Nigeria Content Online

The true and real
heroes of the Nigerian Army are not the few unethical gung-ho soldiers
who like armed robbers (to quote a former Colonel turned rebel General)
shoot their way into seizing undeserved power as Heads of State.

The hunger of a
bought-over section of the Nigerian press and media and, their
continued role as paid ‘misinformers’, has tried to entrench the hype
that these unprofessional armed usurpers were brave nation-savers and
builders. Rather, the true motives of this small band of ambitious
opportunists are now common knowledge, but unfortunately, their many
successes at hijacking governance has given the Nigerian Army an
undeserved bad name and image.

There have been
many fine officers and gentlemen in the Nigerian Army and, luckily,
there is now more evidence that these respectable corps of officers and
the enlisted men and women they led, have gradually earned the Nigerian
Army much-deserved respect and praise at the highest level of global
military engagements. It has taken time, effort and goodwill from the
Nigerian Armed Forces itself, to identify these truly brave and
patriotic men and women who have now been ‘enshrined’ as role models
and professional soldiers in the real sense.

Book

A new book, ‘Fifty
Years of Nigeria’s Peacekeeping Experience’; published by the Defence
Headquarters and appropriately released to coincide with Nigeria’s 50th
Independence celebrations is a welcome document of achievement which
should make Nigerians proud of their Armed Forces. The Armed Forces
couldn’t have wished for better image-boosting evidence at such a
critical time in Nigeria’s history. That both Nigeria and its Armed
Forces went into the international arena simultaneously was a political
strategy masterminded by Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa, who, in his maiden speech after independence, declared
thus: “Having been accepted as an independent state, we must at once
play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and
preserving civilisation. I promise you we shall not fail for want of
determination.”

Thus Nigeria’s
peacekeeping experience under the United Nations began and, on November
9, 1960, the first contingent of 26 officers, 640 soldiers and 4
British non-commissioned officers of the Fifth Queens Own Nigeria
Regiment under the command of Lt. Col. J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi was
airlifted from Kaduna to Kivu province in the Congo. There were there
until 1964.

Bully and liberator

Since 1966, the
Nigerian Army in particular has had ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ faces; one for
the international community and the other for the home front. Its face
on the home front has been one of a bully, oppressor and definitely
citizen-unfriendly; tainted by an arrogant mindset that regarded
millions of Nigerians as “bloody civilians!” There have been 38
Nigerian Armed Forces contributions to the United Nation’s Peace
Keeping Operations so far in places like West New Guinea, Tanzania,
Lebanon, Syria, Iran/Iraq, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Western Sahara,
Iraq/Kuwait, Cambodia, Somalia, Mozambique, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia
Herzegovina, Libya/Chad, Tajikistan, Macedonia, Slovenia, Baranja and
Sirmiium, Sierra Leone, Congo, East Timor, Liberia, Chad, Kosovo,
Sudan, Georgia and Central African Republic.

No wonder the
former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike CFR, in his
foreword says, “In her [intereaction] with other nations, nothing
projects Nigeria more, as a responsible and responsive member of the
international community, than her commitment to global peace and
security.” The mammoth crowds at the Lagos port that cheered the
arrival home of Nigeria’s troops after ‘liberating’ Liberia remains a
measure of the citizens’ response whenever our Armed Forces do us
proud!‘Fifty Years of Nigeria’s Peacekeeping Experience’ is a marvel in
its depth of information and the superb quality of the photographs that
illustrate the theme. It is another very good example and, combination
of what professor of History E.J.Alagoa describes as “photography as
art and also historical document.”

Lyrical photographer

These successful
components of the book are no surprise in that they are the work of
Jide Adeniyi-Jones who, for my money, is currently one of Nigeria’s
finest-ever and most lyrical photographers.

What might be a bit
surprising is the excellent journalistic skills exhibited by
Adeniyi-Jones; bringing to the fore a talent for research and informed
descriptive narrative that had hitherto taken second place to his
photography. Except for the foreword and an address by Defence Minister
Adetokunbo Kayode, all other editorial material in the 44-page book is
by the phototographer.

His interest in
military conflicts and their attendant social upheavals date back to
the early eighties when he was Photo Editor of the African Guardian
magazine. At some risk he covered the war in Chad. His recent revived
interest in the peacekeeping roles of the Nigerian Armed Forces and his
earlier independent documentary coverage of these activities dovetailed
into this specially-commissioned book by the Nigerian Defence
Headquarters.

Nearly all the
photographs are by Adeniyi-Jones on location in Darfur, Sudan, Liberia
and Sierra Leone between 2009 and 2010. His 42-odd photographs bear his
trademark touch of creative documentary photography in which subtlety
and, detailed emphasis on the critical parts of images, strongly
project the full visual message and impact.

Fine examples

A chest-to-knee
composition showing a Nigerian flag and name on the shoulder of a
camouflage-uniform and an arm clutching a rifle with a trademark curved
magazine; a name tag and Nigerian Army identification tag below it, is
a case in point. It is a side shot showing the Nigerian flag on the
shoulder and the red cross of medical personnel on the arm. There is
another image of two boys on a donkey-cart loaded with hay framed with
blue helmets and a rifle in the foreground and. A classic shot of a row
of well-polished black boots with the long reflected shadows of a row
of soldiers on the ground in front of them, is one of the outstanding
examples of Jide Adeniyi-Jones’ photographs.

