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Tag: laughter

  • Where has the laughter gone?

    Where has the laughter gone?

    I have come to the conclusion that the major problem with Nigerians is their abysmally low sense of humor, an essential ingredient needed for communal bonding and healthy living. Unlike in the past when our streets were filled with a vibrant throng of happy people, leading to a worldwide acknowledgment that Nigeria was the epicenter of “the happiest people in the world,” today’s Nigeria is populated by grim-faced, violence-inclined, and skirmish-ready individuals. Gone are the days when we laughed at our own self-inflicted national maladies as if they never mattered. Those were times when we looked at our leaders, poked fun at them, and threw their silly jabs straight back at them. Despite the gloomy realities that had become the lot of many who had suffered years of failed promises from a leadership more concerned with growing personal wealth than with the general good, citizens still relished the opportunity to laugh it all off, clinging to a forlorn hope that remains a mirage to this present moment.

    The question is: Why are Nigerians wearing long faces all over the place as if the country has run out of those things that usually etched sardonic, almost implacable laughter on our faces in years past? The answer may not be far-fetched. Something tells me that the aggravated anger now pervasive on our streets is caused by the grinding poverty that has gripped many of us. Nigerians are no longer laughing away their sorrows because laughter is now a serious matter. How does one expect anyone to smirk over the news that a Chinese firm has secured a court mandate in France to seize properties belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria just because of a business agreement with the Ogun State Government that went awry? Yes, they say Nigeria is a cruise. But this kind of cruise simply numbs one to laughter. How in the world did a state, which had the fortune of being ruled consecutively by educated professionals, sink into this abyss under the watch of these state chief executives? Could it be a failure of due diligence in the way the contract was terminated, or is it a case of arrogance and pettiness that dogs the relationship between these governors? How, for example, can raucous laughter paper over the serious matter of an unknown foreign firm having the temerity to seize three presidential jets in addition to claiming seizure of other Federal Government properties in the United Kingdom and the United States? And how does one even “catch cruise” when the explanations given by those involved in the transactional dealings with the Chinese firm lack clarity or any sense of seriousness in handling the technical divorce? Where one would have expected detailed and believable revelations on how and why the agreements were quashed, all we got were tendentious arguments of deceit and lack of propriety that remain unproven. Why wouldn’t laughter evaporate into the thin air?

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    Ordinarily, the controversies surrounding the salaries and emoluments of the members of the National Assembly should have served as a purgation of sorts for those accustomed to waving off the tragedies of the Nigerian nation as just another drama in motion. But given the hardship that has gripped laughter at its incubation period, would it have mattered to anyone if senators contradict themselves on what they truly earn? At a point when we were still struggling to adjust to the reality of a ₦21 million-per-senator monthly salary as revealed by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, a former senator who recently left the Senate following a court’s judgment, Ishaku Abbo stunned the nation with the revelation that the monthly take-home pay for each senator is ₦29 million. By all intents and purposes, he said, this was just a drop in the ocean considering the huge responsibilities every lawmaker shoulders. Abbo said the pay was so bad that he became poorer as a senator and had to beg some influential persons to help relieve him of some of the financial burdens that fell on his table as a lawmaker in a society where some state governors go home with one billion naira for state responsibilities. Is this not what they mean when they say that Nigeria is a cruise? People just say whatever they like without bothering to pass such statements through the crucible of rational thinking. They vomit thrash and expect us to raise a toast in their honour. But for a rash of unexplainable hypnotism, there is no other way to explain the loud silence that has greeted the revelations concerning how the National Assembly has become a cesspool of corruption and barefaced stealing. When they justify the huge pay packets under subheads like running costs and constituency maintenance, one would imagine that the National Bureaucracy wouldn’t be responsible for paying the salaries and allowances of their personal aides in addition to the day-to-day maintenance of their offices. Unfortunately, that is not the case. And that’s without even considering the fact that budget padding has continued to benefit the lawmakers directly. When those constitutionally empowered to check the excesses of the executive have stuffed their mouths with so many skullduggeries, why wouldn’t the executors of state policies summon the effrontery to spit on the graves of their impoverished subjects? We used to laugh over all this in the past. But now, the laughter has been muted by the anguished wailings of the oppressed.

