The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • ‘Historical fictions can douse political tensions’

    ‘Historical fictions can douse political tensions’

    Vamba Sherif has risen to be one of the most outstanding Liberian writers of his generation.  Although he lives in Holland where he has finally settled down after the civil war in his country, Sherif who studied Law, has written a number of books, fiction and non-fiction, on the socio-political and historical happenings in his fatherland and more.  He speaks to Edozie Udeze on these and why African writers owe it to the people to expose issues as they truly are

    In his four best known books, The Land of the Fathers, The Kingdom of Sebah, The Witness and Bound of Secrecy, Vamba Sherif has set the right tone for writers who wish to go back home irrespective of where they domicile to find materials for their works.  Even though some of the works tried to trace the historical origins of some of his forebears, Sherif promised he’d do more if it means exposing more hidden facts about some genealogies in African Kingdoms.

    Having been born in Liberia but has lived in Holland for twenty years now, what other issues make him want to visit his home from time to time?  “Yes, I have a new book called The Black Napoleon.  It is set in the second half of the 19th century.  It is about Samore Toure, who founded the Mandingo Empire, a huge empire.  He came from a humble beginning.  He was never educated, but managed to raise and maintain an empire that was so huge.  For me, he is a great African hero,” he said.

    For a long time, it was Sherif passion and dream to research into this topic and bring out the historical elements that pushed Toure to be who he ended being.  “I had therefore decided to do something about his life.  I am very fortunate to be the first writer in the Anglo-phone speaking countries to write about him.”

    Now, you’ve been talking about his migration from Timbuktu to Guinea/Liberia, what is then the state of Timbuktu now, being the first African city to host a university?  “Oh yes, I went to that town a long time ago. That was about five years ago.  It has lost some of its grandeur, but the importance of Timbuktu in history still remains.  The materials that have been kept by different family members have been helpful in tracing some of these issues which we write about.”

    And because most of these people are educated, it is easier for them to keep these archival materials for posterity.  “Some of the manuscripts have been discovered by the international community to be of immense use to understudy the history of the city.  I stumbled on this and it helped me to trace Samore Toure to Guinea/Liberia.  And one of the themes running in the book is the importance of this manuscript.  In my own family we keep manuscripts too.  It is an age long tradition.  When the extremists invaded the city about two years ago these people smuggled these manuscripts to Mali where they are presently.”

    However, how soon the extremists will be defeated so that the materials can leave Bamako, back to Timbuktu still worries Sherif.  “You see, the temperature to keep them safe in Timbuktu is better than what we have in Bamako.  You cannot track them down exactly where they are in the deserts.  So we hope it will be safe to retrieve soon enough.  Of course, for me the book is a historical fiction even though all the elements of the facts are there,” he stated.

    Yet, the book is very modernistic because the writer related the issues to the present.  Issues of war, hunger, social strife, the burden of knowledge, history in the present times, were all handled in the book.  “Yes, I placed it in the 19th century but not without relating it to what is happening at the moment.  So, it is historical in the sense that it contains a historical figure but it also says something about this family that tries to survive in the time of war.”

    He talked about his own tribe that centred around the border between Guinea and Liberia and which felt the fang of the war terribly.  “My tribe is the Mandingo.  Later it was Sundiata who founded the Mali Empire which still exists today as Mali.  Incidentally Sundiata was a great leader of his days.  Samore Toure also was the great grandfather of Sekou Toure, the political father of modern Guinea.  But when you tell the story of Samore Toure it related to the story of Sundiata who lived and founded the Mali Empire,” he said.

    When Sekou Toure rose to become the Guinean leader, he was said to have believed he was the reincarnation of Sundiata of Mali.  This was why he was so brave and audacious.  When the French colonial masters told African countries that they were not politically and economically ripe for political independence in the 1950s, Sekou Toure opted out.  That is why in history, Guinea was the first Franco-phone nation to gain independence.  Although blocked economically by France for that slight, Toure trudged on nonetheless.

    “It is indeed the story of courage in the face of serious threat to the political existence of a young nation.  His action encouraged other nations to begin immediately to agitate for freedom.  So Toure was a warrior just like Sundiata who came before him was.  Even though I wrote it in Dutch, my English is good now for me to translate it into English.  My other books have equally been translated into English and they all emphasis the basic problems of strife and how bad it is for leaders to sow seeds of disharmony that result to wars.”

    Sherif noted, however, that Africans and their leaders should be more untied so as to be more cohesive and strong to ward off external forces.  “Unity is what we need.  Yes, we also need committed leaders, leaders who are true to the common goals and aspiration of the people.  Africans need to do a lot more to be a serious continent where the concern of citizens thrive.  We therefore should say no to more wars.  Yes, no more wars,” he concluded.

     

  • Books battle politics at arts festival

    Books battle politics at arts festival

    Discussions at this year’s Ake Arts and Book Festival, with the theme, Engaging the fringe, were revealing. Taboos, transgender issues, marginalisation, conflicts, oppression and personal experiences were debated at the festival, which featured Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai and Prof Niyi Osundare, among others, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports. 

    It was a gathering of the literati.The written word was the binding factor. No fewer than 16 books by renowned and emerging authors were discussed in eight chats that featured works, such as Mona Elthahaway’s Head Scarves and Hymens, Pius Adesanmi’s Naija No Dey Carry Last, Igonni Barret’s Black Ass, Helon Habila’s Oil on water and Tendai Huchu’s The Maestro.

