The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Conversations

  • Conversations on heat stroke, seasonal affective disorders (Part 1)

    WHEN the pre-harmattan heat of Lagos weather became more searing last week, I knew it was only a question of time before mosquitoes would begin to seek refuge indoors. The humming of one or two has begun to disturb my sleep. I do not spray the rooms with insecticides, because of dangers these chemicals pose to human health. I prefer insect catchers hanging from the ceiling and anti-malaria herbs taken with food or drunk as tea. Let’s leave the mosquitoes alone for now. For it is the least of problems of many people as  the harmattan approaches. In my view the priority is the group of health challenges known as SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDERS, which come at this time with changes in the weather.

    The heat is causing dehydration, electrolyte depletion, weakness, sunstroke, hospitalisation, death. The wind is bringing dust from the Sahara Desert. The dust does not travel alone. In its company are air-borne diseases. You may have noticed that many people are clearing their throats, during the day and snoring at night, coughing, sneezing, running temperature or their noses are stripping like a running tap, becoming feverish or sleepy, listless or irritable, complaining of dizziness or headache or just unable to get themselves together.

    Through a group chat in KUSA GREEN PASTURE HERBS friends forum, some people had an idea of what may be going on, as the following discussion suggests….

    SPORTY: “Snoring dangerous for women. New study – News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    KUSA: Snoring is dangerous not only for women, but for everyone. In children, it may be caused by inflammation of the adenoids, which blocks free flow of inhaled air through the nostrils to the lungs. This may cause mouth breathing, especially at night with or without frothing. The adenoids are part of the immune system. They enlarge to trap foreign agents in inhaled air which may cause trouble in the system. Children suffering from adenoids may have reduced oxygen supply, slowed growth and reduced brain function, especially in terms of school work. Some doctors prefer surgery to check the enlargement. Others prefer to wait and see if the adenoids will naturally reduce in size when the infectious agents are eliminated. Some of these agents may be a form mattress, which is not well protected by a thick blanket.

    Blankets prevent a child sleeping on a mattress from inhaling chemicals residue coming up from the mattress, especially where the mattress is broken in many places. When I was a child, not only were our mattresses covered from the factory, at home or in school, it was also wrapped up with a thick blankets and, finally, with bed linen. Nowadays, the factory cover and the blanket have been eliminated and broken foam mattresses are seen as disused and thrown away. They pose not only the danger of adenoid overgrowth, but also of asthma in children and adults prone to it. Surgery, no doubt, means loss of some immune  capability. Many children respond favourably to anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory nasal sprays.

    “In adults, infections at the back of the throat, which cause inflammation and blockages of the air passage are most likely to be the culprits. Many doctors fail to cure this condition because, according to a 2010 Mayo Clinic study, they fight it with anti-bacterial drugs rather than with anti-fungal drugs. The study, which involved thousands of patients, showed that infections which progressed more than three months were most likely to degenerate into fungal attacks, which not only required a new scenario of drugs, but were also more difficult to treat.

    “Nigeria’s Alternative Medicine market offers, among many others, concentrated Oregano Oil spray and HELP STOP SNORING SPRAY, which is a blend of 11 powerful oils. The use may provoke outflow of thick mucus, the colour of which (white, yellow or browns) may find a deficiency of one tissue salt or the other.

    “This condition may cause sleep apnea, which many people describe as ‘spiritual attack’ during sleep. The air passages may be so blocked that the sleeper may appear to stop breathing and feel that he or she is dying’ sinking or pressed down, by a mysterious force. If the sleeper struggles to lift a limb or to shout for help, or responds to some noise in the environment, such as the banging of a door, he or she startles back to life, breathing hard and rapidly to compensate for oxygen deficiency. In a superstitions environment, such as ours, this person may believe he or she has just escaped a spiritual attack” by his or her enemies. To overcome snoring, it is better to avoid inflammation causing foods, consume anti-inflammatory foods and add anti-microbial agents to the diet, avoid sleeping in dusty rooms, especially in the coming harmattan season, wear nose guards in smoky areas and avoid perfumes, among other many measures.

    “Because snoring reduces oxygen flow to the body, oxygen deficiency may occur in different parts of the body. Oxygen deficiency may lead to sub optional performance of various organs and instalmental death of their cells. As more women than men are reported to snore, it is possible this is why the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report cited says snoring is bad for women. Indeed, snoring is bad and dangerous for everyone”.

    MRS. NAOME ESSIEN: “Very educative, thank you, Sir. Please, any natural remedy for a condition called FROZEN SHOULDER? There is severe limitation of the use of the joints, especially lifting and trying to touch the back”.

    MRS. OLUSOLA SOWEMIMO: “Thank you for sharing, Sir. I see some of the solutions. What other practical things can be done? I shared this, and someone is very worried”.

