The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • ‘In Liberia, Johnson-Sirleaf believes in press freedom’

    ‘In Liberia, Johnson-Sirleaf believes in press freedom’

    Ex-diplomat and first runner-up in Liberia’s 2011 presidential election  Mr Winston Tubman is running for next year’s election for the third time.  He was in Nigeria last week. He spoke with WALE AJETUNMOBI on how he would engage the youth to surmount his country’s challenges, if elected president.

    I am visiting Nigeria because the country is our number one power in the West African region. Every problem you find anywhere in West Africa, you find it in Nigeria. Sometimes, it looks like that problem is bigger in Nigeria and this is because the country is bigger than other countries in the region. But the size of the problem also generates huge efforts from the Nigerian government. Nigeria is of interest to all of us, who are interested in serving the people in the West African region. In the past one year, Nigeria has had President Muhammadu Buhari, and he has made efforts to confront corruption and this has resonated all around the world.

     

    Reason for running for Liberia’s  presidency the third time

    I ran for the president of Liberia almost six years ago and I intend to run again in the election, which will hold next year. I will still like to run again. When you have achieved the thing that made you to run in the beginning, you will not be satisfied until you’ve done it. So, if you haven’t done it, you would still have to do it. When I ran for president five years ago, I ran with George Weah. He was the Vice Presidential candidate on the ticket. We did our best. But, unfortunately we didn’t get the job. I believe that if we run again, we will get the job. But, Weah has been urged by many people in our party (Congress for Democratic Change) that he should be the head of the ticket. And he has said he would be interested in doing that. However, the decision as to who will be the presidential candidate of our party does not get to be made until next year. So, nobody can tell what would happen by then. But, I am interested in being presidential candidate. If it is possible for Weah and to run on the ticket again, we would be successful.

     

    My dream of change for Liberia

     

    By the time the incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf steps down next year, she would have spent 12 years in office. So, it is time for change, new idea and new people to get involve. On what we would do differently, you must know that in all parts of Liberia, problems are the same. We want development, schools, hospitals… we need so many things. In fact, everything that is needed in Nigeria is also needed in Liberia. I would be different in my approach. I want to be able to bring new and younger people, who have not been in government, on board. These younger people have not become corrupt. We are all hearing their agitations on how better to move Liberia forward. But, it doesn’t happen. Each time we have a new government, we soon find out that the same problems are there. I think part of the reasons we keep having problems because  we never get enough young people in government. It has been sort of recycling; the same people.  And these people have their habit, which makes ‘Change’ difficult. I think if we are able to gather new people, who have not become contaminated by the system, we will change our story for good.

     

    At 70, stepping down

    for the young to run

     

    Many people would have asked the same question to know why I shouldn’t allow young people to do the job. But there are many young people, who want to be leaders. It is going to be unlikely that one would say ‘I will stand back and let another person go forward’. I am fortunate to have had George Weah, who is younger and very popular. He decided and agreed that he would stand as number two and I would be the head of the ticket. So, that gave me exposure and experience, which a very few politicians have had. We both made the sacrifice. And I think if we go forward and bring that ticket to form the government, it would be good for the country. If you say let the young person be the president, and about 30 young people are jostling for the position, which one of them would say ‘Let one of the others go forward?’ It is unlikely. But, if you have someone, who is older, more experienced and who has been involved in events both in the country and outside, he would have a better chance of getting the younger people to say ‘the only way we can get power is to form a team and consolidate’. Through this, we would offer the people of Liberia an effective leadership choice. Look, in the United States, the man (Bernie Sanders) who challenged Hilary Clinton is only one year younger than me. There, nobody talks about his age. In fact, he attracted more young people than Mrs Clinton, who is younger. Serious countries are looking for people not just to come and solve their problems, but bring them together to jointly tackle the problems. That is what Bernie Sanders is doing and I believe Liberia could benefit from it. That is the kind of leadership I want to provide. I want to bring young people, who want to see their country doing better. I believe at my age and with my experience, I can inspire.

     

    On President Johnson-Sirleaf’s performance

     

    The biggest thing that strikes you is that, coming out of the war, everything had broken down-discipline, schools, physical infrastructure, as well as the social fabrics. She came in at that point. Because she was the first woman to be  elected president in Liberia and in Africa, she caught the attention of the international community for help to restructure Liberia. She went on to become very famous internationally. We are proud of that achievement; that she’s able to do that for our country after the terrible thing (civil war).

    Another good thing that happened under her rule is that she believes in press freedom. When she was  in the opposition during the previous regime, she was constantly threatened and jailed. She suffered. Now, she knew what it was to be intolerant. That is why she promotes freedom of expression and press. She has not shut down newspapers; she has not jailed journalists. When journalists were jailed, they  came back immediately, not because of her action. But, she has always tried to maintain tolerant atmosphere. And this is good for Liberia. But, we need to move forward now. We need to get on to serious agenda like fight against corruption.

    One of things that got me excited about Nigeria is that fight against corruption is very strong here. President Buhari has said many strong views on how to tackle corruption and everybody is waiting to see this battle sustainable. When Johnson-Sirleaf came, she said corruption was Liberia’s number one enemy. Coming nearly to the end of her term, you could see that corruption hasn’t gone down. Lately, there was an international report of bribery on some of our top officials. She took a strong stand and the concerned officials are being investigated. People have applauded the strength she showed in doing that. So, we are waiting to see what would happen. Something similar has happened in Nigeria. You see the  list of how much money that has been recovered. People know it is just a tip of an iceberg; it is much more. President Buhari’s effort is sincere. Our president has also shown that she is ready to tackle corruption. It is a welcome development.

     

    On Liberia’s infrastructure

     

    To tackle Liberia’s infrastructural problem, I would seek external assistance like Johnson-Sirleaf has done, with emphasis on rebuilding roads and physical infrastructure. The fact that we’ve had 12 years of peace and stability means that there is something to build on; rather than starting from the institutions, where everything had broken down when Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf came.

    The main difference we seek to make is to involve people in the restructuring. We will encourage young people to go to the soil and grow crops, so that Liberia can be self-sufficient in food production. It is something that needs to happen. The government has tried in doing that over many years, but we need to put more effort in achieving results. So, the longer the period of peace lapse, the more the normalcy returns; then, we will be able to address development of our country. There is no new formula that I know that would make a needed transformation than to give fresh opportunity to people, who have not been contaminated by the system. They should be given a chance to bring something new and better to the fore.

     

    On strife between American-Liberians and Liberian natives

     

    This has been a big issue in our country. We have the American-Liberians, who came back from United States to Liberia and we have native Liberians. For many years, American-Liberians have dominated the political landscape of the country. In President William Tubman’s era, he did a lot to bring down those divisions. He had a programme called National Integration Policy, bringing tribes, people and settlers’ descendants together and it was successful. In my own case, my father comes from American-Liberians; my mother  comes from the native Liberians. So, I have both strands in my make-up. I have a real connection with the country. I would like to see everyone coming together to strengthen our relationship. In President Tubman’s time, he made progress on that. After he died, the progress was not maintained, then the war came. They shattered much of equality they had. We have to go back and bring unity and integration. We must put aside these kinds of divisions and distinctions, because they are not good for the country. This would be my main priority if elected the president of Liberia.