There are
photographs that show the humanitarian face of Nigerian soldiers as
peacekeepers as well as their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers! These
include soldiers with guns watching over women as they gather firewood,
titled ‘Firewood Patrols’, a Nigerian matron and Liberian nurse, troops
and Sheiks in a mosque, a pilot by his jet fighter, teachers in
classrooms; and a collage of the men and women of the various units of
Nigerian peacekeeping troops.

The book begins
with an Honour Roll of 17 senior officers who have been Nigerian Peace
Mission Force Commanders and, at the back there is a mention of
Nigeria’s Lt. General C.I. Obiakor the United Nations Military Advisor
on Peacekeeping (2008-2010).

Surely, after 50 exemplary years of praiseworthy international
peacekeeping duties, the Nigerian Armed Forces must now be very aware
of the need to permanently curb the indiscipline of coups within its
ranks and, the attendant brutality and death of both its personnel
trained at high cost to the nation and unfortunate civilians caught in
the cross-fire.

Why Art?

Art makes me feel
easy, it is my passion. It gives me the chance to change things, solve
problems, provide solutions, and offer an insight into what many will
not see or figure out and think outside the box.

It allows me to
entertain, educate, and heal. It also affords the opportunity to
criticise, dialogue, and disagree to agree on issues that affect
everything: equal rights and love of the environment. Art, because it
is life.

Training

I was trained as a
scientist. I studied Biochemistry and later did a two-year diploma in
Art school. I never studied Art in elementary, secondary, and tertiary
schools. I was born an artist, not a trained artist.

Medium

I am a multimedia
artist involved in mixed media, painting, sculpture, installation,
photography, and performance. I also do video and sound art.

Influences

The works of late artists, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Living artists like El- Anatsui.

Inspiration

My inspiration comes from God and the environment that I find myself.

Best work so far

My best has not yet come. All I have done is good, and I am still working hard to be the best I can be in future.

Least satisfying work

I am not yet
satisfied with all I am doing or that I have done so far. I have lots
to still do and to offer. I am still hungry for more.

Career high point

In 10 years of
being a professional artist, I have received five awards, many grants,
scholarships, and residencies. I have participated in workshops,
biennales, and triennials. Solo and group exhibitions in all continents
of the world.

Favourite artist, living or dead

The late Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. My favourite living artists are El- Anatsui and Yinka Shonibare.

Ambition

My greatest
ambition is to set up an artists’ centre/residency where all creative
people can create freely and do their works. I want to exhibit my works
in the Venice Biennale, Tate Museum (UK), and the Museum of
Contemporary Art, New York.

The Nigerian Film
Corporation has raised alarm over the increase in fake and dubious
characters masquerading as film Producers, directors and Marketers out
to deceive and swindle unsuspecting Nigerians with genuine desire to
pursue a career in the movie industry.

Details of a Press
Release from the Public Affairs office of the NFC reveal that a number
of individuals, Government agencies, foreign embassies and Private
Organisations have been making enquiries at the NFC to confirm the
authenticity of the claims made by some of these of con artists. This
is a pointer to the fact that these individuals have spread their reach
to different spheres of the nation.

The NFC expresses
concern about these dubious individuals bent on bringing the Nigerian
movie industry to disrepute and is set to redeem the image of the
industry by exposing these con artists and their deeds to the public.

The Press Release
also reveals that some of these individuals flaunt the names of
accomplished industry practitioners, with the sole aim of legitimising
their deeds and gaining acceptance.

It is also revealed
that one of the prime ways these faceless individuals carry out their
scams is by sending out emails and bulk text messages to members of the
public advertising fictional film workshops and acting roles.

This is usually
accompanied with the condition that the unsuspecting reader showing
interest should pay certain sums of money to be able to participate.

The Nigerian Film
Corporation while drawing the attention of the Public to this
development is also set to remedy the situation by calling on industry
guilds and associations to be on the alert and cooperate with it in
hunting down the offenders.

Consequently the NFC warns that the perpetrators of these dubious
activities will face the full wrath of the law if they are caught, as
they will be handed over to the relevant enforcement agencies.

A Radio Drama
series, ‘Gbangan Gbangan’ (The Bell is Calling) to promote the value of
education in Nigeria, has debuted on the Radio Nigeria Network Service.
Produced by Flint Productions, ‘Gbangan Gbangan’, a project initiated
by The Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), aired on
October 23 and will be broadcast in the mornings.

ESSPIN’s interest
in Education is fuelled by the Millennium Development Goals to achieve
Universal Basic Education. According to the Press release signed by
Bankole Ebisemiju ESSPIN’s Communications and Knowledge Management
Coordinator, it is hoped that the drama series ‘Gbangan-Gbangan’ will
assist Nigerians in identifying themselves with the characters in the
series, thereby opening up an avenue for the demand and supply sides of
basic education in Nigeria to engage in meaningful discourse.

