The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • POLLS DAY FALLOUT: Wives narrate impact of Election Day ‘holidays’

    POLLS DAY FALLOUT: Wives narrate impact of Election Day ‘holidays’

    Medinat Kanabe catalogues the fall-out of the recently concluded elections and the restriction on movement, as it affected housewives, under-age children and commercial motorcycle riders.

    Except for states where there have been judicial interventions, elections in Nigeria come once every four years. It therefore goes without saying that it is always a special exercise when it comes and Nigerians give it that special attention. The fact that it usually comes with a great deal of tension and threats of violence also means that a good number of people make it a point of duty to shut down their businesses and stay indoors. Even establishments as big as banks closed very early on Fridays preceding the two election weekends for fear of pre and post election violence.

    The flipsides to this however, is that many homes had their usually absent loved ones suddenly off work and indoors.

    For newlywed Deborah Yunus, were it not for the fact that one needs to work for a living, she would have wished that every day were Election Days. “The serenity and tranquillity is unique and unusual for the highly tensed, pre-election day reports in the media. There were speculations of chaos and unrest everywhere but it exceeded our expectations. That I have my husband at home with me is one of the best parts of the exercise to me. I have him to myself to discuss issues, plan and play.” And so she concluded by saying “I like am oooooo.”

    The story is similar with Basirat Owodunni, a banker who hardly has time to spend with her family and husband, who is also a banker. For once, they had time to stay indoors and savour great moments of unity and love with their children. “I am very happy my husband is home today. I work in the bank and sometimes I go to the office on Saturdays, but today, I didn’t; neither did my husband. I am at home with my husband and baby and I am so happy about it.”

    Odion Oshoma, a housewife also expressed her excitement at the opportunity to have her husband at home on the election weekends, but said it went beyond just that. Coincidentally, she said her husband, has also changed from his old ways.

    “I am happy my husband is at home today. But it is not because of the election. He just does not go out anyhow like before. If it was when he used to go out every weekend to hang-out with his friends, not even an election will make him stay at home. Some men cannot just stay at home! Even if there is a curfew, they will still look for a way to go out. I am talking from experience because I have been a victim. Before my husband changed, I know what I went through. He would go out anytime he likes and come back at anytime, but now, I can predict his movement. So it is the individual, not the election.”

    For Hauwa Shodeinde, a proprietress, the election days didn’t offer much difference in terms of having her husband at home, because he was very much involved in the election process and watched the news judiciously.

    “It is difficult to say if I enjoyed his company or not, because although he was at home, there really wasn’t much difference as he had to go out for accreditation, then for voting and then came back to put on the television to follow the news. So for me, it makes little difference.”

    Deborah Adedeji however said she was home alone on both days and didn’t benefit from the so-called advantage accruing there-from. “I was home alone. My husband wasn’t at home as usual. He went to attend to his business. I really don’t think the election is enough to keep him at home. So I really don’t see why I should wish everyday were Election Days.

    Mariam Akinremi however missed out on whatever gains housewives were supposed to enjoy on the polls days, as her husband travelled before the election. “I wish my husband were here to spend this day with me and my daughter, but he is not. He travelled before the Election Day.”

    Zeenat Asseh, a business woman, fell in the same group with Akinremi, as her husband, a Naval Officer was on duty during the periods.  “My husband is a military man, so he went to the office because he was on duty.”

    Precious Akpan’s response was however peculiar. A housewife, Akpan said she really does not like it whenever her husband is at home. “I don’t like it when my husband is at home because we fight all the time. I prefer that he goes out as usual to meet with his numerous girlfriends. So he will not even be at home today. He must have called his girlfriend to meet him somewhere. Besides, I am tired of fighting him, so I prefer it when he is not at home.”

    Akpan said she is also likely to get pregnant whenever her husband chooses to stay at home, which she no longer wants. “Four children are okay for me. If he stays at home, I will get pregnant again.”

    Strangely, Faustina Chukwuma, an MTN staff could not say if she was happy or sad that her husband was at home. She wondered if it wasn’t better for her husband to be away at work, since that would guaranty meals on the table. On second thought, she however said “I like it because he would ordinarily have been out hustling. The bad news however is that we’ve not had power all day.”

    As for Mary Adelomo, a nursing mother and baker, the election weekends were occasions to sleep and avail herself of those scarce resting opportunities. “I would like everyday to be like election days because I was able to sleep all day, while my husband who was at home attended to the baby.”

    Rita Biose, a proprietress is one of those really lucky women. Her husband spends every weekend with her and their son. She told The Nation that “There is not much difference because we always spend our weekends together. So today is just like any other day.”

    Tessy Aigbokhaode, an Admin Manager with FUMMAN Juice however said it is her husband who should be happier to have her at home, since his job is more flexible and she was usually the absentee. She thus said she was happy for the opportunity to be at home with the whole family.

    Highways of football

    For youths and teenagers, it was an opportunity to play football games on the smooth highways unhindered. Due to the restriction order on movement, both highways and inner streets were totally deserted and children, who incidentally were on holidays, took advantage and transformed the usually busy roads in Lagos and across major cities in the country to football fields and bicycle tracks.

    14 year-old Emeka Okoro, who was seen riding his bicycle with his friends along Isolo Road, Lagos told this reporter that “I am happy today is Election Day and I want everyday to be like this. We have the roads to ourselves to play ball and ride bicycle. We played football in the morning and now we’re riding bicycle in the evening without any disturbance.”

    Oluwaseyi Olushola, who will be 15 in May, said he is always happy when the roads are deserted and his parents are at home. “I am happy and want everyday to be like this. I am underage and cannot vote, so I’m seizing the opportunity to play football with my friends. We cannot play football on the road like this on a normal day because the roads will be very busy. I am also happy that my daddy and mummy are home today because they are not usually at home.”

    Another happy boy, Busayo Raheem said: “I am happy that I can play football on the road today without bothering about anything or any car coming to disturb. We played football in the morning and went home to take a rest when the sun came out. We came out again this evening to play. Any day there is election, like the last one, we play football like never before. We cannot play on the field because the big boys are there, so we play on the road.”

    Tobi Ayo, another football playing kid would like every day to be election days: “I want everyday to be election days so that we are not restricted on where we can set our posts and play.”

    Commercial bike riders too

    Curiously, The Nation also encountered commercial bike-riders, who braved the restriction order to do brisk business and make quick money.

    One of them, who refused to give his name, and who gave one of The Nation’s reporter a ride on the Governorship and State House of Assembly Election Day said it was a big risk but well worth it, as he charged thrice the normal fare for trips. For the ride between Ikotun and Iyana-Isolo, the riders charged up to N600 per passenger. This was three times the usual N200 charged for the route. To top it up, he ferried two passengers at a go, making a whopping N1,200 on a journey he ordinarily would have made N200.

    He also confessed to this reporter that he had already done about ten trips and would continue until the restrictions were over.

    Asked how he has managed to evade the security agencies, the bike-rider said, “I simply turn or veer into any nearby street once I sight them or I’m told they are at a certain spot.”

  • Nwosu back in the studios

    Nwosu back in the studios

    He is now back in the studios working for his third solo art exhibition in three years.  For Uche Nwosu, the beat continues even though his health condition has not in any way improved.  Mowed down by stroke since 8 years ago, Nwosu is ever eager to keep close to his work.  He still paints with precise precision and unequalled enthusiasm.

    An artist to the core, Nwosu has since learnt to use his left hand to handle his brush.  Left paralysed in the right side of his body, using his left to paint now has somewhat altered Nwosu’s style of art.  More of a mischievous painter now, he resorts to great deal of satire and comic relief to give vent to the varied areas of life through his paintings.

    Most of his works even though show some signs of someone who wishes to recover fully to face the rigours of life, Nwosu is undaunted in his resolve to be different.  His strokes are variously anchored on human anatomy, on the very knotty issues that may mar or keep the world together.

    There is often that confusion in terms of terminologies or ideologies which Nwosu expresses.  To him the term rocket may be for delicate peace in the world.  Yet, often he jokes that it may stand for human anatomy where bullet helps in procreation.

    Most of his new works point to family transformation, to areas where community efforts can help to rejuvenate the people and point them towards growth.

    He said: I paint to seek the face of humanity, to display what the world stands for me.”

    Some of his works include:  Sacrifice (2011) is a painting depicting a stylized image of man with outstretched arms in the foreground. In this painting, the artist seems to be attempting to interpret the crucifixion story. Here the image of Jesus Christ bleeding on the cross of Calvary is depicted. In Uche’s version, however, there is no cross and the hands and feet on which Jesus was nailed are not illustrated. The only reference to blood in this picture is the crown of thorns around the head.

