The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Traditionalists crave public holiday at Ifa festival

    Traditionalists crave public holiday at Ifa festival

    The rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba was on display at this year’s Ifa Festival held in Sango Ota, Ogun State, report ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA AND IBRAHIM YUSUFF.

    For Ifa worshippers, it was an opportunity to show the stuff they are made of and also make a case for a public holiday. Dressed in colourful traditional attires, they performed all kinds of stunts and rituals to add colour to their 17th Ifa Festival held in Sango-Ota, Ogun State in the country.
    President of Ifa Olokun Foundation Dr Ifakayode Faluade and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi led the campaign for public holiday.
    They also appealed to all tiers of government to preserve the nation’s cultural deposits and suggested that traditional religion be accorded equal status with Christianity and Islam.
    Other eminent, including the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka; a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Dr Fafolarin Agboola, and German tourist, Michael Ehrenberg, among others supported them.
    Oba Adeyemi said Ifa culture does not only exist in Nigeria but also in other parts of the world. “Ifa has been globalised. There is no place you will go to in the world that you will not meet Ifa. Therefore, we could go back and retrace our steps to our cultural heritage as Africans, I believe everything will be fine for us,” he insisted.
    Faluade condemned the neglect of traditional religious practices and inadequate promotion of the nation’s culture by the governments, while linking most of the socio-cultural problems to the neglect of cultural values.
    “Governments need to play active role in promoting the elevation of our culture, especially traditional religion. They have neglected it in preference for Christianity and Islam and this does not amount to equality. I’m calling on them to also give public holidays to traditional worshippers to celebrate our culture like other religions”, Faluade.
    Faluade, however, debunked certain misconceptions about Ifa alongside some other deities in the Yoruba culture. He noted that the traditional religion, Islam and Christianity share some similarities.
    He said: “Ifa does not go against any religion. We the Ifa preachers are ready to relate and work with members of any religion or groups. There are many similarities between Ifa and Islam and Christianity. Both Muslim and Christians make sacrifices to God. The issue of ebo (sacrifice) is not peculiar to traditional worshippers alone. The ebo we make in the traditional religion also exists in Islam and Christianity. For instance, the killing of goats during Muslim festivals is also a way of sacrifice to God.”
    The paramount ruler, who was represented by his daughter Princess Folashade Adeyeye, also sought a rebranding of traditional culture to entice more people, particularly the educated.
    “We need to encourage our youths to embrace their cultural heritage. One of the reasons why many people are not attracted to traditional culture has been the manner it was presented in the past. But now, we need to represent and repackaged to make it more appealing to people. Organising lectures, seminars exhibitions, and cultural awareness such as this will go a long way in addressing the cultural gaps,” he advised.
    Oba Agbabiaka frowned that traditional religion is being abandoned by the authorities with preference for ‘imported’ religions.
    The monarch described Ifa as a ‘source of knowledge’ and a deity with which ‘mankind can ascertain his or her source of problems’ and how to find permanent solutions to them.
    Ehrenberg, a German tourist, noted that the infiltration of the Western culture caused the erosion of African culture. Ehrenberg, who said he was in Nigeria to acquaint himself with the culture of the southwest, urged governments to support campaign by individual and groups such as Ifa Olokun Foundation at promoting the culture of every tribe nationwide.
    In his word, Agboola urged the entire black race to imbibe the “Ifa” deity, saying it is the pathway to success and progress of the black continent.
    He blamed most parents for their inability to communicate with their children in local dialect, saying this has also led to decline and gradual extinction of the nation’s values.
    Agboola, who is the chairman of African Cultural Heritage Group, recommended that universities nationwide should run a programme in ‘African Cultural Studies’ in order to promote re-establish a sense of belonging among Africans and others.
    “Let me also correct the misconception about Ifa deity, it is not against any other religion or politics. Just as politicians consult Islamic and Christian clerics before elections, so does the Ifa priest. There is nothing evil about Ifa. It is the local type of science, used for knowledge and does the same job as the computer.
    “If our leaders have been honest and listen to predictions from Ifa, this country would have been greater. So I’m urging our youths to disregard insinuations and embrace our culture so that it does not perish.”
    Earlier in his welcome address, Dr Faluade praised Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for supporting traditional religion worshippers and granting them public holiday during their festive period.

  • Lai Mohammed unveils information app

    Lai Mohammed unveils information app

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has unveiled the Federal Government of Nigeria Information App (FGN IAPP) in Abuja. He said the government would not allow the media space to be dominated by those working to discredit it.
    “We realised that in order to get undiluted and factual information directly to the people, we will have to do things differently. This is because those who are opposed to this administration’s change agenda, including the corrupt elements in our society who have chosen to fight the government with their ill-gotten wealth, have taken it upon themselves to distort our messages and obfuscate our activities to give the impression that the government is not doing anything.”
    In addition to using the conventional and the social media, he said, the government has introduced town hall meeting where ministers interact directly with a cross-section of Nigerians in a no-holds-barred session. He noted that the app would ensure that authentic and real-time information is delivered directly to them, irrespective of their location.
    Mohammed said: “Our latest effort in the quest to provide authentic and timely information to Nigerians is the App we are launching today. Irrespective of where you are in the world, from today all you need to do is to download the FGN IAPP, and you will have access to factual and real time information on the activities of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
    The services contained in the app include the Tender Journal that is published twice a month to announce available government contracts, the ‘’BE INSPIRED’’ section which makes it possible for any Nigerian, irrespective of his status, age or academic background, to meet top political, business, religious and other leaders and the access to genuine government job vacancies. The minister added that the app also has a feedback section that allows anyone so interested to make his or her feelings known about any government policy or programmes.
    “It is our sincere hope that Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, and indeed all those who are interested in authentic news about the activities of FGN, will take advantage of the app. We will be fine-tuning it as we progress in order to make it more responsive and to better serve the people. The government will never succumb to the antics of Internet trolls, hack writers and pseudo analysts/experts who work daily to fool unsuspecting Nigerians,’’ he said.
    The App Developer, Mr Olawale Wale-Falope, said the App is a one-stop shop where Nigerians can get authentic information on all the three arms of government in real-time. He said there is too much falsehood about Nigeria and that it’s time for the country to speak out so that the world does not judge it based on a one-sided story.
    Other dignitaries at the unveiling are the Minister of Niger Delta, Pastor Usani Uguru; Minister of State for Environment, Malam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, and his counterpart in the Health Ministry, Osagie Ehanire.

