ACN suspends congresses in Lagos, four other states

 ACN Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande

The National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Chief Bisi Akande, has said the party’s congresses scheduled to begin on Thursday (today) will not hold in Lagos, Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River states.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the party’s emergency National Executive Committee meeting in Lagos, Akande explained that in Sokoto State, the ACN began the registration of its members very late, while the congresses in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River states would not hold because of the late collation of registration.

Akande said the party had just started the process of integrating its registered members in Lagos State into the general register. Speaking on the ongoing discussions between the ACN and the Congress for Progressive Change, Akande said no decision had been reached.

He also confirmed reports that he held a discussion with a CPC presidential aspirant, Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.). He said that after a committee comprising leaders of both parties was set up, Buhari advised that both parties should operate on the same platform.

The ACN chairman said Buhari’s suggestion was yet to be reviewed.

He said, “We have begun talks with the CPC. It is true that Buhari met with me and after the meeting, we set up a committee made up of nominees from both leaders.

“I nominated some people, and he did same. He advised us to operate on the same platform but we have not reviewed the recommendations of the committee and we have not taken any decision regarding it.”

Speaking n the chances of the party in the 2011 elections, a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said the ACN would do well. He said the party was determined to change the country.

Tinubu said the Peoples Democratic Party had been unable to fix the economy, put the roads in a good shape and tackle the nation’s energy problems, adding, “Nigerians are tired of such party and they will want a change.”

Meanwhile, a statement issued in Lagos by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it would begin its congresses with ward elections nationwide on Thursday. The statement said these would be followed by local government area congresses on December 6, state congress on December 11 and a National Convention on December 16.

The statement said the ward congress would be held at the party’s ward offices; local government area election would take place at the ACN’s secretariats in council areas. It said the state congress would hold at the party headquarters in the state while the National Convention has been fixed for the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Edo State.

According to the ACN, membership of the congresses and the convention is as stated in the party’s constitution.

Giving further details of the congresses and convention, the party said, “The Ward Congress shall elect 20 ward officers, one ex-officio member to the ward executive, one ex-officio to the local government executive, eight delegates made up of five delegates to the Local Government Area Congress holding on the 6th of December 2010 and three delegates for the State Congress holding on the 11th of December 2010.

“The Local Government Congress shall elect 21 local government officers, one ex-officio to represent the local government at the state executive committee and two delegates, one of which must be a woman for the National Convention.

“The State Congress shall elect 23 officers of the party that will constitute the State Working Committee in compliance with section 7.11 of the party’s constitution (while)the National Convention shall elect the national officers of the party and the six ex-officio members for the six geo-political zones (each representing a geo-political zone); consider and approve recommendations for any amendment to the party constitution; receive, consider and take decisions on reports from the National Executive Committee and deliberate, consider and approve any other matters brought before it.”

It also listed the fees payable, for the collection of nomination forms, by all members of the party contesting for party offices. Contestants for ward chairmanship will pay N500 each while other offices will attract N300. Party members seeking to lead the ACN’s local government chapters will pay N5000 while those aspiring to other offices are to pay N2,500 each.

State chairman candiates will pay N25,000 each while other contestants will pay N5,000 apiece. Memebrs seeking to contest the national chairman of the party are to pay N100,000 while the fee for other offices has been fixed at N25,000 per contestant.

ACN said the ward registers would serve as the voter register while the special registration documents issued to the members at the just concluded registration exercise would be used as voter cards. It said the the National Convention Committee would cancel elections in areas where there are irregularities or violence.

“Any aspirant identified as having a hand in any irregularity or violence at any level may be suspended or expelled and shall forfeit his/her right to participate in elections of the party or for any elective office. The National Convention Committee is the final appeal authority in all election disputes,” the statement added.
Source:http://www.punchng.com

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Macmillan literary night

Crown Troupe of Africa performs at the event

Nigerian writers got the accolades they have rightly earned over the years at the eighth Macmillan Literary Night held on Thursday, November 18 at Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos.


