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Writing poems about
football is not a big deal, notes Ismail Bala Garba, as he explains why
he writes poems about the popular game.

“Poetry shouldn’t
necessarily be about the so-called important issues; it could be about
mundane issues like football. If someone writes a poem about football,
he’s not only showcasing his love for football, a particular player,
club or brand of football, he is also making a statement that art could
be serious. It could be high art and at the same time, it could be
about mundane issues like football,” he says.

Though he has over
20 poems on ‘Football Poets’, the website that carries the motto:
‘swapping shirts with Shakespeare’, the round leather game is not only
what Garba, a lecturer in the Department of English and French, Bayero
University, Kano, writes about. His poems have appeared in local and
international journals including ‘Okike’; ‘Poetry Review’ (England);
‘Poetry’ (Chicago); ‘Stand'(England); ‘New Coin’ (South Africa); and
‘Karogs’ (Latvia), amongst others. “It’s something that I do
occasionally. Even amidst writing so called serious poetry, you could
find yourself writing poetry about other issues outside the main domain
of what counts as serious poetry.”

The co-editor of
‘Pyramids: Anthology of Poems from Northern Nigeria’ with Abdullahi
Ismaila, and ‘Fireflies: An Anthology of New Nigerian Poetry’ with
Ahmed Maiwada, is so interested in football poetry that he considered,
“bringing out an anthology of football poems” at a time.

“I have a friend
who is very keen and passionate about football poetry; he is an
American with an African sounding name based in Belgium. I don’t know
what happened, maybe the idea died. But I hope one day to revive it.”

Garba, currently at
the University of Iowa, US, for an international writing programme,
became interested in writing poetry in secondary school. He later chose
poetry as his preferred medium of expression, “maybe because it was the
first genre of literature that I came in contact with and from there my
love for literature developed.”

The dawdler

Though his poems
have been published in journals, newspapers, and anthologies, Garba’s
personal collection of poems is yet to be published.

“I am afraid I
still don’t have a collection to show for all these years of publishing
poetry. It’s quite a shame, one would say, and I would agree. I am the
kind of person who dawdles a lot, who procrastinates. So, perhaps, that
may explain the delay of publishing my poetry in a book. To put some
logic to it, I see myself as being very patient with the idea of bring
out a collection,” he says.

“I wouldn’t say I
am like the great Lebanese poet, Kahlil Gibran, who kept the manuscript
of his ‘The Prophet’ for many years, submitting it only when he thought
he was absolutely sure about the poems. But all the same, I would like
to keep the poems I have written over the years until I feel some level
of satisfaction before I collect the disparate poems I have published
over the years. “Another way of explaining it is that what I have
written in the past, published around the world, was written in a
voice, in a style I don’t recognise any more. As my writing voice and
style evolve, I become sceptical about what I have written previously.
I have this knack for revising endlessly what I have written.”

The author of ‘A
Strip of Wonder’, ‘A Nigerian Elegy’, and ‘The President’s Face’,
amongst other poems, writes “anytime, anywhere, any day. Mostly, I
write my creative pieces after reading other people’s work. That’s the
best time I get inspired.”

Interestingly,
poetry is the only way Garba expresses himself because, “I’ve tried my
hands unsuccessfully at short stories. So, basically, I’m a one man
show. I just concentrate on poetry.”

More doggerel, less poetry

Assessing the
seeming popularity of poetry in the country, the poet and critic says
more Nigerians are taking to poetry. “Probably because it is much
easier to write than a novel or play, which requires long years of
training. I’m not saying poetry doesn’t require such effort, but it’s
easy for people to string words together and call them poetry.”

Co-editor of the
critical book, ‘Towards Sustaining Creative Writing in Northern
Nigeria: Proceedings of the First Summit of Northern Nigerian Writers,’
Garba is, however, not happy with the quality of poetry collections
being published. “Any discerning observer of Nigerian poetry must have
noticed that just as many books are being churned out daily with an
alarming alacrity, the quality, really, has significantly gone down. Of
all the books being published in the name of poetry, honestly, only
very few can lay claim to being called poetry collection.

“Poetry is not just
stringing words together; it has many requirements. You could begin to
say poetry must have this, must have that, but in the end, when you
read a good poem, when you come across good poetry, you know it,
irrespective of the technical aspects. When you see a good poem, you
know it’s a good poem. For me, much of what is being churned out today
in the name of poetry in Nigeria really is not poetry, it’s something
else. Doggerel, just words strung together. Lifeless, uninspiring.”

Like other
observers, he attributes the decline in quality to self publishing. “In
an ideal situation, any would-be writer writes and tries to get
published in journals and anthologies. Popular newspapers, presumably
they have good editors, will sift through all submissions, look for the
good ones, edit, and publish them. A person who is lucky to have his
piece published in a journal, newspaper, or anthology will now go on
and collect those pieces that over the years are published in
newspapers, anthologies and journals to form a collection. He’s not
just going to approach a roadside printer, no.

“In an ideal
situation, such poems considered for publication will be submitted to a
conventional, professional publisher, who would pass it on to his
editors for assessment. After it is assessed and found to be
publishable, it would be published in a professional manner and then
there would be the cultural aspect of it; the critical industry out
there in form of publications in scholarly publications and newspapers.

“Good literature
thrives in a place where many things work in tandem to help nurture
that literature. You could say that such vital requirements, which
helped develop Nigeria literature in the 60s and 70s, are no longer
there now. Maybe that’s why we have this problem.”

The remedy

A lot, he says,
needs to be done to remedy the situation. “We‘ll need to have a serious
publishing industry. Serious newspapers that don’t just publish
anything, and good editors who will look you in the eye and say your
work is not good, we are not going to publish it, and would be writers
trying to avoid self publication.”