  • When Good News translates to art on Owoyemi’s mind

    When Good News translates to art on Owoyemi’s mind

    The Artist is the opposite of the politically minded individual, the opposite of the reformer, the opposite of the idealist. The artist does not tinker with the universe, he creates it out of his own experience and understanding of life. In life when all else is lost, art holds fast, and that is the good news about art. Good news is the desire of every lover of good things. In these days of depressing headlines, uncertainty and odd occurrences all around us, good news is very welcome.
    What good news could there be at a period when the year 2016 is close to an end and everyone looks ahead with hope into the coming year 2017? The good news is that art is life, and this is the reason for the Good News exhibition. The exhibition brings to our visuality, with palpable imagery and in an innocuous manner, the catharsis of the artist – Owoyemi’s -own good news. The efforts in this exhibition in uncanny manner attempt to define the artist’s personality-artistic, religious and sociable.
    With dream of stardom, Owoyemi’s resilience and search for new grounds to launch his artistic leap is set in this Good News Exhibition. Taiwo Owoyemi is a committed artist and a believer in virtuous proclivity. The titles of his works on exhibit here, easily give him out. “Still Patriotic” is a mixed media, 2by4ft, featuring a damsel, sleek and stylised figure with two hands spread out. The figure with braided hair, held in seven places is symbolic. In African and Christian spiritual teaching, the head is significant in the destiny of an individual and seven is the number of perfection in Christian religious understanding. Besides, the eyeballs of the figure are patterned into the overtly depressed but laterally elongated face, enlivened by two dramatically formed eyes. The two bright eyes of the female figure, with dropping eyelids, stare at the audience. The blouse and pant of this feminine figure are adorned with signs and symbols ingeniously inlaid to create artistic points of tension and rest, for the eyes and emotion.  Many of Taiwo’s works in this exhibition are in this mould.
    In all the works featured in this exhibition, there is a pervading evocation of the elements of tension and calm in subtle manner. This is used in the patterns, signs and symbols as superficial character or clothing for the figures or forms that Taiwo has created. More so, Taiwo Owoyemi uses these elements as artistic strategy to find answers to the problem of light and shade in the three dimensional ambiance that he works. For example in another work titled, “My Choice”, Aluminum on Board medium, Owoyemi gets colourful with aluminum sheets sourced from discarded cans from industrial products. The audacity of usage of the elements of art as well as the unity and balance of structure and pigmentation is statesmentous of Taiwo development. He is no longer in the category of the juveniles, professionally. Taiwo has drawn the boundary in his practice, showing the difference between the charlatan and champion in Art.
    Taiwo’s works in this exhibition betray him! They reveal the aspect of him (Taiwo) that he probably would not speak about openly – his family, religious commitment and ideological learning.  A soft spoken, jovial, adorable, shy and determined personality who carries himself about quietly; Taiwo has been given out in the full glare of the public, by his artworks.
    The images in his artworks, of elegant women, idealised female forms, and jubilant female figures are Taiwo’s discrete homage to Bimpe, his wife who is also a committed and prolific painting artist. They are both blessed with children. In the same vein, the benign wordings of the titles of works on exhibit are another manner in which Taiwo unknowingly let out himself in this exhibition. The artist is an ebullient spiritual individual in the Christian group and the nomenclature that he brings to bear on his art works are insignia of his ideological and spiritual positioning. The interesting aspect of this exhibition is the manner the artworks excite the vision and emotion of the audience.

    •Prof Odiboh, Art Critic, works at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State.