Octogenarian, Chinua Achebe; Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; dramatist, Femi Osofisan; poet, Niyi Osundare and deceased writers, Amos Tutuola and Cyprian Ekwensi, amongst others, were lauded for their contributions to Nigerian literature.
The event themed ‘Penning Our March to the Golden Year: A Celebration of Nigerian Literature in the Last 50 Years', was attended by many lovers of the written word. The task of introducing some of them, especially the chair, Tunde Babawale, Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, and the special guest of honour, Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Governor of Lagos State, fell on Nigeria's first female permanent secretary, Francesca Emmanuel.
The vice chair of Macmillan's literary committee, who executed the task with a touch of class, apologised for the late commencement of the programme. She capped her excellent presentation by reading an excerpt from Peter Enahoro's ‘How to be a Nigerian'.
Worthy ambassadors
Her husband and chair, Macmillan Nigeria Publishers, Bode Emmanuel, welcomed guests thereafter. He noted that the night provided an opportunity to boost creativity, writing and reading. He said Nigerian literature is representative of a country on the move as "it constantly draws from the country's realities in the best tradition of protest art." Emanuel added that it was inevitable that writers would speak out against the excesses of the Nigerian society after a bloody civil war and ill managed oil boom.
The publisher described the emergence of first generation writers including Achebe, Soyinka, Ekwensi, J.P. Clark and others as a "landmark" because they succeeded in giving "African literature focus and direction, and propagated African values to the outside world." He noted that rather than abating, issues that first generation writers condemned in their works multiplied, thus leading to the taking up the gauntlet by second generation writers. Labo Yari, Femi Osofisan, Abubakar Gimba, Festus Iyayi and Odia Ofeimun, Emanuel said, have at various times condemned corruption and other ills in the society. He added that contemporary writers including Ben Okri and Helon Habila have toed the same path.
Emmanuel further noted that apart from the Civil War being the cause of poet Christopher Okigbo's death and the imprisonment of Soyinka, it has been a major issue to Nigerian writers, providing a creative outlet for many of them. Elechi Amadi's ‘Sunset in Biafra'; Soyinka's ‘The Man Died'; Chukwuemeka Ike's ‘Sunset at Dawn'; Ken Saro-Wiwa's ‘Soza Boy' and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's ‘Half of a Yellow Sun', he noted, are examples of the country's rich civil war literature.
The publisher however expressed happiness that in spite of ills afflicting Nigeria and its literature, the writers have achieved a lot on the international scene. He mentioned the translations Achebe's ‘Things Fall Apart' has undergone and Soyinka's Nobel Prize for Literature as examples. He further praised writers for succeeding in exporting our culture to other parts of the world. "Nigeria stands tall in international politics because of the arts and writers... Nigeria stands redeemed through the works of writers," he said. Emanuel also restated Macmillan's dedication to quality publishing.
Laudable project
Emcee, poet and polemicist, Odia Ofeimun, keyed in to Emmanuel's last statement by noting that the company did something he had always wanted this year: releasing four new books. ‘A Childhood Journey' by Mary Oto Lijadu; J.C. Agunwamba's ‘The Poacher's Daughter'; ‘Too Close to the Rocks' by Jide Oguntoye and Onyechi Mbamali's ‘Your Man Abednego'.
Fashola, who was represented by Babajide Sanwo-0lu, the Commissioner for Establishment and Training, commiserated with Macmillan on the demise of educationist Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, vice chair, board of the company. He disclosed that he was impressed by the company's effort to sustain and project Nigerian literature through the literary night initiated. "This is a laudable effort to promote reading," he noted. The Governor reiterated the importance of education to development and urged people to buy and read at least a book a month.
Presentations
Rather than have the chair's remarks, Ofeimun tweaked the schedule to take the presentations, which involved four major Nollywood artists reading excerpts from some works. Norbert Young, Ihria Enakimio, Tina Mba and Ireti Doyle all read while the Crown Troupe of Africa performed. The group's opening glee was a refreshing piece different from their usual offering. It earned them generous applause from the audience. Their second and last presentation, a dance drama titled ‘Our Story' and Wole Soyinka's ‘I Love This Lagos' were also appreciated.
The quartet of Young, Enakimio, Mba and Doyle, also did a commendable job, adopting the mannerisms of their characters. Young perfectly adopted the accent of a Yoruba man while reading Amos Tutuola's ‘The Palmwine Drinkard' while Enakimio did same with Frank Aig-Imoukhuede's pidgin poem, ‘One Man, One Wife'. The two ladies were not exempted in convincingly portraying their characters. Folk group, Nefertiti, accompanied the artists on some excerpts. The quartet did Ken Saro-Wiwa's lengthy, risqué and irreverent pidgin poem, ‘Dis Nigeria Sef' together to end the session.
Critical tool
It was only then that Babawale gave his speech. The CBAAC boss said he was honoured to have been asked to chair the event and described it as a "night of fulfilment, education and sober reflection on the state of our country." He commended Macmillan for doing a great job over the years and reiterated the place of the arts in the society. Babawale said one of the greatest mistakes Nigeria has made in the last two decades is giving preference to science and technology to the detriment of the arts. "Literature provides a critical tool with which you can analyse the society and you need a critical mind to develop. Government must be told in clear terms that we must do everything to support Literature," he said while pledging CBAAC's continuous support to Macmillan.
Babawale, who pulled no punches despite being in the employ of government, also condemned the country's decaying infrastructure. "Ladies and gentlemen, must this continue? No. Go home and start reading."
Source: 234next.com

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Eye on the Soundcity Music Video Awards

PSquare wins

Prior to the Soundcity Music Video Awards of November 20, its organisers generated a lot of hype about the calibre of the event they were planning to unfold. The major gist was how different this show was going to be from prior SMVAs and also from other award shows in the country. "We are aiming for international standards," CEO of Consolidated Media, owner of the Soundcity brand, Tajudeen Adeputu was quoted as saying.