    AKIN S. B: “Very interesting. When I weighed my heaviest, I had sleep apnea. My snoring was so loud, it woke me up. But I didn’t know what it was or that I had it. I just knew I was always tired and fell asleep every time and anywhere. I once fell asleep at a red light. Imagine the danger in having this thing. So, one fateful morning, I woke up like I was drowning. Scared to fall asleep, I went straight to the hospital, did a scan and they had to operate on my adenoid tissue the next week. Seriously enlarged. My mother said they wanted to remove it, when I was younger, but she refused. Fast forward operation went well, but snoring did not stop. Sleep issues persisted. Went again to see an ENT. He looked at me and said I would remove your tonsils, but they are not bad. Go and loose weight, and you would be fine. I went further and visited a sleep centre. (I never knew they existed). I was given a machine to sleep with. Went back there and they took the readings. I slept for seven hours, but my oxygen intake was for one hour. So, each time you are falling asleep, your body is shutting down. Of course, nobody spoke about nutrition. I bought something called CPAP machine to sleep. Very wierd and uncomfortable. But it helped sleep. In that period, I got my awakening. Once I understood that food was medicine… all that disappeared. Once the weight left, it stopped. My neck size used to be 18.5. I used to always say I had a big neck when I was looking for shirts massive lie. My neck size is now 15.5. Same me. Just thought to encourage someone. You snore? Time to change your life style immediately”.

    MRS. SOWEMIMO: “Wow, thank you for sharing. I have a slim person who snores. How about that?

    OPE OLUWA: “May also have sinus problems”.

    MRS AGBEYANGI: “Thank you for sharing, Sir. I just sent this to my sharing, for I just sent this to my son and he has decided to go and see a doctor for a test. He actually started snoring in SS 2. Please help identify inflammation causing foods, anti-inflammatory foods, anti-microbial agents to be added to the diet.

    KUSA (To Mrs. Essien, on frozen shoulder): ” Frozen shoulder may be caused by deposition of calcium in soft tissue, around joints, which hardens them and makes joints immovable or movable with pain. This may arise when calcium exceeds the 2:1 calcium/magnesium ratio or, in other words, a situation of magnesium deficiency. It may also arise when the ratio is normal, but the calcium is not readily available, either because of absence of certain food elements to make this possible, or the calcium content is poor and the body cannot use it in the bone matrix. Some members of this forum, who experienced the condition either increased their magnesium intake dietarily through food supplements or took good quality calcium dietarily or through food supplements, such as CALCIUM BUILD UP, CORAL CALCIUM and SHARK CARTILAGE. Dietary good sources of calcium include: okra, snail, Ewedu e.t.c. Magnesium supplements come in different qualities, which oblige different levels of absorptions. Some members of this forum are familiar with

    1. Natural Calm
    2. Remag

    The better they are, the more expensive they are. One of the cheapest sources of calcium is calcium carbonate. I prefer calcium in BONE MARROW MEAL, a proprietary blend of bovine bone marrow from grass-fed cattle and from Coral calcium and Shark cartilage”.

    MRS. ESSIEN (former hospital matron): “Thank you my Oga. Sounds like I am in the classroom again. Do I get coral calcium or shark cartilage from the one that is not in the market? I appreciate all the efforts you have put into this research, sir, But, it doesn’t look like I am close to the solution. I need one badly. Maybe I can chat with those on the platform, who have been relieved of such excruciating pains and feeling of incapacitation. I will be glad if I can identify them.

    KUSA: “Yes you can. That’s why we are friends here… one for all, all for one. In addition to their experiences, you may wish to consider the cycle: pain is caused by inflammation, inflammation, by irritation, irritation by toxins or foreign bodies such as parasites. That suggests that the therapy is best begun with detoxification and oxygenation. I know of a medical doctor in Lagos, who trained in the administration of intravenous injection of OZONE (Oxygen). I know of another, who was one of the first doctors in Nigeria to begin HIGH COLONIC IRRIGATION, which cleans out the intestine and liver, thereby reducing the toxin load in the blood and cells. You may also wish to learn home detox, using coffee enema (not the edible coffee, please).

    KUSA (To Mrs. Sowemimo) It is often suggested that snorers should not sleep on their backs to prevent the tongue from falling backwards under certain conditions some doctors suggest we lie on the right side to ease pressure on the heart and some vital organs recently. I heard some doctors say lying on the left side is better. I have not experimented this. I used to enjoy lying on the back, but began to retrain myself to lying on the right side when I heard of the correction between blocked nostrils and sleep apnea. For many years until the 1990s, the nostril on whichever side I slept used to get blocked. I was so concerned that I saw a popular ENT, who said a soft tissue which separate both sides (the septruim) was broken and flipping from side to side. I did not remember having a fall or an injury as an adult, which may have caused that. My mother was gone since I was nine, and, so, she was not around to be asked what may have happened to me as a baby or a child. So, I thought I could have fallen from a bed, which often happens to babies, or while learning to sit or to crawl.

