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Applications are invited from writers interested in the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State.

The programme
administered by a board including writers; Maryam Ali Ali, Uche Peter
Umez and Alkasim Abubakar, was established earlier this year. Tokunbo
Okediran and Akintayo Abodunrin are also members of the governing
board. The residency, located in the idyllic Oyo town of Iseyin, is a
well furnished four-bedroom bungalow with a standby generator and water
bore-hole facilities. A weekly grant is included in the package for
selected writers. Adequate security is also guaranteed at the
landscaped compound.

Two sets of writers
have so far stayed at the residence. Lola Okusami and Abiodun Adebiyi
were the first set while Kenechukwu Obi and Charles Oluyori completed
their six-week stay in November, 2010.

Selected writers
will be required to stay at the residence for a minimum of four weeks
and a maximum of six. They will resume at the residency in Iseyin on
January 17, 2011.

Applicants are
required to include a CV, samples of works and a one-page description
of the work to be undertaken at the residency in their application. Two
letters of recommendation are also requested to be sent along with
applications.

The residency is
open to Nigerian and foreign writers. Writers living outside Nigeria
should, however, note that they will be responsible for their flight,
if selected. Kindly note that the offer is also open to writers writing
in indigenous languages like Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and other African
languages.

Literamed
Publishers will consider works produced during the programme for
publication. Writers will retain the rights to their work.

Selected writers
will be expected to contribute to Iseyin’s educational development by
organising a literary activity; a writing workshop or literary
competition among secondary school students in the town during the
duration of the program.

All applications must reach the Secretary, Alkasim Abdulkadir, by
midnight of January 7, 2011. They should be sent via e-mail to
alkasim.abdulkadir@yahoo.com. They can also be sent to Akintayo
Abodunrin at akinjaa03@yahoo.co.uk The Ebedi International Residency is
an initiative to provide a good environment for writers with ongoing
projects to complete their works.

The much awaited
West African edition of Lola Shoneyin’s novel ‘The Secret Lives of Baba
Segi’s Wives’, was unveiled in grand style at the French Cultural
Centre in Abuja on December 17, 2010.

The venue of the
book party, which featured other side attractions, was a beehive of
activities. At first glance, the gathering would have passed for one of
the many diplomatic functions that the FCT is known for, as it
attracted a large turnout of expatriates and the crème-de-la-crème of
Abuja’s literary community.

In her
characteristic liveliness and engaging demeanour, Shoneyin read from
different portions of her book (the UK and US editions of which have
been well received), to the admiration of the audience. Enthralled by
her reading, a member of the audience, an evangelist who introduced
himself as Uche, said “She reads really well. I feel like sitting here
to hear her read from beginning to the end. Listening to her read is
like watching the story in motion.” ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s
Wives’ is Shoneyin’s first novel, after successfully churning out three
collections of poetry so far – ‘So All The Time I was Sitting on an
Egg,’ ‘Song of a Riverbird’ and ‘For the Love of Flight’. She also
recently released a children book titled ‘Mayowa and the Masquarades’.
‘Baba Segi’, as the novel is now popularly known, tells the story of
everyday polygamous situation in Nigeria but in a very unique,
humourous and engaging language.

With three wives
and seven children, all is well in Baba Segi’s household until he takes
the university graduate Bolanle as a fourth wife, and things go awry.

In an interactive
session, the author revealed that she sees herself more as a poet than
a novelist. “I still feel more at home as a poet than a novelist. What
is here today is a product of a very long work. A lot went into making
this what it today between me and my publishers in terms of editing.”
She added that the story that gave birth to the novel is a true life
experience which she encountered when she was fourteen years old.

The book party did
not end with the reading, as visual arts were also on the menu. The
beautiful ceramic arts of Lami Abubakar, the paintings of Millicent
Osumuo and Tyna Adebowale, creative cards of Pat Adidu and photographs
by Rita St. John – all combined to make the evening a memorable one.
The raw talent exhibited by Swat, an Abuja based musician, was another
major attraction.

