Video of the Week > : Adekunle Gold – No Forget ft. Simi

Life and Business lessons I learnt from Steven Gerard and Stephen Keshi.

Life and business lessons I learnt from Steven Gerard and Stephen Keshi.

I am not a fan of Liverpool, but I am a fan of Steven Gerard.
The Champions League final of 2004/05 (Liverpool versus AC Milan) is for me, one of the greatest match ever. Gerard started as a "4", then moved to play "8", and then played "2," all in one match.

In life and in business, you sometimes have to be a utility player.
You need to be able to plug any hole (square, round or triangle),
at anytime whether you have prior knowledge or not.
Its not about being an expert in every field,
its about being ready to do whatever it takes to get results.

Stephen Keshi, the present coach of Nigerian Super Eagles, is someone I really respect and admire, (kai, the guy take style stubborn, lol).

POEM : Stop the Violence by Nomar Knight

Save the children of the street,
Tripping over graves under their feet.
Older people run in fear.
Pendulum of death swings so near.

Terrifying games are being played.
Hour by hour new graves are made.
Echoes of cries that will never fade.
Vivid memories of death and hate.
Ignorant youths challenge their fate.
Oppressed people flailing in vain.
Lads see a future with nothing but pain.
Everyone looking out for number one.
Never believing one day they'll be done.
Cries for help go undaunted.
Electric streets, forever haunted.


© Copyright Nomar Knight 2008. Reprint. All rights reserved.

Source:

http://knightchills.blogspot.com/2010/11/stop-violence-by-nomar-knight.html

POEM : I will be sad by Usman Lawal Iyoma

I will be sad and make my world sad
I want to be sad so that my thoughts would change my world
I want to be sad to be the best achiever of greatness well bound with sad ropes

Happy people have ruined my sadness
Happy people have made my life worse
Happy people, i know are sadists
Yes, happy people are sadists

I would like to be seen as a sadist
I don't want to make people happy
I don't want people to be happy
I will make people sad

The art Of good news from Owoyemi

The artist is the opposite of the politically minded individual, the opposite of the reformer, the opposite of the idealist. The artist does not tinker with the universe, he creates it out of his own experience and understanding of life. In life when all else is lost, art holds fast, and that is the good news about art. Good news is the desire of every lover of good thing. In these days of depressing headlines, uncertainty and odd occurrences all around us, good news is very welcome.

What good news could there be at a period when the year 2016 comes to an end and everyone looks ahead with hope into 2017? The good news is that art is life, and this is the reason for the ‘Good News Exhibition.’ The exhibition brings to our visuality, with palpable imagery and in an innocuous manner, the catharsis of the artist – Taiwo Owoyemi’s own good news. The efforts in this exhibition, in uncanny manner, attempt to define the artist’s personality -artistic, religious and sociable.

*THE PLIGHT*....positivist A.

I have traded with death
In a well dark competitive market
 
Where hero falls and
Coward rise from pit
Of another phase

I lost my anus at home
I couldn't locate my head in abroad

Bagging degree in kahki is not enough
But the pain German machine inflict
Have tasted the plight

Have seen days with moon shinning
Have seen days with sun beating
Have seen days sky weeping
I feel not all these

No memory of gross
All I can see is loss
With anti peace boss
With the end of dust

Oh plight of rugged man
Who will taste?
The plight of the orphans
Who will change?
The wombs of barrens

‘I wanted a platform that can be part of the ‘Online Revolution’ in Nigeria’