     

    On politicians and  controversies

    I think a politician, who is not seen as being controversial, is not doing what he should do. It means such a politician is complacent. The first thing to note is that, I am involved in politics to make things better. I don’t think I am controversial on the bad side. At least, I am not one of those that brought the civil war. However, there were some politicians, who felt things were so bad that needed to bring about war. It didn’t matter to them how many people were killed, but their aim was destruction and they did that. The crop of leaders we nurtured for so many years were shot and killed in the war. To me, those people that brought the war were not controversial, but radical. I am certainly not that way. I would like to see us solve our problem urgently and peacefully. Liberian people have seen that doing it in violent way has not resulted in success; so, we need to find a way to do it peacefully. And this is the leadership that I want to provide. I want to use my image as someone that believes in reconciliation. I have been called a great reconciler, because I’ve been bringing people together. So, it is not true to say I am being controversial. I am not.

     

    On boycotting of the

    last presidential election

     

    We were cheated in the first round. I felt that if we were cheated in the first round, the second round would not be fair. This is because there was a policy being put forward by the incumbent. And that policy required that they should win. If they cheated us in the first round, then they would do the same in the second round. When we called for the second round to be boycotted, there was hardly anyone at the poll. And this was a clear demonstration that our contention was not wrong; that there was something hanky-panky about the results that they declared in the first round.

    However, we accepted the outcome because we didn’t want to plunge the country back into confusion and fighting. So, we accepted the victory that the Johnson-Sirleaf administration had claimed. We had a peaceful inauguration and United Nations (UN) has been there; they are leaving at the end of this month. Things have been brought to a stage where we can consolidate the peace and build on it. We believe that we can do that. If we (himself and Weah) have the same ticket, we will be able to do it, because we will win power. But, if we don’t have the same ticket, I would find a way, myself, to be involved in strengthening the stability of the country and uniting our people.

     

    My thoughts on Liberian

    electoral system

     

    Well, this is the best that we have. We need to be more vigilant. The way our electoral system is structured, too much power is given to the incumbent. They appoint the people. If I dispute and want to seek redress, it goes to the court…the Supreme Court. Judges in the court now in Liberia are people appointed by the present administration. Of course, President Johnson-Sirleaf will not be a candidate in the coming election, but she would have a favoured candidate. It is not unlikely that they will have their reason for supporting people that come from their party.

    So, this is an area where we need to make change. The last general election in Nigeria was very good. In fact, the former chairman of Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, was in Liberia to help us in our elections. We can always improve on what we have; we will make it more democratic and the people involved in the conduct of the election would be seen to be neutral. That’s what we hope for. But, in our case, we would have overwhelming results and it would be difficult for anyone to cheat. If we are to consolidate opposition group, these 24 young people, who are vying for president should hold talks and field a candidate. Then let everyone be behind him. Doing that, our amalgamation would be so strong; then, we will win the big majority.

     

    Position on

    Africa’s development

     

    Many people are wont to say colonialism is the problem. They would say the white man exploited us. But, the colonialists have long gone; Africans have been in charge of their countries. In Liberia, we would not say that because we were never colonised. We have been independent in running our own affairs for 168 years. But, the development is not to be based on the number of years. It is to be based on how much nation building efforts you have succeeded in bringing that involved everybody in it. And that is what we have not been able to do in most of our countries. We have had problems of corruption. Nigeria, for instance, has huge wealth coming from oil; but, corruption has been so staggering that the lot of the money that should have stayed here to develop the country is stashed elsewhere. We have to stop corruption. But, it is not going to be easy. There was a time African leaders were executing people for corruption; punitive measures were being taken. But, this didn’t solve the problem. We have to solve the problem by bringing our people together; let each person see that what is good for him is also good for other people. And there has to be tolerance and fair play. That is what we need in Africa; it has not happened, but it has to happen. We have a lot of work to do and we must know that we have to do it ourselves.

     

    On harnessing

    Africa’s resources

     

    I think we have more resources than we have people. We don’t have overpopulation. If we are to manage our countries better, poverty, illiteracy and backwardness would be reduced. Our countries are well-endowed. After Nigeria discovered oil, everything went to focusing on oil. But, before that, Nigeria had produced lots of agricultural products, such as groundnut, cocoa, cassava and things like that. We need to do more of that, so that we won’t just depend on oil. Now that the price of oil has gone down, it brings a great hardship for the people and for the government. So, we should diversify and I think this is the way forward.

  • Strategies of museum marketing

    Strategies of museum marketing

    Museum that is rich in both human and material resources without patronage is not an ideal museum. The existence of any museum is to collect, preserve and exhibit the cultural heritage of the people for the purpose of education and enjoyment. If the public lack awareness about the museum, how will patronage take place? This paper treats the strategies through which awareness is made about the museum.

     

    Museum marketing

     

    Museum marketing is different from other marketing. It is not about selling stuff to people that they do not really need, or even about creating demand. It’s about communicating the unique and valuable offers that you have to those who are ready to listen. Essentially, it is about letting your existing and potential audience know what great things you are doing.

    Marketing connect a consumer who is ready to buy a product that is suited to his or her needs. It is really about communication.

     

    Marketing objectives

     

    The main objectives of museum marketing are to increase visitor number, increase public awareness of services and events, increase revenue through temporary exhibitions, sales in craftshops, publication, events and museum kitchen and attract new audiences.

     

    Marketing mix

     

    This is also known as the four Ps, which are the four key elements used to implement marketing strategy: Product, Place, Price and Promotion.

     

    Product

     

    Other marketers different from museum have product, museum just like one of them have its product like wise. Museum products include:

    Museum Exhibition: Objects acquired, conserved and documented, needs to be display systematically to arouse the viewers interest.

    Museum Membership: Museum has association/club e.g. American Museum of Natural History, British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Nigeria, we have Museum Society, Children Saturday Art Club.

    Public programmes: These are museum programmes which include seminars, workshops, lectures to schools, Immigration Officers, Police Officers, Military Officers etc.

    Museum Collections: These are objects on display or in the store that are useful for researchers.

    Shops: This varies from craft shops where visitors can buy art works as souvenir, museum kitchen where traditional dishes and drinks (Palm wine) are sold.

    Infrastructural Facilities: Purposely built museum where all categories of visitors will be put into consideration. An ideal space for galleries, stores and open space, children play ground, rest rooms for visitors and lots.

     

    Place

     

    Location of museum is very important as it must be accessible to visitors, good road, and should be at the centre of the town.

     

    Price

     

    Entrance fee should be moderate and price of their commodities too should be moderate.

     

    Promotion

     

    This aspect of the marketing mix represents the possible tools used to communicate with and attract the target audiences.

     

    Museum consumers

     

    Museum consumers are the beneficiaries of museum products. They are museum audience which could be categorized into four; Children, Youth, Adult and Physically Challenged.

     

    The needs of

    museum consumers

     

    Museum consumers have needs that must be met. The needs are to see an interesting exhibit, i.e. the object on display, to have their children learn about something (children programmes), to carry out research (documented objects), to have a conducive environment for recreation (leisure) to be warmly welcomed (hospitality) to be well secured (security of life and properties). Meeting theses needs should be paramount to the museum.

     

    How can we market museum?