Talking to the press, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf of Cassava Republic
expressed happiness for eventually succeeding in releasing the much
awaited book after a series of obstacles and disappointments that had
forced the company to postpone the date of release about twice. “This
is one writer Nigeria has anxiously awaited and I am sure they will not
be disappointed. ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ will sure
excite readers. And in line with our vision to serve you the best of
African literature, we are glad to have brought to you Lola Shoneyin’s
book as our gift of love and appreciation to our customers and all
lovers of literature, in the spirit of the season,” the publisher added.

Nigerian Idol has
entered its third stage – the Top 50 stage where each week for five
weeks, ten contestants would perform on stage in front of a live
audience. Also at this stage, the power to choose who gets to go and
who stays has been taken away from the three judges and placed in the
hands of the viewing public.

After watching the
main one-hour staged show on TV on Sunday, viewers would then vote for
their favourite contestants to stay in the competition. The contestants
with the lowest votes then get evicted on the half-hour show on
Thursday.The sad thing here is that out of ten contestants, eight will
go, leaving two to move on to the final stage of the competition. This
puts a lot of pressure on the contestants to do their best to remain in
the show. The one performance they give each Sunday is the only chance
they get and whether they impress the judges or not, the onus now
remains on the voting public.

On Sunday, December
19, the first ten of the Top 50 got to perform. Although they were all
extremely talented with great vocal prowess, almost all of them seemed
totally unaware of what that particular stage held for them. Most of
them were more concerned with displaying their powerful voices than
connecting with the song and more importantly, the audience. One or two
of them were still playing to the familiarity that they held with the
Nigerian Idol judges that had picked them out, forgetting that their
judges were no longer in the studio but “out there”. Only one of them,
Ruth the youngest, managed to really connect with the audience and the
song, earning herself a standing ovation from the studio audience.

Picking two contestants out of eight is a really tough choice
especially when all are talented. The contestants need to make this
choice tougher for the voting public by stepping up their game and
really performing, not just singing. This advice may seem too late for
the first ten as already eight of them were asked to leave at the
Thursday eviction show on December 23. There are still three more
groups to go. Here is hoping that they learn from the first eviction
show and really ‘bring it’.

Fuji legend Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was buried in the sitting room of his Lagos home on Thursday, December 30, in line with the late musician’s wishes. The body, which arrived at his Fuji Chambers residence at 9.44pm, was buried shortly after 10pm, in accordance with Muslim rites.

The remains of Barrister, who passed away at a London hospital on December 16, had been delayed in the United Kingdom due to flight disruptions caused by bad weather. Scheduled to return to Nigeria on Wednesday, the arrival was the subject of much confusion, with spokespersons giving conflicting information about the exact whereabouts of Barrister’s remains and the Air France flight conveying it.

Thousands of fans kept a two-day vigil at the Fuji maestro’s home as family members and well-wishers waited. The arrival of Barrister’s remains was finally confirmed around 6pm Thursday, but so many fans had besieged the airport route that a decoy convoy had to be convened, to enable the corpse travel separately in privacy.

All day Thursday, a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed around the deceased’s home, popularly known as Fuji Chambers. Tessy Yembra who danced in Barrister’s famous ‘Fuji Garbage’ video in 1988, entertained waiting crowds with the dance again, 22 years on.

A stream of music stars arrived at Fuji Chambers throughout Thursday to condole with the family and await their fallen colleague. Among these were Salawa Abeni, Ayinla Kollington, Wasiu Ayinde, Segun Adewale and Dele Abiodun.

Many of Barrister’s fellow musicians joined his widows and children to witness the burial, including Ebenezer Obey, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Obesere and Saheed Osupa.

