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He is one of the
select few mentored by the late D.O. Fagunwa. “To know him in person
was to know a gentleman on whose cheeks perpetual smiling had
fortuitously etched a dimple,” notes Yemitan in a tribute to
commemorate Fagunwa’s 45th memoriam in 2008.

That relationship, though, began innocently

“The late D.O. was
at Igbobi College from 1945 to 1946. I was in his Yoruba class in
Igbobi College in 1946 and I remember that instead of him going to the
blackboard to write, we sat down and discussed. That was his method of
teaching and we teased him about the veracity of the content of his
book. We will be throwing banters with him. I think he had only written
‘Ogboju Ode’ at that time. Did you see what I wrote in the brochure?
That’s part of what he told us. He narrated the story of how he wrote
‘Ogboju Ode’ and the royalty he was given. What he spent the money on,”
explains Yemitan whose recollection is contained in an article
published in the brochure of the fourth D.O Fagunwa Memorial Lecture
held on December 7, 2010.

The duo’s path crossed again after Igbobi College.

“He was in the
General Publications Section of the Western Region Ministry of
Education. When that was to take off, there was an advertisement in the
press asking people to contribute short stories and I wrote one short
story which was accepted. Later on, I discovered that he was in charge
of the publication, so later I went to Ibadan. I was in Ibadan and was
dealing with him on a regular basis. I was writing short stories
regularly for ‘Aworerin’ and he was in charge. There was one Mr Levy, a
white man, he was the topmost man. D.O. Fagunwa was next to him so our
meetings became regular.” Fagunwa later gave fillip to Yemitan’s
writing career by editing and publishing his first work, ‘Oniruru
Itan’, a collection of short stories in Yoruba. “At that time, I used
to tell short stories on radio, on Nigerian Broadcasting Service on a
weekly basis and he became one of my ardent listeners. When I told a
story on radio, the next time he would call me. ‘Ladipo, I heard your
story.’ We were dealing regularly together, I was close to him and
because he had taught us before, this made us so close. He used to
advise me, he used to tell me the modulation in Yoruba language and
each time I wrote, he would help me edit it and tell me how to do it
better.

“I used to write
short stories on a regular basis and he used to ask me to write more.
One day, this book, ‘Oniruru Itan’, just came. It was edited and
published by D.O. Fagunwa. It was printed by Caxton Press but it was a
publication of Western Region General Publications. I simply saw
author’s copies, they didn’t tell me they were publishing it. He was
just asking me to write the stories, I didn’t know he had the intention
of publishing it. This was my first ever publication. It was edited by
D.O. Fagunwa. He was my mentor, my everything. When he died, I felt it
keenly.” But death couldn’t diminish Yemitan’s love for Fagunwa. He
started an archive on the educationist thereafter. One of his
materials, the first in memoriam advert on Fagunwa published in a
newspaper on December 7, 1964 is also in the memorial brochure.

Lover of research

Having benefitted
from Fagunwa’s mentorship, Yemitan proceeded to distinguish himself
with several other works. ‘Ijala Are Ode’, the first work in Yoruba
language published by Oxford University Press, (now University Press)
in 1963 is one of his popular works.

“I wasn’t a
hunter,” he starts on how he wrote the book. “I come from Abeokuta and
my father had the chieftaincy title of Ashipa. Ashipa is the head of
hunters and my father was the head of hunters in a large area. So,
whenever they had occassions to demonstate their culture, what they do
in the wild, I saw it. That was how I got in touch initially in Ijala.
I became interested in it and I was in radio, I was a radio news
reader, then producer for many years. It was in my line of profession,
doing research on culture and other things, that was how I went into
it. I did more research and wrote that book.” His love for research
also made him write ‘Madam Tinubu’. “I was told Madam Tinubu was an Owu
woman. That was how I got interested and I started to research. Later
on, I discovered her relationship to Owu was minimal. She was from
Gbagura but I wrote the book.” He did same for the novel, ‘Gbobaniyi’
which he wrote on vacation in London and ‘Oruko lo Yato’ I and II, a
collection of short stories derived from the Ifa corpus.

Writing in English

Apart from writing
in Yoruba, the retired broadcaster also writes in English. ‘The Bearded
Story Teller’, ‘Happy Times Are Here’, and ‘Adubi War’ are amongst
those written in English. “Basically, it’s because I try to be
proficient in both languages. At Igbobi College, we were taught by
Professor Babalola who was a good English scholar and he grilled us so
much. The famous author, Cyprian Ekwensi, was also one of our tutors at
Igbobi College and he inspired us to write,” he says on why he uses
both languages.

Eternal language

While some claim
that people are no longer write in Yoruba, Yemitan believes otherwise.
“People are writing in Yoruba. The fact is that publishers, if they
know that a book is not going to be a school text, they refuse to
accept it. I still write in Yoruba. I have just translated late
Professor Saburi Biobaku’s ‘The Egba and their Neighbour’. Seun Olufuwa
and I have just translated Professor Soyinka’s ‘The Lion and the Jewel’
into Yoruba. Professor Akinwumi Isola has been preaching to me that I
write too much in English. I should go back to writing in Yoruba. I
write in English because I travel out and people are interested.” He
reiterates that writings and writers in Yoruba language are endangered.
“There is hope. In fact, the hope is brighter now. Right now, in many
universities in the US and other places, people are studying Yoruba. My
grand daughter studying Medicine is taking Yoruba as one of her
subjects in the preliminary stages. People are interested in Yoruba.
Yoruba can never die, it can never die. There is no immediate danger to
Yoruba language, I can say that for sure.”

US-based Nigerian
curator and art historian, Okwui Enwezor, has been appointed the new
director of German art museum, Haus der Kunst, located in Munich.