     

    Satisfying the Need of the Society

     

    The main strategy of marketing museum is giving individual member of the public what they want rather than what is good to the museum. For museum to be well patronized, it must ensure that the exhibition on display meet the needs of the society or the targeted audience. An implication of increased market awareness is the adaptation of the product to satisfy the requirements of the user. (Middleton 1985:20-25)

    In planning an ideal exhibition, the first stage of the planning is the feasibility studies which should take place at the very beginning of the exhibition to evaluate possible benefits of implementing an idea or system. It often involves knowledge of both the environment where exhibition is to be mounted, the need of the people and the expected out come to be derived from the exhibition.

    Feasibility methods include; stakeholder interview, visitor survey, staff interview, data and reporting. Having known the need of the targeted audience other process of exhibition can continue. If an exhibition is well packaged, patronage is guaranteed.

     

    • Jolayemi is Chief Museum Education Officer, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Ilorin, Kwara State

     

  • Itsekiri leaders donate artefacts to NCMM

    The Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT) has formally handed over some historical artefacts and books relating to Nanna Olomu to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja for the conservation and promotion of the country’s heritage.

    The leaders showered praises  on Nanna Olomu, who was the last Governor of the Benin River (Itsekiri Country), described him as a true symbol of African resistance against British imperialism.

    The artefacts, procured from a London Museum and donated by ILoT Chairman, Mr Johnson Ayomike, related to the Famous Nanna Olomu, as the great merchant of the Niger Delta, the last Governor of the Benin River (Itsekiri Country). According to the group, Nanna vehemently resisted British Imperialism and the military expedition which was carried out by the British on Ebrohimi, his hometown in 1894, which is in the present day Delta State.

    Nanna Olomu they say, later surrendered in Lagos, was tried and found guilty in their Kangaroo Court of Enquiry in Calabar and sent on exile to Accra, Ghana in 1890s. He was allowed to return to Nigeria in 1906, ten years later, Nanna died peacefully in Koko on the 3rd of July 1916.

    To commemorate the 100 years of the death of Nanna Olomu, Ayomike in collaboration with ILoT prepared some historical artefacts; Two large framed photographs of; (a) Nanna Palatial Residence; out-house and Stores in Ebrohimi before the expedition of 1894, and (b) four British Warships booming canon-fire on Ebrohimi (air Filled with heavy smoke) about a week before the fall of Ebrohimi.

    Copies of books relating to Nanna Olomu, and other historical books on Warri and ethnography in the Niger Delta Region were also presented.

    Presenting the items to the Director General of NCMM on behalf of Ayomike, in Abuja, the Secretary of ILoT, Bar. Edward Ekpoko described Nanna Olomu as a true symbol of African resistance to British Imperialism imposed on the African continent.

    He reminded the NCMM Boss, the role of Ayomike in the establishment of the Nanna Living History Museum in Koko similar to the Mandela House in South Africa, adding that “he (Ayomike) also donated other nanna artiffacts to the University of Benin in 1988. This is also in further pursuit of Mr Ayomike’s position that knowledge of history brings a feeling that we are part of a fellowship that runs through the ages from long before our birth to long after our death.”

     

    Quoting Awake Magazine “To live without history is to live without a form of memory. Without history you, your family, your tribe or even your nation would seem to be without roots, without a past.”

     

    Responding, NCMM Boss, Mallam Yusuf Usman said the presentation would help the government to ensure proper conservation and promotion of the country’s heritage. He emphasised the need for the private sector partnership in the preservation of the museum, calling for ethical rebirth among Nigerians to appreciate the country’s past.

     

    Usman noted that the artefacts presented would be placed in National Museum to further expose the heroic deeds of Nanna Olomu to the younger generation to promote African culture with aim of improving the country’s economy.

     

    “We hope to receive the similar support from other Nigerians to be able to adequately promote our culture with the aim of improving our economy,” said the DG.

     

  • A compelling alternative history

    Title: My Name is Okoro
    Author: Sam Omatseye
    Reviewer: Ademola Adesola
    No of Pages: 302
    Year of publication: 2016

    Literature, unarguably, is a human-centred enterprise. Accordingly, if literature derives its nourishment from happenings in the human world, then it is an easy conjecture that war, being a reality of the human space, contributes largely to the sustenance of literary productions. Put differently, war may be awfully toxic to any human commune,but it is tonic to the imaginative minds of that commune who witness and survive it or who decades after discover it in tomes. War is atincture that powers the creative minds of fabulists. Wherever war happens, literature prospers.In reaching the same conclusion, ChinyereNwahunanyaavers that ‘the five hundred and twelve novels produced by the American civil war indicate how fertile wars can be as material for creative literature’.

    Like in many other countries of the world, what goes by the classification, Nigerian Literature, received a major boost from the poorly resolved drama of secession that is described in various ways but most notably as the Nigerian Civil War. As this writer argues elsewhere, ‘No one single event since the political independence of Nigeria has richly impacted the creative enterprise of the most populous Black nation like its thirty-month Civil War (1967-70).’

    From that decimating force – particularly the human tragedy it throws up, its socioeconomic, political, and ethnic questions – has emerged a huge body of works that has influenced and shaped the literature of the country. So proteinous is the material from the war that the prognostication of Nwahunanya, to wit that ‘the Nigerian Civil War has become so dominant as a theme in post-war Nigerian writing and may remain so for a long time[to come]’, has become a glaring reality. Indeed, as ChidiAmuta too argues, many decades after the war, ‘Nigerian literary scene still reverberates with the thematic echoes and formal patterns that the war experience made imperative’.

    Clearly, the emergence in 2016, 46 years after the end of the Nigerian Civil War, of Sam Omatseye’s compellingly readable novel, My Name Is Okoro, affirms the correctness of all of the foregoing averments. With the rare precision of a canny medieval archer, Omatseye’s muse connects fittingly with the core of the Nigerian Civil War loom and from it emerges a well-woven, riveting, provocative, and entertaining tale. With clear artistic vision, the writer transforms the material of the history of the war and creates in the process a believable fictional universe. It is in this connection that the novel merits the description as a compelling alternative history, for as Henry James contends in his famous essay, ‘The Artof Fiction’, like a picture projects reality, ‘so the novel is history’.

    My Name Is Okoro is a marvellously readable novel about the plight of the minority groups of the old Eastern and Midwestern Nigeria caught between the Charybdis of war and the Scylla of domination by a bigger ethnic group. Written in lapidary style, the novel dramatizes the story of Samson Okoro, an Urhobo who hails from the Midwest of the 1960s. Before he finds himself at the centre of the senselessness that is the massacre in Northern Nigeria after his return from the United States of America, where he is already a citizen, the name ‘Okoro’ could well embody the void that Juliet, Shakespeare’s heroine in the play Romeo and Juliet, harps on. But as the pogrom gives way to full-blown war, the name becomes a burden – at one turn he narrowly escapes death and at the other bend he is harried. ‘What is in a name?’ receives a condign answer. To his Northern assailants, ‘Okoro’ makes him Igbo. And the Igbo may call him that, but ‘he would not part’ with the fact that his ‘Okoro’ is not Igbo but Urhobo.

    Through the character of Okoro, a PhD holder in Economics whose American name is John Fox, and a few others, the author explores the Byzantine complexities ofidentitarianpolitics, the sustained injustice against minority groups, the phoniness of nationhood, and the human misery and the follies and paradox inspired by war. Just as cheap deaths and harrowing suffering decimate the people, there are others who find solace in the abode of Cupid.

