Nigeria Content Online

Nothing prepares
you for what you eventually find when you engage singer, rapper, and
songwriter, Nneka. Neither the unruly afro nor the petite frame
prepares you for the profound personality buried underneath. However,
one look in her eyes tells you there is more to the singer, and then a
tour through her music will add the final stamp of conviction.

Born Nneka Egbuna
in 1981 to a Nigerian father and a German mother, in Warri, Delta
State, she has grown to be very vocal about her concern for the plight
of the Niger Delta.

The 2009 MOBO Award
winner first hit stardom as an artist in Europe before the Nigerian
music scene began to acknowledge her. However, with or without the
recognition of her homeland, the artist has taken her star quality even
further to the United States where she toured for the most part of 2010
with the likes of Nas, who did a rap in a version of her ‘Heartbeat’
song, and Damian Marley.

“Before the album
‘Concrete Jungle’ was released, I did a mix tape which featured artists
like Lauryn Hill, The Roots, and Nas, among others,” Nneka revealed,
seated in a cozy bar at Bogobiri House.

The ‘Concrete
Jungle’ tour was quite an experience for the artist as she had the
opportunity of performing with artists such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott,
and Beyonce, among others. However, being on the road all year long was
no mean feat.

“I thank God for my
band. Most of them are older and married. They are disciplined too. We
go to bed early and we eat well because some of them are vegetarians,”
Nneka said of her band members.

In 2010, during her
US tour, Nneka also performed on David Letterman’s ‘The Late Show’,
going some way to create a fan base for herself in the US. She was also
nominated for Best Female Artist at last year’s MTV MAMA awards which
held in Lagos, and award eventually clinched by rapper, Sasha. But
Nneka remains undaunted.

Life elsewhere

She once stated in
an interview that, “I gained an awareness of Africa in Germany. I think
if I hadn’t stepped out of Africa, if I hadn’t lived in Germany, I
wouldn’t have had that mindset today.”

Asked what she
meant, the artist explained that, “Before I moved out of Nigeria, I was
aware alright. I grew up in the Niger Delta. When I went out of
Nigeria, I had the opportunity to know myself. I wouldn’t say my
parents were poor but we had to hustle. My mind was occupied with
getting by.”

“Stepping out gave
me the opportunity to get to know myself and music. I developed the
urge to express myself so that I’ll not be misunderstood because up
till then, I was always misunderstood,” she added.

Furthermore, “it
helped to develop my identity and personality, got me interested in
music, and made me understand that my music had to have a message.”

Leaving Nigeria for
Germany in 2000 became imperative for the artist and marked the
beginning of another phase in her life. “I started studying while also
working part time jobs,” she disclosed. In Germany, she met Nigerians
like herself also working hard to make a living.

According to her,
some of them just wanted to forget about Nigeria. Listening to their
plight and some of her own experiences helped to create various themes
for her creative repertoire. One of those experiences was racism.

Back in Nigeria,
Nneka never saw herself as anything but black. “I never felt different
till I stepped out and experienced racism,” she said.

The height of it
was at Hamburg University where she was studying Archeology and
Anthropology. At the time, she was the only Nigerian in her department.

One of her
professors refused to give her marks for her dissertation. He made
clear his disdain for her colour and her attempt to gain a degree in
that particular field. “You people are good at sports and music. That’s
enough,” she quoted him. She eventually graduated but, “I always had to
prove myself.”

Her music

On what music means to her, the artist says music is a reflection of everything happening within her.

“I don’t look for
topics like: ‘Oh, I have to sing about corruption today’. It comes
naturally. It’s almost like a confession; almost like therapy for me.”

On when she first realised she had ‘it’, Nneka laughs and states modestly that “I still don’t have it.”

“I always knew that
I could sing, but I never knew that I wanted to sing. I never thought
I’ll be doing what I am doing now. All I wanted was to get out and be
free, and learn. I wanted a degree,” she confessed.

Going back to her
childhood, Nneka noted that, “as a child, I always played house. And I
realise that I was always the mother; the figure of authority. I had a
shrine and I had my imaginary friends, but I was in charge. Even today,
I like to be in control. I like to know I can survive by myself and
that reflects in my music,” she disclosed. “But I am not always that
strong,” she reflected.

On her website, her
music is described as having a ‘big splash of Bob Marley, a measure of
Nina Simone, and a lick of Erykah Badu’. Nneka also acknowledges
influence from Fela, Victor Uwaifo, Sunny Okosuns, Sunny Ade, and Shina
Peters.

Film debut

Her recent foray
into the world of make believe is certainly something to talk about.
Sometime ago, she wrapped up shooting for Andy Amadi Okoroafor’s new
movie ‘Relentless’. The movie, which was screened at the Africa
International Film Festival (AFRIFF), held in Port Harcourt last
December, features her alongside ‘Tinsel’ actor, Gideon Okeke.

Nneka plays Honey,
a prostitute with ties to ruthless politicians. According to her, “The
movie shows Lagos from a raw side but with class,” she says. The singer
also performs with musician, Ade Bantu, on a song from the movie’s
soundtrack, ‘Waiting’.

Next steps

Nneka is recording her next album for Europe and the United States and hopes to release it in Nigeria later.

“You have to be creative to run the Nigerian market and keep yourself in the minds of your audience,” she declares.