Her first entrant into the creative space is a collection of short stories, Eko Dialogue back in 2009. A writer and feminist, Joy Isi Bewaji, is one young, restless soul, who is forever pushing the boundaries to their elastic limits and more. A big feminist campaigner, Bewaji will, in March, feature in ‘The Conversation’ at Harvard University, Boston, U.S. and speak on African Feminism. She is the founder of online radio, and Managing Editor, Happenings magazine. Bewaji previously worked as Assistant Editor at Genevieve magazine, presenter of ‘City Lifestyle with Joy’ at City FM 105.1, a former Editor at Spice and Today’s Woman (TW). Theatre is the new space of creative expression Bewaji is currently appropriating to vent her ideas that are constantly challenging the status quo for society to arrive at a new place of equilibrium for both men and women alike. Story of My Vagina is her first foray into playwriting while Wedding Blues recently won her accolades at the Lagos Theatre Festival 2017 Playwriting Competition sponsored by British Council, Lagos. In this interview, Bewaji gives insight into her projects and her relentless drive for a better country to emerge out of the chaos that currently characterizes her beloved Nigeria

Congratulations on the coming anniversary of Happenings Radio! How does it feel celebrating your first anniversary?

It feels good. Many “Nigerian challenges” but we are standing. And if you stand, you can still accomplish a lot.

What inspired the Internet radio idea and how have you found strength to carry through?

I wanted a platform that can be part of the “online revolution” in Nigeria. We have blogs making a lot of impact. There’s Twitter, which is credited to have played a big role in gathering millenials to vote for Buhari. There’s Facebook and the amazing numbers you can achieve. So an online radio seemed like a good idea, to give voice to all of the opportunities and associations building virtually.

Nigeria : Minister visits tourism sites, begins with Owu Water Fall

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has kicked-started a tour of tourism sites in the country with a visit on Sunday to the spectacular Owu Waterfall in Kwara State.

Mohammed, who was accompanied by representatives of the local community in which the waterfall is located, officials of the Kwara State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, described Owu Waterfall as one of the wonders of nature, saying the government is now looking toward natural assets like the waterfall with a view to developing them for their economic benefits.

“We are all awed by the awesomeness nature of the almighty,” he said. “You can’t begin to wonder: where is the source of this water? And what I found most enticing and really baffling is the louder we shout, the more the volume of the waterfall. This is one of those natural assets that we have been bestowed with and there is no country that has this kind of asset that will not be able to exploit it for economic benefit.”

The minister also underscored the dearth of infrastructure as one of the major challenges confronting tourism development in Nigeria, but expressed optimism that the revitalisation of the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT) would bring about synergy within the government to surmount the challenge.

How ‘art of alternative space’ may shape Lagos in 2017

For the dual factors of contemporary expression and growing number of artists in need of art exhibition space, alternative outlets outside the traditional gallery facilities are most likely to be on the increase in the year 2017. Last year – strangely – the volume of art exhibitions in Lagos was shared almost equally between the regular art galleries and alternative outlets.
Non-regular art gallery space for art exhibition is not exactly new on the Nigerian art landscape, except that the last few years exposed a gradual increase. The non-art gallery space for exhibitions such as hotel lobby or reception, have been as old as the business of art. But in recent years, The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, art exhibition space under the curator, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, seems to have elevated alternative space for art to a new high. Also, Moorehouse, Ikoyi, joined the trend a few years ago and has been consistent with as many as three or more exhibitions in a year.

“The quality of traffic, particularly of foreign visitors that see our art exhibitions has been amazing,” Obiago discloses during a chat about alternative spaces last year. When the hotel opened for business in 2011, it made a debut with a presentation that was as formal as that of traditional gallery space. In fact, the quality of exhibition catalogue was commendable. But the sustainability wasn’t exactly clear to many observers.

About six years after – over 12 art exhibitions recorded – consistency has been established as The Wheatbaker is now seen as a “luxury boutique hotel.” While marking the fifth anniversary of the hotel last year with a solo exhibition of Gbenga Offo’s new body of work titled Freedom was an opportunity to stress its commitment in adding art content to the hotel’s luxury service.
“We are proud to have created a dynamic platform for international and local artists to experiment and present new creative expressions,” a director at the hotel Mosun, Ogunbanjo, stated. “We will continue to ensure that despite Nigeria’s current economic recession, The Wheatbaker provides quality services and strengthens creativity and innovation.”

