Nigeria Content Online

If ever the
expression ‘an army of rappers’ can be excused, then nothing better
captures the sight of Chocolate City commander MI and his trio of
lieutenants – Jesse Jags, Ice Prince and Brymo – when they took the
stage at the IndigO2 Millennium Dome, London, on the evening of April
28.

Dressed
identically in immaculate white jackets, white shirts and bowties,
Nigeria’s newest – and I dare say, most successful – crop of rappers
emerged onstage one after the other, heralded by a cartoon-animation
video of the prelude track on ‘MI2: The Movie’, his sophomore album.

“They call… they
call… they call me MI. Are you ready to dance with the devil? Let’s
go!” concluded the skit, as the renowned ‘short, black boy’ stepped
onstage to feverish cheers from the audience, who had gamely borne the
efforts of several comic and musical acts in the first half of the
concert.

Chocolatiers

The men-in-white
took their business of entertainment to heart. Their movements were
choreographed to exude practised grace. These ‘Chocolatiers’ had come
to offer their own brand of confection to the Diaspora; and ladies
dressed to the nines, trotting on high-heeled shoes, and young men
sporting designer wear and adopted accents stood side by side in united
admiration for MI. Most had forked out between 30 and 75 pounds for
this privilege.

Rap music is the
forte of the self-assured, and none exuded the confidence and swagger
(pardon this clichéd street slang) better than the Choc Boys. MI,
backed by Brymo, whipped the audience to a frenzy with a rendition of
“Action Film”. Its chorus, “I would like to take you on a ride,” was
nothing short of a promise of what the evening entailed. Extempore raps
were on the cards as Jesse Jags boasted the wealth of his lyrics: “They
call me Scarface, but everyday you can take my lines to the bank, they
call it Barclays.”

MI might have
visited London to promote his sophomore album but he was not about to
have the adoring crowd forget the self-titled debut that had set him
apart as the fastest-risen icon on the Nigerian music scene, in only
three years. He proposed a musical equivalent of Truth or Dare with his
label mates: concert-goers were given an opening cue to one of his old
songs and then were expected to rap the rest to prove their knowledge
of the track. Their reward was an item of clothing off one of the
rappers.

“I’m a girl
pleaser,” MI cued, and the audience screamed in response: “Big booty
squeezer, teaser looking for a diva for sheezer. What you need is a
geezer, cool like a freezer, rule like a Caesar,” finishing the hook of
the hit, “Teaser”.

“Anoti”, “Fast
Money Fast Cars”, “Mogbonofelifeli Remix”, “Nobody Test Me” and
“Forever” followed in the same pattern until all four pristine jackets
had being taken off, sometimes sparking catfights between eager hands
as they were thrown into the appreciative crowd. Jesse Jags, perhaps
not eager to stand before the crowd sans clothes, insisted that “one of
those lines just ain’t right,” effectively ending the game.

Rap Beef

MI without further
ado introduced one of the most popular song of his new album, “Beef”,
with a pep talk about “people that just be hating” – a reference to
musician Kelly Handsome. Many eagerly rhymed along with him: “See
musicians tryna beef me for real, son/ maybe they’re doing it to
promote the album/ they know that using my name will help them sell
some/ so Iceberg it’s all right, you’re welcome/ But I’m not in the
league, help me tell them/ The Super Eagles don’t play against the
Falcons/ see (ugly) pikin dey form handsome/ Kelechukwu clap for
yourself, well done!”

One wondered
fleetingly if the same crowd wouldn’t be just as keen to mouth the
words to “Finish You Boy”, Handsome’s newly-released response to MI’s
“Beef”. Perhaps the Nigerian crowd themselves are the fuel for the
Tupac/Biggie-like scenarios recently plaguing Nigeria’s music industry.

Proving his
dexterity as a lyricist, MI revealed the meaning behind some of his rap
lines that might have been taken at face value: “Some sow broke, others
wealth reaping,” and “How I would Fri as I Sat in the Sun through the
weekend” – a play on weekdays, which express his struggles to make a
name for himself in the industry.

Rhymes for Jos

But it wasn’t all
beef and self-aggrandisement as MI calmed the crowd’s excitement with
“Wild Wild West”, a song dedicated to the city of Jos. Accompanied by a
video showing graphic images of the 2010 crises, MI told of his anger
at the destruction that had “cancelled the (peaceful) name” of the
place he calls home. “Better get your gun, better get your vest, in
J-Town it’s the wild, wild, west/ I just wanna cry, I just wanna know
why my people struggle to unify/ orphans, coffins, bastards, caskets,
mass burials, how’re we gonna move past this?” he lamented to the
solemn rhythms that accompanied his delivery.