    Incapable of boredom on account of its sparkling expressions, picturesque descriptions, and muscular plot, the 30-chapter novel teems with irony, humour, epigram, paradox, literary/biblical allusion, symbolism, paradox, and anecdote. Its deftly deployed omniscient narrative technique enables the author to make full use of the material of the war from which he refracts and reflects the travails of the Midwesterners, nay minority groups, and the indiscriminately disruptive effects of (the) war. Its characterisation is engaging and its characters plausible. Killers, like the killed, have humanity, and their Jekyll and Hyde are vividly portrayed.

    A movingly fictionalised account of Nigeria’s fratricidal war, My Name Is Okorois anacademy of history through which the history-lacking mind of many a young Nigerian can be equipped. It is also a treasure trove of history from which a lot of historical facts about Nigeria can be garnered. So abundant are the gemsin the trove that the novel risks being mistaken for a history tome. Happily, the novel is redeemed by the fact that the historical particulars are plotted in a tellingly entertaining way that conventional history books are not. It is as enormously a historical fiction as it is compellingly an alternative history. By its sturdy recreation of the Nigerian Civil War history, the novel stands out as a good addition to the corpus of Nigerian WarLiterature and historical fiction.

    James, to quote his essay again, is right when he observes that ‘[a] novel is in its broadest definition a personal, a direct impression of life’. What Omatseye has produced through his fictive Okoro and other characters is a conflation of his experience – direct and vicarious – of the war as he knows it and of course his creative imagination.

    It is no unctuous conclusion that whatever a reader considers the chink in the gilded armour of My Name Is Okorocannot dwarf its allures. It would be interesting, for example, for the reader to find out whether the novel revises, reinforces, or deconstructs rigid ethnic stereotypes and identities. The novel is highly recommended. Buy it, read it, gift it, and above all, critique it, for as James observes, ‘[a]rt lives upon discussion […] upon the exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints’.

  • Lagos kids who cross creeks daily to go to school

    Lagos kids who cross creeks daily to go to school

    In what is a most bizarre irony, some parents who live in the Apapa and Ajegunle areas of Lagos, at the risk of boat mishaps, send their wards to private and government secondary schools in Igbologun, a riverine community off the Coconut area of Lagos. Dorcas Egede and Mary Fabeyo, who visited the community recently, found out why.

    IT was a bright Monday morning, and the boat park (doesn’t pass for a jetty) leading to Igbologun, a community on the other side of the Apapa Creek was as busy as ever. Obviously on their way to work, people were embarking and disembarking boats. Some were headed for the Island while the other group obviously were headed for the Apapa industrial hub. Amidst those disembarking were students in different school uniforms, all clad in life-jackets and certain other clothing that only had the semblance of life-jackets, but in reality would not be of any help should there be a boat accident.

    Somehow, that was in order. What however surprised this reporter as she took in the whole scenario, was the sight of students who kept arriving the harbour in trickles and boarding boats heading into the island.

    What we go through to get education

    While stories abound of students who have to be cajoled by their parents to get an education, The Nation found out on this excursion that there are indeed a few students who on a daily basis, literally pass through the biblical eye of the needle to get the same education. Kehinde Hodonu, an SS2 student of Igbologun Senior Secondary School is one of such students. Kehinde dreams of becoming a Computer Engineer, and says he has to walk almost 5 miles daily to get to the boat habour, where he boards a boat to the riverine community where his school is located.

    “I have to trek from Liverpool to Coconut every morning before I can get here to take a boat to school. As a result, I get to school sometimes by 9am or even 10. It is very stressful traveling by boat to and from school every day, but I have to do it because I want to get educated. My twin brother who stays with another relative in another area of town has already finished his secondary education. I don’t want to be left out,” he said with so much fervour.

    Kehinde who comes from a neighbouring riverine community, Tomaro, explained why he has to undergo so much stress, just to attend a public secondary school. “I come all the way from Tomaro because at the time I wanted to get into secondary school, all we had in Tomaro was a secondary school which had structures, but no teachers.”

    What is a school with structures, if there are no teachers to man it and impart knowledge in the classrooms? This was probably why young Kehinde had to be enrolled in Igbologun Secondary School, the stress notwithstanding.

    Although the secondary school in Tomaro, according to Kehinde, now has teachers, the standard there is still nothing, compared to what obtains in Igbologun. Besides, he’s just a year away from his final year and does not see the need for changing schools anymore. He also revealed that he’s not the only one in that predicament; about twenty other students commute from Tomaro to Igbologun daily.

    Godwin Sunday is another student who goes through the same ordeal as Hodonu every school day. Sunday was posted to Igbologun Senior Secondary School on completion of his primary school education at  El-Shaddai Primary School, Tomaro. He however claims that he likes the school. In his opinion, the fact that he didn’t have any re-sit during his junior WAEC exams means his teachers are good at what they do and give them the best. As a result, he has decided not to seek transfer away from the school,  even though Tomaro where he lives, now has an alternative. Now in SS1, Sunday also hopes to be a computer engineer someday.

    All the way from Edo State, Hope Imafidon, a JSS2 student of Igbologun Junior Secondary School explained that she  was enrolled at the school by her aunty with whom she lives at Alakuko area of Lagos. “My aunty said the school is very good and that her children also passed out from there; so she decided that I attend the school too.” Hope said.

    The young girl admitted that she was afraid the first time she had to travel to school by boat, but as time went by, she became used to it. She claims though that the daily journey on water is always stressful, even as she agrees that that is her own sacrifice towards getting an education.

    The Nation soon hooked up with bubbly but shy Faruq Quadri, an SS1 student also of Igbologun Senior Secondary School. He was transferred to the school after his primary education also in Igbologun, but his parents, who used to live on the island, moved out when he was in JSS II. But he said he had to keep attending the school, so as not to disrupt his academic activities.

    Besides, Faruq seems to have a bonding with the school in Igbologun, and admits that going to a new school, will come with the hassle of losing life-long friends and making new ones, which didn’t quite appeal to him. To top it up, he said, “We have good teachers here who are giving us the best.”

    Another boy like Faruq, who moved out of the Igbologun Community but wouldn’t stop attending the school despite the stress and danger, is Ojeifo Austin, an SS1 student. Unlike the others however, he doesn’t have to cross the water daily, since his father works as a security officer in the barracks at Igbologun. Austin wants to be an auto-mobile Engineer.

    Young Blessing Michael who arrived the jetty looking as calm as still waters told The Nation that she is currently writing her National Examination Council (NECO) exams. Like Faruq and Hope, her family once lived on the island, but moved to Ajegunle area when she was in SS1. Her mother felt it was pointless changing schools. She hopes to become a medical doctor, she revealed.

    The Nation also visited a private secondary school in Igbologun, Rehoboth Secondary School, owned and run by a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The visit was necessitated by a revelation that a student from outside the community school there. However, the director of the school, Pastor Benjamin Salako, told our team that the only student who used to come from outside the community had to withdraw, owing to the distance and daily stress of commuting on water. He is however hopeful that the quality and fame of the school would soon begin to attract people to it from far and near.

    Our quality is the attraction, Igbologun principal

    According to Mrs. Akinola O.O, the principal of the Igbologun Senior Secondary Schools, students come to the school because other schools on the mainland are mostly densely populated. She opined that since most schools around Ajegunle, Apapa and other areas are filled up, the Igbologun Community School is their best option.

