The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • The writer as a protester

    The writer as a protester

    Is it really precipitous for a writer to be physically involved in street protests? How far can he use his sharp pen to influence the thinking and direction of the society? These issues and more were raised by Nigerian writers in Lagos recently as Edozie Udeze reports

     

     

    DURING the last monthly meeting of members of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State Chapter, held at the Little Theatre, Artistes Village, Iganmu, Lagos, the issue that dominated discussion was whether artistes should be physically involved in street protests in the society. If they should, to what extent must they go to ignite the society with their presence or even push for concerted changes in the system. The argument was thrown open to mark the one year anniversary of the 2012 oil subsidy protest tagged Occupy Nigeria which was held at the Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos.

    The topic became poignant due to the role many Nigerian artistes played in that protest. But beyond the issues raised during the protest, Nigerian artistes were piqued mostly by past incidents where writers physically came out to fight for a noble cause and were either killed in the process or hounded in prison. This was why the troubling aspect of the discussion was essentially based on the limits to which a writer should go to show his disgust or disdain through public protests.

    The preamble was done by AJ Dagga Tolar, chairman of Lagos ANA who said: “Writers are known to possess certain powers that can influence the thinking of the people. Apart from writing and helping to shape the overall worldview and perception of people about issues and problems, writers also propound ideologies that can propel for a revolution. And so, beyond all these, does it still behove upon them to physically present themselves whenever there is crisis in the society?”

    Tolar’s thought – provoking poser was all that the gathering needed to tear the topic to pieces. According to Folu Agoi, a former chairman of ANA, and a seasoned poet and teacher, “Issues of the heart, matter so much to every committed writer. The writer, in the main, is the conscience of the society. He is the agent provocateur, if you like. He writes to give direction; to give vent to ideas and to let people be aware of issues that bother them. So what is his role in all these?” he asked, throwing the matter, more or less, back to the audience.

    Agoi continued, “As restless persons, which is what most writers are, they cannot sit idly by and allow the society to remain redundant, moribund, meaningless and rudderless. When there is a protest and an artiste is seen addressing the protesters, what signal does it send to the general public?” he asked. He went on: “Picture Wole Soyinka, Niyi Osundare or Chinua Achebe at that Ojota protest. What would the general public have thought if they had seen any of them there physically present? Yes, we need to write and also hold the bull by the horns,” he said.

    Even though most of the writers gave example of the Late Christopher Okigbo who perished during the Nigerian Civil war due to his participation in the war front, others saw that action as just one out of such few unfortunate situations. Okigbo was a world renowned poet and a maverick writer who did not only hate injustice but lived to say so in almost all his works. Part of that hatred was his full participation in the civil war when he was not properly prepared for it.

    In his novel entitled, The Trials of Christopher Okigbo, Alli Mazrui, one of Africa’s greatest scholars and historians lampooned Okigbo for being in a haste to show his love for his people. “What did that recklessness amount to?” he asked in the book, but quickly cautioned, “in all situations, an artiste should be more careful.”

    Yet that position by Mazrui, which has been criticised by many scholars across the globe, does not diminish Okigbo’s place in world literary circle. “Is it not better to die and be celebrated by the world than live and remain unsung?” asked Mature Okoduwa, an award winning writer and a core believer in an artiste being the mirror of what he writes. “Yes, you need to be more careful with your physical presence when it comes to protests. However, if everyone becomes too cautious, who will then lead the way? Okigbo is dead and gone, but then is he not being recognised everywhere in the world? Are his works not being celebrated in literary circles all over the world today? To me, the glory of a writer whether he chooses to die young or old, is to leave worthy legacies behind. This is what Okigbo has successfully done. Tell me, which other Nigerian or African poet, dead or alive, that is more celebrated and honoured than him?”

    The consesus at the forum is that a writer’s role in making the society better and ensuring that bad leaders are told the truth should remain sacrosanct. A writer is like a sacred cow; someone whose words decide the mood of a people. And so, let those who have such guts and courage be part of a change when the need arises. But for those whose pens can only be sharp at night but their physique can fail them in the day time, let them also remain that way.

    There was also the argument that essentially, these two categories of writers shouldn’t be told that their constant swipe at the status quo is what the society needs to move forward. Let them not be reminded also that a society like Nigeria shouldn’t be bereft of men of ideas; ideas anchored on deep-rooted sentiments to usher in a better era in the lives of the people.

    A writer worth his salt should not wait to be told to hit the nail on the head; to bring out the ills in a society by dwelling on issues that bedevil both the leaders and the led. The consensus of opinion at the end of the day prodded writers to remain unwavering in their pursuit of what is right.

    A few books, it was revealed, have been written based on the issues raised by the protesters. more writers were equally advised to do more to elevate the status of the common man. And so, the debate continues as to the role of a writer in street protests.

     

  • Unigwe befitting homecoming

    Unigwe befitting homecoming

    It was an interesting morning session with Chika Unigwe, winner of the prestigious Nigeria Prize for Literature for 2012. The venue of the session was Eko Hotel, Lagos where Unigwe formally had an interactive session with the press. It was an opportunity for her to answer a number of questions on how she writes, her educational background and more.

    Smarting out in simple flowery dress and wearing disarming smiles, she looked more like a model than a novelist. Unigwe’s simple mien and unassuming disposition was all that she needed to make the atmosphere friendly and relaxing. In the course of the interaction she answered questions with swiftness, measured accuracy, warmth and precision.

    There was hardly any question she parried. For instance, not too many people knew that she is married. “Yes, I have four kids,” she said, smiling. “Both my husband and kids are in Antwerp, Belgium”.

    But that was the much she could give out about her immediate family. “I am a private person and I want it to remain so,” she forewarned.

    A native of Osumenyi, in Nnewi South Local Government of Anambra State, Unigwe knew from the word go that she’d end up a writer. “As soon as I finished my last examination at the English Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I jetted out to Europe” she said.

    In Antwerp, Belgium, she quickly set about horning her writing skills. “Before then I had tried to write poetry while at the UNN. But today the muse has left me. No matter how hard I have tried I can’t write poetry anymore.”

    Unigwe is in the country to receive her US100,000 award which was conferred on her during the week at the Princess Alexandra Hall, UNN.

     

  • Reviving Yoruba culture

    The Yoruba are beginning to occupy the pride of place in the centre of Yorubaland. Determined to revive their culture and tradition, which seem to be threatened by globalisation, the Oyo State government has instituted the Samodun Festival.

    The festival debuted with fanfare in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital last Thursday. It lasted for three days.

    The Samodun festival, conceived from the popular greetings at annual festivals in Yoruba land “Aseyi samodun”, is one of the projects to resuscitate and preserve Yoruba cultural heritage in the state.