    In Seeker (2011), the artist typifies man’s search for truth, but like Pontius Pilate who asked Jesus in the book of John in the Bible “What is Truth?” Uche Nwosu seems to be asking some critical questions here, the answers to which are yet hidden. As the lone figure in this picture is seen embarking on a journey into a labyrinth, the end to which no one knows, we can see the depiction of an equal-armed cross inscribed in a circle akin to that used by adherents of the Grail message on the right of the picture and its reflection is seen on the left side.

    Colonization (1997) one of his older pieces talks about the domination of world affairs by the Western nations.

    Here you see a Caucasian man dressed in a robe with the symbol of peace emblazoned on his chest. In his right hand is a cell phone as well as a switch for the nuclear bomb war head. At the extreme left side of the picture plane is a list of espionage agencies from around the world. On the right are flags and symbols of some western governments lie the Nazi symbol (swastika), Israel (the Star of David), Britain (Union Jack) and USA 9Star spangled banner). Everything points towards Western imperialism and its effects on international politics. This work has obviously influenced by the fall outs of the cold war era.

    It would however be unfair to say that Nwosu’s works are just about social commentary, politics and religion. There are other works that are purely aesthetic or personal in nature. Works in this category include Horizon.

    Beach (2013), Couple (1996), and Obsession (1991). On the whole Uche Nwosu’s paintings can be said to be reflections of a personal nature which invariably leads one to conclude that there is indeed something to be said for Art for its own sake.

  • ‘Why I never stopped Orlando Owoh from smoking Indian hemp’

    ‘Why I never stopped Orlando Owoh from smoking Indian hemp’

    Samuel Olayiwola aka Musese was manager to the late Kennery Hi-life musician Dr. Orlando Owoh and probably one of the closest people to him. In this encounter with Taiwo Abiodun, he shared the story of how he used to hide the illicit weed in his stockings while travelling with the singer, even though he never for once smoked it.

    His name is Samuel Olayiwola but the name by which he is popularly known is Musese and he was manager to late popular Yoruba hi-life musician, Dr. Orlando Owoh, notorious for his love for marijuana, which he popularly called ‘ganja’.

    Musese is of average height, dark-complexioned and sports grey bushy beard and moustache, which draws attention everywhere he goes and which he ‘celebrates’ by combing it at every opportunity. Sensing this reporter’s curiousity, he tells this reporter that “I cherish my beard and take proper care of it. It makes me stand out like an albino in the market.”

    An interesting character you may say, but a major highlight of this interview was when 68 year-old Musese revealed that he neither smokes Indian hemp nor cigarette. For a man who was probably the closest to the late Owoh, this was news, as many erroneously believed he couldn’t be much different from his principal. He explained that the reason he still looks so young and bubbly even at his age is because “I don’t do all these things that would make me go old prematurely. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol, but I take special wine. Many believe I also indulge in smoking because I used to keep Indian hemp for the late Orlando, but let me use this opportunity to set the record straight: I have never for once smoked Indian hemp in my life.”

    The name, Musese and his deportation from Italy

    “When I was young, I had an Italian pen-pal living in Italy, who became my girlfriend, even though we were miles and ocean apart.  She it was who gave me the nickname ‘Muzeze’; but my people at home did not know how to spell or pronounce it, and they started calling me ‘Musese.’

    When he eventually travelled to meet the lady in Italy (he can no longer remember her name), his girlfriend at home (Dupe), whom he had hitherto introduced to the Italian as his sister, was constantly writing him. Naturally, she did not worry and never bothered about the contents of the letters, until one fateful day, when the bubble finally burst.

    “She stumbled on the letters and found out that Dupe was in actual fact my girlfriend. She   reported me to the authorities and that was how I was deported back to Nigeria. That was in 1971 and I went straight to Ibadan to settle down.”

    He revealed that Dupe died a long time ago and that it was unfortunate that they never got married, even though they became quite an item on the social scene, with Orlando Owoh waxed a song in their honour during one of her birthdays in the ’70s. They started dating while she was a student of St Louis Grammar School, Owo, and he was a student at Imade College, Owo, Ondo State. He recalls with nostalgia how Dupe’s parents accommodated him while he was living in Lagos, adding that “they were great people.”

    How he met Orlando

    Speaking on how he met the late musician, Musese goes down memory lane.  “On my deportation from Italy, I went to Ibadan to settle down. Anytime my older brother who was serving in the Nigerian Army in Kaduna came home, he would bring Orlando’s records. My street was very close to  Orlando’s own; while I was living in Omodigbo Street, he was living in Oremeji Street. There was a man called Orimaro; he was a palm-wine tapper and we (me and my late friend, Kanakana Olympio) used to go to his place to drink anytime I went to Orlando’s place. Kanakana Olympio was in the Custom Service. One day, we asked Orlando what his problem was, and he said there was no Owo native who had ever come forward to help him financially. He also said he had nobody from Owo to manage his band. He then asked me pointedly to come and manage him. That was how I became his Manager. “

    Orlando’s many Obstacles

    Musese who spent over 30 years with the late musician said it was not easy managing him.  “Orlando Owoh was a great man no doubt, but he faced so many obstacles in back then. First, he had no instrument; in fact, he had nothing. But because I had some money with me, having just come back from Italy, we started hiring instruments. He was very appreciative and told virtually everybody about what I was doing.”

    But why did he never try to stop Orlando Owoh’s hemp-smoking habit? Why did he practically support and even defend him despite the fact that he himself never inhaled the banned weed? We asked.

    Here he raised his voice, betraying subdued anger. “He was smoking ‘Igbo’, so what! I supported his smoking of Indian hemp because it did not affect him. Even as he smoked, he knew what he was doing. Orlando had a secluded area in Decca Studio’s compound where he would sit and smoke, and whenever it was time to start recording, he would come into the studio and start recording without rehearsal.”

    Continuing he said, “I never bought Igbo for him; once in a while, I drank beer anytime I had money, but he always had his stuff in stock. Whenever we were travelling and I was wearing knickers, I would put it in my stockings for him. I spent over 30 years with him as a manager before he died and I can tell you he was a great man.”

    On Orlando’s cocaine saga

    Musese recalled vividly his boss’s most trying time. He said the cocaine saga that culminated in Owoh’s time in police cells and prison and which led to the song on Alagbon was real.

    “I was in Kano when I read it in the papers that a top musician was arrested for cocaine. Immediately, I knew it was my boss. If I was around, I would have been taken away too. Nobody would have believed that I didn’t smoke or sniff cocaine, because I was the closest person to him. Do you know that Nigerian security officials went to King Sunny Ade to ask him if I smoked? But he told them that I only drank. They (security men) also went to Chief Edebo, one of our friends who lived in Ibadan to inquire about me, but they missed me narrowly, as I left through a footpath. It was a celebrated case, if you’d recall.”

    One other reason he never bothered about Orlando’s smoking habit was because “He was never a troublesome person. He was like Fela. Some people take Indian hemp and go mad, but when these people take it, they became more alert and sang songs that made great sense.”

    He recalled that it was only Orlando whom Fela allowed to play at his African shrine. And I remember that he (Fela) used to say he does not want cocaine or heroin in his shrine. He also once said if it was only Igbo (Indian hemp) that Orlando was accused of and that he could have come and fight for him when he was jailed.”

    Asked to tell who smoked more between the two late musicians, Musese declared without mincing words that “Fela was greater than Orlando in smoking of Indian hemp.”

    On Owoh’s poverty in the face of success

    Asked why Orlando remained poor despite his success as a musician, Musese said the late Kennery king never placed much value on money. Besides, he said “Nigerian producers are rip-offs. They are not trustworthy. When they make 100,000 naira, they would falsify the figure. That is why people like Orlando never made it before they died.

    “Another factor, which was an offshoot of the little value he placed on money, was that he was overgenerous. Orlando was generous to a fault, and was always after other people’s welfare. He would not eat alone; and he had a lot of people living with him at his expense. Little wonder people like one-time governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  Abiola of Ilesha, Die the Matter, The king of Apata, the Olugbenga of Ugbe and Ayesoro, a car dealer in Akure stood by him by him when he was alive. “

    Ooni’ s contribution

    Musese also recalls the role of Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade Olubuse played during the musician’s crisis, declaring that he has never seen any person or king like him. “He stood solidly by Orlando and anytime we came back from the court, the Ooni ‘s palace was always our first point of call. Kabiyesi will be forever remembered for his great assistance during those trying times.

    On the controversy that marred Owoh’s burial

    What still pains Musese till date is the fact that the musician was made to rest in Lagos against his wish.  “He had wanted to be buried in Ifon, his country home in Ondo State. I was the chairman of the Burial Committee with Oblazo. After series of meetings, we went to the late Olusegun Agagu, the then governor of Ondo state; there was this commissioner from Ifon, whom Agagu asked to take over. They had completed Orlando’s building in Ifon, with only the roofing left; so we went to Lagos to see his wives, but they insisted he should be buried in Lagos. They discouraged us. They probably thought they could make money out of it. But we were not happy. We told Sunny Ade, but somehow he backed out.”