    She said, “The facility is not highly populated; I think that is one of the reasons parents bring their children here.” As a result, Akinola says her team is able to give the students the best because the teachers ‘don’t have too much on their plates, and as such can relate with each student more closely.’

    Continuing, her voice laced with concern, Akinola said, “The only challenge these students face is with transportation.You can see the structure of the boats, and they are not being maintained. Sometimes, the boat will just stop in the middle of the water; endangering the lives of the innocent students.”

    She therefore hopes and prays for the time when the government would build a bridge to link the community with the mainland. Then, she believes, the community would witness more development, and the students’ lives would no longer be endangered in their quest to get education.

    Vice Principal of Igbologun Junior Secondary School, who gave his name as Mr. Ogundare explained that students from the mainland flood the school since their parents are not financially buoyant. He said, “Here, students don’t pay a dime to get educated; boat fee is free, and so is the school fee. Free access to these things draws people to the school.”

    Ogundare continued, “Another thing is choice. Parents bring in their children due to how productive the school is. We record excellent percentages during exams, and this also draws parents’ attention to the school. Meanwhile, some of them were posted here right from their primary schools after their common entrance examinations.”

    Whether by lot or by choice, it was absolutely encouraging to discover that some students would stop at nothing, despite the distractions, to get an education and a chance to better their lots in life. One can only hope the government, which yearly posts students to the school, would make it a priority to provide a safer way of commuting to the island very soon.

  • ‘A good priest must beware of money, women and drink’

    ‘A good priest must beware of money, women and drink’

    Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos clocked 80 on 16 June. The former President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and ex- President of the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria reminisced with Adetutu Audu on his journey to priesthood, retirement and other issues.

    AT this period when  life span in the country is 46, what does being 80 mean to you?

    I am still myself, very youthful and ready to go all over again. I value life more than before. Hard work keeps me going. My grandfather would say ise lo n pa eniyan,ise ki pa eniyan. Work does not kill, but poverty kills. I now treasure life; things I have not been seeing before, I now see. Life means looking towards the ultimate end. When you leave this world, where are you going and how you are going to account for all your deeds?

    Are you fulfilled?

    When you talk about fulfilment, can there be anyone that is fulfilled in life? Look at the people looting money, are they fulfilled? People who claimed to be having many children and many wives; are they fulfilled? Fulfilment in life is not the ultimate. If you really want to be fulfilled, put God before you. This man that sent me here without asking me why might want me back one day; what account are you going to give? That is what I am doing now and I now understand life more.

    What was growing up like for you as a child?

    I grew up like every other child. I was both timid and stubborn because of the area I grew up in, Lafiaji. You have to be inbetween, not too timid and not too bold, if you want to live longer in life.

    How are you coping with retirement?

    My retirement is spent mostly on collection. And then people come in and I counsel them; we try to do what we can to assist the Archbishop too.

    Did you really set out to be a priest, considering the environment you grew up in?

    From the beginning, I am from a catholic background. We are staunch Catholics, both maternally and paternally, so there was no room for rascality. When you go back in, you have to put on your thinking cap. My father, every 7am says the rosary, we all went to church and this idea of God was imbibed in us. Most importantly, my mum would always say, if you don’t fear any other thing, you must fear God because He is looking at you. Then I spent some of my time in the mission and became an altar server; and gradually I started admiring the priest. In those days, mass was always in Latin and you had to memorize the Liturgy. They also taught us how to behave. When you are in the church, you focus on the pulpit.

    In 1951, I went to St. Gregory’s College up to 1953. By then I was bold enough to face my father, so I said to him, I am not going back to the school, I want to be a priest. He looked at me and asked if I was stupid. He didn’t like it; he had wanted me to be an Engineer. It was my mother who supported me and gradually my father got used to it.

    In 1963, we went to Rome to do theology and came back as Reverend Deacon. And because I had only one more step then, I asked my parish priest, ‘Father, can I be a priest?’ In those days, there were seven steps; four minor others and three major others. So I had finished the sixth and last one is the priesthood. So I asked my mentor,’can I be a priest’. He replied that any fool can be a priest, just as any fool can marry.

    I said I don’t understand and he said ‘what you should have asked me is can I be a good priest? Can I be a good husband? If that good is not there then you are not serious.’ So I asked what it takes to be a good priest. Three things, he said. He said to beware of money, women and drink. The same thing if you want to be a good husband. I said I had no money. He looked at me and smiled. Then he replied that as a priest, you will have plenty of money but none of it is yours. He said look at the people in the bank, they are surrounded with money; is it theirs? When they begin to pilfer, when the auditor comes, they will find out. Same thing fora priest. For women, three quarters of your life you will be seeing them. 90 percent will be coming to you for one issue or the other; if you are seeing 10 people in a day, seven of them will be women. I experienced it. If you let yourself too loose, you are finished. Then what about drink? He said, if you are stupid enough, your friends will give you drink and you’d get drunk.

    In your entire journey as a priest, how have you been able to stay off these three things? Have you ever been tempted?

    One thing you have to know is that no one is perfect. Those three things I mentioned were just to guide. If you want to be a good priest, you have to take them serious. How can you say you are a good priest and you’re pilfering? Your conscience will tell you you’re out of the game.

    How do you manage women?

    They come in. You have to practice what we call custody of the eyes. You control your eyes. It is not easy. When we studied psychology, all these things you were asking came in. If you want to be perfect like the scripture said, then go sell all you have, take all the proceeds and give to the poor, then follow Christ empty-handed. If you want to be a good son of your father, you won’t wait for your father to say I need money. Can you do everything to satisfy your father? The devil is not asleep; he is watching and waiting to catch us off-guard, you just try to do your best.

    Priests are seen as next to God; what are the qualities of a good priest?

    Priests are human and they are taken from among men. When you enter the seminary, they panel-beat you properly. The very first thing you notice is obedience. When you go in as an ordinary student, you hear the bell; you asked what it is for and you join them in what they are doing. Nobody forces you. And gradually you are training yourself. No one is holy except God. If you notice the writing of Paul, he called all Christians saints. Be holy as your God is holy. Even Mother Theresa will not tell you she is holy but you have to behave as gentlemen and ladies.

    During your days at the seminary, did you reach a point where you felt the panel beating was too much and wanted to quit?

    I did and to the extent that I packed my things. It was my maternal grandfather that saved the situation. He used to stay in the mission. I don’t know who told him but he came to meet with me and told me that he must not hear such again. You see God loves us, if He is giving you a vocation or calling and you are trying to run away, he has a way of bringing you back. And if you refuse, He has a way of punishing you.

    Has it ever crossed your mind that it is not a bad idea to be married?

    Since I left St. Gregory’s College,no. That is the emptiness of life. If you have N100m now, I give you three months to check and you begin to wonder what you did with it. I tell you there is nothing in life.

     One of the criteria for priesthood is celibacy. Have you been tempted all your active years?

    You have to control your passion, it is not easy. You are eating plenty of food; but there will be a time your body will react as if saying I can’t take it anymore. At that point, if you add to it you’re looking for trouble for the body. Same thing with sex. When I was young, I had a girlfriend – not the type you do now. In our days, you can’t even hold your girlfriend’s hands.  That is why God allows us to grow. Everyday, you learn new things. No one is infallible but you must discipline yourself. I see life in a different way. Are you satisfied with your spouse? After marriage, you will see many others who like you and whom you like, but the watchword is sacrifice, self-control. After all, what does this one have that your husband or wife cannot give you?  A man that has already told himself this is the kind of life I want to live should exercise self-control, and if he is cheating, ah ah! If you find your husband/wife cheating on you, God forbid, even if it is temptation that leads him/her to it, will you kill him/her? We always look at things from one side. Just as you are finding it difficult to stay 100 per cent faithful to your spouse, so it is with the priest. That is what makes the job interesting. That is where the sacrifice is.