On why she does not
have a Nigerian record label, she goes on to recount her experience
when she first wanted to break into the local industry. According to
her, it was always one story or the other with some of the labels.
“Some of them wanted to redefine my image,” she says.

Nneka is not all
about music, as she is involved in Rope Foundation, a non-governmental
organisation she co-founded with Sierra Leonean-Liberian artist, Hameed
Nyei, who used to work with ex-child soldiers.

She is also the
NGO’s project manager for Nigeria. “We do workshops with kids that are
less privileged. We use music as a platform for them to express
themselves,” she says.

With the steady progress she is making, already a popular name in
Europe and Africa, and making inroads into the American music scene
with her unique and refreshing brand of music, it is clear that Nneka
is not resting on her oars.

NEXT reporter, Allwell Okpi, has emerged winner in the grand finale of the 2011 Lagos Photo Amateur Photography Competition, which held on February 17 at the Civic Centre, Lagos.

Two others, Sodiya Olushina and Tosin Oshinowo came second and third respectively behind Okpi, a Metro desk journalist whose beat is the city of Lagos. The competition, themed ‘Lagos Under the Prism’ is the first of its kind and is for amateur photographers. It was spearheaded and sponsored by the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) and the telecommunications company, Etisalat.

Okpi emerged the winner out of 25 finalists who were shortlisted by a jury panel on criteria such as: creativity, composition, relevance to theme, technical quality and overall impression. All three got gift prizes from Etisalat, with Okpi taking home the top prize of a Blackberry phone and a professional Nikon Camera.

The final exhibition at the Civic Centre not only featured entries by the finalists, but also pictures taken by pupils of the primary section of Grange School, Lagos. The school children also got gifts for participation.

The competition was part of the 2010 International Lagos Photo Festival; the first major photography festival in Nigeria, organised by the AAF. During the festival, tagged ‘Lagos Photo’, exhibitions of works by local and international artists were held at various venues in the city of Lagos. The Amateur Photography Competition was organised to encourage up and coming amateur photographers and to involve them in the festival.

Speaking during a brief speech at the award ceremony, Zainab Ashadu, Assistant Director of the AAF, said, “The Lagos Photo Project is to nurture and support the development of the artist.” She also expressed gratitude to Etisalat for partnering with and supporting not just the exhibition but also the AAF. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Etisalat, John Murray, represented the CEO of Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans, at the event.”At Etisalat we are familiar with creativity,” Murray said in his address. He also shed light on the company’s partnership with the AAF and congratulated the winners.

Good for Lagos

Tunji Adebiyi, representing Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the event, said that Photography is record keeping. “This will help us to keep records. “Lagos State is interested in programmes like this. We will support any other ‘Lagos Photo’ in the future”, he added. Adebiyi expressed delight at the fact that school children were allowed to take part in the competition, saying, “These are the leaders of tomorrow and I am glad we are catching them young.” Certificates were presented to each of the 25 finalists before the winners were announced.

The Amateur Photography Competition was launched in October last year and was open to amateur photographers, youths and even school children. By the time the call for entries closed on January 30, 110 entries had been received. The jury panel however reviewed the images and short listed 50 entries which were finally whittled down to 25 finalists. The framed photographs were displayed alongside short notes providing additional information. Varying subjects were expressed through the photos but the main focus was Lagos.

Okpi’s award-winning photograph is titled ‘Approaching Lagos Island’ and “shows the perspective of the city from the eyes of the fishermen and merchant women who trawl the lagoon for daily bread.” Oshinowo’s ‘Great Expectations’, a photo in black and white, is ‘a story that focuses predominantly on unique spaces in the city that are not celebrated’; while Shodiya’s work also reflects an aspect of the Lagos scenery.

Surprised winner

The winner, Okpi, was surprised and overwhelmed by his win. Speaking to fellow journalists after he had received his prize, Okpi said, “I wasn’t expecting to win. I stumbled on the advert on the internet. I had just returned from a tour where I had taken some snapshots.” He revealed that while on tour, he had visited Makoko, the deprived Lagos community built on water, where people live in matchbox-like wooden shacks on the Lagoon. “I was amazed that they had a life on water. I just had to take shots,” Okpi said.

“I went through all the photos and this one told the story of what poor Lagosians go through; those in the rural areas who are not a part of Fashola’s Mega City plan.” He added that, “Photography is like a hobby for me.” However with his recent win, will he still continue to treat photography as just a pastime? He replied, “I think I am going to step up on it. Now that I have won, I will take it more seriously.”

The Public Affairs
section of the United States Consulate hosted an arts management
training seminar in Lagos on February 7. Two international fellows
undergoing training at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in
Washington D.C. were also among the organisers. Michael .M. Kaiser,
President of the Kennedy Center, was the speaker at the event. The
one-day event was attended by members of the arts community, including
dancers, visual artists, actors, film producers, art collectors and
musicians.

The seminar was
part of Kaiser’s five-country African tour to lead arts management
seminars on behalf of the De Vos Institute of Arts Management at the
Kennedy Centre. Kaiser, who has been president of the centre since
2001, is responsible for expanding the educational and artistic
programme for performing arts in America; and has overseen a major
transformation of various art groups in and outside America. He has
travelled to countries including Argentina, China, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Egypt, France, Israel, Palestine and Mexico to train art
managers.