A release from the
organisation disclosed that Enwezor will take over from Chris Dercon,
the outgoing director later in October.Enwezor, who has been active in
academic and curatorial fields, is currently Adjunct curator at
International Centre of Photography, New York, and Joanne Cassulo
Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study
Programme in New York City.

The appointment is
the latest for the man who initially left Nigeria in the 1980s to study
Political Science and Literature in the US before delving into Art
History. He was recently appointed chief curator of La Triennale, Paris
2012 and serves as advisory curator of ‘Dublin Contemporary’ in 2011.

The curator who has
already accepted the offer said, “I am immensely delighted and honoured
to be joining Haus der Kunst in the next phase of its growth in the
global landscape of contemporary art. In the last decade, Haus der
Kunst has been a place of great vitality and a formidable voice in
advancing the key argument that serious contemporary art is as varied
as the artists whose practices have been presented in its exhibitions.
Munich is a great city that represents many crossroads of the global
community and I look forward to working with the team at the Haus der
Kunst in building an exciting platform for exhibitions, debates, and
ideas.”

The appointment is
a sort of home coming for Enwezor who is not new to Munich’s public.
His 2001 exhibition, ‘The Short Century: Independence and Liberation
Movements in Africa 1945-1994’, presented the most extensive overview
to date of artistic production in late and postcolonial Africa.

The first non-European to direct the still talked about Documenta II
in Kassel, Germany has also directed several other major exhibitions.
He was artistic director of the second Johannesburg Biennale in South
Africa held from 1996 to 1997. He curated the Biennale for Contemporary
Art Seville titled ‘The Unhomely: Phantom Scenes in Global Society’ in
2006 and the 7th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea in 2007-2008 The German
minister for education said of the new director and his vast
experience, “Okwui Enwezor brilliantly directed Documenta 11 in 2002,
creating outstanding art experiences that continue to impact the world
of art. As artistic director Mr Enwezor held leading positions in
Seville and Johannesburg. He is anchored in both the European and
international art scene like few other figures.”

Though art patron
and amateur painter, Sefunmi Osioke Oyofo is late, she lives on in the
hearts of some artists. Eight of them: Olu Ajayi, Sam Ovraiti, Lekan
Onabanjo, Enotie Ogbebor, Ohiole Ohiwerei, Gerry Nnubia, and US-based
Ehi Obinyan and Pita Ohiwerei, recently held an exhibition in her
honour.

Titled ‘Promises
Kept’, the exhibition ran from January 13 to 19 at Terra Kulture,
Victoria Island, Lagos. Art collector, Rasheed Gbadamosi, and Oyofo’s
sisters, Odio Oseni and Omo Akpata were among guests at the opening of
the exhibition where the ‘Promises Kept Foundation’ was also unveiled.

The organisation,
according to its promoters, will continue Oyofo’s charity works with
less privileged children. It will also extend its activities to support
the education and healthcare needs of women.

“Some United States
based supporters plan to bring machines for medical tests to be donated
to major hospitals in Nigeria for free testing of women and children,”
they added.

Towards this end, 50 per cent of proceeds from the show were donated to the charity by the artists.

Viewers feasted on
the about 50 paintings and sculptures on display after Gbadamosi, chair
of the occasion, formally opened the exhibition.

Interestingly, some
works by Oyofo were also displayed. But unlike the other works which
were for sale, those of the late managing director of Juno Foods,
makers of Tropic Cornflakes, were not for sale. Her ‘Still Life’ series
comprising four framed pastel paintings of flowers and ‘Green house on
the Mount’ showed a painter who cared about nature.

Lover of fish

To underscore their
appreciation of Oyofo’s patronage, some of the artists made works
specially for the exhibition conceived about six months ago.

“I started painting
for the show; I picked a topic I know she enjoys and then I did another
one that I feel is good enough for international standard,” disclosed
Obinyan, who had two works, ‘Welcoming the Twins’ and ‘Dollz 4photo’ in
the show.

The painter, who
came to Nigeria purposely for the exhibition and whose ‘Welcoming the
Twins’ depicts fishes, added, “I had a special relationship with her
because I’m one of the few guys who paint fish. She loved fish
paintings so she used to buy every fish painting I made. She used to
say, ‘bring it, let me see it first before you take it to somebody
else’ and it never ended up in anybody else’s hands because she bought
anyone I brought.”

Passion for art

Former chair, Lagos
chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Olu Ajayi, also
acknowledged Oyofo’s contribution to the arts.

“Sefunmi was
someone who loved the arts, someone who had passion for the arts. She
supported the Society of Nigerian Artists in my tenure and she brought
a lot of creative ideas in terms of corporate sponsorship.

“Sefunmi died at
40, unmarried. Sefunmi’s works tell you someone who wanted to practice
or develop her interest in visual art. She never exhibited when she was
alive because she considered herself not a professional but just an
amateur artist,” Mr. Ajayi said.

The artist, who had a painting titled ‘Symphony for Funmi’ among his
four works in the exhibition, added, “When she was alive she supported
and paid fees for secondary school students; she supported art clubs in
primary and secondary schools and even supported the Society of
Nigerian Artists. So, what other honour can I do but to stage an
exhibition and have her works that you would not have seen but for this
show to generate awareness and also show her works?”

Soon to join the
swelling ranks of Nollywood movies at cinemas is ‘Clap of Thunder’, an
epic film directed by Emeka Jonathan. Jonathan is no rookie to the
profession, as he has directed over 40 films in the last eight years.
He unveils himself and the new movie in this interview.

Tell us about ‘Clap of Thunder’?

I don’t want to
give too much away. However, it was produced by Peace Egwu and is her
first. It features Enebeli Elebuwa, Ebube Nwagbo, and a host of others.
The innovation is you premiere your movie first and then release it at
the cinemas. We hope to do that with this movie. It will premiere in
March in Calabar. We are also going to release it in cinemas
afterwards.

