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Let me tell you a
story. Eons ago, the white man came to the great Benin Kingdom and
plundered the place, making away with several artifacts. These
artifacts now enjoy lush air-conditioned exile abroad, where overfed
folks with a lot of time on their hands coo over them in places called
museums. They are now called art pieces. They don’t want to come back
to Nigeria because their siblings who were unfortunate not to have been
stolen now languish in filth, misery and neglect in Nigerian “museums”
and rue the day a monocled idiot did not steal them. Every now and then
they traipse off with half the Nigerian populace and present forged
papers to the Americans who yell at them and their ancestors and send
them back to their hovels from whence they came.

Unfortunately, the
plight of the “art pieces” in London and other fancy places is the
obsession of white liberals and their black sidekicks who truly believe
that these pieces belong back in the great Benin Kingdom, which is no
more. Recently, these idle busybodies got enraged when news came out
that the offspring of the looters were set to sell a stolen Benin ivory
mask for about $5 million. They staged petitions, protests, sit-ins and
made all sorts of noises unto the Lord until Sotheby’s the auction
house halted the sale. Victory? Well, not quite: The looter-owners have
probably realised that the controversy would raise the value of the
mask. Next time, watch for the mask to sell for $10 million. Life is
good.

Are these busybody
petitioners just now noticing that the piece has been missing? One
bleeding heart liberal wailed that the mask needed to return to
“Africa” because it houses a spirit. Arrant racist nonsense. Democracy
is razing through Africa, burning her up more than malaria and AIDS
combined and our people are worried about a mask. I say sell the mask,
who cares? If the Oba of Benin wants his ivory mask back, he should ask
any of our resident leader-thieves to go buy it from their fellow
thieves. The piece was being auctioned for only $5 million dollars;
some of our misrulers steal that every day. Why the drama?

Western liberals
irritate me. They imagine a triumphant return of a mask to a giddy mass
of blacks waiting for the return of their spiritual leader, the Mask.
They see us waiting in broken airports for the return of The Masked
One. I will personally stone anyone responsible for bringing that mask
back to Nigeria. Where are we going to house it anyway? A country that
cannot take care of her citizens has no business wasting time on an
ivory mask carved from the ivory tusk of a cute elephant. These
liberals are the same characters that are up in arms against the
poaching of elephants for ivory in Africa. To follow their logic, we
should return the mask to the king of the elephant kingdom.

To return the mask
to Nigeria is to sentence it to a most unfair future. Teju Cole’s book,
‘Every Day is for the Thief’ describes the fate of another Benin mask
that was actually returned to Nigeria. The then Head of State, General
Yakubu Gowon gave it away as a gift to a visiting Queen Elizabeth of
England. This particular Benin Queen Mother head had been originally
stolen by the British in 1897 and only returned in the 1950s to help
set up the Nigerian National Museum. The British, this time around,
have absolutely no intention of returning the work. I say they have
every right to keep their gift.

Our intellectuals
could start a letter writing campaign to protest the fact that fully a
quarter of our budget goes to supporting the legislative branch (or
something similarly outrageous). How many of these do-gooders have
signed a petition against the wanton abuse and murder of the “witch
children” of Nigeria? That I will sign. I have an idea. Let us start a
petition against the West: Dear West, do not allow any penny to leave
Nigeria (use Nigeria as a test pilot). Our leader thieves may steal but
they must spend the money on and in Nigeria. Do not permit any of our
bastard leaders to go abroad for “medical attention!” Now you are
talking. I will sign that one.

There is a petition against the wanton
murder of the witch children of Akwa Ibom. Please find it online and
sign it. Each child is priceless compared to the price of a mask that
was carved from the ivory tusks of an unfortunate elephant. And I don’t
want the mask back. Somebody may use it to drink gari in our “museum”
because she has not been paid. Please keep the mask abroad until we get
our act together. Have a great life, mask. By the way, if you want to
know the fate of “art pieces” in Nigeria’s museums, and of “flora and
fauna” in Nigeria’s zoological and botanical gardens, please read Teju
Cole’s book and weep. Our leaders should be shot.