Iwalewa… A narrative of poverty-to-awareness dance performance

Iwalewa has been a dance essemble QDance Centre, led by Qudus Onikeku, has been performing all over the world. It probably started in France, where the contemporary dance exponent, Onikeku, lived for some time before relocating back to Nigeria to establish his dance centre in Lagos. Last year, he staged the Iwalewa showpiece in the Belgium capital, Brussels, at a photographic exhibition celebrating old and new Lagos. It had Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, as guest and was curated by Azu Nwagbogu-led African Artist Foundation.

But the show suffered some hiccups. Midway into the performance, some folks called for it to stop. But Onikeku would not hear of it; he protested vehemently until he had his way. Ambode, who made the revelation last weekend at Eko Hotel, Lagos, while speaking at the 3-day maiden edition of Rasheed Gbadamosi Eko Art Expo, said he secretly admired the Nigerian dancer for standing up for his art and not allowing himself to be intimidated. That evening, the governor invited Onikeku to the stage and personally endorsed his art and his very Nigerian spirit of standing up for his right not being put down even in a foreign land.

Ooni of Ife to turn ancient town to tourism haven

The Ooni of Ile- Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has pledged to turn the ancient city into a tourism haven to boost its economy and occupy its pride of place. Ogunwusi, represented by Mr Moses Olafare, the Director of Media and Public Affairs to the Ooni, said this at a news briefing held in his palace in Ile-Ife, Osun.
Ogunwusi said that Ile-Ife is a land of expansion, and a sacred town globally known as the source of the Oduduwa race.“The town is known for its peaceful nature, accommodating to visitors and tourists, and home to 201 Yoruba deities,’’ he said.

He said that there were several historical monuments and sites in the ancient city that when developed into international standard, millions of local and foreign tourists and visitors would like to visit having read about them in history books in the past.

According to him, the ancient city is endowed with shrines and monuments that include: the Moremi Ajasoro’s statue of liberty reputed as the tallest statue in Nigeria and the third in Africa.

There are also the Oranmiyan groove, the Ooni’s palace, Olokun, Osara, Obatala, Orunmila, Oranfe and Oduduwa shrines respectively, he said.He said that these and many more were the cultural heritages that tourists, visitors and Nigerians in the Diaspora’s could use to trace Yoruba history, their routes and other descendants of Oduduwa.

See the outspoken Philosopher that want to release his 9th spoken word audio

After publishing 1000 hard copies of my first book, launching the electronic version of my second book. I'll be releasing for free download my 9th spoken word audio on my birthday Saturday, 25th February 2017 by 3:33pm. The audio titled let heaven bear me witness talks more of the present predicament we face in our nation and why we need to be strong. - Sunsampaul

About the audio:

The audio is titled "Let heaven bear me witness. It is indeed an audio with a solemn sound track that will touch lives and inspire many to think positively and keep hope alive.

About the Artiste:

Zimbabwe: Cry for Innovative Shona Poetry Continues

The year is 1994. New Shona poetry anthologies such as "Tipeiwo Dariro" (Ed Chirikure Chirikure, College Press), "Ngatisimukei", and a revised edition of "Mutakunanzva Wenhetembo" (BookLove Publishers) are published. The year marks a certain 'fresh opening of the airwaves' for the new voices that had been lying dormant for so long, and had only been finding occasional relief in local literary magazines such as Tsotso and the Writers Scroll (published by BWAZ).Before 1994, Tsotso Magazine, through the generous literary agency of T O Mcloughlin, F R Mhonyera, M Mahiri, S Nondo and H Lewis, had groomed and published Shona, English and Ndebele poetry (and short stories) in its about ten issues since its birth in 1989. The issues were small, coming in about 30-50 pages. Interestingly, some of these new poets made it into the major anthologies, such as "Tipeiwo Dariro" which carried the stamp of the then College Press editor Chirikure Chirikure. Chirikure, as a published poet, had brought an important element of innovativeness to Shona poetry with his unmatched satire. Innovation naturally became his yardstick when he scouted for new talent that would make up the anthology "Tipeiwo Dariro".