We are looking at
bringing new talents, good storylines into the filmmaking business.
That’s the best way. We have a lot of talent, let’s discover them. We
can use maybe one or two stars but let’s also give room for fresh
talent. I am a part of that change. You’ll see new faces in this movie.

Is this another Nollywood movie or should we expect more?

You cannot take a
low quality film to the cinema because it will be scrutinised for
picture quality, sound, and storyline before they put it on. So, this
movie has a lot to offer. It’s an epic film in English but set in the
Igbo cultural background. The storyline is different and it’s got
suspense. The settings and the costume are also different. If you shoot
a movie in Asaba or Enugu or any of the usual locations, people can
easily tell. We don’t create time to scout for choice locations for our
movies.

However, ‘Clap of
Thunder’ was shot in a very different location. It was shot in a serene
location called Akpabio which is about 30 minutes drive to Calabar. I
think government’s intervention is also necessary in this area. The
industry needs a film village.

What about Tinapa?

We shot a few
scenes in Tinapa. It is not a film village in the actual sense of the
word. Though you can get some production equipment there, it’s more of
a fun place, a rendezvous for people to go and relax.

When did the interest in directing begin?

I’ve always had
the zeal. However, my first interest in filmmaking began between 1991
and 1992. This was the period I featured in the popular soap,
‘Ripples’. I was in my first year in the university at the time. My
godfather, Alex Usifo, who was also in the soap, contributed to my
getting the role. It was a minor role. The first project I directed was
a soap opera, ‘Sweet Angel’. It aired between 2004 and 2007. I actually
produced and directed the soap and it used to also run on Africa Magic
alongside other soaps like ‘Treasures’. Then I moved into movies. The
first movie I directed was ‘Godmother’ which was released in 2006. So
far, I have done ‘Take Me Home’, ‘Wise Choice’, ‘Desperate Housewives’,
‘Dancing Hall’ and many others. ‘Desperate Housewives’ won Best Picture
and Best Directing awards at the Nigerian Movie Awards last year.

What is your take on the Nigerian movie industry?

The industry is
moving forward. President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposed loan to support
the entertainment industry is also a good thing. We’ve been praying for
this kind of support from the government for a long time.

However, the
industry needs to be restructured. Before, we used to produce movies
indiscriminately but now the tempo is coming down because we keep
recycling stories. You don’t rush your movies. Now, people are looking
at the cinema so we need to produce quality films so that people can
get value for their money. You cannot spend N1, 500 to go see a
worthless movie. I don’t mind shooting two or three quality films in a
year than 20 which are of low quality.

What do you make of the newly released movies making waves at the big screens?

It’s a good thing.
I think it helps professionalism. Like the movie ‘Ije’, the lady who
produced it did a good job. There is a lot involved in making a good
movie. Sometimes, investors are scared of investing in a movie because
there are miscreants who take all of the money and then use a small
part of it for the actual production while they spend the rest on
themselves.

However, God is
reshuffling the industry and is bringing out the greats, those who have
prospects. Video clubs are not helping issues. Internationally when you
shoot a movie, you premiere first then you take it to the cinema before
you release into the market, which is the last resort. So, a movie can
be put on CD four years after its release date. For instance, ‘Ije’ is
not in the market, it’s in the cinemas. You just don’t shoot a film,
release it into the market and next people are renting them from video
clubs. People should be encouraged to buy movies.

The guys at Mount
Zion Films ensure that their films are bought as they have a licensed
distribution structure and they do not allow their movies get into the
hands of video club owners.

Aside from some of what you have stated, what other changes would you like to see in the Nigerian movie industry?

A stronger
relationship between the media, the audience and the industry. In terms
of publicity and awareness, marketers should set aside funds for
advertisements in every arm of the media so that people can be informed
about the latest movies, know what movies are making hits and which are
not.

Also, I think
movie directors should get first-rate remuneration for their work. But
in Nollywood, the actors get paid more money than the directors. The
director does a lot of work and stays on till post-production, ensuring
that everything is in place before the film is released.

Any upcoming projects?

Yes. There is a
soap opera in the works, which I will be directing. It is an Igbo soap
opera, done in Igbo language. It will feature the likes of Ernest Obi,
Ngozi Ezeonu, and Peter Bunor. Africa Magic and Infinity will be on set
with us while we shoot.

We’ll be going on
location by the end of the month to shoot another movie that will
feature Onyeka Onwenu, Tonto Dike, and Yemi Blaq.

Wazobia FM’s
on-air personality, Omotunde Adebowale David, popularly known as Lolo
1, is as engaging in real life as she is on air. Though a lawyer by
training, she has always had a leaning towards the art, especially
entertainment. Being on radio, according to her, is a thrilling
experience she won’t trade for anything. In a little over two years at
the station, Lolo 1 enjoys a large listenership on her mid morning
show, ‘Oga Madam Office’.

How did you come about the name, Lolo 1?

I am passionate
about Igbo culture. I did a show some time ago and asked people to give
me a name. Lolo was the cutest and nicest I got so I just stuck with it.

How long have you been on radio?

I’ve done radio
for some time. At first, I was with Radio Nigeria. I later moved to
Metro FM before I came to Wazobia FM. I started doing radio in 2004. I
studied Law and was practicing at a time but I got to a point when I
knew that a career change was needed. I looked around and since
entertainment has always been something I wanted to do, I just closed
my eyes and switched.

Was it easy transiting from Law to entertainment?

It wasn’t easy
because I had to drop everything I knew and learn something new. I did
not just pick radio; I did a little stage drama at a time in school
[Lagos State University].

Most lawyers claim to still have the Law streak after they switch professions, was this the case for you?

Yes, of course.
There is no way it won’t affect anything you do especially since it is
something you have learnt over time. For example, if am presenting a
political programme I know what the law says about a certain issue.
This helps me deal better with an issue because of the exposure I have
had.