    But this is not just about the lawmakers and their wiles; it’s more about the unethical practices that continue to negatively impact the wellbeing of society and national development generally. Just the other day, the highly respected online news outlet, Premium Times, blew the lid off how some privileged members of the Senate influenced the awards of multi-billion naira constituency projects to their areas in the 2024 budget. Some would say there’s nothing new about this—it has always been the practice, even in the 9th National Assembly, where the leadership practically ‘abducted’ all the juicy projects to their constituencies in anticipation of either returning to the hallowed chambers or being awarded higher political positions. The question is: How did it end for most of those involved in the scramble? As revealed by Premium Times, it’s not just that many of the listed projects had “vague or ambiguous locations”; they were listed under questionable sub-heads. For example, what kind of clarity can anyone deduce from a budget sub-head that allocates “one billion naira for the construction of rural roads in some selected villages in Sagamu?” This is the kind of stuff one reads in our budget these days. It was something we used to laugh over in those days when laughter had a cathartic effect. It doesn’t anymore.

    The latest “cruise” in town concerns the removal or non-removal of the fuel subsidy. Isn’t it laughable that no one outside the coven of Nigeria’s oil buccaneers can make any categorical statement on the status of the subsidy in the country despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration that the regime of subsidizing petroleum products had been stopped? Following the presidential pronouncement on May 29, 2023, unfolding events in that sector have confounded many Nigerians. The prices of the products, especially Premium Motor Spirit and diesel, have been rising ceaselessly. While many had thought that the alleged removal would not only stabilize prices, even if at a higher rate, there was also the assumption that it would put an end to the activities of the portfolio investors in that sector who were the direct beneficiaries of the subsidies through backhanded and shady dealings with corrupt government officials at the nation’s oil giant, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited. Naturally, it was also assumed that the move would put an end to the criminal activities of those who smuggle refined petroleum products across the border to make huge gains on the subsidized products. At least, these were some of the takeaways that experts said Nigerians should expect from the President’s action, with the assurance that the billions, if not trillions, of naira saved would be used for the infrastructural development of the country, while state governments would have access to more funding from the Federation Account to share. Wonderful!

    Now, some 13 months into the subsidy removal regime, the key question on the lips of Nigerians is: What exactly is happening in the country’s oil sector? While the prices of all basic items have skyrocketed, with citizens choking under the yoke of the policy coupled with the continuous unavailability of the product at filling stations, those who should ordinarily be in control of the situation seem to be at a loss. They keep frothing at the mouth, offering a thousand and one tendentious excuses to explain away their incompetence in handling the crisis in a sector where they claim unmatched expertise. Without mincing words, it is clear to concerned Nigerians that someone in that sector has been taking them for a ride while lying through their teeth. Asked if the country is surreptitiously back to the subsidy regime following the claims by independent marketers that they could no longer sustain the pegged prices they were being asked to sell the products at, NNPCL’s Chief Financial Officer, Alhaji Umar Ajiya, was quoted as saying: “In the last eight to nine months, the NNPCL has not paid anybody a dime as subsidy; no one has been paid a kobo by the NNPCL in the name of subsidy. No marketer has received any money from us by way of subsidy. What has been happening is that we have been importing PMS, which has been landing at a certain cost price, and the government tells us to sell it at half that price. So the difference between that landing price and that half price is what we call a shortfall. And the deal is between the Federation and the NNPCL to reconcile.”

    In a bid to understand what Mallam Ajiya was trying to explain in the long-winding permutations above, I had to resort to consulting the dictionary for the actual meaning of the word “subsidy.” My ever-reliable Oxford Advanced Dictionary describes subsidy as “a direct or indirect payment to individuals or firms, usually in the form of cash payment from the government or a targeted tax cut. In economic terms, a subsidy is a financial aid or support extended, usually by the government, to an economic sector, with the aim of promoting economic and social policy.” So, if the government is instructing the NNPCL to sell PMS at half the landing price, and the NNPCL incurs a shortfall that is later reconciled with the Federation, isn’t that, in plain terms, a subsidy? Why then the convoluted explanations to confuse the public?

    This labyrinth of explanations leads to a crucial point: the laughter in Nigeria has dried up because the jokes have gotten too complicated, and the punch lines hurt too much. When the situation becomes so dire that you need a dictionary to understand what a government official is saying, it’s no longer a joke—it’s a tragedy. The simplicity of past humor, where the jokes were clear and the laughter was therapeutic, has given way to a baffling complexity where even the comedians struggle to find material that resonates with the everyday struggles of the populace.

