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Christopher Nolan
is on a hot streak. The British-born director of ‘Memento’, ‘The
Prestige’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ has arguably delivered his piece de
resistance with Inception. In between those movies he managed to
squeeze in the not-too-shabby ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Batman Begins’. Part of
the paradox of Inception is that it could so easily have gone very
wrong – or maybe it did and we are just not smart enough to realise
either way.

Intellectual
thrillers have the capacity to be either spectacularly brilliant or
mind-numbingly dull. Inception is mind-numbing alright but only because
the viewer spends the entire running time with a fixed frown of
concentration. You know a movie is rich in intellectual property when a
high-powered car chase comes as a welcome attention break. A ten-year
labour of love, it is clear that the finished product is as close to
the director’s imagination as possible.

On the face of it,
Inception plays like a typical heist movie. Leonardo DiCaprio, plays
Cobb, an international thief who assembles a motley crew of
personalities. All the generic elements are in place: the anti-hero,
the newbie, the lovable rogue, the brains of the bunch, the girl and of
course explosions – lots of them. The stereotypes, however, end there.
Cobb’s team specialises in hacking into people’s minds rather than
their bank accounts. The group is trained in entering into the
subconscious of their targets and extracting information stored therein
– the pin code to your ATM card for example.

When Cobb meets
Saito (Ken Watanabe), a gruff businessman who is himself a victim of a
dream invasion, he is coerced into reversing the process – incepting an
idea into a target’s head. The target in this case is Robert Fischer, a
young business rival played by Cillian Murphy, another cast member that
is part of the ‘Batman Begins’ brigade (Watanabe and Michael Caine
being the others).

The business of
implanting an idea is a major undertaking for Cobb and his gang.
Firstly they must find a new ‘architect’ someone who designs the dream
worlds that are supplanted into their mark’s subconscious. Secondly no
one has exactly done this type of thing before. Thirdly, and perhaps
most imminently dangerous, is the fact that Cobb’s wife, Mal (Marion
Cotillard) has the horrible habit of showing up at less than ideal
times within dreams – often brandishing a weapon. To further complicate
matters she happens to have been dead for a few years.

Confused yet? Well
you needn’t be. The plot itself is a bit of a red herring and
occasionally takes a back seat in a movie that is stashed with smoke
and mirrors. Nothing is as it seems. The plot is leaky in places but
the holes are masterfully plugged by Nolan’s sheer bravado. It’s almost
as if he is telling the audience: “Forget the plot for a minute, just
look what I can do.” And boy does he do a lot. He constantly plays with
the dichotomy of the real and unreal. Are they sleeping or are they
awake? Are they having a dream within a dream?

Dreams in movies
are hardly a novel concept – David Lynch has made a career out of it –
but Nolan creates just about the right balance of action, philosophy
and humour to make this both thought provoking and entertaining. Sadly
the one thing lacking from the mix is a greater investment in
characterization. Aside from Cobb, all the other characters are fairly
one-dimensional. It is left to DiCaprio to throw all the emotional
punches in the movie and to be fair, the final result is a knockout.
After the equally absorbing ‘Shutter Island’ this performance is
DiCaprio’s second Oscar-worthy role of the year. He has often laboured
under the leading man tag but we are now witnessing a bonafide star at
the top of his game.

Cotillard, as his
on-screen wife, plays off him extremely well and there is something
genuinely haunting about her character. Her fleeting appearances set
the pulses racing through just the power of her facial expressions.

The integrity of
their relationship, whilst central to the movie, is one of many things
that the audience is forced to repeatedly question. There is a real
emotion at its core and fortunately manages to provide enough of an
emotional pull to care about the protagonist. It’s all well and good
having beautifully constructed sets with cascading cities and inverted
boulevards but if there is no emotional pull, a movie can die a quick
death. Inception’s appeal is that amidst all the special effects, you
continue to care about DiCaprio and Cotillard’s characters.

When Nolan announced himself to the world with the equally mesmeric
‘Memento’, people wondered how he could possibly top that. Ten years
later, and with a body of impressive work already under his belt, Nolan
has not only equaled his cinematic debut, he has bettered it.