The show started with the ubiquitous red carpet which the SMVAs had transformed to a fashion show hosted by Spice TV, the lifestyle channel and sister brand to Soundcity. The red carpet was opened only to holders of the VVIP ticket sold at N100,000 and special guests. The dramatically and beautifully lit runway which was hoisted at the poolside of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, featured designs from top fashion houses across Africa, especially Nigeria. There were exquisite designs from Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi, Tiffany Amber and Dax Martin from South Africa, amongst others.
The award show proper which was held at the Expo Hall of the same hotel started at about 11pm.

Uti the host
The event started with a performance from P-Square, backed by a high-octane dance routine from dancer, Kaffy. The announcer soon introduced the host and Big Brother All-Stars winner, Uti Nwachukwu. Heralded by bikini clad females and himself in glittering metallic overalls, Uti's entrance aimed for the dramatic but only marginally achieved it. (To balance the bikini-clad females, at another point during the show, bikini-clad males accompanied Adaora, host of MTN Project Fame on stage to present an award.) There had been some sceptics on the choice of Uti as host. However, with the sarcastic wit he displayed on Big Brother, his supporters felt he was worthy. At the end of the day, both sides of the debate came out justified. He had his high and low moments but there was nothing of the spectacular, either good or bad.
Unlike last year's show where the sound quality was held in question, this year it was loud and clear. For those on the balcony who were not able to feel the raw excitement from the well-lit stage (the downside of VIP area), there were small screens in strategic corners there and also huge ones on the walls of the hall that transmitted high definition images. The camera and video-editing crew did a pretty good hands-on job as there was no way one could have missed what was happening on stage or the power of it.
There were however awkward moments brought on by the absence of quite a number of award recipients. Presenters were often left standing aimlessly on the stage after announcing a winner's name without any clue of what to do with the award. When this happened to Fred Amata who had to present the award for Viewers Choice won by Buffalo Souljah for ‘Ezandlha Phezulu', he called on Zaaki "the man from Benue to collect the award for the man from Zimbabwe". This inspired move was accepted gamely by Zaaki and brought on amused chuckles from the audience.

The performances
Still going for big and over the top, the SMVAs had contracted almost all the big names in Nigerian entertainment and one or two from Ghana and South Africa to give life performances. Even so, each staged performance depended entirely on the artists as there were little or no stage effects provided by the organisers. The best performances came from Sasha P, Asa and Whiz Kid who displayed some mean dance skills. D'Banj and the Mo'Hits crew were literal crowd pullers as they (especially after D'Banj and Don Jazzy appeared) managed to get people off their seats and to the bottom of the stage where they roared out their love for the Koko Master. The show all but ended there as most people left the hall in D'Banj's wake, leaving very few to witness Timaya, the last performer, give his usual energetic routine.
From the lights, cameras and stage and hall models, one thing was evident about the SMVAs 2010: a lot of money, effort and attention to detail were put in to this particular event, even starting way back from the runway on the red carpet. But as Julius Agwu who was an award presenter noted, it was sadly a solo project from Consolidated Media with no input from external sponsors.
Although, the SMVAs is still far from what is seen at international awards, especially at the "average" televised American award show, its ambitions were clear. At this stage, it is only fair to say that if Soundcity continues to set such high standards for themselves, they will one day surpass even these so-called international standards.
Source:234nex

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STUDIO VISIT:Hamid Ibrahim

Veiled

As a child, I used to draw a lot. I won drawing competitions when I was in Primary School. However it was when I got into Secondary School that it finally dawned on me that art was really what I wanted to do. I was tutored and guided by my art teacher then, Mr. Imo of blessed memory. He was a lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) at the time and was also an art instructor at my school.
Training
I gained admission into YABATECH to study Art. I also have a diploma to teach art. Every other knowledge I have of my craft was learnt on the job.
Medium
I use oil colours. I have done watercolours. I draw a lot but I do not touch acrylic.
Influences
Kolade Oshinowo, my lecturer at YABATECH, is one of my major influences. However, I am not too much into external influences. For me, the struggle in art is listening to your voice. The constant struggle to better yourself is also part of this. You keep moving and trying. You keep telling yourself ‘I can do better'. Influences will come and go but you must be focused.
Inspiration
Everything in life inspires me. I do landscape, waterscape, figures and abstract art. I am a rounded artist. My inspiration varies. I see art as very universal.
Best work so far
I have not gotten one yet. My love for my pieces is temporal. I may like it for a while, after that the feeling is gone. So I am on the search for the best work.
Least satisfying work
After a while, I get bored. All my past works are least satisfying. No art work is completely finished. It's a continuous process.
Career high point
Success is what you feel inside after your work is done. I believe every work, I do can be better.
Favourite artist living or dead
I respect Picasso a lot. Also Rembrandt. My Nigerian favourites are Kolade Oshinowo, Yusuf Grillo and Gani Odutokun.
Ambitions
To do a great painting. I also want my works to have widespread influences.
Source:234next Read more...