    We are all human beings. The mere fact that some people are stealing does not make you to go and steal. That is what I am saying. You always try to follow the good ones and not the bad ones. You just have to control yourself. Apostle Paul himself said it. Till you die, there will always be the sexual urge and it will worry you. The best part of anyone is when you face any temptation and you are able to overcome it, not when you face temptation and you fall into it. It is when you face temptation and you overcome that is the true test of a Christian.

    Don’t you think the oath of celibacy is too harsh? Some say it is not biblical?

    Some are called to that line. Others are not, and the Church cannot change that. It is not biblical because it is not written there but don’t forget that Jesus Christ said that some are born eunuchs and some made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of God. What does that tell you? It is not written that you must marry. After all, Peter got married, but the moment he knew Christ, he had no time for the woman again. It is sacrifice.

    What would you consider the low and high points of your career?

    Probably my low point was when I was still trying to make ends meet in the priesthood, still doubting if I was in the right place or not until finally I found my feet and said ‘yes, this is indeed the right place for me’. The climax as you want to know, maybe again I don’t know. Those who judge know what I am doing and because in our own ministry, they follow you as you rise from the cradle to the cross, they try to assess you, to know how fine you are doing, how you preach and your accessibility to people; these are the kind of things they do.

    The highest point is being a cardinal. I don’t know how I became a cardinal, but like I said, those who see you know you better than yourself, they can assess you. Let’s say I give myself one million per cent but they say sorry you are not even worth 10 per cent and then you open your eyes and say ‘ah, what of all these things I have been doing?’ So, all priests are assessed unknown to them and that is how the church moves. So, if they are not satisfied with what you are doing, they will tell you through your bishop that you have to buckle up. So, I think that is what I can consider my highest point.

    What would you say is the joy of priesthood for you?

    When you meet people, they see you as a father; somebody that can be trusted. When people asked you to pray for them, as a good priest, you also tell them to pray for you too because we are all sinners. Then the liturgy, you are there talking to God. It is like a child who has no other person to go to except the mother.

    You were once president of Christian Association of Nigeria and a critic of the government of the day. Were you not afraid something bad could have happened to you?

    I am not afraid. I have one good advantage. Apart from having courage as one of my motto, I am naturally bold. I took that from my late father. Secondly, during the war, I was told to go to the war front as a chaplain; so when you talk about fear, I had it, not because of the war but where I was going to, third marine commando, under the late Benjamin Adekunle aka Black scorpion, I met this gentleman who greeted me and I introduced myself and my mission . I told him I needed a car to do the job well; he told me to go to the street and tell the driver of any car I like to come out. I said that is stealing, and he shouted ‘What! This is war!’But I said I won’t do it. The alternative was to write an official letter to the late Benjamin Adekunle. I asked the other Protestant Reverend there and he said he did it, that what the military police told him was that when Jesus Christ came he had no vehicle but priests of nowadays want to drive cars.  I told him he is right but Jesus Christ rode on an ass, which was the best means of transportation in those days. So he said ‘take this man out of this place. Now you will be staying near my house, there is a jeep there.’ I said I don’t know how to drive. He said everything will be sorted out. So I met most of the officers then at the war front.  There was nothing that they did that I didn’t do except to shoot and kill people.

    Are you satisfied the way PMB is running this administration? How would you rate his performance in the last one year?

    Very low. If you listen to his inaugural speech and match it with the blueprint of the APC, you will see a wide departure. If you are too far away from home and you don’t check yourself, you will never get back home. It is okay tackling corruption; what about other things.? It is okay tackling economy; how do we revive the economy?. A lot of things have gone wrong. But he should go back and match his speech with the blue print of his party. My first article, ‘Enough is enough’ is just calling him to order. I wrote another one, ‘We are watching.’ If care is not taken, we will wake up one day and find out that Nigeria has been islamised.

    The CAN you nurtured is presently enmeshed in controversies. What do you think is the problem and way forward?

    Everybody wants money; we now have the body of greedy people under the name of CAN. What you now hear is the Catholics have been there, Methodist has been there, so it is our turn. They must go back to the constitution, except if they have altered a few things there, and face the work God gave them if they are really pastors.

    What do you think is the solution to the current agitation by Niger Delta Avengers, Fulani herdsmen and other problems the country is facing?

    Dialogue. The government should go and study the origin of all these, whatever that has beginning must have an end. It is not all about guns; they are passing the grazing reserve law; it can’t work. Is it their land? Can you do that in the North?  It is true we all are Nigerians but we are not living in unity. Everybody is looking for problem because our man is there; the president is not behaving like a father of a nation; he must be able to stick out his neck and not be afraid to say the truth.

    Lastly, do priests actually retire?

    Well, no because they preach forever according to the order of Melchizedek, if you want it in the broad sense. But in the strict sense, yes; because there is a church law that says once you are 75, you inform the Pope on the section I referred to  that is your retiring age in the physical world. But you are not; you still work, still say your mass and they can call you for anything. But officially they regard you as retired.

  • Talking about tradition and talent

    Book Title: Visions and Recollections
    Author: Abdul R. Yesufu
    Publisher: Deaconry Press Limited
    Year of Publication: 2016
    No of Pages: 95
    Reviewer: Sunday Osinloye

    After over a three-decade experience in the vocation of researching, writing and teaching literary writing in English Language (in Africa and the United States), Abdul R. Yesufu has graciously published his long overdue volume of poetry.

    Before identifying the cosmopolitan motifs in the text, I wish to appropriate the title of T.S. Eliot’s essay, Tradition and the Individual Talent (1916) to briefly review the form and order of Visions and Recollections (2016). In his essay, Eliot opines that: “No poet, no artist of any art has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists… I mean this is a principle of aesthetics… Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion.”

    This position is reinforced by the author’s commentary on the form and meaning of the collection. In the preface, Yesufu excuses the widely held notion of the “academic and highly allusive tenor of the pieces” in the light of his exposure to “an extensive diet of poetry of all kinds and qualities – from the oral of several climes and ages to the highly symbolic variety of the High Modernist Mode of the Western tradition, and several other types in-between” (X). The poet also says: “the poems are steeped in the socio-political realities and encompassing Weltanschauugen of the environment they attempt to recreate” (X).

    In view of this background, Visions and Recollections appeals to the reader as a work of art inspired or envisioned by poetic impulses of a highly talented artistic word-smith. At another level, it is a composition from the various deposits of literary conventions of the verse mode.One striking aesthetic appeal of the poems is the heightened, almost spontaneous, expression of the language. For example, the first poem “The Year’s End”, which foreshadows the writer’s Visions and Recollections, showcases condensed poetic craftsmanship.