I am broke. At the
end of each month in America, my creditors start to bully me. They
start sending me angry envelopes with windows in them, screaming: “Pay
us! Idiot!” They get impatient with me, they call, they email me, all
anxious, demanding payment and what-not, threatening me with all sorts
of things if I don’t pay them. Sometimes they text me thusly: “Pls pay
us, idiot, LOL BRB!” It is at this time I remember my favourite all
time character in my favourite all time book: Unoka, the great flute
player and reviled father of the revered Okonkwo of Chinua Achebe’s
Things Fall Apart.

I love Unoka. He
was a dreamer who played his flute all day long. He was allergic to
real work, proving that he was a very wise man. Who needs the stress?
His farm was a disaster area because his crops refused to grow. They
insisted on his presence in the farm. His crops were mean, needy and
lazy; they demanded to be watered and nurtured and sang to. Unoka would
only sing to them. For some reason, money and fame eluded him and he
was unhappy about that and so he sang sad songs about a mean world
through his flute. Since he always needed money, he always borrowed
money. People always gave him money, which was strange because he never
paid. He went to his grave rich – in debt. He was fond of laughing at
his creditors whenever they had the temerity to come ask for their
money back. On such a silly occasion, he would come up with a brilliant
saying, something like, “Nna men, you are asking for your money? Hold
my palm-wine cup while I laff! Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh!” It was a great
tactic, because the shamed creditor would then tiptoe out of Unoka’s
hut. I wish my creditors would behave like Unoka’s creditors. Mine are
rude. They live rent-free in my head and refuse to leave.

Okonkwo, Unoka’s
famous son, was a tragic figure. He worked hard all his life. He was
foolish; he liked to pay people what he owed them. He actually
committed suicide, not because he wanted to use the white man’s skull
as a palm-wine cup, but because he saw the IMF loan coming and the
thought of Nigeria dealing with a 1000 percent interest rate drove him
up a tree. So, the other day my credit card company called me asking
for their money. I don’t even remember what I did with the money; now
they want it back plus something called interest. I did the Unoka on
them, I laughed like a hyena and I shared with them a profound Unoka
saying: “Na Gawd go punish una! Ole!” The idiots were not amused. We
are in court.

I hope I am not
giving you the impression that I am a loser who avoids responsibility
like a child loves a cold bath in the harmattan. I have a financial
plan. The Federal Government of Nigeria will relieve me of my financial
misery. I have been trying to get the attention of the yeye rulers of
Nigeria for many years now. So far, they have been ignoring me. I miss
the Great Sani Abacha. Life under him was great, Nigerians actually ate
three meals a day. Abacha was an idiot who did not read anything that
was not on a dollar note. So you could say whatever you liked and he
ignored you. He thought newspapers were for wrapping suya sticks. Life
was great until Wole Soyinka convinced Nigerians to fight for democracy
because, according to him, we were miserable. We all believed Kongi
when he told us that there indeed was another heaven called democracy.
We would all return from the hell that is life in Europe and America
and live like real human beings in our own country.

Democracy came and our friends got into power in Aso Rock and we
thought our prayers were answered. They have stolen so much money for
themselves, Abacha is now officially a saint. I am shocked. Not one of
them has offered me a penny of the loot. A few years ago, the late
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua visited us in Washington DC and wanted to
meet with important Nigerians. There were not enough important
Nigerians to fill the hall of the embassy, so I was allowed to visit
Yar’Adua. I went with many business cards. This was my opportunity to
be sprung from the hell and damnation of grinding poverty in America.
Unfortunately several yeye Nigerians had the same great idea. Yar’adua
almost died from the hailstorm of business cards that were flung at
him. Nigerians have no shame. I am still here. I am now a very good
friend of President Jonathan Ebele Goodluck on Facebook. I “like”
everything he says on Facebook. I would like to be his Minister for
Facebook Affairs. I hope the great man comes for me before the end of
the month meets me in America.