    Such falls often come with bleeding, which is soon stopped and parents assume everything has become okay. So, I agreed to have a ‘simple’ surgery to correct the flipping. I did not agree to be put to sleep, having witnessed how some people come around from surgery. I learned from that surgery the hard lesson that there is no ‘simple’ surgery. The trauma I went through because the anesthesia could not completely deaden the nerves was unbearable. Sometimes, it was as if my ears had shifted their positions into my brain as though I was now hearing with it. But that was nothing to compare with the stuffing or packing of my nostrils for more than 24 hours while I had to breathe with my mouth, almost choking and struggling  to swallow saliva so as not to choke every half minute or so. That, too, was nothing to compare with when the packing had to be removed and blood clots had to be sucked or pulled out every third day. My condition improved but marginally. I still had sleep apnea.

    Later, I learned about colloidal silver, which I used as nasal drops to kill bacteria and fungi in the sinuses and throat. The state of the economy has robbed us of many proprietary products such as THROAT EZ,   which I also used for this condition. Then, I learned about OREGANO NOSE or throat spray, which is very good. A gentleman in this forum, a former bank general manager, who was disturbed by blocked sinuses for more than 30 of his 80 earth years recommends it. I forget to mention Orange peel. Eaten raw, boiled or cooked, it has brought wonderful relief to many people from coughing, sneezing, throat and respiratory tract infection and from asthma, all of which may cause or aggravate snoring. In their own small ways, I have also found that help may come from chewing raw onion or from taking a solution of onion or garlic juice with honey and lime juice before going to bed. One testimony that it works, apart from restful sleep, is that a man may find that his voice is huskier in the morning. This may be because it helps to clear pathogens loitering around the voice box. Onion juice can also be used as nasal drops. Block one nostril, ingest some drops in the open nostril and powerfully draw in the liquid. Repeat likewise in the other nostril. Sometimes, it even stops post nasal drips, that condition in which the nose usually runs like a tap.

    With varying degrees of success, bitter leaf juice and scent leaf (Efinrin) or a combination of both may be used as nasal drops. Cold drinks should be avoided. They promote inflammation and encourages the growth of micro-organisms.

    GOTU KOLA helps a lot as an adaptogen in improving basal body metabolism, which among many other factors, helps to keep the immune system on the go. Keeping onion slices in a saucer on either side of the bed head rest may catch bacteria and fungi, which maybe inhaled during sleep. In the morning, do not touch them directly but wrap in degradable paper and throw into the waste bin”.

    KUSA (To Mrs. Sowemimo): “I was going to say slim people also snore. It boils down to infection, irritation and inflammation at the back of the throat, which narrows the air space which, of course, may be minimised or even eradicated with good nutrition and an ideal weight. Excess weight itself signifies that the body has accumulated a lot of toxins or there is poor thermogenesis when, for example, there are more white fat cells than brown fat cells. Brown fat cells burn on their own, with little or no prompting from exercise or another trigger. Excess weight may be affecting different parts of the body, blocking circulation of all kinds, especially air circulation. The picture I always like to paint of this are those children’s plastic baby toys with buttons underneath them.

    When you press them, you try to force air out of the air passage at the bottom, which that button is blocking. That is why you hear the sound… PAPUN, PAPUN, PAPUN, which thrills children. When you remove that button, the toy loses that sound. So, we, too, should learn to clear our airways of impediments.

    Many of us do not like the bitter principle in our meals. Bitter leaf cleaned in saline water or vinegar solution and eaten whole or raw with a meal like scent leaf and pawpaw leaf eaten likewise offers us antibiotic protection.

  • Quadrant MSL partners firm to boost digital conversations

    In demonstration of its commitment in contributing its quota to shaping Nigeria’s digital conversations, Nigeria’s leading Strategic Communications Consultancy, Quadrant MSL has announced its media partnership with Social Media Week Lagos to further deepen connections, impact and influence with Nigerian audiences.

    Speaking on the partnership, Director, Group Account Management, Quadrant MSL, Anurika Azubuike said that the partnership was borne out of the company’s desire to encourage the continuous use of social media and technology as a whole for everyday conversations, as well as a strong tool in strategic business communications. “Today’s consumers are very discerning and have access to platforms at their fingertips. Technology has made this possible by becoming a potent tool that enables collaboration and resourcefulness, bringing people and organisations closer together in simple conversation styles,” she said.

    Social Media Week, Lagos, currently in its sixth edition is themed ‘Closer’, holding at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, and comes up between the 26th of this month to 2nd of March 2018. The event will feature a wide variety of discussions covering the Future of Media, Travel and Tourism, Governance, Gender inclusion with a dedicated Women in Tech platform, Entertainment as well as Emerging ideas and trends across the globe.

  • Telephone conversations

    It is one week and four days after Ekiw Moseyn drowned in alcohol and vomited all over himself in his multi-million dollars Governor’s Office.