    Musese’s early life

    Samuel Olayiwola revealed to this reporter that he was a great sprinter in his youthful days. “In 1956, I represented my school in the 100 meters race, when Queen Elizabeth came to Nigeria. Up until 1970, I represented Imade College. I was also the Senior Boy at All Saints’ Modern School. That was 1963/64.”

  • 2015 Polls: Inside the online war

    2015 Polls: Inside the online war

    With the elections over, Gboyega Alaka takes a retrospective look at the online campaigners and the numerous wars of words and photo-shop creations that dotted the social media, as they all struggled to score points for their favourite candidates, while putting down their opponents.

    It’s almost impossible to tell when it actually began. But the most poignant and earliest that comes to mind would be that twitter posting by ex-Super Eagles international, Victor Ikpeba that “Even if Buhari presents NEPA bill as certificate, I will vote for him.” That was in January when the campaigns was literally kicking off and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) director of media and publicity, Femi Fani-Kayode ostensibly went for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates jugular by accusing the General of not having a high school certificate.

    Although Ikpeba was later rumoured to have disowned the statement and the twitter handle that spewed it, an exciting stage was already set for what would turn out to be Nigeria’s most exciting political campaign on the social media. In no time, the frenzy mounted and friends and foes from the opposing sides squared up, throwing banters upon banters. Some played dirty, while some for some reasons thought it wise to be mild, knowing that the elections will one day come and go. It goes without saying that some were outrightly offensive and insulting of the candidates and their supporters’ sensibilities.

    By far one of the most offensive of the online posting would be when a character casted President Goodluck Jonathan in the image of a baboon and posted it on his facebook page. To say the list, even this writer was embarrassed and nauseated. This was really going too far. And one of his online friends didn’t mince words in telling him that “there has to be a limit to this campaign recklessness and we mustn’t take the online freedom for granted and offend our friends’ sensibilities.” The friend went further to tutor the overzealous APC fanatic on lessons in patriotism and how not to embarrass the symbol of Nigeria’s nationhood, which President Jonathan represents.

    Nigerians had begun to get a picture of how the whole campaign period will play out on the internet, when the first lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s ‘Diaris God o” gaffe on the Chibok girls went viral online and virtually every one with an internet device had the ‘comedy’ downloaded and viewed for entertainment. Add this to the Photoshop genius that suddenly sprung up everywhere and Nigerians had suddenly become aware that they could do just about anything with the help of the computer and the online media. Everyone just wanted to outwit the other.

    On another occasion, the gentleman based in Benin posted on facebook that he suddenly felt like slapping Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose over his offensive front-page advert deriding General Muhammadu Buhari for his old age and wishing him dead. Expectedly, his comments generated banters from both ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’; some goading him on to go ahead and slap the recalcitrant governor; and some, like this writer cautioning him and telling him to temper his anger with reason (as if he really could have access to the governor). The exchanges continued until a die-hard PDP and Jonathan advocate posted a most succinct message, asking “E be like say cry dey hungry you?”  To say the least, that was hilarious and it put paid to the exchanges, as one could almost hear all the participants reeling in laughter.

    In one rather bizarre posting obviously achieved by photo-shop wizardry, former president Obasanjo, who had been engaged in a barrage of onslaught on President Jonathan on account of his handling of the insecurity in the country, corruption and plundering of the huge foreign reserve his administration left behind, was seen mocking a weeping President Jonathan, who was apparently bemoaning his dwindling popularity.

    Another showed President Jonathan in his trademark Niger-delta bowler hat hawking soft-drink in the Lagos traffic, his Vice, Namadi Sambo, dutifully in tow, hawking pirated CDs.

    Yet another, as the election date wound nearer captured the president and his wife, Dame Patience saddled on a motor-bike, their peasant-like luggage in front, as they rode on a dusty road. The caption read, ‘Otuoke Straight’.

    Almost similar to this is a creation that showed Jonathan comfortably seated behind, Charlie Boy, the Okada rider, as he prepared for his return journey to Otuoke.

    Not done with the Jonathan harassment, another photo-shop work showed the rear-view of a defeated Jonathan wading through a pool of water with his luggage. The mischief makers left little to the imagination, as it could safely be deduced that he was on his way to Otuoke.

    The aspiring opposition camp also received enough bashing. One which rounded off the campaigns depicted a dumbfounded Asiwaju Tinubu looking visibly horrified, with eyes popping, as Oba Akiolu of Lagos, pronounced his now infamous lagoon fatwa on the ‘stubborn’ Igbo in Lagos. Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola was also captured in the picture, with mouth wide open in consternation, as he wondered in Yoruba if the Oba weighed the implication of what he was saying.

    In the same vein, virtually every hate documentary literally went viral, as thousands of people shared, reposted or re-twitted them.  This way, it really didn’t matter whether a court had served an injunction to stop their broadcast, as they were just a click or two away.

    At this point, it is difficult to remember which came first between the Capt. Sagir Koli Ekiti election voice tape saga that went viral and became a big stain on the credibility of the PDP, and the Rev. Fr. Mbaka’s tirade on Jonathan’s goodluck that has turned badluck delivered on the eve of the New Year. One thing that was however certain is that they did quite enough damage to the PDP campaign and prospects going into the elections.

    And this is not forgetting the numerous bloggers who openly took side in their reportage and still regaled their readers with how impartial and unbiased they were.

    One of them, took delight in trumpeting every perceived APC shortcomings, and yet insisted on being impartial. On one occasion, just after the presidential election, he regaled his audience of how his plane was about to land and how from his vantage bird-view, he suddenly discovered why the APC government in Lagos struggled to deliver Lagos to its presidential candidate. He said the number or un-tarred roads in the state far outnumber those tarred, which he considered gross under-development in the face of the state’s huge revenue.

    On another occasion, he wrote about how the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari with his impeccable anti-graft CV is surrounded by corrupt party leaders, and wondered how he is expected to maintain his anti-corruption posture and achieve results.  Of course he received a mixture of responses, with some applauding his frank views while others thoroughly tongue-lashed him. One of his friends, a cheeky fellow did not forget to remind him that “…the last time I checked, you are not even a Nigerian.”

  • Where the blind dare to dream

    Where the blind dare to dream

    TAIWO ALIMI captures the tales of a group of visually-impaired young men and women, daring to learn, hope, live and dream again. He brings to the fore their plight in an otherwise hostile society and the courage of one lone woman, championing their cause, welfare and education.

    Christopher Essien, 22, has been to hell and back – that is speaking figuratively. Standing before The Nation on Sunday crew, he is over six feet tall; his eyeballs are clear and radiate excitement and enthusiasm. He looks well-fed and his voice is equally cheerful, making this reporter wonder to himself: What is he doing here? Here in this context refers to Bethesda Home for the Blind (BHB), a settlement that has become home to 72 visually-impaired students. They have come from different parts of the country to reclaim lost grounds, time, pride, and glory in an otherwise, hostile society.

    Founded by Mrs. Chioma Ohakwe, a deeply religious social worker in 2005, Bethesda Home for the Blind prepares these special students to adequately face the world through formal education – reading and writing, and vocational skills acquisition such as music, hand-craft, moral teaching and philosophy.

    Standing before the young man, Christopher, it was hard to believe he was totally devoid of sight, as his gaze seemed to pry through this reporter. To clear his doubt, he had to ask (though embarrassingly) that ‘Can you see me?’

    But his answer in the negative was calm and calculated, even as he managed a smile. “No I can’t see you. I can’t see anything.”

    His story looks pretty much like your typical Nollywood movie plot, yet his is real.

    A vibrant youngster with lofty dreams of conquering the world, his eye problem started six years ago when he turned 15. As the first-born of a family of nine – five boys and two girls, he was in the final lap of preparation for his West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations, when fate played a ‘blind’ joke on him. His sight gradually evaporated.

    “I was about to seat for my school leaving certificate examination, as an SS3 student of Ajayi Crowther Memorial Grammar School Lagos, when the problem started. I just started losing my sight. At first, I felt it would pass quickly, like something that corrective glasses would remedy. I had planned to quickly return to my studies,” Christopher began his cheerless story, though in a cheerful and clear tone.

    He did not write the exams. He lost his sight completely to ‘the silent thief of sight,’ Glaucoma.

    But that was just the beginning of his life crisis.

    “Before long, I could not recognise people again; I could not differentiate colours, and going out became a serious issue. I visited several hospitals, specialists, and spiritual homes. At a point, my mother moved me to Calabar, Cross River State for spiritual cleansing and healing, all to no avail.”

    Thereafter, his fate was sealed and he came back to Lagos to be locked-up for six years, living like a prisoner in his own home. “I became an embarrassment to my parents, siblings, and friends. They all abandoned me, but for my mum, who stood by me and looked out for me at all times.”