  • Museum galleries are centres for research

    Museum galleries are centres for research

    A museum is a “permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public which acquires conserves, researches communicates and exhibits for the purposes of study, education, enjoyment, the  tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment”.
    This definition speaks volumes. Besides conservation, communication, exhibition and acquisition, the definition talks about researching, which of course, is the trademark of the topic of discussion.
    This brings us to the definition of Gallery. According to the Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary 6th edition a “gallery is a room or building for showing works of art, especially to the public; it can also be a small private shop/where you can see and buy works of art; a long narrow room, especially one used for a particular purpose and a level passage under the ground in a mine or cave. In all of the above definitions, one phenomenon is common and that is the presence of the public in each of the settings”.
    Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities, towns and even the country side. Galleries do not exist independent of the name of the museum. Coming down to the museum gallery in particular, one cannot approach research in the museum gallery without first of all briefly talking about the types of museum exhibitions that can be found in museum galleries. These galleries basically derive their names from the types of exhibitions they showcase. For instance:
    Archaeological museums
    These Museums specialise in the display of archaeological artifacts or artifacts found in archaeological sites for instance the Nok Museum in Nigeria houses Nok figures which are archaeological. Another is the Igboukwu Museum in Anambra State which displays Archaeological bronze objects.
    Maritime museum
    In maritime museum; found on display in their galleries are objects relating to ships and travels on seas and lakes, they may include a historic ship replica made accessible as a museum ship. An instance is the dufuna canoe of Yobe State which replica which in Abuja.
    Military/ war museums
    Military Museums: specialize in military histories. They are often organized from a national point of view; with displays organized around conflicts in which that country has taken part. They are typically wartime propaganda and exhibits on civilian life during wartime and decorations among others.
    A military museum may be dedicated to a particular service or area like the war museum Umuahia dedicated to the Nigeria Civil War which houses the machine guns,  dane guns, Ojukwu bunker and local missiles to  mention but a few.
    Natural history museum
    This type of museum typically exhibits works of the natural world. The focus lies on nature and culture. The exhibitions may educate the masses about dinosaurs, ancient history and anthropology. Evolution, environmental issues and bio-diversity i.e. (the existence of a large number of different kinds of animals and plants which make a balanced environment).
    Science museums
    This kind of museum revolves around scientific achievements and marvels and their history. They  can have  on display in their galleries exhibits on topics such as computer, aviation, railway, physics and astronomy etc. like some of the seven wonders of the old  world, which includes  aviation and bell system.
    Specialised museums
    Such Museums can be indifferent forms like music gallery which celebrates the life and works of composers or musician such as the rock and roll hall of fame in Cleveland, Ohio music museum/galleries which includes live music recitals such as the handle house museum in London. Another specialized museum is the bead museum, one of such is found in Glendale, Arizona and it fosters the appreciation and understanding of the global, historical, cultural and artistic significance of beads and related artifacts.  The permanent collection includes beads from around the globe including a 15,000 year old.
    Museum targeted at the youths
    Is also a specialized museum; such as the children’s museum or toy museums in many parts of the world. The galleries exhibits often include educational materials on a wide array of topics for example the museum of toys and automota in Spain (Automotai.e use of computer and machine instead of people to do job or task).
    The National baseball hall of fame in an institution of sports category; the corning museum of glass which gallery is divided into art, history and science of glass. The National Museum of crime and punishment whichgallery is dedicated to the exploration, punishment and solving of crime. The great American Doll house museum which depicts American social history in miniature in its gallery.
    All of above galleries play vital roles as research centers.
    Conclusion
    The museum’s gallery houses incredible and unimaginable wealth of knowledge cutting across all works of life, universally. The knowledge of the existence of a museum and what is contained in museum galleries will and can never be disadvantaged information to anyone who has it; adult or children. The limited knowledge  and publicity given to the museum as was said earlier, which has caused the museum gallery to be referred to as “Gidan Juju” “UloAgbara” or “Ulondimmuo” in some parts of the country as a result of ignorance does not make the gallery a less important place to visit. Like the Igbos will call the university “mahadum” meaning “know it all”, the museum gallery in it real sense is the “mahadum” of the world because it houses all the philosophy and knowledge of the world. Visit a museum gallery today and get wiser!
    They are as follows: information about the lifestyle of the people who existed in the area as at the time of the objects inception; the texture of the soil that has housed this object which has prevented it from decay; what the object has been used for or purpose for which it was made. For instance whether it was a domestic object or a ritual or a religious object, or even an object used for farming; the reason for migration of the people of such area i.e. In case of objects discovered in an uninhabited area, i.e. whether it was a war prone zone or an area suspected to be a disappeared river like the case of Igboukwu bronze objects; the material used in manufacturing the  object i.e. whether it is made of wood, stone, bronze, clay e.t.c; the last but not the least, its age which can be discovered by thermolinescent means.
    Having put all of these together, the museum researcher now certifies an object fit for exhibition. At this point, one calls to mind part of the ICOM definition of the museum which says that it is a permanent Institution in the service of the society and its development; open to the public. “Then one will ask “why is it open to the public” for the purpose of this paper the question can be narrowed down to research as it is carried out in the museum Gallery.
    Day after day, thousands of /people from all works of life throng the museum all over the world seeking information, amongst whom are Historians, Anthropologists, Archeologists, Lecturers, education officers like I and YOU, science e.t.c. What do they seek? “Knowledge”
    Discoveries, clues to remodeling etc. Why do they seek these in the fore-walls of a gallery exhibition? As the one time Director-General of the National Commission for Museum and Monuments would say, “Museum is the Cultural Central Bank” what does the Central Bank represent? It is the head of all other banks and co-ordinates their affairs and is like the coach, drawing the rest of the banks. Likewise, the museum represents man’s existence from his origin, lifestyle, culture, religion, profession, dressing, food, recreation e.t.c. all of these and more are found in the compressed fore walls of the museum gallery, making it a completeness in its totality. If the museum gallery houses everything about man and his existence, little wonder an archeologist would visit it to study the culture of the past and of periods of history by examining the remains of buildings and projects found in the ground.

    THE ANTHROPOLOGISTvisits the gallery to study the human race especially of its origins, development, customs and beliefs as in the movement from one age to another i.e. From the Stone Age to the era of ion and wood etc.
    The Historian visits the gallery to study all the events that happened in the past, from migration of people, to war, turning point in human existence etc.

    THE CULTURAL RESEARCHERvisits the gallery to know about both the tangible and intangible culture of man as regards the past; He looks at religion as it appears in the religious figures found in the gallery, profession obvious in the fishing and farming implements. Home furnishing glaring in the stools, mats, wooden beds e.t.c. All of these are contained in the fore walls of a gallery and this interests him to further research into the mode of manufacturing and the ingenuity of the technology of old.

    A POET visits the gallery and can see through his minds eyes the peaceful innocence and sincerity of our past which was devoid of so much mistrust in the openness of co-existence especially in Africa. For instance in the 1st and 2nd lines of J.P Clark “Africa, Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral savannah. Africa of whom my grandmother sings on the bank of the river”.

    THE DRIVER visits the gallery and can research on the former mode of transportation used by or fore fathers he discovers that before now people could move from place to place using animals and other means other than motor.

    THE TEACHERcomes to the gallery and finds out that our intangible heritage of dances, moonlight gamers fattening rooms as for the adolescent age and even the 3rd century B.C mood of teaching of king Ptolemy 1 existed before now.

    THE POP SINGER visits  the gallery and to his amusement discovers the musical instruments of ancient times and tries to find out more about it  as its affects his now.

