The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 20 years

  • 20 years after, master bead artist returns to scene

    After almost two decades of lull, following ill health, ceramist, sculptor, spiritualist and painter Chief Robinson Olafisoye is staging a big comeback with a solo art exhibition at Didi Museum, Victoria Island, Lagos in August.

    On surviving a stroke few years ago, Chief Olafisoye, 63, held a solo exhibition in The Netherlands, which, he said, was a sold-out show. That successful outing inspired him to return to full-time studio practice during which he produced artworks for the forthcoming exhibition at Didi Museum.

    The exhibition, which will run for a week and feature mainly beads and a mix of art and crafts, is being organised to promote African culture.

    In a chat with art writers in his Ikorodu home, Chief Olafisoye said the exhibition, which will hold on his birthday month, is planned to reassure his fans and collectors of his return to the art scene after two decades of absence. He said many of his collectors do not believe he is still alive.

    “People do not believe that I’m still alive. Even when I went to Didi Museum, some thought I had died and they don’t know I’m alive. I am trying to come out for them to know that I am still into art and also it is to promote African culture, not through oil painting and carving, but beads.

    “I did some bead works when I was paralysed 10 years ago. I was on wheelchair for two years, so by that time, I was trying to use my hand to do the works.  If I could survive and did a big work, then I should do shoes.  But I was using one hand. I produced about 40 pieces of shoes, which I exhibited outside the country and everything was sold out. That was after I recovered from the stroke.

    “It is almost 20 years since I did my last exhibition in Nigeria. And it was in The Netherlands. Before then, I  held exhibitions at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Art Place, Alagomeji, Yaba Lagos, owned by the late Art Alade. I have also held an exhibition at a gallery at Apapa, Lagos owned by Naiwu Osahon,” he added.

    According to him, he cannot create an art work without calling on Holy Spirit for guidance.  “I was introduced to art by three Holy Ghosts at the tender age of six. I am still under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that is why I can design different unique beads works that stand out.

    “One does not need any formal training to become an artist. I am not saying it is not good have good formal training in art. In my case, it has all along been something of divine inspiration,” he noted.

    Chief Olafisoye stated that arts and culture are very relevant for the sustenance of Nigeria’s heritage and identity. “More than anything, art serves to preserve our cultural heritage. It identifies us as a people. For example if anyone sees Igbo-Ukwu, Ife heads and Benin bronze carvings, he or she will know immediately they are natives of Nigeria. Art reminds us of our past, traditions and culture,” he said.

    As part of giving back to the society, the Ondo-born artisthas trained many young artistsin art and crafts within and outside Nigeria. “I believe in sharing my artistic knowledge with the younger generation. I had the opportunity to learn under my mentors, such as Bruce Onobrakpeya andJimoh Buraimoh. They encouraged me right from my secondary school days and I am ready to pass the baton of knowledge to the younger generation who are interested in arts and crafts,” he added.

    He also disclosed plans to open arts and crafts institute for those passionate about arts and crafts especially handicapped and less privileged ones in the society.

    He shared his experiences on why he changed the narratives on the making of bead shoes not only for the royal fathers and chiefs but for all that desire it. “Not until you become a traditional ruler that you can use bead shoes. When women can use beads shoe, why can’t men use it too. So, I’m trying to change that narrative about beads. That’s why I go into this method that allows you to buy slippers and wear it to occasion. You don’t need to be a chief. In fact, I’m using beads to promote Yoruba culture,” he explained.

    Among his collections are artistic bead works of royal crown, royal walking stick, shoes, horse tail and other accessories.

    Chief Olafisoye started showing talent in art at six by making toys from clays and soft wood.Born on August 17, 1955, he attended St Ann’s Catholic Primary School, St. Ambrose Catholic Modern School, Ondo and Progressive College, Lagos.

    His strong passion for art made him sought knowledge in handcrafts at Handcrafts Training Centre in Lagos (1977-1978), Arts and Crafts at Yaba College of Technology in (1978-1979). Still yearning to better artistic skills, he attended Arts and Crafts School in Bombay,India (1979-1980) and Free Academy Netherlands (1980-1981).  He has also exhibited in Holland, US and Warsaw in Poland, among others.

  • P-SQUARE: MUST 20 BOYS PLAY FOR 20 YEARS?

    THERE’RE so much sentimental reactions to the reported separation of twin brothers and performing partners, Peter and Paul of P-Square fame, that I think that people should just let them live their lives and career apart rather than speculating doom.