    The laughter is gone because the issues that once made us to chuckle have morphed into grim realities that no one can ignore. The quirks of a country that once provided endless amusement now provoke only sighs and anger. The absurdities that used to be the hallmark of our collective experience are now too painful to laugh about. People are too busy trying to survive in an increasingly hostile environment to find the energy or the spirit to laugh over the repetitive streak of benumbing blathering in the corridors of power. 

    In the end, the disappearance of laughter from our streets is a symptom of a deeper malaise. It’s a sign that the social fabric is fraying, that the coping mechanisms we once relied on to get through tough times are no longer sufficient. The laughter is gone because the hope that fueled it is fading, replaced by a sobering realization that things might not get better anytime soon. Yet, in the face of all this, it’s important to remember that humor has always been a survival tool for Nigerians. It has been the balm that soothes the pain of living in a country where the odds often seem insurmountable. Perhaps, when the dust settles, and the chaos of the present moment fades into history, we will find our laughter again—stronger, more resilient, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. But for now, as we navigate this challenging period, the laughter is on hold, replaced by a collective determination to endure and, eventually, to overcome. Can we? Yes, we can!

  • If laughter is indeed the best medicine, why can it not cure toothache?

    According to the sages, laughter is the best medicine. They go further to say that a merry heart does the body good. They go even further to claim that life, love and laughter are intricately melded together. Even more preposterously, they claim that those who know how to laugh at life’s situations live longer. This means of course that those who don’t know how to laugh soon wither off. Well, all I can say is that whoever says these things has obviously never had a toothache.

    Anyone who has ever had a bout of toothache can testify to a number of things. One, it begins quietly, often when you’re cracking a bone. The ‘crack’ sound you hear from the cavernous yonder often catches you by surprise. Two, it is no respecter of persons. It would have a king writhing in pain, on the bare floor, underneath his expensive throne, crown flung aside most disrespectfully, the same way it would seize a market maid.

    Three, it never strikes in the morning when you can quickly redirect your route towards the dentistry. No sir, the blasted thing always strikes deep in the night when help is anywhere but right where you are; or else it strikes at the beginning of the weekend, ruining your every chance of enjoying that cow-leg pepper-soup you skimped, saved or accepted bribery to buy. I tell you, when the toothache comes on one, there are no age restrictions on the shouts of pain as you writhe and respond with irritated malice to any question from the rest of the healthy world. ‘Where are the car keys?’ ‘Un hoe, un mo mont’, which, under normal circumstances, would probably have come out as ‘In here, in my mouth’.

    I have been a faithful student of laughter; I have even done researches on the sort of humour that produces it. And they are many. The quirky twist of understanding of particular words is one source. Take the instance of a well-known thief caught in the act of stealing someone’s purse only to turn around to claim that he actually thought it was the one he had lost earlier. Or, take the case of a man addressed by his wife as ‘Hon’. Asked what it meant, his wife replied it was a term of endearment to which the man replied, ‘After forty years, it is a term of endurement’.

    The readiest source of humour of course is when animals are given human characteristics and they are depicted slaving away at the stove, playing cards or tennis or even driving. The act of animals replicating human frailties brings out the ridiculousness of those humans more, and makes you ask, why give these poor animals such a bad name? And, all the while, the poor animals are thinking, ‘Are you sure human beings do these things?’

    Has it struck you that no matter how much you prod and joke, Nigerians do not seem to appreciate humour? I am willing to be corrected on this but most Nigerians I meet appear to have given their sense of humour a permanent holiday. Indeed, they all go around as if they are all suffering from toothache and so cannot generate or even respond to laughter. Everyone is going around with dead-pan seriousness as they grapple with the reality of life in Nigeria – a life of no water, no electricity, no food, no health, no money. It is all they can do to stay alive, let alone smile. The market woman has no joke for the buyer, only a frown of ‘I beg commot for my front if you no fit buy’. Ditto for the petrol attendant, the taxi driver. Everyone you meet these days is going around looking like Mount Etna in the throes of a volcanic eruption.

    Don’t get me wrong. I occasionally come across genuine humour factories. No, not from Baba Sala and his professional colleagues – those are simply plying their trade; I mean, people who can generate spontaneous laughter from any given situation they find themselves in; but they are too abominably few. Just the other day, I cut into someone’s lane in traffic with my car and, quite offended, he shouted, ‘Stupid woman. Go get a driver!’ Now, how is that for a response? I mean, how was that supposed to help my driving? Such responses are too deep for me; they strike at the Nigerian’s comical reaction to one of the many contradictions that surround them.