    Now, the D-day is finally here; the day that has given him sleepless nights; the day of battle. Today he must prove to all and sundry that Waters State is an Umbrella Peoples Party (UPP) state.

    The day before, a Situation Room had been set up in his office. It is equipped with the best communication gadgets you can imagine.

    As soon as he gets into the room, he places a call to his aides. Simeone Okah arrives first. They are soon joined by Chukwu Oke and Anthony Majaro.

    “How are the arrangements for us to win this election?” Ekiw asks his men.

    Anthony speaks first: “Everything is in order sir. We have mobilised enough boys. You know the usual mobilisation sir. They will be ready whenever we need them. They have all the tools they need. They are ready for fire for fire.”

    Simeone explains the situation with the social media rats he is asked to co-ordinate. He says the boys have been equally properly mobilised and will be dishing out propaganda upon propaganda against the Change Peoples Party (CPC), Timiro Ihcema, Sidepeter and Ugnus Abe.

    By the time they are through with their briefings, Ekiw grabs the phone and calls Yohanna Ankpa, an Electoral Monitor.

    “How far?” he asks, as soon as Yohanna answers the call.

    “Fine sir, but we are having some challenges…”

    “What challenges?” Ekiw fires back.

    “The security agencies are really monitoring me and my people. I am afraid we may not be able to change things…”

    “What are you talking about? The other people are doing it. Why is your own different?”

    “Sir…”

    “Listen to me, I don’t care how you do it, but this is a task that must be done. You have signed the deal and you must deliver. I am not joking with you. I am dead serious about this. Tell your people that I, Ekiw, will make sure they do not leave this state alive. I will kill them before they can leave, if they fail to do what I want and they do not return my money. I will kill them in this state. I am telling you. I am not joking at all.  They are small fries and very easy for me to kill. I have killed even people who thought they were sophisticated and could escape me. I don’t joke with my money. You cannot collect my money and think you can just go away without doing my bidding. That is fraud. If that is the way you defraud people, you cannot defraud me. I am telling you and I hope you understand me…”

    “Yes sir, I will get back to you.”

    The telephone conversations end and Ekiw grabs his alcohol. He does not bother to pour it in a cup. He simply puts the bottle in his mouth and gulps down half of the content. Anthony and Simeone glance at it and needs no one to tell them their boss is his mean mood.

    He soon orders Chukwu to call another Election Supervisor.

    “How are you madam?”

    “Fine o, my brother,” Mrs Ijoya says.

    “How is everything?”

    “Great but pepper no rest for this side o. Tell oga to find me something now…”

    “The people who waited after yesterday’s meeting got something now. But you did not wait…”

    “I need the money. Things are tight…”

    “Talk to oga…”

    “Is he there?”

    “Yes, he is here. Talk to him,” Chukwu says.

    “Madam, how you dey?” says Ekiw.

    “I am fine oga but please find me something. Things tough these days…”

    “Don’t worry I go find you something but just make sure you hold your area…”

    “No wahala oga, we will just slot the result as you have given us. We will not allow the change people any room for manouvre at all.”

    “Ok, let’s talk later…”

    As soon as he is through with her, he dials Yohanna again.

    “What is the situation now?”

    “No progress sir…”

    “Then you have to get me my money or else I will kill you and your people before you leave this state. You people cannot dupe me. You cannot take my money, refuse to do what we agreed on and want to run away with my money. It will never happen. If in four hours I don’t have my money back, I will send my boys after you. You people should consider yourselves dead. Na me dey tell una,” he shouts and cuts the call.

    Unknown to Ekiw and his aides, his daughter Mimi has been by the door in the last 30 minutes hearing all the threats being issued to electoral officers. They are shocked when she comes in. She stands and looks at all of them with disdain.

    Ekiw thinks to himself: “This girl again. I am sure she has come with her sermon again.”

    For five minutes, Mimi keeps quiet, perhaps searching for the right words to use. She addresses the aides first.

    “When will this whole charade end? I think you can help my father. Tell him the truth always. You  don’t have tell him what he wants to hear. A lot of nonsense is going on around here. I am not saying the opposition are blameless but this is a truth I can only admit in the closet like this, my father is crude. His ways baffle me. There are so many things he has done since he became governor that I have confirmed myself and I am ashamed of him.”

    Ekiw feels like slapping her, but he keeps quiet. He loves the girl and hurting her will look to him like hurting his dear mother who she looks like.

    Mimi looks at her father once more and then shifts her attention to Chukwu and Anthony.

    “Dad, you have security agents who work for you and yet you issue threats to people forgetting that the loyalty of these security agents does not lie with you. Their loyalty is with the federal government, which pays their salaries. Even with the extra cash you give them, they can still sell you out. Imagine if they record your telephone conversations today and make it public, how will you fell?”