    THE WRITERvisits the gallery and is surprised at the stock discovery he make at the volumes of what the public will be fearing to know more about. Goes deeper and find out that volume big enough to be carried by a hundred trailers can emanate from one gallery alone.

    THE ARCHITECTvisits the museum; surprised his discoverers that his latest drawing of the most modern of buildings is actually only a remodeling of what had existed centuries before. Interestingly he begins to peer into the technology of building in the past and how it has come to bear on our today. Take (MONTNA) Museum of Traditional Nigeria Architecture) Jos as an instance. These are to mention but a few. There is no profession in the world that does not have something to research on in the museum gallery. Regrettably in this part of the world especially in our Country Nigeria, little publicity and attention is given to the culture industry; the museum not being and exception leaving the wealthiest of knowledge lying in the galleries scattered all over the country in the land of the privileged few who by accident or design, commission or omission got the knowledge of the Museum and decided to use it.

    CONCLUSION
    The museum gallery houses incredible and unimaginable wealth of knowledge cutting across all works of life, universally. The knowledge of the existence of a museum and what is contained in museum galleries will and can never be disadvantaged information to anyone who has it; adult or children. The limited knowledge  and publicity given to the museum as was said earlier, which has caused the museum gallery to be referred to as “Gidan Juju” “UloAgbara” or “Ulondimmuo” in some parts of the country as a result of ignorance does not make the gallery a less important place to visit. Like the Igbos will call the university “mahadum” meaning “know it all”, the museum gallery in it real sense is the “mahadum” of the world because it houses all the philosophy and knowledge of the world. Visit a museum gallery today and get wiser!