Kaiser took the
time to navigate the audience through the Lagos seminar, affirming that
it was not a lecture but an interactive session. His first point of
call in the discussion was finding out the problems faced by art
practitioners, but not before sharing his own thoughts on the issue and
the philosophy that guides his job. “This is my first trip to Nigeria,
it is indeed a beautiful country. My life’s purpose is to work with
artists so that they can do their best work,” he stated. He blamed
artists for some of their challenges, observing that people in the arts
do not know how to manage success. He suggested that the inability to
manage success is a result of art’s intangibility, a theory, TV and
stage icon Taiwo Ajai-Lycett concurred with.

Kaiser continued,“I
don’t think we are taken seriously. When I tell people I run the art
centre, the first question they ask me is, ‘What is your real job?’ I
don’t think we have done enough to explain what we do. Most people see
us as a luxury on the side. We are living in an economy that thrives on
creativity, so we have a great role to play in society.” He also cited
religion and culture as some of the factors working against the arts.
“Even big countries are cutting art support. Britain cut theirs by 30
percent,” he noted.

Managing creativity

He advised the
audience to help the artist feel good, because it brings out the best
in the person. “I believe that one of the major problems in the arts is
that art managers tend to say ‘No’ too much. The artist is like a
naughty child and the manager is like the angry parent that always says
no. Director of Communication For Change, Sandra Obiago, added to the
list of things that don’t work for the arts community, touching on the
tension between art managers and business.

Kaiser drew a chart
of how art organisations should be run and took time to explain his
theories. “It starts with making good art. I am a strong believer in a
transformational project, something big and exciting that people cannot
forget. This is crucial to an art organisation, but it is not enough.
You have to do a good job of marketing it,” he said.

He went on to
discuss two major marketing strategies. The first, programmatic
marketing, is used to get people to come for the event, like selling
tickets and sending out fliers. The second, institutional marketing,
deals with marketing the organisation to the public; a strategy that
came highly recommended by the Kaiser. “We don’t have a lot of
institutional marketing, and that is the problem. Few art organisations
around the world do a good job of this. When you do good art and good
marketing, you build a strong family including the ticket buyers,
volunteers, donors and members of the board,” he said, scribbling on
the board.

Artistic planning

“How many of you
plan at least six months in advance?” he asked at the beginning of the
second session, eliciting many raised hands. The number of hands kept
reducing as he called out longer periods, by the time he reached three
years, only one hand was still up. He advised his listeners to plan at
least three years ahead, in order to have a strong project that comes
out well. He gave examples with the work he did, organising an Arab
Festival in the centre. “It took me five years to plan and make the
money I needed for the festival. It was expensive,” he said. “It took
me time to teach my audience what they would see. It took me time to
build relationships with people.” He also advised that it is better to
have a list of projects for the donor to choose from. “If you plan
based on budget, you will never plan for more. Have a big dream, and
plan for more. Have a big dream and plan for many years,” he declared.

Kaiser talked in
detail about two art companies he has helped turn around: the Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theatre and The Market Theatre in South Africa. He
took Alvin Ailey from the famous Donahue Show to a spotlight at the
Clinton Inauguration. The street where the theatre was located was
renamed after Alvin Ailey; and by the end of the year, the group had
doubled its income.

Fundraising

Before rounding off
his seminar Kaiser gave a list to help the audience raise funds. “No
one owes you a donation. The key to good fund raising is listening,” he
declared. He canvassed that organisations should always tell donors
about the good things happening for them. “Fundraising is not begging,
it’s a two way street. You have to be clear about what you are giving
them. One happy donor begets another.” His parting shot was, “I hope to
do more work in Africa. I hope to be come back. I really hope to see
you all again.”

Politics is in the
air. Everywhere you look, anywhere you turn, you’re more likely to
catch Nigerians talking about the electoral process – voter
registration, INEC, or the political parties and the various aspirants.
The political temperature is so high that is it near boiling point
already; it has even managed to kick our shared passion for football,
the one strong bond we all share, into the background. There’s no doubt
about it: this time around, Nigerians want to vote and, quite
determinedly, they are battle ready to see their votes count in April.

But politics and
politicians have hardly made us happy, not for once in recent times.
Anyone looking for laughter would be better off going to watch any of
the growing army of local comedians perform. To add to our misery, the
newspapers, magazines, radio, and television are choked full of news
about crises of democracy. “People have stopped believing in the
sincerity of politicians,” one character says in ‘Love’s Unlike
Lading’, the play specially written by Femi Osofisan for the third
Garden City Literary Festival (GCLF), held in Port Harcourt in December.

Adapting Shakespeare

Perhaps, politics
was on Femi Osofisan’s mind while he was adapting Shakespeare’s ‘The
Merchant of Venice’ into ‘Love’s Unlike Lading’, performed for the GCLF
by Theatre Arts students of the University of Port Harcourt under the
direction of Emmanuel Emasealu. In Osofisan’s comical take, 16th
century Italy became 21st century Niger Delta, drenched in the now
familiar misery of kidnapping and ransom taking.