    Ekiw says nothing but quickly thinks of a way out in case there is a leak of his telephone conversations: “I will ask my people to issue a statement saying that a software was used to fabricate the voice. I will vehemently deny issuing death threat to anybody. I will distance myself from bribery and insist that I will always win election here because of my popularity and acceptance by the people and if need be, I will set up a judicial commission to look into the remote and immediate source of the leak…”

    Mimi cuts into his thought with her stern look.

    “Dad, I love you. God knows but many a time I am ashamed of you. This is one of such moments. I am ashamed of you when my classmates ask frequently ‘why is your father described as wicked?’    I feel bad each time you go to a church and make political statements filled with malice. I feel ashamed each time I have cause to wonder what manner of a politician you are. Is it difficult to play politics with conscience?,” she asks and before anyone can answer, she storms out.

    They all remain silent for the next few seconds.

    “Don’t allow Mimi to dampen our spirit. You should be used to her exuberance by now. She obviously does not understand life, especially political life in Waters State yet. In this race, we are like David, while our opponents are like Goliath. David defeated Goliath despite all his might. We must defeat this Goliath even if it means some people must be deleted from the face of this earth,” he says and declares that it is time to go to the field and implement his winning strategy.

  • Conversations with Soyinka

    Conversations with Soyinka

    It was an evening of cerebral stimulation, glitz and sublime entertainment when Globacom Limited, the telecommunication giant, treated the art community and undergraduates to An Evening with Wole Soyinka at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. It was evident that at 81, the Nobel laureate is still resilient in his stance against injustice. He was quick to voice his distaste for discrimination, terrorism, falling standard of education and what he called lies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the literary feast. Evelyn Osagie reports. 

    It could be likened to a table of rich and assorted literary dishes where the cream of the Nigerian art world, particularly the literati, came to dine.

    The wine was a quality blend of the old and the new, and the earnings of the night – an entertaining feast of documentary, drama, music, dance and conversations on budding issues.

    And like most interesting feasts, there was a side ‘dish’ where Ego, a musician, and children dance troupe Footprint of David prepared guests for the night servings. The stage performance of Soyinka’s play Alapata Apata by Bolanle Austen Peters Production and thrilling songs by music maestro Tunji Oyelana and the Koko master himself, D’Banj, added spice to the night.

    What made Globacom’s literary feast, tagged:  An Evening with Wole Soyinka, special was not just the musical, literary and stage performances by renowned icons of the literati and music world, or the unveiling of the N4.5m Glo Literature Prize for undergraduates. It was also not the thought-provoking conversation with three award-winning writers, in which Soyinka called for an emergency declaration on literacy in Nigeria, the correct use of language in whatever tongue; and aired his views about former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

     

    Soyinka an uncommon patriot

    For the guests, including renowned JP Clark and his wife, Ebun; Gen Alani Akinrinade; Odia Ofeimun; Kunle Ajibade and Lady Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, the persona of the celebrator was the stint of the event. As a renowned social critic, his voice screams loud against injustice. Being a playwright, an essayist, poet, novelist and theatre director, Prof Soyinka is an embodiment of literature, whose creative voyage is laced with diverse awards and recognitions. Besides being a Nobel Laureate (1986), his artistic recognitions include: the Enrico Mattei Award for the Humanities; the Leopold Sedar Senghor Award for the Arts; the John Whiting Literary Prize; the Benson Mendel of the Royal Society of Literature; Premio Litterario Internazionalle Mondello, Italy and the UNESCO Medal for the Arts.

    The event also featured a documentary on Soyinka and a chat session  steered by Sefi Atta, the 2006 winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa; 2013 Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin and 2009 Caine Prize winner E.C. Osondu. They engaged the Nobel Laureate on his works, thoughts and the state of the nation; and later on, each read from Soyinka’s works.

    For  Globacom Chairman Dr Mike Adenuga Jr., Soyinka’s uncommon patriotism and commitment to the “defence of truth” has made him a pride of the black race. It was the third time that Glo would be holding a forum to celebrate the Nobel Laureate, having held a “Night with WS in Lagos in 2003 and Accra, Ghana, in 2011.

    Commending writers in his goodwill message for putting their footprints on the world literary map, Adenuga said his company  was set to raise future literary giants. He noted that Soyinka is an “epitome of diligence” worthy of celebration.

    He said: “Prof Soyinka is a sedulous writer and raconteur par excellence, whose works have for decades remained study materials the world over and will be for generations to come. We are, indeed, proud to be associated with this colossus and are delighted to host him here tonight. He has not only remained steadfast in his pursuit of social justice and good governance, but has all his adult life been one of the icons of Nigeria’s moral fabric.

    “As part of our holistic appreciation of the importance of literature in society, tonight, we will launch a special prize in Literature for undergraduate students across the country to promote the study of literature in our tertiary institutions. Who knows, perhaps we might just be on the way to discovering another Prof Soyinka, Atta, Folarin or Osondu.”

