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The fifth edition
of the Celebrity Reads Africa project and the biggest so far, took
place on December 18 at Terra Kulture in Lagos. This special edition
was meant to be a reading as well as career mentoring programme, as
students from select schools in Lagos were expected to be at the event.

Former FCT
Minister Nasir El Rufa; journalist and presidential aspirant, Dele
Momodu; hip-hop artist, Illbliss; RnB singer, Goldie; quirky TV host,
Denrele Edun; photographer, Kelechi Amadi-Obi; and comedian, Owen Gee,
were some of the celebs billed for the event.

However, of the 16
celebrities expected at the event, only eight of them showed up. These
were: artists Illbliss and Goldie; Denrele Edun; actress, Bhaira
Mcwizu; Beat FM radio presenter, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi; TV presenter,
Seun Chukwuemeka; lecturer and author, Tosin Otitoju; and RnB singer,
Femi Adeyinka.

There were
students from Ace College, Ikorodu, and children from the Love On The
Streets project (LOTS), most of whom were of nursery and primary school
age.

Tosin Otitoju, a
lecturer in Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Lagos and
an author, opened the show by reading from her collection of poems,
‘Comrade’.

“I assume that in order to write, you have to read a lot,” Otitoju began.

“Reading can be an
integral part of being interesting. It helps you think. I am a lady,
and I don’t think a guy would have a chance with me if he didn’t read,”
she added humorously for the benefit of the teens in the audience.

Sex education

A spokesperson for
the initiative, Leaders with New Dimension (LEND), also chipped in some
vital information for the benefit of the teens. He read a piece about a
lad who was stunned by the news that his girlfriend was pregnant.

He asked the teens
how much they knew about their bodies. He disclosed that he works with
adolescents and that figures about the infection rate of sexually
transmitted diseases are alarming.

“Young people
should be responsible in what they do,” he advised and urged the
celebrities to talk to the students about adolescence, since they have
passed through it.

The closest anyone
came to talking about this issue was the remarkable poem recitation by
Dolapo Ogunwale. According to the poet, the poem ‘Breaking Chains’,
means letting go and not holding on to past hurts.

Bhaira Mcwizu gave
an interesting read from Asha Tyson’s ‘How I Retired At 26′. Bhaira,
who said her fondness for reading was shaped by her dotting mother,
also added that reading helped to expand her horizon. She advised the
children to make the most of their youth.

Seun Chukwuemeka,
before reading ‘Hadassah’, a work of Christian fiction by Tommy Tenney,
told the audience that the death of the reading culture is a global
phenomenon and not peculiar to Nigeria alone.

“Reading is
important. It transports you. I implore you. Start [small] and always
make sure you have a dictionary by your side,” she suggested.

Artiste Femi
Adeyinka, who is signed on to Kennis Music, told the students, “If I do
not read I cannot write my songs. I would not know certain words. I
probably could not sign a record deal and I could end up signing a bad
contract without knowing it.

“You read not just because you are in school, but because it’s an important part of life,” he added.

Singer, Goldie,
who bizarrely kept her dark glasses on even while she read, rendered an
excerpt from ‘The 50th Law’, a book by rapper, 50 Cent and writer,
Robert Greene.

“The greatest fear people have is of being themselves,” said the singer.

She went on to
name four people who stood out, by being themselves. She referred to
Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, and the originator of the social network
Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who were regarded as nerds at school. There
was also talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, and pop singer, Lady Gaga.

“Yes, you are in school. You wear uniforms, but you have to stand out for yourself,” Goldie told the students.

Radio presenter,
Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, read a humorous narrative about a lady in her
30s who is looking for a husband. She said that as a student, though,
she loved to read novels. She often got bored reading her school books
but realised that sometimes there was a price of discipline to pay for
the gains of success.

Illbliss read a proper book

Rapper Illbliss,
who came in with a huge hard cover copy of Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall
Apart’ which he read from, admitted that the recent proliferation of
computer gadgets has a way of taking one away from books. He said that
at age 11 his father made him read ‘Things Fall Apart’ and summarise
it, to familiarise him with his roots. “Ensure that you read about your
history,” he said.

Denrele came in
dressed in his usual punk ensemble. He read from some random book after
revealing that he had misplaced the book ‘Dancing the Dream’ by Michael
Jackson, which he had intended to read from. Perhaps, Denrele forgot
that he already read from the same Jackson book at an earlier edition
of Celebrity Reads Africa.

Speaking about the
project, Bede Okoro, the founder and coordinator of Celebrity Reads
Africa, said the project has enabled them to form good relationships
with some schools and charity organisations in Lagos.

“2011 will see the launching of Celebrity Reads in the UK and Ghana,” he revealed.

They also intend to start a radio and television version of the project.