And very early in
‘Love’s Unlike Lading’, the audience could easily tell in whose corner
the darts are being thrown. “Blame the politicians,” cries Sheri, vexed
by the never-ending kidnapping orgy in the region. “The boys (read
militant) see them every day in reckless affluence, driving the latest
cars, buying the choicest lands, erecting mansions in fabulous estates,
while [militants] go about the streets looking for jobs that are not
there.” Nothing, Sheri continues, could ever justify that “dastardly
crime, whatever the motive,” and goes on to lay the blame on the right
doorstep, “All of us are guilty for the mess our country has become.”

All of this soul
searching and fault finding is going on in the middle of long drawn
emotional drama. In the original story, Shakespeare tells of a man who
wishes to marry off his only daughter in the most unnatural way; rather
than allow events to take their own course, he stages a grand contest
for interested suitors from across the world. On arrival, the bride
chasers come face to face with three caskets (labeled Gold, Silver and
Bronze) which contain different items. Whoever chooses the one with the
lady’s image and necklace wins the bride.

Bride chasers

And it is along
this particular storyline that Osofisan delivers his funny but thought
provoking lines. First in the door is Tamuno, a valiant Ijaw prince who
brags on and on about his physical and manly attributes. Tosan would be
better off marrying a man of his pedigree, he argues, and not a
weakling or a moron. He fails the test. Next comes an extroverted
Yoruba man of affluence; he dazzles and impresses the pretty lady with
the allure of his singing voice. In the end, he picks the wrong casket
and goes away cursing and kicking furiously. The prize goes to the most
unlikely of persons – Bashiru, a man of little weight in society but
who nonetheless is quite brilliant.

In another
household, two lovers who have found and fallen in love with each other
would not be allowed to tie the knot, just because both their wealthy
fathers are sworn enemies. “With Love’s Unlike Lading, Osofisan
cautions against the adoption of atavistic cultural practices that
repudiate the rights of women, while also condemning vengeance and
disunity,” the festival brochure states.

“In a parallel
vein, Osofisan calls for the enthronement of purposeful leadership and
the pursuit of patriotic and noble acts in the overall interest of
uniting people.” Tosan speaks for millions of Nigerians when she says:
“Sometimes I am so scared of what this country has become and what it
will be tomorrow.” In under two hours, Osofisan manages to squeeze into
the adaptation much of what is amiss in contemporary Nigeria.

‘Love’s Unlike Lading’ is a play of big egos and misplaced pride;
of a rascally society and self centred business people and policy
makers; of high expectations and dashed hopes; of corrupt enrichment
and a tradition in danger of dying. But as any frequent theatre-goer
would already know, this is not the first play to highlight the
persistent problems in our country; but will it be the first to cause
true change? That may very well happen if the political elite will just
listen for once.

The Lagos state
chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) got caught up in
the valentine love buzz last week as it organised a special Valentine
programme for its members at the National Theatre on February 12.

The book of the
month was Charles Ayo Dada’s collection of poems, ‘The Ghost of Zina’ –
while the theme of the month was ‘The intercourse of Literature and
love’. A couple of poets at the meet read from their works, all of
which had love themes. However, the main attraction of the event was
the session which featured spouses of some members of the association,
discussing the challenges of being married to their writer-spouses.

The spouses who
were called up, included,school teacher Ibukun Agoi, wife of Past Chair
of ANA Lagos, Folu Agoi; Ezinne Ekanem, wife of poet Kufre Ekanem; and
the only male in the group, filmmaker Solomon MacAuley, husband of
actress and published writer, Uche MacAuley. The writers also sat with
their spouses.

What the spouses think

On what they think
about their spouses’ craft, Macauley, who led the discussion, said
about his wife, “That’s what she does everyday. It is her passion. You
cannot fight against it, all you can do is support it.” “When Kufre
gets his inspiration, he shuts you out,” began his wife, as she made
those present laugh with her wittiness. “He has also indoctrinated our
daughter (to writing), so now it’s two against one,” she added
laughing. She admitted that she found the whole writing and seclusion
thing boring as she was more of a chatty person. However, when she saw
the joy on his face when he eventually got published, she realised how
much writing meant to him.

Ibukun Agoi
recounted her experience when her husband was ANA Lagos Chair and how
the position took its toll on him. However, “I noticed it gave him joy
and fulfillment, especially after the successful completion of any ANA
programme. When your man is happy at what he does, you have to support
him,” she declared. She readily admitted that it isn’t easy living with
a writer.

Paying the bills

The discussion
soon went in the direction of whether writers in Nigeria could earn a
living from writing alone without having another job on the side. “We
haven’t gotten to that point where writing can sustain a home. You have
to have a day job,” was Mrs Ekanem’s view.

Macauley, an
entrepreneur as well as a filmmaker, reasoned that artists need to
develop business savvy alongside their craft. “People think just
passion, not business”, he said. He added that “if you are a creative
person and you cannot make money out of your creativity, find a day
job”.

However Ekanem
opined that, “If what you are doing cannot feed you, then there is
something you aren’t doing right. Uche Macauley also concurred, saying,
“If I can’t make money from my passion I have no business doing it”.
There was a diversity of opinion on the subject.

A couple who both
happened to be poets turned out to be the prototype for cases where
both husband and wife are writers. The discussants cited some of the
challenges envisaged in such cases and the couple concurred, stating
some of their own challenges, like competitiveness and for the woman;
the clash between running the home and giving way to her creativity
while also resenting the man for his own freedom.