Though he agrees
the South has an edge over the North when it comes to creative writing
in English, he believes the North has made significant progress in
writing in indigenous languages, especially Hausa. That progress,
however, faces a new threat.

“That improvement
is also being hampered by the rise of the film industry. We have a
vibrant film industry in the North, which is more or less a Kano affair
and is nicknamed Kannywood. The rise of that film industry coincided
with the decline in what is known as Kano Market Literature.

“Many of the writers have turned their attention to filmmaking
because that’s where money could easily be made. Whether it’s true or
not, I cannot say but this is what is happening.”

After a ten-year
career in banking, Biodun Omolayo decided to change course and pursue
his first love: Arts. The fact that he had no formal training in Fine
Arts beyond his secondary education in Imade College, Owo, did not
deter the Performing Arts graduate, who had in the course of his
banking career, been earning a side income from producing art works.

Soon after resigning from his banking job, he enrolled to study General and Graphic Art at the Yaba College of Technology.

“I decided that
since I did not study visual arts, I needed to return to school. I
considered Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Ife,
but I had to give up the idea of either because of distance,” he
explains.

During the course
of his degree at Yabatech, Omolayo established an outfit, ‘Specifics
Ventures’, which specialised in furniture design, calendar, card and
poster design and production. After graduating, he also established the
Biodun Omolayo Art Gallery and a few years later, introduced the
children’s art initiative, ‘Young @ Art’.

“When I started the
gallery in Ikeja, I realised that my journey into arts would have been
shorter if I had had someone to guide me,” the artist reflects.

So, starting with
his own children and those of friends, he began Young @Art with just
nine children. The training encompasses artistic creativity, such as
painting, bead making, sculpting, ceramics, origami, card design, as
well as theatre and dance.

To Omolayo,
“Creativity is more than drawing and painting. It cuts across all
phases of life. Lessons in creativity teach children to think out of
the box.”

He describes the
training as very dissimilar to the formal environment of academic
learning: “It is not a furtherance of what they are taught in school.
Here, they get introduced to different areas. We teach them to be part
of the solution, rather than the problem. We encourage them to impact
their peers positively and to manage people and relationships.”

Through the eyes of a child

Recalling the
occurrence that inspired Young @ Art, Omolayo says that while he was
establishing the Biodun Omolayo Gallery at the National Museum, Onikan,
“a man came to me and asked why I had spent so much money on the
gallery when people do not really appreciate art in Nigeria.
Immediately he left, a little girl walked in and spent two hours just
admiring the works before asking if it was possible for her to learn to
produce something like the works on display.

“I thought to
myself, there was the adult, thinking about money without appreciating
the art, while the little child was really inspired by it. It occurred
to me then that I needed to do something for people like that
seven-year old.”

And Young @ Art,
which runs for seven weeks during the long holidays, has in six
editions, grown in size to a formidable population of about 50 children
in the two centres.

Working with
children now takes priority over the artist’s other involvement, as
according to him, “Everything else stands still for this programme. I
feel fulfilled, I feel appreciated, and it has given me a niche. Now,
when you mention children’s art programmes, the first thing that comes
to mind is Biodun Omolayo.”

Young dilettantes

On his training
resource, he says he insists on the best art material and does not
skimp on cost, despite the fact that the children are mostly young
dilettantes.

“You need to see
the quality of the art materials we provide for the children. Now, they
know the difference between oil and acrylic and can differentiate
between brushes. They can use pallet knives, and they know what priming
is all about.”

With the success of
the programme, Omolayo is taking his initiative of educating children
in the arts to admirable levels with his registration of the Young @
Art programme in the just concluded International Art Expo.

“When I got a booth
here, I decided to get one for them too, and they have been responsible
for operating the place,” he says with pride.

Despite these
efforts though, Omolayo considers that Young @ Art still has a long way
to go in propagating an appreciation for the arts.

“Sponsoring less privileged children would be a start,” he says, “but proximity remains a problem.”

An alternative he
devised to involve children whose parents ordinarily would be unable to
afford the training is the Young @ Art event held at City Mall, Onikan
on Children’s Day.

“We spent about 1.8
million naira on that day; and had about 450 children who participated
in the programme for free. We had to employ 65 tertiary students as
programme facilitators,” he recalls, while expressing hope that Young @
Art can replicate the feat in future.

Lack of sponsorship

The one challenge
the programme faces, however, is a continued lack of sponsorship,
although Omolayo hopes that the situation will improve soon with the
likely support of a multinational company.

He reveals also
that, “we are talking to the Lagos State government about establishing
more centres.” He further praised Governor Fashola of Lagos State as a
role model. “He is one of the most creative governors we have had in
Nigeria. And I point him out as an example to the children when I tell
them that leadership is about service,” says Omolayo.

This class of 2010

This year’s Young @
Art programme, which admitted children between the ages of four and 16,
culminated in an exhibition that held September 4 at the gallery, in
Onikan. Omolayo maintains that there was no selection of the children’s
best works, explaining that, “The programme is not academic; everyone’s
work is the best. Prices are moderate, but we want children to be
appreciated. Last year, a piece went for about 7,500. This year, it
went for 10,000.”

Revenue from the
works will be split between the children and the organisation, and
Omolayo advises that parents let their children get hold of the money
from the articles sold. “Let them know that for their creativity, they
have earned this particular amount,” he declares.

Omolayo’s love for
children and his enthusiasm to develop their artistry is infectious. He
opines that teaching children art does not just require teaching skills
or a degree in art, but a genuine love for the children and a
willingness to pass your knowledge to them in the most pleasant of
ways. He concludes that facilitators who work with him usually “get
infected with the love I have for the children.”