    The event was the third Ake Arts and Book Festival held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Of the 81 guest-artistes, authors and writers at the five-day festival, none found book and literature strange or boring. But, Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai confessed that books have taken the back seat in his life.

    el-Rufai, who spoke alongside Prof Howard French on Minding the Business of Africa, lamented that, these days, he hardly found time to sleep well or read a book in a week. Reason? “Battling with politics and policies,” he said.

    “I used to read one book a week, but in the last few years I have been battling with opposition and new policies… These days I do not sleep well; maybe because of the peculiar unemployment problems in the state that I am thinking of,” he added.

    Reacting to questions on effects of climate change, he said, much as climate change is real, “I don’t worry about it because I will be dead when the glazier will melt. What is important is that as long as human exists, you will always see places giving way for urbanisation. Humanity will find solution to that.”

    On planning, El-Rufai said Nigeria is on the cliff financially and “we must first survive tomorrow before planning for 20 years,” noting that he cannot speak for the Federal Government on matters of planning the future because his primarily concern is the state.

    He said, as a government, “we are thinking of the next four years which we are accountable for. As at today, Nigeria spends about 70 per cent of its income on food and fuel. These are the issues that concern us today before we think of attending to climate change.”

    According to him, “the challenge for me is what do I do to create jobs in Kaduna for the youth because no one will sleep in peace if.”

    The former FCT Minister said the problem in the Northeast where the Boko Haram holds sway is huge, blaming it on the absence of federal investments in the area.

    “Three out of four people in Yobe don’t have education. From this, you should know there is danger. The problem is huge in the area and federal investment has been lacking. What we are dealing with now is the neglect by past administrations,” El-Rufai added.

    While El-Rufai was losing sleep and unable to read a book in a week, renowned poet and scholar Prof Niyi Osundare talks, lives and reads books every day even the Holy Bible, which he said, connects easily with ‘our folklore.” He recalled that he encountered the works of William Shakespeare on the streets of Ikere-Ekiti, and that today, when he writes, he feels the impact of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and JP Clark. “I encountered Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in 1965 as it was part of the West African School Certificate Examination syllabus,” he said.

    His Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun earlier tasked corporate Nigeria to support the promotion of reading culture among youths. He said such commitment, which is critical for humanity’s benefit cannot all be provided by the government. He said corporate organisations should complement the efforts of the government in the fight against decline in reading culture among the youths, saying it is only true such collaborations that the situation can be redressed.

    “Literature is the soul of life. It does a lot of things, provokes many issues of interest to mankind. I am happy our young ones are being carried along at the festival and as such promote reading culture.  This is the only way we can get it right. We must encourage our young ones in reading because you don’t give what you don’t have. And from what they learnt, they can transfer into governance in future,” he added.

    He, however, noted that critics must offer constructive criticisms, which he said, is an impetus to good governance.

    European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Michael Arrion, described culture as smart economy and that “you cannot invest in water, health and education if you don’t understand the people’s culture.”

    He commended the organisers of the festival for raising issues that are taboos, be they corruption, language, politics among others in this year’s theme; Engages the fringe.

    He said, issues such as winner takes all syndromes, importance of language in politics, the seeming divide between French and English are very relevant to this year’s theme. He described democracy as when the majority is ruling and minority is being taken care of.

    Interestingly, Osundare reiterated that humanity is at the core of his books, which serve as voices for the poor because he sees a bent world. “The world I saw before me was bent, so I thought I should be part of correcting it. Our society is so unjust. I am still trying to find answers to some of these questions. If you fill your hands with arms and wealth, you will not have space for humanity. In everything, humanity must be put first,” he said.

    He recalled that three of his books were dedicated to his teachers in the primary, secondary and university, saying that ‘teaching is the most important vocation in the world and that it is a calling. I had teachers who gave their all.’

    On his inspiration, he said: “I don’t have problem linking all my readings from the world to what I inherited in my local Ikere. I also savour the messages by classical musicians from across the globe, including Nigeria. In fact, music and poetry are fist cousin and I see my lines with my ears.”

    He noted that there are many Biafras in the country, which must be handled with care. He however said the relationship between Mike Awoyinfa and the late Dimgba Igwe shows that the handshake can really be extended across the Niger.

    He stressed that oppression and conflict can never end in human society but warned: “We must find a way of fighting them. Civilisation and democracy are very young. We will get there but we must change our ways.”

  • Sustaining Sussane Wenger’s legacy

    Sustaining Sussane Wenger’s legacy

    Ten years after the Osun Osogbo Groove was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a world heritage site, some sculptures in the groove are in urgent need of restoration and preservation.

    Last Tuesday, a campaign, Save Our Art, Save Our Heritage, to safeguard the groove was launched with an exhibition at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos with a strong message: “Many of the sculptures created between 1960 and 1980 are in urgent need of repair and restoration. Restoration and preservation efforts must begin immediately or Nigeria risks losing not only the sculptures themselves, but also the important UNESCO World Heritage site designation.”

    Worried by this development, The Sussane Wenger Adunni Olorisha Trust, led by Mr. Femi Akinsanya, initiated the campaign and exhibition to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of the failing sculptural works.

    At a preview session of the exhibition that opened on Tuesday, Akinsanya said this generation of Nigerians have a duty to preserve the spectacular artistic works in the groove and hand them over in perfect form to coming generations.

    “These works serve as a testament to the continuation of the tradition of great creativity of Nigerian artists in our time,” he added.

    According to him, only two of the original artists working in cement are still alive and that, despite age, they are eager and uniquely qualified to do the restoration and to train the next generation of artists and artisans.

    Robin Campbell, a member of the trust said, at the moment, the trust requires not only finance, but also expertise to restore the sculptures.