Seun Kuti @ Bogobiri- Boxing Day gig with Fela’s son and the Egypt 80- Bogobiri House, 7/9 Maitama Sule, Off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. 7pm.
The Waiting Room: Theatre performance-
Terra Kulture, 1376 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. 3pm. Today.
Kayode Adegbola: Photography exhibition by artist –
21 Oba Olagbegi Avenue, Old Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State. Show displays till December 31.
Renegade Theatre: Presents ‘Wat’s Dis All About?’ directed by Toyin Oshinaike-
Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. 3pm and 6pm every Sunday in December.
Nneka @ Bogobiri: New Year’s gig by MOBO award winner-
Bogobiri House, 7/9 Maitama Sule, Off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. 7pm. January 1, 2011.
The Contest: Dance theatre production by the National Troupe-
National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. Till January 2, 2011.
Green Summary: Exhibition by nine artists –
Centre for Contemporary Arts, McEwen Street, Yaba, Lagos. Till January 21, 2011.
Please send details of art events 10 days in advance by SMS (07034086014) or email: culture@234next.com.

Nigerian Idol has
entered its third stage – the Top 50 stage where each week for five
weeks, ten contestants would perform on stage in front of a live
audience. Also at this stage, the power to choose who gets to go and
who stays has been taken away from the three judges and placed in the
hands of the viewing public.

After watching the
main one-hour staged show on TV on Sunday, viewers would then vote for
their favourite contestants to stay in the competition. The contestants
with the lowest votes then get evicted on the half-hour show on
Thursday.The sad thing here is that out of ten contestants, eight will
go, leaving two to move on to the final stage of the competition. This
puts a lot of pressure on the contestants to do their best to remain in
the show. The one performance they give each Sunday is the only chance
they get and whether they impress the judges or not, the onus now
remains on the voting public.

On Sunday, December
19, the first ten of the Top 50 got to perform. Although they were all
extremely talented with great vocal prowess, almost all of them seemed
totally unaware of what that particular stage held for them. Most of
them were more concerned with displaying their powerful voices than
connecting with the song and more importantly, the audience. One or two
of them were still playing to the familiarity that they held with the
Nigerian Idol judges that had picked them out, forgetting that their
judges were no longer in the studio but “out there”. Only one of them,
Ruth the youngest, managed to really connect with the audience and the
song, earning herself a standing ovation from the studio audience.

Picking two contestants out of eight is a really tough choice
especially when all are talented. The contestants need to make this
choice tougher for the voting public by stepping up their game and
really performing, not just singing. This advice may seem too late for
the first ten as already eight of them were asked to leave at the
Thursday eviction show on December 23. There are still three more
groups to go. Here is hoping that they learn from the first eviction
show and really ‘bring it’.

The expansive
church hall of the West and Central Africa district headquarters of the
Apostolic Faith Church situated at Anthony Village in Lagos was packed
to capacity as multitudes came out to attend the church’s 2010 annual
Christmas concert on December 19.

The concert
featured the Apostolic Faith choir and orchestra, touted to be the
largest symphony orchestra in Africa. Former Head of the Interim
Government, Ernest Shonekan, deputy governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria Tunde Lemo and the Chancellor of Crawford University, a private
University owned by the Apostolic Faith mission, were some of the
public figures at the event.

There was a large
screen overhead which stated the title of each rendition, provided
lyrics when necessary and showed the performances for the benefit of
those who were far from the altar.

The performances

“This first part of
the show is for music masters like Handel and Bach. They are brought
back for you who like classical music,” said the compere. The choir and
orchestra went to work as they performed extracts from Handel’s
‘Messiah’ and Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio Part1’.

They also performed
some pieces which were arranged by members of the Apostolic Faith
Church. ‘O Christmas Tree’ and ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ were arranged by John
Aina, a renowned music expert at the Apostolic Faith Mission. The
melodious ‘Ring out the Merry Bells’ and ‘Merry Christmas (Tune: Rock-
a My Soul) were arranged by Kayode Oje, another music director at the
church.

In spite of the
drone of conversation in the audience which sometimes distracted, there
were some brilliant performances. ‘Lu Agogo (Jingle Bells), a
performance in Yoruba, was one of such.

Also during the
performance of ‘Beautiful Star of Bethlehem’ the lights were dimmed and
all eyes were drawn to the glowing star dangling from a rope above the
altar.

Defying an earlier
admonition to keep clapping to the minimum, as the concert was sacred
and not for entertainment, the congregation responded to the
performance with reverberating applause.

A choir of all ages

Remarkably, the choir and orchestra were made up of people of different age groups; young, middle aged and the elderly.