The children mirror Omolayo’s emotion as, in a chat with NEXT at
their booth at the recently concluded Art Expo, they extol the
personality and efforts of the artist whom they fondly call ‘Uncle
Biodun’. According to Damilola Akindele, one of the oldest students,
who had been involved in the training for the third year in row, “Uncle
Biodun encourages you to do what you love to do. If you can paint, he
gives you loads of canvas. It’s fun.” Ten year old Osemudiamen Okozie
also remarks that the artist gives them confidence to “use our
imagination to create new things that will develop our environment.”

Why Art?

Art is my life and a major part of my development. It makes me create and search for depth.

Training

A Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine and Applied Art from the University of Education, Rivers State, with a major in Painting.

Medium

Acrylic, oil, and goache.

Influences

Picasso. I really like so much of his work and style.

Inspirations

I am inspired by
African historical relevance; traditional mode of life and art; and
finding my cultural root identity challenging.

Best work so far

Not yet on canvas. Entire works sold and paid for; works I see no more.

Least satisfying work

Sometimes, I get
meticulous about details on my works. Least satisfying work most times
turns out to be my best work of art because a lot of meaningful time,
passion, and study would go into it. I love to celebrate every work,
but most of all, I love to show my best pieces.

Career high point

So far, I will say
my shows, presentations, and professional experiences in the United
Kingdom; and my works, personal projects and portfolios.

Favourite artist, living or dead

Seal.

Ambition

To be competitive, relevant in the global art scene, getting into contemporary mode of expression with my works.

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah is a creative person par excellence, with a rich background in
art and music that has shaped his immense and somewhat ‘underground’
contributions to the development and strengthening of both the art and
music scenes in Nigeria. Born in Accra, Ghana, of Nigerian parents, he
grew up and attended school in Ghana with intermittent visits to
Nigeria. He remembers the excitement of watching Ogunde’s Travelling
Theatre and listening to Victor Olaiya on their visits to Accra, and
growing up in an environment immersed in the contemporary cultures of
both countries.

He attended the
prestigious Chicago Art Institute, which produced Walt Disney and other
great artists. There, he studied Graphics and Commercial Design and
graduated in 1974. He then had a stint working with the famous
African-American Johnson publishing company, producers of Ebony, Jet,
and Negro Digest magazines. Thereafter, he worked with the Black
Muslims’ weekly, Bilalian News, as a designer and Mohammed Ali’s then
wife, Khalian, as the professional photographer, all in Chicago.

His life in
Chicago, apart from his studies, revolved around the music and
entertainment scenes. He became a centre of attraction for Nigerians
and African-Americans because of his vast collection of records,
particularly in the then new genres of Reggae and Afrobeat.

His first cousin,
J.K. Brimah, a long-time friend and musical guide to Fela Anikulapo,
used to send him new recordings by Fela. Eventually he met Fela at one
of his concerts in America. “Fela was a humble man and a shy man, a
fact many people don’t know,” he recalls.

Working with Fela

When Musiliu
Peregrino Brimah came back to settle in Lagos, he went to listen to
Fela perform at Cross Roads Hotel (after Kalakuta Republic had been
burnt down). His cousin formally introduced him to Fela as someone who
could design album covers. Fela then gave him a tape of his new
recording ‘Suffering and Smiling’, and asked him to listen to it and
design a cover for it.

“I was laughing all
the time I was listening to the music because the lyrics were so true
about social conditions, yet they were ironically funny,” Brimah
remembers, adding that he “decided to incorporate some Ancient Egyptian
motifs into the design.

“Fela liked the
design I did for ‘Suffering and Smiling’,” he continues “and he paid me
one thousand naira, which I later converted into two thousand American
dollars. Fela’s drummer then, Tony Allen, also liked the design and
asked me to design the album cover for his new recording ‘No
Accommodation’, which I did.”

Brimah then worked
with Ken Saro Wiwa, doing inside illustrations and cover designs for
many of his books, including ‘On a Darkling Plaine’, Saro Wiwa’s major
book on the Civil War.

Majek Fashek

With an ear for
good music and a deep passion for identifying and nurturing young
musical talent, Musiliu Peregrino Brimah then set about developing
up-coming Nigerian musicians; many of whom have become international
stars. His biggest success is Majek Fashek, and the hitherto unknown
story is best told by Brimah himself.

“I met Majek at
Tabansi Records as I was designing album covers for them in the early
80s. Majek saw my portfolio of artworks and I gave him a ride to
Surulere to his manager, Lemmy Jackson’s office. Lemmy wasn’t in, and
Majek asked if he could come to my house. First thing I told him was to
remove his shoes before he came into the house. This was very strange
to him and he said that in Benin, where he comes from, you only remove
your shoes to enter a holy place or shrine.

“I told him its
part of my Muslim tradition, as I pray on my carpet and I don’t want
people to come in with dirt on their shoes. He told me he was a
musician, but people didn’t believe in him and that he had a band
called Jahstick. He saw my record collection of over 1000 records I had
brought back from America and he started coming to my place regularly
to listen to music and listen to me because he knew I knew about music.

“I advised him to
add rock music to his reggae to get recognition abroad and that once
the young white audience accepted him, he would make it
internationally. So, we became friends. I advised him to sign with
Tabansi Records and they went to Onitsha to record. He came and played
the recording to me, which had ‘Righteous People’ and ‘Send Down the
Rain’. I told him ‘Send Down the Rain’ reminded me of Bob Marley and
that it was amazing a Nigerian could do that kind of music. I told him
he had to go and mix it abroad because it was a great sound. He told me
he had no money and I told him I would talk to Chief Tabansi who was a
nice man. I told Tabansi that it was great music and I had a friend in
Addis Ababa who had a studio where Aswad and the black musicians in
London hung out.