Not many of the
goings-on affecting the lives of the masses seemed to escape MI’s pen.
He may have moved “from a legedis-benz to a Honda” but he had expended
the effort to interview the street thugs of Lagos, and documented same
in a video that introduced a song inspired by the soundtrack of an old
Nigerian soap opera famous for the popular character, Jagua. “My head,
my belle” is a song for the poor, one that encouraged them and yet was
an apposite reflections of their circumstances.

Rounding up

Tracks like “Number
One”, “Slown Down”, “Represent” and “One Naira” featuring Waje, who
arrived sans make-up, straight from the airport, Ice Prince’s hit
single “Oleku” and Jesse Jagz’s “Jargo” rounded off the evening.

The album launch
was organised by Coko Bar, one of the more popular UK-based Nigerian
entertainment promoters. Acknowledging the management of Audu Maikori,
Chocolate City founder, comedian Seyi Law cracked a joke at MI’s
expense, saying, “If no be for this man (Maikori), MI Abaga for dey run
for gun now for Jos.”

Seyi Law and
British comedy act Kevin Jay, who has perfected Nigerian patterns of
speech and Pidgin English, had earlier reduced the audience to fits of
laughter with their hilarious takes on Nigerian life. Other acts
included 2kris, the duo of Nigerian-born brothers; and Tipsy, a
feminine incarnation of Dagrin’s street style who performed a tribute
to the late rapper.

MI may have been
accused of diluting his style with ‘MI2: the Movie’, but every song is
a brilliant reflection of the Nigerian struggle and aspiration,
eliciting open adulation from the fans who crowded the IndigO2 and were
crushed to see him leave at the show’s end. The emotion appeared to be
mutual as it was a reluctant MI that was finally coaxed offstage by
Coko Bar founder, Ropo Akin.

But not before MI had handed out all the accessories he was
wearing. Eventually stripped of almost everything but the clothes on
his back, and with several demanding fans left to satisfy, he had tried
to lift some off the other Choc Boys. But they, unlike MI, were not as
obliging. Hopefully, many a fan who left the show with a valuable
memento in hand, wished the short black boy a long reign as “African
rapper number one.”

Malian music
superstar Salif Keita will headline the first VIP Club Nite of
Francophone World Music, which holds at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos
this week.

Known as ‘the
golden voice of Africa’, Salif Keita is one of the most successful
exponents of African music on the international scene. In addition to
his infectious Afro-pop sound, Keita is also an activist on behalf of
his fellow albinos, who are targets of ritual killings in many African
countries.

Jimi Sadare of
Effrakata Entertainment, promoters of the show, which commences at 8pm
on Friday, May 6, said the event is part of activities for the
re-branding of the company’s former ‘Francophonynite’ into a VIP night
of Francophone world music. “The event will be a night of blending the
Francophone with Anglophone; it will be fun. I have been friends with
Salif for close to 10 years, his music has a therapeutic effect on me.
That is why am bringing him for Nigerians to enjoy what I have been
enjoying,” he said.

When asked about
his company’s focus on Francophone artists, the soft-spoken Sadare
said, “It will be my joy to bring recognition to Nigerian acts also. I
discovered Francophone musicians when I was exploring countries like
Mali, Togo. There was so much peace and fun there, and the music is so
soothing, that is what am trying to transport to Nigeria.” He told
reporters that he was the first person to promote a Nigerian artist in
Francophone countries. “Flavour performed in Lome through my company,
and am willing to sell more Nigerian acts.”

According to the
travel and entertainment boss, the VIP Club Nite is targeted at mature
minds, members of the diplomatic corps, expatriates, celebrities and
others. The Salif Keita show will be the first of quarterly VIP Club
Nites, while the Francophone World Music night will hold monthly,
attracting both foreign and indigenous artists to perform for select
audiences.

Also on the bill for the Oriental Hotel show are music acts like the
Afrobeat/jazz band, Ayetoro, as well as deejays from Togo and the
Republic of Benin.

Malian music
superstar Salif Keita will headline the first VIP Club Nite of
Francophone World Music, which holds at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos
this week.