“We start teaching
children music as soon as they are four. So in our orchestra and choir,
we have teenagers and even those in their 50s and even 70s,” said the
compere, before introducing the Morning Star choir whom he said
consisted of people whose ages ranged from 17 to above 30.

The morning star
choir performed Ron Nelson’s ‘On Christmas Night’ and ‘Hallelujah,
Praise the Lord’. The ‘Surprise packet’ finally sealed it for the
Apostolic Faith Church choir and orchestra.

The compere
declined to mention the performance, but before he called out the name
of the person who would conduct the performance, the crowd went into
rapturous frenzy. “The retired but not tired music director who is now
72 years old”, the compere went on amidst the shouts.

Father of the choir

The grey bearded
and sprightly John Aina got on the stage while the congregation
continued to hail him. With a flourish of the wand, he sent the choir
and orchestra into a wonderful rendition of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus.

Dynamic and
demonstrative on the stand, the performers responded to him as though
he were a magician drawing out the performance from them. And it
wouldn’t be too far-fetched as Aina has been dubbed the father of the
choir.

Everyone got up to
watch this performance from start to the climax to the end. Aina is the
immediate past music director of the choir and orchestra. “He is an
expert. He is a multi-instrumentalist,” said one of the church members.

Aina who is also a
reverend and a computer specialist by profession, is a veteran music
director and composer; and apparently has a large fan base as the
Apostolic Faith Tabernacle at Anthony Village is the church
headquarters for west and central Africa.

Having retired two
years ago as music director, after working for many years, he is
presently a music consultant at the church. Our source also admitted
that the choir and orchestra is indeed the largest in Africa.

“We are known for
symphony orchestration,” he said and added that there was an ongoing
live broadcast of the event which was being viewed by branches of the
Apostolic Faith Church worldwide. The event culminated in a special
dinner hosted by the District Superintendent Rev. Adebayo Adeniran.

Founded in 1906, the Apostolic Faith Church’s international outreach
has spread far and wide, with over six hundred congregations in Nigeria
alone. The church headquarters is in Portland, Oregon in the United
States.

The National Troupe
of Nigeria (NTN) will stage Mike Anyanwu’s ‘The Contest’ to close its
2010 theatrical season instead of the late Wale Ogunyemi’s ‘Langbodo’
it had earlier announced.

The production will
open on December 24 at the National Theatre, Lagos and run till January
2, 2011.‘Langbodo’, which was originally intended to commemorate
Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary will now hold in the first
quarter of 2011.Martins Adaji, acting artistic director of the troupe,
disclosed that the production will hold after the April 2011 elections.
“It will be more appropriate to produce ‘Langbodo’ next year in order
to embrace the mood of the election and also celebrate Nigeria’s unity
through culture”, he said.

He also explained
why the epic play could not be staged this year. “We had planned to
stage ‘Langbodo’ in Lagos but we shelved it because we were involved in
the commemoration at the national level”, he said. “We had to honour an
invitation to perform in Germany and as soon as we returned, we
performed at the presidential banquet,” Adaji added.“Besides there were
great plays that were staged in Lagos courtesy of the Lagos State
Government as part of the independence commemoration, so it would have
been an over kill to also stage such a huge production at the period,”
he continued.

Adaji however
affirmed that ‘Langbodo’ would be staged next year, adding that, “We
decided on ‘The Contest’ which is an entertaining piece because we want
people to be entertained this season.”

‘The Contest’, is
set in a local community centres around Archibong who lures Amatu out
of her seclusion, but fails in persuading her into eloping with him, in
his final bid appearance to throw an open challenge to Karibo the
emerging champion of the contest. The riddle of the contest is
eventually solved with love.

Anyanwu, the
playwright and director, is a pioneer artist of the National Troupe of
Nigeria. He currently heads the Legal/Corporate Services department of
the NTN.

Monday, December
13, 2010 witnessed the signing of Nigeria’s first group copyright
royalty agreement between Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) and
Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).

COSON is Nigeria’s
sole approved collective management organisation for musical works and
sound recordings while WASPAN is the umbrella organisation for licensed
telecommunications content providers.