According to Wikipedia, experimental literature refers to written work -- usually fiction or poetry -- that emphasises innovation, most especially in technique.

Thus all the 1994-published Shona poetry anthologies largely introduced a new breed of poets and some of these books became set-books in schools. Perhaps this is the season some of the poets became aware of the pleasures and value of experimenting with whatever genre they are passionate about.

In this vein, "Tipeiwo Dariro" somehow exposed the editor Chirikure Chirikure's secret discovery, that is -- the hidden treasure of innovativeness/experimentation in the new Shona poets of Zimbabwe.

The anthology featured poets like Memory Chirere, Ignitius T Mabasa, Chiedza Musengezi and others; and this group (and their fellows in other anthologies) exhibited such great promise to take poetry in indigenous language to another level and indeed, they still shine today in individual anthologies.

Jack Mapanje : Got Nominated for The Forward Prize for Best Collection for his latest and highly acclaimed collection, Beasts of Nalunga (2007)

Jack Mapanje is a poet, linguist, editor and human rights activist. He was born in Malawi on 25 March 1944. This year Mapanje was nominated for The Forward Prize for Best Collection for his latest and highly acclaimed collection, Beasts of Nalunga (2007). This discusses everything from his daughter’s wedding, to the winter of discontent, the trials and tribulations facing GNER passengers, to his imprisonment under the orders of Malawian dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

Mapanje’s influence to write stems back to his childhood: “My mother would tell us little stories as children about animals and birds, which contributed to my idea of narrative spirals, which follow a typical African oral storytelling series of repetitions. Each repetition varies and is not like a replica of the one before. Each line or stanza is like adding a new bead, increasing the length and size of the story.” Mapanje’s “narrative spirals” and animal imagery are epitomised in the eponymous poem of the collection; Beasts of Nalunga, with lions, rhinoceros and hyenas mentioned amongst others.

The 11th Creative Writing Award is Open for Entries

Internationally renowned literary prize, the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is now open for entries for its 11th year. The Prize is a platform for emerging and established poets and writers to showcase their work to audiences across the globe. It is a celebration of excellence in new writing and supports and nurtures talented practitioners at all levels by offering them opportunities to further their career, such as through publication and exposure via Aesthetica’s digital channels.

The Award is judged by a panel of literary experts, including Professor and Poet Dr Oz Hardwick, and Arifa Akbar, journalist, critic and former Literary Editor of The Independent. There is also a panel of readers for the Short Fiction category, including writer Steve Toase; Martine Pierquin, Lifelong Learning Tutor at the University of Edinburgh; Liz Jones, School of Education & Lifelong Learning at Aberystwyth University; Katy Guest, Editor and Journalist (The Guardian) and former

Revolving Art Incubator explores local content for cultural, social development

An art exhibition, held recently by Revolving Art Incubator, showcased the works of May Okafor, an installation and ceramics artist. The initiative was a partnership between the management of Silverbird Galleria and the artist, Jumoke Sanwo. The partnership will set the pace for subsequent art and artist intervention across the country, according to Jumoke Sanwo.

Also, Sanwo said Revolving Art Incubator “is a place set aside for artists to engage and experiment through art projects, discourse, performances, and exhibits. It serves as a platform, which encourages experimentation in creativity, ideology, form, material and exchange. We are trying to explore the idea of resuscitating our local industries by not patronising and relying solely on foreign goods, which is one of the reasons why we are currently in a recession.

