ewaBAMIJO Media Campaign

Trailer 2: do we need cola cola to dance?

Do we need Cola-Cola to dance.

Photos by Emeka Okereke

ewaBAMIJO : CALL FOR PROPOSALS

ewaBAMIJO : CALL FOR PROPOSALS AND SUBMISSION OF NEW/EXISTING WORKS

WHO WE ARE.Yk Projects is a small scale organisation, legally registered and operates between Nigeria and France as an Artistic entity, it constantly re-unites new generation artists from different sectors of the art, for the execution and dissemination of artistic and socio-cultural projects, all with the intentions of creating an alternative landscape for the local audience to be aware of the arts through out door performances, new media and publications.
Yk Projects has left her imprint in the subconscious of many around the globe, getting more involved in the contemporary dance and circus art discourse in Africa, Europe and America at large, through stage performances, street happenings, archives of dance related materials, documentary films, articles, blogging, workshops and participation in big festivals and conferences.
ACTIVITIES
Our main activities include creations and performances (Mainly Dance, New circus art and Street arts with the fusion of other media), Coverage and documentation of art related profiles for media and archival purposes, event organizations such as ewaBAMIJO, public jams, workshops and conferences.
ewaBAMIJO.

ewaBAMIJO is a bi-annual festival for interdisciplinary arts, specially dedicated to infecting the city of Lagos and establishing relationships through DANCE, CIRCUS, COMEDY, MUSIC, DANCE DRAMA, SPOKEN WORD, PERFORMANCE ART and other interdisciplinary art forms, under one dance umbrella, that brings about conferences, debates, film screening and performances. EBJ 2009 will hold from 27th to 31st October 2009.

Since 2005 Yk Projects organised EBJ locally in Lagos, with the aim of expanding and merging the dance frontiers with other local artistes. In 2005 and 2006, EBJ was organised as a one-day event that gathered artistes of different genres, amongst which are dancers, musicians, comedians, poets, actors and journalists, to come under one dance umbrella, as means of enforcing our collecting impact on the society. EBJ will later become a bi-annual and international event from 2009, but still dedicated to local development.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS.
The Self Imagining of EBJ is an étude in negation. Neither global nor local; Neither Western nor African; Neither mainstream nor independent, Neither tourist spectacle nor high art. Not multiculturalism; Not tribalism; Not showcase of new stars; Not competition for superiority; Not a patriotic celebration of our heroes and wins... With this edition, we call for the renovation of the practices and theoretical interface of contemporary art around the world, to depart from its all pervasive socio-political discourse and fantasies, but work together with other kind of artists, scholars, students, critics and our audience, to discover new modes of thinking and develop new analytical tools for dealing with the arts world under our circumstances, and bring attention to the 'limits of globalisation'.

ewaBAMIJO has several components that revolve around this year’s theme:

1. New/Existing Works.
2. Commissioned Works.
3. Invited Works (strictly by invitation).

We are inviting interested Artistes from all over Nigeria to apply to participate in the New/Existing Works and/or with a Commissioned Work.

NEW/EXISTING WORKS.
For the 2009 edition of ewaBAMIJO, we wish to present original boundary-breaking, cutting edge, socially-engaged performance works to people from all walks of life, including the media, and provide a platform for Dancers, Actors, Musicians, Comedians, Poets, Circus artistes, Performance artists as well as Spoken word artists, to collaborate with others from different backgrounds and disciplines in making innovative, provocative, thought-provoking, non-commercial performance works; We are particularly, though not exclusively, interested in collaborative interdisciplinary works that reunites two or more artistic expressions. Please note that we do not accept works less than 15 minutes or more than 30 minutes.

COMMISSIONED WORKS.
We are also calling for proposals for new performance works. Site-specific works that could be performed in public and non conventional spaces. We are not looking for ‘plays’ or specific 'dance pieces' in this context, but Performance art pieces, performance installations, public space acts, improvisations, road shows etc. made by interesting collaborative teams or individuals will attract our interest.

If this project appeals to you please apply with a detailed proposal indicating which component you wish to apply for, outlining the form and the content of the piece, the creative team, the type of venue and size of performance. Technical details if necessary, C.Vs, clear photographs of the creative team or one that represents the piece should be included, an audio or video sample of your work would be advantageous. Your proposal must be clear and convincing. Proposals should be submitted online through proposals@ewabamijo.com, and it MUST reach us latest by 10th of August 2009.