Like the real
Nigeria, the fictional village of Tikomi where the drama is set is home
to a blend of peoples, cultures and histories. The drama series also
parades a number of characters: the self aggrandising Village Chief
Buba; the councillor who was once an area boy, a 10-year old boy Priye
who is a student on the one hand and a petty trader on the other, the
job seeker John and other characters whose lives and stories mirror
that of countless Nigerians. The education system in Tikomi is lax and
the village’s Central Primary School which is the focal point of the
drama series portrays reflects this malady.

ESSPIN reveals that
extensive research was conducted and observations drawn from public
schools, their pupils, their manner of administration and from all
facets of the Nigerian existence. This was done in a bid to accurately
portray and draw from the lives and experiences of real Nigerians.

Apart from
Education, ESSPIN is also interested in giving a voice to children and
laying bare the issues that affect children in the nation and to
sensitise Nigerians about them. Some of these issues are represented in
‘Gbangan-Gbangan’.

Aside from airing on Radio Nigeria Network, the drama series will
begin airing on Ray Power FM, FRCN’s Hausa Service and other partner
stations in due course.

Radio station
Smooth FM is set to regale music Nigerian lovers in its upcoming Jazz
festival, holding in Lagos on November 12. Tagged ‘Love Music, Love
Life’, the festival will showcase an impressive line-up of Nigerian and
international musicians.

African American
soul singer and songwriter Angie Stone of ‘Mahogany Soul’ fame and Jazz
Saxophonist Gerald Albright will be performing alongside Nigerian
musicians Bez, Tiwa Savage, Pure and Simple, and others.

A major highlight
of the festival is the inclusion of Richard Bona, who will be jamming
on the same stage with Jazz guitarist, Mike Stern. Born Bona Pinder
Yayumayalolo, Richard Bona has performed alongside the likes of Manu
Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higelin and Didier Lockwood.

A rising star of
the international music circuit with appearances on many continents,
Bona was born in 1967 in Cameroun into a family of griots and singers.
He lived in Germany and France before settling in New York; and met
Mike Stern when he relocated to the United States and did some musical
stints with him.

The Camerounian has four albums under his belt and has collaborated
with Harry Belafonte and John Legend. The Smooth FM Festival will hold
at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on November
12.

Children from
various schools in Lagos State came together to flex their muscles in
dance and to learn a thing or two about culture at the third edition of
the annual Nigerian Schools Cultural Festival (NISCUFEST).

The event,
organised by Onileagbon Theatre, took place at the the Grace Schools,
Lagos, on October 21. In attendance were seven schools that put their
cultural creativity to the test. These were: El-Bethel Nursery and
Primary School, Ifako-Gbagada; Christ Redeemer Nursery and Primary
School, Oworosoki; El-Shaddai Nursery and Primary School; Ibafo, Ogun
State; Lady Bird Nursery and Primary School; Labeo Nursery and Primary
School, Ifako-Gbagada; and Primrose Nursery and Primayry School,
Anthony.

Two secondary schools – Irvington College, Gbagada and Sunnyside College, Palmgrove Estate – also participated.

Preambles

After the
introduction of the guests and other preliminaries, NISCUFEST 2010 was
set rolling. This year’s edition was organised to mark Nigeria’s 50th
anniversary.

The event is an
avenue for schools to bring their students, who will be decked out in
cultural outfits, to stage 10-minute performances, either in Dance,
Dance Drama, or Mime, using live musical instruments or recordings of
traditional songs from Nigeria or other African countries.

Anchors for the
event were Calibird, a comedian; and Chijioke Ndukwe, who advised the
children that though being formally educated and speaking the English
language was good, young persons who neglect their local languages are
regarded as being uneducated.

A case for culture

Cultural activist,
Segun Adefila, gave the keynote address, titled ‘Creativity, Education
and Hope of Our Nation’. He summarised education as the acquisition of
knowledge.

He raised a
fundamental question when he said, “When you go to school, you learn
how to speak and write in English. That will make our forefathers
illiterates. But since education helps one to create, and our
forefathers had already created things like mortars, pestles and
grinding stones, then they were educated, though they could not read or
write English.”

Adefila said he
grew up wanting to be anything but Nigerian or Yoruba, until he met a
Japanese professor of Dance who visited Nigeria and the first thing he
said when addressing Nigerian dancers was, “English not good.”

He cited the
examples of Mozart, who was a child genius, and Isaac Newton, who made
discoveries without the kind of technology known to the world today.

“Why do we remain a
consuming nation instead of a producing nation? There is no space for
making anything in this country, yet we have people trained in so many
things. We would never grow up if we are not creative,” the dancer and
actor noted.

He reminded
students that they were the hope of Nigeria and if they were not
properly educated, then they would have failed the country.

“Creativity is the hope of our nation and the hope is you,” he concluded.

Staff, students,
and other invited guests at the event were entertained by Footprints of
David Art Academy, who were not part of the competition. They wowed the
crowd with their Zulu war dance, which involved a lot of high kicks and
screeching, jumping, and shouting.

Aduke and the SSV
then played a soulful tune, which had the trappings of Phil Collins’
‘Another Day In Paradise’ and whose underlying theme is ‘showing love.’

It’s a Dance Affair

The Ladybird
students were the first competitors for the primary school category,
and they performed the famous Atilogwu dance from the eastern part of
Nigeria.