     

    Documentary on Soyinka

    A documentary on the life and times of the        Nobel Laureate began with a powerful dramatisation of an excerpt of  Soyinka’s English translation of D.O Fagunwa’s novel, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole rendered by Jimi Solanke. It featured short interviews of Soyinka himself, Odia Ofeimun, Francesca Emmanuel, Promise Ogochukwu, Kunle Ajibade and Jimi Solanke, who when asked to describe Soyinka in one word, called him “Iwin”, which roughly translates into spirit of the forest.

    Odia Ofeimun said: “He is a writer I would not write like. But if you see Soyinka in what I write that shows how far he has touched me. How shy and timid would our literature be without Wole Soyinka’s writing. You remain the same old flame.”

    On the part of the Managing Director, Macmillian, Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, knowing Soyinka gave her fulfilment. She said: “May you live to a very old age drinking your wine”.

     

    Conversation with Soyinka

    During the chat, it was not hard to see that the author felt at home as he discussed literature, his writing and budding issues in the country. Although it was not the first time guests would be dining with or listening to the Nobel Laureate, they were particularly entrapped by his jokes, his calmness and the relaxed style with which he addressed each question and shared his thoughts. Hear them.

    Atta: Are you a feminist, sir?

    WS: Feminism is viewed differently…I deplore attempt by society to re-define what any individual should be; which is one of the reasons why I totally disapprove of the activities of the legislative houses, trying to legislate between two consenting adults. I believe in humanity… Be yourself.

    Osondu: Should writers be political or apolitical?

    WS: If you feel strongly enough about certain issues, whether you put them under justice, social welfare, terrorism, one crime, which is totally deplorable, is to force one’s creative temperament in one direction or the other. When I pick up a book and it has nothing to do with improving human existence; it is still about something and it intrigues me. The correspondence between the imagination and reality, for me, that is also literature. That correspondence, way the mind functions, to create a new form of reality from what you call material existence – that is literature. Facists are those who insist that literature must contribute to humanity – it does any way – but they cannot understand the nuance of creativity and what it does to us, as human beings. My temperament is a combative one and it shows in my literature. I cannot tolerate facism.

    Folarin: You have inspired me from when I was growing up. As a younger writer, did you feel such burden of representation, especially as your reputation began to expand, to uphold the Nigerian country?

    WS: I don’t think I gave it a conscious thought. I don’t have an ambassadorial temperament. It is a kind of arrogance to say you are representing the nation.

    By the time the chat was open for audience participation, Adeyemi Daramola of the Department of English, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), got the microphone first.

    Daramola: Could you interpret the metaphors in the poem, Telephone Conversation, in today’s political situation in Nigeria”.

    WS: In terms the main theme, which I call the “negative orderness”, that is most prominence in that poem, are racism and racial discrimination. Who is being discriminated today, I would say we have a situation of the elite versus the rest; sometimes it is the chosen versus the rest. And we see where that leads to – those who consider themselves chosen. That means the persons do not conform; they are the mindless butchers – the Boko Haram and the Isis or whatever they call themselves. These extreme fundamentalists; they believe that they alone have the key to existence… It is this intolerance of each other is that has led to the carnage in the world. That is a solemn aspect of the telephone conversation.

    I wonder how teachers deal with that poem when there are no telephones kiosks? As a student abroad when you are looking for just a penny to buy you a donut and you press, hoping that somebody has forgotten their coins and it drops and you say hey, coffee time.

    Ajibade: In his memoirs, My Watch, Obasanjo described you as a better hunter than a political critic because you are a bad politician; he would rather ask for your advice on vintage wine not on politics. What is your take on this.

    WS: Kunle, I can see that you want us to spend the whole night. Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. The question is who respects the opinion of a liar. I call him a liar. Obasanjo was once described by an economist, the late Ojetunji Aboyade, as “an economic illiterate”. So, the economic illiterate calls somebody else a political illiterate, no problem at all. In My Watch, Obasanjo told the first lie when he says he deplores liars. Anybody like Obasanjo, who is capable of saying that he never plotted to have an unconstitutional third term in office; even as a writer I need a new word to describe him. A person makes a statement that is a lie, but lacks the courage to tell it himself. I have no respect for him. I would be bringing out some of my interventions, titled tentatively, The Republic of liars in which Obasanjo is prominent.

    Bukola Adetuba: Nowadays, teachers are in trouble. They are no longer free to quote from text books. What can you say about this trend?

    WS: It is not only teachers that are in trouble. The entire world of literacy in this nation is in trouble. Most teachers don’t even know what they are teaching; and sometimes teach the wrong thing. I am sure that the same thing is happening in the world of mathematics, in the world of physics and engineering – which is why houses fall down all the time and then some people have the nerve to say it is the work of God. Technology, one form or the other, and humanity itself, is in trouble.

    The problem goes beyond schools; one that is of great concern because there is nothing worse than churning out uneducated pupils from primary into secondary to tertiary. I think there should be a national conference on education. There should be an emergency declaration on education in a state of emergency.