    On why it is necessary to restore, one of the guest speakers at the exhibition, Mr Victor Ekpuk said: “Memory is that which gives us our sense of self and identity. The preservation of our people’s culture, history and art is a preservation of our people’s memory. The Osun Osogbo Grove and the art in it, is an important memory of a people. Preserving this memory is to bequeath an important legacy for the generations after us, so they not live in a sad condition of identity amnesia.”

    The restoration campaign is not restricted to the sculptures alone as the trust will also restore Sussane Wenger’s remarkable Brazilian style house which houses her personal art collection. This is to make the house a living learning centre that will promote Osogbo art, the legacy of Wenger and Ulli Beier and establish an art residency programme.

    He identified the followings as part of the benefits of the restoration project; conservation of art and heritage in Nigeria’s UNESCO site, youth training and employment of the next generation of Osogbo artists and artisans, employment and economic development through enhanced tourism, establish a foundation for increased promotion of art, providing education and awareness of the unique art legacy within Nigeria and internationally and protect the environment in the unique unspoiled forest.

     

    “These works must be used to rally and inspire generations of Nigerians to remind us that we are a people with worthy cultural and historical achievements. From which we can draw a sense of identity and pride,” Akinsanya added.

    The exhibition, which will run till mid-December is featuring works by members of the Sacred Artists Movement of the Osogbo, such as Sangodare, Adebisi Akanji, Rabiu Abesu, Kasali Akangbe-Ogun, and guest-artists, such as Bruce Onobrakpeya, Polly Alakija and Aldophus Opara.

  • Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    The alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has decried what he called the “gradual extinction” of Yoruba customs and traditions. According to him,  “considering the rate at things move these days, it will be disastrous allowing our traditions go into oblivion in the face of permissiveness”.

    “How many Yoruba sons and daughters can brilliantly articulate their local language? It is frightening that our own language is dangling on the pit of extinction while preference is accorded foreign language, which is English. Languages often hold the record of a people’s history, including their songs, stories, praise, poetry and ancient traditions,” he said.

    Alaafin, who spoke at the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, as guest lecturer on Secret of Language and Culture observed that many indigenous cultures contain a wealth of information about the local environment and their floral and fauna resources, based on thousands of years of close interaction, experience, and problem-solving. He noted that with the extinction of language, man loses access to local understanding of plants, animals, and the ecosystems, some of which have important medicinal value, and many of which remain undocumented by science.

    According to the monarch, the survival of threatened languages, and the indigenous knowledge contained within, is an important aspect of maintaining biological diversity.

    Oba Adeyemi stressed: “languages are now becoming extinct faster than birds, mammals, fish or plants. Of the estimated 7,000 unique languages spoken in the world today, nearly half are likely to disappear this century, with an average of one lost every two weeks.

    “It is most likely that in less than 50 years from now, even some major Nigerian languages, if not encouraged, can become extinct, and lecturers in our Universities would have cause to excite their students with great lectures in a course on, say, ‘ancient’ Igbo or ‘ancient’ Yoruba languages, and of which they would speak with nostalgia, ‘They once flourished in the distant past, but have now become extinct’. This is a disheartening possibility for anyone, who cares about our indigenous languages, the history and unrecorded knowledge they carry within them.”

    The monarch also spoke on African traditional religion, which he said, clearly plays a distinctive role as the ultimate source of supernatural power and authority that sanction and reinforce public morality.

    Continuing, he said: “It is pressed into full service to maintain social order, peace and harmony. Traditional Africans believe that success in life, including the gift of off-spring, wealth and prosperity, are all blessings from the gods and ancestors. They accrue to people, who work hard, and who strictly adhere to the customs, and traditional norms of morality of the community, people, who strictly uphold the community ideal of harmonious living. Only such people could entertain a real hope of achieving the highly esteemed status of ancestor hood in the hereafter.

    “The vast majority of norms, taboos and prohibitions is directed towards protecting the community and promoting peace and harmony. Communal farmland, economic interests like the market-place, stream or shrine are generally surrounded with taboos, including, who may or may not enter, and when and under what circumstances people are permitted or not to enter such places. Stealing is abhorred. It is in fact, an abomination to steal things relating to people’s vital life-interests and occupation.’’

    Religion, according to him, may be distinct and separate from morality, as many scholars have rightly argued. “’For traditional Africans, however, the line dividing the two is very thin indeed. African traditional religion plays a crucial role in the ethical dynamics of the different groups.

    “In the traditional African background, ‘gods serve as police men’. African traditional world-views invariably outline a vision of reality that is, at once ethical in content and orientation. Human beings and their world are the focal centre of a highly integrated universe.  Human conduct is seen as key in upholding the delicate balance believed to exist between the visible world and the invisible one,” he added.

  • How Bamako Encounters dared the odds

    How Bamako Encounters dared the odds

    It is common knowledge that this year’s African Biennale of Photography (Bamako Encounters) in Mali took off against the wind-seeming political instability, paucity of funds, logistics and apathy from participants as a result of insecurity.

    Yet, its organisers-Mali Ministry of Culture and the French Ministry….and the curators led by Bisi Silva, dared all odds in putting up a remarkable 10th anniversary edition of the biennale tagged: Telling Time. Silva was assisted by Antawan Byrd and Yves Chatap.

    Silva, who spoke with this reporter at the close of the professionals’ week in Bamako, said the curators were ready to put up a good show despite the fears expressed by some organisations, especially the foreign press. She stated that such fears were heightened because of increase in cost of insurance, noting that the organisers were conscious of the challenges of building confidence in global community, which Mali was able to do with the festival.