“Tabansi believed
in me and asked me to write to my friend, Tony Addis, to invite Majek
to London. Tony did, Majek was given a visa, and he went to London to
mix his recording. Gboyega Adelaja, my friend and musician of Hugh
Masekela fame, actually met Majek on his way to the studio and gave him
some money. They mixed at Addis Ababa and Majek came back and played
the new sound to me in my house. I was very happy!

“Majek always told
me he wanted to be a prisoner of his belief. We chose ‘Send Down the
Rain’ and ‘Redemption Song’ as the hit tracks of the album. I told him
he was going to be a great man. He was always anxious, and I told him
that God would make him suffer first. Majek was righteous then. He
didn’t smoke, didn’t drink.

“He said he wanted
to have a handcuff. I took him to the police station and the DPO
believed in me. He gave me some policemen who followed Majek and I and
the handcuffs to the studio on Ogunlana Drive where the owner, a German
lady, Gisela, took the photograph of Majek in handcuffs. The policemen
were laughing, and I told them Majek was going to be a great man. Majek
was humble. So I designed the album called ‘Prisoner of Conscience’
with Majek in handcuffs on the sleeve. Majek used to tell me that Fela
liked him.

“The launching of
the album was in Surulere and the venue was full of journalists. It was
outdoors. When they started playing ‘Send Down the Rain’ the sky
suddenly started changing and it started raining. I was sitting with
Majek and I told him that that was the sign that it was going to be a
big hit. The video of ‘Send Down the Rain’ was shot by Philip Trimmnel
and my young son and daughter were in the video.

“When the record
became a big hit, Majek told me that every time I talked to him he was
afraid. I told him he had to get close to God and I also told him he
had to go abroad and become a big star!”

To be continued… Majek in America, how Brimah groomed Paul Dairo,
Asa, and his plans to celebrate Nigeria@50 with a mega Nigeria-Ghana
music concert.

With a line up of
over 30 International jazz artists and home-grown talent, the 2010
annual Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival kicked off on a high note in
the Newtown Precinct of Johannesburg, South Africa on August 26 and ran
for three days, closing on August 28.

The entry fees
ranging from 330 to 500 South African Rands, and the chilly winter
wind, were not enough to stop Jazz enthusiasts from catching a glimpse
of their favourite musicians. There were also a range of other musical
styles, from Soul to R’n’B and traditional West African rhythms – but
all from a Jazz perspective.

The event opened at
the Dinaledi stage with the Gauteng Jazz Orchestra, Auriol Hays
followed by up and coming R’n’B singer, Brian Temba. Rahsaan Patterson
closed off with a stellar performance, showing off his outstanding
vocal abilities on his own songs and a few surprise covers.

A surprisingly
large number of young people in attendance on the opening night were at
home with the vibes from the Gauteng Jazz Orchestra. South African
homeboy Brian Temba, got the ladies screaming at the top of their
voices with his good looks, sex appeal and rich R’n’B/Soul sound.
American Soul singer, Rahsaan Patterson – who got the house singing
along with him when he performed a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Human
Nature’ and Sade’s ‘Stronger Than Pride’ – also got much love from the
crowd.

Enter the Legends

After that
well-received opening, the second night consisted of performances on
four stages by the likes of sultry Jazz diva Lalah Hathaway; Wassoulou
queen, Oumou Sangare; Kim Waters, Four Play, Poncho Sanchez and Ravi
Coltrane. They all graced the different stages simultaneously, thus
making it easy for fans of the respective artistes to attend separate
concerts.

Many headed towards
the Mbira stage where the Malian songstress Sangare, clad in a long,
cream coloured skirt in the Malian style, was holding sway. Before
stepping out on stage her drummers, back-up singers and dancers warmed
things up for the fired-up audience.

Although she
performed at the Mbira Stage, which had no sitting arrangements, as
guests had to either stand or sit on the lush red carpet which covered
the entire indoor location, it did not in any way stop the fun. And the
Malian deservedly emerged as the star attraction of the night as well
as the following night. One advantage provided by the lack of seats at
the Mbira stage was that it gave guests, who were predominantly
Caucasians, ample opportunity to express themselves through dancing,
thus savouring every minute of the evening.

The 42-year-old
Sangare stole the show on the night. Her vibrant and energetic dancers
also added colour to the event. She also introduced the audience to
tracks of her recently released fifth album, “Seya” which dwells on
issues concerning marriage, forced love and women emancipation.

Singing her
signature Wassoulou music, the ecstatic crowd was excited to see the
French and Bambara speaker take pains to explain the themes of some of
her songs in halting English, even in the absence of an interpreter.
Music is a universal language, they say, and Sangare’s fans didn’t seem
to mind.

As the night drew
to a close, the guests, unsurprisingly, refused to go home and the
delighted singer could not help but show appreciation for her devoted
fans by rendering more of her hit songs.

Outside the main
stage venue, songs by the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti could be heard
drifting from not too far away – from the free-entry gigs at Sophiatown
and Nikki’s Oasis venues, where upcoming acts like Quiet Storm and
Pebbles held sway.

Japanese Jazz, Irish folklore

Some in the
audience confessed to not having heard about Japanese Jazz musician
Sadao Wantanabe until this year’s festival. But they would not forget
him after seeing his performance. Wantanabe, a 72-year-old saxophonist
and flutist, instantly struck a chord with the audience. As with
Sangare, the septugenarian also performed at the Mbira Stage, where he
left the audience enthralled by his dexterity. His rendition of the
popular traditional South African folk song, “Shosholoza” got the crowd
screaming for more. From the beginning to the end, Wantanabe’s festival
appearance was filled with surprises.