Known as ‘the
golden voice of Africa’, Salif Keita is one of the most successful
exponents of African music on the international scene. In addition to
his infectious Afro-pop sound, Keita is also an activist on behalf of
his fellow albinos, who are targets of ritual killings in many African
countries.

Jimi Sadare of
Effrakata Entertainment, promoters of the show, which commences at 8pm
on Friday, May 6, said the event is part of activities for the
re-branding of the company’s former ‘Francophonynite’ into a VIP night
of Francophone world music. “The event will be a night of blending the
Francophone with Anglophone; it will be fun. I have been friends with
Salif for close to 10 years, his music has a therapeutic effect on me.
That is why am bringing him for Nigerians to enjoy what I have been
enjoying,” he said.

When asked about
his company’s focus on Francophone artists, the soft-spoken Sadare
said, “It will be my joy to bring recognition to Nigerian acts also. I
discovered Francophone musicians when I was exploring countries like
Mali, Togo. There was so much peace and fun there, and the music is so
soothing, that is what am trying to transport to Nigeria.” He told
reporters that he was the first person to promote a Nigerian artist in
Francophone countries. “Flavour performed in Lome through my company,
and am willing to sell more Nigerian acts.”

According to the
travel and entertainment boss, the VIP Club Nite is targeted at mature
minds, members of the diplomatic corps, expatriates, celebrities and
others. The Salif Keita show will be the first of quarterly VIP Club
Nites, while the Francophone World Music night will hold monthly,
attracting both foreign and indigenous artists to perform for select
audiences.

Also on the bill for the Oriental Hotel show are music acts like the
Afrobeat/jazz band, Ayetoro, as well as deejays from Togo and the
Republic of Benin.

“There
are autobiographies and there are autobiographies. When a person who is
more than 91 years old writes his autobiography, that in itself is
worth celebrating.” These were the words of Dupe Olatunbosun, chair of
the Book Presentation Committee of ‘Reflections on the Events of My
Life’, the autobiography of Samuel Babatunde Fadahunsi.

Olatunbosun was
speaking at a press conference for the book, which is set for launch at
11am on Thursday, May 5, at the Agip Hall of the Muson Centre in Lagos.
Fadahunsi is respected for his contribution to the growth and
development of engineering in Nigeria. He retired in 1972 as the first
Nigerian chief executive officer of the Lagos Executive Development
Board. He is credited with planning and town development in the Lagos
metropolis, including the Lagos Island, Surulere and Ilupeju areas of
the city.

Also at the press
conference was Olu Falomo, the chair of Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Ltd,
who said the book is a reflection on the past that gives insight into
the future. He further described it as a celebration of the life of a
humble, respected public servant whose career spanned 60 years.

Olatunbosun commended the author for taking the trouble to write
about his life at the ripe old age of 90. “This is a call to Nigerians
from all walks of life, particularly the younger generation, to come
and learn from Mr Fadahunsi’s excellent life of service to his
community and his nation,” Olatunbosun said. The special guest of
honour at the launch will be former head of state, Yakubu Gowon, while
Reuben Abati of the Guardian newspaper, will review the book.

In December of
2010, I left Lagos for a week to go back to my village, the scenes of
my childhood and my ‘primary colours’, with the sole purpose of
discovering what has influenced my art over the years. Some things I
could pull from memory, but there were many I had forgotten or never
really experienced. With a keen eye and a camera, I set to work; and
what I discovered about my heritage and ancestral home was shocking to
me. Until then, I did not realise that, over the decades of my art
practice, I have unconsciously been feeding off of what was always
there as part of my everyday life when I was growing up, which I never
paid much attention to. The numerous shrine walls in neighbouring
villages, the painted mud walls of my grandmothers’ homes, my uncles’
decorated rooms and other villagers’ walls were all beaming with
different kinds of art. I photographed as many as possible, because it
was obvious that many people no longer care about these ‘primitive and
pagan’ arts.

With some of the
walls and art already gone, and a very few left, I set to work on what
remained. Some of the bold use of earth tone colours on walls reminded
me of Mark Rothko’s large canvasses. The valour with which colours,
patterns and designs were engraved or drawn on walls, doors and other
surfaces fueled my drawings with chalks on the bare, dilapidated walls.
Because I considered the chalk on wall drawings temporary, I decided to
photograph them for posterity; and perhaps in so doing, I could show
the world things that may not ordinarily be seen in their natural
state.