    As divine as the family institution is, the worse person to do business with could be your relation. People who have a stake in your life don’t usually want you to say NO. They usually have an over-bloated image about themselves. This is detrimental because business and relationship don’t mix without one hurting the other.

    If you ask me, it would be a refresher to have Peter and Paul come together just once in a while for Collabos and stage performances. This will also open their minds to doing stuff with other artistes.

    Ever heard that two rams cannot drink from the same bucket without locking horns? That is the situation here because people are bound to have contrary opinion, but when yours is different from that of your boss, the boss’ decision takes predominance. Have we ever asked who was the boss between Peter and Paul? These guys must have been tolerating themselves all these years and there just comes a time, as painful as it may be, there must be a ‘parting’. Even conjoined twins would attempt to move in different directions.

    There is that psychological slavery that makes you want to break away. Even if your action turns out regrettable, you have satisfied a part of you that was yearning for freedom. If you choose go back to ‘prison’, it is because there is something in the outside world that chocks despite its space. After all, didn’t the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti refer to the outer space as ‘craze world’ in his song, Beast of No Nation?

    You could decide to stay indoors for days feeling real good with yourself, but when you are holed up against your will just for hours, you’d think the horror has lasted a month.

    People have remained perpetually pained in ‘not working’ marriages and have paid the consequences with their lives.

    Fans of P-Square who are ‘killing’ themselves for nothing should take solace in the Yoruba proverb: Okere l’omo iya dun mo (siblings are best at their relationship when far apart). I didn’t invent it, our fore fathers did, out of life experiences.  People should not force people into a relationship. There is a time to desire one and a time to let go, even if the popular saying that ’20 boys cannot play for 20 years’ does not come to play.

    Imagine people trying to force D’banj and Don Jazzy to come back together. The train had since passed that terminal and things can never be the same again. Yes, Oju apa k’ole da bi oju ara (scars do defile the skin permanently).

    In the history of musical relationships all over the world, groups are known to have gone their separate ways, giving redefinition to their music and fan base. Talk of Nigeria’s KceePresh, Zulezoo, Plantashun Boiz, Remedies, Kush, Ofege, and foreign groups such as the Beatles, Supreme, Michael Jackson, Shalamar, Destiny’s Child, ABBA, Bob Marley and the Wailers, etcetera.

    Let’s just say that the late mother of P-Square had tried her bit to keep them together in spite of their different temperament, styles and choices. But what do you expect of a mother, if not for her kids to be together and never ever

    pick a quarrel with themselves? We must understand that people are wired differently, making misunderstandings and quarrels so imminent in any relationship. In fact, misunderstandings are what define a relationship. A bed-of-roses relationship could be more prone to danger because expectation has been built to perhaps unrealistic level, and usually, like a combustible, the explosion is usually catastrophic. It is not my place to judge these brothers, but I am taken any day by people who express themselves no matter whose ox is gored. Peter does express himself. Ever heard of silent killers? These are usually people who bottle so much in them.

    What is it that makes P-Square’s case different? Is it because they are blood brothers, and is that a reason Jude must remain their manager forever? Is it a birth-right? For all I care, the Okoyes’ blood isn’t any thicker than that of others who have sacked their relations from their personal businesses. Now, which could be more emotional; sacking one’s brother or sacking one’s dad? Well, Beyonce sacked her dad from being her manager and heaven did not fall.

    Perhaps Peter and Paul are never destined to be wealthy in equal proportion and one of them had been feeding fat on the other. The reality of the situation may just reveal who between them had been living on borrowed time.

    Beyond the crisis that has triggered this separation, these guys may just be on the path of self-discovery which is not a bad idea. The soothing effect of such is immeasurable. Check this out: A rich man in American suddenly discovered that his dad is from a country in Africa, where people supposedly live on trees, yet he was on the next available flight to Africa. You just must know who you are. Odewale said in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame that he may be of lowly birth; he sure wants to know his true identity. It was a sad discovery but he knew it would make him rest well in the grace. You can’t understand this irony of life.

    On the other hand, if we are talking about Peter’s protest against their elder brother, Jude Okoye, being manager of the group further, such has happened to other ‘prophets’ before them.