Only selected works shall be contacted before 15th of September 2009. Selected participants should be ready to collaborate with other disciplines. The creative team of ewaBAMIJO might find different proposals from two or more distinct artists, propositional to merge ideas, e.g A dance piece with a poet, a musician with a dancer... but no decision shall be taken without your consent.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Regards.

Qudus ONIKEKU
Artistic Director and Project coordinator
ewaBAMIJO

Qudus' Performance in Sao Paolo

The itinerant dance of Qudus Onikeku
by Deborah Rocha · 25 June 2009

Round squares, uneven grass yards, narrow streets and dead-end alleys. Launched randomly at the vivifying tension of streets, two dancers and a group of performing artists give start to the first movements of a loose choreographic scene, improvised, attractive and free of academicism. In a few minutes, pedestrians, garbage men, wagoners, beggars and workers – potential spectators – stop their own movements and, out of curiosity, gather around the newest space created for dance. The urban scene is part of the documentary Do We Need Cola-Cola to Dance, produced in July 2007, in African countries, by the YK Projects, a collective of artists of the new Nigerian generation, living or working in France.

Ahead of the collective is Qudus Onikeku, winner of the Future Awards 2009 (Nigeria) Dancer of the Year award. At age 17, he left for France, where he graduated at the Ecole Nationale des Arts du Cirque as dancer and acrobat, with a full scholarship from the French government. Parallel to his graduation, he was a resident artist at Gongbeat Artes, in Lagos, where he was born. Six years later, during the process of returning to his own African culture, he was faced with difficulties and issues revolving around the role of art and dance in the current context. What is an artist? Who and where is his audience? What is our stand on the global debate? Why do we study abroad if our audience is in Africa? How do we use the knowledge we acquire in the return to our homeland? When will we stop depending on the West to assure the survival of our talents?

With a body language composed by elements of capoeira, circus and Lagos street dance, Qudus took a contemporary dance free of stereotypes to unconventional spaces, places the growing art network hardly reaches, which contributes to the development of local initiatives. The collective, which has the support of Prince Claus Fund, in the Netherlands, carried out interventions in public spaces in Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Cameroon, along with a video artist, a photographer and a sound technician. The performances were improvised and non-official, with little or no advertisement, in a kind of revival of old itinerant theaters.

The documentary has been screened in Lagos, Massachusetts, Kinshasa, Chigago and participated in the 24hours24Artist online festival, in Texas. It was screened for the first time in Brazil at Espaço Matilha, in São Paulo, on June 8. After the screening, Qudus took part in a debate with the audience, which included members of CNAC (Centre Nacional des Arts du Cirque), of the hip hop community and musicians like Simone Sou, with whom Qudus performed an intervention in the center of São Paulo, on June 13. The partnership with the percussionist, who has already worked with Brazilian musicians Itamar Assumpção, Chico César, Zeca Balero, Zélia Duncan and most recently, Os Mutantes, resulted in two performances. One was in front of Galeria do Rock, near Largo Paissandu, and the other one was at Viaduto do Chá, between 12 and 16 o´clock, a time of intense pedestrian movement in the area. Both artists met for the first time during the launching of the documentary in São Paulo and got briefly acquainted in a second encounter before the performance. The public stopped to watch the performance and some people even interacted with Qudus.

After the experience in São Paulo, the Nigerian artist will follow to Belo Horizonte, Bogotá, Buenos Aires. In July, he will be in New York City, where he will screen the documentary and perform with local artists. His project is to keep travelling with this kind of work and explore the involvement of African artists in the debate and development of the art market in African, in a way that is not submissive to European or North-American patterns, but rather committed to the understanding of their own values. Qudus work originated Ewa Bamijo, a dance and performing arts meeting that takes place every two years and is happening this year in Lagos, Nigeria, from October 27 to 31.

“This project is, first of all, an imagined solution for a highly personal issue, that disturbed my soul as a Young African creator and breaks the barriers between the artist and his audience and vice versa”, says Qudus. “I believe there is a powerful connection between artists and human rights activists. Both can rise against status quo to say what must be said in the name of humanity”, he asserts. It´s worth following the work of this young artist and the continuity of his actions in the increasing space dedicated to urban performance in places like Africa and Brazil.

There will be no REVOLUTION !

Published on Sahara Reporters on 27th June, 2009 as There will be no REVOLUTION !