    For the blind, lonesome teenager, living a life of a social outcast affected him, so much so that he contemplated suicide several times.

    ‘It was a better option for me,” he confided. “My friends left me. Even my father and church members deserted me. My siblings didn’t have my time. So what was there to live for?” Christopher asked rhetorically.

    To compound his woes, he lost his only friend and helper, his mum, in a ghastly auto accident along Benin-Ore road; and that aggravated his desire to end it all, until his pastor stepped in.

    “If not for my pastor, who brought me to Bethesda after I broke out of the house, I would have committed suicide because she was the only one I had. It was at BHB that I regained my sanity and began to live life to the fullest again.”

    Christopher’s tale however paled significantly when compared with that of Ibadan-born Tunde Olatunji, 36, who came into BHB three years ago. He is now a trainer in the house and earns a stipend to keep himself and his family of four- wife and three children together.

    Interestingly, Olatunji could see perfectly for the first 26 years of his life. He qualified as a driver after obtaining his Primary and Secondary School certificates. “At first, I was driving a Professor in Ibadan; then I left him to drive a commercial bus. I was doing well. I met my wife and we got married in 2001 and God blessed us with three children in quick succession.”

    The Olatunji family was enjoying a great life and working towards a brighter one, when his sight became the central issue and their world came crashing.

    “This blindness started like child’s play in 2005. I would wake up in the morning and would not be able to see anything for some seconds. Gradually it became worse and when I got to the hospital, it was attributed to cataract. My parents and wife stood by me. A lot of money was spent to get my sight back, but it was no use. I went totally blind and darkness became my companion,” Olatunji lamented.

    As breadwinner, he could not afford to give in or sit still. For seven years without his eyesight, he ventured into menial jobs to keep food on the table. “We were hoping for solution, but all my friends and family members deserted; except for my wife and brother. So I had to go out and do something to fend for my family.”

    He commenced with general house cleaning. “My wife and I helped people clean their houses and later we started carrying blocks at building sites. Both of us would carry the block and my wife would lead me. I stopped after I fell into a well and the contractor drove us away. I also tried my hands at farming. I weeded other people’s farms for money and in 2010, I went into animal rearing.”

    Two years later, he enrolled at Bethesda Home. “It is here that I learned how to read and right again, and today I am teaching others and also earning money to feed my family.”

    In BHB, teachers and pupils live together. They know their ways around the one-story building and vast compound. Aside learning, they have also formed such a strong bond that inspires great comradeship. They do all things together and yet, individually. “Here, we wash our cloth, dry it, iron it; we also cook and clean our room and surroundings.” Olatunji revealed.

    Glaucoma also claimed the vision of Miss Ifeanyi Ukwueze, who hails from Enugu. In her 20s, she went blind in 2007, leading to a halt in her schooling.

     “For six years, I was moved from one hospital to the other and had to stop schooling because my parents did not have the financial muscle to register me at any of the special schools for the blind. It was not easy. I felt abandoned by everyone – my family and society. I was incarcerated for many years and only go out at night to bath. I would be in that room for days, made to urinate and defecate there. It was when I came here (BHB) on November 6, 2013, that I got my life back. I can read and write now. I have completed my Joint Examination Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations, and right now, I’m studying for WAEC.

    More tales of sorrow

    From one student to the other, the tales were similar and reeked of their losses and abandonment by parents, siblings, friends, religious institutions and society. They were also lace with suicidal tendencies.

    Christopher recalled his fear and frustration as a prisoner in his home.

    “To be alone in a room for a long time is about the worst thing that can happen to a blind person. When you are outside, the sun will shine into your eyes, and that makes you feel alive. But when you are holed up in a room, it is as if there is a cloud of fog around you.”

    Samuel Olusegun Dabiri suffered emotional stress growing up, leading to anger, frustration and suicidal trend. He lost his sight when he was barely four, after a bout of measles. Through no fault of his, poor handling of the sickness by his parents, who were torn apart by marital misunderstanding, robbed him of his right to happiness.

    “In 1996, I developed measles around the time my parents had a quarrel and my mother left home. That contributed to my blindness because while I was in the hospital undergoing treatment, my mother came and took me away and I missed my appointments for months. I did not get back to the hospital until after three months and by then, it was already too late. Thereafter, my mother dumped me for 10 years.”

    By the time Samuel entered teenage years, he had become distraught with life, and always fighting.

    “I used to be very rough and angry. Little things made me angry and I could stay without talking to anyone for days on end. Life meant nothing to me and I did things without caring for others or myself. I was hot-tempered and tried taking my life more than once but God did not allow my plans to work.”

    A complex world

    The world of the blind is complex and they suffer psychological and emotional challenges aside the physical that others can see.

    Christopher, Ifeanyi, Samuel, and Mrs. Chioma Ohakwe, who are the brain and brawn behind Bethesda Home for the Blind, attest to this.

    According to Christopher, the first challenge a visually impaired person faces is fear.

    “Fear is a hindrance. The fear that you can knock your head on something if you venture to go out; fear that you will be knocked down by a car or other moving objects. But once you conquer that fear, it is the beginning of living again.”

     “I conquered fear when I started sneaking out of our house. Sometimes, I would pay a person to just take me out and bring me back home. I would find my way to Church and stay there listening to inspiring words from men of God or music. That was when I began to reflect again. From there I learned to play musical instruments and then my pastor told me about Bethesda. I came here and met new opportunities, new friends and could even go out on my own. I now know how to read and write through Braille and will soon be writing my WAEC exams. I can also play all kind of drums, lead guitar and bass guitar.”

    Samuel on his part says blind persons suffer negative complex, which makes them give in to blind frustration. It also makes them vulnerable to mood swings, such as anger, frustration and suicide. But he advised that ‘they should rather have blind fate in living life to the fullest, in spite of their handicap.’

    “As I talk with you, I have done my JAMB and scored over 200. I am getting ready for WAEC. I hope to study Sociology at the University of Lagos and that is all I live for now. I see myself in the near future, working, having a family, and living well. I have conquered my anger, rough manners, and hot temper. Chioma (as they call the BHB director) has taught us that hot temper means destruction. In addition, I am learning handcraft and music. Out there, life was difficult, and coming from a semi-polygamous home did not help too. At a point, my father felt that he could not spend money on my condition, forgetting that life is about trying repeatedly. He also stopped my schooling on the basis that I am useless to the society. Today, I know better because I have a lot to offer my world. My mentors are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King (Jnr.), Oprah Winfry, and others who believe in touching the lives of others and bringing change.”

    Ifeanyi firmly believes that illiteracy, shallow-mindedness and poverty is a big challenge and offers education and vocational training as the liberation path.

    “Before I came to Bethesda, my condition was hopeless. I had stopped schooling. It was at BHB that I learnt Braille and how to read and write. Our educational materials are expensive, yet we don’t pay for anything. We have two music teachers, and I can sing well. Education is key to life and I can tell you that I am happy to be alive because I can dream of a great life ahead of me.”

    Chioma, as the Home director is called, corroborated her students’ opinion with vivid illustrations. She says blind people are highly suicidal and suffer emotional stress, hence their handlers need to be patient and learn to love and care for them. “Many of them have planned to kill themselves many times. They dread been alone than any other thing. They are also hot-tempered and moody. Often time, they have mood swings. They can get up in foul mood and begin to react to little things, leading to arguments and physical fights. Most of the time, it is not because anybody did something to them; it’s just that they are thinking about their lives and condition, which regularly gets to them. You have to understand, calm them down, and talk to them.”

    She added; “Most of the time, parental and sibling support is missing in their lives. One of them lost his mum and she was the only one there for him; he almost killed himself. His church brought him here and his father has never been here to see him. I don’t know his father.”

    “The society is also not kind to them. For example, I met a blind young man named Gideon in a village in the Eastern part of the country. This man was dumped at the outskirt of the village to live in improvised shelter like a mad person. When I saw him, he was as a mad person, totally neglected, and had been nursing acute malaria for a long time. I brought him back to Lagos and when we got him to a hospital, they rejected him as near dead. It took five pints of blood and two days to get him into shape for treatment. When he was okay and responding to treatment, we took him to an eye specialist where he underwent operation and today he can see. He is now a responsible citizen of this country and married with kids. The operation cost only N15, 000.00 and that young man suffered greatly because of the way we treat our blind folks.”

    Ignorance and poverty, as major causes

    After interviewing a cross section of people living with this disability, it became apparent that over 99 percent of blind people in Nigeria were not born blind.

    For instance, a blend of negligence, poverty, and medical ignorance led to Samuel’s everlasting plunge into darkness. As a child suffering from measles, he could not do anything for himself, but his parents could have done something.

    According to a medical review released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014, while measles is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, and is the cause of over 40 percent of blind children in these regions; effective vaccines and method have been put in place to reduce and check its spread.