    Indeed, I always find the Lagos traffic to be a humour factory. It is always amazing to watch the mass of humans there screech their ways around the land like crazed, drunken mice, in the name of making a living. Everyone walks so purposefully and so fast, even armed robbers, that pedestrians can collide heavily against each other. You can stand and watch helplessly as those who drive around zoom around you like bullets, driven by crazed drivers with speed in their eyes. Yep, you’re right; the same people would love to shout ‘please slow down’ if they could when they are being driven to the cemetery in their caskets.

    Oh yes, we can also find some humour in the Nigerian government too. In the name of central control, the government has made itself the only viable employer in the land, and yet cries that no development is taking place! How can?! Development is when the citizens are given certain resources and asked to go and multiply what they have. Studiously, the said citizens creatively use their share of these resources to bring out finished goods and/or provide services for other citizens. That way, different goods and services are spread around the country. Nothing but chaos can attend the present arrangement. It is confusion reigning supreme and feeding my sad mirth.

    Humour resides elsewhere too. Look at the same government’s road agencies in the land – not a bit of humour between them to make a baby laugh. Altogether, they seem to have come to the conclusion that only one brief connects them and the public – not to represent the government. Whatever they do, they do not do it smiling. I think that is mainly because they do not appreciate the humour of public service, which is so funny.

    Me, I continue to find humour all around me. Just look at the social media; it’s full of budding humorists, pranksters, and people who have no idea how to use it. Facebook alone is full of people who are suffering from mild attacks of narcissism. If they have not put a picture of themselves in different modes: sleeping, eating, walking, standing, angry, pretentiousness, mouth-agape and other modes on their walls for the whole world to marvel at the fine specimen of human beings they are, life is not complete. Facebook should be a complete dossier of the people we know. These days, it is turning out to be a complete dossier of the people I don’t know anymore.

    Perhaps, I should correct myself. Nigerians do have a great sense of humour. It just does not lie in the universally acknowledged quirks of character, actions or even words known to send one reeling backwards. It does not lie in attempting to make light of different situations that accost us daily. Nigerians challenge us to understand their sense of humour. It lies in doing exactly those things that go against nature, reason and universal good judgment, that defy any human understanding, or that belong in the animal kingdom. They are the things that give us toothache, which laughter obviously cannot cure.

    • Part of this article was published some time ago.

     

     

  • If laughter is indeed the best medicine, why can it not cure toothache?

    Nigerians do have a great sense of humour… It lies in doing exactly those things that go against nature, reason and universal good judgment, defy any human understanding, or belong in the animal kingdom. They are the things that give us toothache, which laughter can obviously not cure.

    Laughter, the sages write, is really the best medicine. They go further to say that a merry heart does the body good; they go even further to claim that life, love and laughter are intricately tied together. Even more preposterously, they claim that those who know how to laugh at life’s situations live longer. This means of course that those who don’t know how to laugh soon wither off. Well, all I can say is that whoever says this has obviously never had a toothache.

    Anyone who has ever had a bout of toothache can testify to a number of things. One, it begins quietly, often when you’re cracking a bone. The ‘crack’ sound you hear from the cavernous yonder often catches you by surprise. Two, it is no respecter of persons. It would have a king writhing in pain, on the bare floor, underneath his expensive throne, crown flung aside most disrespectfully, the same way it would seize a market maid. Thirdly, it never strikes in the morning when you can quickly redirect your route towards the dentistry. No sir, the blasted thing always strikes deep in the night when help is anywhere but right where you are; or else it strikes at the beginning of the weekend, ruining your every chance of enjoying that cow-leg pepper-soup you skimped, saved or accepted bribery to buy. I tell you, when the toothache comes on one, there are no age restrictions on the shouts of pain as you writhe and respond with irritated malice to any question from the rest of the healthy world. ‘Where are the car keys?’ ‘Un hoe, un mo mont’, which, at other normal times, would probably have come out as ‘In here, in my mouth’.

    I have been a faithful student of laughter; I have even done researches on the sort of humour that produces it. And they are many. The quirky twist of understanding or words is one source. Take the instance of a well-known thief caught in the act of stealing someone’s purse only to turn around to claim that he actually thought it was the one he had lost earlier. Or, take the case of a man addressed by his wife as ‘Hon’. Asked what it meant, his wife replied it was a term of endearment to which the man replied, ‘After forty years, it is a term of endurement’.