With his
instrument, Johannesburg based flutist, Wouter Kellerman, turned on the
heat with his uncanny ability to fuse classical and contemporary
sounds. Kellerman, who perfomed at the closing ceremony of the 2010
FIFA World Cup, experimented with different music genres during his
set, from Irish folklore to classical songs.

Climax

If the opening two
nights of the festival were eventful, the last day was action-packed.
It was announced over the radio that tickets were sold-out, but this
was not in the least a surprise, as the line-up was star-studded.

On parade were
South African pianist Kyle Shepherd, who opened the Bassline stage with
her unique African-inspired jazz, as well as her countryman, vocalist
Nhlanhla Nciza, who was recording a live video at the Market Theatre.

Hathaway and
Patterson even got to share a stage and performed to a full house whose
mood was not in the least dampened by a series of technical hitches,
perhaps not uncommon for a live show of such magnitude. What was
however unusual, at least by South African standards, was the sudden
blackout that occurred midway through Ravi Coltrane’s performance. The
audience however responded by bringing out their cell phones and
cigarette lighters to illuminate the venue, while screaming for more.
The blackout was temporary, and the show did go on.

In the end, the 2010 Joy of Jazz Festival lived up to its billing;
even though the rest of the African continent was not well represented,
save for the Malian Sangare and a handful of South African acts. One of
the organisers, Peter Tladi, however disclosed to NEXT that plans are
underway to ensure that the continent is better represented next year,
with a view to making the Standard Joy of Jazz Festival a truly African
event.

On September 7,
Ozone Cinema, Yaba, hosted the first screening of the American-produced
Nigerian movie, D’Comeback. Produced by Prominent Cease, a group of
Nigerian entrepreneurs based in Washington, US, D’Comeback is a
fictional adaptation of the Biblical story of King David.

It is not all
religion however; though there are clues in the characterisation and
plot, it is not quickly apparent that the movie is based on a Bible
story. Directed by Femi Agunbiade, D’Comeback opens with a murder scene
witnessed by David, who is hidden in the shadows of the dark alley
where the crime takes place. The place is Ijoton, a town made unique by
the one code by which all its people live: disputes are settled by a
dance off.

Saul Johnson a
wealthy entrepreneur and the larger than life leader of Ijoton, was
introduced. And the next scene has Saul’s dancers, ‘The Enforcers’
battling it out in a dance off – a la ‘You Got Served’. The unthinkable
happens as they lose to the Goliaths, a rival dance group. This trend
continues, and Goliath takes up a number of Saul’s businesses, until he
has to seek recourse.

Laid out in
chapters, the movie chronicles Saul’s search for a means to redeem his
dance group and secure his empire – a search that leads him to David,
one of the best dancers in Ijoton. David initially refuses to join the
Enforcers, as he disparages the team. “The Enforcers are the wackiest
crew in Ijoton, and I’m not joining them because I’ve got a rep to
protect,” he declares.

Saul is stumped by
this refusal until Micah his daughter decides to help lure David, “No
one refuses me,” she declares to her father, “everyman has an itch; it
just means you have to scratch it.” David eventually caves in.

Micah and David

Soon David wins the
Enforcers’ dance battles and becomes an executive in the Johnson’s
business, but things soon go sour when Saul realises that David is
quickly gaining prominence. Saul, in his ensuing jealousy and paranoia,
develops a split personality that is evident in many scenes. The
condition gets worse after he tries unsuccessfully to put an end to
Micah and David’s budding romance. He begins to devise many plans to
eliminate David- one of which goes awry as he ends up killing his wife
instead.

Saul, aggrieved by
this loss, kills himself and leaves the reins of his business
unwittingly to David as in the wake of his father’s death Jonathan
exiles himself. Micah too, increasingly dissatisfied with David whom
she sees as lacking the ruthlessness of her own father, takes off. What
follows is a correction of Saul’s notorious legacy, and the dismissal
of Gwapo, Saul’s hired assassin.

The last thing
David wants is to become like Saul, and he is the epitome of all that
is different until he meets Beth, the wife of his dancer, Uriah. What
ensues is an affair with Beth, a pregnancy, an attempt to cover the
shame and finally David’s cold hearted murder of an innocent man. The
play explores the repercussion of David’s wickedness, and his eventual
repentance and redemption. The accusation by Saul’s wife on the shady
origin of her husband’s wealth is however not expounded.

Modern twists

A number of factors
make the movie a novel departure from the familiar Bible story. The
dance choreography routines that incorporated some spectacular dance
moves will, no doubt, be an attraction to the younger audience.
‘Ijoton’ depicts a dance town, using a play on the Yoruba word for
dance – Ijo.

With good picture
quality and well executed scenes such as a car bombing; the movie,
which is said to still be in post production stage, should fare well in
cinemas. The actors, unknowns, give impressive deliveries – especially
those playing David, Saul and Leila. Most remarkable though, is the use
of modern day phenomena to explain Biblical references – for instance,
the evil spirit that the Bible says was sent by God to torment Saul is
explained through hallucinations and the emergence of his split
personality.

Also, while the
story seemed to lack a larger social backdrop, beautiful outdoor scenes
like a plane hangar and a harbor are shown – thus succeeding in showing
rather than just implying the wealth of the Johnsons. Also commendable
is the movie’s use of Nigerian soundtrack, specially written and
produced for the movie. Though it starts out on a slow pace, which is
particularly due to dance scenes that went on too long, the movie picks
up eventually.