Why do Nigeria even need a Revolution?

Lately, I have eloquently engaged people on different fora over my musings on the possibility of the Nigerian revolution, and I have finally come to terms with the fact that there will be no revolution in Nigeria. But what else could be required of a nation where one must bribe a worker before he performs the duty he was employed for? What is required of a nation where there is no respect for civil rights, just as there is no respect for our fellow human beings and their freedom of speech? no Democracy, no development. A people who cannot be convinced that those with different social and sexual orientation have a right and dignity to be different and alive, how then do you begin to tell them that they deserve socio-political freedom? A people embedded in 'Up NEPA' mentality, jumping in euphoria when the least of their basic amenity as a citizen is given to them.

Nigeria is surely overdue for a purge, the problem is that Nigerians themselves are too corrupt; they are either too fat to be bothered, or too skinny to lift a plume, and above all, too cowardly to ignite a revolution. If our indocility could not make brave ones like Fela or Soyinka, or even Ribadu take us safely to the promise land, is it our generation filled with a bunch of big-mouthed Philistines that will provide such hero? The revolution i dreamt about is not absolutely about a thirst for blood on the land, but what other DRAMATIC CHANGE will forcibly overthrow, not only to establish a new political system but to transform and re-orientate an entirely corrupt society and social order in favour of a new system that will replace the status quo?

We are SICK and TIRED.

No revolution in a SICK and TIRED nation; Sick Youth with Tired elders...

For the Abatis* and the Bankys*, please do the equation with me. A bunch of self deluded Youth + Disillusioned adults = No space for revolution. 'For record purpose', this piece is might as well be considered as my rejoinder to the article 'A Nation's Identity Crisis' by Reuben Abati in the The Guardian on Sunday, June 21, 2009 and Banky W's response on his blog, June 22, 2009.

I was alerted by a well respected brother about the existence of this article, with all exuberance and eagerness to finally discover the Reuben Abati that my ears are filled with, I read the article over dinner and realised it wasn't an article really worth losing sleep over. It only showed how Nigerians love to reminisce about a synthetic day of yore. I have no patience for that these days. If I want to be generous, I will say 90 percent of our so-called elite elders are a waste of space, a storm in a tea cup. I don't bother with tea cups. If more people, even if they were writers wrote well, and I mean well and not terribly, then we would have something to talk about, so on that note i said goodnight to myself in my cosy hotel room.

The greatest shock came when I realised how much uproar this article has caused amongst the Bankys* of our time, who crept on this article until it became pandemic all over the search engines. I asked myself, is it really worth the energy? but my question came too late, this phenomenon has already taken over Google itself, but to me these debates are really writ-large beer parlour conversations. Since my public banter with Chude Jideonwo of the Future Awards, I have noticed that many of my generation rarely comment on substantive topics that demand actual thinking, because many are incapable of such thought patterns and processes - for quick confirmation, go take a look at an article titled "D’BANJ & HIS LIFE OF INFIDELITY", on facebook alone there are 280 comments on it - The pint is not that we are not intelligent, The disaster however is that we just don't think. A thoughtless statement like this article that began by eulogising a colonial heritage and looking for the lost 'eria' in 'naija', will make us pile up like area boys that had just sighted a goods container driving into their territory. Yet, these are our so-called educated class. Give me a break, /Sigh/. What kind of revolution are we waiting for?

The Power of culture.

There will be no revolution in a nation oblivious of the Power of culture...

There will be no revolution in a nation whose inner spirit is not embedded in her cultural values, her inability to understand and appreciate her beliefs and values will lift no feather, to apply them humanly to our daily lives, and to explore the human experience in all its richness. There will be no revolution until our so called elders in high places begin to teach ordinary people that art is valuable, that its not something that the rich have in their own worlds, and that access to the arts it the secret to a high quality and satisfying life, that the human life and the distinctive human potential is empty without these values and virtues. 

Standards and values are an integral part of any culture; hence, culture is the bedrock supporting every development, it is a tool for emancipation and holds true for equal rights, responsibility for future generations, freedom of speech, and democracy. Our cultural heritage is generally associated with archives, works of art and monuments. In times of need, music, writings and other works of art can be a beacon of hope and comfort. Monuments and art treasures make a shared past visible and thus strengthen our need for a better future.