  • A peep into tradition from modernity

    A peep into tradition from modernity

    This play showcases various problems plaguing our country. It highlights the problems, including the wholesome adaptation of foreign ways of life, that have affected our moral and cultural values.
    Though a play of four Acts and 15 Scenes, which is set in the Southeast, it captures the whole country as its focus at the end. The author also succeeds in injecting into the play the current political occurrences, and the injection is brazenly done that the reader needs no interpreter before he can match the characters in the play with our current political leaders.
    The play showcases the author as a very deeply rooted person in Igbo culture and traditions. It is weaved around a particular cultural festival – Aji Ndugwu, showing how its abandonment brings premature deaths to the imaginary ancient Kingdom of Mbaukwu in Ebonyi State. The author, however, ‘moves’ around a lot before he gets to his destination which in no small way enriches the play.
    The lessons loaded in Act 1, Scene 2 cannot be overemphasised. For instance, the emphasis being placed on soccer as reflected in the attitude of a very small ‘Ugonshi’, a boy of about six years who is not fascinated about being a doctor or a lawyer, but to be a footballer, is worthy of mention. The passion for soccer is also exhibited by the same boy on page 26, when he insists that the money that is supposed to be used to buy akumba, coconut, and anuegu, lump of dry meat, to perform the cleansing rite he must undergo as a result of his fall into cesspit, should be given to him to buy a type of ‘Man U ball’. No doubt, virtually all the sports, not even soccer alone so to say are money spinning ventures, but they should not take the place of education in the life of a child. The lives of Barr. Adokiye Amesimaka and Olusegun Odegbami, both nicknamed ‘Justice’ and ‘Mathematical’ by the late ace broadcaster and football commentator, Ernest Okonkwo, because of their combination of education (law and engineering) with football talent, should be a lesson to all aspiring sporting stars. Till date, the duo still maintain their relevance in the society, whereas, a lot of their colleagues have gone into oblivion.
    The emphasis on the need for the young ones to know the National Anthem by ‘Ojemba’ on page 13 is a good display of patriotism, though, the same character on page 14 reads a poem well loaded with meaning when viewed from the current agitation for Biafra by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Whatever the aim and purpose of the contradiction should be left to conjecture by the readers. The consciousness of the people on the need to separate physical problems from the spiritual ones, what man can do from that which should be left for God is reawakened by the author in page 16.
    Imagine the calamity that befalls Alegu and his family because of his using Christianity to cover up his evil deed of the past. Total abandonment of herbs in the name of Christianity is dangerous to our well-being, health-wise. Nworie Ede is said to be reputed in using certain herbs preparation (agashi) to cure a particular ailment which he is said to have abandoned, because, “he says his church is against it”, (pg19). To underscore the importance of the particular herbs and the danger inherent in its abandonment, ‘Ichie Ugo’ on the same page 19 lamentably says, “my son, we are finished. Church has killed us completely. When ‘Oketa Mkpuma’, my friend contracted manuenwu, terrible species of ring-worm, it was Nworie Ede’s herbs that cured the ailment. That was after Dr. Douglas had tried all he could with no improvement. Now, tell me, if we have such a case again, where do we go? One by one, everything is going”. It is an open secret that the Nigeria Police don’t walk their talk when they say, “police is your friend”, because, hardly will an average policeman do anything for anybody free of charge. This is reflected on page 21 where Ojemba says, “as if God is a policeman that eats bribe before doing his work…” The loss of man’s dignity through corporate begging (page 21 and 22) as well as the beauty of being well versed in one’s native language (pg 23) are parts of issues to ponder on in the present society. To say that the economic recession is creating a lot of havoc, including home breakage is stating the obvious. Due to bad economic situation, a lot of people are being forced to relocate from cities to the villages. In the case of Nwawhor, who has been living in Lagos together with his nuclear family, he has to dump his wife and only child (Mauslina and Ugonshii) in his village when the situation becomes unbearable in the city while he stays away in another city. But, for the maturity of Mauslina’s father, the marriage almost breaks due to the untold suffering the mother and son (Mauslina and Ugonshii) are subjected to-pg.33. The overzealousness of our so-called born-again Christians cannot be glossed over. On page 43, Bro. Christians claims that “I am a Christian, can’t bow to anyone except God” when asked why he “refused to do obeisance like others” before the traditional head of the community-Eze. Ogenyi. Yet, this is like turning upside down the Bible which prescribes respect for the leaders in the society. All through the play, there is a high degree of discipline through demonstration of respect for time by the traditional ruler, Eze Ogenyi, who ensures prompt arrival at every meeting organised by the palace. There’s a great lesson for our leaders to learn in this act of punctuality, especially our states’ governors, who come to functions well behind schedule, offering various types of excuses, despite the fact that some of such events are organised by the states and within their domains.
    Being educated does not amount to neglect of culture and tradition, which is what Ojemba (a lawyer), Douglas (medical doctor) and Mr. James showcase by their keen interest and passion in the affairs of their kingdom. Beyond, the face value of their submission to culture and tradition of participating in ‘Aji Ndugwu’ cultural festival to cleanse the land of evil occurrences as dictated by ‘Akpuru’ oracle, the ancient god of the kingdom, it is a clarion call on our youths to be concerned about their immediate community. Left to the trio of Ojemba, Douglas and James, they can afford to abandon the village and the villagers to their fate by living in the cities, afterall, they are educated and can afford it. Virtually in all African societies, there are such festivals that are observed in one way or the other, mainly for the preservation of our moral values, but which have been eroded today by education, religion and civilisation and which the societies are paying dearly for in terms of moral decadence and degradation.
    Comic Relief : Though, the situation is very ‘tense’ in Mbaukwu Kingdom, when one considers the circumstances on which the play revolves, the author shows his literary ingenuity by his use of comic relief, not to just to amuse the readers, but to further drive home his message. At every point, the author brings in the characters to relieve the reader, it is always with clear messages on the need to do things right. When the two mad men, by the names ‘Londoner’ and ‘Americana’ come to the palace of Eze, there is a message that depicts America as a country where anything is possible. When one views the passion with which the so-called God’s own country embraces same sex marriage, the claim by ‘Mad man 2’ on page 47 that “I’m a Londoner, Americana’s wife. But, wait! Am I the wife or husband? I have to be careful; you can’t trust these Americans” is very instructive. Equally, the introduction of ‘Janta One Life’, (pg 61) who is said to be living a fake live brings another relief, yet, with a clear message on the need to discourage street hawking, a common phenomenon among the people of the Eastern part of the country wherever they may find themselves across the country.
    The bad influence people of such character wield on the society is reflected on page 85, when a promising school boy with available opportunity to pursue education to appreciable level decides to follow the footsteps of Janta One Life with an illusion of making quick and dubious money. Then comes the most notorious of the comedians, Sergeant Dagama, a sacked police officer, who has become an albatross on the kingdom because of his condition. Because of his faith, the genuineness of which is very much in doubt, he faults the recourse to gods through the culture and tradition of the Kingdom. He asks some logical questions to back up his argument against the gods and tradition, but, due to what I, in my own opinion see as the bias of the author against him, he pays dearly for his antagonism as bees emerge from nowhere and sting him out of the arena on pg 81. The same Dagama on pg 66 points out the danger of indecent dressing, commonly among which is rape and which cannot be faulted.
    Ordinarily, the work of this nature is left for reader to interpret which is why the use of metaphor makes such interesting. The author, however for whatever reason throws away his literary ingenuity at a point and import wholesale and direct, the current situation in the country into the play. It must be said that this importation in no small way diminishes the quality of the play. If a play is about what is already known, what’s the point of watching such a play? This is exactly what the author does, telling the reader an over beaten story without any colouration whatsoever. Among the issues the author addresses are the old age of PMB (pg78), the fight against corruption, the looting of the treasury by the immediate past administration(pg71), the war against insurgency in the North-East (pg73), the drastic reduction of the price of crude oil in international market (pg71), the diversification of the economy from oil to agriculture (pg72), loot recovery (pg71), corruption fight-back (pg75), non-purchase of arms and ammunition for the soldiers, leading to the insurgents having upper hand during the previous administrations (pg73) e.t.c.
    In fact there’s no ill being observed in the present government of the day at the centre that is not reflected.
    The author must be commended for his painstakingness which makes the work a near-perfect one as the identified errors are very minimal. Among the few errors noticed are the one on page 18 where the author mistakenly says ‘a prayers’ instead of ‘a prayer’ý. On page 20, the author omits the word ‘us’ when he says, “all of us cannot be pastors and reverend fathers and popes. But, all of (us) can and do serve Him with our skills and talents”. On pg 38, the word ‘please’ is written as ‘ple’and on pg 19, the word ‘of’ is omitted in the statement “a man his age’. On pg 27, ‘school fees’ is written as ‘school fee’. Prior to the narration of Ojemba’s arrival at the village, there has never been anywhere the author makes reference to where the character stays and this puts a question mark of which ‘city’ on the statement that “Ojemba has just returned from the city late last night” on pg 8. Of the trio of Ojemba, Douglas and James, who participate in Aji Ndugwu cultural festival, the author fails to reflect the profession of James as he does of Ojemba (lawyer) and Douglas (medical doctor).
    The play is rich in Igbo language and teaches a lot of lessons. It has a wide appeal across the various strata of the society, and morally beneficial to one thing or the other from the play.

  • Don presents second novel

    A teacher in the Department of English of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr Lola Akande, has released a new novel. The novel titled: What It Takes, exposes the intrigues and politics that characterise degree-awarding processes in Nigeria’s ivory towers.
    The novel shows what it calls the unfortunate entrenchment of cyclical wickedness in Nigerian universities, where anyone who acquires a PhD and becomes a university lecturer believes he must punish students because he has gone through a similar experience. The central character’s ivory tower experiences mimic the larger Nigerian experience, where excellence is killed and mediocrity is celebrated under the guise of tribalism, entitlement mentality, unbridled sexual demands, greed, avarice and sheer wickedness.
    Realising that intelligence, diligence, hard work and commitment are not necessarily What It Takes to earn a PhD in a Nigerian university, the novel’s heroine seeks the intervention of marabouts in a desperate attempt to achieve her goal. It, thereby, underscores the potential danger some varsity teachers unwittingly expose their lives to through acts of wickedness.
    Akande was born on October 3, 1965, in Kwara State. She holds a doctorate degree in English Literature from the University of Ibadan. She teaches African Literature in the Department of English, University of Lagos. Her first novel, In Our Place, was published by Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Limited (2012). Her short story, “Camouflage,” was published in the anthology, Dream Chasers (Nelson Publishers Limited, 2013). What It Takes is her second novel.