On Danse Meets Dance

The festival aims to catch those who don’t normally go to upscale Island venues

The Danse Meets Dance (DMD) Festival is an annual contemporary dance festival that originated in 2001.

It was first organised and run by the French Cultural Centre Lagos until 2004 when the centre closed. The Festival is now being handled by the French Cultural Centre Abuja, Alliance Francaise Lagos and Goethe Insitute Nigeria with technical support from Blackroots International. Additional support also comes from the French Embassy and CulturesFrance, the agency of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture and Communications responsible for international cultural exchanges.
The festival aims to encourage professional dance in Nigeria and give Nigerian dancers exposure on the international scene. The festival features performances from local and foreign dance companies; and also workshops for professional and amateur dancers.
Over the years, DMD has successively served as a launch-pad onto the local and international scene for several indigenous dance companies, one of which is the popular Ijodee dance group helmed by award winning dancer, Dayo Liadi.
With the calibre of foreign and indigenous dance professionals that have featured at the festivals, it is a wonder that DMD has earned little or no public recognition so far. Its aim to encourage dance in Nigeria, however, has led to an increased awareness of contemporary dance within mostly art circles and the proliferation of dance companies in Nigeria. According to Gboyega Adetona, the creative director of the Festival, as many as 20 dance companies have risen in Lagos alone thanks to DMD.
For this year like in past years, efforts were made to get sponsorships, with little success. For a "festival", the event gets very few participants in the way of audience. The organisers are able boast of 2000 people at last year's grand performance show, which held on the last day of the festival. This year, the normally week-long event has been shortened to four days, due to this lack of corporate sponsorship and public participation.
For a country that can boast huge music and dance reality shows, mostly culled from foreign franchises, it is a wonder that an indigenously organised event such as this would have to suffer interest. In the United States, the TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance' has been hailed for encouraging dance (especially contemporary dance) culture in that country. The show has helped to bring together dance practitioners across America that help to develop workshops aimed at serving those, kids and adults, interested in the dance profession.
For a country, that loves to emulate, one would not be surprised if a production company decides to import that franchise for local consumption sometime in the future. This would be sad indeed, as there is already a foundation to build on with Dance Meets Danse, if only someone would come forward and start building.
The 10th edition of the Danse Meets Dance festival takes places this year from the 1st to 4th December 2010 at the Arts Theatre University of Lagos, Akoka; and the French School, Victoria Island. It is free for all comers.
Source:234next

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Dance comes to the people

All for Dance... Mfon Umana, Sunday Umweni, Adetona Gboyega and Norbert Cazeilles

Professional dancers from Congo Brazzaville, Germany, Mozambique and Nigeria will perform at this year's edition of Danse Meets Dance which will run from December 1 to 4 in Lagos .

At a press conference to announce the event, Mfon Umana, Director of Communication and public relations officer, Alliance Francaise Lagos, said that the event aims at highlighting the creative and original choreographic work of professional Nigerian dance practitioners.
She also intimated the press of the highlights of the Dance festival which is in its tenth year. "As we mark a milestone this year Danse meets Dance 2010 will be bigger with the participation of 8 Nigerian companies. Furthermore the three winners of the 8th edition of The Danse L'Afrique Danse Festival an international biennial contemporary dance competition that took place in Bamako, (Mali) three weeks ago will be present to display their award winning [routines] on the stage of Danse meets Dance (DMD)."
On the choice of the University of Lagos and the French School as venues, DMD Festival Director Adetona Gboyega said, "We chose UNILAG because this year we are taking it closer to the audience. So that people who usually do not have the opportunity to go to the MUSON Centre to watch dance festivals will be able to do so this time around. UNILAG is open and they want us to do a lot with them so we will also feature a lot of creative arts students. At the same time, the university is close to Surulere, one of the areas we are not close to, so we chose there to be closer to the people.
The event is being organised by the Alliance Francais and the French Cultural Centre in partnership with the Goethe Instituite who is sponsoring through a German troupe coming to Nigeria. It's free and open to all".
Troupes that will perform at the four day event, which will feature dance performances and workshops, include: Studio Maho (Congo Brazzaville), Cie Horacio Macuacua (Mozambique), Qudus Onikeku (Nigeria) and Alajota (Nigeria).Others include Gintersdorfer/Klaben (Germany), Squazd 1(Nigeria), Creative Arts Student UNILAG (Nigeria), Lycee Francais Lagos (Nigeria), Ashiedu Dance Company (Nigeria) and Amulegbajo Company (Nigeria).
Danse meets Dance began in 2001 as an avenue to bring together Nigerian and international contemporary dance companies to share ideas and experiences and how to promote regional understanding and integration through dance. The festival also showcases Nigerian dance companies, dancers and choreographers through stage performances, workshopS and seminars.
Over the years, it has attracted over 500 professional and amateur dancers from all around the globe.
Source:234next