    The fiesta began with the ‘Ajumorin Walk’. The walk had a unique feature. Governor Abiola Ajimobi led members of his team, civil servants, local government chairmen, heads of boards, parastatals and extra-ministerial departments, popular actors and actresses, citizens and other stakeholders on a long walk from Agodi Government House through Oje to Mapo Hall, the historical gathering venue for significant programmes. He said that the walk would hold quarterly. The first is of its kind in recent times.

    Everyone was decked in uniform African prints, such as ankara and kampala. This added glamour to the event while reminding the audience of its rich heritage.

    The presence of notable actors and actresses in the Yoruba movie sub-sector of the entertainment industry and musicians also added spice to event, especially the walk. “It was a novel idea in the state,” many observed.

    The actors and actresses led by the former ANTP President, Prince Jide Kosoko, praised the government for organising the fiesta, saying it would further promote culture. Other actors and actresses witnessing the fiesta, which was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, included: Funke Akindele, Muyiwa Ademola, Fatiha Balogun, Bolaji Amusan (Latin), Adekola Odunlade, Dele Odule, Sanyeri and Rose Odiaka.

    Addressing the mammoth crowd at Mapo Hall, the governor said the Samodun fiesta was meant to remind the people of their rich heritage which is worthy of the emulation by all. The walk was followed by diverse cultural displays, highlighting the rich depth of the Yoruba language, folklores, traditional mode of recreation, livelihoods and the people’s sense of dressing.

    He noted that Africa is rich in cultural heritage, but, lamented that it is unfortunate that it has been boxed into believing that its inherited system and culture are of lesser texture to that of the Europeans. This, he said, is part of the mental slavery that our people have been subjected to for centuries, adding that his administration would continue to execute laudable projects that would have direct impact on the lives of the people of the state.

    Ajimobi said: “We will realise that even though our fathers could not read and write, they were greater doctors, physicists, paleontologists and even political scientists, far more than what obtains in our so-called modernity and civilisation. In the promotion, advancement and propagation of our culture, the world will realise that Africa did not just stumble on a heritage; we have always had a great heritage,” he said.

    He also told the crowd that the urban renewal programme of his administration which he said had been yielding results, was not aimed at unnecessarily inflicting pains on the people but to make life worth living and to improve the aesthetics of the state.

    The second day featured a comedy and beauty pageant at Cultural Centre, Mokola. The winner of the beauty competition went home with an automatic one-year employment with the governor’s wife to join her in promotion of culture and tourism, in addition to a brand new car.

    The fiesta ended with a Fuji concert at the Cultural Centre, Ibadan on Saturday. The Special Assistant to the governor on Culture and Tourism, Mr Kunmi Fakeye, said the concert as all other programmes of the fiesta, was to promote tourism and the diverse facets of the culture. “Fuji, a brand of local music believed to have originated from Ibadan. Popular Fuji musicians such as Abass Akande Obesere, Osupa Saheed and Rashidi Ayinde are special in the concert. The annual festival is meant to promote the culture and tradition of the Yoruba race,” he said.

     

  • For his dream not to die

    For his dream not to die

    The family and friends of the late music producer and medical doctor Marius Ashibuogwu have launched a foundation to immortalise the man who made his mark in two worlds – music and medicine, reports JOSEPH JIBUEZE and IDOWU JUMOKE.

     

    He was a medical doctor well-loved by his patients, colleagues and family, but his music fans loved him more. He was a medical and music consultant, too. The late Dr Marius Uchenna Ashibuogwu’s first love was music.

    Not even the rigours of medical studies while in school, or the demands of practice after qualifying as a doctor, could prevent him from pursuing his love for music.

    As a disc jockey (DJ) and music producer, Ashibuogwu was a master of the “wheels of steel” as much as he was good in his chosen profession, medicine. He could set parties alight with his skills. Having founded Centebila Records and signed two artistes, he was set to affect the society in positive ways, but death stopped him from realising his dream.

    Born on January 19, 1984, the late Ashibuogwu died in October last year. His death, the family said, happened so suddenly they still could not believe it. He took ill, and died a few days later.

    Nollywood actor Justus Esiri said not only his patients, but the entertainment industry would miss him. He was among numerous guests who gathered in Lagos to launch a charity organisation, the Dr Marius Uchenna Ashibuogwu Foundation, meant to immotalise the late medical doctor-DJ.

    Before his death, the late Ashibuogwu was working on the production of his record label’s first album, entitled: Unleashed, which was also launched that same day. Guests were moved by thrilling musical performances from the album.

    “If more people had known about this event, maybe it would have taken place at the stadium,” Esiri said.

    Esiri believes entertainers must live for others. Of the impact Ashibuogwu made in his “short but fruitful life,” as he puts it, the veteran actor said: “The entertainment industry will miss him, and we shall continue to touch the world for him. I want you to go away with the memory of the event of today. All of you should think of what you can do to touch others, because it’s good to share good things with others.”

    The mother, Mrs Mareena Samuel, is yet to get over the shock of her son’s death. The least she could do was to continue with the work the late Ashibuogwu started – helping the needy and making the society a better place to live in. This, she said, inspired the setting up of the foundation.

    She said: “Twenty-nine years ago, Dr Marius was born. Like every other parent, his arrival brought so much joy to us. God groomed him to become what he was before his untimely demise. We are celebrating his post-humous birthday and at the same time starting a journey of immortalising his name and charting a course to actualising his dreams of giving the daunted in the society the right to good health and life.”

    The foundation, Mrs Samuel said, would provide free medical services to less-privileged persons, especially mothers and children. The late doctor had a passion for education, and was fond of children. The foundation, she said, would engender good toilet advocacy in schools, especially in the rural areas. “It would also render assistance to indigent pupils through scholarship grants and sponsorship,” she said.

    In addition, the foundation, Mrs Samuel added, would assist widows, the old, the weak, and the destitute in the society through philanthropic activities; support internally displaced persons and help in achieving a healthier environment for the good and wellbeing of humanity.

    Group Managing Director, Daar Communications Plc, Mr Tony Akiotu, who chaired the event, called the late Ashibuogwu “a friend in deed.” He noted that the late doctor popularised GSM medicine through his ever-caring medical service.

    He said: “The study of medicine is humanistic – medicine was the tonic of life for him. He was a friend indeed. He had the phone numbers of his patients and would always call them individually and collectively to know how they were doing. He popularised GSM medicine.

    “He may have lived a short life, but it was inspiring, full of impact, and remarkable. I am impressed that the ideals for which he lived are being immortalised.”

    Akiotu said the country is faced with the challenges of youth restiveness, but Ashibuogwu showed that through determination and hard work, success in every endeavour can be achieved by youths.