Shileola
Adeniranye, one of the film’s nine producers, was present at the
screening, and spoke about the movie, scheduled to premiere on
September 29. She disclosed that D’Comeback was shot in six months on a
modest budget of 90,000 dollars, using a wholly Nigerian cast and crew.

The concept of dance

So how did the
producers come up with the concept of dance as a determinant of
community disputes? Adeniranye responded that with the increasing
popularity of dance, especially among the youths, it was a way of
capturing that segment of the audience. “As stated in the Bible, Saul
commanded an army of soldiers, it would have been difficult staging
battles and wars, so we thought to use dance competitions instead. It
also helped that one of the producers is a choreographer.”

A graduate of
English and creative writing, Adeniranye said the producers hope “to
inspire people and create entertainment that is engaging.” She also
spoke about the perceived bubble effect caused by the absence of any
landmarks or references to a larger society, “That was deliberate;
Ijoton is a fictional place, so it wouldn’t do for us to have shown the
White House or other identifiable places. We wanted to keep away those
factual details.”

Diasporan movie

Shafy, whose face
and voice featured many years back in musician Seyi Sodimu’s hit track,
‘Love Me Jeje’, played the part of Saul’s wife, Leila, and was at the
screening. “It was not a very challenging role for me,” she disclosed,
“I am a married woman, so I just had to put myself in the frame of mind
of a woman whose husband was cheating, and imagine the hurt” Asked what
she thinks about the Diaspora making a Nigerian movie for Nigerians,
she reacted, “Why not? If we are there and (Nigerian movie makers) are
trying so hard to break into the international scene, why can’t we do
movies and send them home? We are steadily doing things people here can
be proud of,” she concluded.

The movie begins
its cinema run in Nigeria in October. Kene Mkparu, CEO of Film House
and former MD of Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Lekki, controls the movie’s
distribution in Nigeria. “I like supporting Nigerian products and this
movie is 100 percent Nigerian,” he said. He noted the strong suits of
the movie thus: “Nigerians are a religious people so there will be
identification with its theme. Also, it’s an interesting retelling of a
Biblical story as set in the modern day will make a connection with
many people, especially the youth. And in how many Nigerian Movies have
you seen street dance that is done well?”

While Mkparu assured Nigerians that the premiere will air a digital
version that will further enhance picture quality, he expressed
satisfaction with the production so far, saying “D’Comeback meets the
technical, performance and cinematography standards of any good movie.”
He however did mention one change he would have made in the movie if he
had been involved in its production from start, “I would have included
a known Nigerian face in the cast; not for any performance reasons but
strictly from a marketing standpoint.”

The writer V.S.
Naipaul is at it again. He has just visited Africa and written about
his contempt for that continent in his new book The Masque of Africa.
He travels to places like Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast,
Gabon and South Africa – to discover the “nature of African belief”
according to a recent review of the book by Sameer Rahim in the UK
Telegraph. Rahim gives the clear impression that this book does not
improve upon the silence. It is the same tired, stereotypical garbage
about Africa and civilisations of colour. You wonder if at 80 years of
age, he is finally losing it. In Gabon, his legs give way and someone
attempts to transport him in a broken wheelbarrow. Give me a break! Why
the drama?

The sad truth is
that ever since Naipaul was born, as he would put it, among the
wretched of the earth, he has struggled obsessively to escape his skin.
He fills great books with reams of self-loathing. His interviewers
never fail to notice this little man of colour in the English
countryside dressed in a Tweed jacket. Almost every interview of him
mentions with breathless wonder that this man from India via Trinidad
is dressed – in a Tweed jacket. It is the ultimate rejection of his
claim to another civilisation, and humanity. Just like us. Naipaul is
us.

The African
intellectual from the beginning has been frustrated by the constant
label of “the other” that is implied in how Westerners view Africa and
her inhabitants. It just seems like there is nothing we can do or say
that lets even our most liberal Western friends view us as part of a
bland, no-drama humanity. It understandably upsets us, and when
Naipaul, one of us, joins in the heckling, we froth in the mouth. There
is plenty of blame to go around, but African intellectuals are refusing
to accept credit for any of the blame. We have abandoned the peasants
who spent so much to get us an education and get them out of hell. We
are in pursuit of our own needs, screw the community. Wine glass in
hand, we mouth white words to white-out what we view as our frailties.
Let us be honest: why would anyone look at the charade that is Nigeria
today and be respectful of her? It is taboo to talk about these things;
it is self loathing and racist. With the awesome power of the white
man’s own words, we bully the West away from the table of dialogue. In
secret, we admire these strange, racist, prejudiced people that see
tomorrow, and go into it fighting. They are next to their God, the
racist Narcissus who sends mean armies after us in gleeful hunt.

We obsess about
what people think of us. I say, get over it; they probably believe we
are pretend humans. A pox on their houses. We are not savages. The real
savages are the racists in our midst. Possessing only primitive
instincts, bereft of thinking skills, they shudder at the other. Racism
is savagery; it diminishes the perpetrator and assigns humanity to the
garbage heap of Early Man. Only savages would spend three trillion
dollars on an unnecessary war against those who cannot tell nuclear
from noodles. Ask the Iraqis.