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A global platform for Nigerian talent

 Rotimi Pedro, Yinka Davies, Pepsi’s Sid, Jeffrey Daniel and Producer Lillias Bode

The latest television talent hunt in the country, Nigerian Idol, debuted on the small screen last week.


Nollywood star, Genevieve Nnaji attended an exclusive preview organised by the show's producers at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, on November 21. Present at the event were two of the three judges on the show, singer Yinka Davies and African American entertainer, Jeffrey Daniel of Shalamar fame. The preview was anchored by the show's presenters, Anis Holloway and Misi Molu (aka Yemisi Fajimolu). 
Also in attendance was Rotimi Pedro, CEO of Optima Media Group, current holders of the Idols franchise in Nigeria. He talked to NEXT about his company's plans for the show, as the search begins for the next Nigerian superstar.
The Idol franchise first came in to Nigeria in 2008 but was discontinued after only one season amidst controversies. Why has your company picked it up and why would you be more successful with it?
Looking for the next big star in Nigeria is something I think that is ripe at this point in time. Over the last few years, there has been a huge renaissance of Nigerian music. I have a two and a four-year-old kid. When I was their age, I was singing to Shalamar and Kool and the Gang; those were my mentors. But kids these days are singing to Banky, D'Banj and P-Square. These are the people they know now. They don't know about the American scene anymore. Like I said, there is a huge renaissance of Nigerian music and having a huge franchise like the Nigerian Idol is in line with the mood of the country. This is the reason why we went into it.
Is this strictly a business decision for you or is there also an altruistic desire to invest in Nigerian music?
The way we have positioned Nigerian Idol this time around, it can never be about the commercial aspect of it. It is purely about the altruistic, looking for the next talent and making our contribution to the Nigerian music scene. Over the last ten years we have done very well with sports and we now want to make our contribution to the music sector. We are in it for the long term. We aim to develop the next talent. Our franchise covers 44 African countries, not just Nigeria. In the next couple of months, we are going to launch East African Idol and the Ghanaian Idol. We are about discovering and nurturing the African talent over the next five years so we are in it for the long haul.
The last Idol winner in Nigeria is yet to fully make his mark on the Nigerian music scene, especially after much publicised misunderstandings with the then organisers of the show. What should we expect from and for the winner of Nigerian Idol?
The last holders of the franchise in Nigeria lost it due to this issue of non-compliance to obligation. So because of such issues, the owners of the franchise, Fremantle, were looking for a respectable Nigerian/African company that could actually project the franchise for the next few years and my company, Optima Media Group, came along to pick it up. The [winner of the] Nigerian Idol season one would be recorded and release an album on Sony-BMG and all obligations in accordance with the franchise would be respected.
Simon Cowell expressed disappointment at the fact that many American Idol winners had failed to become big stars. Any such fears here?
I think that Nigerians have the ability and we have the opportunity to discover raw talent in this country. As Jeffrey Daniels [a judge on Nigerian Idol] said, there are people from the creeks of Ajegunle and the Niger-Delta who may never have the opportunity for their 15 minutes of fame but Nigerian Idol is giving them that opportunity to come out and represent this great country of many talents. Based on this idea, we do not think we would have any dearth of talent or problems discovering one. We had ten thousand people that registered and above five to six thousand of them came to the venues, three thousand in Lagos alone; surely, there must be one or two stars in that number.
Tell us more about your company
Before we went into music, we were mainly into sports. We hold at least 80 percent of the market share in terrestrial sports television in this country. We have done that for over ten years. We have now gone into music and entertainment generally. Apart from Nigerian Idol, we would be handling other shows like ‘Got Talent'. We have already done ‘Don't Forget the Lyrics'. Basically, we are building a pedigree in quality production of music formats.
So far, much of your content is based on foreign franchises. Do you see yourselves developing totally indigenous content?
We believe in the global village. A Nigerian guy in the Niger-Delta knows about what goes on in North America and Europe. We want to harness the power of globalisation and promote our own. The world does not live in isolation or with a nationalistic toga anymore. The ethos of our company is plugging into the global network and delivering for our people. Even though we bring these international franchises to Nigeria, we would leave our own mark on it. The idea is to use a global platform to project the Nigerian image and artists that would cross over and conquer the world.
Source:234nex

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Theatre artists on the journey so far

Members of the Lagos State Executive Council at the end of the Convention.