I thought I would
stop at the drawings on walls and doorways. However, I found myself
thinking about the history behind the walls and the doors I drew on in
the village, and so I decided to extend the experience to my studio in
Lagos. People that have come and gone in my life over time through the
passageways kept playing in my memory. My grandmothers, my father and
many of my uncles who have left, came alive again. The doors I
rejuvenated through art, were the same ones they traversed while alive.
I began to look at the duality of the doorway, a passageway for entry
and exit, life and death, night and day. Life itself is full of doors,
whether real or imagined. I am yet to see any human that hasn’t gone
through a door. Whatever we do when we enter or exit from any door in
life is what shapes our lives as humans on earth.

It is also
pertinent to say that the works in ‘Entrances and Exits’ go beyond
physical doors; they signify transitions in life. In between the
comings and goings, memories are built constantly. Memories of how we
move from one phase of life to another, from childhood to adulthood,
boy to man, girl to woman, life to death, etc. The events that
orchestrate these transitions are mystical, not physical, and sometimes
invisible, yet they manifest as some kind of door.

All materials used
in producing these paintings and drawings are physically cut in the
shape of doors, in order to reveal another side of the same work. This
is symbolic of the openings and closings that are associated with
doors. Birth and death have doorways, be it a woman’s birth canal or
the gaping grave on the earth.

Victor
Ehikhamenor’s ‘Entrances & Exits: In Search of Not Forgetting’
opens at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), 9 McEwen Street, Sabo,
Yaba, Lagos on Saturday, May 7, and will be on display until May 28.

‘The King’s Speech’
is one movie that generated a huge Oscar buzz before the Academy
Awards, held in February. The critics raved about British actor Colin
Firth’s performance and kept tipping him for the Best Actor award, a
tightly contested category, against other solid movies like ‘The
Fighter’ and ‘The Social Network’.

Firth eventually
took home the Oscar, earned for a moving portrayal of an English
monarch, King George VI, who suffered from a speech impediment. ‘The
King’s Speech’ tells the true story of the one-time Duke of York and
father to the present-day Queen of England, and how he battled with his
stuttering.

However, there is
also the story of King George’s chance ascension to the throne due to
his elder brother Edward VIII’s abdication of the throne to marry
American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

Not a royal,
married twice and rumoured to be a flirt, Simpson is deemed unsuitable
to be a wife to the King of England and head of the Church of England.
She is permitted to be a mistress and even a titled one if necessary,
but Edward will have none of that.

George or Bertie, as he is called by family and friends, is crowned king after Edward chooses love over the throne.

Bertie is terribly
embarrassed by his speech impediment and is given to outbursts of
frustrated anger. He has visited every major speech therapist known to
him; and when his wife, Elizabeth — played by the quirky Helena
Bonham-Carter — discovers the unconventional Australian speech
therapist, Dr Lionel Logue, Bertie initially refuses to see him.

However, Logue is
soon able to pierce through George’s icy exterior to unearth relics of
childhood hurt, feelings of inadequacy and anger, especially in
relation to being the spare prince, and a deficient one at that.

Its not all plain
sailing though, playing speech therapist and shrink to a hurting, stiff
upper-lipped monarch, but they stay friendly enough for Logue to get
him through his four-line coronation speech. However, the big task lies
ahead. Britain is on the brink of war following Adolf Hitler’s antics
on the world’s political scene. The insecure king must prove that he is
capable of guiding the affairs of his nation. This requires him to read
a crucial speech informing the people of Britain’s intention to join
forces in checkmating Hitler. But there is still the matter of the
stuttering.

Firth captures the
heart of the audience with his balanced portrayal of Bertie’s strength
and weakness. Here is a member of the royal family, known for being
stoic, stumbling his way through a problem that is both physical and
emotional.

It will not be
surprising to find one’s eyes welling up with tears at certain points
in the movie. Firth draws you into the pain of the character just by
jumbling up a sentence and trying to force the words out of his mouth.
It’s almost agonising to watch.

There are no zany
roles in this flick for the brilliant British actress, Helena
Bonham-Carter. She plays George’s loving and supportive wife, always
cheering him on and fiercely protective of him. One wonders how he
would have turned out without her.

Geoffrey Rush plays
Lionel Logue. And just as Logue is every bit a match for the cranky
Bertie, Rush’s performance is not overshadowed by Firth’s excellent
delivery. Guy Pearce plays the heir, Prince Edward.