There is no
defending Naipaul. Achebe already deconstructed Naipaul’s demons and I
couldn’t agree with him more. But I must say, it is time to move from
yelling at racists, real or imagined, to reflecting also on our role in
this mess. Naipaul’s ‘A Bend in the River’ was written over four
decades ago. Today, black Africa may have regressed from that point in
time. Why are things the way they are? We get defensive and yell:
“Can’t you see, we are human like you, we wear suits, and we eat ice
cream with cutlery!” “We are like you!” is our best defence against
charges of our human ineptitude. Yet, our leaders can barely sustain
what passes for modern society, even when they are given all the
resources. They steal it and invest in pretend processes. Kenya has
just spent sinful resources on producing a ‘constitution’ when the bulk
of her people will not know one if it is pressed against their noses.
Face it: what is racist about pointing out that much of black Africa is
a farce today, many thanks to us her intellectuals and leaders?

Raheem observes this about Naipaul: “Perhaps, like his father, he is
worried about what he sees when he looks in the mirror. Is he the Nobel
Prize-winning sage who has written 30 acclaimed books over 50 years? Or
is he a fraud, pretending to be a country gentleman in Wiltshire when
his true home is among the wretched of the earth?” The question should
be directed not only at Naipaul, but at all of us, fighting gamely to
flee the condition we were born into. We may be blue-suited frauds
pretending to be country gentlemen even as we ignore the travails of
our fellow wretched of the earth.

Nobel laureate Wole
Soyinka was the main attraction at the first Ondo State International
Conference of Culture, which opened in Akure, on September 1 and closed
on September 4. It was the first time an international conference of
such magnitude would be hosted by Ondo State, otherwise known as the
‘Sunshine State’.

Themed, ‘Culture
and the Challenge of Development in Nigeria’, the conference attracted
a slew of dignitaries to the Ondo State capital, including: leader of
the Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Reuben Fasoranti; politician Olu Falae
and senator, Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa. Chief host was Ondo State governor,
Olusegun Mimiko. The two-day conference was under aegis of the state’s
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, headed by Tola Wewe, a major visual
artist.

Political flavour

The stated aim of
the conference was to fashion out ways of ensuring that the fast fading
cultures and values in the country are not allowed to sink into
oblivion. However, the culture conference assumed an almost political
flavour, perhaps due to the large number of politicians in attendance.
Among the relatively few culture figure present, was the Director
General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation,
Tunde Babawale.

Although the
programme was intended to promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage, seventy
percent of delegates were clad in Western attires including the ushers,
hired by the organisers. Except for the few who sat on the high table
who conformed to indigenous dress modes, others were kitted out in a
variety of English outfits.

The occasion was
further turned to a political meeting of sorts, as speaker after
speaker delved into the neglect of our cultural values, which has
continued to make a mockery of our democratic values. Keynote speaker
was Soyinka, who declared that Nigeria has been bedeviled by a culture
of jungle politics; and for her to achieve cultured elections next
year, “we must get things right now.”

He warned that
thugs, charlatans, swindlers and pretenders have taken over governance
in most parts of the country, making a jungle of the polity.

Talking about the
brutality of some of our leaders, especially the kind that ruled
between 1999 and 2007, Soyinka said self-glorification and the ability
to thwart the efforts of perceived enemies even within the system, has
led to stagnation in the country. “After about three decades of
military rule in the country, the civilian administrations in the last
11 years are yet to restore civility to our system,” he said.

On Bola Ige

Paying tribute to
Bola Ige, who was murdered in 2001, Soyinka suggested that the enemies
of the country masquerading as the ‘President’ frustrated the late
Cicero’s efforts to turn around the power situation and ensure
uninterrupted electricity supply.

He said Bola Ige,
“whose deeds are still very much alive with us,” took the Power and
Steel Ministry when he was asked to serve the nation based on his
(Soyinka) advice and conviction to turn around power but was sabotaged
by the same man who employed him.

Naming no names,
Soyinka stated further: “The hawks in the system threw the spanner and
[Ige] was taken to the Justice Ministry where he was humiliated out of
the system through a brutal death carried out in his bedroom.”

Soyinka, while
lamenting Ige’s murder, questioned the election of one of his suspected
killers who was declared the winner of an election even while in
detention; and who has since become established as one of Nigeria’s
lawmakers.

Citing Fagunwa

“The anti-culture
of jungle politics is becoming the order of the day because the law of
the jungle prevails in our society where politicians and security
agencies are let loose to unleash mayhem on the polity without recourse
to the law,” said Soyinka, whose speech was titled ‘Culture and
Politics’.

Giving the
illustration of D.O Fagunwa’s books to buttress his points, Soyinka
said it was unfortunate that the nation is still far behind the Yoruba
novelist’s fictitious jungle. The Nobel laureate disclosed that he is
putting the finishing touches to his translation into English of
Fagunwa’s novel, ‘Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje’. The late Fagunwa is
one of Ondo State’s most potent cultural icons, having hailed from
Oke-Igbo.

After his keynote address, the Nobel Laureate was conducted by
Governor Mimiko on a tour of the ultra-modern NEPA Neighbourhood
Market, to the delight of the market women.

charging up the flank

tearing up the opposite zeal

yeah it`s all a farce

the booing pelting us

tiring, but want to run deep,

yet we are caught flat

our fans praising us still

wake up losers, get the ball

two zero against the team

convert it, please

what a goal by the defender

he’s alone in the field

One of the football poems of Ismail Bala Garba, a Manchester United fan.

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah is a creative person par excellence, with a rich background in
art and music that has shaped his immense and somewhat ‘underground’
contributions to the development and strengthening of both the art and
music scenes in Nigeria. Born in Accra, Ghana, of Nigerian parents, he
grew up and attended school in Ghana with intermittent visits to
Nigeria. He remembers the excitement of watching Ogunde’s Travelling
Theatre and listening to Victor Olaiya on their visits to Accra, and
growing up in an environment immersed in the contemporary cultures of
both countries.