  • ‘Children out of wedlock is heart- breaking’

    Some couples in Abuja have described extra-marital affairs that lead to having children out of wedlock as terrible and heart-breaking.

    Some of those who spoke on the issue in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stressed the need for couples to be faithful to their partners.

    They said having “a love-child” was bad and keeping it a secret was more dangerous and could destroy the relationship.

    Mr John Obasi, a businessman at Wuse Market, said it would be a terrible thing for a married woman to have a lover much more having a love-child.

    “It is an abomination (a taboo) where I come from. In fact, if she keeps it a secret, she will not live to tell the story.
    “Our culture and tradition forbids a married woman being touched by another man, much more having a child for him,’’ he said.

    “If my wife cheats on me for any reason and has the courage to confess and ask for my forgiveness, I may forgive her; and if she has a child, I may also accept it.

    “But if she keeps it a secret and I find out, I will not forgive her and that will be the end of our marriage.

    “I recall an incident that happened in my village when I was growing up. A married woman cheated on the husband and had two children for her lover but had five children for her husband.

    “The husband was suspecting her and he was asking her to tell him the truth but she kept denying it until her children started dying and her husband became very ill.

    “So, the Kinsmen decided to consult the gods and the truth was revealed, so some sacrifices were made and the husband was saved but the woman ran mad and died.’’

    Mr Dare Deji, a medical doctor, said that it was not a big deal if his wife had a child outside of wedlock but if she kept the fact secret, he would never forgive her.

    Deji said any woman who kept such secret from her husband could kill him and that could end the marriage.

    He also said that “by virtue of the marriage any child that comes in during the marriage be it for me or from another man is mine.

    “I will forgive her and continue with the marriage, though, it will not be so easy but I will treat the child like my own.
    “The Yoruba speaking part of Kogi, (Okun) where I come from, will accept the child and move on with the marriage.

    “If a man does the same thing the woman will forgive and accept the child and move on with the marriage, so that is what I will do,’’ he said.

    Mrs Patricia Ogar, a housewife in Wuse, Abuja, said: “it will be a terrible thing for a married woman to cheat on her husband but for a man it can be understandable because men are polygamous by nature.

    “If she finds out that her husband has children from another woman, although she will be heartbroken, she will eventually overcome it.

    “I will forgive him and accept the children but there will no longer be trust in the marriage, a woman’s place is by her husband no matter what.

    “ Men have nothing to lose; when you walk away, they will always have your replacement waiting by the side to take your place.

    “Only few men understand the virtues of marriage and only few of them are decent and can carry on without sleeping around.

    “So, if you as a woman, are so unlucky to end up with such man, all you can do is to pray and ask for God’s grace to guide you, but leaving your home is not an option,’’ she said.

    Opara Adanna, a businesswoman at Wuse Market, said her husband’s lover had two children for him but she was still married to him.

    “When we got married I did not know that my husband had a lover and why he did not marry her before coming to me I don’t know.

    “After we got married, I discovered that he was cheating, I confronted him but that did not change anything. All I could do then was to be crying and praying.
    “So when she got pregnant, he secretly went and paid her dowry and married her properly without my knowledge. I got to find out from his relatives who had my interest at heart.

    “I couldn’t do anything and now they have two children, I had a choice to leave the marriage which was what the other woman wanted but I chose to stay.

    “I went on my knees in prayer and God answered me. Today I have peace in my home and I am very happy with my husband.

    “I was able to forgive him even before he asked and that gave me peace and God turned his mind and attention back to me.

    “It is not an experience that I can wish my worst enemy but when things happen, you have to be very wise in taking decisions,’’ Opara said. (NAN)

  • Othello, a general in the bowel of racism

    Othello, a general in the bowel of racism

    When the National Troupe of Nigeria embarked on the project to dramatise on stage prescribed literature books for secondary school students, the primary aim was to help in simplifying the texts.  This was what took place in Umuahia, Abia State penultimate week when the Troupe dramatised Othello written by William Shakespeare to bring nearer home the import of the book and more.   Edozie Udeze reports. 

    It is not just that Othello, one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays is a story of love, race, jealousy, hate and betrayal, it is also one book that exposes the inadequacies of an army general, a Moor, who incidentally found himself in the city of Venice.  What is more striking about the play which is in the West African Examination Council’s (WAEC) syllabus for 2016 to 2020 is that the National Troupe of Nigeria has chosen to dramatise the play for secondary school students throughout the nation.

    According to Mr. Akinsola Adejuwon, the Artistic Director of the Troupe the whole essence of this project is to ensure that the play is made easier for the children to understand.  It is also to help reinvigorate interest in literature.  As it is now, most students do not have the desired appetite to do or offer literature in WAEC anymore.  For these reasons and more the Troupe has begun to embark on the stage performances of those plays in the syllabus that otherwise pose serious challenge to the children.

    And since most of the Shakespearean works are done in Elizabethan English, by taking the works to the stage in the normal everyday English, it will certainly help to situate the story.  When the play was staged at the Bishop Nwedo Pastoral Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, penultimate week, it was to encourage the students to see how the plot, the theme, the characters and the moral messages in the play relate to their immediate environment.  It was to draw their attention to the innate values of stage plays, set in Venice in the 16th century but which is still relevant in the contemporary Nigerian setting.