Next was Christ the
Redeemer Primary School, which performed the Bata dance of the Yoruba.
Then it was back to Atilogwu with Labio Primary School, before Primrose
took a different turn and combined Dance and Drama in their own
presentation.

Irvington College,
Gbagada, did a choreography routine to Grammy award winner Shakira’s
2010 World Cup anthem, ‘Waka Waka’, combining African and contemporary
dance steps.

Sunnyside College, Palmgrove Estate, with an all-girl team, grooved to Kefee’s ‘Kokoroko’ and Brenda Fassie.

Lady Bird Primary
School were the overall winners for the Primary School category, while
El-Bethel Primary School, Ifako-Gbagada, emerged first runner-up.

Christ Redeemer
Primary School, Oworonsoki, were second runner-up, while El-Shaddai
Primary School, Ibafo, Ogun State, were 3rd runner-up.

In the Secondary
School category, Irvington College, Gbagada, emerged the overall
winners, while Sunnyside College, Palmgroove Estate, came in second.

The organiser and
brain behind the cultural project, Femi Onileagbon, said that the idea
is to give children the opportunity to exhibit their talents and also
to promote culture.

NICUFEST, which started in 2008, is used by Onileagbon Theatre, an
arm of Onileagbon Sight and Sound, to promote culture as a tool for
development.

Mali’s ancient city
of Timbuktu is steeped in fable, mystique and history; and has been a
fount of knowledge for hundreds of years. Head of the town’s World
Heritage Office, Ali Ould Sidi, recently took journalists on a tour of
the historical sites. He also shared with NEXT some fascinating facts
about Timbuktu.

The meaning of Timbuktu

It means the well
of Buktu. ‘Tin’ in Tourage means ‘well’. According to tradition, there
was a lady in charge of the well. Because we were in the dessert, this
lady Bouktu was providing water and hospitality to travelers and their
animals. Over time the small encampment grew. By the 16th century, the
town had a population of over 100,000 people.

According to our
history, there were several waves of migration of people here. There
were barbarians that were occupying these lands. Two years ago, I was
working with a professor from Harvard University who discovered a new
town that is older than Timbuktu, east of this place. It is 1000 years
older than Timbuktu. Archeological work is still going on there.

Sankore Mosque and University

To give you an idea
of the extent of knowledge here, let me mention that we had the first
University in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was called Sankore University. 25,
000 students from all over were in that university. It was established
in the 14th century. We had top knowledge at that University. We had
professors from everywhere and some of them, when they got here, they
changed their minds and instead of being professors, they became
students. Others went away to gather more knowledge before returning.

We have found a
manuscript dealing with Mathematics. That course was [taught] at this
university in the 15th century. We have translated it into French and
evaluated the level. The same programme is offered at the second level
of Universities in France. This shows the level of learning.

Most of the
manuscripts are in Arabic although there are some in our local
languages – in Bambara, Fulani [and] Songhai, using Arabic scripts.
This is not surprising because Timbuktu was born and funded by Islam
and the geographical location of Timbuktu. It became an international
centre; it was the link between Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa.
Through the trans- Saharan trade, you had manuscripts moving between
the people. The architecture was also influenced by this trade and you
will see buildings that show this. Timbuktu was important because it
was a learning centre that was based on Islamic sciences so the
learning was in Arabic. However, in addition the Islamic studies, we
also had other disciplines.

We need to let
people know that here, in this land of Africa, we had knowledge. That
is why some of our partners, South Africans mostly, choose to support
Timbuktu because of our roots. The roots are here in Timbuktu.

Some historians
believe Timbuktu and the rest of Africa does not have a past [or]
history, because our tradition is oral. But in addition to the oral
tradition we also had manuscripts. You will see them. They deal with
Mathematics, Grammar, Astronomy, Astrology… This shows how important
knowledge was in this part of Africa. This is not hearsay. You will see
the manuscripts. This is something tangible. These manuscripts are the
proof. Contained in these manuscripts are all sorts of knowledge.

The Manuscript Centre

The centre is named
after Ahmed Baba. He was one of our top scholars and was against the
occupation of Timbuktu by Morocco in 1591. He was an encyclopedia. He
was involved in several fields of study. He was a serious scholar. When
Morocco occupied Timbuktu, he was deported and taught in the university
in Morocco for 14 years. Before he was allowed to return, Ahmed Baba
had a dialogue with the King of Morocco but when the dialogue started,
there was a piece of cloth between the two men. And Ahmed Baba said to
the king: only God can speak to people without being seen. If you want
to speak to me as a human being, please have that piece of cloth
removed. It was removed and they had a conversation. The king said to
him: I hear you are very knowledgeable. How can a black man have this
kind of knowledge? Ahmed Baba replied: ‘Tout blanc n’ est pas du lait,
et tout noir n’est pas du charbon’ – meaning: all white is not milk and
all black is not charcoal.

He came back to Timbuktu where he continued to teach until his death.

The main job of the
centrer is to collect the manuscripts, catalogue, record and digitalise
them, make copies and also preserve them, but that is not all. The
second phase is to explain the manuscripts.

In Africa, we have
tangible proof of our history of our past: the written sources which
are our manuscripts and the oral source through the griots or through
architecture.