    He urged them to emulate the life the late doctor-entertainer lived, saying a passion for entertainment, for instance, should not stand in the way of academic excellence. “He has shown that the best is possible irrespective of background,” he said.

    The late doctor completed his secondary education in 1998 at Ajao Estate Grammar School, where he bagged distinctions in Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. He specialised in obstetrics and gynecology while studying medicine at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

    After earning his MBBS degree from the University of Maiduguri, the late Ashibuogwu underwent his mandatory housemanship at 445 Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Hospital, Ikeja before his death.

    Commander of the hospital, Air Commodore B.A. Yakassi, said he was dedicated to his duties while with them, and touched lives positively in various ways. He said: “His death is a great loss to all of us, and especially to the medical profession.”

    He assured directors of the foundation of his support. “Call on me whenever you need me,” he said.

    Like the Commodore, his siblings are yet to get over his death. The late Ashibuogwu’s sister, Sabreena is one. She said: “It’s still like a dream. It doesn’t seem real. Now I know that when someone passes away, there is not one word long enough or big enough to describe it. I could talk about it, and I could go on for pages, but even an entire book on you can’t replace you. I love you, and will always think of you. I will always remember all the times we spent together and all the jokes you used to tell. Life really feels so empty without you. I will forever miss you my dear brother and DJ-Doctor, swag papii.”

    On the part of Udoka (brother), it was admirable that the late doctor mastered the arts of music and medicine, adding he had an infectious aura that brought smiles to people’s faces.

    “He had a presence wherever he stepped into, and would instantly bring smiles to everyone’s face. He was greatly respected and admired by his peers and his humility was infectious. He struck friendships with anyone willing to be a friend, but he disliked pride in people. He could never stay angry with anyone even if he tried. He was proof that we could be masters of two arts, as he was utterly devoted to his profession as a doctor and still kept a vibrant social life as a DJ. In both, he was always so caring, and his benevolence challenges us all.”

  • One convocation, two performances

    The National Theatre, Lagos, came alive when the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Theatre Group staged two performances to mark the institution’s second convocation, reports PAUL OLUWAKOYA.

    Guests saw the richness of the country’s cultural heritage when the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Theatre Group staged its performances at the National Theatre, Lagos.

    The NOUN Theatre Group entertained guests with Enough is Enough and a Bata dance.

    The play, written by Dr Onyeka Iwuchukwu, draws attention to the plight of women in contemporary African society.

    Throughout the tension-soaked performance, it was clear the audience enjoyed every bit of it, given the applause that followed each scene. A market scene, where touts extorted money from women traders at their stalls, was especially interesting. The touts carried out their mission forcibly; and so, it was no surprise the kind of exhilaration in the air when the traders revolted and protested in one-voice.

    At the end of the play, the cast changed into traditional adire attires with women wearing the fashionable Oleku styles and Sisi Oge hairdos while the men had their caps on to complement the adire attire. Clad in their traditional outfits, they got on the stage for the second performance, entitled: The Music and Dance of Bata. Accompanied by bata drumming, the dancers danced with well-measured steps to the stage and were received by a resounding applause.

    As the drummers beat away in a maddening frenzy, the dancers danced with dexterity. The dance patterns varied in response to the lead bata drummer. The dance showcased the rich cultural heritage of the Yourba people. And as the troupe danced, they took guests into that cultural richness which celebrates life and work hard.

    As in ancient times, the dancers invoked an ancestral spirit to give vent to their mesmerising and eccentric displays.

    According to Iwuchukwu, the lead dancer, the bata dance has become a global phenomenon embedded in evocative and deep percussive recourse to a rich culture and heritage.

    She said: “The dance was used essentially to demonstrate Yoruba’s rich cultural traditions and it has come to stay. The dance performance is the highpoint of the event.”

    Although from the eastern part of the country, Nwachukwu said, as a stage performer, she is completely sold to the culture – hers or the Yoruba’s. She added that the theatre is her life. She said: “If I fail to dance, my legs will not forgive me. If I also fail to sing, my voice will always weep for me. And if I fail to stand on stage to deliver my lines in drama, what else will I do?”

    She said it was not an easy task putting the productions together, saying it took the dedication of every member of the troupe, who is mainly staff and pupils.

    Like Nwachukwu, a few of the cast also shared their experiences. For Christiana Uzoukwu, whose stage name is ‘Betty’, she now appreciates the maxim: ‘dignity of labour’ through the rehearsals of the bata performance. Uzoukwu, a business woman and mother studying law at the NOUN, said: “It has made me appreciate hard work the more and urged the need for one always be ready to stand for rights at anytime. This has also helped me to focus more on my studies, business and family.

    On her part, Onyebuchi Vivian Nkiru, a dancer, said the attires brought back memories. She said: “It reminded me of a first-time experience as a stage dancer. This stage experience is one of my best so far. The dance was one of fast tempo and a challenge which I enjoyed and overcame because of my passion for the dance.”

    For Obatosin Tolulope Folusho, who acted the ‘real policeman’ in the drama, said it was excitement all the way. “I am filled with excitement to have played such roles; they are actually my second experience on stage. And I am motivated to keep on moving. Although I won’t say I was a very good dancer during the bata dance, the experience was cool. I still preferred and enjoyed my role as an actor,” he said.

  • Park with forbidden river for monarchs

    The Old Oyo National Park is fast becoming a tourist destination in Oyo State. The park takes its name from Oyo-Ile (Old Oyo), the ancient political capital of Oyo Empire; it contains the ruins of the city. History has it that Oyo-Ile was destroyed in the late 18th Century by Ilorin and Hausa/Fulani warriors. One of the main objectives of creating the park is to preserve and manage these anthropogenic resources in the abandoned ruins/sites of the former capital city of Oyo-Ile.

    The park has archaeological, cultural and historical sites dotted in and around it. These features stand it out considering its dual-prospect of archaeological and historical heritage. The park is not just about wildlife.

    One of the historical sites is the River Ogun. The river seems to have a cultural and historic role to play in the area. According to the Director and Conservator of the Park, Mallam Ibrahim Goni, the river flows through the park and drains into the Atlantic Ocean, breaking into pools during the dry season to form what is called the Ibuya Pools. The pools, Goni said, are “believed to have healing powers on Fridays, if and when a sick person takes his/her bath in it.”

    The river has since become a myth. According to a myths, it is forbidden for a traditional ruler in Oke-Ogun Area. During a visit to the site, it was like one was back in time to one of those moonlight stories that are gradually becoming extinct in the fast-paced contemporary African age.