    “We had the support of everybody. But in context, there were few challenges. With Samuel Sidibe, everything went well. This year’s edition is symbolic, especially after the crises. The applications we got were the largest in the history of the biennale. And for those reasons, it is extremely important. Also, it is a vote of confidence on the festival because of the circumstances,” she added.

    She recalled that the curatorial team appreciated the financial challenges, but was determined to work with Samuel Sidibe in order to make the biennale successful. “I score the festival high because we got beyond what we projected and it was impactful. Above all, apart from issues with resources, time management was a big lesson we took away from the biennale,” she noted.

    Silva said: “Timbuktu, which is at the centre of the crisis, is many hours from the venue of the biennale just as Lagos is to Maiduguri or Yola in Nigeria. Frankly speaking, I don’t go around worried about the crisis in that area of Mali and I love working in Mali, which dated back to 2007. For me, I am home basically.”

    On whether there was gender favouritism in selecting the participants, Silva noted that although the curators were sensitive to gender balance, the female artists made it to the biennale on merit, adding that there was no compromise of curatorial integrity. She said if she were to pick another theme for the biennale, it would still be one which dwelt on contemporary issues happening both in Mali and the continent.

    Speaking on how the festival impacted on the local photographers in Mali, Silva stated that organisers were conscious of engaging Malian photographers and artists at the grassroots level, which informed the initiation of programmes such as Studio Mali, which is less targeted by foreign artists. According to her, it is a community programme across Bamako.

     

  • UN@70: Seven schools exhibit 78 works of arts in Lagos

    UN@70: Seven schools exhibit 78 works of arts in Lagos


    School Arts Exhibition has taken the centre stage in Lagos as seven schools, public and private, converged at the Library Auditorium of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos to express what the United Nations (UN) meant to them in different artistic forms.

    From oil paints on canvass to pencil drawing, tie-dye, modeling, textile design and waste-to-wealth cultural Industry exhibits, the students put on display a total of seventy-seven (78) creative works of arts which reflected their rich knowledge of the works of the UN and what the organisation stands for.

    Curating their works, the students explained the UN as a Peace-keeper, the human rights protector, a gender equality advocate, an umbrella organisation of all nations and the hope of the people. They also exhibited works that show what the UN does in the area of environment, housing, culture, education and health.

    Addressing the students and other participants, the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Oluseyi Soremekun, conveyed the gratitude of the Centre to the participating schools and urged the students and pupils to continue to learn about the United Nations having earlier made a presentation on ‘UN for school children’.

    The one-week Exhibition which will end on Thursday 3 December 2015, was on the opening day livened up by music rendition by the Dothedream band led by Olaiwo Stephen and another solo by ‘Tripple T’ all from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

    Participating schools are Covenant University Secondary School, Ota; Intesida Schools, Alagbado; Ojodu Junior Grammar School, Ojodu; Southfield Academy; Sunglee Formation Schools, Awoyaya and The Outliers Schools, Surulere, all in Lagos.

  • Ndidi Dike shows class in Indonesia

    Ndidi Dike shows class in Indonesia

    Ndidi Dike was schooled in Uli art.  A product of the famous Nsukka school of art, her works have always been considered one of the most outstanding when it comes to installation art.  A rare breed of artist, she has been using her strong infusion of Uli art to dissect her forms so that oftentimes her signatures speak volumes.  This is basically one of the reasons her works are sought after world-over by those who know and value conceptual and deep forms.

    Recently, Dike was one of a seven-man Nigerian delegation of artists to Indonesia to honour an invitation for a cross-cultural and artistic conference.  The idea was to use art as a common front to tackle conflicts both in Nigeria and in Indonesia.  “Yes,” Dike intoned in an interview, “the conference was titled tackling conflicts – Indonesia meets Nigeria.  In it, we used common household materials to present installations that bring us closer to the activities involving trade and commodities.”

    Some other Nigerian artists in the entourage included Segun Adefila, Remi Adegbite, Amara Okafor, Emeka Udemba and others.  When last year the government of Indonesia wanted to engage some Nigerian artists for this project, they came here to quietly study the works of some Nigerian artists.  This they did for a while, picking information and materials here and there.  In the end, those they felt met their criteria were contacted to be part of the project.  They were invited to Indonesia where they interacted for close to three months with their counterparts over there.

    To this end, Dike said, “When different countries want to engage with Nigeria in the area of contemporary art, they usually come here on a fact finding tour.  It is usually like a collaborative thing.  They came to Nigeria last year and actually saw my works and found out that the works fell within the purview of what they wanted.  The works they saw in my collection convinced them about their theme for 2015.”

    This was how Dike was selected to be part of the delegation which included performance artistes, writers and painters.  Dike said, “The most interesting thing is that Indonesia has a great respect for arts and culture.  They have a fantastic regard and recognition for arts in their society.  Their arts thrive a lot.  The people are very creative, using their local needs and beliefs to espouse arts that suit their tastes.  Theirs are not only innovative in terms of forms and conceptualisation, there is this infusion of what belongs to the people into their art.”

    In her works, Dike therefore explored the history of commodities in Indonesia and Nigeria.  Her focus primarily was the taste of these products as they pertain to Lagos.  However, the assemblages in terms of goods showed that both nations have a lot in common.  The only difference is that in Lagos, markets seemed to be in a chaotic state, less organised than what obtains in most centres in Indonesia.”