I remember once we
[hosted] the Director of African studies from Harvard. He was doing a
movie on African sources and he chose Timbuktu, to show the importance
of Sankore but also our manuscripts. Some historians and even
politicians like Nicholas Sarkozy will say: Africa does not have a
history. But this of course is not correct. I have books, if you want
to check, to see the answer African scholars gave to Sarkozy. The
oldest manuscript we have is dated 1204, the beginning of the 13th
century. So from that time we had scholars in Timbuktu, who have been
writing and reading.

The traditional
education had several steps. We had what was called the Economic
School. We had the university and everyone was also required to have
some sort of [craft], to be a tailor or a shoemaker. In the past if you
want to get married, the first question they would ask is: what is your
job? Not like modern jobs but handiwork, because they use to say: if
you have money, money may be lost; and if it is knowledge, even that
can be lost so the only thing that can follow you is your handiwork. By
your handiwork you can survive no matter what. So that is why handiwork
was important in Timbuktu.

We have people who
were working for ten and twenty years as scribes. We also had scribes
whose work was to write out manuscripts using paper that was from
China. We also used food.

The new centre is
thanks to the generosity of Thabo Mbeki and the South Africans. He came
to visit and decided to help. A trust was set up with the help of Mr
Mbeki and some South African business people. Malians are also being
trained in how to care for the manuscripts.

Content of Manuscripts

You have Islamic
Laws, History, Geography, Astrology, Astronomy. You have Human Rights.
We have manuscripts here dealing with the Rights of Women in Africa; it
is not a new start in Africa. We also have manuscripts dealing with
governance: how to govern and not get corrupted. Some of the scholars
here did not share the same views as the kings. Let me give you one
example. When the Moroccans occupied Timbuktu, they chose one of the
professors from another University here in Timbuktu, Sidi Yahaya
University. Mohammed Bagayogo was made the Kadi, the Chief Judge. But
he said his forefinger only stood witness to God and could not be the
witness to wrong things: “I am a true scholar, I cannot lie”. For
refusing to bear false witness, they put him in jail because he refused
to cooperate with the invaders.

We also have
manuscripts dealing with Traditional Medicine. Now we have people
talking about Sida, AIDS; we have manuscripts dealing with Sida. The
Prophet Mohamed talked about it. He said there will be a bad sexual
disease called Siba, which is the Arabic word for AIDS. In this
manuscript dealing with traditional medicine, the first section talks
about the climate and the environment and vegetation. The second part
deals with disease – the kind of diseases found in the area and how to
find solutions. The book dealing with Siba and other issues was written
in the 14th century. Another book dealing with Pharmacology (17th
century) called Shifa aul Aztav. If you want a source of knowledge, you
come here.

Endangered

The manuscripts
face threats from terminates and other small insects. Fire is also a
threat as is water. But the climate is a desert climate and so it is
not humid and helps with preserving the manuscripts in good condition.
Let me remind you of the nomadic way of preserving manuscripts. When an
encampment is moving, all the manuscripts are gathered and put in a bag
made from animal skin and then we dig a hole and put the bag inside the
hole and we cover it with sand. Then we leave, following our animals
for grass. Then when we come back, we dig the bag out. Sometimes it is
for three months, sometimes six. Most of the manuscripts here are
originals although there are a few copies too. Look at the type of ink
used. Some use black ink, for chapters and observations they use either
green or red ink. Sometimes for new chapters they use a good design.
And since people were wealthy in the past they also used gold. I
remember one such manuscripts was exchanged in Fez, Morocco.

Meaning of the Turban

When you come to
get a degree, once you pass your exam, in addition to the diploma, you
get a turban. The way the turban is tied determines its meaning. For
example, there is the letter A, L and H; the way the Turban is tried on
your head spells Allah, which means you are qualified to speak about
meaning of the Koran. The way it is wrapped will tell people what you
have majored in, Mathematics, Literature, Grammar and so on.

The turban also has
a social meaning. When the turban is going over your ears, it means:
’Please, now you are a teenager, do not listen to everything people are
saying’. A turban over your mouth means: ‘Please, do not say bad
things’. The ties over the head refer to your duties and
responsibilities in society, now that you are a teenager. Once you get
the turban, it also means you are allowed to lead prayers and be a
Chief in the society

The Great Mosque

The [Djingareyber]
Mosque was built in 1325 by Kanka Moussa. He brought in an Egyptian
architect , Abu Es Haq Es Saheli to do the work and paid him 200kg of
gold. Since 1325, the mosque has not changed. The first row is about
100 meters long and there are nine rows. The place is cool and one
could think it is air-conditioned, but it is not. The style adopted was
the Sudanese style with wide walls and heat does not get through this
kind of walls; that is why it is cool all day. All the restoration work
done try to maintain the same style. The floor is graduated as you can
see and during the rainy season the water flows down so there is a
natural drainage. Four new rows were added to the original mosque built
by Kanka Moussa. This extension was in the 15th century, so you can see
the different architectural styles if you look carefully. It is also
believed that this mosque was built on the ruins of another mosque.
Archaeologists came and did some digging, four metres down and found
evidence of that mosque. There were some transcriptions on the wall
that we still have not been able to decipher. Although the writing is
Arabic, we still have not been able to understand [it].