    Assuming the toga of an ancient storyteller, the director takes the visitor into the historical myth. “The story had it that Ogun was a woman and wife of the Okere of Saki ,” he began. “The Okere of Saki was a powerful ruler. He had one spiritual dress that he used for his protection and strength during wars or attacks. This dress must not be beaten by rain or touched by a woman. This, the traditional ruler, warned his wives seriously not in any day take or touch the dress.

    But on this fateful day, the Okere went to the farm and he spread the dress outside in the sun to dry. There was a cloud forming threatening to rain. This fact troubled Ogun, his wife because she did not want her husband to lose his spiritual powers. So, she summoned courage to look for a stick which she used to pick the dress from outside and brought it into the house”.

    Goni explained that the Okere was also sensitive to the threatening rain. So, he left everything he was doing in the farm and rushed home, adding that when he got home, he found out that the dress had been removed from where he had spread it. Fuming with anger, he found out that Ogun the wife had taken it in.

    “He was terribly annoyed with the wife without allowing her to explain. The wife (Ogun) had abnormal breasts which she had warned her husband (Okere) not to abuse her with it no matter the degree of his annoyance towards her. But that day, he insulted her with it. You see, Ogun was equally powerful. She had a pot containing herbs which she used for her protection.

    “She too got annoyed with her husband (Okere). She carried her pot of power and ran away to the bush. Okere pursued her and when he got hold of her, they both struggled together. In the process the pot fell and broke at a point, which is believed to be called Oyo-Igboho. The content in the pot flowed out and was believed to become what is now called River Ogun today. The River Ogun (where the goddess of Ogun, wife of Okere was alleged to inhabit) remains the source of River Ogun at Oyo-Igboho. Since then, the Okere of Saki is said to be forbidden to see the river face-to-face. Hence, he must cover his face with a veil, if he has to cross or pass through the river.”

    He said the historic and mythical story surrounding the park has impacted on its image. Other interesting sites also stand it among other parks. We are always ready to receive visitors,” he said.

     

  • For Jahman Anikulapo, the music never stops

    Nigeria’s Arts and Culture community has literally declared January 2013 as The Jahman Anikulapo Month. January 16 is his birthday, and we have decided to ensure that every bird in the tree, every speck of the roadside dust, and every drop of the teeming lagoon sing with us as we troop out to mark the first 50 years of one of the most committed culture activists in our country’s history. And the past sixteen days of the month have witnessed a real cornucopia of compliments: from writers and readers, play-writers and play-goers, drummers and dancers, song-composers and singers, creative artists and art connoisseurs, music hall stars and street crooners, culture-policy wonks and culture-practice wags, fervent dreamers and flat-out realists, friends and foes of the arts. When I look at the young man for whom the bell has chimed fifty memorable times, and for whom the drums rumble so thunderously from street to street; when I wade through the flood of gists, jests, anecdotes, reminiscences, fabus of Jahman’s colleagues and contemporaries in his Baba Confuse days at the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Ibadan in the 1980’s; when I put all these side by side with the generous encomiums pouring forth from those whose cultural lives have been so vitally touched by this passionately engaged maverick of a man, I cannot help wondering what exactly must be going on in his mind right now.

    For the Jahman (or Oladejo as I’ve grown accustomed to calling him, teasingly) we have come to know is a culture warrior – no, a warrior for culture – an intensely motivated, doggedly driven, relentlessly inventive, remorselessly tenacious fighter with, ironically, a sometimes self-deprecating, self-effacing disposition. A true man of the theatre with an uproariously humorous mien and gravely serious inclination mixed in equal proportions, he has learnt to make us laugh at some of our grievous flaws and get deadly serious about what we have come to regard as mere trifles. Honesty of purpose; the readiness to serve without seeking immediate reward; humility – genuine, elevating humility; that refusal to take oneself too seriously which is one of the hallmarks of virtue – these are some of the attributes that have endeared Jahman to his throng of admirers. I still remember the day I introduced him to one of my students at the University of Ibadan, and the way young man exclaimed with a jaw-dropping curiosity: ‘Waow, so this is the same Jahman Anikulapo of The Guardian?!’ This admirer couldn’t believe that the editor of one of Nigeria’s leading Sunday papers could be so simple, so effortlessly accessible, so non-self-announcing.

    Jahman is also blessed with the capacity for seeing (at times, detecting) the best and most enviable in others and going ahead to showcase it for all the world to see. This is why that throng of admirers has decided to pay him back in his own coins, in a manner of speaking, by using his 50th birthday as a grand excuse for the celebration of that tirelessly gracious celebrator of other people.

    But the word ‘celebration’ runs the risk of sounding showy, vain, even self-indulgent, especially in a country like ours that is so fraught with purchased adulation and vacuous veneration, a place in which a chunky part of stolen public funds is spent on prodigal laundering of the image of thieving public functionaries, with the mass media dripping with purloined publicity, and praise-singers berserk with flattery. It is precisely the attempt to find new ways of celebrating excellence, by seeking out, foregrounding, cherishing, and promoting the hidden nuggets of Nigeria’s art and culture that powers much of Jahman’s vision and numerous activities. These were also the motivating factors for the birth of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) which, without doubt, is the most purposive art and culture advocacy organisation in the country today.

    Yes, CORA (endowed with multiple strings just like the kora, its time-hallowed musical homophone, memory tonic in the hands of the griot). Born June 2, 1991 under the pioneering chairmanship of the enterprising Yomi Layinka, and nurtured into vigorous maturity in the past two decades by a group of highly talented professionals, its two most visible faces are Jahman, our current celebratee, and Toyin Akinosho, a petroleum geologist by training and profession, a culture organiser and public intellectual who has committed professional apostasy and given his life to the arts. Astoundingly literate, cerebral, and cosmopolitan, Akinosho brings to cultural and literary journalism an insight, sure-footed elan, and magisterial panache that would make a professor of literary studies go green with envy. With Anikulapo and Akinosho, professional association has morphed into personal friendship (or vice versa!), and the result is as beneficial to culture activism in Nigeria as the companionship between Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe is to print journalism.

    The last 20 years have seen CORA throb us into sound and sense with its magic strings. Virtually every living Nigerian writer and artist has been guest at or subject of its Quarterly Art Stampede, that decidedly unorthodox ‘parliamentary event’ in which burning issues in art and culture are foregrounded for fertile deliberation while notable workers in the culture vineyard are fielded for combative interrogation and regenerative criticism. For the past two decades, CORA has stampeded lethargy and silence from the vital chambers of Nigeria’s arthouse.