‘The King’s Speech’
is almost two hours long. There is no rush to get it over with and
pleasantly, there is no boredom as the drama unfolds. The setting is
England in the mid-20th century and everything adds up to enhance this
plausibility. There is footage from actual occurrences, such as Hitler
giving fiery speeches and Nazi soldiers marching.

Definitely
Oscar-worthy and definitely worth the viewing, ‘The King’s Speech’ gets
an ‘A’ rating, helped largely by Firth’s star delivery.

British-based
artist, Yinka Shonibare, was the guest speaker at a lecture on
contemporary art and visual culture in Lagos on April 20, in his first
appearance in Nigeria for decades. The latest in the Art-iculate
Lecture series, the event was organised by the Centre for Contemporary
Art (CCA) in collaboration with The Menil Collection, Shonibare Studio
and the venue, Terra Kulture. It was a rare opportunity for the arts
community to interact with the renowned artist, famed for his ‘Nelson’s
Ship in a Bottle’ sculpture, on public display on the Fourth Plinth of
London’s Trafalgar Square. Also in attendance at the ‘homecoming’ were
the artist’s mother, his brother as well as his studio manager, Ann
Marie Pena.

Visual artists
present included Rom Isichei, Peju Layiwola, Kainebi Osahenye, Olu
Amoda, Victor Ehikhamenor, Ndidi Dike and Jide Adeniyi-Jones.

In her welcome
address, Terra Kulture managing director, Bolanle Austen-Peters, said
she was honoured to be a part of the event. “This is probably the best
platform we have in Nigeria on art discourse and we are very happy to
partner with the CCA,” she added. Austen-Peters probably spoke for many
when she said of Shonibare, “We all are looking forward to engaging in
his work.”

Thanks to Yusuf Grillo

The artist kicked
off his talk on a humorous note. His greeting to the gathering in
Yoruba showed that, although he had not been to Nigeria in 30 years, he
is not out of touch. In a calm, unassuming manner, he talked through
slides of his work, sharing insights into his life and work as an
artist.

“I wonder, sir, if
you remember me,” Shonibare said to Yusuf Grillo, who was in the
audience. Recalling his childhood days in Nigeria, Shonibare explained
that, when he expressed interest in becoming an artist, he had been
sent by his father to talk to Grillo at the Yaba College of Technology,
Lagos, where the latter took time out to attend to the young man. From
the stage, Shonibare thanked Grillo for encouraging him back then,
telling the older artist, “No doubt, you have supported many students
so I am just one of the many.”

Revolution in the studio

Moving on, he told
the gathering that it takes a keen interest in the work of an artist to
properly understand it. “If you don’t quite know what artists are
doing, it’s difficult to get your head around it,” said Shonibare.

“I’m not very
different from people on the street making a revolution. I’m just
making my revolution in the studio,” he declared.

In a lecture that
touched on art movements and episodes in history including the French
Revolution, the Cold War, modernism, impressionism, post-modernism and
post-colonialism, Shonibare asserted that artists have been trying to
change society since the beginning of time. He recalled “a time when
Africans were supposedly inferior to Europeans” and when women were not
allowed to vote. He pointed out that revolutions changed all these and
added that the arts were always instrumental to the societal change.

“In ‘Things Fall
Apart’, what Chinua Achebe was actually trying to tell all of us in
Africa was, we had our own system of government. We are not
primitives,” Shonibare said. He added that although the novel portrayed
some negative things, Achebe generally wanted to show that even before
colonialism, Africans had a democratic system.

“The reason I’m
saying all this is to show you that what those ‘crazy artists’ are
doing is, they are being avant garde,” he said.

Pablo Picasso and
Jackson Pollock were two of the Western artists mentioned, as being
among those who changed the way artists paint, thereby changing the
status quo. While Picasso insisted on having flat paintings, Pollock
expressed himself by “throwing paint everywhere.” According to
Shonibare, the duo’s paintings were revolutionary. He declared,
“Changing a way to paint something is symbolic of revolution… That’s
why my work may seem crazy. What I am doing is my own revolution.”

With particular
reference to the uses of art during the Cold War, Shonibare stated
that, “Art is a very powerful tool in the West. Governments use arts as
a means of propaganda.”