    The report reads in part, “The cornea, the front transparent layer of the eye, requires vitamin A to work. The retina, which is the back layer of the eye that receives visual images (like the film in a camera), also requires vitamin A in order to see at night. A measles infection can reduce the levels of vitamin A that the body needs for normal health. As a result, during a measles episode, a child can develop ulcers in the cornea, which makes it hard for them to see at night. The result is “a devastating loss of vision and blindness.”

    It adds; “Countries with vaccination programs for measles have reduced the problem of widespread eye disease and it is recommended that children in developing countries who contract measles receive two doses of vitamin A supplements a day apart. Vitamin A supplements have been shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50 percent.”

    Therefore, simple Vitamin A dosage, a cheap and regular across-the-counter prescription in Nigeria, would have restored their son’s failing sight. Samuel is today, rock blind.

    At other time, early surgery, which goes for as little as N15, 000.00 and N25, 000.00 could have saved a sufferer from eternal dusk. This is mostly so in cases of people suffering from cataract, which is the better of the twin-evil; the other being glaucoma. This is because, while cataract is more prevalent in Nigeria and can be detected easily, there is established and proven cure for it, but for glaucoma, it comes like a thief in the night and cure is more or less at infant stage.

    Medical challenges

    According to former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and leading health consultant, Prof Akin Osibogun, cataract is the most common cause of blindness in Nigeria with 1 percent of the population, about 1.5milion living with the curable disease.

    “Cataract is responsible for 30  60% of partial and complete blindness in the country, so a great deal of blindness prevention activity should center on cataract surgery, if we are to clear out the cataract back log.”

    Yet, it is avertable with routine check up and careful handling of the eye. Prof. Osibogun advised regular check of the eyes from qualified ophthalmologist. “When you are above 30 or 35, there is need to check your eyes regularly because some regenerating changes start occurring from the age of 35. Children should not be slapped on the eyes because when you do they might develop cataract later in life.”

    He also affirmed that surgery remains the best option for treatment of cataract.

    Ophthalmologists; Josephine N. Ubah, Micheline A. Isawumi and, Caroline O. Adeoti in a paper presented after research on cataract sufferers in Osun State, also confirmed the prevalent rate of cataract incident in Nigeria. They admitted that it is curable by surgery.

    Thankfully, Osibogun says the federal government as well as some state governments has taken positive actions to bring down the cost of surgery to a bearable level of between N15, 000.00 and N25, 000.00.

     “In 2013, only 106 cataract surgeries were performed in the 24 months reviewed by this team in Osun state and this is like a drop in the ocean when you consider the number of people on awaiting list.” Of course, a greater number of them are children and the elderly.

    “Though, free and highly subsidized cataracts surgeries are becoming a regular practice in Nigeria, despite this practice, many people continue to turn out blind from cataract, either in one or both eyes. Through interview-assisted questionnaires, a descriptive study was carried out among cataract blind patients who turned up for cataract surgery during an eye camp. About 1570 persons were screened. Of this number, 297 were found to have cataract with visual acuity of 6/60 or worse. 167 were bilaterally blind. Questionnaire was administered to the 297 persons. Complete information was obtained from 211 of the respondents. Cost of surgery was the greatest cause of delay in uptake of cataract surgery in 171 (81%) persons. Ignorance in18 persons followed this. Therefore, the current study has identified cost as the greatest cause of delay of cataract operation in Osun State of Nigeria. This seems to be the general trend in the other parts of the country where this type of study has been conducted.”

    The good thing here, according to Prof Osibogun, is that cataract surgery is near 100 percent effective and a patient can regain his or her sight almost immediately. “The technique to be used involves removing the cataract and putting the artificial lens and the person will be able to see almost immediately.”

    Gloucoma

    While cataract is curable, no form of effective treatment has been established for glaucoma otherwise known as ‘the silent thief of sight.’

    Dr. Chigozie Onyesonwu, an expert optometrist observed that “There is no cure for glaucoma yet, except through surgery. Aside surgery, the patient can be placed on medication to manage the condition. The drugs would be taken throughout a patient’s lifetime. Improved awareness and better perception can however positively influence the accuracy of the eye health education messages glaucoma patients share and are key to the development of a positive outlook. A positive outlook can motivate patients to ensure that family members undergo glaucoma screening regularly, thereby enhancing prompt diagnosis and reducing the risk of blindness.”

    Bethesda Home for the Blind

    This, according to Mrs. Chioma Ohakwe, is where Bethesda home for the blind comes in. “To live with blindness is not easy. It takes away your right to live and your freedom to associate. It is like living the life of a social outcast. Sadly, our society feels that way about blind people. They therefore need love and support of everyone. That is what we are providing in BHB.”

    She revealed that fate and love entrusted with this calling.

    “After the Nigerian civil war, the Eastern part of this country where I was born and living with my family, was plagued with general poverty and diseases. Many people went blind due to measles infection and malnutrition and it affected two of my brothers and my husband’s sister. Blindness became a permanent feature in our environment because virtually every family had at least one member suffering from it. A special school for the blind was thereafter established at Ogiri River, Enugu, where my brothers and sister-in-law attended. When we got married, the three of them moved in with us. Sometimes they would bring their friends and our house will be packed with blind people.”

    It was during those encounters that she developed deep love and interest in visually impaired and completely blind people. “I began to observe them. No matter what you give them, I realised that they do not like to be left alone. I also observed the way some families treat their own blind folks like social outcasts. Some families do not even want neighbours to know that they have blind people in their household, so they lock them up in the house. Some even give them bucket to urinate and defecate in while they are out, so they don’t have to come out of their rooms. They only come out in the night to

  • iREP 2015: Film journey into Africa’s richness

    iREP 2015: Film journey into Africa’s richness

    It was art. It was culture and tourism. It was Africa and Africa in Diaspora in self-dialogue. Like its four previous  editions, the just-concluded 2015 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival (iREP) was a mega film feast of Africa’s richness. It sought to reinvent documentary filmmaking in the wake of digital media technology.  Evelyn Osagie reports.

    As the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in the United States (US) came to a close recently and the world looks forward to Hot Docs in Canada, Visions de Reel in Switzerland and Encounters, a South African International Documentary Film Festival, the just-concluded iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival (iREP) at Freedom Park, Lagos, would not be forgotten in a hurry.

     

    Building passionate growing audience for documentary films

    Half-a-decade ago, when Femi Odugbemi and his team set forth to host the first iREPRESENT Documentary Film Festival (iREP), they had thought to create a platform where the best documentary films from across the globe could be enjoyed. Little did they know that it would grow to become a major factor for growing the film genre across the continent.

    Today, like other film festivals across the world, what began as a passionate idea has not only shown that documentary has the power to create conversations, and highlight issues, it can bring diverse experiences and travel around history and cultures. “Over the past five years the festival has screened over 350 (full length, mid-length and short) films of diverse styles, languages and themes from over 40 countries of the world,” iREP co-founder, Odugbemi, declared at this year opening.

    He continued: “In the last four years, iREP has trained close to 200 young and upcoming filmmakers in the art of documentary film making and has built a passionate and growing audience for documentary films that are entertaining, impactful, penetrating and enlightening. We have formed an army of young filmmakers, who understand the form and are focusing on documentary as a creative platform of expression and intervention, and constructed platforms for training and skill development in the art of documentary via our workshops and conferences, especially for young filmmakers.”

     

    Reinventing documentary films in electronic age

    With the theme, reinventing documentary filmmaking in a digital space, it was apparent that the organisers had woken up to the fresh realities of the new age digital. In the bid to finding strategies to navigate the blurred lines criss-crossing and satisfying the ever changing mood of the digital world, these were the concerns explored by different films screened, presentations panel discussions and producers’ roundtable.

    For Odugbemi, digital technology presents a challenge and an opportunity to documentary filmmaking, observing that documentaries are personal and too important to be left in the hands of institutions. Such challenge and opportunity, he said, should be creatively and positively harnessed, adding that: “the thrust for a post-modernist self-aware documentary film culture must find a space for itself in the digital agenda and marry creative storytelling with timelessness of issues that are yearning to be told”.

    Speaking on New Values for Audience Development in a Digital Space, the Managing Director of Multichoice Nigeria Limited, Mr John Ugbe, said audience in the digital age is open to two screens that involve screen for watching content and giving feedback to the content provider on social media platforms.  He observed that quality content was paramount in the digital space, stating that a bad story remains a bad story.  He added that even with top-notch technical quality, if a story was not compelling, it would not make the desired impact.

    Importance of Digital Documentary and Citizen Journalism, which are currently trending on the social media, formed discourse at the session chaired by Prof Femi Shaka. The platform, the professor said, makes it possible for people to tell their version of stories in their society, saying Citizen Journalism is targeted at reforming the process of documenting events and history in a way that does not necessarily competes with professional journalists.