Peace Monument

It was here that
the Toureg rebellion ended on the 26 March, 1990. Over 2000 guns were
burned here in the presence of former president Omar Konare and former
Ghananian president, Jerry Rawlings. When they burned the guns, the ash
was used to build the peace monument. The handful of rebel groups who
refused to sign the peace agreement are represented by the stones.

New directions in
the art world were highlighted at the recently concluded residency
jointly organised by UK-based Triangle Network and the Lagos-based
Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA). The workshop held at Stone House,
Alakuko, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Lagos from October 4 to
17.

Apart from the
opportunity of working in a serene environment, 15 participants were
able to discuss and share ideas among themselves and their
facilitators. Eight Nigerians artists – Peju Layiwola, Karo Akpokiere,
Stephen Ubaka, Ngozi Omeje, Victoria Udondian, Adeniyi Odeleye, Kelani
Abass, and Ghana-based Rasheed Olaniyi – took part in the workshop.
Others were Eva Jung from South Korea; Achille Komguem from Cameroun;
Mthabisi Philli from Zimbabwe, and Mexican, Pablo Rasgado. Senegalese,
Henry Sagna, and Ghanaian, Akwele Suma Glory, completed the list.

Norway-based
Zambian, Anawana Hobol and Romero Gongora, a Canadian of Guatemalan
descent, facilitated the workshop which also looked at the environment,
people’s interaction with it and effects of the interactions. There was
an open day on October 16 to showcase works produced during the
workshop. While some were solo, others were collaborations in line with
Triangle workshop’s goal of promoting exchange of ideas, innovations
and working together.

A minus suitcase

Works ranging from
installations that include sound and video to wall motifs, photographs
and performances were exhibited. New York resident, Jung, showed an
excerpt from ‘A Minus Suitcase’, a video project that experiments with
movement, storage and surplus. The artist videos herself and compresses
works of 19 artists into a suitcase she travels round the world with.

“It’s clear the
works will get damaged—a lot at first, and then more over time. From
city to city, repeating the inevitable process of packing and
unpacking, I dismantle, re-enact and reconstitute nineteen works,
blurring the role of artist and curator. Constantly reshaping and
transforming in new contexts, the journey becomes the form of art in
time, not the container of works,” Jung explained.

She added that the
works have been shown in Seoul, Dusseldorf, Montreal and New York. She
also collaborated with Rasgado for a project for which they read
alternate pages of Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’. Each wrote a
summary and sent it as an electronic mail to the other; these were then
presented to the public in Alakuko. Jung said, “The idea is to read the
book page by page, alternating the pages between each other and
depending on each other’s summary. I met Pablo in Lagos and we are
trying to understand the country through the book. Through this, we
want to make art that doesn’t end in one exhibition, but something that
continues with time. As an outsider how do you understand art through
literature? I don’t know what happens at the end.”

Transformations

Glory, a
multimedia artist, felt the workshop was different from others she had
attended. “In other workshops, it’s mostly a chat on technical things,
but this workshop is more in depth, you get to have a one-on-one
conversation with the facilitators.” The artist who chose performance
art as her medium during the training, disclosed that she was motivated
to do so by her interaction with Hobol and Gongora. “Because of my
experience with the facilitators, it has ignited a change for me, from
the old to the new, without me losing my true identity.”

She added that she
hopes to project Africa to the world and use art as a tool for
communication and development with her performance titled
‘Transformations’. She uses 54- year-old Kente material worn by her
mother on Ghana’s Independence Day in 1957, a wig, her silhouette and
newspaper cuttings in her performance. “This is not the end, it’s just
starting. I am going to continue this transformation in Ghana and
beyond. I will tell my story my way, I want to be recognised but
maintain my identity in the world.”

Beyond aesthetics

Located a few
blocks away from the Stone House is Rosgado’s monument, an obelisk made
from concrete blocks placed on a raised platform. “It’s like a living
monument, it serves beyond aesthetics,” he said. The Mexican who used
concrete blocks because he knew they would be put to other uses once
the exhibition ends, was also interested in the reaction of people
viewing the piece. “I am more interested in the way the people react; I
have been thinking about the space here in Nigeria and it’s different
from the one in Mexico. So, with this monument, I experiment on the
dynamics of space.” He disclosed that he noticed two days after making
the monument that the locals were coming to the spot to interact and
dry their clothes on the blocks.

Udondian
collaborated with Olaniyi to make a tent installation from nylon, pure
water satchets, dry palm fronds and old computer monitors. They
included a sound and video installation inside the tent for visitors to
sit and watch videos of their work in progress and listen to the sounds
of Lagos. Udondian disclosed that while some local residents offered to
help them collect pure water sachets that littered the environment,
others thought they were sanitary inspectors and began cleaning their
environment when they saw them.

Artist and
academic, Layiwola, who is a judge at this year’s ‘Life in My City’ art
competition holding in Enugu, commended the workshop. She said she
wanted to participate in a project that has affiliations with the
National Gallery of Art. The fact that Tony Okpe had been involved in
the Triangle workshop in the past, also encouraged her.

The Triangle Network was founded in 1982 as Triangle Arts Trust by
Robert Loder and Anthony Caro. It is a network of visual art
organisations and artists who organise artist led workshops that
encourage experimentation, exchange and innovativeness trough their
activities with emphasis on process and professional development of
local communities. The organisation had previously organised two
workshops in Kaduna and Jos that featured artists Tony Okpe and Jacob
Jari.