What programmes do you anchor at Wazobia FM?

I joined Wazobia
in 2008 but I started out as a news anchor until last year when I
started my own show, ‘Oga Madam Office’. It’s not Law inclined but we
have the assembly where we all come out and discuss all kind of issues
from political to bizarre. I also anchor ‘Love Kill me Die’ almost
every day because I believe that relationships should be nurtured and
people love songs and love related issues. I guess my most popular show
is ‘Office Palaver’ where people just like to talk about what happens
in their offices because it relaxes them. It’s just a fun time on
radio.

How has the experience been so far?

At first, it was
like a learning process because I was transiting from English to
Pidgin. It was like a struggle because every day I had to keep looking
into myself to bring out new stuff. Pidgin is an evolving language
which requires personal creativity in your delivery and in everything.
I just had to keep trying and exposing myself to anyone who speaks
pidgin because I don’t really want to sound colloquial except by choice.

It was not easy
but Wazobia is such a lovely place to work and everyone learns from
each other so it naturally helps your creativity. You have to research
before you come on air because radio presenters cannot just come on air
and open their mouths. You have to know a little a bit of everything
because your job requires ‘infortainment’.

What do you like best about your job?

I love the fun
part of it because I’m a fun loving person. It’s a rare privilege to be
on the other side giving fun to people because that’s my goal on radio.
You know life in Lagos can be very tough so after all the hard work you
need something to soothe you.

What remains your most memorable day on air?

The very first
time I read news in pidgin on Wazobia FM, I was so terrified. In fact,
it was obvious and you could hear my heart thumping through the
microphone. It wasn’t really a pleasant experience and then someone
made a comment on air saying “where did you get that lady from, abeg
she’s not good.” I felt so bad but it helped me because it stuck and I
kept psyching myself that I could do better. It really spurred me on. I
have also met and interviewed a lot of people on the job and it makes
you feel real good.

Interest in charity

I founded an NGO
called ‘Sisters Concern’10 years ago when I finished Law school. The
NGO deals with women issues and though we have a president, I am the
programme director. I know a lot of people will say I run the charity
because I’m on radio and it is a trend with celebrities. But in my
case, I’m somebody who loves to reach out. Our goal is to meet less
privileged people and do the seemingly little things that are
insignificant to some but is everything to them. Over time, the
ministry has grown so it’s not all about me again.

I also organise a
yearly talent show called ‘Song Outbreak’ which is another opportunity
to give, especially since music seems to appeal more to young people.
So, if I’m giving them the platform to explode, I am taking their minds
off crime, delinquency and drugs. I am also involved in the Lolo’s Cup
and recently donated a cup to the youth in Ejigbo commuinity. I’m not
just a woman who says, ‘change’ but one who helps you change.

What is your biggest challenge being on radio?

Radio is a medium
that once something goes out, you can’t take it back. It can be very
challenging because you have to deliver every time. If you disseminate
wrong information it can’t be withdrawn. I can’t just stay at home and
sleep. I have to watch the news and read the papers to know what is
happening because I have to be on top of my game at all times.

Players in
Nigeria’s book industry converged at Banquet Hall, Eko Hotels, Victoria
Island, Lagos on Monday, January 17 to discuss President Goodluck
Jonathan’s ‘Bring Back the Book’ initiative launched in December. The
mandate of the conference organised by the Committee for Relevant Art
(CORA) and which lasted over 10 hours was to produce a blueprint for
the implementation of the reading scheme. It was themed ‘When the
President Wants to Bring Back the Book-What’s to be Done Now?’

Special assistant
to Jonathan on research, documentation and strategy, Oronto Douglas,
who kick-started proceedings reiterated the objective by asking
participants including publishers, writers, booksellers , librarians
and others to see themselves as important stakeholders in the scheme.

“We should all
conceive the campaign to bring the book back to a national
consciousness as a citizens’ framework that should bring back the
written word. NGOs working in the book business should be mobilised to
continue to do their work until the book is on top of the democratic
agenda,” he said.

Douglas added that
since the president is interested in a blueprint that would help push
the initiative, participants “should be as critical as possible because
it’s the end product that we are interested in.” The special assistant
also touched on criticisms that had trailed the initiative. He said the
presidency has noted people’s comment about elite schools being
favoured during the launch of the campaign in Lagos and would rectify
this in subsequent editions to hold across Nigeria.

“We request that
you take charge of this initiative and drive it. It is about a movement
for knowledge democratisation … Take charge of this process so the
book industry takes its rightful place in the education and advancement
of our intellectual industry for the good of the nation. This is an
urgent matter. It’s not politics; we should leave politics out of it.
It’s about the soul; relevance and right of Nigerians and for those who
want to advance the common cause of Nigerians,” he added.

The conference
director, Deji Toye, outlined the scope of discussions at the meeting
divided into sessions before Secretary General of CORA, Toyin Akinosho
explained the body’s role in the exercise. Akinosho read an excerpt
from Carol Enahoro’s ‘Doing Dangerously Well’ before appraising the
state of Nigeria’s book industry. He didn’t fail to highlight CORA’s
interventions, which he referred to as ‘extension service’ in ensuring
that the printed word remains viable in Nigeria.

What publishers want

Playwright and
cultural activist, Ben Tomoloju, moderated the first session featuring
publishers and booksellers. Executive Secretary, Nigerian Publishers
Association (NPA) Kunle Sogbein, delivered a lead paper titled ‘What
Publishers Want’. He identified impediments to publishing in Nigeria to
include: financial and manufacturing constraints; distribution and
sales problems; lack of government support; legal problems and
creativity and intellectual problems. Some of his suggestions towards
moving forward include; exempting printing machines and papers from
taxes; offering credit lines to publishers; equipping the Nigerian
Copyright Commission properly and instituting literary prizes amongst
others. He also suggested the establishment of a book advisory and
readership committee under the presidency to coordinate all efforts
aimed at bringing back the book.