He attended the
prestigious Chicago Art Institute, which produced Walt Disney and other
great artists. There, he studied Graphics and Commercial Design and
graduated in 1974. He then had a stint working with the famous
African-American Johnson publishing company, producers of Ebony, Jet,
and Negro Digest magazines. Thereafter, he worked with the Black
Muslims’ weekly, Bilalian News, as a designer and Mohammed Ali’s then
wife, Khalian, as the professional photographer, all in Chicago.

His life in
Chicago, apart from his studies, revolved around the music and
entertainment scenes. He became a centre of attraction for Nigerians
and African-Americans because of his vast collection of records,
particularly in the then new genres of Reggae and Afrobeat.

His first cousin,
J.K. Brimah, a long-time friend and musical guide to Fela Anikulapo,
used to send him new recordings by Fela. Eventually he met Fela at one
of his concerts in America. “Fela was a humble man and a shy man, a
fact many people don’t know,” he recalls.

Working with Fela

When Musiliu
Peregrino Brimah came back to settle in Lagos, he went to listen to
Fela perform at Cross Roads Hotel (after Kalakuta Republic had been
burnt down). His cousin formally introduced him to Fela as someone who
could design album covers. Fela then gave him a tape of his new
recording ‘Suffering and Smiling’, and asked him to listen to it and
design a cover for it.

“I was laughing all
the time I was listening to the music because the lyrics were so true
about social conditions, yet they were ironically funny,” Brimah
remembers, adding that he “decided to incorporate some Ancient Egyptian
motifs into the design.

“Fela liked the
design I did for ‘Suffering and Smiling’,” he continues “and he paid me
one thousand naira, which I later converted into two thousand American
dollars. Fela’s drummer then, Tony Allen, also liked the design and
asked me to design the album cover for his new recording ‘No
Accommodation’, which I did.”

Brimah then worked
with Ken Saro Wiwa, doing inside illustrations and cover designs for
many of his books, including ‘On a Darkling Plaine’, Saro Wiwa’s major
book on the Civil War.

Majek Fashek

With an ear for
good music and a deep passion for identifying and nurturing young
musical talent, Musiliu Peregrino Brimah then set about developing
up-coming Nigerian musicians; many of whom have become international
stars. His biggest success is Majek Fashek, and the hitherto unknown
story is best told by Brimah himself.

“I met Majek at
Tabansi Records as I was designing album covers for them in the early
80s. Majek saw my portfolio of artworks and I gave him a ride to
Surulere to his manager, Lemmy Jackson’s office. Lemmy wasn’t in, and
Majek asked if he could come to my house. First thing I told him was to
remove his shoes before he came into the house. This was very strange
to him and he said that in Benin, where he comes from, you only remove
your shoes to enter a holy place or shrine.

“I told him its
part of my Muslim tradition, as I pray on my carpet and I don’t want
people to come in with dirt on their shoes. He told me he was a
musician, but people didn’t believe in him and that he had a band
called Jahstick. He saw my record collection of over 1000 records I had
brought back from America and he started coming to my place regularly
to listen to music and listen to me because he knew I knew about music.

“I advised him to
add rock music to his reggae to get recognition abroad and that once
the young white audience accepted him, he would make it
internationally. So, we became friends. I advised him to sign with
Tabansi Records and they went to Onitsha to record. He came and played
the recording to me, which had ‘Righteous People’ and ‘Send Down the
Rain’. I told him ‘Send Down the Rain’ reminded me of Bob Marley and
that it was amazing a Nigerian could do that kind of music. I told him
he had to go and mix it abroad because it was a great sound. He told me
he had no money and I told him I would talk to Chief Tabansi who was a
nice man. I told Tabansi that it was great music and I had a friend in
Addis Ababa who had a studio where Aswad and the black musicians in
London hung out.

“Tabansi believed
in me and asked me to write to my friend, Tony Addis, to invite Majek
to London. Tony did, Majek was given a visa, and he went to London to
mix his recording. Gboyega Adelaja, my friend and musician of Hugh
Masekela fame, actually met Majek on his way to the studio and gave him
some money. They mixed at Addis Ababa and Majek came back and played
the new sound to me in my house. I was very happy!

“Majek always told
me he wanted to be a prisoner of his belief. We chose ‘Send Down the
Rain’ and ‘Redemption Song’ as the hit tracks of the album. I told him
he was going to be a great man. He was always anxious, and I told him
that God would make him suffer first. Majek was righteous then. He
didn’t smoke, didn’t drink.

“He said he wanted
to have a handcuff. I took him to the police station and the DPO
believed in me. He gave me some policemen who followed Majek and I and
the handcuffs to the studio on Ogunlana Drive where the owner, a German
lady, Gisela, took the photograph of Majek in handcuffs. The policemen
were laughing, and I told them Majek was going to be a great man. Majek
was humble. So I designed the album called ‘Prisoner of Conscience’
with Majek in handcuffs on the sleeve. Majek used to tell me that Fela
liked him.

“The launching of
the album was in Surulere and the venue was full of journalists. It was
outdoors. When they started playing ‘Send Down the Rain’ the sky
suddenly started changing and it started raining. I was sitting with
Majek and I told him that that was the sign that it was going to be a
big hit. The video of ‘Send Down the Rain’ was shot by Philip Trimmnel
and my young son and daughter were in the video.

“When the record
became a big hit, Majek told me that every time I talked to him he was
afraid. I told him he had to get close to God and I also told him he
had to go abroad and become a big star!”

To be continued… Majek in America, how Brimah groomed Paul Dairo,
Asa, and his plans to celebrate Nigeria@50 with a mega Nigeria-Ghana
music concert.