The second edition
of the Ogeyinka Merit Award for Excellence, tagged ‘A stitch in time’,
held on October 9, aboard the HMS President 1918, docked on River
Thames, London. The upscale event was organised to celebrate African
theatre, film, and music personalities within the UK.

According to the
host, Kayode Akintemi, the award was a way of “celebrating those in the
Diaspora who have made a mark.” Organiser of the event, theatre
director and costume designer, Yomi Oyekanmi, in his welcome address,
lamented the loss of African talents in the UK to unbecoming
occupations: “I am creating an avenue for networking. We have had
enough of losing talents to the security, care and nursing industries
here.”

Recounting the
humble origin of the self-funded award ceremony and its first edition,
which held last year in Stratford, London, Akintemi blamed the dearth
of adequate recognition for artistic and creative achievement on the
lack of support of the (British) Arts council.

The entertainment
began with music from musician and DJ, Errol Thompson, popularly known
as Soul to Soul, followed by traditional poetry recital and dance by
Lekan Oyeyemi, who in his entertaining act expressed pride in being
black (“I love the thickness of my skin,”); and quipped that there are
only few dissimilarities between the black and white cultures, (“when
the white man drinks tea, I drink hot pap”), he sang.

The awards kicked
off with the recognition of 2009 theatre award winner, Femi Elufowoju,
who articulated the significance of the honour to him, “I have been
working for a while and these recognitions are few and far between. To
receive from your own is the greatest possible esteem,” he said.

Co-host of the
event, Samyra Gellatly-De La Torrezz, however, condemned the
proliferation of inappropriate African entertainment, “there’s so much
sex appeal we can push; let us give a chance to raw talent.”

As if in answer to
her plea, the evening’s next entertainment could be described in just
those words. 14 year old prodigy, Camara Fearon, came onstage to sing
three of her self-composed songs. One of her renditions, a song
composed in the wake of a friend’s death in the notorious UK knife
crimes, almost reduced the crowd to tears. “Another day, another life
gone; Oppose the drugs, the blade, and the bullying,” Faeron sang.

Among the many
nominees for different awards were household Nigerian names in the UK
entertainment industry like Sophie Okonedo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David
Oyelowo, Taio Cruz, Jocelyn Essien, Biyi Bandele, and Dipo Agboluaje.

Theatre artist,
Tayo Aluko, bagged several awards, including one for Most Outstanding
Playwright, which he said were won through his latest work, ‘Call Mr.
Robeson’, a play based on an African-American actor and singer of the
same name. According to Aluko, Robeson “achieved fame far ahead of his
time, and was in his days one of the most famous people on the planet.”

Olusola Oyeleye was
recognised as the Most Outstanding Theatre Director; Kwame Kwei Amah as
Outstanding Theatre Actor, while Anthony Abuah, whose first play,
‘Another Biafra’, was staged earlier this year at The Cockpit Theatre,
London, won Best Up-coming Actor. For film and television, Adaora
Nwandu, with her debut feature, ‘Rag Tag’ – a movie about two foreign
youngsters in London – won the award for Most Outstanding Director and
Producer.

Wave-making
Nigerian-born actor, David Oyelowo, who had featured in Shakespearean
plays in UK theatreland, BBC’s movies, ‘Small Island’ and ‘Blood and
Oil’, as well as major motion pictures including ‘The Last King of
Scotland’, was awarded the Most Outstanding Actor accolade. Though he
was not at the event, he was represented by both parents, who read his
letter of appreciation to the guests.

“I am incredibly
proud of my Nigerian heritage, and I am being represented by my parents
– which is fitting because it is to them I owe my success,” Oyelowo
wrote in his letter.

UK heartthrob,
Chucky Venn, was on hand to claim his award as Most Popular Actor,
while Jocelyn Essien, British comedian of Nigerian origin and producer
of her own comedy sketch ‘Little Miss Jocelyn’, brought the house down
when she was announced as the most popular film actress, amongst other
nominees like more popular Sophie Okonedo.

Recognitions were
awarded to the admirable representatives Nigeria has boasted in British
government and politics, in the persons of Anna Mbachu, former Mayor of
Walthamstow, East London; and Tayo Situ, current serving Mayor of
Southwark. Situ remarked that the Ogeyinka Awards are “a testimony to
the fact that though Nigeria is rich in oil, it has other assets. And
the best of them is the human assets that have grown wings to other
places to excel in different fields.”

Media personalities
were not neglected as Sola Oyebade, owner of Fashion’s Finest online
magazine and Mahogany fashion outfit, which in his words “specifically
catered to people of colour”, was honoured with an achievement award.
Ayo Johnson, renowned journalist and media analyst, dedicated his
achievement award to those whom he hopes to liberate with his efforts
on news balance in the world’s media coverage. He described them as
“those who would like to speak but have no voice, and the countless
faces that are never seen.”

The evening ended
with a special award presentation to young singer, Camara Faeron, an
African dance routine, and entertainment by Ayan DeFirst (Ayan
Ayandosu), popular London-based talking drummer. Ayandosu, winner of
the musical award, hailed himself as “the only talking drummer for the
British Labour Party.”