    The intrigues begin

    In opening the play, the actors started with well-known moonlight stories and choruses.  This helped to bring the children into the reality of the moment.  As they sang, the audience, made up of secondary school students from in and around Umuahia, also joined in the songs, nodding their heads and expecting to have the fun of their lives.  The actors first danced round the stage, clapping their hands as they formed a ring.  There was a big table in the middle of the stage which made it look as if they were about to embark on a village meeting.

    At a point, it looked as if the actors did not have a clear vision or mission in mind.  They clapped on, dancing slowly and majestically to the beautiful euphoria that was to emerge.  In the meantime, the appetite of the crowd had been thoroughly assuaged.  The expectations were quite high as the choruses of Kpakpan-gonlo filled the air.

    Led by the Abia State director of culture, R. E. Okoji who played Brabantio, the senator and father of Desdemona, the stage opened with unbridled frenzy.  With such a big artiste on stage, it became clear that both the play and the idea behind the project called for serious attention and concentration.  Decked in a flowing white overall, Okoji bestrode the stage like a senator who had been bestowed with authority.  His carriage proved to the audience that those who featured in Othello were people of high calibre.  Together, all the characters exposed the inner workings of Venice and Cyprus in the 16th century Europe.  Othello, a Moor, was a great general in the Venetian army.  A black man probably from Egypt or Ethiopia, he had found himself in that environment early in life.  Through his own personal efforts and dexterity, he rose to be an army general, feared by all and only respected by few.

    The scene opened with the purported elopement of Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of Senator Brabantio with General Othello.  Wrongly accused by his foes and detractors, the play opened up lots of plots and intrigues on hate and racism.  But it all began with the new appointment made by Othello.  In it, he made Michael Cassio instead of Lago his lieutenant.  Even though Cassio was more experienced in the art of war and gallantry, Lago immediately took offence.  From that moment on, he began to plot the downfall of Othello.  This was not made known to the general whose primary pre-occupation was war, more wars and more conquests.

    Unseen however, Lago and Roderigo cried out to Brabantio that his precious daughter Desdemona, had been stolen by and married to General Othello, the black Moor.  In it, Roderigo paid Lago in the process to rope in Othello.  Roderigo was a wealthy Venetian businessman who had no love or respect for Othello.  He swore to see to his downfall, this black man who stole into Europe to become famous, powerful and enviable.

    Roderigo’s attention was more on Desdemona whom he professed to be in love with.  But Desdemona, all along preferred Othello even when her father was reluctant to allow the great general to marry her.  Now that he has married Desdemona hell was let loose, Roderigo threw all his wealth into the plot to unseat Othello.

    When Othello married his beloved Desdemona, he gave her a precious handkerchief given to him by his mother.  It was a token of his love for her and never to be taken away from her.  No doubt, the love between the two was intense, strong and unpolluted.  So, when Othello discovered that Desdemona had lost the handkerchief, he became enraged.  He even became more outrageous when she could not figure out how it got lost or who stole it.  It was a betrayal of love and trust.  Quickly, Othello suspected that Desdemona had found another lover to whom she gave his symbol of love for her.  In the process, he stabbed her to death, only to realise soon after that it was his foes who engineered the plot.  Desdemona was innocent.

    At this point, Emilia came in to announce that the handkerchief issue was plotted by Lago to get at Othello.  Emilia was Lago’s woman and this quickly complicated issues for Othello who still heard the shrilling cry and confessions of Desdemona that she was still in love with him.  Even the earlier order given by Othello to Lago to kill Cassio did not quite work out.

    Having found himself in this uncouth position, where everything he worked for, had collapsed on his head, Othello committed suicide.  It was the questions asked by the students that helped to elucidate some of the scenes in the play.  One of them was how Desdemona and Othello met and became lovers.  It was explained that the position of the Senator and that of Othello as a general made it possible for them to meet from time to time for the good of Venice.  It was those occasional moments that afforded the two lovers the opportunity to meet.  Also, Othello used to visit the noble senator to intimate him of his military exploits and this endeared them to one another.  Yet, the people of Venice did not want this black general, a Moor, to marry Desdemona, a white lady from a noble background.

    Othello came into Venice when he was a little boy.  He fought his way into the big league.  He saved the city from falling into the hands of their detractors, yet he was never accepted as a normal human being.  Therefore this is a story of a powerful city of trade and commerce where big people from all corners of the world converged to play their roles.

    It is a story of race, love, jealousy, a timeless story meant to expose the world to the follies of hate.  Adejuwon said it is to expose the children into the nuances of literature on time.  “It is a project we are taking round the country.  It is the turn of the South-East now,” he said.  The Abia project was done in collaboration with Agwu Nsi players, a private theatre troupe in the state.  The troupe is led by Dan Nwokoji-Aku who also directed the play and promised to do more stage plays for the sake of the children.

    In the end certificates were awarded to the schools and to the artistes who participated in the play.

  • Reverberating echoes

    Reverberating echoes

    Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi’s Echoes From The Lagoon reverberated last weekend in Ikorodu, Lagos State, as part of the Lagos at 50 celebrations. Edozie Udeze reports

    Echoes From The Lagoon, is Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi’s first play set in Lagos during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 – 1970.  Even though most of the events took place within the confines of Lagos lagoon, the idea of the play is to bring out the roles different people around the vicinity of the lagoon play to give Lagos its resonating name.  It is the story of Erinla, the rich man and his daughter Comfort and Tanko, her boy-friend.  Then comes another funny character, called Ten-Ten.

    The confusion displayed by each character, whether rich or poor explains the true nature of the sojourn of most people in Lagos State.  While some wallow in this object confusion, not knowing exactly what to do or where to start, others are busy making money.  The book situates the drama in a way to expose both the good, the bad and ugly about this city that has come to symbolise the heartbeat of Nigeria.