    Recall that three years ago, Beyonce sacked her dad, Matthew Knowles when she heard he was cheating on her mom. At some point, Michael Jackson also had to ease his father off his management company. What about Nigerian artiste, Burna Boy who stopped his mother from managing his career any further in 2014? Perhaps of more interest is his American counterpart, Usher who fired his mother in 2007 after he married Tameka Foster, then rehired her in 2008 when his marriage crashed, and then sacked her again in 2009 when he started dating Grace Miguel.

    Recall also that Selena Gomez had also fired her mother and stepfather who were her managers at some point, while Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage dropped her husband, Tee Billz from being her manager barely five months into their marriage.

    Now this one was even crazier. American singer, Leann Rimes not only sacked her dad, Wilbur Rimes, in year 2000, she also dragged him to court for stealing her money.

    I encourage Peter and Paul to move as the spirit leads. Whatever spirit it is, I don’t know.

  • Celebrating 20 years in God’s vineyard

    The members of the anniversary thanksgiving planning crew, Church Committee, Aboru District headquarters, Church Committee, Agbelekele branch and Church Committee, Robiyan branch of Christ Apostolic Church, Ile Agbara Adura (Aboru District headquarters), 1, Church Lane, Hill Top Estate, R.A.F.G.S.S.S., off Egunjobi bus stop, Aboru, Iyana-Ipaja, Alimosho area of Lagos State have congratulated Pastor Israel Olaiya Oyeleye on his 20th ordination anniversary which comes up on December 13.

    In a statement, members of these committees said: “Thank you for your many years of generous service to the people of God. May the Holy Spirit continue to shine brightly in you as you serve the community of God’s people.

    “Your amiable and meritorious service are unquantifiable, countless, outstanding and wholly dedicated to the course of heavenly calling. The entire members of the church wholly and heartily felicitate with you on your 20 years journey as Ordained Pastor. We pray that God should continue to imbue you with His wisdom, knowledge and understanding, even as we wish you progressive, dynamic and more prosperous services to the community of God’s people.”

  • Saro-Wiwa: 20 years after

    Saro-Wiwa: 20 years after

    •The state murder of the Ogoni activists should be revisited and Saro-Wiwa declared a hero

    The brutal actions by the Abacha junta which brought the country odium from the international community, further justified the case made for the isolation of the country and represented a dark phase in her history. The hurriedly assembled Ibrahim Auta Panel is widely believed to have acted a script written by the powers-that-be. It failed all the tests of a properly constituted court or tribunal, and had no time to consider the objections by the defence team. It was obvious that the hangings of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were a task that must be done.

    General Sani Abacha made himself a maximum ruler and sought to cow his opponents who were canvassing democratic rule and whoever suggested that he had no business leading the country. Thus, Saro-Wiwa who founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People was made a scapegoat. Saro-Wiwa, a former state commissioner, writer and intellectual, founded the movement to campaign against the oil exploration companies and the Federal Government that went about exploiting the natural resource without caring for the people of the Niger Delta. He had gained ground in the campaign against the Royal Dutch oil company and sensitised the people to join the protest. It is widely believed that this was the crime for which he paid the maximum penalty. He was executed for standing for the rights of his people; for seeking protection of their environment.

    It is instructive that, 14 years after the execution, the international oil company in 2009 agreed to a compensation of 15.5 million dollars for the families. Similarly, the families of the Ogoni Four  for whose murder Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues were killed, reconciled with the families of the executed nine.

    Two decades after the execution is a long time to draw the curtains on the matter. The Federal Government has a duty to set up a panel to review the kangaroo trial. The state has a responsibility to protect lives and property, not take them. Wherever a rape of justice is found to have been committed in history, apology is extracted and, when necessary, compensation paid. In this case, the activists were not properly tried even as they were denied the right to appeal. If successive generations of those who carted Africans into slavery could apologise for the sins of their forebears, and the government and people of Japan could seek forgiveness for turning many into sex slaves decades back, there is no reason the Nigerian government should not accord dignity to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues by tendering unreserved apologies for the state murder.

    Last year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) corroborated the claims that formed the basis of the activism in the Niger Delta for which Saro-Wiwa stood out. A report by the United Nations body acknowledged the atrocities the oil companies had committed in the area as they abandoned all concerns that ought to have been taken into consideration.

    We call for a speedy consideration of the Petroleum Industry Bill before the National Assembly and its enactment. There must be standards in the operations of the oil companies. The government must rise to its responsibilities. The states, local governments and communities bearing crude oil and other minerals must be involved in all aspects of their exploration.