    The young organization has also blossomed into fertile branches and diverse forums. Three of its many babies or off-shoots have been particularly effective. First is the Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF), an annual event whose goal is the aggressive promotion of a steady reading culture by bringing the book, the writer and the reading public together in a way that makes the book both attractive and desirable; and by intelligently highlighting those books whose ideas are too seminal and too purposive to be allowed to pass without illuminating deliberation. There is also the Arthouse Forum, organised on the platform of the Friends of the Arts Lagos, (FOAL, another CORA baby) deliberately focused on culture administrators and culture policy-shapers in Nigeria. And then, The Great Highlife Party held monthly in collaboration with the O’Jez Nightclub at Surulere, Lagos, with the twin goals of restoring the significance and vitality of Highlife, ‘West Africa’s most important contribution to world music’, while celebrating ‘landmark achievements of the best on the Nigerian cultural scene’. True to its goal, this forum has brought back the inimitable melodies of Highlife, facilitated the restoration of its historic dignity and rehabilitation of some of its old, abandoned, and impoverished practitioners.

    A youthful vigour, a strong, well modulated dissent, a restlessly inventive spirit, a voracious hunger for knowledge and ideas, an almost missionary capability for bringing people together, a keen ear for the music of the soul and the melody of the mind, an uncanny capacity to dream and dare – these have been CORA’s hallmark achievements in the past two decades, with the likes of Jahman Anikulapo at its helm. CORA has been nothing less than the Star of Nigeria’s Enlightenment; the living instance of the power of art to challenge, to connect, to restore, to conserve, to keep.

    To be sure, my ‘celebration’ of Jahman Anikulapo has literally turned into a festschrift on CORA. Just as well. For there is so much mirror-imaging between this organization and this man. Like CORA, Jahman is always looking for new ways of doing old things and old ways of doing new things. Like CORA, Jahman is always on the lookout for viable alternatives. Like CORA, Jahman is, in the manner of Bynum in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a People-Finder and People–Binder. Like CORA, Jahman is an avowed devotee of hard work and that uncompromisable thoroughness that should be its enabling companion.

    Who could have forgotten the striking quality of Jahman’s articles even in his rookie days as a journalist in The Guardian? Whether they were book reviews or theatre criticism, reports on cultural events, or general commentaries on arts and culture, his writings demonstrated the stimulating streak of scholarly journalism so characteristic of the efforts of the likes of Ben Tomoloju, Kole Ade-Odutola, Seun Ogunseitan (in those days), and Toni Kan, Molara Wood, Akeem Lasisi, Sumaila Umaisha, Edozie Udeze, Sola Balogun, Henry Akubuiro, Layiwola Adeniji (today). On account of the thoroughness of their research, the depth of their contents, their cogitative capability, and felicity of expression, many of Jahman’s newspaper articles sometimes found their way into my literary stylistics class at the university. (I often teased him and Tomoloju with the joke that if one strung their sentences together end to end, they would span the distance between Lagos and Ikere Ekiti!).

    The scrupulousness and fidelity to detail which characterised Jahman’s own writing also ruled his habit as editor. In my many years of professional dealing with him, I have come to realise that nothing gives Jahman more pain and concern than a complaint about an error in any of the publications produced under his watch. In such circumstances, Jahman would fret and agonize, take personal responsibility for the error, apologise wholeheartedly, and make sure that the lapse at issue is duly rectified. I have seen him re-publish a whole article as a result of ‘unforgivable’ errors in the first run. When I witness such conscientiousness, such meticulousness, such aversion to mediocrity, I come away with the feeling that the pursuit of excellence has not completely disappeared from this beleaguered country; but then I ask somewhat rhetorically, ‘But why don’t they make them like Jahman any more?’.

    But those who see only the art-and-culture part of Jahman behold but only a segment of the man. Behind the mask-and-magic of the performer is a humanely political animal: dissident, angry, even revolutionary, brimming with alternative visions and viable possibilities. ‘Life is short, but Art is long’, brags the old dictum. Very consoling, eloquently soothing in its soporific certitude. But we are also wakeful enough to know that art can only be as ‘long’ as the politics of life allow it to be. And there are few places in our contemporary world where the possibilities of art are so cruelly thwarted by the barbarisms of the socio-economic and political system as they are in Nigeria. I have yet to meet another journalist of Jahman’s standing in Nigeria today with a clearer apprehension of Nigeria’s socio-political dysfunctionality, and its consequent frustration of our creative potential and decimation of our dreams. Like Matthew Arnold, the noted Victorian poet and literary theorist, Anikulapo discerned pretty early in his career the intimate, inevitable connection between culture and civilization, enlightenment and the science of being. A personal conversation with him reveals his seething, patriotic anger at the criminals in power who stand between Nigeria and her dreams – those who have replaced genuine, creative culture with venal barbarism and allied philistinism. Every chat with Jahman leaves me in no doubt about his belief in the curability of Nigeria’s pathological underdevelopment. Thus he has grown to acquire the moral strength and psychological equipoise which have prevented him from tipping over into the hell-hole of rank opportunism and conscienceless sell-out that have become the standard practice of most Nigerian elite. Just consider this: Ten long years as editor of Nigeria’s most authoritative Sunday newspaper, Jahman is bowing out without bulging bank accounts, a fleet of cars, a cluster of landed properties in the choicest parts of Lagos and Abuja; without ‘thank-you’ packages from the banks and the rest of the business world; without a nifty oil block gift from a ‘grateful’ Presidency, that would ease him into the nirvana of a gross, indolent billionaire for the rest of his life. . . .

    Conscience over commerce; mind over money; policy not politics; justice, not just-as-it-is: Jahman Anikulapo, like the late Czech President Vaclav Havel (who, incidentally, was also a man of the theatre), has taught all of us new ways of being human. A stupendously gifted, conscientious, and productive human being, he has, by his example, demonstrated that integrity is not a taboo word even in our hellishly debauched country. In the past two decades we have seen an uncommonly principled professional devote his enormous talent and energy to the defence, protection, and promotion of culture and the generation and dissemination of ideas. In celebrating him, therefore, we are celebrating the best in ourselves and calling attention to the infinite possibilities of this lavishly endowed but sadly misgoverned country. Jahman Anikulapo has shown us that Hope, though distant, is not an unreachable goal.

    Thank you, Oladdejo, for all you have been doing to stampede us into sense. As Teju Kareem and Segun Ojewuyi have most aptly and most poetically put it, ‘You have built a repertoire of good deeds that go beyond your years’. Welcome to the second half of your century!

     

    •Prof. Osundare writes from New Orleans, US

  • My life and times with Fela

    My life and times with Fela

    Pa Benson Idonije, a veteran broadcaster, was the first band manager of the late Afro King, Fela  Anikulapo-Kuti . He spoke with Taiwo Abiodun on how he managed the late musical icon’s band in its formative years, his experience working with Fela and the travails the music maestro went through.