Ecobank to reward children with mega prizes

As part of its commitment towards the Nigerian child, Ecobank has called for children aged between the ages 8 to 12 and 13 to 17 to send in articles on the topic “My Plan For Nigeria If I’m Elected President” as part of activities to mark this year’s Children Day on May 27th. Announcing the commencement of the competition in Lagos, Ecobank’s Country Head of Domestic Products, Mrs. Funmi Ajayi , said the essay writing which is the bank’s Annual Essay competition and open to children under the Ecobank Education Support Saving Account (ESSA and ESSA+), also known as the Ecobank Youth Account, will have lots of Mega prizes to be won.

The applicants are to write between 200 to 300 words on the topic and submit to Ecobank not later than May 27, 2011. Entries are to have the contestant’s full name, age, phone number, ESSA account number, home address and school name written at the top right hand corner of the opening page. Ecobank’s Country Head of Domestic Products, Mrs. Funmi Ajayi, made known that as least 30 winners; 15 in each category will go home with laptops: while 20 winners; 10 in each category will have the educational grant worth N10, 000 each. According to Mrs. Ajayi, the competition is strictly opened to children that have the ESSA account, while those without the account can quickly go to any Ecobank branch to open an account with a minimum of N1000 to be eligible to participate. She said entries are to be submitted at any Ecobank branch or sent to essa@ecobank.com. In her words “shortlisted winners will be contacted via telephone and their names will be published in local press in June”. The maiden edition had 10,000 applications, and 29 eventual winners taking home laptops and having ESSA Account with a deposit of N5, 000 opened for them. The Ecobank Annual Essay Competition instituted in 2010 is adjudged very credible as it is graded by examiners accredited by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).


Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/ecobank-to-reward-children-with-mega-prizes/

2017 Senior Secondary School Essay Competition for Schools in Abuja

About 2017 Senior Secondary School Essay Competition for Schools in Abuja

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) is organising an essay competition on Human Trafficking for Senior Secondary School Students in FCT only.

The Essay competition is in commemoration of the EU Anti-Human Trafficking Day 2016 coming up on the 18th of October, 2016.

Essay Title – ”Human Life is Priceless”.

Guidelines for Essay Competition

• Essays must not be longer than 500 words.
• 
  
• Essays may be typed in Ms. Word
• 
  
• Essays must be written in English, in black ink with font size 12 and double-spaced.
• 
  
• Only one entry per student and each entry must be the work of the student.
• 
  
• Essay entries must not be already published. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest.

Nigerians in America

The immigrant’s journey is familiar terrain for Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo, as shown in the Introduction to ‘This American Life Sef’, a collection of five essays and two short stories. He recounts an encounter on his first flight out of Nigeria. “Where are you going? What for? When are you coming back home?” asked a man seated next to him on the plane, who let it be known that he was tired of living in the US, and was soon to relocate to Nigeria. “These were things I dismissed with a wave of the hand before they take root in a mind that was determined to get to America,” recalls the author. He knows better now, and says of his book, “This is my little contribution to the desire by many to shine a light on this American life.”

Fine pieces of creative non-fiction, the essays open with ‘I Will Marry When I Want’ and an observation: “Everywhere I look, I see children of Africa who have become ghosts of their former selves… The only gap between their American dream and their American nightmare is their American experience.” The essay focuses on the “perennial struggle” between the African man and woman in “America, their America.” Allusions to Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and JP Clark are not lost on the reader, as the author maps the battle of sexes which pits women against men that want to stick to outmoded ‘African’ gender dynamics. “Is America so full of only Okonkwos? What happened to the Njoroges?” the author asks.

Achebe is the greatest influence on the book; and if we ever wondered what would happen if the hero of ‘Things Fall Apart’ had gone to America, the last piece in the collection (‘The Butcher, the Surgeon and I’) gives some pointers. The protagonist, Okonkwo, has become ‘Okons’ and is banned from speaking in proverbs in his own home. As the protagonist laments, “My father would have considered my situation one in which dying would have been a better option.”

