The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fame

  • ‘Making Alaafin’s dress brought me fame’

    ‘Making Alaafin’s dress brought me fame’

    Alhaji Rafiu Adekunle has gained reputation for turning African fabrics into designs that put Yoruba, rich cultural heritage on the world map.

    The volume of native attires he designs for notable Nigerians – traditional rulers, politicians, top public officers reflect his ingenuity.

    Yet, Adekunle is not lettered.

    Among the notable Nigerians he designs for, is the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III. He has been in charge of the Alaafin’s wardrobe, designing the paramount ruler’s regalia, to meet the finesse of the stool, since 1974.

    But, designing the Alaafin’s clothes for forty years has not been easy because of the custom, he said. Adekunle’s journey to the palace started when the Alaafin saw one of his designs for Elder Yakubu Jos, in 1973.

    The Alaafin, who fell in love with the design, summoned the 60-year-old designer to the palace.

    Recalling when he met the Alaafin, Adekunle said: “On that day, I took my tape to measure the Oba but it was not possible because you cannot take the Oba’s measurement. So, they brought his clothes which I took the measurement from and since then I don’t have to repeat it.”

    When he presented his first design to Oba at the palace, the Alaafin was impressed and since then it has been his lot to ensure that Kabiyesi’s wardrobe is equipped from time to time.

    The fame he attained from designing Alaafin’s clothes exposed him to other Nigerians. “I have come in contact with other notable Nigerians and other traditional rulers, who I have equally been designing clothes for.”

    Adekunle has founded Adekunle School of Fashion Designing to teach the young ones how to do the job.

    He said: “Though I have not travelled outside the country, I have my various designs in different parts of the world because Nigerians in the Diaspora patronise me to sew their clothes.”

    He said tailoring job has opened opportunity for him to earn a decent living and coming in contact with people he could not have met ordinarily. “Through what I am doing, I have been able to give my children education, take care of my family needs and also employ many people who would have been out of job.”

    Adekunle explained that his design schools in Nnewi, Onitsha, have been embraced by the Igbo, who now wear his clothes.

    According to him, his designs have stood out because they cannot be imitated. “We have gone for various designers’ competitions within Yorubaland and have emerged the best in many instances because our designs are unique at all times.”

    He said tailoring would contribute to arresting the social dislocation in the country if government assists those who are interested in the vocation. He advised the youths to look in the direction instead of searching for non available jobs.

  • How I spent Project Fame prize money — Yetunde Omo Ibadan

    How I spent Project Fame prize money — Yetunde Omo Ibadan

    Yetunde Orija, popularly known as Yetunde Omo Ibadan, was third runner-up of the third season of MTN Project Fame. She became a household name with the presentation of her original song Akingbolahan. In this interview with DUPE AYINLA OLASUKANMI, she talks about her yet-to-be-released single titled Fuji Garbage in memory of the late Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, and other sundry issues.

     

     

    WHAT are you doing currently?

    I am actually working on a new single to be released soon. It is titled Fuji Garbage. So at the moment we are doing some tidying up before the release. We also have some shows coming up too. So, those are the things I am working on.

    Is this the reason you are in Lagos?

    I relocated to Lagos about two years back.

    Why the title Fuji Garbage?

    It is the same title with the one we know, but we are just trying to infuse some of the lines of the old one, which is that of the late Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, may his perfect soul rest in peace, into the new one. It is just my own kind of definition of Fuji Garbage.

    Leaving Ibadan for Lagos, how are you coping in your new terrain?

    Ibadan is not like Lagos. The hustling and bustling of Lagos is different, compared to Ibadan, where it is more peaceful. It is peaceful here too but the business atmosphere makes it to be very busy. I will just say that I am getting used to it. Though it has not been easy, I have been coping because of my passion.

    Do you live alone here?

    That is best known to me, I guess.

    How were you able to convince your guardian to let you leave?

    That was not hard. I would say I am a woman of my own life. Knowing the kind of job I do, coming to Lagos was not strange to them. This is my job; this is what I do and I have also been to places farther than Lagos. Sometimes, I travel for days and weeks depending on my job. So when it warrants me to go and stay in a place, I go there. So I think taking permission sounds strange.

    Doing this new work, did you seek permission from the right quarters or you are just doing it in his memory?

    Even if I wanted to do it in his memory, I would still take permission. So it is the right thing that I should go and take permission before doing it. I have actually done that and we have been given the go-ahead. Thank God that I got the permission.

    Do you see Akingbolahan as your hit track?

    Well, I will say that for every season, there is a time for everything. Basically, if I want to translate that, I will say that for every song, there is a season. I guess this is the season to push this new single out. When it’s time for Akingbolahan to roll up again, which was actually my single that I did on Project Fame, people will also get to hear the rhythm and get to feel it again. I will say it is not gone or has been abandoned. Due to our schedule, management and the way we work, we take things the way they should be done.