The National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) has revealed that it is more than just a gathering of theatre art practitioners if the theme of its 2010 convention is anything to go by.


‘Theatre and Change: Credible Election and Good Governance' was the 2010 theme, as revealed at the opening ceremony of the association's annual convention, held on November 18 at the Mainland Hotel, Oyingbo, Lagos.The association seemed fired up about the theme as it could be deduced from its president Greg Odutayo's welcome address, Ahmed Yerima's speech and comments from various members of the association.
Odutayo said this year's convention was to consolidate on three years of the executive. "We want to be able to showcase the journey so far," he said. "We have reinvigorated the association. We have taken our rightful place as key stakeholders in arts, culture and tourism," he noted. However he added that there is still much to be done, as there were still things happening in the Culture and Tourism ministry, from which the association was excluded.
Odutayo also reminded the members of the need to drive forward the state chapters and membership, as these two areas still needed much improvement. He declared that the theme for the convention became imperative in light of the association's elections this year and of course the impending 2011 election in the country.
Ahmed Yerima
Yerima's speech went in similar direction as he illustrated how theatre and the theatre artist could be used as a tool to effect change. "Can theatre be used to achieve political change? The answer is simple, yes," he affirmed.
Athol Fugard's use of theatre to agitate against the apartheid system in South Africa, Ngugi Wa Thiongo and Micere Mugo's use of Kikuyu language in theatre to depict the injustices of colonial Kenya, Herbert Ogunde's ‘Yoruba Ronu' and Soyinka's efforts in the 70s and 80s were some of the examples he cited.
Consequently, in using theatre to effect changes towards credible elections and good governance in the country come 2011, Yerima argued that the onus lay on the theatre artist. "He must understand the craft of skillfully turning theatre from a tool for entertainment and enjoyment into a weapon of social change." "He must observe the society, recognise the ills, and begin to weave his plot so that the conflict of his play carries the message without making it too didactic. Also the society must recognise and identify themselves within the context of the play" he said in addition.
He counseled that theatre practitioners should take advantage of their relationship with the media to send specific messages on the elections to the Nigerian populace. He also warned theatre artists not to sell their fame cheaply for a few bucks."Good governance can only be achieved if the individual artists are also careful in the choice and the personality of those they endorse," he said.
Yerima spoke about the $200 million endowment fund for the arts which President Goodluck Jonathan had announced would be made available to support the arts, and raised relevant questions about it, which elicited much response from delegates.
One attendee called on the association to look into ensuring that the fund is judiciously used and not misused. Another contribution advised that artists source for their own survival because they would not be objective in their criticism of politicians' excesses if they continued to go cap in hand to government. The responses revealed that Ahmed Yerima's speech had made its mark as comments continued to flow.
Veteran actors Dejumo Lewis ,Lara Akinsola, Ben Tomoloju (one of the founding fathers of NANTAP), Mufu Onifade and Martin Adaji of the National Troupe of Nigeria, were some of those present, among many others.
There were delegates and executives from the various chapters of NANTAP. There were also representatives from the Creative Designers Association, Committee for Relevant Art, The Lagos Chapter of the Guild of Nigerian Dancers (EKO GOND), Indigenous Movie Makers Association of Nigeria, Voice Over Artists Association and many other affiliated bodies of NANTAP.
In his goodwill message to the association Dejumo Lewis praised NANTAP for being a well organised and focused association in the entertainment Industry. "We are proud of NANTAP," he enthused.
Source:234next.com

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‘Africa needs good writers'

The author did a lot of research for ‘In Dependence

In Sarah Ladipo Manyika's debut novel, ‘In Dependence' Tayo goes off to study in Oxford and encounters the love of his life in the person of Vanessa, a young English woman. The story opens in 1963, in the heady days of independence and optimism for the newly liberated nations of Black Africa. By the novel's close in the late 90s, Manyika has taken us on a narrative journey of love and loss, age and regret; with the optimism of independence having slowly wilted away.