    He looked at the framed picture on the wall in his living room, nodded intermittently and smiled. In total fulfilment, he pointed at the photograph and said, ”This photograph was taken in 1972. The white man by the left came from the United States of America to discuss with Fela recording business. That is Fela in the middle and that is me by the right.”  Idonije, who is now in his 70s was excited to discuss about Fela.

    He recalled the formative years of the abami eda and how he met the late musician: “I was a broadcaster and art critic. I am the only journalist that had written widely on the late Fela. I started managing him [Fela] in 1963 when he came back from London. He was not smoking then and was very gentle, but he became a radical when he came back from America. While there, he became a radical as he had joined a radical movement he was exposed to through a girlfriend of his called Sandra. His music also changed at this time. He went to America in 1969 with high life music and jazz, by the time he got there he found out that he was not playing African music. He started playing My Lady Frustration, and that was it!

    Fela and the Army

    Unknown to many, the late Fela had wanted to join the Nigerian Army, confirmed Idonije. He said the late Fela went for an interview in the Military Barracks in Lagos, just to satisfy his mother who had wanted him to join the army then. He said: “It was when he came back from Trinity School of Music in London that we met. When he came back he had a lot of influence. He had connections, his mother was an activist, by the time he came back they had already formed a band and a white man was the leader of the Army Band. They wanted to put a Black man and his mother wanted to put her son there. If she had wanted him to be enlisted without an interview she could have done so, but she opted for him to go for an interview in order to fulfill all righteousness.” He added that Fela, instead of going there as a gentleman who needed the job, behaved contrary to that. “When he got there, instead of answering questions he was challenging the authority on their performance. If you want a job you must be respectful; but when he got there he told the leader and the director of Military Music that they were not good enough. The director was annoyed and shocked by such indictment. So he did not act as if he needed that job.”

    Idonije, however, denounced claims that Fela’s songs against the military were because the military refused to employ him.  Idonije angrily enthused that those who did not know the story tried to distort history.  Fuming, he said: “But when he [Fela] died those who did not know about it said he was criticising the government because he was not given the job. Fela’s mother was highly connected and if he had wanted the job he would not have gone there to criticise them.

    He read a lot about Blackism, books on Martin Luther King, Kwame Nkrumah, and all these exposed him the more to Africans and the environment which assisted him in his songs.

    I almost burnt the house with my cigarette

    Seeing the colour of Idonije’s teeth that show signs of long-term smoking, he was asked whether he too smoked Indian hemp as Fela’s Band Manager. The septuagenarian denied ever touching the weed, swearing he never tasted Indian hemp because of its odour. “No, no, I did not smoke Igbo along with Fela, the smell even irritates me. In the first place, I don’t like the smell, maybe I would have smoked it.’’ He, however, smoked cigarettes but gave it up when he found it was not healthy for him as it affected his appetite and could not eat well. Asides this, he said he quit smoking due to two bitter experiences he had. He said: “I was lying down one night and the butt of the cigarette fell on the pillow and the fumes went up, the smoke went up and the whole flat was emitting smoke, while passers bye raised an alarm. Only God knows what could have happened.’’

    “Another one was in the 70s .There was a day I closed from work, I used to do shift, and I felt like smoking a cigarette, I was living in Mabuo Street in Surulere then, it was around 1.30am. I woke up and trekked to Yaba to buy the cigarette. Along the way, I was attacked by armed robbers and they removed all the contents of my pockets. They juggled my pockets. They asked me why I had to go out in that dead of the night and that if not that they knew me as Fela’s band manager they would have dealt with me. These two incidents made me to stop smoking.’’

    Asked whether Fela behaved like a Czar in the Kalakuta Republic, he replied, “No, Fela was not acting like a king, he was a king in the house, but there was nothing like master/ servant relationship. He was friendly with everybody. He ate with everybody and was a friendly man and a father to all.

    “In Kalakuta Republic, what he said became a rule that must be obeyed. Again, he did not believe in this yes sir, yes ma. Even if you started answering or calling him yes sir, yes sir, he would tell you to call him by his name and did not need to be called Sir, or Mr. He was not behaving like a king but a commoner.’’

    According to Idonije, Fela started wearing only pants in the early 70s. “He started wearing only pant in his house in the 70s, and that was when he became popular. It was after he became more rascally, as he was used to reading revolutionary books and had contact with the late Nkrumah of Ghana who preached Blackism

    Idonije said he used to have misunderstanding with the late Fela but insisted that it was all on professional ground, “Well, we used to argue; for instance, he would say he was disbanding his band, but I would say how can you disband? Our quarrel was usually about the band. I would appeal to him again and again that it was not professional for him to be disbanding and disbanding, and he would listen to me. Asides that, we never had any personal quarrel.’’

    On the meaning of Koola  Lobito, he said, “Fela just  loved to give names that have syllables and that there was nothing special in the name; it’s just the EGYPT 80 that Fela said he needed to call it Egypt 80 because he later realised that civilisation came from Egypt and he decided to  rename his band EGYPT 80.”

    Idonije said he cannot say exactly who Fela was because many see Fela in different ways. “Fela means many things to many people. If you ask 20 people who Fela was they would give you different impressions. Many books have been written on the musical icon like the book written by Teju Olaniyan, and the one Olorunyomi wrote, A bitch of a life, was nice. It was only recently that he updated it which he said are all good proving that Fela was a man of many parts’’

    Fela’s many battles

    Reminded about the legal wars Fela fought in his life time and how he escaped , the old man scratched his head as if remembering some episodes and said , “all were Military tactics and plans to break Fela’s spirit but they failed because  Fela was a strong man!’’

    Idonije dwelled on the Judge Odogwu saga of ‘E don beg me’. He praised Fela for seizing the opportunity to nail Odogu who unjustly jailed him. Hear Idonije: “Sincerely speaking,  Fela was innocent of all the accusations against him. Yes, I remember …. when Fela said the Judge that jailed him came to beg him in the hospital where he was receiving treatment. It was true that the Judge went to pay a visit to a patient in the hospital and saw Fela where he was in the same ward, the Judge now went to greet Fela and told him that his hands were tied and that was why he was jailed. And I think Fela capitalised on it that he had begged him, even Odogu did not know that Fela  would capitalise on it. It was   so very unfortunate for him but it paid Fela at the end of the day , and he was freed’’ .

    On the murder, armed robbery   charges   against Fela , Idonije said ‘’Yes, somebody was killed behind  his house. It was all framed   against Fela in order to nail him.They went to court and he was freed. Fela  was framed up  by the military all in an attempt  to nail him’’.