The Nanka community
in the Orumba North Local Government area of Anambra State, has
observed its annual Oririji (New Yam) festival, with a grand finale,
held on August 21. It was the highlight of the three-day festival, held
at the Isigwunwagu Central School Field, Ifite Nanka.

The 2010 edition
drew the Ozuzu Nanka (Sons and daughters of the town) who travelled
from far and near to their ancestral home and joined the regent of
Nanka, Igwe G.N Ofomata to commemorate yet another fruitful harvest.

The festival had
earlier kicked off with the Iriji Igwe celebration on Friday, August
20, at the palace of the Igwe Ofomata. Usually held a day before the
New Yam festival, Iriji Igwe is set aside for the traditional ruler to
mark his own version of the event, usually seen as the dress rehearsal
for the grand finale. The Iriji Igwe attracts a lot of attention, as
all the chiefs and titled men in Nanka are expected to be in
attendance. This year’s event was a grand celebration during which the
Igwe took the opportunity to honour Nanka indigenes who have been
making the town proud in different fields of endeavour.

The grand finale of
Oririji Nanka 2010, held the following day, Saturday, was a success
despite the fact that rain started falling early on the big day. Some
apprehension greeted the heavy rains that started at eight in the
morning. But as providence would have it, about noon when people were
expected to start trooping from their homes to the assembly ground, the
rain had stopped.

The first slice

The ceremony got
underway with heavy drumming and dancing, heralding the arrival of the
seven villages of Nanka. Each village usually turns up every year with
at least one Igba (traditional) dance group. Each of the villages –
Agbiligba, Enugwu, Ifite, Umudala, Amako, Ubahu and Etti – tries to
outdo the others in adding colour and gaiety to the festival. The air
abuzz with heavy drumming and dancing, festival goers danced their fill
before the arrival of the Igwe himself.

Starting the
official activities, the master of ceremony for the day welcomed the
special guests, including Polycap Emenike, Peter Chinedu and chair of
the occasion, Kofi Obijiofo – all prominent names among the Nanka
people.

With the arrival of
the Igwe, other aspects of the ceremony took off, starting with a
prayer of thanksgiving for the new harvest year. Then there was the
breaking and sharing of the kola-nut, followed by the main event of the
day: the cutting of the New Yam. This involved the ritual cutting of a
piece of roast yam, a task performed by the Igwe himself in the
presence of Ozuzu Nanka. In days gone by, gods and goddesses were
invoked to be part of the cutting and eating of the first slices of New
Yam, but this is no longer so. The prayer is now done in the Christian
mode, to choruses of ‘Amen’ from the gathering. The king then cuts the
yam and eats the first slice. This represents the very first tasting of
the New Yam in the Nanka community, as no indigene of the town is
expected to have eaten it before this time. After the Igwe’s first
taste, leaders of each of the Nanka villages would come forward (in
order of superiority) to pick a slice on behalf of their territories.

Erosion control

With the new Yam
cut and eaten, this year’s gathering settled down to wine and dine as
speeches were made at the high table. First to speak was the Igwe, who
reminded his people of the challenge posed by the heavy incidence of
erosion in Nanka town. He urged all the villages to help implement the
erosion control measures that have been introduced in the area.

Others echoed the
Igwe’s concerns. One indigene, who donated a number of melina saplings
for planting in the many active Nanka erosion sites, blamed the neglect
by successive administrations for the continuing problem. He stated
that the nursery he donated had cost him a lot of money, but reflected
that it is infinitesimal compared to what is needed to check Nanka
erosion, the largest in West Africa.

“The truth facing
us today is that if care is not taken, Nanka will eventually go extinct
if government does not help us. All our efforts to check this erosion
are still a far cry from what is needed,” he said. According to locals,
the federal and state governments’ approach to this point has been to
provide relief materials for fresh erosion slides, forgetting about the
need to find a long-term solution.

“Government needs
to know that we the sons and daughters of Nanka are hard working
people. We do not need relief materials. We need government to address
the erosion problem headlong,” one said.