Noting that the
‘Fela!’ musical was in town, the artist attested to the fact that the
afrobeat icon was revolutionary in his music, just as Achebe and
Nkrumah were revolutionary in their writings.

Interrogating history

Giving insight to
his early artistic production in the United Kingdom, when glasnost was
in the air and Shonibare’s work referenced Russian politics, he was
keen to stress that this should not be taken to mean he did not
appreciate Africa and its traditions. After an encounter with a teacher
that wanted him to produce more ‘African’ works, Shonibare’s response
was to incorporate a mix of African and Western cultures in his pieces.
“That’s my own way of reasserting my own identity. My identity is
hybrid and bicultural and my work should express that,” he declared.

The works
themselves were among the highlights of the evening, as the audience
viewed images many of his sculptural pieces, installations, photography
and video art in the slideshow. Among the works were images from the
‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy’ series, which counters historical fact by
showing a black man waited upon by whites. “I decided that my work
would interrogate history,” he said of the work.

The artist put
‘The Diary of a Victorian Dandy’ in the London Underground, saying,
“Whether you like it or not, you have to look at it.” The series was
inspired by Oscar Wilde’s use of the dandy in ‘The Picture of Dorian
Gray’, informed Shonibare, who said he sometimes uses literature in his
work.

However, he assured that, “My work contain subtle messages and are never aggressive. There’s always a degree of humour in it.”

Other
thought-provoking works discussed included: ‘Black Gold’, ‘The Rise and
Fall of Willy Loman’, ‘Vacation 2000’, ‘Scramble for Africa’, ‘Crash
Willy’ and ‘How To Blow Up Two Heads At Once’. It was hard to miss
‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ (2007 -2010), incorporating 37 sails made
from African textiles. “This is what made me famous,” was the artist’s
way of introducing the work.

Fielding questions
from the audience, Shonibare explained why a rocket in one piece had
the name, ‘Martin Luther King’ on it. “It’s a reference to Martin
Luther King and to the rebellious Martin Luther who challenged the
Christian faith,” he said, adding that the work points to the fact that
changes are needed but people are not ready to make the change. “We
love the status quo and we don’t want things to change,” he stated.

Free like Picasso

On the percentage
of his work in museums vis-a-vis private collections, the artist
indicated that 40 percent is held in museums while private collectors
hold the remaining 60. Speaking on his and fellow UK-based Chris
Ofili’s career, Shonibare admitted that, “We are 100 percent collected
by white people.” He seemed to be tuning the audience to a concern,
saying, “Art collecting in Europe is actually a huge legacy for the
culture. My work is hugely collected in Europe, but it’s not coming to
Nigeria.” However, he refused to talk about the cost of his pieces.
“Discussing figures is vulgar,” he pleaded.

On the need for
museums in Nigeria, Shonibare said, “I don’t think that’s an
individual’s responsibility but collective.” He argued that if big
hotels can be built along the Lekki Peninsula in Lagos, then museums
would cost only a fraction.

He was taken up by
visual artist and journalist, Chuka Nnabuife, on his use of the Dutch
wax, an ‘African’ fabric of Indonesian origin; he was further asked
what Nigerians can hold on to in his work as “our own.” Shonibare
replied by citing Picasso, a Spanish artist who was influenced by
African art to further modernism. “I’m free like Picasso and I can do
what I want. We are global,” Shonibare declared, arguing that Picasso’s
movement was not questioned, nor should he be questioned about what he
depicts in his art. “My work isn’t about representation; it’s about the
politics of representation. I’m not using African wax to represent
Africa essentially but my work is questioning representation.”

It was noted
during the session that the level of art education in Nigeria is very
low especially at the primary and secondary levels. The artist argued
that although everyone has to play a part, it takes joint effort by the
community to change the situation.

“There’s an
African saying that it takes a village to bring up a child,” he said.
He likened this to an art exhibition, which requires an artist,
gallery, curators and others, to succeed.

Artist Yusuf Grillo commended the efforts of Shonibare and was
proud that he came to him when he was starting out. He also agreed with
his former protégé on the issue of representation. “The artist is, in
quote, a very selfish person,” Grillo said, adding that culture can be
thrown aside and what the artist then creates, is himself. “The first
and most important thing about art is to be sincere,” the older artist
said.

A reading by writer
and academic Sola Olorunyomi, forming the literary component of a
week-long celebration of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, was held at The Life
House, Lagos, on April 22. Olorunyomi, a lecturer of Media and
Performance Studies at the University of Ibadan’s Institute of African
Studies, was at the venue to read his book on the late afrobeat great,
‘Fela and the Imagined Continent’.

