Category: Arts & Life

The role of women cannot be over emphasised critics have said at the presentation of The 100 Unsung Heroines in Lagos.

The project, which was initiated by a young artist, Bayo Omoboriowo, seeks to celebrate and support women, who are touching lives and effecting change in their homes and the environment.

The star-studded unveiling of project drew dignitaries including the wife of the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Pamela Schmoll; the Senior Economic Advisor, Open Society Foundations, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili; Former President, Nigerian Traller Operators Association and Chief Executive Officer, Morbod Fisheries Limited, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi; Mrs Olufunmilayo Tejuosho; Osayi Oruene, Modupe Adefeso-Olateju and music sensation, Waje, among others.

Project was launched to commemorate Nigeria’s centenary and the 2014 International Women’s Day, the organisers said.

Regoe Lovefans Alfredo-Durugo was one of the 100 Unsung Heroines that was celebrated for her input in the education of children in Makoko slum and its environs, Lagos.

Dr Ezekwesili, who gave the keynote address, described women as the “bedrock of economic growth of any given nation which must not be disregarded”, adding that their contributions to the development of every society, nation and sector play important roles, although huge, often times go unnoticed and unrewarded.

She said: “Research has proven that in a community where women earn income, more children go to school and fewer children are affected by disservices”.

She praised Omoboriowo initiative, saying countries that understand the importance of individuals the wake of developments never ignore the women folk. “That is why I am delighted that through this project our women, whether educated or not educated will understand that they have accomplished greatness because women made up of this list of 100Unsung Heroines are amazing women, their accomplishments is not by any stretch of imagination diminished by the accomplishment of any other woman. In celebrating these one hundred women, I want you to know that what you are actually doing is celebrating your mothers. Many of our mothers will never get the opportunity to be seen for what they have done and yet they have done incredible things,” she said.

Ezekwesili spoke on the importance of educating a girl child, observing that it will help not just in transferring them into human capital. “When women are able to make decision effectively, it has a very collateral positive effect.”

Omoboriowo said women like Alfredo-Durugo, who break their backs everyday for their nation and families in order to provide food and quality good education for their wards, are “the Unsung Heroines”.

“By January this year, our great nation Nigeria became 100 years old. Our women have contributed immensely to the nation’s socio-economic development and have increasingly become vocal and active in initiatives and efforts to influence and shape the formulation of progressive policies. Many of these women have unique stories of their journey to survival and success.

“Using the women of Nigeria in the informal sector as a case study, this project aims to highlight the unique role the women play in the everyday development of our nation as they go about their daily activities. We are on a trip to project the unparalleled energy and resilient spirit of a select portion of the Nigerian women in the informal sector making a difference in their own way thereby birthing a better nation to the world,” Omoboriowo said.

Inspired by a woman at Mushin market, who sells soft drinks by the roadside to educate her children abroad, whom he had met while looking for Nigerian women with intriguing stories, Omoboriowo said: “I was surprised; and more determined to capture the exceptional images of women like her. Though many negative things are happening in the country and we are not so happy but God has been faithful to give us exceptional Nigerian women who deserve to be seen and celebrated.”

Book review

Title: The Victims

Author: Isidore Okpewho

Reviewer: Chinasa Ekekwe

Pages: 200

Isidore Okpewho’s The Victims portrays polygamy as a harbinger of disaster. It tells the story of unhappy women who had the hard luck of getting married to an “irresponsible man”.

The story revolves around “Nwabunor” whose husband, “Obanua”, marries a second wife after three years of searching for a child with sadness and anxiety tormenting their lives.

Their home had once been peaceful, filled with love and happiness until Obanua gets incited by his mother to marry a second wife since his first has only one son, “Ubaka”. The tragedy begins when Obanua marries Ogogua who already has a set of twins, Ndidi and Ogo for a Portuguese merchant.

Nwabunor sees Ogogua as a threat, determines that none would push her out of her rightful position; she makes her intention known by moving her belongings to Obanua’s room before Ogogua’s arrival. This leads to more complications. Nwabunor, who has passed the bloom of youth, had more to lose blames everyone for her misfortunes.

On the other hand, in spite of her beauty and youth, young vibrant Ogogua is seen stealing from her mate and becomes an adulteress.

This rivalry between the women leads to the calamity that ensued. And as the storm rages on, Obanua realises too late that he has lost total control of his home. Frustrated, he gradually withdraws from his unsettled home the solace of palm wine bottles.

The problem in the house climaxes with Nwabunor destroying Ogogua and her children. This she does by procuring a deadly portion from an herbalist which she uses not only to kill her and her childen, but also her own son. The calamity turns her mad, while Obanua continues his friendship with bottles of wine.

Although The Victims, which has also been shot into a film at Ozala in Delta State, is set in a rustic African village with “river” where “Ubaka” goes to fetch water, it also has mixed feel of a town. It is typical of stories in most polygamous homes in African. In it, the author highlights the ills of polygamy, warning that men marry the number of women they can handle.

Aside rivalry and conflict other thematic preoccupations include immorality as seen in Ogugua’s promiscuous acts with Gwam Odafe; poverty as seen in Obanua’s inability to take care of his family. The family suffered gravely when he lost his job.

Rebellion, frustration and hatred are other themes in the work. These are in the rivalry between the wives, which subsequently leads Nwabunor to seek to the counsel of “Ese Nwozomudo”, a dreadful herbalist in the town, where she collected the poison that wiped out the family, excluding Obanua. The theme of irresponsibility is also seen in Obanua attitude of seeking solace in drinking palours instead of facing the issues staring him on the face.