A group of selected
writers underwent a week-long rigorous mentoring session with eminent
Nigerian writers at the University of Ibadan from January 17 to 21. The
workshop organised by the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) addressed
some of the issues that often discourage young writers from pursuing
their interest and offered tips on how to write well.

Matriarch of
Nigerian literature, Mabel Segun; Ayo Banjo, emeritus professor of
English; dramatist, Ahmed Yerima, and others gave tips on what it takes
to be a successful writer during the opening ceremony of the training
held at the conference centre of the university.

Segun highlighted
the qualities of a good writer; the need to be well grounded in the
behavioural patterns of a writer’s audience and other necessary tips on
writing a good story.Reiterating the importance of sensitivity, she
noted that “a good writer should be able to use all his five senses,”
adding that it is key to producing appealing materials to audiences.
Segun also advised that writers need to inject humour, idioms, correct
grammar and witty expressions in their works to effectively arrest the
attention of readers.

She urged the
participants to be imaginative, noting that “Without imagination, you
cannot write. Imagination goes beyond what the ordinary eyes can see.”
The writer renowned for her candour also spoke on how the Association
of Nigerian Authors (ANA) awards its annual prizes. She said a number
of prizes given out were obviously in error as some of the recipients
either lack the competence to be so honoured or their works are too
weak and substandard to clinch the prizes being presented.

Siene
Allwell-Brown, General Manager, External Relations, Nigeria LNG Limited
which sponsored the workshop challenged NAL to offer more solutions to
the problems of Nigeria in her address. “Unless you take your role
serious and begin to engage the society, every budding politician will
still be thinking that the qualification for an effective career in
politics is having a godfather or area father as the case may be.”
Allwell-Brown promised the company’s continued support for the
organisation and promotion of literature.

Lucky participants

Chair, organising
committee of the training, Dan Izevbaye told participants to consider
themselves lucky because about 240 applications were received out of
which 25 were selected. He explained that though the intention was to
be gender and geography sensitive, they had to settle for more men
because of the little time they had to select the participants.

He later shared the
workshop’s objective. “The workshop is organised to bring together
about 20 to 25 talented young writers of both sexes, in all professions
and from all parts of the country. We want to put them in groups under
the guidance of distinguished writers to help them find fulfilment and
realize their potentials. We deal with different aspect of creative
writing and also look at issues like language, difference between
printing and publishing. Issues in literature like tradition and
conventions in literature are also in focus.” Izevbaye, a professor of
English also described the opening ceremony as a huge success.

Inspiring programme

It was the same
story from participants when they were later divided into groups for
training. The beneficiaries of the training commended the exercise.

Kola Adeniyi, an
author and lecturer at the UI Distance Learning Centre, described the
programme as inspiring. “The fact that the best in the field of
literature were brought together to teach young writers in a very
friendly environment was in itself a feat only the Nigerian Academy of
Letters could have achieved.” Chioma Iwunze described his experience as
awesome. “My participation in the programme opened up new worlds for
me. I learned so much about publishing; stuff only Prof. [Festus]
Adesanoye could teach. I mean the man had so much experience from his
years at Heinemann, Ibadan University Press and others.” Representative
of ANA, Denja Abdullahi, noted that the workshop will help to produce
many more young writers.

Since his
breakthrough role as Mallam Boka, an herbalist in the 1996 NTA series,
‘Winds of Destiny,’ Saidi Balogun has remained a regular in Nigerian
movies. Though he features mostly in Yoruba films, he is also at home
playing roles in English movies. Born in Enugu State, Balogun spent his
formative years in northern Nigeria and speaks Hausa language fluently.
Since becoming an actor a little over 34 years ago, the artist who
studied Statistics at Kwara State Polytechnic has always lived on
acting. Balogun is currently promoting his latest work, ‘Eti Keta’
(Third Party) starring Kate Henshaw-Nuttal and Ndidi Obi amongst others.

Your latest movie, ‘Eti Keta’ is getting a lot of buzz. What is the idea behind it?

‘Eti Keta’ is 70
per cent English, 10 per cent Yoruba, 10 per cent Hausa, five percent
Igbo and five percent Nupe. It is a love story full of drama and action
showing how far love can take you. It also reiterates the fact that
there are many things you do that the third party must not hear about.
It’s a 100 per cent Ankara movie; everybody in it wore Ankara in all
the scenes shot in Nigeria, Ilorin and the US. It is to tell the world
that my culture is beautiful and love is strong.