The second essay, ‘Saving Mama Udoka’, is about a downtrodden Nigerian woman’s long road to liberation in America. “My life is what some will call ‘girl, interrupted’,” she says. “Her husband kept her at home and turned her into a baby-making machine. She has given birth to three kids in three years,” we learn. The unfeeling husband may have been changed by his experience with the first wife he married for a green card. But thanks to television soap operas and shows like Jerry Springer and Oprah, Mama Udoka knows she deserves better. “I, too, have my life to live. The sins of another woman should not be visited on me.”

Meet Wisetwo, the Kenyan street artist who works on walls

Wisetwo is a Kenyan Artist who beautifies walls with Spraycan.

Wisetwo is a Kenyan artist whose works - graffiti, invites us into a world where traditional African cultures blend with the modernity of urban artists.

Wisetwo, one of the reputable pioneers of graffiti in Kenya, is a street artist, who uses a spraycan to beautify walls around the world. The key to his work lies in his quest for harmony, balance and aesthetics between the bridges he builds and the images that are born.

His artworks have gained global recognition and he has even been commissioned by international organisations to work on various campaigns. In 2016, he was involved in the International Lead Poisoning Awareness Week campaign organised by United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).
Wisetwo has also ventured into canvas paintings for gallery installations, giving him a powerful approach to spreading his message of political, social and economic awareness mixed with aesthetically pleasing artworks.



Wisetwo's fascination by hieroglyph makes his works distinct because of how he merges the African culture into his artwork as well the impression of majesty, spirituality and grace that emerges from them.

Sacred suicide: Re-reading Soyinka’s Death And The King’s Horseman forty years after

Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka is an acknowledged classic of world theatre. It has been staged across the continents to wide acclaim. The drama has in the course of time garnered critical and popular plaudits from the literati and the general theatre aficionados. The genius abroad is that the celebrated play was written in a weekend by Wole Soyinka! In the course of the 2009 production of Death and the King’s Horseman at the Olivier National in London, Soyinka told Bunmi Akpata-Ohohe of Africa Today magazine (Vol. 15 No. 6, June 2009): “I am not a methodical writer. I’m not one of those writers who get up in the morning or middle of the night, and start writing. However, from the moment I began writing Death and the King’s Horseman, it was written over a weekend. Yes over a weekend and that was unusual for me. That does not mean I did not come back to it later.”

Death and the King’s Horseman was first published in 1975 by Eyre Methuen in Britain. Aside from the original print I have had course in the passage of time to read other editions, especially the 1984 Six Plays copy published in one volume with five other Soyinka plays, namely: The Trials of BrotherJero, Jero’s Metamorphosis, Camwood on the Leaves, Madmen and Specialists and Opera Wonyosi. This re-reading published here comes from the 2002 Norton paperback imprint published in New York, USA.

Philosopher urges Nigerians to embrace indigenous knowledge, languages

If Nigeria is to attain real development, western educated Nigerian scholars must embrace inherited body of indigenous knowledge with their basic ideas, beliefs as well as principles, theories and technical skills to create new ones and integrate viable imported ones with them for the country’s growth.
The first female doctorate degree holder in philosophy in Nigeria, Prof. Sophie Oluwole, made this remark at the sixth Lagos@50 Colloquium. It has as theme ‘Language, Education and Development,’ held recently at Freedom Park, Lagos.

While noting that many people, including intellectuals, ignorantly assumed that many African cultures have no history and usable knowledge due to the absence of written body of knowledge, she explained that Africa’s vast body of knowledge is transmitted orally.

Cultural centre set to open world class theatre in Lagos

Terra Kulture has proven to be the one-stop destination for culture and art enthusiasts.

Leading art, culture, lifestyle and educational centre, Terra Kulture is set to launch the first privately owned technology equipped modern arts theatre in the whole of Nigeria.

Located in Victoria Island, the heart of Lagos, Terra Kulture has proven to be the one-stop destination for culture and art enthusiasts. Born out of the desire to fill a significant gap in the theatre industry, this 400-seater state-of-the-art theatre will be the first of its kind.