The event created a
wonderful avenue for entertainment and networking, and while it might
have fallen short, due to the non-attendance of the more popular
nominees like Sophie Okonedo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taio Cruz, and Lemar
Obika – artists who perhaps identify more as ‘British’ than ‘Nigerian’.

The event did
fulfil its purpose of expressing appreciation for the efforts of
Nigerians who have through their unflinching efforts, afforded the
country an iota of positive image amid myriad globally negative ones.

The organisers, however, might need to take care that the Ogeyinka
Merit Award for Excellence, like many other foreign-based African
awards, does not become a means of giving public gratification to its
financial and social supporters, rather than distinguishing and
rewarding real talent.

Fans of Oliver
Stone will be forgiven for wondering if the director has gone a little
soft in his old age. The belligerent maverick that spawned ‘Platoon,’
‘Born on the Fourth of July,’ and ‘JFK’ has been replaced by the more
pragmatic imposter responsible for ‘World Trade Centre’ and the hollow
‘W’. The latter in particular was grossly inadequate.

Audiences sat up
when they heard that one of America’s most inept leaders, George W.
Bush, was going to get the Oliver Stone treatment. They were instead
served up a tepid, directionless biopic that confounded more than it
exposed. However, even George Bush had his ardent followers and
perhaps, they enjoyed that movie.

No such luck for
the lecherous investment bankers and big corporations who brought the
world to its knees in the financial crisis. Surely, everyone hates
them. And once again, what better director than Stone to take his
rapier to the greedy bankers? The result is ‘Wall Street: Money Never
Sleeps’, a sequel to his 1987 classic.

The movie opens
with Gordon Gekko (welcomingly reprised by Michael Douglas) emerging
from prison where he has just done an eight-year stint for insider
dealing. In a great use of in-jokery, one of the items he collects is a
mobile phone the size of a dumbbell. The joke being that the world has
moved on, but Gekko has not.

The action lurches
forward with Frank Langella’s investment company, Keller Zabel, under
threat from a larger concern, Churchill Schwartz (a blatant reference
to Goldman Sachs) headed by Josh Brolin. As Langella faces up to a
world of increasingly predatory colleagues, he does the honourable
thing and kills himself. Shia LaBeouf, in an effort to avenge his
mentor’s death, tries to sabotage Churchill Schwartz and is bizarrely
rewarded with a job offer.

In a rather
convenient twist, LaBeouf is engaged to Gekko’s estranged daughter.
When he tries to reconnect mother and father, he ends up striking up a
relationship with the old man. As they get closer, LaBeouf’s character
is forced to re-examine all his relationships.

The photography in
the movie is fantastic. Overhead vista shots of the New York skyline
can never tire, nor can the lush red foliage of New England. However,
like much of Stone’s recent offerings, you are left wondering what is
the direction in all of this? What is the official stance? Is this an
attack on capitalist greed? Been there, done that. Is it an insider
account of how those banker fat cats played hokey with the world’s
finances? It barely even scratches the surface. Or is it just a plain
old love story in which all this banking stuff takes on secondary
importance? Bingo.

Wall Street 2 fails
to tell us anything that we didn’t already know about the global
financial crisis. Michael Douglas acts as a sort of on-screen narrator,
explaining to LeBouef how the banks got everyone in the mess they are
in. Douglas is a far more contrite character than his 1987 counterpart,
but the now cancer-stricken actor has lost none of his charisma. The
movie is only really alive whenever he is on the screen.

Shia LaBeouf gets
more screen time, but fails to convince as the nimble sidekick. He is
an engaging enough actor but lacks the gravitas to go toe-to-toe with
Douglas. His emotional scenes in particular lack the requisite depth of
feeling. It is often left to the masterful Carey Mulligan to bail him
out, a task she executes with some aplomb.

Hers is really a
career to watch. Anyone who saw Mulligan in ‘An Education’ had the
singular privilege of seeing a new doyenne announce herself on the
world stage. It was like watching Judi Dench in her prime – only
Mulligan is some 50 years younger than the great dame. She has far less
to do in Wall Street 2, but still manages to emerge with some credit.

The rest of the
cast does a pretty solid job. Brolin is, as ever, a reliable hand in
the bad guy stakes. Eli Wallach, the 95-year-old veteran method actor,
with nearly a hundred films to his credit, almost steals the show with
his irreverent one-liners. Susan Sarandon has limited screen time as
‘the mother’. Even Charlie Sheen, the young turk of the original, turns
up in a self-deprecating cameo.

As soon as one gets
over the fact that this is not a classic Oliver Stone polemic, it is
actually a half decent movie. The boardroom scenes are filled with
foreboding and one remains galled at the levels of government
intervention the bankers needed just to stay alive. Some of the scenes
are eerily close to the meetings held by mafia bosses in ‘The Godfather
II.’ There are, perhaps, even more parallels than that.

Stone remains a master of fixating on a core message, but somehow it
all sounds a bit too preachy. If only there was some greater thrust to
the spine of the movie, it would have been so much more memorable. As
it is, ‘Wall Street 2’ is the movie equivalent of a slightly underdone
hamburger: thoroughly engrossing when your teeth have sunk in, but
instantly forgettable the minute it is over.