    Who are you working with currently?

    Even if I am not going to disclose my management, but trust me when I say I am not working alone. So we have a team and my team is best known to me. When it is time for people to know them, they will know.

    From the end of Project Fame till date, what have you been doing?

    I will say that in my own way I have been working. Though in Nigeria, what people term to be work is when you are seen on the TV, but on my own part, I have been working and I know how. I will still go back to the new single. That is why I said I have been working. Knowing how the industry works, it all has to do with timing. That is why we are bringing something out now, because this is the right timing. I will say I have been working for the right time to come and this is the right time to come out.

    Do you still relate with your housemates?

    Yes. I still saw Ogochukwu recently. We still talk and we still have good rapport. I don’t think there is any reason why we should not relate well.

    Any plans to collaborate with any of them?

    Well right now, I do not have any collaboration with Project Fame mates. But if that will happen, it will be in the future. I guess each person has their reason for doing things their way. And that is why we have not seen any Project Fame mates do something together so far. On my own part, I don’t have plans for that now.

    Apart from your mates, have you done collabo with other stars since your break?

    Yes, I have, but I can’t mention names now. Some are to do with artistes coming together. I have done things with people but not my own personal project. I have been invited to do jobs with people but I would like them to say it by themselves. I will like to respect that. But my own project with other people, when the time comes, people will surely get to hear about it.

    Most talents get to mismanage their funds. How did you spend yours?

    I would always tell my fans that they need to trust me on that. If it was not for their votes, I would not have gotten the money in the first place. I would like to say, that I spent the money well and in the right places. I won’t like to break it down, because it will be so immature of me to start saying I spend this on that to the whole world. But what I will say is this: bigger money will come in the future. People should watch out and see how Yetunde Omo Ibadan will spend the money or manage her financial life in the future.

    Who is Yetunde Omo Ibadan?

    I am simply a singer who will entertain you. That is what she does.

    During your stay in the house, you were like a free bird. Was that a strategy to gain votes from your fans?

    I think one of the things I can’t do is pretend. It was actually a strategy with the way things were going in the house. The tension and everything, I don’t think I would have been able to sustain to that level. I guess it was just the normal natural me.

    When you are not working, what do you do?

    I sleep.

    Was Akingbolahan dedicated to a particular person?

    It was not dedicated to anybody in particular. It is like a concept that was built as a singer or an entertainer.

    So far, what has stardom brought for you?

    Fame; it has opened doors. It has brought me a lot of opportunities. Now I can tap into those things that were difficult in the past, the normal mess up, with the name Yetunde Omo Ibadan. It has brought a lot of challenges, goodies and bad side, a mixture of everything that has made it a great journey so far.

    Between Lagos and Ibadan, where would you say the recognition is higher?

    Lagos. That is where my career was built, so I would say I get more recognition in Lagos than any other place.

    Any plans to further your education?

    Education to me is finding what you want to do with your life and gaining knowledge in that field. I intend to further to any stage that I can get to in my music career. Basically, education, like the majority view it, is not just going to school to get a certificate. To me, it is getting to know that thing you know how to do well and getting educated in it.

    Are you still an MTN ambassador?

    I won’t want to answer that, but I am a Project Fame ambassador. I came out of Project Fame, so automatically I am an ambassador of Project Fame.

  • ‘Carved stamps from thorns gave me fame’

    Renowned artist and founder of the Niger Delta Art and Cultural Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, has made a historic return to the ancient city of Benin, the Edo State capital. He is full of nostalgia, returning to the city where he started from about 70 years ago. He said the visit which was at the instance of the faculty of Art, University of Benin (UNIBEN), was a home-coming. He described his “childhood and boyhood” days in Benin City as a turning point in his life as a pupil. He recalled that as a Standard One pupil at the defunct Eweka Memorial School, Iyaro, Benin City, he first carved stamps from conical thorns extracted from silk cotton trees.

    Today, what he started as a hobby some decades ago has become not only a means of livelihood but also a source of fame. “Little did I know I had launched myself into a fulfilling lifetime career in print making…I continued my handwork of stamp engraving, which had become not only a hobby, but a means of livelihood. I became so proficient that commissions poured in from my school mates,” he said.

    Onobrakpeya spoke on Artistic Odyssey: Printmaking as an expression of life’s adventures at a lecture organised as part of activities marking his year-long 80th birthday celebration at UNIBen, recently.

    He was very happy to be back in Benin City, describing it as a home-coming. “I spent part of my childhood and boyhood days in this environment, which was mainly farmlands and thick forests dotted with isolated villages,” he added.

    He said the lecture, organised by the Faculty of Art, of the UNIBEN, was a window to share some of his experiences as a printmaker beginning from a playful hobby to a point where it grew to an important contemporary art medium, which also inspired the creation of the yearly Harmattan Art Workshop. ‘This is an opportunity to tell some of the stories of my life as an artist.’