    Using aesthetic form of art, Dike arranged her products to give order and harmony to the chaos.  The streets now appeared better, while the markets seemed more friendly to accommodate better commodities.  Thus, what came out of it, was a mutual relationship between both nations through installation art.  She explained it further, “the ideas we gathered there can also help to improve our art.  The works are metaphorical.  Here the common reference to tea was explored.  It was a unifying factor during the colonial days and even till date.  In other words, these works referred to shared colonial history between Nigeria and Indonesia.”

    In the end, what came to the fore is that most cultures of the world are the same.  Food is a unifying factor of love and peace.

    It can be used most effectively to resolve conflicts and set the right tone for peace.  The sound interpretation given to the theme by Nigerian artists was an eloquent testimony that the issues were clear to them.  “Even though the people now incorporate art technology into what they do, what we need is to improve more to catch up with them.  They are very proactive.  They take their art as something very precious and this is where we have to buckle up,” Dike surmised.

  • ‘Our stories about Africa’

    ‘Our stories about Africa’

    Four Diaspora African writers in this dialogue talk about their constant touch with their native lands for their political and historical narratives.  In this interaction with Edozie Udeze held during the just concluded Ake Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, they deliberated on the need for writers to continue to be in touch with their people

    The basic lesson learnt from this year’s Ake Arts and Book Festival which ended in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on 22nd of this month, was the ease with which African writers and authors from across the globe were able to discuss and digest diverse issues and topics pertaining to the basic concepts of writing.  Every writer is influenced and shaped by events in his immediate environment.  As such, no writer writes in a vacuum; no writer sits down at home expecting information or materials with which to write to fall on his laps or his doorsteps.

    Whether he is given to fiction or non-fiction writing, the basic format remains that a writer is always forced by circumstances of his calling to go look for sources from among the people.  But when a topic is titled a sting in the tale and infused somewhat with ‘political narratives in Africa’, what does it intend to convey or teach the general public?  This was one of the themes that dominated discussions in one of the sessions.  The panel featured authors whose works have in most spurious ways influenced and captured the political anxiety of different spaces within the African continent.  These authors included Helon Habila of Nigeria, Maaza Mengiste of Ethiopia, Mona Eltahawy of Egypt and Vamba Sherif of Liberia.  Moderated by Kolade Arogundade, the group discussed these books that reflected on the social and political realities of their immediate environment.  The political realities of the Egyptian society with the upsurge of the Arab Spring influenced greatly the works of Eltahawy whose works Headscarves and Hymens dwell on the right of women in a perilous political corridor in Egypt, her birthplace.

    A well-respected feminist writer, Eltahawy asked in her submission: “Why is it that the Middle East generally does not need a sexual revolution in which the total liberation of the womenfolk becomes an important agenda to turn the societies around for good?”  Now, resident in New York, she was the first Egyptian writer to remind a CNN reporter that what was happening in Egypt was no fluke.  “No, it is not violence.  It is a revolution.  There is Mubarak in everything we do and say.  Mubarak in my kitchen, Mubarak in my private part, Mubarak in my school, Mubarak on the streets.  This was why we had to remove these shades of Mubaraks, in order to be free,” she said, amidst thunderous ovation.

    Just like her Ethiopian society had been embroiled in several stages of revolutions and fights to right the wrongs of external influences, Mengiste did not hesitate to look into what the Ethiopians did to remove colonial incursions into their society.  The Italians wanted to invade the place and annex it, but the likes of King Menelik and Emperor Haile Slessie did not allow it.  An award winning author of Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, her book did not spare the issue of immigration and what has to be done to stem the tide.

    She said in her submission, “the role of a writer is to inform the society.  There is now way we can write even if it is fiction, without backing it up with the problems that bother the people.  This is why my novel is set on the revolution in Ethiopia.  Even though I live outside of my home country now the basic issues of the society still inform what and who I am and what I write.  In my works, you can always feel the pulse of the people, what they have and what they have gone through and still experience from day to day.”

    For her, the role music played in sensitizing the people cannot be overemphasized.  “Yes, the role of music to us as agent of change during the revolution was big.  It helped for our freedom.  Even my second book is on this role, where I took time to define it.  You cannot also discountenance the role of women in this revolution and we need to constantly talk about it,” she said.

    In his own submission, Sherif, a Liberian born author who lives in the Netherlands, narrated how the war in his home country drove him away in the 1990s.  “We first moved to Syria from where we now went to Holland.  It was tough and herculean, yet all these helped to inform my works and what the people suffer.  Today, I am more proficient and write more in the Dutch language than in English.  I also speak and write a bit in Arabic.  Yet, the basic issues I raise are topical to human society, to change and good leadership.  Africa needs good leadership to stem the endless tide of immigrants trouping into the world.  You see what war did to Liberia and how many of us have scattered here and there?” he asked with a twinge of bitterness.

    A Lawyer by profession, Sherif has chosen to be a writer and he said it is the best way to inform the world.  Author of The Land of the Fathers, The Kingdom of Sebah, The Witness and Bound of Secrecy, these works have been translated into many world languages because of the urgency of their messages.  “In spite of my situation and the gory story of the war, I go to Liberia from time to time to be with my people and collect materials for my stories.  We have a responsibility to the people to inform them about the things that happen to them.  There is no way I can write now without referring to the war in Liberia, what I experienced in Syria and now my role as a writer and lawyer.”

    In his own contribution, Helon Habila, author of Waiting for Angel, Measuring Time and Oil on Water, first asked: “who does history belong to?  Is it not the people who own their history and what happens to them?  If that is the case, ours is to help them write about it.  Our role is to collect and document history; it is to write about history; about politics and what informs politics and the social behaviour of the entire society.  The colonial people made us to believe their stories about us.  They twisted us and what gave us value.  Now, it is no longer correct to our people.  It is time to begin to write to suit your people, and we cannot shriek that responsibility right now.”