     

    Screening Africa to world screen

    Screening over 40 films curated around themes and issues in Africa, the four-day festival featured films addressing diverse thematic pre-occupations from United States (US), South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom (UK), Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Germany, Cuba, Canada, France, Nigeria, and more. This eclectic selection, the organiser said, was deliberate. “Our goal is to prepare the participants for the opportunities of digital filmmaking in a broad sense. We believe that Documentary filmmakers must become more flexible and invent new ways of telling stories across multiple platforms and immersive formats,” the organiser said.

    The 40-minute documentary film, Olu Amoda: A Mettalic Journey, which celebrates artist and academic Olu Amoda, gave iREP’s audience an audio-visual chronicle of his metallic mission in expounding the language of sculptural expression. Teaming up with a young filmmaker, Joel Benson, veteran filmmaker and photographer, Tam Fiofori, explores the creative and expansive journey of Nigeria’s award-winning artist, Olu Amoda, as principally a metal artist for more than three decades.

    It also examined how he has chosen specific metal-materials for their shapes, textures and properties; and finds and uses objects to give them artistic relevance and infuses them with new meaning.

    It was not the first time the duo would be celebrating and documenting the life and work of one of remarkable Nigerian artists. Their 30-minute documentary, J. D. Okhai Ojeikere: Master Photographer was screened at iREP 2013. Both documentaries are akin to Annigoni: Portrait of an Artist (1995) Ai Weiwei Never Sorry (2012) and Beauty is Embarrassing (2012), three documentary films about the life and works of Italian portrait painter Pietro Annigoni, nonconforming Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and American experimental puppeteer, Wayne White.

    Katlehong (Life in Progress) by Irene Loebell tells the story of members of Taxido, a dancing group by dancer and choreographer Jerry Bongai Zwane. The 95-minute documentary zeros into the lives of three members of the group – Venter, Seipati and Tshidiso – spanning three years. The audience were drawn into the worlds of the trio full of dreams, hope, struggles and mistakes.

    “Life doesn’t end with a HIV-positive diagnosis” is the focus of Positively Beautiful by Diveena Cooppan screened during the festival. The documentary focuses on the lives of five South Africans – Ntuthu, Nomfundo, Thembi, Khaya and Zanana – living with HIV. It documents the determination to live their lives to fullest.

    Using the Haitian earthquake of  January 12, 2010 as a backdrop, the documentary, Poverty Inc. directed by Michael Matheson Miller, tells a captivating researched story of the consequences that follow donations in cash and kind often made to disaster victims by international NGOs, agencies and governments, especially when such aids are their only lifeline. It shows how such intervention cripples the costs of locally-produced Haitian’s goods, while advocating advocates that people be empowered instead of giving them hand-outs.

    The documentary travelogue, Badagry: A Journey Back in Time, transported the audience to the ancient town and its diverse historical sites. Directed by photographer and broadcaster, Wome Uyeye, the documentary trails a bus-load of Nigerian tourists on a daylong excursion to Badagry.

    Rwandan-German filmmaker, Lukas Augustin’s Unforgiven questions man’s ability to forgive those who have harmed him. The 75-minute documentary spotlights the Rwandan genocide. It conveys the story of the aftermath of genocide, including efforts made to reconcile victims. The audience travels back through the eyes of witnesses, sharing their pains and emotions.

    A Vote for A Goat by Jeroen Velzen, tells the story of three Kenyan students – Harry, Said and Magdalene – competing for Majaoni Secondary School’s top position. Each is convinced that getting the position would better his/her lot. For Harry, getting the position will some way better his family’s lot. Said is convinced her triumph would boost his self-confidence and ambition to go into the military and Magdalene feels winning would impact the female students’ population.

     

    Night of awards

    The festival also featured awards presentation to Prof Niyi Coker; Prof Awam Amkpa;International partner from Germany, Barbel Mauch, Manager of Freedom Park, Iyabo Abaoba; Jahman Anikulapo; Charles Okolo of The Guardian newspaper; Lolu Durojaiye and Eustace Estaghara, among others.  There were also training/workshops, involving a two-tier documentary filmmaking course on “telling” and “distributing” your story in the digital space.

  • Munchies, excursion frills for culture journalists

    Munchies, excursion frills for culture journalists

    With the proposed Greenfield Port and Free Zone capable of being catalyst for the country’s growth for the next 100 years, Badagry is becoming a major economic nerve centre. But its wealth goes deeper than the proposed project. The ancient town is also rich in history. It is a major tourism destination. These, journalists found out during a three-day workshop hosted by the British Council, Nigeria.Evelyn Osagie,  a participant, writes.

    It was a journey back in time to a sunny day in 2014. The destination was a famous Seaport in the export of slaves to the Americas, which has since become the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated Slave Trade Route.

    The tour guide was the CNN award-winning travel journalist and author, Pelu Awofeso. He talked about ancient buildings and monuments that dated back to the 15th Century. He spoke of slave cells; of slavery chains and of other artifacts made and used during the trans-atlantic slave trade era of the 16th Century; of wells dug in the 17th Century and of journey to the “Point of no Return”.

    You could call it a voyage to the famous tourist’s town. But Awofeso, the founder  @TravelNextDoor, called it, Badagry: A Journey Back in Time, a documentary on a daytrip to the prehistoric town that first premiered at the just-concluded iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival (iREP) at Freedom Park, Lagos.

    The casts were a busload of tourists. The audience was 30 culture journalists from across the country. The viewing centre was the Goethe Institut, Lagos.

    Directed by photographer and broadcaster, Wome Uyeye, the documentary trails a busload of Nigerian tourists on a daylong excursion to Badagry.

    Since the late 19th Century, virtual tourism or travel documentary, were used to provide the general public with means of observing different countries and cultures. Awofeso has not only succeeded in resuscitating the genre through the display of cinematic apparatus, open narration, live and recorded voice-over narration, he highlighted the importance of travels alongside the evils of slavery.

    It was a reception marking the end of the three-day British Council Workshop for culture journalists, hosted by the Institut. They had learnt and interacted with colleagues and facilitators for three days, it was time for them to unwind, the Director-General of the Institut, Marc-Andre Schmactel said.

     

    Drinks and frills for journalists

    With drinks and snacks in hands, guests sat and journeyed to the land of Badagry, back to the Slave Trade era.

    It was a week before the International Day of remembrance of victims of slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The mood was tense.

    A walk through the town revealed a vivid reflection of the place the town occupies in the tragic history of that era. The community prides itself of several slave trade museums, most of which are private, established by families whose forefathers were direct victims of slavery or collaborators of slave traders.

    The town and a good number of its prehistoric architectures, he said, have remained preserved largely by the efforts of the natives who have long been aware of the worth of their heritage, observing that it is an “untapped goldmine” waiting to be well-harnessed. Historic and tourism sites as Badagry seen as yesterday’s history, Awofeso called, “catalysts of today’s economic growth”, saying it is unfortunate such wealth have remained under-explored by government, corporate bodies and Nigerians.

     

    From Museum to Point of No Return

    From the Badagry Heritage Museum to the Brazillian Baracoon (slave-holding cells) located in the compound of a former slave dealer, Chief Seriki Faremi William Abass, the audience followed the tourists with keen interest. Their eyes stayed glued to the large screen the tourist moved to Vlekete Slave Market, then to the Agia Tree monument and the palace of the Akran of Badagry, HRM Aholu Menu Toyi 1.

    As the tourists went on a boat cruise across the Badagry lagoon to Gberefu Gberefu Island housing the “slaves spirit attenuation well”, known also as the “well of memory loss”, the audience sights did not waver. They journeyed with tourists on foot across the 2.5km distance of the original slave route, to the “Point of no Return”, passing the slaves spirit attenuation well believed to make slaves less aggressive and to lose their memories, then through the “Gate of No Return”, two arch-like polls signifying the slaves’ separation from their motherland that opens into the vast ocean.

    One look at the ocean, gives s general relief that such hideous act has been abolished, but on a second, the whole experience rekindles the need to fight against all forms of modern slavery, it was said.

    Just like the journalists’ three-day journey was ending with tourism cum film shindig, the excursion ended with a party where the tourist recounted their experiences of the day. It was observed that a trip to a prehistoric site as Badagry can not only be fun and cost-efficient, but highly educative and stimulating.

    For the tourist their day had ended but for the audience, the night party continued to the Afropolitan Vibes at Freedom Park they were first refused entry until the Goethe Director cautioned the gatekeepers against such action. Organisers of such shows at Freedom Park need to ensure journalists are not constantly harassed at gate while attending events at the park, it was observed.

  • Lisabi Festival: A unifying feast

    Lisabi Festival: A unifying feast

    The Alake Palace in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was agog with lots of cultural activities. This year’s celebration of Lisabi Festival drew crowds from home and abroad, TAIWO ABIODUN reports.