They however stated
that they have been able to find a balance that works and benefits both
parties. Ekanem advised that love could act as a buffer to some of the
challenges facing writers who married to spouses of the same
profession. Hence, “when it comes to love, don’t look for ant formula,”
he declared.

Writers as polygamists

“Someone once said
that a writer is a polygamist” said Folu Agoi as he gave a brief
commentary to wrap up the session. He acknowledged the challenges
spouses of writers face; and thanked the partners of poets for their
understanding.

There was a short dramatic performance of Ekanem’s ‘The Ant Eaters’.
A poem from Dada’s ‘Ghost of Zina’ was also acted out briefly. The
current ANA Lagos Chair, Dagga Tolla, said that writing could be a
healing process. He said this in regard to Dada’s collection of poems
which was a product of heartbreak and unrequited love. The association
gave out gifts to the attendees to commemorate the season of love. It
was indeed a meaningful and interesting event.

Amidst the myriad of problems that confront the Nigerian state, it is interesting that the feminist poet and writer, Lola Shoneyin singles out polygamy as the problem that is profound enough to engage her. Shoneyin’s critics may squirm at her choice; at such a narrative that seeks to place at the core of our discourse a social problem that is not as pervasive as diseases, hunger, homelessness, the personalisation of power and the erosion of the social needs and entitlements of Nigerians who have become mere watchmen and women, watching over their thieving rulers.

Some critics may also argue that she exaggerates the problem while others might posit that she interrogates a subject that is a chimera of her mind.

That will be unfair! If the family is the bedrock of society, and the social institution of marriage founds that rock, then Shoneyin is right to seek to provide a clearer understanding of that institution as well as the ontological space or social domain which constitutes the framework for interrogating social relations. Thus, to Shoneyin the social domain is culturally gendered and the consequent inequalities and violence that define polygamous marriages permeate the society in so many ways, in spite of the fact that the extent to which they are internalised within social structures take different forms.

Regressive inheritance

In ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’, Shoneyin comes across as one who views polygamy as an aspect of economic relations, a regressive inheritance as well as a practice that lies at the heart of our cultural milieu; that is if one accepts that polygamy is pervasive in contemporary Nigeria. She is right. And she is also right in other respects when she sites the culture that legitimises polygamy at two levels. First, as given – ‘as a set of attributes or contents of a locality, denoting its symbols and practices in their general and external manifestations’, to which polygamous marriages are one of its many manifestations. Secondly, she takes culture as ‘patterned ways of knowing and doing, institutionalised within hegemonic processes and structures, where transgression of the central core elements leads to forms of regulation, prohibition, exclusion or banishment’.

Baba Segi, in Shoneyin’s narrative, individuates that hegemonic space or what the scholar, Floya Anthias describes as ‘the hegemonic structure’ that subjugates and is profoundly anti-woman. There is no question about his authority. He deploys his repressive powers to entrench fear. He disciplines and punishes whoever transgresses the patterned ways of knowing and doing!

Rich tapestry

What then is ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ about? The book’s blurb tells us that the central character, Bolanle, a university graduate, marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. However, beyond Bolanle, the plot is a rich tapestry of life, intricately woven with threads that connect with everyday Nigerian realities. It is indeed a brilliant narrative on the human agency, violence, inequalities, same-sex tyranny, inferiorisation and the democratisation of biology. Here, the wives play by the rules set by Baba Segi in order to earn the full enjoyment of sex. Thus, what emerges is a fierce competition for the ‘libidinal space’ that no one wife truly owns or inhabits. Each wife serves Baba Segi according to his own sexual needs. Shoneyin narrates how life is politicised and how it is shaped by women who become the narrators of the very condition that diminishes opportunities, promotes disputes and struggles, erodes solidarity and makes existence complex.

Male-female relations

The beauty of Shoneyin’s narrative lies in the way she sheds light on the ‘undoing’ of the ‘grand recit’ of patriarchy and how women become defenceless against its dominance. She helps us understand how polygamy should be understood; how the dominant male performs his role and mediates the male-female relations. She isn’t entirely misogynist in her narrative. Baba Segi is a loving father, exclaims the literary critic, Ikhide Ikheloa in acknowledgement of the fact that Baba Segi is cast in the mould of a father who loves his own and provides for their needs. It is a nod to Shoneyin’s genius that she suggests, as Fukuyama does in his ‘Great Disruption- Human Nature and the Reconstitution of the Social Order’, that the male role is also ‘fragile and subject to disruptions’. We observe this fragility as Baba Segi comes to terms with his surrogate status. Hear him, ” I have called you today because I am full of words, words that threaten to tear my belly apart if they remain unsaid… I will not pretend the words that struck my ears at the hospital have not preyed on my mind the way hunger preys on the mind of a motherless child. I have been deeply wounded.” How broken can a man become when he discovers a terrible secret at the heart of his family?