In his remarks,
Damian Okoye, chair of the socio-cultural group, Nanka Patriotic Union,
noted that the Federal Government’s Ecological Fund has continued to be
disbursed and expended annually “without a dime being committed to
Nanka erosion.”

He further said,
“We are beginning now to understand that past visits and promises of
‘doing something’ by government officials since 1960 were scam. This is
in spite of the fact that Nanka remains the mother of the monstrous
environmental degradation in south east Nigeria for the past 100 years.”

He reiterated that
Nanka people no longer welcome relief materials. “We are fed up with
relief materials. We demand practical solution. We demand reversal of
this criminal neglect.”

The event ended with recognition and awards given various
individuals for their contributions towards the development of Nanka
town, after which the drums boomed again and the dancing resumed. Soon,
masquerades came out to delight the crowd.

Despite the absence
of a sitting king, the grand finale of the 2010 Osun Osogbo Festival,
held on Friday, August 27, didn’t lack spectacle. Some had feared that
the festival would be low-keyed following the demise of the Ataoja, Oba
Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III, on August 4.

Traditional chiefs,
age groups, and other socio-cultural organisations paid homage to the
late Ataoja during the ceremony, which doubled as a rite of passage for
the monarch. Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Minister of
Tourism, Culture, and National Orientation, Sadiq Abubakar Mohammed,
represented by Bamidele Shobayo; dramatists, Adebayo Faleti, Akinwumi
Isola, and Femi Osofisan, attended the ceremony. They were joined by
blacks in the Diaspora who were in town to attend the conference of
Black Nationalities and the colloquium on Slavery, Slave Trade, and
Their Consequences.

Festival Eve

The palace of the
Ataoja, located at the centre of Osogbo, was a beehive of activities on
the eve of the annual festival. Indigenes and visitors alike thronged
the Aafin.

Though many
maintained that the festival and its preceding events were on a smaller
scale this year, owing to the demise of the Ataoja, the crowd that
swarmed to the place to herald the dawn of the festival was impressive.

On the large palace
grounds, parties and musical performances were being held
simultaneously with brisk trades in kolanuts, cigarettes, drinks,
decorative beads, and horsetails. Within the palace walls, Osun
priestesses sat in divination for adherents who flocked to their
consulting rooms with a pittance offering in exchange for prayers.

The Arugba, ensconced somewhere inside, was said to be preparing for the annual rite to be carried out by her in the morning.

Bead Traders

From far and near
locales of Ibadan, Ife, and Iragbiji, among others, bead traders had
arrived at the palace earlier in the evening to secure a vantage spot
to sell. All night long, they sat by their colourful wares, stringing
beads to create necklaces, bangles, purses, and hand-held staffs.

Perhaps, due to the
stiff competition, many of the women traders were suspicious of
photographers and would at the sight of a camera take to shouting, “Ma
ya mi o, ma ya mi o!”(Don’t snap me, don’t snap me!) Reassurances that
their beads, rather than they, were the objects of interest, did not
mollify them.

Nike Shehu gave
NEXT a short enlightenment about the beads and their worth. Shehu, who
came from Ibadan to take part in the two-day trade, placed the beads’
value at between 50 and 6000 naira, with varieties such as the locally
produced coral beads, iyun, segi, and their foreign variants.

She produced a
replica of the beads traditionally worn by the Arugba, a choker-like
neckpiece made with blue cylindrical beads (segi) and interspersed with
large reddish brown coral beads, which she called Iremorun. She also
identified the Sese Efun worn by Osun matriarchs, explaining that the
difference between the expensive beads and the cheaper varieties was
their weight, with the original coral beads weighing a lot more than
the plastic or glass variety.

En route the Grove

In small groups,
tourists and locals made their way to the Osun UNESCO World Heritage
Site, where the grove and many other shrines waited. Artistic
representations of the deities and walls decorated with traditional
images yielded little open arches through which a people progressed
into the leafy underbelly of the grounds.

Devotees of
different traditional sects were seen stopping to kneel in worship and
offer sacrifices to their various patron gods; while priest and
priestesses lined the entry way to the grove asking for offerings. Many
hands dipped into pockets to extract naira notes as offertories.