    Habila who now resides in the United States of America where he teaches Literature at the George Mason University, Virginia, won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Novel in 2002.  Today, he sees plenty of stories emanating from Africa, “because events here shape the lives of the people.  We own our stories and therefore we need to play down on issues of divisive tendencies.  See what is happening in Burundi and some pockets of agitations here and there in Africa?  Our writings have to give hope; have to discourage the superiority of one race over the other.  Confusion shouldn’t form part of what we write.  In history, you have to select themes that should encourage the people to grow; to live in harmony with one another.  This is our duty as writers,” he posited.

    Over all, the discussion harped on religion, sex and feminism.  Above all, it was noted that African stories are full of immense concern to the people.  Therefore writers have a lot to do to make deep meaning out of it all.  Whether politics or not, these stories have to be written.

     

  • Buruku River: Confluence of trade and woes

    Buruku River: Confluence of trade and woes

    A first time traveller on water would shiver at the large mass of River Buruku, Benue State. The river which takes 12 minutes to traverse on a wooden boat is a hub for business activities amongst communities in the neighbourhood, especially on market days, as it serves as passage for farmers to transport their produce to meet traders, and passers-by. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI who just returned from the community, reports.

    A one and a half hour drive from Makurdi, the Benue State capital brings one to Buruku, a river side community. The town which had existed long before the creation of Benue State in 1976 is located on the banks of River Buruku, which is an extension of the popular river Benue. Created out of Gboko Local Government about 20 years ago, Buruku local government area, with its headquarters in Buruku town, has an area of 1,246km-square and a population of 203, 721 according to the 2006 census. It shares boundary with Logo and Katsina Ala Local Government Areas, which produce yam and rice in high quantity. These food produce are transported through Buruku River to major cities like Gboko, Otukpo, Aliade and Makurdi.

    This reporter gathered that Buruku Council was created in recognition of the commitment of its inhabitants to economic growth of the state. Parts of the major villages that make up Buruku Local Government are situated across the other side of the river and they share borders with Sankera in Logo Local Government Area of the state.

    Being predominantly farmers and fishermen, the people of Buruku depend largely on Buruku River for irrigation and fishing. Meanwhile, crossing the river is regarded as the fastest way to Anyiin, hometown of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, Gbanyam village and Ugba town, headquarters of Logo Local Government. The people of Logo too are predominantly farmers and in fact, they are one of the major producers of yam in Benue State.

    A visit to the river side gives a glimpse of the enterprising nature of Buruku residents. Small huts are built to serve as restaurants to entertain travelers. Pounded yam, fried yam, locally-made cake, also known as ‘akara’ are served to customers. There is also a ‘mini-depot,’ where fuel is sold at black market price to vehicles and boat engines. On the other side, are young men and women eking a living by trading in sugar canes, oranges, pears, and other fruit items. There is also ‘kuu’, a locally-made corn. Some of them channel the profit towards their upkeep, education, and to relieve their parents of stress. One of them is Benjamin Kerter, an English/Theatre Arts student at Katsina-Ala College of Education. Benjamin sells sugarcane at the riverside; he has been in the business since he got admission into the school two years ago.

    According to him, ‘I have been in this sugarcane business for quite some time, say since I got into school, and I give it my best anytime we are on break because I use the proceeds to support my education.”

    Asked how much he makes from the business, he said; ‘Sugarcane business is not really profitable, and has so many people into it. We make around N700 (Seven hundred naira) in a day, but it depends largely on how many people cross the river. We make good sales on market days, or during important occasions that require people to travel across the river. And that’s when we make around N1, 500 (One thousand, five hundred naira).”

    The river-side is always busy, especially every Wednesdays – which is Ugba market day, a community that is 30 minutes from the riverside. Buruku residents also trade at the market every five days. Most times, students in government schools defy school work for farm work and trade on market days.

    Transportation problems

    However, despite its economic potentials, the people of Buruku lack modern transportation system as well as a bridge over the Buruku River. The inhabitants of these communities have suffered these challenges for decades. The problem has made transportation of farm produce to the cities a difficult task. It has also caused many deaths. Though the communities have made several attempts to tackle the problems themselves, their efforts have yielded no fruitful result. The communities have also lodged several complaints to successive governments in the state, requesting them to extend their cries to the federal government, but all these to no avail. Presently, they have resorted to boats and canoes to enable them move around. Some farmers are left with no option than to board canoes with their produce on their heads to cross the river.

    Interestingly, it is not only humans that ride on the boats to cross Buruku River. Cars and motorcycles also get to ‘enjoy’ the privilege, even though the experience is a risky one and not funny at all for the faint-hearted.

    Although it has become a lucrative business and an opportunity for some inhabitants to make thousands of naira especially, during the rainy seasons, the operators are, however, forced to relocate their usual boarding points at the river bank, whenever it rains, to avoid the boats and people capsizing in the river.

    Zador Akinde, a native, gives an insight into how transportation across the river works. There are two kinds of boats; the ferry and the small boats. Travelling on the river in the small boat takes five minutes to the other side of the river, while travelling in the ferry boats takes 10 to 12 minutes depending on state of the engine. The small boat can take maximum of 15 passengers, while the ferry takes up to 100 passengers at once. The ferries can also convey vehicles, motorbikes alongside passengers. A ferry can take maximum of two vehicles. This route links to Zaki-biam, Katsina-Ala, Anyiin, Ugba and other communities of Benue State. It is also a shortcut for travelers going to Jalingo, Plateau, Kaduna and other northern states.