    He described printmaking as a democratic medium of art, despite its unpopularity among artists and collectors. He said printmaking involves artistic and technical abilities. “Its advantage is that instead of one picture, the plate can cast several identical images each of which can be owned by a person and enjoyed as original art. The other advantage is that the picture is much more affordable, nothing comparable to the price paid for one – of – a – kind picture,” he said.

    He, however, recalled that his first hazard of engraving and reproducing motifs was when his guardian seized his fountain pen believing he stole money to buy it. He also recalled that when his college principal’s rubber stamp and signature were forged to collect a registered parcel at the post office, all carvers were arrested by the police.

    Onobrakpeya said though printmaking involves artistic and technical abilities, its advantage is that instead of one picture, the plate can cast several identical images each of which can be owned by a person and enjoyed as original art. The other advantage, he said, is that the picture is much more affordable, nothing comparable to the price paid for one – of – a – kind picture.

    “This is also why printmaking is considered a democratic medium of art. Although, prints as artworks enjoy some popularity, they are however not well known still. There is confusion in distinguishing print as an original art and reproductions as copies of an original art. A print is an original idea or design engraved or prepared by an artist,” he added.

    Another memorable incidence though a playful act that taught Onobrakpeya how to translate experience into tangible visual art, was when as a child he accompanied his mother to Idinogbo village up hill at the Okeruvbi valley. According to him, a red painting of an animal at the entrance of a shrine scared him that he tugged at his mother’s legs for protection. The incident was in his mind for several years. “While fiddling with discarded textile blocks for possible new designs in my studio, the form of that animal popped up from my subconscious, bold and still very scary. I developed the motif into silk screen which was further worked on to produce the picture I called Leopard in the Cornfield. It was first made as an oil painting on board and later made into silkscreen print series which have now entered the third edition,” he recalled.

    He said the various stages of his printmaking techniques were very eventful saying each had significant impact on his creative enterprise as an artist. The innovations include bronze lino relief, plastography, plastocast, ivorex, diptilinen, and triptilinen.

    “The various printmaking innovations have made it possible for me to address issues, which relate to the Nigerian environment in two series. The first is the Sahelian Masquerades, which are pictures that draw attention to the beauty of the different cultures in the northern part of our country, but also express environmental concerns about man, flora and fauna as a result of desertification.

    “Similarly, another series, Totems of the Delta call for man and divine intervention to stop the adverse effects of mineral exploration and extraction. Both basically address environmental issues,” he said.

    Onobrakpeya stressed that his passion for printmaking and his relative success as a printmaker has led to his invitations to many continents for residency programmes and to numerous groups and one-man shows in cities such as London, New York, Takoma, Elizabeth City, Los Angeles, Deer Isle and Plymouth in the United States, New Delhi, Toronto, Darkar, Abidjan and Harare. Each of these places led me to different adventures which helped to expand my experience and advance my printmaking technically and professionally. He disclosed that his attendance as Artist – In – Residence at the Haystack Mountain School of Arts and Craft in Deer Isle in 1975 inspired his setting up the Harmattan Workshop, 24 years after.

  • FG to induct Eagles into Hall of Fame

    FG to induct Eagles into Hall of Fame

    The Federal Government has said it is ready to make the present set of Super Eagles players the first beneficiaries of the National Sports Hall of Fame, that was recently given approval by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

    Sports Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdulahi, said on Thursday night while addressing players and officials of the Super Eagles at the Garden Court Hotel abode in Milpark, South Africa, that the government has also mapped out a heroic welcome for the team by Monday next week.

    Abdulahi, who was in company of NFF President, Aminu Maigari, Director, Elite Athletes, National Sports Commission, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba, NFF board members, Chris Green and Felix Anyansi-Agwu, said the government is proud of the achievement of the team so far, but added that the team must complete the job by winning the trophy. “Victory is not everything but victory is the only thing”, he declared. He admonished the team to go all out for victory in the final against the Stallions of Burkina Faso at the Soccer City in Soweto on Sunday.

    Maigari on his part thanked government at the highest level for the huge support the team has been receiving so far, assuring that the team will surely defeat its opponents for the trophy on Sunday. He said all obligations to the team has been met, thanks to express approval by government at all spheres.

    The NFF boss revealed that he has already received words from President Jonathan of another tele-conference with the team before the final, as the last one so motivated the players that the President feels they need his tonic to excel in Sunday’s grand finale.

    Head Coach Stephen Keshi spoke in a similar vein, noting that the team has come too far in the competition to let its guards down. On his part skipper of the side, Joseph Yobo, thanked the Minister for always being there for his team, assuring that the team has resolved to unite and conquer the Nations Cup trophy for Nigeria. “We will not let Mr. President who has been so supportive down and we cannot let our families and the people of Nigeria down. We are certain that the trophy will be won fair and square on Sunday”, he said.