    When we talk about the correctness of the use of language, we are not talking about the English Language. The play Alapata is based on the correct pronunciation of one word, Alapata. If you are going to use the language, use it correctly, so we don’t get confused. There is one particular word that is misused. The abuse of the word “Severally” gives me nightmares. It doesn’t mean many times.

    This session was followed by the reading of three of Soyinka texts. Atta read from Ake: The Years of Childhood, which she said is “the summation of my interests and concerns as a writer: family, history, and social and political conflict; while Osondu read from The Man Died, saying: “It has two qualities that come to mind when I think of Wole Soyinka – the man and the writer – Courage and Humour.” Folarin read from You Must Set Forth at Dawn, which, according to him, “is a wonderfully written memoir, and also because it provides a vivid account of Professor Soyinka’s development as a thinker, artist, activist and scholar.”

     

    Glo prize unveiled

     

    The prize has selected a panel of renowned scholars, including Prof Femi Osofisan; Prof Akachi Ezeigbo; Prof Umar Buratai, Dean, Faculty of the Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof Olu Obafemi of the University of Ilorin and Dr. Promise Ogochukwu, who is the secretary of the panel.

    Ebenezer Kolawole, Gloworld Coordinator, announced that the annual competition is open to students of Nigerian universities, both public and private. The first edition of the award, he said, would be held in 2016, and entries would be accepted for unpublished manuscripts, which should be original scripts.

    “Our objective is to promote the study of all genres of literature. Therefore, Globacom is offering prizes to winners in the following categories: Prose, Drama and Poetry. The winner in each category will receive the sum of N1.5m (one million, five hundred thousand naira),” he explained, adding that this is the first time that any organisation has offered prizes for all the three genres of literature at this level of competition. “We are of the firm belief that the Prize will provide added impetus to the education establishment and to Nigerian students, particularly in the field of literature and the creative industry.”

    Other guests include Prof Duro Oni; Dele Momodu; O.C Ukeje; ace comedian, Bovi and Brazilian delegates.

  • Managing difficult conversations

    Welcome to the month of September. I pray that the month will deliver to you your great expectations and desires for the year 2014. If you have achieved the goals you set at the beginning of the year, congratulations, but don’t stop trying to do more. If you have not done too well, you should review your written goals and commit to them. If you have not done anything about the goals you wrote in January, or you didn’t even write any, don’t be discouraged, a lot can still be achieved in four months. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”. Perhaps you don’t think you are making as much progress as you would have wanted but the question is, “are you still where you were in January?” If the answer is no, then you have something to be grateful for. Just make sure you keep moving.

    Last week, we discussed about having difficult conversations. When conversations are over-charged with emotions, they mostly become difficult to manage. Sometimes you dread having some discussions and you wish you can avoid them. However, avoiding difficult but necessary conversations can be misleading, unfair, affect other people’s productivity and efficiency, and it can also kill morale. If we hate to have difficult conversations, yet we must have them, how then can we make them less awkward and more effective? Here are a few suggestions:

    • Prepare yourself psychologically: we cannot overemphasize the need for you to be confident when having this kind of conversation. You need to prepare your mind ahead. It is very important for you to take charge of the conversation otherwise you will find yourself on the defensive. Even if you are about to confess that you made an error or you are answering for a poor business decision, you should be in control. One of the major ways to do this is to state that you are aware of your error, claim responsibility and explain what you are already doing or hope to do to remedy the problem. What you have done is to play the judge in your own case, which most people won’t do. However, this works better if you come clean before your error is discovered or if you have not spent all the time defending your action until you realise that there is no escape route.

    • Don’t make it personal: this is particularly important if you are performing an official assignment. Do you remember our little story from last week’s article? Mr. Charles had to break the news of termination of employment to Mr. Smart, who was a company driver in his late 50s, with an ailing wife and nine children. There are two extremes to breaking the news: one person may do so without any consideration at all, after all, it is another person’s job that is being lost, while another individual may have too much sympathy. The best approach is to find a balanced position. While you must deliver the message because you have been instructed to, you can still show that you care. Nevertheless, you must detach your emotion from the conversation so that you don’t take on unnecessary emotional burden. See your office (i.e. Chief Personnel Officer) as the one to deliver the message and not your person (Mr. Charles); that way, you will separate your personal emotion from your job responsibilities.

    • Drop hints: one thing you should try to avoid when having a difficult conversation is sudden outpouring of emotions. When you break unpleasant news suddenly, that is exactly what you will get. So, attempt to drop hints so that the other party can start to figure out the direction of the conversation before you conclude. You can do so by asking subtle questions that can lead to your conclusion. As the individual responds to the questions, he or she will also be trying to think ahead of the discussing. That will at least make the realization gradual. You may also send a message (i.e. email, SMS) with a subtle suggestion of what the discussion will be about. The main aim is to avoid sudden reactions.