    Another attribute of the verses in the collection is their inter-textual appeal. This comes out very strong in “The Weaverbird (A Tribute to Okot, after Laban Erapu)”, “Who Made the Hills of Roma (After William Blake)”, “The Illusion of Renown (After James Shirley)”, “Viande – Ronge et Blanche (After T.S.E)”. “The Machine of Islando (After J.P. Clark)” and several others. For instance, in “The Weaverbird”, the poet quizzes: Did you say that the bird is gone/Weaver of songs and mirth/Never to be seen or heard again?/That it has taken wing on the wind/And flown into the ‘unreturnable’ distance?/But distance is not absence/Except measured by span and sight…/unflagging in their voluble disputations/Lawino, Ocol, Prisoner, Malaya/Proxy voices of eternity now/Speak to us in their master’s voice (8).

    Moreover, Visions and Recollections is also remarkable for its eclectic Romantic ethos. This is well signified in poems such as “The Full Moon”, “Circles of the Seasons (Nigeria)”, “An Afternoon Rainstorm (After Rubadiri)”, “The August Break”, “The Hills of Roma” and “En Route Main South I at Night”. In these poems, natural phenomena are invested with various shades of philosophical worldview. We also note that the volume is spiced with Haiku poetic modes. This perhaps demonstrates the artist’s affinity with the Japanese literary convention.

    Above all, Abdul R. Yesufu may have been a Nigerian-born, African-bred scholar and writer, yet his vision in this collection is clearly cosmopolitan. The poetic personae wears the mask of cosmopolitan narrator, observer and societal gadfly. And like the Mask’s camouflage of the ancient city of Benin “…confluence if ancient and modern/where the musty and the glossy/like two master wrestlers/Are locked in a perennial duel…”, Yesufu’s lyricism is Romantic, yet elegiac about Man’s rites of passage and seasons of life. His use of language, like “The Full Moon”, is ripe and well-rounded by “Fecund Time/Like a plump pumpkin.”

  • How we benefited from oral traditions – Osundare

    How we benefited from oral traditions – Osundare

    The dying culture of oral traditions in most African societies recently formed the thematic thrust of the conference of the International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa (ISOLA) held in Florida, U.S.A.  The fear of this disappearance has been haunting most African writers and scholars in recent times.  In this report, Edozie Udeze reached out to some writers and more so, Professor Niyi Osundare, one of the most noted progenitors of oral narratives in Africa for clearer explanation.

    And the word became flesh.  The scriptures captured the whole essence of it more clearly.  In the beginning was the word and the word was with God…  And through him all things were made.  In the African setting before time, the place of oral tradition was incontrovertible.  Through the oral tradition rendered from generation to generation, people of historical prominence were able to discover their origin.  Today, however, the situation has somewhat changed as fear looms.

    The question then is where is oral tradition in African affairs today?  Recently, there was a conference of the International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa (ISOLA).  Held in Florida, USA and put in place by Akintunde Akinyemi of Nigeria, the high point was to revisit this traditional aspect of literature to see how it can be revalidated for the sake of humanity.  This position is indeed in consonance with the fears often expressed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) about the sudden disappearance of many traditiosn and languages, from the surface of the earth.

    But it is pertinent that ISOLA was able to observe this fear.  Speaker after speaker hinted on it.  Akinyemi reminded the delegates of the need to resuscitate this old tradition that had often formed the pivot point of literary and historical narratives.  Even European and American delegates were haunted by the same fear of the loss of this great aspect of literary recollection.  Their primary concern is that UNESCO’s prescription of the resort to the master pieces of the oral tradition has to be upheld.  These include intangible heritage of humanity, practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills as well as instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated with orature.  All these have their relevance in the course of time and space.

    In defence of this, Professor Niyi Osundare, a literary guru and one of Africa’s most renowned creative apostles, reminded mankind about some noted African writers who have depended heavily on oral tradition to achieve stardom.  These included Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Christopher Okigbo, Niyi Osundare, Femi Osofisan, JP Clark, Tanure Ojaide and lots more.

    In this regard, he said “Of course the source of our literature stems from oral source.  For a long time oral literature, just like oral history, was dismissed as non-literature, non-literary source and as a pagan way of life and so on and so forth.  But the only source of literature the colonial people paid attention to was the written word.  But they forgot that the word was spoken before it was written”,.

    Professor Osundare therefore believes that time has come to revalidate the oral source as one of the greatest sources of history, literature and literary preservation.  He said, “so all sources of literature are extremely important.  And African writers in the 1960s had to rise to the occasion insisting that oral source was very crucial to literature.  They tried to give it the pride of place that it deserved.  This revolution began in East Africa”.

    Osundare, one of the foremost poets of African descent took a swipe at the development of modern literature in East Africa and then gave kudos to this revolution.  “This revolution was led by Ngugi Wa’ Thiongo’o and other East African literary giants.  This also led to the great work called Songs of Lawino.  If you read Songs of Lawino you’ll know that this is a work written based on Oral Literature.  It has strong oral stunt and it sticks.”

    Therefore this revalidation of oral literature kickstarted by East African writers later found its way to West Africa.  It spread like a wild fire in the 1960s and got to the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and later to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  “It took quite sometime to get to the UNN.  What really introduced orature or sources of orature to the UNN was the book, The Decolonisation of African Literature by Chinweizu and Madubuike who took it upon themselves to revisit the issue.  In that book they made it clear that orature is one of the greatest sources of African Literature.”

    The argument still remains that Africans and African scholars neglected the sources of their literature for too long.  It is now imperative that writers go back to it in order to ensure that their literary endeavours are made heavier and more relevant to the needs of the people.  For Osundare who has been in the academic system for over forty years and who also derived his sources from orature, it is true to look on ahead.  He said, “We should go back there.  People like me owe a lot to oral tradition.  And the same goes for people like Tanure Ojaide, J.P. Clark, Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo and the younger generation of writers which includes Akeem Lasisi, Da Silver and more.  These people have been giving revalidation to oral literature.”

    So if this has been the case, why have Nigerians and most other African writers kept this source of tradition in the dustbin of history?  History or literature can never again be complete or sweet without the incorporation of oral sources.  “Just like oral sources of literature were put down, so also were those of history,” Osundare lamented.  To him then, the whole essence of mankind is to get this back forthwith.  He said, “In the colonial imagination, history is something that is written; that is documented.  So for a long time Africa was dismissed as a continent without history.  Can you believe that, a continent that is the source of humanity?  History wouldn’t just agree with that.  No.  So it took sometime for people like Adiele Afigbo, the great historian and J.F.A Ade-Ajayi and the rest to debunk this and set the record straight.  They said that oral sources are valuable sources of history.  They won the battle and I think literature has won the battle too.”

    The problem in the contemporary times, however, is that younger writers do not seem to grasp the potency of local languages and the depth of orature.  In this regard, Osundare has a word for them.  “They seem to know less and less of our culture and less and less of our languages.  They know less of the treasury of oral sources which should give more vibes to their stories.”

    Essentially, most writers have lost touch with their original sources; those days when grandmothers told folkloric stories or moonlight stories of victories and conquests and exploits of ancestors.  “Oh, well that is part of it.  Even though we are not saying that history should be stereotype.  No, far from it.  The point is: what has happened to our religion?  What has happened to our languages, the main sources of the conveyance of our history?  With our religion, with Pentecostalism, our religion is no longer there.  This has truly displaced indigenous faith and beliefs, those religious and ancestral sources of history.  So, it is very unfashionable today to talk about Ifa, about Sango and the indigenous religious system. And you know this constitutes a very important aspect of our oral tradition and history.”