The grove was taken
over by visitors to the Osun River, most of whom came clad in white –
the colour favoured by the deity. Many came with plastic containers to
collect water from the river. The brown coloured water, locally called
Agbo, perhaps derives its name from its supposed medicinal qualities.

Many washed their
feet in the river, while others took to bathing. Mothers bathed their
children and babies, exhorting Osun to bless them as they did this. A
few came with live birds which they threw onto the water as offerings.

Preliminary celebrations

The arena was agog
with drummers who gave voice to their gangans and batas and sekeres,
while community hunters intermittently released celebratory shots into
the air from their dane guns. Finally, the procession of dignitaries to
the grove began down the wide flight of stairs crafted into the hilly
slope that led to the grove.

Governor of Osun
State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, flanked by his entourage, was welcomed with
an ijala chant in his honour. Dancers, resplendent in cream and brown
aso-oke attires took the front of the high table where he sat and
expressed their joy at his attendance and support for the festival. A
path was cleared quickly among the crowd for spectacular acrobatic
somersaults by the Osun youth.

Osun priestesses,
chiefs, masquerades, and many other traditional religious figures
filled the grove and its grounds to capacity, awaiting the main
attraction of the festival. Soon shouts of ‘Arugba tin bo’(Arungba is
coming’) rent the air as the gunshots came in a furious staccato, while
drums bore the brunt of their owners’ excitement.

The crowd surged
forward, necks craning towards the entrance to the shrine while hands
held above heads busily snapped fingers in the continuous backward
motion, traditionally known to signify an act of warding off evil.
Chants of supplication to Osun were taken up by the crowd: “Ore Yeye o,
ore Yeye o!’

Arugba’s Arrival

The Arugba came,
surrounded by her inner circle of Osun followers and predecessors. She
wore a white strapless gown, walking barefoot with cheeks bulging with
kolanuts that had been placed in her mouth to prevent her from
speaking. Speech was a taboo as she carried the communal offering,
which was covered in an embroidered red fabric. She proceeded to an
unseen spot in the grove, where she divested her burden.

This was the
current Arugba’s fourth walk down the path to perform her votary duty.
Insiders say she has one more run. Perhaps, the most important
requirements for appointing an Arugba are that she be a descendant of
the royal family, and a virgin, chosen by the Ifa oracle.

So, does being the
votary maid militate against her living a normal life, or mark her
unfavourably in any way? Locals suggest she lives a normal life. Though
of course, being an Arugba means she is grounded in the traditional
religion and must adhere to the code of behaviour required by her
faith. On marriage, we are told it is an honour to be the husband of an
Arugba. She has several suitors and must marry from idile awo (a family
rooted in the cultic tradition).

Pomp without the king

Though the regent
and Ajagunna of Osogboland, Gabriel Oparanti was present, he neither
played the king’s role nor sat on the king’s throne. NEXT learnt that
this was so because the late king had kick-started the ceremony before
his demise. Oba Oyewale was symbolically represented at the grove by
his crown and staff of office placed on the throne.

The Ilu Moye
(highest ranking chiefs in Osogbo) opened the homage session to the
late Oba with dances and prayers for the repose of his soul. The
Iyalode group, led by Alake Kolade, the Olomo Oba (princess), which
included Oyinlola, Oluode (hunters), and Babalawos, also said prayers.
“Iku iba gbowo, owo la ba ma san, ojise olorun ki maa igbowo” (If death
would take money, we would have given him. But God’s messenger does not
take money) chanted Ifayemi Elebuibon, leader of the Babalawos (Ifa
priests), in lament for the Ataoja’s passing. The Ayaba, Oluawo, Iyawo
Ile, and Baba kekere, the administrative head of Osogbo, also paid
homage.