    • Don’t prevent reactions: while it is a good idea to avoid sudden outpouring of emotions, we cannot prevent the expression of emotions altogether. When it is sudden, it tends to be excessive, but there is no way a difficult conversation will not be emotional. Never attempt to prevent the other person from speaking or expressing his/her emotions. While that is exactly what you were dreading in the first place, it is still safer that those emotions are expressed rather than bottled in. What you should do is that after you have stated your point, wait patiently until the other person has finished venting his/her anger. If you don’t interrupt, perhaps he/she will soon become exhausted and calm down for you to give further explanation. When the conversation involves your personal relationship with people, it is advisable that you try to rebuild the relationship if you can. Consequently, wait for a while for the emotions to calm, and then go for a follow-up conversation.

    Since every conversation is unique in itself, you may have better ideas of how to deal with difficult conversation. Please send me a message so that we can also explore your ideas and learn from them. Have a great weekend.

  • How to Manage Difficult Conversations (2)

    Welcome to the month of September. I pray that the month will deliver to you your great expectations and desires for the year 2014. If you have achieved the goals you set at the beginning of the year, congratulations, but don’t stop trying to do more. If you have not done too well, you should review your written goals and commit to them. If you have not done anything about the goals you wrote in January, or you didn’t even write any, don’t be discouraged, a lot can still be achieved in four months. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”. Perhaps you don’t think you are making as much progress as you would have wanted but the question is, “are you still where you were in January?” If the answer is no, then you have something to be grateful for. Just make sure you keep moving.

    Last week, we discussed about having difficult conversations. When conversations are over-charged with emotions, they mostly become difficult to manage. Sometimes you dread having some discussions and you wish you can avoid them. However, avoiding difficult but necessary conversations can be misleading, unfair, affect other people’s productivity and efficiency, and it can also kill morale. If we hate to have difficult conversations, yet we must have them, how then can we make them less awkward and more effective? Here are a few suggestions:

    • Prepare yourself psychologically: we cannot overemphasize the need for you to be confident when having this kind of conversation. You need to prepare your mind ahead. It is very important for you to take charge of the conversation otherwise you will find yourself on the defensive. Even if you are about to confess that you made an error or you are answering for a poor business decision, you should be in control. One of the major ways to do this is to state that you are aware of your error, claim responsibility and explain what you are already doing or hope to do to remedy the problem. What you have done is to play the judge in your own case, which most people won’t do. However, this works better if you come clean before your error is discovered or if you have not spent all the time defending your action until you realise that there is no escape route.

    • Don’t make it personal: this is particularly important if you are performing an official assignment. Do you remember our little story from last week’s article? Mr. Charles had to break the news of termination of employment to Mr. Smart, who was a company driver in his late 50s, with an ailing wife and nine children. There are two extremes to breaking the news: one person may do so without any consideration at all, after all, it is another person’s job that is being lost, while another individual may have too much sympathy. The best approach is to find a balanced position. While you must deliver the message because you have been instructed to, you can still show that you care. Nevertheless, you must detach your emotion from the conversation so that you don’t take on unnecessary emotional burden. See your office (i.e. Chief Personnel Officer) as the one to deliver the message and not your person (Mr. Charles); that way, you will separate your personal emotion from your job responsibilities.

    • Drop hints: one thing you should try to avoid when having a difficult conversation is sudden outpouring of emotions. When you break unpleasant news suddenly, that is exactly what you will get. So, attempt to drop hints so that the other party can start to figure out the direction of the conversation before you conclude. You can do so by asking subtle questions that can lead to your conclusion. As the individual responds to the questions, he or she will also be trying to think ahead of the discussing. That will at least make the realization gradual. You may also send a message (i.e. email, SMS) with a subtle suggestion of what the discussion will be about. The main aim is to avoid sudden reactions.

    • Don’t prevent reactions: while it is a good idea to avoid sudden outpouring of emotions, we cannot prevent the expression of emotions altogether. When it is sudden, it tends to be excessive, but there is no way a difficult conversation will not be emotional. Never attempt to prevent the other person from speaking or expressing his/her emotions. While that is exactly what you were dreading in the first place, it is still safer that those emotions are expressed rather than bottled in. What you should do is that after you have stated your point, wait patiently until the other person has finished venting his/her anger. If you don’t interrupt, perhaps he/she will soon become exhausted and calm down for you to give further explanation. When the conversation involves your personal relationship with people, it is advisable that you try to rebuild the relationship if you can. Consequently, wait for a while for the emotions to calm, and then go for a follow-up conversation.

    Since every conversation is unique in itself, you may have better ideas of how to deal with difficult conversation. Please send me a message so that we can also explore your ideas and learn from them. Have a great weekend.

  • Conversations with wole soyinka

    The latest book by Nobel laurete Wole Soyinka, ‘Harmattan haze on an African Spring’ will on Tuesday be unveiled at Terrakulture, Victoria island, Lagos. The event organised by Bookcraft Limited is scheduled for 4:00pm and will have Professor Wole Soyinka interact with guests.