The ceremony took
place at COSON’s office in Ikeja and had in attendance Tony Okoroji,
COSON chair, Chinedu Chukwuji, the acting general manager, and the
representatives of some member companies of WASPAN.

Pathfinders and forerunners

Okoroji drew
attention to the significance and historic nature of the agreement at
the event. He described all those whose participation and contribution
had made the eventual agreement signing a reality as ‘pathfinders and
forerunners’ in the development of the intellectual property culture in
Nigeria.

The COSON chair
also referred to the extended period it took to negotiate the
agreement. “No contract is perfect and we could each have found a
thousand reasons everyday to keep changing the terms and avoid that
which we must do,” he said.

“If we had waited
for the perfect contract, we will never make progress. What is
important is that the parties keep acting in good faith and genuinely
work together to resolve any issues that may arise,” Okoroji added.

He praised WASPAN
for its promise to ensure that its members operate within the law so
that the abuse of the rights of artists and other investors in the
Nigerian music industry could be curbed and consequently eradicated.

Member companies of
WASPAN present at the ceremony included Funmobile, Cellulant Nigeria,
Text Nigeria and VAS2NETS among others. Aderinlola Simon, chief
executive officer of 3 Ways Communications spoke on behalf of the
member companies of WASPAN.

Responsible organisations

He said WASPAN is
a group of responsible corporate organisation committed to obeying the
directives from the Federal Government which stipulates that any
organisation that wants to use music had to follow certain procedures
which includes working with COSON.

Simon acknowledged
that there may be initial challenges in the process of implementing
some terms of the agreement and requested that COSON show understanding
with members who may have difficulties doing so.

Commenting on the development, Chinedu Chukwuji, acting general
manager of COSON said, “the event we have just witnessed is proof that
it can be done if people want to do the right thing.” He added that,
“All those looking for excuses to continue to use music free of charge
in Nigeria and feed fat from the labour of innocent artistes must
understand that there is no longer anywhere to hide. The more they try
to play hide and seek with COSON, the heavier the price they will
eventually pay. They may not know it but there is no place to hide
anymore.”

The West African
sub-region of the Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education
(PASMAE) held its maiden regional conference at the University of
Education, Winneba, Ghana from December 7 to 9. The conference also
doubled as a meeting of stakeholders which led to the formation of
PASMAE West Africa.

Musical arts
teachers from various educational institutions across West Africa,
music students and enthusiasts participated in the conference themed
‘Musical Arts Education and Indigenous Knowledge Systems’.
Representatives of the association from East and Southern Africa,
representatives of UNESCO were also in attendance.

Vice President,
PASMAE West Africa, Josephine Mokwunyei of the University of Benin,
convened the meeting. It featured paper presentations and workshops on
musical arts namely; music, dance, theatre, visual arts, costume and
media, and also musical and theatrical performances on various
sub-themes.

Director General of
the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Tunde
Babawale, chaired the opening ceremony. He spoke on the need to
maintain African indigenous knowledge systems including its arts and
culture.

Some notable
African musicologists and scholars were recognised for their
contributions to the musical arts and culture in West Africa and the
world at the conference. Chief was foremost ethnomusicologist, founder
and director of the International Centre for African Music Development
at the University of Ghana, J.H. Kwabena Nketia, an emeritus professor.

Others included
Africa’s first female professor of Musicology, Mosunmola
Omibiyi-Obidike, Meki Nzewi of the Centre for Indigenous Instrumental
Music and Dance of Africa at the University of Pretoria, South Africa
and Babawale.

James Flolu, one of
the founders of PASMAE, Charles B. Wilson, veteran music teacher and
Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice Chancellor of the University of Education,
Winneba, were also honoured.

The conference
which was supported and co-sponsored by CBAAC, witnessed the election
of Josephine Mokwunyei as chair, West Africa PASMAE.

Mary Danzi emerged
as the vice, Mereku Cosmos as secretary, Ifeoluwa Olorunsogo as finance
officer and Austin Emielu as operations officer. The next general
assembly is slated for 2012 and will hold in Nigeria.