Killers of reading

President, Nigerian
Booksellers Association, Lanre Adesuyi also delivered a paper titled
‘Reviving Our Reading Culture’. He identified weak policies on
education; decaying infrastructures; economic recession and
inconsistent book policy as some of the killers of “our reading
culture”. He suggested that government should sponsor reading
competitions at all levels, sponsor literary programmes on TV and radio
and make Literature in English compulsory in junior secondary schools.

Some interesting
ideas from other panellists were espoused after the two presentations.
Jeremy Wheate of Cassava Republic Press disagreed that the book needs
to be brought back because it “is here already.” He noted that
Nigerians read but that they only read religious, business and
management books. What needs bringing back, according to the publisher
are Nigerian and African books. Wheate added that efforts have to be
concentrated on inculcating the joy of reading into the young as
opposed to making them associate reading with only school texts.

Simi Dosekun of
Farafina suggested that students should be made aware of reading as an
end in itself; not just about passing examinations. Ayo Arigbabu of
DADA Books also highlighted the troubles of the Nigerian book industry.

Author and
publisher, Dilibe Onyeama blamed the military intervention in Nigerian
politics for the current state of the book industry. He described
military rule as the “very antithesis of creativity” while also blaming
the soldiers for the brain drain that robbed Nigerian universities of
the country’s best academics.

Publisher and
bookseller, Kolade Mosuro, noted that not only do children lack the
skills to read; the erratic power supply in the country is another
disincentive to reading because people can’t read once it’s dark. “I
hope we will do proper research before launching out with the
initiative,” he counselled. Erabor Okogun of Meliora Limited made a
case for using information communication technology to promote books.

Institutionalise the campaign

Ronke Orimolade
weighed in with the suggestion that the book supply and distribution
framework in Nigeria should be reviewed and that government should
establish a National Book Commission. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf of Cassava
Republic wants improved government funding, especially in areas of
training for writers and illustrators amongst others.

More inputs into
the proposed blueprint came during the remaining sessions. Former
Minister of State for Education and president, Association of Nigerian
Authors Jerry Agada recommended establishing a National Reading Agency
that will institutionalise the initiative so it will outlive Jonathan’s
administration. Chair, Standing Committee on Private Universities,
National Universities Commission, Adio Ogunbona noted that parents who
ought to serve as role models in promoting reading are busy chasing
after money. Abimbola Dada of the Nigeria Library Association disclosed
that people don’t come to use libraries.

No literacy, no book

Poet, Odia
Ofeiumun, who is often a contrarian didn’t disappoint. “You can’t be
talking about bringing back the book if there is no literacy in a
country. You and I know that the ministries of education in Nigeria are
not particularly literacy friendly. There are actual government
departments dedicated to ensuring that illiteracy is wiped out in this
country. We’ve had them for 50 years yet Nigeria remains one of the
nine bottom countries dealing with lack of literacy in spite of all
these institutions that we’ve always had.

“Supporting the
book is not just about the book, it’s about the infrastructure around
the book trade. It’s also about what government must do and we must
make them do. Our government has not been acting as governments should
whether in relation to books or in relation to libraries, we should
make government act in the manner we want it to,” he said.

Other contributors
at the meeting include Ogochukwu Promise of the Lumina Foundation;
writers Austyn Njoku and Emman Shehu; Anwuli Ojogwu of Bookjam and Koko
Kalango of the Rainbow Book Club.

Nothing better
captures human history than a collection of information that is
indelible and images that are everlasting. For many film enthusiasts,
the moving picture medium does this best. However, within the medium,
the differentiation between the purposes of the feature and the
documentary film can not be overemphasised.

The essence of the
documentary film and the documentary film maker takes the front stage
at the iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival which ends
today at Freedom Park.

On the bill at the
opening ceremony, held last Thursday, was Manthia Diawara’s keynote
address ‘Can Documentary Change the World?’ Also showing was the film
professor’s documentary, ‘Who’s Afraid of Ngugi?’

Spread the word

Linking African
literature with the continent’s film culture, Diawara stressed the need
for more public intellectuals like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and
Nelson Mandela, who are renowned for their self-expression in spaces
with global influence. In his words, these people had the genius of
“having a place for their public intellectuals to express him or
herself and to have that expression change the world.”

Heralding what
would be a major pattern all through the day’s event, Diawara said
maintaining and updating national and historical archives was a very
important part of re-enforcing the African existence and was useful in
presenting images and stories to the world that were true and positive
of the continent. For him, the audience is home-based before it is
global. “Films (should) have their legitimacy first in Africa,” he
said. The problem with filmmaking in Africa, he said, is that, “We make
films by addressing the West…in doing this, we betray a whole point
of view…this is irrelevant in changing people’s lives here.”

He advised that filmmakers should learn to own Africa by first owning her myriad resources.

Presenting
Diawara’s new publication, ‘African Film: New Forms and Aesthetics,’
managing director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Afolabi
Adesanya, supported the clamour for positive representations of Africa.
The history of colonisation in Africa, he said, would not allow a
European filmmaker make a movie that would be against his own. Adesanya
asked the industry “to take ownership of their images” and stop making
“films that put European audiences at their ease.” A trailer of the DVD
accompanying the book was then shown.

Tribute

Three ‘film heroes
past’ were honoured in a tribute. Veteran TV producer, diplomat and
arts patron, Segun Olusola, was at hand to present plaques to Brendan
Shehu, Tam Fiofori and Adegboyega Arulogun – all elder broadcasters who
had contributed immensely to the progress of TV and documentary films
in Nigeria.