Concluding, ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ is an important contribution to Nigeria’s literary oeuvre. It is important for many reasons but for the purposes of this commentary, it is worthy to note that the work reveals much about the transactions that take place within marriage and how those transactions help to construct identities. In Bolanle, we glimpse a woman flailed by her husband, abused and rejected by her womankind; she is the barren one who becomes the ‘other’. However brilliant Shoneyin’s work is, it does not disarm polygamy neither does it offer fresh insights into how subjugated women can question dominant cultural practices and recover the ontological space for radical feminist political action. ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ does not serve as a reference for radical feminists but it sure provides understanding of how marriage encounters its limits through polygamy and why most women stick out repulsive marriages, even at the point of death. Iya Segi tells us why, “My Lord, I know you want to send me off into the wilderness but I beseech you to have mercy on me. My eyes have already seen what no mother’s eyes should see. Forgive me, for I seek nothing else but to stay by your side, serving you as I have always done all these years.”

Abdul Mahmud is an Abuja-based lawyer and poet. He writes poetry under his pseudonym, Obemata

The musical theme for last week’s episode of the Nigeria Idol was ‘Abba’. Like someone once said, everyone knows an Abba song – most times, without knowing it.

Based on the overall performance, it was obvious this theme was one that the contestants were more comfortable with compared to the previous week’s ‘Songs from Movies’. They gave upbeat performances similar in energy and entertainment factor to those of the Disco week. My favourite of the night was Alex, who like Jeffrey Daniels noted, has transformed over the course of the show. He first started out seemingly as shy and reserved but has since come out of his shell, becoming one of the most entertaining acts of the show. His rendition of ‘Mamma Mia’ was interspersed with dance moves that were well timed and delivered without too much or unnecessary exertion on him physically and vocally. His routine earned him a salute from guest judge, Jesses Jagz who also referred to him as having a heart of steel.

Compared to Alex’s, dancer Zoe’s choreography can often only be termed as over the top. It also tends to take a lot from her singing. Personally, I see it as a distraction that does nothing to enhance whatever vocal prowess she has. However this last week, she toned down the dancing enough to give a sweet eighties disco-eque rendition of Dancing Queen which totally bowled over Jags who called her an all-round performer.

Still it was Naomi that was the star of the show as usual. She was once again given a standing ovation by the studio audience. This made Yinka Davies thank the audience for making the show what it is. She could as well have been thanking them for loving Naomi so much which would not have been necessary seeing as the petite singer deserved every single sound form the ovation. Jessie Jagz who was mighty impressed, compared her singing to the way Jay Jay Okacha plays football-, calling it effortless.

As Naomi continued to deliver, George once, one of the bright stars of the show like her on the other hand, continued to display a complete loss of form. His performance in the ‘Abba’ week was even more of a disappointment than in the ‘Songs from Movie’ week. Even worse was the Disco week. So it of course came as no surprise when he finally got evicted off the show on Thursday.

What was however surprising (at least to me) was who got to accompany him off the Idol stage. In spite of her soulful song interpretations, Tonii had somehow failed to connect with the audience in a Zoe or Naomi-like way. Sure she has the talent but seems she did not have the proverbial wow-factor.

Sadly, this could turn out to be Emmanuel’s fate. He is another of the contestant like Tonii who unfortunately often only manages to connect with the judges. His rendition of ‘Honey Honey’ although commended by the judges with Yinka Davies declaring her love for him and Jesse Jagz calling it his best performance of the night, was met with a lukewarm applause from the studio-audience. Jesse Jagz seemed to think that this did not matter as in his own professional opinion, Emmanuel performed the song well by spicing it up with appropriate dance moves that went with it (twist?).

In my own personal/humble opinion having the right dance moves to a song is not good enough if you fail to entertain your “general” audience. Entertaining a general audience is what stars like the kind Nigerian Idol intends to churn out does.

And this why realistically speaking, smoke and mirrors performers like Zoe on the Nigerian Idol and pop icons D’banj, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga (with or despite any real talent they might have) tend to make it over more conventional entertainers.

It was refreshing
that on a day saturated by the stifling hype and
super-commercialisation of Valentine’s Day with its attendant
manifestations of love, attention was temporarily shifted and focused,
thanks to a play. ‘A Few Good Men’, on the serious implications of
marriage and the search for bonding love and lasting partnerships, was
staged on February 14 at the Church Unusual in Benin City.

The unexpected
late-evening rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the audience for
Ejiro Onobrakpor’s sixth. The fair-sized audience was treated to a
well-crafted play. It employed novel multi-media techniques; in the
mixture of video projections, live music, songs and spoken words, to
put the message across as well as give the dramatic presentation more
texture and variety.

Onobrakpor is
himself multi-talented. A trained theatre arts practitioner, he also
attended the FAE Academy (International Film School) in Dubai in 2008.
What may be surprising is how Onobrakpor, who has been married to his
young medical doctor-wife for less than a year, was able to fashion
such an observant play that explores the intimate worlds of love and
marriage.

The motivation

He researched for
details, facts and figures for six months and; after the play had been
written, he rehearsed his cast for a month before their Valentine’s Day
performance. “I came across very amazing statistics that 50 percent of
every first marriage end in divorce; [the ratio is] 64 percent of every
second marriage and 75 percent of every third marriage. This proves
that experience is not the best teacher in marriage. It tells you that
it’s just like there are a few good men around or just a few good women
too.” He then adds the chilling reality of marriage and divorce in
Nigeria. “Nigeria has one of the highest rates of divorce in Africa. In
Zamfara State where I did my Youth Service, I noticed that although the
men are allowed to marry four wives, when they see a woman they like,
they knock off one of their wives to marry the new woman. And there are
no divorce certificates in Nigeria. I have a female relative who has
three children from three different men and she has no divorce
certificate from any of these marriages!” In a short address to the
audience before the start of the play, he lamented that there are no
good love songs around anymore. “Our parents use to write love letters
as expressions of love,” he observed. He told the audience that the
cast and crew of the play were “the most amazing,” he had worked with,
adding that, “stage drama is ten times more difficult than acting in
films.” He then promised the audience “a really amazing night that will
rekindle relationships.” He was right! To set the stage, popular
crooner Philip Ransome Bello sang a moving song, ‘Love Will Never Die’,
telling people to express love and, admitting that the most difficult
thing to say is ‘‘I Love You’’.