Through access to the arts we learn to make choices, learn to criticise, to discriminate between the meritorious and the meretricious, between good and evil. Through them we determine which endeavours are worthy of our best efforts, and ultimately we learn to know ourselves, our humanity socially, culturally as well as individually. In the absence of the knowledge behind the power of culture, there will be no such thing as development or revolution.

However, how much grounds has been in place for A culturally deprived generation such as ours? with no poetry, no theatre, no museum, no art, in short no culture. How much respect does an elder generation earns from the younger, when it refuses to make available its shoulders for the attainment of Babylon, they jealously hold on to the baton, willing to release it only to their children and the children of their rich friends, even when they are not qualified.

So if what we cherish is the money making nation of mediocre standards, isn't it so easy? already the Bankys* of our generation are fulfilling the book with their bad odour music, all in the name of 'commercial strategy', and as long as we the people are stupid enough, not to be able to figure out how much of an apparatus we are to their marketing gimmicks, there will be no freaking revolution. So let's collectively turn our monuments and art treasures into massive beer parlours, and franchise sections of them to some big boys, who are ever willing to pimp them into five star discotheques and private parks. Perhaps then we can finally create monumental versions of SWE bar or KOKO lounge crowded with more Abatis* and Bankys*, sparring and ranting over bottles of Gulder, and creating more social talks for our blogs and talk about on our social networks. 

Come to think of it, in a nation peopled by a mass, oblivious of the power of their own culture, of what importance is there in keeping the National museum then? what is there to preserve in our National theatre? of what use are the numerous art councils and indigenous cultural centres that litters the whole nation? Visit these dust bins that harbours our supposed cultural heritage to see what our heritage and history has been reduced to, then you will understand how much we have mixed up sentiments for patriotism.

MY PEOPLE NO DEY FEAR !
Fela sang... 'My people sef dey fear too much, we fear for the things we no see...' Well, that was his generation, in this new media era 'we no even fear for the things wey we dey see everyday,' if not ASA will not be compelled to declare that 'there is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run...' 

Noise is an assemblage of unpleasant and discorded voices, it will never turn into a revolutionary voice. Maybe our problem now is even too much information, we are over informed, we grew up hearing our parents ranting over it, our Profs in school teach about this long awaiting revolution, we see it for ourselves on TV; we live with this need for CHANGE on our streets and neighbourhood. Every newspaper talks about it, placards and bill boards advertise it. Most of all, when we log-on to our online tatafo social networks, we are bombarded with status update, notes and articles, our lovers yet bother our eardrums with revolutionary talks, even at comedy shows we laugh about it. Maybe that's why it eventually became a social talk. Our social life is filled with cheap talks about CHANGE that it begin to sound like Zenith Bank advert on CNN -normal thing- it only makes much sense in the first instance, and not when it is over-flogged. 

With all these anti-change symptoms living closely with us, we shall continue to walk about with our heads tuck in between our chests. We shall continue to sanctify all the vanity fairs and lies we are fed with everyday, so we can continue to smile and go to our churches and mosques; to give the complete authority of our lives to some clever ones behind closed doors to legislate, and we shall continue to try to make sense of our sufferings and there will be no freaking revolution.

* The use of Abatis and Bankys in this article, does not signify a particular person or an entire generation, but a term i figured exclusively for the representation of a particular sect of two distinct generations in this article.

CURATORIAL NOTE on EBJ

CURATORIAL NOTE for the1st edition of the Biennial.

HOME and ABROAD.

For the curatorial discourse of this 2009 edition of ewaBAMIJO, we propose "HOME and ABROAD" as the theoretical basis from which we hope to explore our critical vision. under the Artistic direction of Qudus ONIKEKU.

Context and Rationale:

Contemporary dance in Africa has struggled for a while to overcome problems like accessibility by local audience, finance and lack of Infrastructures, power and lacks critically in legislation. Dance-forms other than traditional dances in contemporary Africa, are very similar to all imported or foreign activities in the society at large, reserved particularly for the expatriates and the elite class, it is obviously there present in the society but it has been suspending and surviving in a sort of extinction, never had the ability to come to rest and be integrated in the society we operate. Moreover, there is only a thin line between the artiste and his society, paradoxically we get fame and gain grounds outside our primary society, and all these is as a result of the standards and circumstances at which we operate our art "HOME and ABROAD."