Shehu, a former
director of the NFC, was grateful for the award that he said showed
efforts of his colleagues had not been in vain. For Arulogun, whom
Olusola described as a teacher of documentary filmmaking, the honour
was proof to upcoming filmmakers that “Nollywood was not created in a
vacuum.” International collaborations were vital for Nollywood to grow,
Arulogun said.

A painful experience

The audience’s
joyous mood turned sober with the screening of Diawara’s documentary on
the homecoming of Kenyan writer-activist, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, after 22
years in exile. Scenes in the movie took the audience through Ngugi’s
early life to the Mau Mau struggle and its influence on current Kenyan
politics. There were a lot of soul-thumping scenes, but none more
moving than the sequence of shots that covered the attack on Ngugi’s
family and the rape of his wife during his return to Kenya. Diawara
himself admitted that it “was a painful film to make.”

Kiragu,
co-ordinator of the couple’s trip to Kenya, was arrested alongside four
others for the assault. The 84-minute film showed that there were mixed
feelings for Ngugi and his activism in the East African country. There
were a number of indispensable nuggets in the film such as Ngugi’s
comment that, “identifying with another person’s language above your
own is actually despising one’s self.”

For Ngugi, the film
and its contents contributed “yet another way of liberating Africa,”
according to Diawara, the film’s narrator, writer and director.

The programme
returned from recess to expound on issues of identity, consciousness
and logistics in documentary film making in a workshop session titled
‘Redeeming the African Image: A case for African Documentary Films.’

Moderator of the
session was Emeka Mba, director-general of the Nigerian Film and Video
Censors Board with the panel boasting Senegalese, Lydie Diakhate; Joke
Silva, Mahmoud Ali-Balogun and Jaiye Ojo.

Improving the art

During the
workshop, Diakhate, a film producer and festival organiser, said, it
was “crucial to have a platform to be able to show new images of
Africa.” She accentuated the presence of positive stories that can be
told about the continent and hailed festivals as medium for encouraging
co-operation, sharing experiences and improving production quality
amongst filmmakers.

On his part,
Ali-Balogun posed the question of what exactly a filmmaker sets out to
achieve with a documentary. Speaking personally, he said most of his
documentaries are advocacy tools meant for improving Nigeria. As a
patriotic movie maker, he would not peddle negative images of his
country for any reason. This, he said, was mostly impossible for those
who sourced their funds from abroad and had to ‘dance to the tune’ of
their sponsor.

In light of the
challenges facing those already established in the genre, the lot fell
on Ojo to allay the fears of aspiring filmmakers. Speaking in a
deservingly upbeat tone, he said there are avenues for surviving in the
trend despite a seemingly high frustration rate.

Joke Silva also
said that more skill acquisition centres were crucial to honing the
talent of the industry’s up and coming producers.

There was a slight
argument over how easy it was to shoot a documentary, but it was agreed
that the industry’s green horns should not see their task as daunting
but something that has to be done if the passion was there.

The moderator, Mba
summed it up by saying that the overall duty for filmmakers is to “tell
our stories in a more socially-responsible way.”

Doing this
effectively were the two other films on the event’s bill. Olu
Holloway’s ‘Slum Sweeper’ was an exposé on the construction of the
Second Mainland Bridge, widely known as the Eko Bridge.

The festival film,
Jihan El-Tahri’s ‘Behind the Rainbow,’ a documentary on South African
politics, closed the evening’s schedule at Terra Kulture.

2010 was
undoubtedly a very good year for professional photography in Nigeria.
In fact, it was a vintage year; the best so far. But paradoxically, it
was also a year during which relevant questions about the proper place
of photography in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Art scene, its
independence as a valid and separate medium, and its financial value as
collectors’ items, all came to the fore, craving for urgent and
permanent answers.

Most of the
prominent visibility photography enjoyed in 2010 was in the form of
exhibitions; a spate of them. Well, over 20 across the country in
Lagos, Benin City, Port Harcourt, Abuja and ‘unlikely’ venues like
Bonny, Yenagoa, Ekiti, Asaba, and other cities. This huge number of
exhibitions, their logistics as solo and group exhibitions, the
collapse of firm contractual agreements (if there were any) between the
photographer-exhibitors and the myriad of curators, galleries and
institutions, cumulatively highlighted the non-existent or weak
platforms that should guarantee photographers a fair deal financially
and artistically.

Mixed grill

Predictably, the
fact that 2010 was Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary provided
both the perfect excuse and theme for all manner of ‘commemorative’
photography exhibitions. These exhibitions organised by curators,
galleries and institutions eager to cash-in on the anniversary and
operating on various levels of competence and expertise, inevitably
ensured that these ‘novel’ photography exhibitions were a worrying mix
of excellence, growing mediocrity, and sheer uncreative.

Many
photographers, it seemed, were more eager to make creative statements
in all these ‘prestigious’ exhibitions than appreciate and exploit the
excellent business opportunities they provided. In the end,
collectively, photographers made much less money compared to the
windfall of the curators, galleries and institutions sponsored by
blue-chip companies, state and federal governments.

Photographers also
faced the big challenge of how to endure the new burden of an emerging
number of specialist local and foreign curators and gallery owners
trying to hoist their theories and expectations on which direction
photography in Nigeria should take and how quickly too.

Dilemma of definition

And so, whilst
photography is desperately trying to find its long-overdue and right
place in Nigerian Art, it is simultaneously facing the dilemma of
definition. What is and where should photography in Nigeria, in its
longevity and diversity, head for in terms of sustainability, better
creativity, and financial reward for professionals? It has become
obvious that photography in Nigeria needs to grow independently of
whatever sympathetic ‘Eurocentric’ curators, academics, galleries and
institutions profess in the ongoing extensive world debate on what
constitutes modern photography.