Osun’s brides

An American lady
dressed in a flowing wedding gown was one of the sights at the
festival. Reporters and photo-journalists naturally milled around the
lady, who only gave her name as Ayo Olorisa, refusing to answer a
number of the questions. Her minders, some Osun priestesses and Ifalomo
Babatunde Olosun, who introduced himself as her husband, also declined
interviews. The American, however, explained that she was dressed that
way because she’s married to Orisa. A first timer at Osun Osogbo, with
fresh tribal marks on her right cheek, she described the festival as a
“wonderful sight.”

NEXT also met Susan
Gonzales, a Mexican adorned in traditional white iro-and-buba. She was
singled out for attention by a traditional priest who advised that she
bathe in the river in order that she be blessed with children and
riches. When asked how she got to know about the festival, Gonzales
explained, “I have been in Osun for a year and the festival is a big
part of the culture here.”

Visiting matriarchs

From around the
country, worshippers attended the rite that is considered to be the
most important in the practice of the faith. NEXT spoke with Adebimpe
Jagunmolu, the Yeye Osun of Somolu, Bariga, Lagos, on the festival.

“The Osun festival
is as significant to us as it is to the Muslims that they go for
pilgrimage in Mecca or for Christians who visit Jerusalem. It is the
most important annual rite for us to come to worship the Osun goddess,”
Jagunmolu said.

She said her
introduction to the faith began in childhood, “I was born into it, and
my parents ensured that they taught us the religion. It was bequeathed
to us.”

So has she been as
successful in passing it on to her children? She responded in the
affirmative. “I have four children who are graduates and are
traditional worshippers. I have a child who is a Christian too and
another who is married to a Muslim, but they know that during festivals
they must come around to felicitate with me.”

Jagunmolu also
shared insights about traditional religion, saying, “We all see
ourselves as one, though we make sacrifices to our different patron
gods. In our divinations, we are united and co-operative. Whenever an
issue confounds an Osun priest, he seeks counsel from the Ifa priest or
Ogun priest, and vice versa.”

As regards what
sets apart traditional religion from other popular religions, she
enumerated the differences: “We reach out to our gods directly, we do
not believe in going through human intermediaries and asking someone to
pray for us. Also, truth is our major emphasis; our religion does not
allow for you to peddle falsehood. Ask a politician to swear by water
when he makes a promise to the people. He cannot do so because he knows
that when he calls on a traditional god, there’s a repercussion for
falsehood.”

Why then is popular
idea of traditional religion as a means to achieve wicked acts? She
vehemently condemned the notion, saying, “Those who hold that belief
are ignorant people, scared of what they do not understand. We do no
harm to others. Do I look like I want to harm you now?”

Governmental support

The Osun Osogbo
festival, partly popularised by the late Austrian-born Susanne Wenger,
has in recent years received a lot of institutional and governmental
support, and is becoming one of the major tourist attractions in
Nigeria.

Governor Oyinlola
expressed his appreciation and support for the festival, and its
contribution to the tourism industry, saying, “Tourism is intrinsically
linked to the cultural heritage of humanity. The contribution of
tourism to international understanding cannot be over-emphasised.”

He observed that
the festival has been a way of generating employment and goodwill among
nations, while also expressing pride that “we have succeeded in opening
Nigeria up to the international community.”

Adunni’s grave

Though children of
the late high priestess of Osun, Susanne Wenger, aka Adunni Olorisa,
refused to disclose her final resting place within the grove last year,
a small number of people now appear to be in the know. Interestingly,
one of the reasons adduced for the non-disclosure of tomb was that
Wenger didn’t want her grave turned into a tourist attraction or
shrine.

However, NEXT saw
some Osun devotees ascending the stairways out of the inner shrine to
pray at Adunni’s grave, inside one of the huts at Iledi Ontoto. While
two of her grandchildren stood sentry inside the hut, believers
propitiated and made requests of the late high priestess; some dropped
money after they finished praying.

“She chose this
place herself and whatever they request for will be granted,” stated
one of the Austrian’s granddaughters. “It was the committee and her
children that decided to let people know the grave after the first
anniversary of her death. There was nothing sinister about why they hid
the location before; they just didn’t want people to start disturbing
her burial site. But they later decided to disclose the place and let
people interested pray there,” she said.