On the stage

It was an elaborate
set that featured many locations that were brought alive when needed by
lights. A screen at the side of the stage was used to beam video clips
that linked to the scenes performed on stage. At appropriate
opportunities the actors burst into songs, and they were accompanied by
a competent pianist whose touch could have been softer and his dynamics
more subtle on some occasions.

‘A Few Good Men’ –
a ten-cast play of characters in their late twenties and early
thirties, young and upwardly-mobile professionals – is creatively
well-worked-out with scenes in which the actors and actresses explore
various depths of relationships including love-triangles. In their
committed search, we are given real-life insights into social attitudes
and mindsets which have shaped their definition and understanding of
love.

The sexpot
songstress, Tina Turner had cynically asked in her megahit song,
‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?” As sketches of the ploys and plans of
the characters in ‘A Few Good Men’ to win love unfold, the audience is
given a big treat and feast of poignant one-liners which reveal the raw
slices of love and life, warts and all.

Matters of the
heart Fred, a 30-year-old banker, is preparing a romantic dinner;
candle lights and all, for his long-time girlfriend, Ivie a recent
graduate. Simultaneously, Philip, (31), an aspiring engineer, is
seething with anger that Ada, an engineer with a major oil company, is
three hours late for a special dinner date they had planned a month
ago. A row breaks out and Philip terminates the relationship. “This is
over,” he proclaims. Ivie, on the other hand has decided to break up
with Fred for really strange reasons laced with ‘feminine logic!’ “I
don’t want you to misunderstand what am about to say. Fred, you’re the
most amazing guy I’ve met, the nicest, in fact. I love you, but I’m not
in love with you!” Then she dropped the bombshell: “You call me too
much… A girl needs her space… You’re too nice, you annoy me. I’m sorry…
but this is not working for me!” Relationships over, Ada reasons that,
“Guys are not worth the trouble,” while Fred figures out that “Girls
are not worth the stress!” Of course all four move on into new
relationships. Fred is the butt of jokes from his male friends. Wale, a
scallywag and woman-abuser, teases Fred about Ivie, “Wait, you chop am
shah?” he asks cynically. Fred, described as “a no vows, no sex” person
by another friend, Obi, lives up to his billing with his informed
answer, “Sex is not a catalyst for a successful relationship!” In the
twists and turns of the play, Ivie ends up marrying Philip who had
earlier dumped Ada. Philip turns out to be a vicious wife-beater and
ironically it is Fred who rescues Ivie and takes her in her battered
state to find temporary refuge in Ada’s place. “You both seemed so
happy and content earlier,” Ada tells Ivie. “It was all PDA…Public
Display of Affection,” Ivie tells her. A group discussion examines
domestic violence and the need to lock up terrors like Philip, but the
option of Ivie leaving Philip is ruled out.

Eventually, Ada finds love and marries. Her verdict is profound.
“Love is not about looks or status. Love is about what you can give!”
“God is the teacher in all marriages,” Ejiro Onobrakpor concludes.

Nigerian
award-winning authors are leading the country’s charge in this year’s
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Helon Habila and E.C. Osondu, both past
winners of the Caine Prize for African Writing, are contenders for the
Best Book and Best First Book respectively for the Africa region in the
awards.

They are joined on
the regional shortlists by debut novelists, Chioma Okereke and Uzoma
Uponi. All four writers are based abroad. None of their shortlisted
books has so far been published locally.

The regional list
is dominated by South Africa, with eight shortlisted writers. Aminatta
Forna is the sole flag-bearer for Sierra Leone, for her novel, ‘The
Memory of Love’. The shortlists, released by The Commonwealth
Foundation, which manages the awards, was established in 1987 to
recognise the finest fiction by established and upcoming writers across
the world.

US-based E.C.
Osondu, winner of the 2008 Caine Prize, is shortlisted for ‘Voice of
America’, his debut collection of short stories, which has been
published to much acclaim in Britain and the United States. In a review
of the book published in The Observer (UK), Zimbabwean writer Petina
Gappah praised Osondu for “creating a vivid and fully imagined world
that is uniquely his own. It is a wonderful achievement.” Vying with
Osondu in the Best First Book category of the Commonwealth Writers
Prize are UK-based Chioma Okereke for ‘Bitter Leaf’; and Canada-based
Uzoma Uponi, who gets the nod for her novel, ‘Colour Blind’.

Perhaps the most
high profile Nigerian contender is Helon Habila, who makes the
shortlist for his third novel, ‘Oil on Water’, an exploration of the
Niger-Delta crisis. The Guardian (UK) noted that the novel is “topical
and urgent, as it ambitiously tackles the collision between the oil
companies, the people of the Delta whose lands are exploited and
ruined, the military who patrol the region, the militants or freedom
fighters who are there to disrupt business as usual, and the media who
are supposed to observe and record the ‘truth’”.