The event was
moderated by Ugoma Adegoke of The Life House and had in attendance
critic, Lolade Bamidele; art aficionado, Olajide Bello; and visual
artist, Mudi Yahaya. Also present were Weyinmi Atigbi and Lemi
Ghariokwu, both of whom were exhibiting their artwork in ‘Art of
Rebellion’, also on display at The Life House. Ghariokwu was the man
responsible for many of Fela’s iconic album sleeve designs. The
exhibition, as well as the Sola Olorunyomi reading, were part of the
‘Fela in The Life House’ series of events held to coincide with the
‘Fela!’ musical, which played to Lagos audiences from April 20 to 25.

Fire Dance

Olorunyomi’s
research assistant, Osariemen Amas–Edobor, opened the reading with a
short excerpt, ‘Fire Dance’, from ‘Fela and the Imagined Continent’.
Then followed the author’s own reading. The book celebrates the
legendary Fela, his ingenuity at music fusion and his brilliant
performances on stage. The author informed that the book was written
out of a keen interest in the icon’s music, and a fascination at the
energy displayed by Fela and his band during the days of Kalakuta
Republic.

“I thought the
energy could only be crystallised in writing,” said Olorunyomi, who
added that Fela’s ability to depict his country powerfully through
music was also a contributing factor in the writing of the book. Fela,
he noted, “was relating to those commonalities he found in the
country.” The writer however observed that Fela’s life cannot be fully
documented, and so ‘Fela and the Imagined Continent’ is not a
biography. “It seemed to me that if I resigned my fate to Fela’s
business, I wouldn’t finish it in a lifetime,” he said.

As for the Fela
biography proper, Olorunyomi disclosed that he was writing one around
the time of the musician’s death. Still a work-in-progress, the author
hopes the book, to be titled ‘Muse, Man and Music’, will be published
soon.

Universal Afrobeat

During an
interactive segment with listeners after the reading, Olorunyomi
disclosed that he had come across many misconceptions about Fela before
he met the man. “The Fela image we got then was larger than life. We
heard that his mother was a witch,” the author recalled, adding that he
was so in awe of the musician that he could not wait to meet him. “I
thought he was too great to be close to him. I respected him a great
deal,” he said.

Olorunyomi noted
that Fela was very versatile musically and his work can be appreciated
by a wide range of people. “You can read Fela in different ways, from a
creative distance and from your faith,” he said.

There was an
attempt to grasp the extent of Fela’s continuing relevance and fame,
even in death. Olorunyomi shared his experience of a European lady who
passed out during a discussion of the afrobeat legend in Denmark – the
author’s way of showing how much of a household name Fela has become
across the world.

Next generation

He bemoaned the
poor state of afrobeat music in Nigeria, and blamed it on the younger
generation who are not interested in the genre. “Ironically, I think
that the next generation of afrobeat isn’t likely to come from
Nigeria,” he stated. Olorunyomi nonetheless expressed optimism that
interest in afrobeat may be revived as a result of events like the
‘Fela!’ Broadway show.

“Since [afrobeat]
is no longer a national project, it is a universal project, it may just
get repackaged from there and come back,” he affirmed.

Olayioye Simoyan, a young hip-hop artist in the gathering, agreed with the writer’s views on afrobeat and the next generation.

“I think Fela is a
beautiful musician, he knows how to propagate his [work] but the way he
arranges the music doesn’t spark this generation,” Simoyan said, adding
that Femi Kuti appeals more to the younger generation because of his
fusion of afrobeat with genres like hip-hop. “That is why we prefer
Femi, because he is more of us. He uses rhymes and uses metaphors.”
Citing the dearth of rhymes in afrobeat, the hip-hopp artist declared,
with apologies to Olorunyomi and the older generation in the house,
that, “Then, [afrobeat] was cool but now, it is no longer cool.”
Olorunyomi understood the sentiments and concurred with Simoyan’s
statement that the younger generation prefers the rap style of rhyming.
The author however insisted that it is not entirely true that afrobeat
excludes rap.

“Even the rap tradition in Nigeria references afrobeat a great deal,” he asserted.

The event ended on a cheerful note, with Olorunyomi reiterating that Fela was the best in his trade and cannot be replicated.