Why did you cast Kate Henshaw and Ndidi Obi in the movie?

I did that to prove
that movie has no language. Ndidi Obi, for example, plays a Yoruba girl
who can’t speak English. Sola Kosoko plays an Igbo girl who can’t speak
Yoruba much and Kate Henshaw plays a Yoruba girl. I have seen some of
their works and I know they can deliver. When I was writing and
consulting with Kola Olaiya, Eniola Olaniyan and others, we decided to
go for the best. So, Doris Simeon plays a cripple in the movie in spite
of her beauty. She is bold and you could see the confidence flowing as
she delivers her lines.

You shot a two-man and three cast movies a while ago, wasn’t that rather ambitious?

I don’t make films for fun. I think we have to be creative to tell people buying our films that we can think.

Why do few Yoruba actors cross to the English genre?

No one is at fault.
Or have you seen a law that says it is only a set of people that can
produce film in a particular language? ‘Eti Keta’ is 70 per cent
English and nobody is querying me. This generation of Yoruba actors is
learned and besides, movies have no language. Don’t blame anyone for
this. I think it’s up to the creative ability of the artist. You have
to ask if they are ready to take the risk or match up with others.

When I was about to
make ‘Eti Keta’, some Yoruba producers said, “Saidi are you sure you
know what you are doing? You are supposed to be a Yoruba actor.” I said
I wanted to make a movie that will be talked about all over the
country. I don’t want to make a seven-state movie you can’t watch if
you can’t read.

What challenges did you face while shooting the movie?

Financial
challenge. I have spent more than 20 million naira and my car was
stolen. But my dream follows my mission and I have a mission to produce
and tell the world that Nigerian producers are not just one of them but
the best. I am still looking for money though.

Did you train formally as a filmmaker?

No, but I read a lot of books. I will soon go back to film school, however.

Which is your most challenging movie yet?

I have 12 cardinal
points which means that I want to do 12 movies different from all you
see around. I have done the one-cast movie in which I starred alone.
It’s the story of a man who wants to see the face of God and was shot
in 10 countries. My two-cast movie, ‘Modupe Temi’ was shot in 2007
alongside Doris Simeon- Ademinokan

As part of my 12
cardinal points, I am going to produce a movie in which everyone will
have tribal marks. The only problem I had with ‘Modupe Temi’ was that
the marketer said it did not sell after its release and everyone was
stunned.

What are some of the issues plaguing Yoruba movies?

The guys who have
vision are not those who appear in 32 films and have nothing to show
for it. Many appear in movies indiscriminately but people with vision
see beyond today. There is also a lot of copying. It is when you use a
good camera that they will realise they have to use a good camera too.
When you see a movie where an actor turns his head upside down, you
will see 10 producers make a film with people somersaulting because
they lack vision.

When they start
giving respect to whom it is due, they will grow, creative wise. When I
picked Daniel Ademinokan to direct the movie, everyone shouted why
Daniel? I said he has something that I haven’t got. We should learn to
respect creative people. We also lack good competition. Eddie Murphy
appears in a movie once every two years and is known all over the
world; my people appear in 500 films in one year but when they cross to
Ghana nobody knows them. If they think they are kings in Africa, let
them go abroad and see. I don’t want to walk round the world and tell
them that I am black, proud and intelligent from Nigeria but also black
and blind.

‘Eti Keta’ is at cinemas from February 11.

Anjola Aboderin has
been a musician and Electronics Engineer for over four decades. He
devised how to successfully combine both as a primary school pupil in
the 1960s.

“I started to play
music with my brothers and during that period, we realised that
Electronics was the basis of music. We tried to make our own equipment
because it was too expensive to buy.Before I knew it,I had developed a
keen interest in Electronics; almost higher than the interest I had in
music. Electronics would never have come in if music wasn’t there in
the first place,” he explains.

Aboderin eventually
studied Electronics Engineering via correspondence with tutorial
schools in England, obtaining his first diploma in Practical
Electronics well before he completed secondary school.