The widely-used
buzzwords are ‘engagement’ and ‘narratives.’ Whose, remains the
question. Prophetically yet unplanned as such, the Centre for
Contemporary Art (CCA), Yaba, Lagos, with its one-month-long Fine Art
photography workshop, with the theme ‘On Independence and the
Ambivalence of Promise’, held between February 8 and March 6, set the
tone and flavour for most of the prominent photography exhibitions in
2010.

The aim of the
workshop was “to focus not so much on technique but on methodology,
critical thinking, conceptual ideas and their implementation.” The
contents of the programme included, “history of photography and its
conceptual dimensions, methodology and strategies for the development
of artistic practice, development of critical thinking skills, and a
final exhibition.”

With a core of 13
facilitators from Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Cameroun, Nigeria,
Brazil, Ghana, Sweden, and the U.S.A. and observers from Kenya and
Germany, the CCA workshop provided a global platform for exchange of
ideas, skills acquisition, and intellectual discourse on photography. I
presented a paper situating photography in Nigeria and the work of
Jonathan Adagogo Green of Bonny, within the global photography scene of
the late 20th century.

The subtle message
was to guard against a bias towards thinking that Eurocentric concepts,
ideas and even creative perceptions and techniques are ultramodern or
‘superior’ to the experience of indigenous Nigerian photographers in
one whole century of practice.

It remains
important to always emphasise that the tradition of indigenous
photography professionalism is well over a century old and started by
carving a niche of respect for creative and technical excellence by
global standards then.

Contested concept

It is instructive
that the historical place of photography in Nigerian contemporary Art
had to be revisited many times in 2010. Most significantly, perhaps,
was at the stakeholders’ public hearing on the proposed National
Gallery of Art Bill at the National Assembly on Thursday, November 4,
2010. It was a ‘star-studded’ affair that attracted the minister of
culture and tourism and his aides, the acting director general of the
National Gallery of Art (NGA), representatives of the Society of
Nigerian Artists (SNA), representatives of the Photographers
Association of Nigeria (PAN), Art galleries’ owners, Art critics, Art
collectors and lovers, and the general public were also there. It was
also an exhaustive exercise which required a meticulous review of the
suggestions that had been incorporated into the proposed Bill under
review.

When it was time
to define some of the functions of the NGA, it was unanimously agreed
that it should collect ‘modern Nigerian Art,’ and given the nature of
the stakeholders involved and the need to be specific, the next item
became an examination of the term itself.

Rasheed Gbadamosi,
an avid art collector and patron, proffered that ‘modern Nigerian Art’,
as substantiated by Art academics, started in the 1920s with the
emergence of Aina Onabolu as Nigeria’s first trained contemporary
artist. This has been the long held view, but it had to be demystified.
I countered by offering the information that since photography is now
globally accepted as an Art form, the correct beginning of what can be
identified as ‘modern Nigerian Art’ is the work of Bonny-based Jonathan
Adagogo Green, whose photographs taken in the late 1890s were a big hit
in Europe. Of course, there is now a body of academic evidence to prove
this important point.

In many ways, the
fact that photography as modern Art in Nigeria preceded contemporary
visual arts in the country by more than three decades is an
uncomfortable fact for art activists, particularly within the SNA. They
seem to be driven by the grandiose ideas of being the ‘parent’ body of
artists who should determine the fate and direction of Art in Nigeria.

The stakeholders’
sessions should by now have made clear that artists, photographers, and
architects, the three bodies the NGA is mandated to nourish and
protect, are equal partners in the national creativity progress.

The fact that most
artists in Nigeria paint photographs does not help the case of the Art
lobbyists trying to enshrine the concept of superiority within the
spectrum of contemporary Art in Nigeria. Numbers have never translated
into absolute quality.

That Art
collectors and galleries in Nigeria are yet to fully appreciate the
aesthetics and financial value of photography is more of their loss
than that of photographers who continue to be appreciated globally.

Finding the right
place for photography was the challenge and problem curators,
galleries, academics, collectors and institutions grappled with in
2010, with varying degrees of success.

Why Art?

I could have been a
lawyer. That is what my parents wanted me to be. It took the
intervention of my brother to let them allow me read Fine and Applied
Arts. I chose to be an artist because I realised that I had the traits
while growing up. I loved drawing, carving, and re-creating my toys as
a child.

In secondary
school, I was attracted to the art studio and spent time there.
Basically, being an artist is a passion. Art is like priesthood. It is
a calling; you just find yourself driven towards it.

Training

I studied Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Benin. I specialised in painting and graduated in 1996.

Medium

I do more of mix
media and oil painting. My mix media are basically fabric collages on
acrylic and paper collages with pastel on oil. I use thick impasto in
my oil works, which incline towards fauvism and cubism.

Influences

My art is
influenced by my wife. I have painted her over a thousand times because
she serves as my model. When you see a painting titled ‘Cynthia’ that
is one of the many paintings influenced by my lovely wife.

I am also
influenced by fauvist and cubist painters like Paul Cezanne, Henri
Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Things that happen around me also influence
my works. I enjoy painting figures, so the dresses and hairdo of men
and women influence what I do.

Inspirations

There are many
things that inspire an artist; politics, society and happenings on the
international scene are some of them. An artist is a mirror of society.
I can’t leave painting the crazy Lagos traffic to paint quiet streets
with flowers. I can’t paint happy people when people complain about
electricity. What I pour on the canvas are my emotions, unless I am not
being sincere with myself.

Best work so far I don’t have a best work

Art is like a man
in a relationship. You can’t say I love my wife then leave her for
another woman. The creative ability and energy I put into each work
might be different, but I love all my works.

Least satisfying work

Each work has a
soul and a buyer, so I cannot say I have a least satisfying work. When
I paint I have to satisfy myself first, I have to feel alright with the
work. If a painting stays with me a year or two, I normally add
something else to it, though I still have some paintings that I have
kept for at least 10 years and I have not changed anything. They are
like my wives, so I have refused to sell them.