About 90 years ago, the Black History Month was pioneered by the renowned African American historian, Dr. Carter Godson Woodson, to protest the exclusion of the contributions of African Americans from history textbooks in the United States. At this year’s celebration at Ibadan, Oyo State capital, renowned Pan Africanist and Director, Africa-wide Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society, Cape Town, South Africa, Prof Kwesi Kwaa Prah, examined Pan-Africanism and the challenges of global African unity, reports Assistant editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

The gathering was a mix of academics, traditional rulers, artists, civil servants and students. The newly built International Conference Centre (Hall A), University of Ibadan, Oyo State, provided the ideal ambience for a discourse on the challenges of global African unity, especially the peoples’ actions and inactions towards forging a united Africa.

The event, which was held last Thursday, was not all about long speeches as an art exhibition was mounted at the university’s Institute of African Studies to complement the discourse.

Apart from the core issues on Pan Africanism, other aspects of Africa’s tangible and intangible heritage were strategically presented to the audience. Minutes before the start of the programme, screening of video clips on FESTAC 77, dance-drama performances and the podium’s backdrop, a collage of African cultural elements formed parts of the menu.

Setting the tone for the day’s deliberation, the Director-General Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), Prof. Tunde Babawale described the event as a ‘way of keeping Pan Africanism alive and revisit it as a panacea to our marginalisation in the international division of labour’. He said it was also motivated by the numerous socio-economic and political challenges facing the African continent and her vast Diaspora and the desire to frontally confront them.

“It is sad to note that despite decades of experimentation with different economic policies and programmes, the world’s absolute poor still live on the continent. With only a few exceptions, most countries on the continent are caught in the poverty trap, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line and on less than one dollar per day.

“Poverty is so severe in Africa that about 22 out of the 25 poorest countries in the world are in Africa. The problem of poverty has been compounded by needless political crises that often resulted in violent conflicts on the continent. The desire to find workable solutions to these problems informed our decision to choose the theme of this year’s celebration,” he said.

But the guest lecturer, Prof Prah said the real unity Africans are desirous of is that which shares the interwoven characteristics of the peoples’ culture. He noted that ‘if we have unity, we will be a world power, everybody will deal with us and there will be no playing game’. He said constraints such as tribalism, ethnicism, xenophobia feelings and other contending interests must be addressed in order to deepen and accelerate the development of people-to-people relations amongst global Africans.

According to him, the states we have inherited from the colonial powers were not created with the intention of global prosperity, equality and power for Africans. They have no bearing on Africans as historical and cultural constructs, which existed before the Western encounter. These states make us pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial realities; in other words these states conceptually make us adjuncts of Western imperial histories. They hide our true historical and cultural character as Africans; our identities as Africans.’

He said despite pockets of ethnic feelings mobilised by dominant interests for power, unity among Africans will undermine the structural basis of ethnicism/tribalism, adding that a broad and compounded structure will make it difficult for any ethnic formation to assume hegemonic posture. He stressed that the weaknesses and socio-conflictual problems in African society must be corrected by cultivating the ethos of tolerance, openness and the celebration of cultural especially among the ruling class.

“It is important for intellectuals to hold the political elites accountable for the fanning of xenophobic and ethnic feelings as means to political ascendancy. Tolerance of cultural diversity is crucial for the survival of modern world…But diversity should not be allowed to run parallel to socio-economic divisions or caste lines in the society,” he said.

Prof Prah reassured that the 21st Century will be Africa’s century because neo-colonialsim would be brought to an unceremonious end at the same period when the process of an African renaissance will take off. He noted that this would not happen automatically as the process will require agency both in theory and practice. The only challenge, he said, is how to fashion the theory and practice to achieve the goal. Democracy, social justice, fairness, respect for human rights and the ideas of secularism, decentralisation and multi-culturalism, he noted, must be built into the process of the demise of neo-colonialism.

Continuing, he said: “The extent to which we are able to minimise and avoid the difficulties ahead will depend on how much democratic practice and process we utilise on the way forward. If we pursue the emancipation and development process in an open and permissive way then the hindrances, constraints and societal blockages will be reduced to a minimum.”

But even more immediately is how do we move forward from where we stand today? he asked. “We need a cultural movement which will mobilise writers, teachers, artists, musicians among others, to focus minds on the celebration of our African belongings as baggage for a forward movement; a cultural rennaissane, which will strengthen our sense of identity as Africans and provide the pride and confidence necessary to forge ahead,” he said.

Prof Prah said Africans are trying very hard to be Ghanaians or Tanzanians and have not been completely successful, noting that unity will not make Africans rich, but can make it difficult for Africa and Africans to be disregarded and humiliated. “My generation led Africa to political freedom. The current generation of leaders and peoples of Africa must pick up the flickering torch of African freedom, refuel it with their enthusiasm and determination, and carry it forward,” he added.

Among guests that attended the event were Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Minister, Chief Edem Duke, represented by a deputy director in the ministry; Chairman board of CBAAC, Senator Yusuf Brimmo, a representative of deputy chairman House Committee on Tourism and Culture, Abdul Malik Cheche; Vice-Chancellor University of Ibadan, represented by Prof. Remi Raji; Director, Institute of African Studies, Prof. Dele Layiwola; Oba Dokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedayo Olusino Adekoya, the Legusen of Ode-Ule.

On Wednesday last week, the US Consulate General, Lagos held a video conference and discussion session with renowned American Visual Artist/Philanthropist/Entrepreneur, Charles Bibbs as part of its commemoration of the Black History Month. It was titled: The Role of Art during the U.S. Civil Rights movement.