The artist’s
interest in the two fields further received a boost with his membership
of ‘The Busters’, a band formed by his two older brothers. TV producer,
Laolu Ogunniyi, Niyi Adenuga and Emman Edem amongst others, were also
members of the band which featured regularly on musical programmes on
the Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), Ibadan. Aboderin, who went into
Electronics with his immediate senior brother, Akin, recalls. “We were
always experimenting and making things like loud speakers, amplifiers,
guitars, radio receivers and transmitters successfully. That greatly
impressed my father and he encouraged us.”

The producer

Though he didn’t
know it at the time, his early preparations would later help his music
career. “A lot of promising musicians fail because of lack of
equipment, encouragement and infrastructure. We were lucky because we
could make some of these things ourselves and that gave us an edge over
a lot of others. Today, I still design and construct a lot of
electronic gadgets for music and industry. I help custom design and
construct recording studios with affordable local components, sound
systems for church bands, musicians, night clubs and so on. I enjoy
helping the less privileged get up on their feet where music and ‘high
tech’ electronics are involved,” he says.

Apart from helping
out in the design of clubs including Wichitis in the London West End,
KS and Safari night clubs in Ibadan and recording studios including
Iyanda Studios in Ibadan; Phonodisk in Ijebu Igbo and Saanu Olu Studios
in Ijebu Ode, Aboderin was also a music producer.

“My interest and
abilities in Electronics came in very handy right from the late 60s.
With my Electronics and ability to play the piano and the organ, I was
able to handle complex music synthesisers easily. At that time we had
analogue synthesisers which required a lot of programming. It was very
complex; you had to know some Electronics as well as music to
understand the programming. For a very long time, the ‘MOOG’
synthesiser as it is known was not usable by everybody; I was one of
the very few musicians at that time that could operate that equipment
well. So, I started a part time job as a session musician with EMI
Studios, Lagos. I made weekly trips there to play the synthesiser into
usually already recorded music. Most of the time, I didn’t even get to
meet the musicians at all. I get there, listen to recording and work on
it. Eventually, I started getting involved in the production. I started
having to sit there, rearrange and rehearse music at the very early
stage of each work.”

He discloses that
working with Odion Iruoje, then executive producer at EMI was a unique
experience. “He wasn’t a musician but he had a good set of ears. He
will identify a wrong note. He produced so many artistes of that time
and there was hardly any big artiste that appeared through EMI that
wasn’t produced by Odion Iruoje. I took care mainly of the younger
musicians, they needed the musical expertise to reach the level for
securing the recording contract and that was where he came in.” He also
worked with the Lijadu Sisters, Akeeb Kareem, Ofege, Tabernacle, Dr
Osofisan and Epiphanio Joseph.

Tunji Oyelana’s apprentice

The musician who
backed Highlife maestro, Tunji Oyelana early in the day explains how he
came about the role. “I started playing alongside with him at Mbari
Mbayo (later Kongi) Club, Adamasingba around 1968. It was a cultural
club that was run by the likes of Professor Wole Soyinka. I used to go
there to play with a band I had in secondary school, ‘Cadet Six’. It
was an offspring of the ‘Busters’. We went there often to jam alongside
Uncle Tunji’s band ‘The Freshmen’ (later ‘The Benders’) I also used to
be featured on stage with Uncle Tunji himself.

“I played guitar,
organ; I could play all the instruments available anyway. After a
while, I became a permanent member of Uncle Tunji’s band. Not too long
after that, because band boys were always drifting away, I had to start
recruiting musicians from my own personal musical groups into Uncle
Tunji’s band. Eventually, I became the acting leader of the band too,
practically taking over the affairs of the band from Uncle Tunji. All
he had to do was come in and sing. A responsibility I still carry till
today. If Uncle Tunji has to do any programme today in Nigeria and
abroad, especially if it requires a full musical band, I rehearse the
band as the leader… just bring Uncle Tunji in and we are performing.”