We are convinced that the notion of HOME for many artist of the 21st century varies, it could be only but, a series of thoughts, images and sensations - a CONCEPT - a cherished aspiration, ambition and ideal, it perhaps exist only in our self/deluding fantasy - Not in real-time. Maybe this earth is an eternal ABROAD after all, and so said Faustine Linyekula 'Maybe my only county is my body', but on what basis does our art excel at 'home'? The art market or its practice? Our proposition of "HOME and ABROAD" as the theme for this first international edition of ewaBAMIJO, is not a denial of the existence, importance and rewards of this intellectual tradition; but in many ways to further seek a place for the entrenchment of cultural and racial, economic and other fundamental differences under the machinery of globalisation.

Reality has proved to us that, due to our lack of infrastructure and audiences structure, many African creators make their works ready mostly for exportation in order to survive as artistes, not only for economic balance, but for their sanity and survival of their creativity, productivity, and pride in the companies they run, this irreproachable trend also have a reverse effect on our primary society. As we have seen in the recent past that a higher percentage of African audience has practically lost interest of live arts to showbiz and home movies, The basic interest of this initiation is primarily to review our basis and bring back attention to the Theatre. We believe that at this present point of our encounters, after many decades of pre|post colonial exchanges and several hand shakes with the world, it is high time we became focused on internal issues. More so, as we live in a new media world saturated with technological advancement, coupled with our vast resource of indigenous professionals, we only need to appropriate all these ready made elements as our own means and apparatus, as well as using maximized effort to sculpt our art face and divert some sluggish energy into a steady and positive change reaction.

A moment of reflection around DANCE in contemporary African...

History itself is shaped and written in bias towards the present day reality, and slightly directed to favour the orientation at which the future is dreamt of by the powerful, and so as contemporary dance in Africa, America and Europe and elsewhere where 'political correctness' matter, the ideals and the writings of contemporary dance on a global world-view has enriched itself on the inevitable notion of identity, race, gender and class. Far from identifying the contemporaneity of our dance in Africa or branding it for that matter, but approaching it from a viewpoint which doesn't ignore the state of affairs of our collective economic, social, political and cultural reality as a people. In the era of post colonialism, post modernism and post world war II, other art forms had exercised continuous revolutionary concepts that transformed into leading discourses guarded by 'political correctness'. As 'African' dance practitioners, it is inevitable to disregard the question of identity, color and other baggage of history, due to the direct exposure of our naked bodies and the visible twist of cultural expressions, which has in turn triggered a series of resistance in the part of traveling dance practitioners, as against exoticism and second class validation, if not third. However, this construction and continuous resistance have also adversely developed an institutionalised pluralistic landscape that has today turned into a combative affirmation of an ideology, and unfortunately a new form of stereotyping.

For some years, major international organisations and parastatals around the world, have worked towards building up 'discursive platform for a cacophony of African voices' outside Africa, and emphasizing 'correctness' in cultural politics; these have of course created more talks that hinder actions, it has stated more obvious problems than proposing solutions, but unconsciously succeeded to the neglect of the core existence of the young and alternative artist's project in the continent, creating further fiesta of the ex-colony and the ex-colonised, an independent pursuit of illusive relationship through artistic endeavors. Fundamental problems transformed into cocktails and social rendezvous of the dominant sect, through which the new order is defined to create restriction for liberal artistic expressions. In this first edition of EBJ we wish to draw attention to the 'political (in)correctness' of traditional trends which led to the dominative power play of multiculturalism, globalisation, identity politics and post-colonial discourse. Urgent issues facing contemporary dance today, that we wish to make a scandal of is; How do we establish an 'ethics of difference and mutual respect' within the framework of dissimilarities in cultural production and functionality? Is DANCE in contemporary Africa: An imported household branding or a local craft for export? How do we prevent 'Hegemony' without sacrificing the grounds already gained against the power status quo at Home and Abroad? By Re/Moving boundaries, are we certain of creating larger territory for dreams?

Core principles of the EBJ biennial: Negations

Africa has been told and shown constantly through western eyes, and in funny way we end up seeing ourselves through western judgment. To trail the proposition of the 3rd GUANGZHUO Triennial, ewaBAMIJO may be as well understood as a locus of questions for the international art world, boom time of fresh breeds hailing from cities yet to come around the world, as history has been written based on the intuition of a few and rules always made for us to follow, we have the conviction that there are lots of lies in history and we are set to deny everything regarded as 'truth' to lead the way for our discovery, the existence of this Biennial will be a process of discovery for ourselves; not just the fulfilling of preconceived ideas. Instead of claiming what this Biennial 'is', we wish to find out what it should not be.