    Osundare is so piqued about this unfortunate development that he had to enter into a caveat to sum up his over all feelings about the situation.  “Some new writers are trying to get the oral literature back through the back door.  They use rap, hip hop and other forms to revisit this source.  The poetry slam, the work of people like Paul Azino Efe and his group have their poetry all over the place.  This is giving orality its former pride of place in the society.  It is good and they have to be encouraged.  My own take is that this is what has given me my own creativity for over forty years.  It is therefore best when a writer combines oral and modern literature to produce the best work ever.  Chinua Achebe achieved that feat tremendously in Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God where he relied heavily on oral tradition to produce those body of works.  Those two books, will forever stand out in the literary circle.  Femi Osofisan too, has done a lot based on oral tradition.  His body of works speak volumes on this.  His use of folktales, and oral narratives, help to depict forms of dramaturgy and so on,” he disclosed.

    For Denja Abdullahi, a poet known for his oral narratives his body of works, orature can never be dismissed from African literature.  Their relevance remain the binding factors to give distinguishable features to most narratives coming out of the continent.  He said, “oralture is the critical source of our literary heritage which our first generation writers exploited to the full to give their writings the aesthetic vibrancy associated with their arts.”

    As the president of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Abdullahi should know better when he noted that “now, a departure from this rich literary heritage by our later day writers denied their craft the expected depth both in content and technique.  Even then oral literature in its form such as proverbs, folktales, myths, legend, songs, praise poetry, panegyrics, drum language etc, should be reintroduced in our schools.  This will help to inform our children and the youth and redirect them towards positive transnational ethos.”

    And to cap it up, it will also add more value to the preservation of dying indigenous languages.  Parents have to take interest in this culture and keep the interest of children aglow to keep traditions on front burner in homes, in schools and in the entire society.

  • Governor lauds Life In My City trustees

    Governor lauds Life In My City trustees

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has expressed delight at the activities of the Life In My City Festival (LIMCAF), a private initiative that promotes creativity among Nigerian youths. The Governor, who hosted members of the Board of Trustees of the festival at his Lion House office in Enugu, urged the board to keep him informed about the progress of their preparations for this year’s special anniversary edition which will end on October 29.

    The  courtesy call was led by the board Chairman Elder K. U. Kalu, a former Chairman of Union Bank and Managing Director Skoup,  accompanied by Chief Loretta Aniagolu a member of the Governor’s Economic Advisory Team and Principal Partner, FIT Consult, Chairman of the State Council for Arts and Culture, Dr. Obiora Anidi; a Chief Lecturer and Head, Department of Graphic Design IMT and Art Director of the Festival, Mr. Ayo Adewunmi, CEO Artsaels Ltd Mr. Tayo Adenaike, Mr Chuka Orji son and representative of the Founder of Life In My City, Chief Robert Orji and Mr Kevin Ejiofor, a former Director-General FRCN and Executive Director of the Festival.

    The trustees briefed the governor about the aims, objectives and vision of the festival which is not just a youth empowerment project but also a burgeoning national and international art and culture tourism destination and therefore a future source of significant contribution to the GDP of Enugu State and Nigeria.

    In a presentation, Mr. Kevin Ejiofor explained that this year’s edition would be the 10th anniversary of the Festival at which past winners and donors and other specially invited prominent guests were expected.

    He spoke on past winners of the festival’s overall prize who are now significantly advancing their careers in various ways. Such winners he said, included Mr. Olamide Oresegun the Festival’s first overall winner in 2007 as a student at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos and Ngozi Omeje now a Phd student at the University of Nigeria who also later won the Nigerian Breweries National Art Competition.

    Mr. Ejiofor disclosed that LIMCAF was now seeking a working partnership with the Institute of Management and Technology Enugu to become the intellectual home of the festival as it now seeks to deepen and broaden its impact in contemporary art in the Nigerian and international art world.

    “Enugu State young artists have won the overall prize at four of the nine editions of the Festival so far,” he added.

    According to Ejiofor, the festival has hosted some high profile art personalities in its panels of judges including professors of art in premier institutions in Nigeria and Africa, internationally renowned gallery operators, contemporary art scholars and promoters, high profile studio artists such as Jerry Buhari, Chike Aniakor, Kunle Filani, Bisi Silva, Frank Ugiomoh, Ayo Aina, Muhammed Muazu, Tony Okpe, Obiora Anidi, Nsikka Essien and Jacob Jari.

    “There have also been academic papers and other such contributions during some of the earlier editions of the festival by highly learned academics including Pita Ejiofor, Ola Oloidi, Chike Aniakor and Kryzd Ikwuemesi, with external support from Obiora Udechukwu, Mor Faye (Senegal) and Akwele Suma-Glory (Ghana) among others.

    “The Photo Africa contest for young African photo artists under 35 years of age was added to the festival’s portfolio in 2012 and has since attracted entries from not less than 18 African countries with jurors drawn from Nigeria, South Africa, Australia including such renowned photography experts as Tam Fiofori, Timipre Amah, James Iroha, Emeka Egwuibe, Piere Duffour (France), Margie MacClelland (Australia), and John Fleetwood (South Africa),” he said.

    He noted that the most interesting development in recent years is the endowment of prizes by prominent families, individuals and institutions including the Justice Anthony Aniagolu prize, the Pius Okigbo Prize, the Centre for Contemporary Art prize, the Mfon Usoro Prize, and the Thought Pyramid Art Gallery Prize among others.

  • Faleke leads dignitaries to Ogidi Day Festival

    Faleke leads dignitaries to Ogidi Day Festival

    Kogi State Governorship contender and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise Mr James Abiodun Faleke will lead dignitaries to this year’s Ogidi Day Festival in Ogidi-Ijumu.

    The festival will hold at the Community Hall Grounds, Agegbe, Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State on June 18, at 10 am.

    Ahead of the festival, Faleke, who is billed to be the Chairman of the day, has embarked on the palliative repair of the 16 kilometre Kabba-Ogidi-Ayere Road.

    Also expected at the event are the former Deputy Chief of Staff in the Obasanjo Presidency, Prince Olusola Akanmode, Father of the Day; Otunba Gani Adams of the O’odua Peoples Congress; Chief Executive Officer, CIG Motors (Lagos), Ms Diana Chen; Managing Director, Thisday Newspapers (Lagos), Mr Eniola Bello, and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Capital Market, Tajudeen Ayo Yusuf.

    The occasion, which marks the official presentation of the new yam, is also used by the community to raise funds for various development projects in the ancient community.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the Ogidi Development Union, organisers of the programme, Otunba Shuaib Ipinmisho, in a statement in Lokoja, said cultural troupes from Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Osun States will join their local counterparts to thrill the audience at what he termed the nation’s biggest culture event in June.

    Prominent indigenes of the community and organisations deemed to have contributed to its development in the course of the year will be honoured with various awards, while the Ologidi of Ogidi, Oba Rabiu Oladimeji Sule, will also present honourary chieftaincy title to various dignitaries on the occasion.

    The yearly Ogidi Day Medical Outreach organised by the ODU and Ripples Foundation, a United Kingdom (UK) based charity, will be held to conduct tests and give free drugs to the people of the community.

    This year’s event will also feature a Youth Connect Night where the popular hip-hop artiste, 9nice, will entertain guests at an all night show and a mountain climbing expedition to the famous Oroke Oda, which offered refuge to the people of the community during the Nupe raids of the late 19th Century.