Multi instrumentalist

Not many people
know that Aboderin plays other instruments apart from the saxophone and
that he is not just limited to Highlife music. “In 1966, when I tried
to form my own primary school boy’s band, I had to train everybody. But
first, I had to teach them to play various instruments so I found
myself first mastering practically all those instruments. I started
with the guitar and organ, moved on to piano. Soon after, bass guitar
and trumpet, alto saxophone. Then briefly while I was in England,
violin. At that time I was playing pop music, Beatles’ type of pop
music. When I came back from England in the mid 1970s, I took up all
the other saxophones in that instrument family,of course drum sets too.
Occasionally, I sang when there was nobody else to do it. I don’t think
there is any form of music that has been popular since 1963 that I have
not been involved with. It’s just generally music that I do, not some
particular type of music.” Though he has a Jazz band, Aboderin does not
have any album.

“We have recorded
quite a number of albums but they are not out commercially. They are
for private distribution within musicians as research materials and to
our fans. Our real interest is the development of artistes and music.
It’s more an academic thing, and not yet a commercial thing that we are
doing.”

Like father, like daughter

One of Aboderin’s
aspirations after succeeding at building electronic equipments for his
band and other bands was to design and build a recording studio from
locally available electronics and building components. He realised the
dream years ago with the establishment of a state of the art studio, an
arm of his Square Waves Limited in his Oke Ado, Ibadan, home.

Some parents wouldn’t want their children to take after them but
this is not the case with the old student of Ibadan Grammar School. His
daughter, Folasade, known as Shady Blue has taken after him. “I was
encouraged by my father and mother. When I discovered that my children
were interested in music; from the oldest to the youngest, I felt so
happy that I am opportuned to help my children just as I have been
encouraging others. She is a singer; she has her own band in England.”
Having noticed an old car in good condition in the premises when I
arrived, I could not but ask what the musician is doing with it. “All
my cars are maintained by me. I have a flair for Mechanical
Engineering. That jeep that you saw out there, it’s a 1969 ‘Mini Moke’
that I’ve had for about 30 years. It’s one of the so many antique cars
that I resuscitate and maintain. It still runs very well. The one you
saw outside the house is a 1968 Morris Mini, it still runs well too.”

Seun Kentebe has
been in television and on stage since 2001, but it is his determination
to make a name for himself that has kept him relevant as an actor.

Born 33 years ago,
the boyish looking young man started his career in theatre as a stage
manager. He had previously failed to make it as an actor in an
alternative setup for non-theatre students at the University of Lagos
where he was studying Business Administration. He eventually made his
debut as an actor in ‘Double Jeopardy’, a play written and directed by
Kayode Peters (KP), one of the brains behind Cypress Associates.

He recalls how he
got the role. “The person who was originally casted to take the part
travelled so I was brought in and had to learn the line in six days
before production.” His second stage role was also derived from chance
but was based on fatal circumstances: he had to replace a dead cast
member in Tyrone’s Terrence’s ‘Amanda’. Thereafter, he collaborated
with Kayode Peters to write the play ‘Eve’ which centred on female
cultism. “We, Kayode and I, wanted to do something different based on a
fresh idea,” he says.

First pay check

He made his TV
debut on the Cypress Associates produced sitcom, ‘Twilight Zone’. The
show which followed the lives of a group of students on a university
campus also featured eccentric TV presenter, Derenle Edun; comedians
Koffi and Princess and on-air personality, Yaw. Most of the cast, like
Kentebe, were students at the University of Lagos at the time.

“When KP said we
should make a TV series I was so happy because it was my first
experience in front of a camera. I wrote a few episodes. We did not
make any money from the show because we did not know that there was
money to be made we were just happy being on TV,” he says. The sitcom
would later fold-up due to lack of funds.

In 2003, ‘Eve
Back in Time’, a remake of the original play ‘Eve’, produced the first
pay-check in acting for Kentebe. “I got paid N20,000 for writing the
script with KP and got another N20,000 for my acting role.” After the
collapse of Cypress Associates, he joined Wole Oguntokun’s budding
theatre company, Jasonvision and was part of the lawyer cum director’s
first production, ‘Who is Afraid of Wole Soyinka’ staged at MUSON
Centre. He has since appeared in several productions directed by
Oguntokun including Ganja Roulette’; ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Prison
Chronicles’.

When the director
needed an actor who could mimic a British accent for the role of a
butler in ‘The Inheritors’ Kentebe was awarded the part and a chance to
share the stage with veteran actress, Taiwo Ajayi Lycett. During that
period, he also featured in Bunmi Davies’ hilarious play “How the Fool
Fell in love”.