    Although there is a road across the river in the far end of Kastina-Ala town, the River Buruku terminal point located in the Ihungu Igor village mainly provides the needed shortcuts for motorists plying the route. Most commuters prefer using the route to reach their destinations quicker, at least to save time and resources by passing through the Kastina-Ala axis by road. Consequently, both private and commercial vehicles find it suitable to ferry their cars and passengers for a fee at the Abuku crossing point.

    Even former Governor Gabriel Suswam, this reporter learnt, finds the route most appropriate to travel to his village of Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area. Indeed, for various reasons, people have used the Buruku River crossing to engage in profitable and cheaper economic and social activities.

    Tersoo, a ferry boat driver, explained that charges depend largely on the type of vehicle that wants to cross, and how heavy they are. Charges for taxis are from N400 upwards, while buses range from N700 upwards. In some cases, they charge N1, 000 for heavy-loaded vehicles. Charges for Motorcycles range from N200 to N300.  As for humans, N50 is charged per head to cross the river. In some cases where the ferry is already loaded with vehicles, passengers are given free ride across the river. Corps members, whose places of primary assignment are across the river most times, enjoy this favour.

    They also make brisk sales on market days and during important events, when more vehicles throng in. During important occasions, charges, especially for private vehicles, are based on how highly-placed the person is – far from the normal fee.

    The cost of constructing the boats is huge. Zador explained that it costs N400, 000 to N500, 000 to construct a ferry boat, which doesn’t include the engine while it costs around N200, 000 to construct the smaller ones. Buying new engines is also quite expensive and beyond the reach of the local boat operators. According to him, the engines in their boats are the ones they can afford. The ‘Belgium’ (second hand) Yamaha 30 horse power cost N350, 000 while a brand new one is about N750,000. Smaller engines are also sold for around N200, 000.

    A year to remember

    Aside trade and transportation, the banks of Buruku River also serve as recreation. Overtime, picnickers and fun seekers in Benue State have made it an annual event to mark the Boxing Day celebration on the river bank. Fun-seekers turn out massively to do sight-seeing, picnic and play games and also win various prizes. Some even use the day to make marriage proposals to their loved ones. The picnickers have also succeeded in attracting government attention, as the Buruku Local Government Council now sponsors lots of games at the beach to encourage picnickers and create an enabling tourism potential for the state.

    The annual events and celebration has also gone smoothly since the beach was discovered, until December 26, 2013. On that fateful day, many young students of various higher institutions in the area who had come to socialise had  finished catching their fun, and were about to leave at about 8:45pm. However, only one ferry boat was available to convey the 125 fun-lovers across the river. As the story goes, the Maritime Union tried to stop them but the passengers insisted, because it was the last boat for the day. Problem however started when they got to the middle of the river and a boy brought out some fireworks. Some guys who were not comfortable with the development challenged him. In the process, they started exchanging words and the same boy brought out a knife to stab his challengers. The action triggered a fight in the boat. It led to pandemonium as other occupants of the over-loaded boat ran towards the driver’s side for safety. According to Zador Akinde, the weight of the people rested heavily on one side of the boat and as a result, the boat drifted, tilted and suddenly capsized before anyone could calm the warring parties.

    Stories have it that the driver lost control following the distraction from the warring occupants barely 500 meters to the berthing point, and the passengers were thrown into the river.

    The incident, which happened at the Abuku crossing point of the river, left 18 people dead.

    The Maritime Union and the Marine Police regulates the activities of the boat drivers. They ensure that the boats are in good condition, and the ferries do not carry more than they can safely convey. They enforce protocols or set rules at the river banks to ensure safety in water transportation, and also watch for criminal activities. They also defend the riverine area against subversive elements and external threats.

    It took 11 hours to recover the bodies of the drowned passengers. Ironically, the boy who was said to have instigated the pandemonium escaped unhurt because he could swim, while those that drowned died because they could not swim.

    When our correspondent asked if there are life jackets for passengers, they said, the locals consistently refuse the use of life jackets, which are dumped in the union’s office at the riverside. Their refusal is because Buruku River isn’t as deep as other rivers in Benue State, and there are no wild animals in it. Also, a handful of Buruku residents are good swimmers, who can easily rescue drowning passengers when accidents, which they say are very rare, occur. The life jackets are said to be donated by politicians seeking votes and non-governmental organisations.

    Election time, busy time

     As elections approach, the river is always as busy as market days. Residents who have left neighbouring cities travel down to their communities to exercise their civic right. Even politicians return home during this period. But, it’s not always rosy at this time, especially for electoral officers deployed to wards and polling units across the river. Corps members and the natives are used for the elections.

    At the last 2015 general elections (which our correspondent was one of the Presiding Officers), electoral materials were transported across the river around 3am in the night to the RAC Centre ahead of Saturday’s polls. “Our polling area was Agwabi, and I was posted to LGEA School, Buter.  The exercise went well, but encountered problems after we left the collation center for the INEC office. We got reports not to dare cross the river because there were some aggrieved parties who were not satisfied with the results in their wards, waiting to pounce on the electoral officials as it happened during the 2011 elections. On that occasion in 2011, aggrieved natives attacked electoral officials and poured the election materials into the river. We were only able to escape unhurt, with the quick intervention of Logo Police Command, who saw us through another route through Katsina-Ala to Buruku.”