    The readiest source of humour of course is when animals are given human characteristics and they are depicted slaving away at the stove, playing cards or tennis or even driving. The act of animals taking on human frailties brings out the ridiculousness of those humans some more, and makes the animals look like saints. It is obvious that all the while the poor animals are thinking, ‘Are you sure human beings do these things?’

    Has it struck you that no matter how much you prod and joke, Nigerians do not seem to appreciate humour? I am willing to be corrected on this but most Nigerians I see appear to have given their sense of humour a permanent holiday. Indeed, they all go around as if toothache has taken hold of their heads and they cannot generate or even respond to laughter. Everyone is going around with dead-pan seriousness as they grapple with the reality of life in Nigeria – a life of no water, no electricity, no food, no health, no this, no that – it is all they can do to stay alive, let alone smile. The market woman has no joke for the buyer, only a frown of ‘I beg commot for my front if you no fit buy’. Ditto for the petrol attendant, the taxi driver, and all the people you meet every day.

    Don’t get me wrong. I occasionally come across genuine humour merchants, no, not professional ones – those are simply plying their trade – I mean, people who generate spontaneous laughter from any given situation they find themselves in but they are too abominably few. Just the other day, I cut into someone’s lane in traffic with my car and, quite offended, he shouted, ‘Stupid woman. Go get a driver!’ Now, how is that for a response? I mean, how was that supposed to help my driving? I have found that Nigerians do not respond with mirth to the many contradictions that surround them.

    Indeed, I sometimes I think the little humour in the country can only be found at Lagos bus stops where the country prefers to let its citizens screech their ways around the land like crazed mice drunk, skin and teeth, on punch. So, instead of turning into the refined, well-nurtured citizens who board vehicles gently like the rest of the civilized world, we are turning into the kind of people who scratch their living out of the eyes of others. Then you hear ‘Shod, Shod, Shod’ hollered all day long at passers-by in Oshodi and you are wondering if a lost gentleman is wanted to shod the earth, not knowing they are only calling out a destination.

    Sometimes, too, you can find some humour in the Niger Delta where so much oil is flowing out and so much money is flowing, paradoxically, into the ground. The other day, a report was given that the highest unemployment level is in the Niger Delta region. How come, with so much wealth flowing into the place? The report went on to say that the problem is that people there do not work. Money is ‘just shared’; factories are not set up; tomorrow is not thought of, it does not exist. And, when an indigene is employed, I hear, he simply contracts the work out to a non-indigene who ‘reports’ back to the indigene with an agreed per centage of the wage earned. Hilarious. Can no one there appreciate where all this is going to lead? That we will eventually have a region of contractors?

    May be, too, we are too sad to find the humour in the rather tragic and illogical situation unfolding in the northern part of Nigeria, where the millions of unschooled children are even now taking advantage of the decades of neglect from their leaders. Now, guess who is crying. No, it’s not the children who were the victims; ’tis the leaders who were the neglectors. Believe me, it’s not funny when one’s teeth are set on edge because one’s father has eaten sour grapes. You can not only not taste of any brew, let alone one’s own, you can also be forgiven for not showing any sense of humour.

    Me, I continue to find humour all around me. Take the national honours list for instance. Over many years, the nation has now become disenchanted with that list. If it is not filled with the names of crooks, it is filled with the names of serving politicians and you wonder where the difference is. Every year, the list contains the names of the nation’s primary ruiners, on whom we gleefully confer great honours. Come on!

    Perhaps, I should correct myself. Nigerians do have a great sense of humour. It does not lie in the universally acknowledged quirks of character, actions or even words. It does not lie in attempting to make light of different situations that accost us daily. It lies in our doing exactly those things that go against nature, reason, good judgment; that defy any human understanding, or belong in the animal kingdom. They are the things that give us toothache, which laughter can obviously not cure. Happy smile week!

    • This article was first published many years ago but is reprinted today owing to its relevance

  • Healthy responses and behaviours: Laughter

    Today we are going to seriously talk about something funny – laughter, a behaviour.   LOL.  Yes, you may be familiar with Laughing Out Loud.

    The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology (Wikipedia) and in the next couple of articles we are going to be gelotologists.

    Laughter is the sound we humans make when we are mentally or physically stimulated into a pleasant excitement.  Some other species of primates demonstrate laughter behaviour.  Laughter consists of rhythmic contractions of muscles of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system with expulsion of air and sound from the respiratory system.