    On the Kalakuta Republic that was razed by the Unknown Soldiers , Idonije said with pity that the soldiers  who  took law in their  hands are guilty of all the accusations. He went down memory lane  and recounted the incidence :

    ‘’  I  had just left his [Fela] house , and was on my way to my house in Surulere  , in fact I  had not even reached my house which  was not too far from Fela’s  when his house was burnt.   Soldiers  were   moving about.  Fela’s  girls were beaten up, anybody moving near the building  was beaten , the whole thing led to commotion and  it led to protracted case. Fela’s mother was thrown  down from  the window , in the end  the government acquired the place the  eventually. It was  a bad day.

    Asked how Fela managed to compose his songs , the  former Band manager said  Fela’s music was composed from his  life experiences , ‘’ All these incidences helped him a lot to compose his music, you  know he was a talented musician  so his   brutalization helped him to compose his songs , adding ‘’ Fela was not afraid of anybody as  he would sing and curse anybody like the late Abiola whom he called International Thief Thief  and Obasanjo too.‘’

    Idonije  threw light into the one of the albums, Expensive Shit, according to Idonije, the military had wanted to nail Fela at all costs ,’’ he was once arrested for  possession of Indian hemp and  was taken to   Alagbon ,when he came back they again wanted to plant  it in his compound ,  so they alleged him that he had Indian hemp in his premises,  but when they went there to search they could not find anything .Again ,they repeated their calls but this time  they wanted to plant the Indian hemp in his compound and they told him that he had it in his compound and he demanded to have a look,  so he could sight it. They showed him and he  took  it from them and swallowed it .Later   he was taken to Alagbon Police station  where he  was detained  and was asked to excrete. But his mother   was   bringing  vegetables   for him where he was detained . Later  he defecated in the night   which was thrown away with the help of the inmates in the  night. The fact is that everybody loved Fela  and he had the cooperation  of them all . Later on the third day   they asked him ‘Are you ready to excrete’, but he said ‘’No’’, unknown to the police authority that he had defecated many times . Later  he demanded from the police that he wanted to defecate and the police authority was happy , of which he did in the presence of them not knowing that  it was not the first shit that he  passed . That was why he called it Expensive Shit. They had to announce   what    they saw ,  and on the third day he called them that he wanted to pass shit o,  the police authority was happy , and after defecating , nothing was found in his faeces!.’’

    He threw light on the Coffin for head of state, Fela was not happy  that his mother died from the hands of soldiers who threw her down through the window. ’’He was very annoyed and claimed that it was the government that killed her . I could remember vividly   when he went to Doddan Barracks with some of the girls with a big coffin. When they got to the gate the soldiers cocked their guns and attempted to shoot, but Fela and the girls dared them, they got to the second, third , and the fourth gate  and dropped the coffin .,Fela later praised the girls for their courage.’’  Fela’s 27 wives

    Defending Fela on the 27wives he married the same day, Idonije said ‘’Well  if you know Fela  you  don’t need to be surprised , here was a man who cannot do without a woman , that is an artiste for you. He   said he married them because he wanted to compensate them , and said nobody wanted to marry them as they were calling them names. Somewhere along the line Fela  contradicted himself.’’

    Asked if Fela was ever afraid. Idonije said Fela  was never afraid. He did not fear anybody, he   was a fearless man. He went to court over 200 times and  was always present in courts ‘’, he replied with full satisfaction.

    Why  I left Fela’s band

    Asked why he left Fela’s band ,  the old man said he left voluntarily ,as he did not leave with rancour. His words.‘’ I did not leave  because I wanted to leave ,  when I finished my assignment, I left .And after leaving his band  we were still friends  till he died. The fact is that  I  managed him and his band  and it was successful. I  wanted the fruit of my labour to be visible to everybody , I  wanted my   work to be fruitful from inception and it was successful. I was the one who organised the  musicians and the band  and when everything was fruitful and perfectly okay I then left and that was in the 70s.’’

    On why it took  Idonijie  a very long time before writing  the  book on the late Fela, he has this to say  ‘’ I am not just writing it , I have  been writing it since, .This book is like updating it, and I have   been a living witness and the first Band Manager of Fela’s  Musical Band that  can authoritatively write on him for I was very close to him and knew  everything from the beginning , I mean  from the inception  to Koola Lobito to Egypt 80. I am not writing it for monetary gains but  I want to put some things straight  and correct some information about Fela. One day Fela  came to our studio  while I was still working  and asked me to listen to his music, later he formed  Fela  Ransome Kuti , then Koola Lobito, Egypt 80,

    Vowed to work with Fela if there is re incarnation

    Will he work with Fela if he has the opportunity again?, Idonje  raised his voice and  answered: ‘’If there is reincarnation and   I have the opportunity to  work with him again I will still go  ahead and work with him,’’ he proudly boasted.

  • ‘Theatre is the soul of a nation’

    Martin Adaji is the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria whose outing in China recently proved to the world the importance of culture in bridging friendship among nations. In this interview with Edozie Udeze held Beijing, Adaji China, bares his mind on the role of dance, theatre, tourism and more in keeping the world as one

    What to you is the role of the National Troupe of Nigeria in a bilateral cultural exchange like we had during the Nigeria cultural week in Beijing, China?

    The National Troupe of Nigeria has found this opportunity, a singular one for that matter, to prove its mettle, not only in the eye of the international community, but actually to express what we can do to our law-makers who happened to be on ground and who fortunately were satisfied with what we have done. It has not been easy but the most important thing is that we have been able to do what we are established to do – perform Nigerian dances to the best of our abilities not only in Nigeria but anywhere, where the country demands that we do so. What we have done during this celebration and how the people have received us have proved that we can always do it if the mandate is properly in place.

    What you saw yesterday and what the Minister of Culture, Chief Edem Duke, said is that the bond of friendship which has been more on the pages of newspapers has been realised now. The level of cultural relationship between Beijing and Abuja has been elevated and we all are elated about it. It is now on a more concrete terms. You could see Nigerians and Chinese bond together in love and peace.

    From the type of songs and dances on stage, both from China and Nigeria, you could see that we have certain similarities in terms of culture. This is going to promote a lot. Nigeria is more of a cash society and that aspect was hammered on by the minister. But that does not mean we want to launder money. Although gradually we can become a cashless society and that way we will come to terms with what obtains elsewhere, this is therefore part of what this visit will do to the understanding of both nations in terms of culture. It may not have its immediate yields and impact now, but what is there is that we have gone round to see that the possibility of empowering our creative sector is there.

    In terms of technical facility, we can partner with our Chinese counterparts and you saw that they have plenty of it. But in terms of workforce, Nigeria is equally rich. We can give much to our culture. The content of our culture is what the National Troupe of Nigeria is meant to portray and has been portraying. That content has to be provided for. A lot of people on the streets have the creative skills but cannot go beyond their practice.