    The passage of the Bill and enthronement of globally accepted standards in the process of exploration would be the most befitting memorial to the murdered activists. A judicial review towards declaring him innocent should be instituted without delay. Ken Saro-Wiwa is a hero, not a villain. In the same way that the verdict on General Olusegun Obasanjo and others found guilty of a phantom coup was reversed, this travesty must be, too.

  • Ayo Adesanya marks 20 years as actress

    Ayo Adesanya marks 20 years as actress

    Cross-over actress, Ayo Adesanya, who has spent two decades in the Nigerian motion picture sector, recently released new pictures to celebrate her achievements as an actress.

    The mother of one, who was once married to producer Goriola Hassan, wrote on her Instagram page; “When I look back at the years I have been doing this I am always grateful….20 years of being camera friendly…I am always grateful …20 years of hearing the word action and cut…am always grateful despite the turbulence in between, God gave me a second chance and I came back fully just few years back….when I look back at this New me I see positivity and this has been made possible just because you are here….thank u for that special support.”

    According to reports, her first appearance on television was in Tunji Bamishigbin’s soap opera titled Palace.

  • Home inaugurates borehole, marks 20 years of service to community

    The children and family of late Chief (Mrs.) Irene Virginia Willoughby (Nee Liverpool), last weekend inaugurated a borehole for the residents of Ajana Quarters, Ota, headquarters of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State.

    The borehole and other relief materials were given to celebrate the 20 years remembrance of the late Chief Willoughby, founder of Ijamido Children’s Home in Ota.

    According to one of the late Chief Willoughby’s daughters, who is also the manageress of the non-profit organisation, Mrs Victoria Abosede Obakoya, the initiative was to appreciate the residents of Ota Community for their support since Mrs Willoughby died  20 years ago.

    “It is in this spirit we have decided to give our ‘widows mite’ as a token of our appreciation and love for this beautiful land which God has been using to honour, bless and lift us, which has become our home, our land and our cradle. That if a child is appreciative of the favour received yesterday, he has positioned himself for more favours”

    Mrs Obakoya said over 40 years ago, the woman generously endowed with the milk of human kindness, established a home for abandoned babies in Ota.  This, she said marked a turning point of hope for the lives of some children who otherwise would have been left to die uncared for.

    She said the home was founded by Late Chief Willoughby in 1958, out of her humanitarian gesture.  Madam Willoughby, according to her, was born in Georgetown – Guyana in the United States of America in 1904, followed her parents, Pa. J.B. Liverpool and Mrs. Elizabeth Liverpool to Nigeria when she was eight years old.

    Mrs Obakoya said the late Chief Willoughby did all her schooling in Nigeria and became a trained Nurse/midwife, after which she worked in so many places within the country until she was brought to Ota by the Local Government to open the maternity centre in 1956.  She started a motherless home in 1958; the home got government’s nod in 1979.

    She said over 165 children, including babies, toddlers, school children, students in secretarial institutions, and those learning professional jobs are resident in the home, noting that many children who had passed through the home, are now university and polytechnic graduates, N.C.E. teachers, public relations officers, caterers, business women, fashion designers, and secretaries, etc. She said late Chief Willoughby, spent all her life loving and caring for the less privileged in the society, despite the fact that she had no child of her own. She gave hope to the hopeless that were unjustly given a raw deal by a society that was not caring enough.

    Speaking further, she said some of Mama’s children today are happily married, while some are still attending schools looking forward to a brighter future.  “She cared for more than 500 abandoned children in her lifetime.  Some of these children today are married and doing well in their different human endeavours.  It was a till death-do-us-part relationship between Mama Willoughby, her children, and the people of Ota”, she said.

    Mrs Obakoya, appealed to the Nigerian leaders to extend a hand of love to the needy and children from poor background and assist the helpless and hopeless children in the society, saying there are fewer homes to come to their rescue.

    Speaking at the event, the Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Elizabeth Sonubi, who represented Governor Ibikunle Amosun, hailed the late Chief Willoughby for the good initiative, noting that she had given hope to many hopeless in the state.

    She said the state government had been giving its support to the motherless homes within the state and would never relent in doing so.

    She called on well-meaning Nigerians to join hand in providing long term residential care for the physically-challenged, abused, neglected and abandoned children who could not cater for themselves.

    Mrs Sonubi, urged them to do this with love and compassion, saying this can only be met through support and generous giving which will reduce criminals in the society.

    Highlights of the event include the launch of a book in the name of the Chief Willoughby and awards to those that supported the home both morally and financially.