    The  guns boomed intermittently, shaking  the whole environment and announcing  that the Hunters had come to celebrate. Men and women gorgeously dressed danced and sang in excitement.

    Banners hung on the walls. Stickers of various sizes graced the seats bearing diverse names of groups and titles of those who had come to mark the celebration. Some read: “the Baales, Ogbonis”, “Market Women”, “Chiefs”, “Baloguns” and more.

    It was the day the Egba people all trooped out to celebrate their most honoured festival- Lisabi and all roads led to the Alake’s Palace in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

    For the Egba people, this year’s Lisabi festival, which was in its 29th edition, is one of the major festivals that unites them, irrespective of their party affiliations, religious convictions and political differences. They all gathered to celebrate their legend, Lisabi Agbongbo Akala.

    The festival is a yearly event to honour their progenitor, Lisabi, a warrior, who fought and rescued them from oppression in the 18th Century. During the festival, Egba indigenes at home and in the Diaspora, usually remember and celebrate his legacies.

    And to celebrate him, hunters, in excitement, shot sporadically into the air. Their shooting added spice to the celebration. The occasion was interesting as it gave the opportunity to showcase various types of Yoruba woven clothes, styles, and caps as most of them were in white flowing  agbada.

    Juju maestro, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi,  thrilled the crowd. As he sang the praise of ‘Lisabi  Agbongbo Akala’,  they danced, ate and drank assorted wines.

    The weeklong festival started with the booming of guns at the legendary Olumo Rock to be followed by the cleaning of the palace by the youths. Football competition also formed part of the festival at the late MKO Abiola Stadium. Gifts and scholarships were distributed.

    The festival was attended by the governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who doubled as the chief host, royal fathers such as the Osinle of Oke Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso;  Olowu of Owu Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu;  Olubara of Ibara and herbalists, among others.

     

    Long list of obeisance

    At the grand finale were over 20, 000 indigenes and spectators thronged the place from far and near to watch the great event. Gifts were offered, while market women brought all kinds of fruits, and raw foodstuff to honour the king.

    Here the Baales came to pay homage irrespective to their age- they all prostrated

    Groups wer called upon to greet the monarch. As they all went up to the podium to prostrate for the king, one could see different  Yoruba styles of caps, the Ogbonis with their paraphernalia, the Baales, Baloguns, among others.

    Again, the hunters had a field day. The whole place vibrated to its foundation and the sky went in smoke as they shot into the air.

    Speaking at the occasion, the Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga said: “Today,  Lisabi Festival is a vivid reminder of these heroic exploits, which over the years, have shaped Egba ethos and values. These values, which include  hard work, honesty, love, patriotism, selflessness, integrity and commitment  are legacies being kept alive for posterity by the Egba. I heartily celebrate with all Egba sons and daughters on the occasion of this year’s Lisabi Festival, which is the 29th edition and the fourth to be sponsored by Globacom.  Lisabi Festival has been used as a rallying point to articulate issues germane to the development of Egbaland  and it’s good people.”

    The Alake, who was highly elated, praised the people, urging them to love one another. Praying for the hero of the year’s family members, Ogunbona, and for the community members, the Alake said: “The Egbas are always first in everything in Nigeria with very healthy rivalries. We should honour our people, who contributed to our community. We honour those alive too, it is not until one dies or after the demise of a hero before he is honoured. “

    The arrival of Senator Amosu added colour to the day’s festival as he was hailed to high heavens while prayers were rained on him and the place almost turned into a political campaign rally as his supporters went into frenzy.

    The Agbaakin of Egbaland, who was the  Chairman of Lisabi Committee said: “Twenty-nine years ago when the founding fathers of Lisabi festival were planning the first edition, the idea of collective responsibility featured prominently. Every Egba forebears sung and unsung, held religiously to their collective responsibility to liberate Egbas from the shackles of the Oloyos and moved through thick and thin during which many lives were lost, up to the new settlement to Abeokuta we are proud of  now. That period witnessed high level demonstration of sincere affection for the peaceful co- existence of the Egbas by those people who had to take decisions that left no room for any mistake , at the risk of their own lives”

    High Chief Kunle Shoyoye, the Aro of Ilawo of Egbaland, was highly elated and praised not only the indigenes but also the Alake of Egbaland, “who has been consistently marking the festival and remembering our heroes”. “This festival  is interesting and we love it  for  it showcase our culture, not only this giving out awards and honoring people by the Egbas should be emulated and not only this one could see that unity is gradually coming to Yorubaland  generally and this is best for the Alake of Egbaland,” he said.

    Pa Adebayo Sofolahan said he was so much interested in the festival more than anybody. ” We  always celebrate  Hero of the year  which shows how  important a family is, how important an individual is in the town. It also shows that  people are watching you and your contributions  from youth.  It showed what you have done so far and when they look at everything together then they pick you as a hero,” he said.

     

    The making of a hero

    While celebrating the annual festival, each year a hero of the year is selected from a family in Egba as the “hero of the town for the year”. This year’s anniversary fell on the Agboketoyinbo’s family in Ikija, Abeokuta. Balogun Ogunbona Mosunleka Agboketoyinbo was  honoured because  of his predecessor’s contribution to Egbaland.

    The Alake of Egbaland was there to honour the family. He praised the family for the roles their forefather played as a brave man, who confronted the whites in Egbaland. A giant picture of the monarch was presented to him by the family in appreciation of the Alake.

    According to history, he was a prince-turned warlord with uncommon patriotism for his fatherland. He was said to have died in active service of the Egba nation at Olokemeji on the 18th of June, 1861 during the Ibadan/Ijaiye War. He had 26 wives all blessed with children.

     

    Agboketoyinbo mini museum

    On a visit to the family’s compound, there is a mini museum. Kept in the museum are his costumes and instruments of war. Among them are his ‘ Special Hat’, his Dane guns and fire arms. He reputed as the  first to use such fire arms between 1821 and 1825. Also, placed in the museum are his bag (a gift from the whites), containing charms, his cap which he was fond of wearing. It was said the leather bag soon became his most precious property. He was accused of not appreciating the traditional Yoruba cap and other paraphernalia of office because his cap was also not locally made. A play was performed by some artistes in remembrance of the historical Agboketoyinbo.

     

    The visit to Olumo Rock

    The third day, the Oba Alake visited the Olumo Rock with some Obas and chiefs and selected people. They went to the top of the rock to offer prayers and rent the Egba anthem.

    The grand finale saw the Alake going to the bush, which according to observers, only meant for very few and initiated people. According to an indigene, they went up there to pray to the gods, and this is compulsory.

  • Jega is a victim of circumstance

    Jega is a victim of circumstance

    Frontline artist and former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Tola Wewe  shares with Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME on his studio life and why he rarely handles commissioned painting,  among other issues.  

    What is your studio work schedule like? How many hours do you spend in the studio daily?

    My day starts with a cup of coffee with some peanuts at about 7.30 am while I read some pages from a book or periodicals after which I move straight into my studio since I work from home.

    Sometimes, the day’s works are predetermined; most of the time however, I submit to handling what appeals to the moods of the day since I usually have several pieces in progress at any given time.

    I work long hours, the longest being 12 hours with about 1 hour break in between to have lunch and pray. Although I spend like 11 hours of physical work, I also commit some hours later at night to reading and other studio related activities.

    I do not work beyond 7.00 pm because I work mostly with power tools and I hate to disturb my neighbours who would have gotten back from work around that time otherwise, I would have loved working late at night. On most days I spend at least 10 hrs painting.

    What are you working on currently; exhibition or commission works?

    I simply work. I rarely do commissioned works. Most of my works go for exhibitions. A lot are also sold on completion by my clients.

    How many works are you working on concurrently and why?

    I am currently working on 4 paintings. I don’t have any special reason for that. I am just expressing myself.

    Of all the media, which one do you find challenging to handle and why?

    I haven’t thought of a special challenge I have with any medium. I simply use the ones I find convenient.  I use mainly, oil, acrylic and at times pen/ink.  I used to do a lot of commissioned portraits. I hardly do this these days. I am too busy with what I now do.

    In your personal collections of your own paintings, are there works you will never part with? If yes, what is the attachment to the work?

    I have several works in my personal collection.  I am not thinking of not partying with any of them. After all, I will die one day and leave them behind.

    Some artists are looking outside the regular materials to achieve their dream work. Are you in that frame of mind too?

    I guess you are talking about using materials other than regular ones like paints and brushes. I am a bit conservative when talking about materials. I belong to the old school.

    As a seasoned artist, what is the relevance of art movements or guilds to the growth of art practice?

    Guilds and movements in art practice add more to creative industry. They do this in terms of style. They also do in terms of techniques. They make pleasant contributions.

    Considering the many debates on different national issues in politics and economy, how has the visual artists fared in contributing or adding his or her voice to the talk?