    To empower such people is what we have been able to do so far. In order to make them flourish we provide them with some of these technical support. If we then have China as our partners, we will go a long way indeed.

    We propagate so much theatre in Nigeria, but do we truly practice theatre?

    What we must realise is that we have theatre, but do we really have a Nigerian theatre? Can we say we have a Nigerian theatre? See, we have over 250 distinct ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. To me, that is credit because it means the freshness of appeal of all our cultural heritage can never run dry.

    We have variety; all these ethnic nationalities have other distinct cultures which account for the variety we have in Nigeria. So, China has the packaging, we have the content. If we merge both, we’ll be able to develop our own. And you must know that the world is a global village now; no one individual nation wants to do it alone. You have to be in contact with others; you have to be in touch too making friends where necessary in order to move ahead.

    We have a lot of content but we lack in the area of packaging. In this area, we can now come to an agreement between the two countries. You see, what the Chinese team did on stage was not really extra-ordinary, it was the packaging that did it for them. There were no drummers but the music played on because it was produced. If we partner along that line, we can travel with less people and so on.

    Most troupes that come to Nigeria, they mime a lot but you’ll never know. They look so real and so nice. So, if we can package ours like that we can go places. We use so much human efforts to do little. But what we do now is to take so many people off the streets who will live on culture, ply their trade and move on.

    We do not have enough stages to do all that. What can government do in this regard?

    For me, this is a fertile ground and government cannot do everything. Capacity building can be private-sector-driven. A lot of entrepreneurs in Nigeria can go into it. They can build theatres on their own. It is goldmine; it yields money, but a lot of people may not know. People can build and let them out and make money from there. If we do that and develop the sector well, we will be able to keep arts alive and also attract tourists to the country.

    From what we have seen here in China, you will agree with me that culture holds a lot for a nation. But first the sector has to be properly developed by those who love to preserve culture. And you see, if we can take just two percent of Chinese going out of China to Nigeria during this cold period, we have a lot. And that means a lot of foreign exchange for Nigeria and for the sector.

    We should also stop thinking that tourism is an elitist pastime. No it is not. And that is why we need to develop our domestic tourism in order to encourage our people to fall in love with it. I know there are challenges with every day living. Nigeria is not an exception. But if you take a holiday for say a week or two in a year, trying to visit one destination, you discover you’ll be much more productive when you resume. As at the moment a lot of departments in the sector are making it possible for people to show more interest in tourism.

    I am sure if we key into this agenda, we will make room for more money to be generated internally from tourism, not to think of people coming from outside.

    We have infrastructural problem in the sector. How do we overcome it?

    Yes, insecurity is also a problem. But it is over bloated somewhat. Nigeria, to tell you the truth, is not the worst in the world. There are plenty of security problems in the world that are never reported. The press will help us in this regard. Other parts of the world fight for people to come to their country. This is what we need to constantly do too.

    Yes, the infrastructure will develop gradually. More people now show interest in the sector and with time it will be better. Nigeria is a beautiful country. You are here now in this room, you can’t get out because of snow. We do not have weather challenge. It is warm in Nigeria, the people are good, the food is good and so on. So, we will get there someday soon. Yes, we will, I can assure you of that. Let all of us put hands together to build an endearing sector for all of us.

     

     

     

  • Transcending poverty

    Gbe Ku De is not just a peculiar Yoruba play in the context of satire and ululation of the oddities of life, it is formed and put in place by the original playwright Adegoke Durojaiye, to dramatise life in its entirety. But in translating the play into English with the name Death Entrapped, Deji Medubi, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, has succeeded in enlarging its literary scope and reach and appeal in order to portray to the world the place of Poverty, Death, Wealth, Contentious and more, in the organisation and perception of life.

    It is a play that draws extensively from the every-day method of living by the key players in the society. But in this format, Poverty takes the centre stage. He implores his own wisdom and gimmick to handle Death, distort the normal flow of things and put his wife, Contentious, where she belongs. He is not just the protagonist, he is a crook who hoodwinks all and sundry.

    It is ironical how poverty has continued to pervade the surface of the earth. Even when the opportunity to eradicate it presented itself on a platter of gold, Poverty is not only tenacious, and cunning, but aggressive and stubborn. In a case where he refuses to allow new trends to hold sway, both Wealth, Death, Intelligence and others have no choice but to bow to his whims and caprices.

    With Contentious as his wife, and a very contagious one for that matter, the duo continue to pose as a threat to the world. In their poverty, a very terrible one for that matter, they terrorise the world and pust their neighbours in jeopardy. Peace eludes them, so also the people around them. Poverty is not prepared to let go, his smartness is for the wrong reason and intent. For how long will poverty and hunger continue to mesmerise the world and be a force to reckon with?

    With a horrible wife whose tongue tears the heart like bad news in a harmattan season, no one can be in a proper frame of mind to plan and achieve. So, with the sort of wife Poverty deserves, so to say, the stage in now set to unleash on the world these two worrisome issues that the society may never wish away.

    A Stranger comes around and asks Poverty to choose what he wants in life. Surprisingly, he does not choose wealth or progress or peace; he chooses to have his only apple tree produce ripped fruits. Both the Stranger and Contentious are amazed. But then too, Contentious chooses the death of her man. But Poverty proves smarter, for in the process his landlord comes around and he ensures that his fingers are glued to the tree. So also is Death whom he makes to follow suit.

    With so much power and sense in the hands of Poverty, how can poverty, backwardness, idiocy and so on, be eradicated in the world? The story is to show that most people who find themselves in that position do not want to be free from it. It is incongruously the truth, but the sort of truth that the world will for ever live with. Poverty has come to stay, has come to invent various ways to manipulate the world and remain endemic. Who can then beat poverty in this game of intrigues and self-centredness and survival instinct?

    On page 40, Intelligence asks Poverty, “Ah, you ensnare Death? Poverty, you are a real man.” And so, as he does so, he goes far afield on page 42 where he says: “Yes, I’ve captured Death. So let him be enjoying himself there.” In his reply, Death squirms: “Poverty, you’ve cunningly bound me just because I’ve come to kill you. But I want you to realise that I’m working at the order of the creator…”

    The climax of the play is shown on page 40 where another funny character Feme, says thus: “As poverty will not die and his wife, Contentious, will not die, how will the world be conducive for one?” To which Intelligence gives a protracted reply that goes this way: “Oh yes, we kneel to choose destiny. We prostrate to take advice. We came to the world but become impatient … By marrying a restless woman he has carried a dead bush-fowl, thereby overloading himself with myriad of problems…” What a hard lesson to learn from the play!

    Apart from a few typographical errors, Medubi has shown that drama is the centre-piece of life. The play is instructive, having been originally written in 1970 but which still today harbours ingredients of lessons for mankind.