    Government’s neglect and a people’s appeal

    In 2011, former president, Goodluck Jonathan promised two bridges across the River-Benue to avert frequent deaths resulting from water accidents. One of the bridges was to be built in Buruku to link Gboko direct to Ugba and Ayin – all in Logo Local Government. And the other was to be built at Kwata, to link Abinsi/Agasha from Makurdi straight to Wukari in Taraba. Four full years after, none of these bridges have been constructed. All the Federal Government roads inherited from the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007, that were in manageable states, are presently in bad shapes, with criminals taking full advantage of the situation to unleash terror on commuters. They include the Katsina/Ala–Takum, Vandekya–Katsina/Ala–Zaki/biam that connects Taraba and Cross-River. Others are Lafia–Makurdi, Makurdi–Otukpo and Aliade–Gboko. Federal roads like Makurdi–Naka–Adoka–Ankpa, Adoka–Agatu–Oweto roads are death traps and have never been good since 1999 till date.

    Since that ugly incident of December 2013, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Buruku branch has called on the Federal Government to provide its members with more sophisticated engine boats capable of ferrying heavier capacity of passenger weights. They have also appealed to the Federal Government to build a bridge across the river, to serve as a major crossing point to the three local councils of Logo, Buruku and Ukum (all in Benue), as well as linking parts of Taraba.

    My host and guide, Akinde has a good command of English language. He completed his secondary school education few years ago, but was called home from Lagos because of family responsibilities. He aspires to further his studies. His utmost cry is a bridge across the river for easier transportation. Will the government ever hearken to their plea?

    Only time will tell.

  • Help before I die: Pensioner tells Sports minister

    Help before I die: Pensioner tells Sports minister

    Following 35 years of meritorious service with the Citizenship and  Leadership Training Centre, ailing octogenarian pensioner, Pa George Olayiwola Owolabi cries out over backlog of unpaid monthly stipends. He spoke to Bode Durojaiye in Oyo.

    One would think that after years of service to the government, retirees should be entitled to a certain amount of pension to live on for the rest of their lives.

    It is probably too much to ask various government agencies to pay retirees a living wage considering the low level of economic activity in Nigeria but some level of pension to retirees should be a right after they’d put in certain number of years of service.

    The monthly ritual of having frail individuals who could barely work straight without the aid of a stick, queuing up for several hours or days waiting to collect their cheques is a sickening sight for any sane person.

    Some of these pensioners endured abuses and inconducive work environment while in service, so having to go through this monthly ignominy to collect their paltry monthly due, is to say the least, unbecoming.

    The worst part is that the pension backlog sometimes runs into months and years without any sense of urgency on the part of government officials who should know better.

    To add salt to their injury, the pensioners read in the papers every day how their entitlements are embezzled by government officials who are suppose to manage it.

    Unfortunately, many of these senior citizens have had to answer the call of nature while struggling to collect their entitlement over the years.

    Pa George Olayiwola Owolabi, a university graduate of Physical and Health Education, is one of the senior citizens who, having diligently served in the public service for thirty-five unblemished years, has been encountering inhuman treatments from his employers since retiring about fifteen years ago.

    The combined rigours Pa Owolabi has had to go through, plus the lack and frustration and agony may not be unconnected with his present state of paralysis. Today, Pa Owolabi cuts a pitiable figure and begs for alms from neighbours to sustain himself. Investigation by our correspondent revealed that Pa Owolabi retired as an Assistant Director from national headquarters of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, an arm of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in the year 2000. His monthly pension stipend used to be N49, 072.80k, but the sum has been reduced by a whopping N10,000 since December 31st, 2005, without any cogent reason.

    All enquires and complaints about this development to the then Director-General of the centre, Mallam Yussuf Adamu were to no avail.

    Pa Owolabi was also denied payment of his repatriation pension benefit which ought to have been paid on his retirement. Frantic effort to find out the reason behind this action has proved abortive.

    What is more! Even the paltry remnant, which he usually collects at his Union Bank branch, has not been paid in the last six months.

    In an exclusive interview with our correspondent at his Kosobo, Oyo residence, Pa Owolabi who looked haggard and dejected wept uncontrollably, as he narrated the dehumanising and uncaring manners his employers has been treating him.

    A look around his tattered sitting room gave a glimpse of how handsome and dynamic a man he was in his hay days. He revealed how after retirement, he was framed with another deceased colleague for the offence they knew nothing about and charged to court in Lagos.

    ”There was no month since the case started that I would not travel from Oyo to Lagos twice to appear in court. I had motor accident twice and was hospitalised. I sustained serious injuries to the extent that my wife and children thought I had died. But I thank God I’m still alive today [sobs]. While this lasted my employer did not show any sympathy.”

    He recalled how as a dedicated and committed officer, he was transferred from Jos to head the training department in Lagos, a position that gave him the privilege of knowing top security brass in the country, notable politicians and executive officers of both public and private establishments.

    “I never received a query, let alone found wanting in the discharge of my duty in the 35 years I served the country. Why then am I being persecuted and victimised?” Now weeping profusely, he said “Why am I being unjustly punished? Imagine me begging for alms to survive with my condition. I wasn’t born like this; the partial paralysis was as a result of psychological trauma I’ve been wickedly subjected to by the centre’s management. In addition to begging for alms, my neighbours are also compassionate people who donate foodstuffs occasionally to me. I have children who are well read and working, but there is a limit to what they can do, because they have their own commitments and challenges as well.”

    Pa Owolabi, an indigene of Oyo town, who is living with his ailing wife and grand daughter told our correspondent that he could not afford the cost of essential drugs needed both for himself and his spouse due to non-payment of his entitlements by his employers.

    Pa Owolabi is therefore sending a Save Our Soul appeal to the minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Solomon Dalung to take special interest in his case and come to his rescue.