The big break

After completing
his National Youth Service in 2006, it was difficult getting back into
theatre and television. Then in 2008, he got a job in marketing at a
bank. Later that year, he finally got the break he had been waiting for
when he got the role Tonwe in Aboyowa Ikomi’s ‘Nana of the Niger
Delta’.While still working at the bank, he continued to act especially
on television and had minor roles in series like ‘Tinsel’, ‘My Mum and
I’, ‘Bella’s Place’, ‘Private Sector’ and ‘Dear Mother’. Finally, in
2009, he resigned from his banking job to focus on acting. At the time,
he was part of two major theatre productions: ‘Oluronbi’ where he
played a suitor and Beeta Universal’s ‘Iya Ile’ staged in Calabar.

Little financial reward

Kentebe worries
that Nigeria’s actors are being undervalued. “There is little or no
sponsorship for stage or screen which in turn affects actors,” he says.
“The reason why some of us don’t get jobs is because producers don’t
have money to pay. The money paid to us doesn’t add up to much when one
considers his or her needs. If it is something to be done full time, it
has to have its financial rewards.” He contrasted the situation in
acting with the payment structure in the comedy industry. “The payment
structure for comedians is reasonable even for upcoming ones. Like
comedy, acting is craft, and participants should get something
encouraging. When you go to the National Theatre you are discouraged
because you see theatre practitioners who have nothing to show for all
their hard work. For the young thespian, private auditions are also
making it as there are usually open to a privileged few.” Still, he has
not lost hope.

As head of the
drama unit in his church, he has been able to explore writing and hopes
one day to produce his own play. He cites Bimbo Manuel, Joke Silva and
Taiwo Ajayi Lycett as his major influences.Kentebe is currently
preparing to appear in a production titled ‘The Duet’ which is based on
an anthology of poems by Toki and Damola Mabogunje and is directed by
Willams Ekpo. Proceeds from the play will be going to charity in the
support of persons living with sickle cell.

Why Art?

I found out around
age 12 that I had the talent for Art. I used to draw as an eight-year
old but I did not take it seriously until I became a teenager. I then
started paying attention and because I wanted to know more, I decided
to go to school.

Training

I trained at Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State.

Medium

Colour medium. I
say colour because some people paint oil, some acrylics while others
use mixed media; I just use colour as my medium. When I paint, I want
the audience to see pure and raw colour. That’s how I interpret, that’s
how I speak my language, that’s how I pronounce my subject, using
nothing but colours.

So, I use all the
media – oils, water colour, acrylics, gouache, charcoal, pencil –
everything that an artist can find to make something visual, I use.

Influences

If I go to any
environment, if I see anything, that’s an influence. So, I let my
influence be mobile. People around me, culture, even the traffic,
anything that concerns human beings, that is constantly in motion. The
earth is constantly turning; we can’t feel it because it’s so large. So
I decided to make my inspiration what I observe because it is fresh and
changing every time.

Inspirations

Everyday life.
People, places, culture, new things, old things, things criticised,
things hailed. As long as it is every day and is continuous, it
influences me. As the sun shines in a bright new day, it comes with new
things and as somebody who records events, there is no other way to
take advantage of the times than to capture what is going on right
before your eyes.

Best work so far

I’ve done more than
6,000 paintings and I have images of 4,000 out of the 6,000. I’ve been
documenting, I didn’t start on time so it will be difficult to pick my
best so far. If you ask me for my best topic, I will say my fish series.

Least satisfying work

When I try to do
realism; you can never do anything real. Everything is only as real as
it is. If you try to do it, you are just struggling to get as close.
So, trying to copy realism has been my worst.

Career high point

To be able to teach
what I know to as many people as I can come across. The day I clock the
number, that is as many people as possible, that is the highest point
of my career.

Favourite artist, living or dead

I enjoy the works
of the Auchi School, they all get me going. I enjoy the works of the
Auchi artists because each time I see their work, I always feel there
is something more I need to learn. When something challenges you, it
becomes something you like. I see works of other schools and movements
but when I see works of the Auchi School, I get excited.

Ambition

My ambition is to
help as many people that I come across. If I had two meetings with you
and I’m able to do something that helps you with whatever you have
going on, I’ve done something.