Habila’s first
novel, ‘Waiting for an Angel’, won the Commonwealth Prize for Best
First Book (Africa Region) in 2003. Earlier, in 2001, he became
Nigeria’s first Caine winner for his short story, ‘Love Poems’. A
former NEXT columnist, Habila currently teaches Creative Writing at
George Mason University in Washington D.C, United States.

The four regions
qualified for the competition are: ‘Africa’, ‘Caribbean and Canada’,
‘South Asia and Europe’ and ‘South East Asia and Pacific’. Every year,
prizes are awarded in the four regions for Best Book and Best First
Book. Eight regional winners then go on to vie for the overall prizes.

Past Nigerian
winners of the prestigious award include: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
whose debut novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ won the regional prize for Best
First Book (Africa) in 2005 and also went on to win the overall prize
in the same category.

Jesuit Priest and
Writer, Uwem Akpan’s debut collection of stories, ‘Say You Are One of
Them’, secured the Regional Prize (Africa) for Best First Book in 2009;
and then went on to more acclaim by being selected for the widely
influential Oprah Book Club. Nigeria’s most recent winner of the
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize is Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, who clinched the
2010 regional award for her novel, ‘I Do Not Come To You By Chance’.

The prize money for overall winners are £10,000 for Best Book and
£5,000 for Best First Book respectively. The regional winners will be
announced on March 3, while overall winners will be announced at the
Sidney Writers’ Festival, Australia, in May.

You can trust fans
of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti never to miss a chance to
celebrate the late music icon. The British Council Nigeria, National
Theatre (London) and British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, provided
them such an opportunity on Sunday, February 6 when they organised a
screening of ‘Fela!’ at the New Africa Shrine, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

The production was
recorded last year at the Olivier (National Theatre) in London and had
been broadcasted by the BBC earlier this year. The screening at the
Shrine gave those who had missed the telecast an opportunity to see the
interesting show. And people seized the moment fully. The Shrine was
already bustling minutes to the 4pm commencement time of the viewing
and though there were empty seats initially, they were all later taken
by the multitude of Nigerian and foreign Afrobeat aficionados.

Welcome to the Shrine

Country director
of the British Council, David Higgs and daughter of the late musician,
Yeni, gave speeches before the show got underway. Giving a sort of
background to the event, Higgs disclosed that the National Theatre
likes to share its productions with audiences around the world. He
thanked Fela’s children and the management of the Shrine for hosting
the screening.

Yeni apologised
for Femi’s absence and seized the opportunity to allay the fears of
those who dread coming to the Shrine, especially first timers. “You can
see that we don’t eat people here. Go spread the news today, that we
don’t eat people here,” she said. Fela’s oldest child disclosed that
she was shocked months back when the British Council called to discuss
the hosting of the screening. Yeni also pre-empted critics by noting,
“Any criticism you have, remember this is an appreciation of a son of a
soil.”

Some innovations

The production,
directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones wasn’t a bad affair though
the producers took some liberties in enacting Fela’s story on stage.
The men in Fela’s Egypt 80 Band never danced as vigorously as did the
male dancers in the National Theatre’s ‘Fela!’, neither was ‘Trouble
Sleep’ a duet by Fela and a female singer. Obviously, wishing to
respect the mood of Nigerians on MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12,
1993 presidential elections, his name was deleted from ‘International
Thief Thief’. The producer’s decision to dramatise scenes in ‘Sorrows,
Tears and Blood’ was also a nice touch and the involvement of the
audience in the production was a master stroke.

It could also be
argued that the producers appropriated extensively from Carlos Moore’s
‘Fela: This Bitch of a Life’ in the parts involving his mother,
Funmilayo and the travails of his wives during the 1977 raid on
Kalakuta Republic.

Interestingly,
some of the scenes applauded by the audience during the live show were
also appreciated by those who saw the screening with both applauses
merging into one.

However, the
decision of the Shrine’s management to show the Chelsea versus
Liverpool match and later, the Real Madrid versus Real Sociedad at the
back while the screening was on wasn’t a very wise move. They only
succeeded in dividing the house. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a bad outing,
as some commentators noted.

Very fulfilling

“I think it’s
very fulfilling for us here. One must always be grateful when the
opportunity arises has it as today to showcase what has become an
international phenomenon at the New Africa Shrine. The only thing that
can top this for us is if the actual [musical] comes to the African
Shrine in March which we are looking forward to quite avidly,” said
Femi Odebunmi, one of those who viewed the production.

Fela’s son, Seun, said of the screening, “I feel it is essential to
make people have a taste of what the play is about and I’m sure with
time, the play itself would come here. This is just for people to
understand. I just pray that the right move be made to help people
understand what is going on out there about Fela.” For Higgs, screening
‘Fela’ at the Shrine was appropriate because, “the play is set in the
Shrine, so it’s the Shrine in the Shrine.” He added that beyond that,
“it’s an appreciation of Fela Kuti’s music. I mean his life in his
hometown but from elsewhere. I think that shows that Fela Kuti’s
influence was well beyond his own country.”