How some textbooks can stifle our creativity

Recently, I read the very interesting article by Harvard Business School’s Professor, Clay Christensen in the January Edition of Harvard Business Review. It is a masterpiece on innovation in Africa and a must-read for anyone who is doing business on the continent. The lessons were particularly profound for me, especially as a Nigerian who truly believes in the Nigerian renaissance and the pertinent role that our human capital has in driving this revolution.

The particular point that resonated with me was Christensen’s comment that there is a dearth of skilled human capital especially in the areas of basic leadership and management skills – managing change, teamwork and creative problem solving. I then started to ask myself – how a country like Nigeria and Nigerians; all of us in spite of our very extensive education (boasting of millions of university graduates, hundreds of thousands of doctorate degree holders and a similar number of certified professionals) could still have a dearth of corporate leadership skills.

The answer is not far-fetched, it is the very education that we have that should have positioned us with the right skills that has inexplicably created a situation where we have plenty of graduate employees and even millions of unemployable graduates that do not have the right leadership and life skills.

10 Nigerian Artists you should know

From paintings and sculptures to photography and mixed media. Explore Nigerian culture through these impressive artists.

Nigeria is filled with over 250 ethnic groups, with art being a medium of expression of the various cultures and traditions of these ethnic groups.

Here's a list of Nigerian Artists  expressing Nigerian cultures through art.

1. Nike Davies-Okundaye

Chief Nike, as she popularly goes by is the founder of Nike’s Gallery, the largest in West Africa. She is an artist and textile designer known for her batik weaving and dyeing workshops. The everyday Nigerian life, in vivid, unforgettable colors are the major features in her work.
Gallery of African Art (GAFRA)play
Gallery of African Art (GAFRA)

2. Ade Adekola

Ade, a photographer and artist based in Lagos documents the city. His work combines elements of sculpture and photography addressing themes of repetition by challenging perceptions through the reconstruction of history.

Aishat Ibrahim makes milestone as a teenage author

The Girl Who Loves her City (Grandeur, Lagos, 2016) by a teenager, Aishat Ibrahim, who hails from Kebbi State, Nigeria, serves as a correctional tool for common mistakes teenagers make while growing up. The teenage author, who is privileged to be exposed to proper education and good morals, deemed it necessary to pass her knowledge onto fellow Nigerian teenagers through her book.

Ibrahim addresses prominent issues like religion, morals, determination, friendship, contentment, and decency, to mention a few. Her patriotism and love for Nigeria and the people are what inspired her to write The Girl Who Loves her City. Through this book, Ibrahim urges readers to refrain from acts that reflect hate, lack of trust and fear, adding, “Of course, we lost most of our people in the hands of some people who do not understand the meaning of love; we live in fear everyday and also lost (sic) hopes.”

How to write life into dead people

To everyone, it's another lost soul, but sometimes, to be honest, it just might be another story.
It’s another day. There are many sad emojis on your timeline. Someone has died. Someone young enough to have an internet life.
So you’re curious, or sober, but mostly curious than sober, because you’ve seen many deaths.
You find his Twitter, see the kinds of things he tweeted. See his friends and what they are saying.
Twitter is fine, but it’s never enough. So you check if he had Facebook. Friends are signing their RIPs on his Facebook wall, like a condolence register. You read the posts. Maybe they’re sad that they lost a friend, or that they have now meditated about their own deaths. You check his photo album. Photos from when he was much younger are there, sitting pretty. You wonder how long death stalked him before it finally struck.
You check Instagram. You see the kinds of photos he posted. You try to understand who he was from these tiny little things. You wonder if he posted few photos of himself because he thought, one day, someone is going to come looking when he’s dead.
You try to speak to his friends. You ask about the little things, like favourite foods, or last conversations. You ask about his hobbies, and dreams. You ask about his relationships, the people he loved. You ask till the questions almost become uncomfortable.