"The title goes to the fact that the book begins in the independence era. The political implications are there in the story," the author says of her novel. Chief among the motivations to write the story, she readily confesses, was what she saw as a dearth of universal themes like love in most books being published by African writers. Whilst acknowledging that stories of conflict are African realities, the author, a literature lecturer at San Francisco State University, insists that war and carnage, hunger and disease are not the only stories. So, she set out to write a simple yet complex story about the need to love and be loved - as writers the world over have done down the ages.
Capturing the era
The world of the novel is an elegiac, romantic one of ships and postcards and letters, symbols of a now disappeared world. "The sixties, seventies and eighties were times when people wrote letters. That's been eclipsed by email now," Manyika observes, while explaining that she used the ‘I' of the letter writers to bring readers closer to the characters' thoughts. "This is a novel that spanned a lifetime. I wanted the story to mirror the evolution of the characters; as they are young earlier in the novel and we follow them till they're older."
Among the things that strike the reader about ‘In Dependence' are the many eras and milieus convincingly evoked in the novel. "I actually did a lot of research. I wanted to make sure that I was true to the spirit of Oxford during that period," she informs. "I read all the student newspapers for the years my characters were at Oxford. None of it made it into the book, but it gave me the confidence to know that I could capture that period in history. I did many interviews with old students, too." She also spoke to her own family and friends' parents for not only "contextual detail, but also a feel for the language, films of the time and the music they were listening to."
Telling Africa's stories
The experience has shown her that there is a wealth of stories of Africa and Africans yet untold. "I feel that there are so many stories to be told," she reiterates. While researching for ‘In Dependence, she interviewed someone who had been instrumental in bringing Malcolm X to Oxford University in the early sixties; and who had corresponded with the African American leader via postcard for sometime afterwards. "There is a whole, fascinating history in that connection between those two people," she asserts.
Manyika talks about the need to "overturn this power structure" that means only certain stories about Africa come to the fore through Western publishing deals. "Africa needs good writers, wherever those writers come from," she declares. "I hope more and more books will be published. I would love to see a burgeoning of writings, more writing awards, residencies." She also hopes to see more Africans in positions of ownership in the publishing industry.
Indeed, one of the points raised early in ‘In Dependence' is the need for Africans to tell their own stories, for the continent's stories not to be seen via the constricting prism of Western eyes. Yet in a seeming contradiction, Vanessa goes on in the novel to become a renowned journalist on Africa, a white Africanist of sorts, telling the continent's stories. Manyika concedes that, "Any book is open to interpretation. At the end, it's up to the reader... All my characters are flawed to one extent or another and Vanessa is no exception."
Pan-Africanism
In the West African Society in Oxford, Tayo and friends discuss issues including racism, love across the boundaries of race and country, identity, as well as power relations between Africa and Europe. Asked if the discussion topics mirror her own concerns, Manyika is emphatic: "The writing is certainly is not a voice piece for my thoughts. I am there in those conversations to the extent that I care very deeply about the African continent. Through the various characters, I am exploring the questions that I've asked and that others have asked."
A Nigerian of mixed ancestry, Manyika has lived in Nigeria as well as in Kenya, among other places; and is connected to Zimbabwe by marriage. One of her short stories is published in the anthology, ‘Women Writing Zimbabwe', and she keeps a close eye on writings out of Harare even as she is a part of the Nigerian literary community, albeit from the Diaspora. "It's really exciting to see what's coming out of Zimbabwe," she says of wave-making writers like Petina Gappah and Brian Chikwava. "Because I'm married to a Zimbabwean, I have extended family there and spend time there. I feel connected in many ways. There's an element of West Africa in Zimbabwe." To buttress this point, she cites Chielo Zona Eze's novel, ‘The Trial of Robert Mugabe' that begins with the reference that his first wife was Ghanaian.
It's no surprise perhaps that the novel begins in the sixties, the high noon of Pan Africanism, with the likes of Nkrumah striding the length and breadth of the Black world canvassing the dream of a united Africa. Manyika hopes her readers will take something meaningful from ‘In Dependence', not least "that aspect of hope, that the original Pan-African spirit will resonate with them."
On women writers
‘In Dependence' is published in the UK by Legend Press and in a West African edition by Abuja-based Cassava Republic Press. A blurb on the book notes, in a complimentary tone, that "even the sex is well mannered." Why has Ladipo Manyika not gone with roaring sex scenes, as is de rigueur in contemporary novels by Nigerian female writers? "Just wait till my next book!" she jokes, then adds, "I personally find some of the most enticing... a lot can be left to the reader's imagination." The allure of many a romantic scene, she suggests, "is not about the roaring sex but the anticipation of what is to come."
The author feels an affinity with fellow women writers. "I'm conscious of women writers. It's often a struggle for women to write because we have to juggle more things," she says. As a reader therefore, she is especially drawn to short works by women, including Petina Gappah's stories, Virginia Woolf's essays and the stories of Edith Wharton and Jhumpa Lahiri, among others.
A constancy of themes
The themes in her works reflect "ideas that are occupying my mental space." There is a constancy to the themes. "Africa is always there somewhere in my consciousness," she reflects. She touches on recent news headlines about race riots in Italy: "African immigrants who have been used as slaves by the Mafia - these stories aren't really being told, they've been subsumed." Other preoccupations include women and ageing; and identity - "This notion of who we are and where do we fit?"
Sarah Ladipo Manyika did a book tour of Nigeria late last year, and was pleased that she didn't have to explain as much as she would have had to do with European readers. "I feel that Nigerians are maybe able to engage with the novel more," she says with satisfaction.
The author is currently working on a collection of short stories set in Harare, ‘Transatlantically Speaking'; and a novella set in San Francisco, with women from different parts of the world as the main characters.
As part of the drive to see more confident writings from the continent, she actively encourages other writers, "due to my desire to read stories that haven't been written, because it inspires me."