    The stimulus for laughter can come from inside of us – internal stimuli – and these include thoughts, imagination, memory, wishes, and bodily stimuli such as we get from tickling sensation.

    The stimulus can also be and most probably is often stronger from external stimuli such as words, actions, and behaviours of other persons as well as events and scenes that we experience.  In fact, laughter may be better understood as a social behaviour, connecting humans.

    The physiologic mechanism of laughter involves the chest muscles, lungs, the throat, the voice box, the nose and the mouth and a person can laugh wholly or partly from these components.  Parts of the brain are involved in the coordination which may be involuntary or voluntary.

    The overt physiologic involvement may extend to the eyes which release tears, the blood vessels which dilate and in Caucasians may produce blushing, the central neurones which release endorphins which are natural pain killers, the immune system which stimulates protective cells, as well as modulation of hormonal responses that reduce the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.

    As a natural human behaviour, laughter can occur in all humans.  Like sneezing, coughing, and crying, laughter is similarly expressed in all humans irrespective of language, culture, sex, age, religion.  Though a natural response, laughing is also a learned behaviour, therefore the stimulus to laughter and the mental modulation of laughter varies with age, sex, education, and cultures.

    The English language has words for various forms or degrees or intensities of laughers: the chuckle, the titter, the giggle, the chortle, the cackle, the belly laugh, the sputtering, the burst, the snicker, the snigger, the guffaw, and the snort.  Each definition is funny and worth looking up.

    Laughter can be controlled up to a limit after which we burst out laughing.  Each human being has a laughing threshold.  Some laugh more easily or more readily than others. Generally, positive experiences and states in life (such as success, achievements, wealth, status, well-being, fitness, friends, good companionship, good food, good news, etc.) lower our laughing threshold and we laugh more readily and more easily. On the contrary, negative experiences and states in life (such as failure, frustration, misery, humiliation, illness, stress, enemies, loneliness, hunger, threat, etc.) raise our laughing threshold and we laugh less readily and less easily or may cease laughing altogether.  The raising and lowering of the laughing threshold is possibly adaptive psychology parallel to homeostasis physiology.  In the physical physiologic realm, if we feel hot, we sweat and the body temperature is lowered.  In the mental realm, if good things come we laugh easily; if bad things come, laughing is hindered or disabled. Our mental state and capability may become reflective of and commensurate with our experience.

    Just as physiologically, we can exercise and build up muscles and increase our running speed and control our breath, we can train our mental function too.  Laughing can become a learned behaviour and especially a coping behaviour.  In fact, we learn to utilize and manipulate laughter in many, sometimes diverse, ways such as: situational laughter as a cover up, stage laughter as when an actor plays a role, or simply to bond with others.

    Thus laughter can be elicited in various psychological states – some positive (e.g. happiness, joy, excitement, relief) and some negative (e.g. embarrassment, confusion, nervousness).  It may be spontaneous such as in success laugh or happy reunion laugh or it may be deliberate such as in courtesy laugh or the evil laugh. To be continued.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Fun, laughter as Three Wise Men premieres in Lagos

    Fun, laughter as Three Wise Men premieres in Lagos

    With only few days to the release of Opa Williams’ new comedy film, ‘Three Wise Men’, an indication of a box office success emerged, Sunday night, when the film was premiered in Lagos to a select audience.
    Celebrity stars, filmmakers, sponsors and the media stormed the Air Force Event Center on Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, with great enthusiasm that was soon to justify their time.
    It was a hilarious moment all through, as lead character of the film, Richard Mofe-Damijo, brought laugher-induced tears to the eyes of many with his carriage of Irikefe, a 64-year-old man who chooses the path of a playboy, bringing his two friends; Timi (Zack Orji) and Tobore (Victor Olaotan) into the ‘young at heart’ game.
    Directed by Patience Oghre Imobhio, the film is one of the few beneficiaries of the Bank of Industry (BoI)’s loan scheme tagged Nollyfund.
    Speaking to journalists on the red carpet, Opa Williams described the movie as a faith-based story that satirizes the actions and intents of the elderly trio in their mid/late 60s as they struggle to re-live their lost youth.
    After many years of service in different government parastatals, the three men retire thus they settle in a subird to enjoy their retirement benefits.
    Leader of the gang, Irikefe, a divorcee with three failed marriages after five children, after retirement, refurbishes his flat, buys a laptop, a nice sports car and goes shopping for jeans, T-shirts, sneakers and everything a young man could dream of.
    The three men become an item as Irikefe introduces them to his world of fun; from tracking girls on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, joy riding to clubbing, RMD’s portrayal of this ‘sagging’ and tattoo wearing characters makes as much fun thrilling effect of the audience as his act of taking selfies and posting them on his social media platforms.
    Other cast of the movie are, Ebere Okaro, Tina Mba, Thelma Nwosu, Uche Nwaefuna, Akunna Nworgu, Stanley Edirin Isokoh
    Guests at the event include Founder of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Ms Chioma Ude, President of Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Fred Amata, notable filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, veteran entertainer, Patrick Doyle, filmmaker Emeka Ossai, President of African Film Consortium (AFC), Mykel Parish and broadcaster, Agatha Amata.
    Others are officials of BoI, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Africa Magic and Nigerian Breweries Plc among other sponsors.