Dan Mou’s new book harps on educating The African Girl Child

In countries around the world today, women groups of all kinds are campaigning for equal rights for both men and women in the critical areas of politics, education, job provision, custody rights, land ownership, and so on. Regardless of advancements made in certain quarters, most countries in Africa still have laws that restrict girls or women from gaining education. Some of these laws are not particularly legal, but result from the superstitious and patriarchal beliefs that are handovers from past generations.

Dan Mou’s Girl Child Education, Democratic Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa (Pan African Publishing House, Abuja; 2015) comprises of 13 chapters and 120 pages. The first section contains 10 chapters, which ‘examines the issues of girl child education, democratic governance, and sustainable development in Africa’, while the second part consists of three chapters, which ‘focus squarely on the questions of the African family, the woman, and societal values.’

Whereas, the girl child embodies as much talent and skills as the boy child, the girl child tends to be given less considerations in most African societies. The author informs about this prevalent neglect and discrimination, addresses the causes, and provides alternate solutions.


In countries around the world today, women groups of all kinds are campaigning for equal rights for both men and women in the critical areas of politics, education, job provision, custody rights, land ownership, and so on. Regardless of advancements made in certain quarters, most countries in Africa still have laws that restrict girls or women from gaining education. Some of these laws are not

Thoughts on contemporary African Literary criticism

What is the correct state of contemporary African Literary criticism? This is certainly not a simple question to answer. It is also not in any way a complicated question to answer. What is important, however, is that a complete, thorough knowledge of African writers is compulsory for anyone interested in contemporary African literature. Such a complete, thorough knowledge is compulsorily necessary if we desire to develop an abiding interest in contemporary African literary criticism.

Whether the African writer is liked or not liked is of no value, of no importance, of no relevance, but he or she must be read and evaluated dispassionately following the tradition Gerald Moore established in 1962. In fact, since that time when Moore published his Seven African Writers, African literary criticism can rightly be said to have been seen and accepted as a worthy enterprise of scholarly and professional enquiry with its own distinct traits that must occupy closely the “health of mind of the critic as the doctor with the health of the body,’’ to borrow I. A Richards’ words (25). Clearly, since 1962 different kinds of value judgments, pronouncements and estimates of comparative assessment and comparative greatness of African writers and writings have been the concern or preoccupation of the literary critic and reader. But their true worth and value to the development and greatness of our literature and criticism can be said, rightly or wrongly, to be still elementary. We may not accept it but the corpus of creative, imaginative works and books known today in the domain of established African literature far outnumbers the body of valuable criticism when we speak, at least, in terms of books (or handbooks) claiming originality, to the literature of contemporary African literary criticism. Today, in Africa, we seem to have far more writers than critics, and these critics, in the main, seem to be more concerned with writers from their respective national or ethnic territories and domains. This perspective needs immediate qualification.

Oke, Habila, Okediran excite young readers with A Treasury of African Folktales

Africa, as a continent, is known to advocate and instill good morals and behaviours in the lives of young children. A Treasury of African Folktales (Manila Publications Company, Abuja; 2016) comprises different moral stories, compiled by three different authors. The book uses animal, trickster stories and pictorials to instruct and keep the attention of young readers. The book does not fall short of its main purpose, which is to instil good character in youngsters.

A Treasury of African Folktales, an anthology of children’s stories, comprises three distinct stories written by different writers: Ikeogu Oke, Helon Habila and Wale Okediran. The first story, ‘The Lion and the Monkey’ is written by Ikeogu Oke, the founding editor of the African Story Time Series. His poetry, short fiction, and children stories have since 1988 appeared in various publications both in Nigeria and abroad.

The second story, titled ‘The Spider and the Drummer’, is written by Helon Habila, an associate professor of creative writing at George Mason University, U.S. His novels, poems, and short stories have won many awards, including the Commonwealth Prize for the Best First Novel (African section), the Caine Prize, and the most recent, Windham-Campbell prize.