‘In Dependence' will be reviewed in next week's edition of The Lagos Review.
Source:234next.com

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Return of ‘The Last Pictures Show'

‘The Last Pictures Show’ has had its seventh run

For the second year running, works by Nigerian and Cameroonian artists were on display at The Last Pictures Show, organised by Catherine Pittet's company, Gondwana.

The five-day exhibition kicked off on October 29 with a cocktail at Terra Kulture, venue of the show. This was the seventh edition of the yearly event, which had run its first five exhibitions solely in Cameroon.
Present at the opener were artists Ndidi Dike, Alex Nwokolo, Jean-Marie Ahonda and Terra Kulture's Bolanle Austen-Peters.
The exhibition opened to the public a day after. On display were works of various media from 55 artists including Nigeria's Richmond Ogolo, Duke Asidere, Babalola Lawson, Fidelis Odogwu, George Edozie, Kehinde Balogun and Cameroonian artists Elolongue Weti, Bekoun Calaudee François, Louis Epee, He Zoul, Guillaume Makani, Francis Budin, and Maurice Tchinda Tchim.
The works shown
For lovers of art, it was a mixed grill of the abstract and the realist, ranging across various media.
These included works in acrylic on canvas by Bob-Nosa Uwagboe and Aser Kash, metal sculptures by Fidelis Odogwu and Agose Patrick Ighogbedhere.
Blaise Bang, Joe Kessy and Cheupine Njoya all had mixed media pieces; and there was photographic art from Pierre-Alain Bignalet, which captured city life in Cameroon. Mostly untitled, one of these featured stevedores on a boat and two women dressed in traditional attire. Rural life appeared to be the thrust of Mathieu Mbainaissem's works: cows grazing, corn fields, and village men and women in trade.
Amongst other interesting pieces was Nwokolo's ‘Congestion.' The piece done in oil on canvas depicts the overcrowded state of a Lagos province. ‘Manhood,' also by the same artist features, four young men apparently in the nude.
Weti from Cameroon made use of bottle tops to create captivating images; one titled ‘Le Monde' (The World) and another piece, ‘Unity in Diversity.'
Jean-Marie Ahanda's dual-purpose mixed media sculptures were also a sight to behold. Turned right-side up, upside down, front or back, the pieces depict a mother with a child tied to her back and a calabash on her head; or a young maiden with a long, slender neck. Marbles and sea shells were other components of the works. The artist also had a series of abstract paintings on display, but the sculptures stood out.
At the heart of Emmanuel Ekong Ekefrey's art was both modern and traditional African existence. One of his works, ‘Molue Bus', portrays the Lagos city bus in its usual overloaded state. Bodies dangle from the windows and faces peep out through the fender. In the midst of the chaos, one passenger can be seen brandishing the Benin traditional sword. Birds and giraffes were the focus of Sabastiene Berenyny's animal-themed paintings.
Catherine Pittet
According to the organiser Pittet, her outfit and the featured artists were satisfied with this edition of the exhibition, which closed on November 2.
"We are very happy because at Terra Kulture, we had the opportunity to display most of the works and I think everybody was very happy. It was better than my first time in Nigeria. This is my second time presenting the works in Nigeria and we had a better (place) to show the works," she said.
In her words, the sales and appreciation for Cameroonian artists was also better than the first time, when the show took place at The Civic Centre in October 2009.
"Many people bought (the artworks this time round). Cameroonian artists are happier this year because last year people did not know them. (At the initial edition) Nigerian artists were very happy in Cameroun but it was not the same for the Camerounians in Lagos. But they are better known now and (sales) were better."
Consequent editions of the show will take place for the first time in Cote d'Ivoire in February 2011 and in Paris (for a second time) in October 2011. While looking forward to taking it to other countries in the future, Pittet maintains that the exhibition will keep its home in Lagos. "I think we are coming back here because Terra Kulture has a gallery and I like to stay where I feel good."
Pittet feels good enough to be grateful that support for the exhibition has grown in Nigeria, but she hopes for a bit more. "We have small support and I wish next year we will have more. (I hope that) people like Coca Cola, Samsung and the telephone companies will support the exhibition."
She believes arts across the West Coast will receive a huge boost if funds are available to allow more artists feature at the exhibition. Pittet is however positive that lack of support will not dampen her spirit. "This is my life. I am a designer. It is part of my life."
With no preference for any particular artist, she says her exhibitions are open to all; either those who approach her or those she approaches. In her words, "It's a big family. We are all friends."

‘The Last Pictures Show' opened in Cameroon on November 26 and runs till December 1.
Source:234next.com

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