    Artists generally make social comments with their works. How much impact these comments have made on our society, I don’t know. But no socio political issue goes untouched by artists. Poverty, corruption, decayed infrastructures, and very recently, Boko Haram are issues that are loudly expressed on canvases by our artists.

    Until very recently, Jega was largely praised by our politicians. The atmosphere is now charged. The ruling party is scared. The opposition party is getting confident.  Jega becomes a victim of the present circumstance. Jega is doing his best. And we should allow him. We have never had it this good.

  • Educating the public on socio-cultural, religious tolerance

    Educating the public on socio-cultural, religious tolerance

    heritage

    Recent years have seen the emergence of best practices in every field of human endeavour and museology as a field has not been left out. Initiatives over the last three decades across the world have sought to reposition museums at the heart of their communities as agents of social inclusion and civil engagements, while still serving as cultural mediators to its visitors from various parts of the community. The National Museums of Nigeria number about forty five with at least one museum situated in each of the 36 States in the country. Also, these museums are under a parent body known as the National Commission for Museums & Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria. The mission statement of the commission is hinged on the collection, documentation and preservation of Nigeria’s tangible and intangible heritage

    Nigeria being a multi ethnic nation with an extremely rich cultural heritage, these museums strive to ensure best practices  with the following responsibilities: exploration,collection, care and preservation of antiquities and works of art from the country, regulations and issuance of export permits, prohibited transfers to check illegal exportation, museum educational and outreach programmes etc.

     

    Icom’s definition of museum

    The International Council of Museum (ICOM) defines museum as a permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.

    Many decades ago, 19th and 20th centuries, to be precise, museums were contended to serve a small, selected audience with their programmes focusing on collections, scholarly and professional activities. The primary responsibility of the old style museum, at that time, was to its collections, not its visitors.  Museums were just about the material they contain, acquiring these objects (where they can) keeping them and making them available to whoever wants to see them.

    However, over half a century now, there has been a shift in museum focus from these traditional roles to serving audiences. Today, museums are not only reaching out to a larger audience, they are also designing proactively the arrangements and services which will generate satisfaction and positive outcomes for their visitors.

    This is the new museology and Nigerian museums cannot be left out of this very rewarding trend.

     

    Museology in the 21st century. The new museology and the Nigerian Museum

    Following the transformations sweeping over the museum world, the widening roles and expectations within cultural and heritage sectors have been a challenge to museum workers throughout Nigeria and beyond.  Museum functions and roles have been reshaped from the old to new museology.

    This new trend accentuates museums, their collections and exhibitions as   both   products and agents of social change presenting museums themselves as important social institutions. While literature and theory assume that a single mission should guide a museum’s role in society, national museums in Nigeria are operating as community service museums and by so doing, they try to fulfill a number of different purposes useful and desired by the communities, even beyond the purpose stated in their missions.

    Like their counterparts in other parts of the world, Nigerian museums presently are seeking ways to reach a broader public, forge community ties and compete effectively with other providers of leisure and educational activities.

    This endeavour is aimed at promoting and encouraging the active participation and collaboration between the museums and the public.

    Each year, several programmes are organised around themes that help these communities to diagnose their problems and offer solutions.  These programmes, which come in form of exhibition and other educational and outreach programmes tackle issues bordering on religious tolerance, security, health, poverty alleviation, skills acquisition, youth and women empowerment, curbing violence and terrorism, social injustice, crime and social exclusion etc.

    Several temporary exhibitions are ongoing presently in museums across the 36 states of the country.  The exhibitions have various themes often accentuating on the oneness of the Nigerian people.  For instance, the NCMM has successfully commissioned two out of  the four proposed ‘Unity Museums’ meant to showcase objects which preaches unity of the Nigerian nation after the civil war.

    The theme of the main exhibition at the National Museum of Unity Enugu focuses on national unity, showcasing the similarities in the cultures of the diverse people of the country. Some of the objects on display have similar names, functions and embody the values and ideas of a group or a people, even though they were collected from different locations.

    At the National Museum Lagos, the exhibition, “Nigerian Art in the Cycle of Life” is one of the five exhibitions currently running.  This exhibition talks about the art of Nigeria as being functional and having a purpose in the life of the Nigerian from birth to death.  Similarities in cultures, traditions, architecture, religion are also highlighted.  In some cases, it is discovered that certain people migrated from the same place and that certain communities are only continuities of some other communities.

    There are several other exhibitions which cannot be mentioned here due to space constraint but worthy of mention is that almost every National Museum in the country makes available its space for collaborations either with individuals or groups in order to promote local awareness and address issues which have become a challenge to the nation.

    Community service through promoting national agendas, outreaches and involvement in educational activities have become the order of the day with these museums.  For example, programmes have been designed to encourage the physically challenged.  The Long holiday Progamme for school children has been a vibrant and continuous one in museums such as Abeokuta, Lagos, Kaduna, Minna, Owerri to mention a few.  These programmes help to develop the talents of our young ones and also in empowering them as young adults. There are prison outreaches too designed to help the inmates in learning skills that could help them become useful in the society and giving them “another chance” in life.  There are several other programmes which are positively engaging especially for children, youth and women.

    Each year, ICOM comes out with a theme for the IMD which holds May 18 of every year.  In the past 10 years, these themes have been focusing on how museums can help fight intolerance, insecurity, violence and empower the people,  etc.  The museums in Nigeria have been actively involved in making use of these themes to develop people oriented programmes that suit their communities, building inter ethnic relations.

    In year 2000, ICOM came out with this theme for the International Museum Day-Museums for Peace & Harmony in Society, 2005-Museums bridging cultures, 2008-Museums. Agents of social change & development, 2011 – Museums for Social Harmony, 2012 – Museums in a changing world. New challenges, New inspirations, 2014-Museum Collection Make connections.  In 2015 ICOM has come up with another inspiring theme- Museums for a sustainable society. These themes point to the fact that stakeholders in the heritage sector, especially within the museum domain have seen the need for museums to be actively engaged in making the world a better place.

     

    Nigerian Museums in communities within the context of the new museology

    The answer to this question is definitely a YES. Our national museums need to do more not only in theory, but also in practice.  They need to strive to be all things to all people within their communities.  But, they cannot do this alone.  The boundaries which once separated the museums from the people should begin to blur or completely break down.

    In practical terms, the new museology, first and foremost should be linked to the values held by Museum workers themselves and then, how their values can be related to their activities at the ground level.  After all, charity they say, begins at home. This is an essential task that will take a lot of commitment. However, reflecting the direction museums should be taking in the 21st century, it can only be achieved if there is a change of culture across the profession.

    Mainstreaming museums and its activities into school curriculum will go a long way in the effective implementation of the new museology.  Presently, some states have already adopted this into their primary and secondary schools’ curriculum.  Total adoption by the 36 states will be more effective.

    Aside from mainstreaming, establishment of children’s museums by the commission is another strategy. Such museums provide exhibits and programmes to stimulate informal learning experiences for children.  Unlike in traditional museums where objects are caged and kept away from visitors, children museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be manipulated by children. These exhibits will d activities that will be both educational and instructional, especially in early childhood.

    The establishment of museums of tolerance in the country will be another added advantage. To start with, they could be built in the six geopolitical zones of the federation.

    These museums will be helpful in promoting the ideals of universal tolerance and respect.  It will give visitors a better understanding of the history of our people as well as an appreciation of the need to protect our shared values that are vital to our common future.  Such museums will be an important contribution to the Unity of the Nigerian people.

    With very well designed and articulated programmes, these museums, no doubt will help to promote tolerance, ease inter ethnic tensions , tolerance of religion, race, gender, ethnicity among others..The museums should utilize modalities such as organized exhibitions, concerts, literature publication and seminars, posters and videos etc.

    Such programmes will teach both adults and children the cultures of the various peoples of the country, thereby becoming a model of understanding and coexistence among all religion.

    For our children, visits to such centers will help them learn that words are powerful. That words can be used to build a better society and that their behaviours can have a strong impact on their communities and the world.

    These values of tolerance and the respect for human rights are so important, yet so endangered in these turbulent times.  Our museums must now be at the fore front of inculcating what it is that we as a people really want to see develop in our country.

    We should begin to send messages of tolerance and patience to the Nigerian people through our programmes.  Already such museums exist in Los Angeles, Jerusalem, Moscow, New York etc.

    Having made the above observations, it will be a more difficult task, if museum workers and the government are left alone in the attainment of these remarkable endeavour.  There is need for individuals, corporate and public participation. Public/Private Partnership should be encouraged as a part of this initiative.  The private sector can assist in financing such projects. Individuals and groups should come in as volunteers in carrying out museum programmes for the benefit of all. These are all the parts that make the New Museology. A museum is made up of 3 basic components, a building, the collection and the public, the new museology, however, preaches that the museum can actually be All things to All people. This is another in the series of wake up calls.

     

    •Mrs Aharanwa works at National Museum, Abeokuta.