Career high point

First, I have not
arrived. Art is an endless search. I will create it till I die. I want
to take art to a level where every artist in Nigeria can benefit. I
desire for Nigeria to be out there. Though we have been able to create
a book on contemporary African artists and I have curated shows in
Lagos, Accra, and Duala, much still needs to be done.

When there is the
“I” syndrome amongst artists instead of “We”, how I can say I have
reached a high point? We need to help ourselves; we need to export our
talents.

Favourite artist, living or dead

Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Armando Modigliani, Chris Ofili, and Duke Asidere.

Ambitions

Now, I am combining
art with publishing. I hope to expose Nigerian art to the international
market by coming up with more books on contemporary arts and having
exchange programmes. I hope to have a book tour in the United States
with some of the artists that are featured in the book.

Emeka Ogboh was
honoured during the 2010 World Listening Day because his art shows how
much he listens. The artist who lives and works in Lagos adapts the
bustle of everyday city life into his sound and video installations.
The World Listening Project used his work last year in recognition of
his untiring efforts.

Ogboh’s first
contact with new media art – his favoured sound and video installation
– was in February 2007 in Alexandria, Egypt, when a friend invited him
to attend a workshop in the famous city . “It was at this workshop on
media and light that I first saw video art, photography and other
aspects of design apart from painting,” he recalls.

Unique medium

What started as
love at first sight has progressed into a serious affair for the artist
who underwent training under Harald Scherz at the Winter Academy in
Fayoum, a village close to Cairo. “I took a course called Audio
Spectrum and my teacher took me through the process,” he said.

With Lagos
providing the material for his sound blasts, Ogboh has created acoustic
dialogue between the Centre of Excellence and other cities of the
world. “The immersive nature of sound is what makes it unique. It is
not static and creates an experience for the listener. For example, one
can take a trip through Lagos without actually being in Lagos,” he says
while explaining his preference for the medium.

Popularising Lagos

Having spent about
five years practicing new media art and having projects lined up till
2013, Ogboh’s desire to familiarise the rest of the world with Lagos
has not waned. “To me, there is no where as loud as Lagos and it is
easy for me to experiment with its different sounds. After I record the
sounds and take them to the studio, they sound different. It becomes a
composition and every element is important to create a soundscape.”

Ogboh’s first sound
installation ever was in a bathroom in Fayoum. The work titled ‘Lake
Quarun’ birthed another, ‘Obalende Downtown Cairo’. The Egyptian
capital reminded the artist of Lagos and he wanted to highlight the
similarities between the two cities through his art. Interestingly,
promoting the sounds of Lagos has taken Ogboh to Madrid, New York and
Cologne, Germany.

He had a
particularly memorable outdoor sound installation titled ‘Reception of
Strangeness and Consumption of Difference’ in Cologne. The artist held
the show to see reactions of residents to the noise of bus conductors
on the ever busy Oshodi Oke bus route calling out to passengers. The
noise blared from speakers located outside the city’s library. “Art is
not always about beauty. It is about people’s reaction to your work. I
was able to get people’s reactions. At a point the speakers were even
broken,” he says.

“In installing
Lagos soundscapes in Cologne, I was interested in how the German public
engages with what is subversive strangeness. Given the recent debate on
multiculturalism and citizenship in Germany, I was interested in the
phenomenology of reception.”

Reception and translation

Receptiveness and
translation of reception is the thrust of ‘Lagos State of Mind Vol 1’,
an ongoing collaboration with sound artists and music producers. He
sends the Lagos soundscape to collaborators who in turn use it to give
listeners a body of sound art and music.

Apart from sound
art, Ogboh has also delved into video art. He is a pioneering member of
Video Artists of Nigeria, Lagos (VAN). He participated in the ‘One
Minute Project’, a video workshop organised by the Centre for
Contemporary Art (CCA) last year. His video titled ‘Jos 2010’
summarising the story of the recurring Jos crises was one of the main
screenings last July at Video Art Festival Miden, Greece.

He is currently
working on another series, a combination of video and art titled ‘50’
to commemorate Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee. “The 50 project explores the
making of modern Nigeria in the context of the promises at
independence. Nigerians are asked their one word opinion of Nigeria
after 50 years.” He adds that 50 words will be selected and projected
on a screen while historical statements made by Nigerian leaders at
independence will accompany the visuals.

Inspired by Lagos

“I am inspired by
my environment. I love the bus parks; I love busy areas like Oshodi and
Ojuelegba because they bring out the multicultural aspects of the city.
Lagos soundscape is art; it is multilayered with different sounds from
the ice-cream seller attracting customers by playing the sound track of
‘Titanic’ to people at the bus park. You have to listen to find your
bus, it is not like in other parts of the world where there are bus
signs that give directions,” he says of the sounds of Lagos.

He reiterates that
the call of the bus conductors on the streets gives sounds from the
city its uniqueness. This, he adds, is why he never shies away from
using the sound to tell people more about the city. Above all, he is
looking forward to giving a digital sound map to the Centre of
Excellence using bus conductors as guide.

Though he is
renowned abroad where he has delivered lectures and participated in
international conferences, Ogboh remains relatively unknown at home.
But he is not bothered. “When I started, I used to spend my own money
but now I get paid. When you work with new media tools, you will know
that they are not cheap so for me it’s all about passion. What I do is
not about me, it is about putting Nigeria on the map.”

New media art might
still have a long way to go but in Ogboh, the art form has a crusader.
“I would like to give workshops, while promoting our video art
collective. Also, I would like to give classes on new media art to
students in Art departments of higher institutions. Even if it is not
included in their curricula, it will stimulate their minds.”

Nonetheless,
appearing in the Italian edition of international magazine, ‘Marie
Claire’ in June 2010 as one of the next big things out of Africa in art
alongside compatriot, Andrew Esiebo, shows that Ogboh might actually be
doing something right.