    This is why Lagos at 50 committee chose the play as part of its programmes for the symposium in Ikorodu.  When the play went on stage last weekend, it brought out all those issues that make Lagos the centre of excellence.  Before he died, Gbadamosi had noted that it would give him joy if the play is staged as part of the Lagos at 50 celebrations.  He had said, “There is hardly anybody whether in the arts or music and so on, that would have taken off without passing through the waters of Lagos.  So playing host irrespective of whether you originated from Lagos capital and entertainment city or not, or you lived all your life or not in Lagos, we have this hope of welcoming the exposure you have enjoyed by making sure that Lagos particularly has been a jumping up board for those who have excelled not only in our country, but in our continent …”

    This statement by Gbadamosi conforms with the sentiments expressed in his play.  The lagoon becomes a rallying point for many residents.  The voices of the dead re-echoe from the lagoon.   Those whose dead are left in the waters or who drowned in the lagoon try to see if their voices can help them become rich.  They try to hear their voices, lost in the labyrinth of time.  It goes with those refreshing echoes that frighten or sooth, depending on how you are receiving it..  This is the story of Comfort, Erinla’s daughter whose state of confusion from the beginning of the play till the end of it, helps to amplify the drama.

    Erinla confesses that he married his wife because of the love of money.  The wife is mad.  It is clear that she is not well.  Yet, Erinla goes for her.  Why?  “Yes”, Erinla replies Comfort, “her father promised to give me plenty of money if I agree to marry her”.  When this is done, madness begins to run in Erinla’s family.  Comfort inherits traits of this madness which goes to impede her love life.  She is not only in a dilemma as to what to do, she accuses her father of drowning her mother in the lagoon.

    “When you knew she was mad, why did you take her on a boat ride in the lagoon?”  Comfort asks him.  But Erinla has no clear answers to give.  All he cares for is the money from his father in-law.  As it is, the echoes from those who lost their lives in uncouth and suspicious circumstances continue to haunt the living.  This, indeed, is the highpoint of the drama.  This incontrovertible role of the lagoons in the state and what people do there in forms of sacrifices and so on, contribute in various ways to give Lagos its groove.

    When in the end, Tanko comes back to seek Comfort’s hand in marriage, her attitude is still as confusing as ever.  Even though her father leaves her plenty of money, she is still not sure what to do with her life.  The echoes still reverberate in her mind.  But before then, her father asked her to kill Tanko’s baby in her womb.  This she does and so when Tanko returns and does not see his baby, he becomes enraged.  He demands for compensation from Erinla who is known to be responsible for the loss.  He pays him handsomely well.  But Comfort berates him for his idiocy and stupidity.  This notwithstanding, Comfort abandons Tanko to his fate.  She refuses to be reunited with him.  She goes on to return to her faith; as she knells to pray to ask for forgiveness from God.  Tanko, who for long had stopped praying to God, becomes stunned.  Here, the play comes to an end.  But it shows how too many voices, interests and confusions becloud characters in the city.  It is easy to be rich, so also it is so easy to be and remain poor.  The echoes from different quarters indeed define the nature of life in the city.  And the place of the various lagoons in Lagos cannot be overlooked.  This is why Tosin Onayiga who produced the play along with his wife Sola Onayiga, harped on the need to see the relevance of this drama in today’s Lagos.

    In an interview, Onayiga said, “this play is done here in Ikorodu, the home town of Chief Gbadamosi to honour him and to show his contributions to all aspects of national development.  His love for the art is indescribable.  He is also a playwright, a music lover and more.”  When the play was staged in the Musical Village hall of Ikorodu, the audience was indeed taken into the deep foyers of emotions on the ingredients that make Lagos a melting port of immense proportion.

  • Writing for a better society

    Writing for a better society

    For now everything has to wait-except the books!  He has always had passion for books right from his early years. He read voraciously and in his 20s had acquired a sizeable library. It was only natural that one day he would write “having benefitted from the writing of others,” as he put it

     But it did not come that way for Emeka Iwuamadi, a graduate of Political Science whose other abiding desire was to become a lawyer. He tried for many years to secure admission to his preferred institution, University of Abuja, Faculty of Law without success.  Desirous to break the jinx, the Catholic of the Charismatic mould turned to the only source he knew-God.

    Seated at the dining table at his Kado residence, Abuja this Saturday afternoon, the soft spoken Iwuamadi recalls: “I made a covenant with God that if He would give me the admission and provide the means, I would read the bible cover to cover once a year for five years; be a teacher of the word of God and Practice the word of God.” He secured the admission and is today a successful legal practitioner. “I resolved to keep my part of the covenant.”

     And it is in fulfilling the second leg of his promise that writing emanated few years ago. “The books are bible based,” he says. “God is a God of relationship and He set the standard for relationship. The books will show you how God wants us to relate with one another. They focus on how God intends us to bring to the public His standard on sundry issues. The scope is to write 30 books,” he says. Already he has 16 of what he calls the Hope series in the kitty.  Five of these were presented to the public last month in Abuja. They are: Hope for Love as God Commanded; Hope for Youths as Leaders of Tomorrow; Hope for Relationship as God Intended; Hope for marriage as God Intended and Hope for Motherhood as God Intended.   The writer would also be releasing five others next year.

    Writing he says is providing him the opportunity to add to the body of knowledge available to man, “reduce ignorance and avoidable pain and suffering.” He believes that the measure of enlightenment is proportionate to the contribution we make to humanity. “I decided to write to the extent that it would please God to use me.”

    Acknowledging the poor reading culture in Nigeria especially among the youth, Iwuamadi is embarking on a leadership Promotion Campaign to create awareness and getting the online version of the books available on different platforms. “We are working with experts to achieve this,” he says, adding: “I am hopeful about the books.. They are product of patient and painstaking research.  I’m optimistic they would be huge success.”

    So what are his expectations on the books? He smiles. “That people will get to read them, apply the knowledge and contribute to a better society.”

    • Onoko writes from Abuja