  • Methods of bodily relaxation: Laughter

    Methods of bodily relaxation: Laughter

    How often do you laugh? When did you last laugh?  Why did you laugh?  How did you laugh?  You must be funny!

    “Laughter is the best medicine” for a tensed environment.  Humor is infectious. “When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress… Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict….. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.” says HelpGuide.org (http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm). The website explains the effects of laughter, some of which you might recognize as your own experiential knowledge. The major effects of laughter on our bodies are as follows.

    “Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

    Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

    Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

                 Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.”

    Stress being a psycho-physical or psychosomatic (mind-body) condition,laughter is one of the best ways to relieve stress because it has beneficial effects on both mind and body.

    HelpGuide.org gives mental health benefits of laughter as:

    Adds joy and zest to life

    Eases anxiety and fear

    Relieves stress

    Improves mood

    Enhances resilience

    Social benefits are included:

    Strengthens relationships

    Attracts others to us

    Enhances teamwork

    Helps defuse conflict

    Promotes group bonding

    The link between laughter and mental health are also described as:

    “Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.

    Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.

    Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

    Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

    Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.

    Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.

    Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.

    Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.”

    Therefore, when you relax at home, take off some stress with laughter.  The relationship between parents and kids is genetic, physical, mental, and spiritual.  It is a symbiotic complex. Parents stress themselves to put food on the table but kids are delightful and a source of laughter. Parents’ spending time with their kids is not only good for the kids but is also good for the parents.  Other sources of laughter are television, publications, pets, friends, and fun activities.Laugh, show someone your teeth every day of your life.

     

    Know what is not for laughter.The ancient Book of Sirach says: “Laugh not at an embittered man; be mindful of him who exalts and humbles” (Sirach 7:11).  Discern a good joke from a bad one.  Do not diminish or hurt other people with your “fun”.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635.

  • A presentation with drama, laughter

    A presentation with drama, laughter

    President Goodluck Jonathan walked into the green chamber at 10.18am accompanied by Vice- President Namadi Sambo, Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bamanga Tukur,among others. He was dressed in his trademark Niger Delta attire with ‘resource control’ hat and black shoes.

    Cabinet members and PDP chiefs arrived before the President.

    Jonathan was ushered in by the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Alh. Salisu Maikasuwa. He led him to shake hands with Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

    Mark, who took charge after the National Anthem, addressed Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu as Eze Ndigbo, to douse any tension with Representatives who might have issues with him giving precedence to his deputy over Tambuwal.

    The comment drew laughter and some murmurs from the floor.

    When Mark said the National Assembly possesses the right to make input into budget proposals, the floor erupted in thunderous applause. Cabinet members and PDP chieftains feigned ignorance of the import of the statement.

    The lawmakers showed no sign of being impressed with the budget presentation as they refused to applaud the initiatives introduced in the proposal. Members of the cabinet did not disappoint their principal as every milestone mentioned in the address was applauded.

    Female legislators gave the President a standing ovation when he mentioned programmes for women.

    When Tambuwal rose to give the vote of thanks, he was given a standing ovation even before he uttered the first word. The ‘brief’ vote of thanks was applauded at every juncture and when it was over, the ovation was astounding.

    Before the President took his leave, he shook hands with Mark and Tambuwal. He was seen shaking Tambuwal’s hands more vigorously as he exchanged banters with the two leaders. He personally collected the addresses of the Senate President and the Speaker before handing them over to his aides.

    The President took his time to greet the lawmakers.