read.

    •Ajakah, a journalist, writer and academic, is of the Lagos State University, Ojo.

  • Culture sector kept busy all year

    Culture sector kept busy all year

    The culture sector started off the year 2022 on a high note. With many outstanding programmes well packaged to spice the sector and ensure a steady growth and promotion of issues that enhance national cohesion; artists, art promoters, authors, stakeholders and all, almost overdid one another to keep the sector ever aglow. Edozie Udeze writes.

    Unlike previous years, the year 2022 was a very busy one for the culture sector in Nigeria. As soon as the year took off in January, many important and robust programmes were lined up by artists, stakeholders, writers and culture administrators to spice up the sectors. In Ilorin, Kwara State, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) quickly put together its annual states chairmen and secretaries executive meeting to discuss how the authors’ body would function for the year.

    Indeed, that very important meeting, held at Imodoye Writers Residency own by Dr. Usman Akanbi, opened writers’ eyes to the realities on what private individuals can do to create conducive residencies for local authors. Those three days helped to spice Ilorin and called for more budding writers to wake up to the call for people to see authorship as a clarion call aimed at rebuilding the nation and setting new agenda for national peace and unity.

    In April, Miabo Enyadike, an international art promoter, collector and impresario organized an international art festival in Lagos. Held at the cozy Ebonylife art house, known for its devotion to the promotion of cultural issues in Nigeria, Miabo used the opportunity to assemble artists from all over the world. It was a rare moment to cherish and appreciate. It witnessed how artists from different parts of the world dream almost the same dreams, using discarded objects to effect classical art pieces. Miabo specializes in using wastes to produce some of the most amazing visual pieces the world has ever seen.

    And it was truly a glorious outing as art works done from waste objects adorned the whole landscape. Even then musicians from across Africa were on hand to thrill and entertain guests.  Based in South Africa, Miabo who is from Rivers State, confessed that art is indeed universal and there is no object that is totally useless or cannot be made into useful art.

    Then came Signature art gallery, Lagos, where a couple of exhibitions featured some of the most outstanding sculptors, painters and photographers the sector has ever known. The gallery is noted to discover and feature artists with peculiar features. This way, the sector is kept on its toes. Artists often double up to present their best collections which also depict the standards which Signature has attained over the years.

    One of the artists was Ejoh Wallace whose love for female figures is legendary. He said, “my love for female figures and images has put me far ahead of my colleagues. It is a love that comes to me naturally. Often I try to assemble some models whom I paint in the process”.

    When in May, the Association of Nigerian Authors met at the Mamman Vatsa’s writers’ village in Abuja to commission their secretariat named after Professor Femi Osofisan, it was time to view the wonderful edifice that is now the corporate headquarters of the association. It was not just for the sake of the splendour of the village, but for the mere fact that ANA was able to gather most of its topmost and formidable members to grace the momentous occasion. Osofisan and others did not only glow and jolly in the euphoria of the occasion, there was a general razzmatazz and appraisal of the enviable heights ANA has reached since 1981 when it was formed courtesy of Professor Chinua Achebe and his colleagues.

    “At that time “, Osofisan recalled, with a broad smile on his face, “Achebe was already known everywhere. Those of us who joined him to form ANA then were still wannabes. But overall, it was a moment to cherish, a year we can never forget. It took place at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and we were eager and excited to have a body collectively for a good of Nigerian authors”.

    When art lover, promoter and collector, Modupe Ogunlesi turned 70 years, all roads led to the Adam and Eve stores, Ikeja, Lagos, not just to celebrate her, it was a quintessential moment to see the celebration of art at its best. Ogunlesi organized a life drawing of herself done by five art masters in Nigeria.

    Life drawing and painting of a celebrity is not common anywhere in world. And for masters of the art to agree to come together to do one for a celebrity, it shows how deeply committed the person is towards arts and artists. Ogunlesi does not only own one of the most expensive and exquisite stores in Nigeria, she equally runs a well-stocked art gallery. The gallery is fully devoted to the displaying and collection of works of the masters in all genres of the visual art business.

    So, the issue of the 70 years celebration brought to the fore how the collection of art can be turned into bigger business concerns. One of the participating artists, Olu Ajayi said “it is not always you see this calibre of painters coming together for one individual. Once you see us like this, that means that the person is not only important he or she has also contributed extensively by making the business of art glorious. And then, the person must have been very exceptional in her contributions to her career thereby enriching many people in the society. This is exactly what Mrs Ogunlesi has been able to achieve hence our recourse to coming together to do her life painting and drawing”.

    The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) also took place in Lagos. Organized by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), its director general, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, ensured the festival came out as the best in the past years. The glamour shook the world. The assemblages of the best costumes, artists, dancers, actors, drummers and other cultural heritages showed that the sector is indeed a goldmine from where Nigeria can tap more resources and raise more revenues.

    Then the height of it all came in November. For three days, Nigeria hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) global conference. Hosted at the National Theatre, Lagos, it was attended by over 166 countries. For the first time in years, the National Theatre came fully alive, indeed fully gregarious to host the world. Nigerians were indeed happy. The world was impressed, wondering how come the National Theatre, now undergoing renovations, had all its infrastructure functioning to the brim.

    Again, the Centre for Black and African Arts and the Civilization (CBAAC) celebrated 45 years of FESTAC 77. A big occasion that saw individuals and nations reminiscing on the glorious moments of 1977, the programme which took place in Abuja was classically presented by the Centre spearheaded by Bunmi Amao, the director. Also, ANA did not fail to have its annual convention in Abuja during which writers from all over the world converged. The National Troupe of Nigeria equally recruited new artists for its national and international engagements. The film Elesin Oba, produced from Wole Soyinka’s Death and King’s Horseman, also made its debut. The film is making waves in the cinemas across Nigeria and beyond.

    The Nigerian international book fair equally happened in Lagos during which participants came from all over the world. It witnessed large turn out that surprised industry players being the first after the covid19 worldwide lockdown. Authors and book publishers and sellers mingled well and discussed issues that pertain to the industry. ANA also organized a well-structured group that drew attention to the growth of the industry.

    Then also came the Festival of Unity put together by Professor Sonny Ododo the General Manager of the National Theatre. The festival themed celebration entered its third edition this year. It was an opportunity to bring artists and Nigerians together to harness and celebrate the numerous cultural and traditional elements of dance, theatre, songs and music that bind the people as one. This year edition which lasted for two days was fantastic. Even though the attendance was relatively poor due lack of publicity the idea and concept was never lost on the people, more so, the organizers. Ododo, a theatre art scholar, sure knows the nuances of his calling and always thinks up ideas that conform and somewhat confound cynics and critics.

    The yearly Lagos Art X was celebrated in a big way. Art X is one of the most accelerated ways to bring visual and contemporary artists from all over the world to Nigeria to exhibit, showcase and enrich the sector. Held in Lagos, people came fully loaded to prove their artistic mettle to the world. At the end of the week-ong event, participants relished their memorable days in Nigeria. What a beautiful way to promote artists and what they do to keep the visual sector great and prosperous.

  • UNILAG graduate Okoye wins Miss Africa Calabar 2022

    UNILAG graduate Okoye wins Miss Africa Calabar 2022

    Miss Precious Onyinye Okoye, a 27-year-old graduate of Botany from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), has won the sixth edition of Miss Africa Calabar 2022.

    The event took place at the International Conference Center in Calabar, the Cross River State capital on Tuesday night.

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    Miss Okoye represented Nigeria in the event which had a total of 17 contestants representing different countries in Africa.

    She becomes the first Nigerian to win the crown which goes with a cash prize and a brand-new SUV.