The Self Imagining of ewaBAMIJO is an Ètude in Negation ...

Neither global nor local; Neither Western nor African; Neither mainstream nor independent, Neither tourist spectacle nor high art. Not multiculturalism; Not tribalism; Not post-colonialism; Not identity politics; Not sociological report; Not alternative modernity; Not showcase of new stars; Not competition for superiority; Not a celebration of our heroes and wins, Not further affirmation of all possible swear words, such as **gritudism... By saying 'Home and Abroad' we call for the renovation of the practices and theoretical interface of contemporary dance around the world, to depart from its all pervasive socio-political discourse, but work together with other kind of artists, scholars, students, critics and our audience, to discover new modes of thinking and develop new analytical tools for dealing with today's world, and bring attention to the 'limits of globalisation'.

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Yk Projects.
info@ewabamijo.com
+2348055276317

Reflection on Liberty, Morality and Homosexuality.

PUBLISHED ON GUARDIAN AS Liberty vs Morality : Reflection On A 3-million People 'Pride Parade' In Sao Paolo.

Growing up in a conservative country like Nigeria, I have always wanted more freedom to explore certain things no one ever took time to explain to me. I have always wanted to keep the police off wherever I let my mind thought take me to. With my curious mind as a teenager, I read about great philosophers, scientist and artistes as well as made my own research of religions and beliefs, and I came across certain issues that were very much underground, such as the issue of the followers of "Guru Maharaj ji" or even homosexuals.

I recall that at the age of 12 or13, I happened to be a victim of molestation by a young man who had attempted to rape me. My understanding at that time, could not fully grab his predicament, but I felt like a clot of rubbish, until years later when I came across the word homosexuals. Members of this sect are frequently subjected to prejudice and discrimination in our society, which further adds to their marginalisation and vulnerability; it doesn't mean they do not exist in our hypocritical society.

Similar to that are the Transmen and Transwomen – those who were males or females at birth, but feel that is no accurate or complete description of themselves. So they desire transition towards a gender role as a woman or a man to varying degrees. I have always wondered, instead of keeping silent about these pacing phenomena: is it not better we voice it out, rather than living in pretence ? Because they are definetely a part of us.

In the last ten years now, I have traveled even more than I desire. I have met with people I only read about in books or watched on TV. I have found liberty at its peak and I have understood its limits. I have realised that i am a free man from the moment i have the right to act according to my will without being held up by the power of others, with the capacity to determine my own choices.

Nonetheless, liberty in the absence of subordination and constraint, like every other thing in life can be addictive. When you get so addicted to your liberty, you definitely become a slave to something else. 

Now, I think of the degree of our madness on earth. I thought there used to be a time girls dress-to-kill in order to show off their clothes, but now we kill-to-dress to show off our bodies. It is my thought that soon, people will begin to share bodies to go out in, the way girls share clothes now; we'll say to one another, "Who'll wear the brown body tonight?", "Hey honey, go put on the muscular body." 

For sure, immorality is where we are heading in the name of human right, and sooner there will be no such thing as 'Wrong'.

On my arrival at Sao Paolo, Brazil, few days ago, I immediately identified myself with the city. I knew something was insane just the way I liked it. But why Sao Paolo to start with? The mission to Brazil will last for a month – June 1 - 14 in Sao Paolo and June 15 – 28 in Belo Horizonte, but it will be multi-tasked. 

This year 2009 is the year of France in Brazil, and I happen to be part of the French delegation. I shall as well be networking with a host of cultural operators as regards ewaBAMIJO, my coming festival in Lagos during the last week of October. I shall be screening my film "Do We Need Cola Cola to Dance?" and making more alternative space performances in collaboration with my Brazilian producers. 

In the midst of my busy program, the adventurer in me was able to yet dig into the heart of this wonderful city. All through my travel experiences I have come across just two cities of similar insanity; New York and Johannesburg. Every night, there were at least four plans to choose from. But one significant event I wouldn't miss for anything was the 'Gay Pride Parade', which held exactly on my last day in Sao Paolo. I was told there will be three million gays in a carnival!

On many occasions, I have deliberately avoided having to state my opinion publicly on this controversial phenomenon. I am one of those few Nigerians who are not gay but really don't feel any different from those who are. Even if my definition of an 'ideal world' doesn't subscribe to such, yet able to state my opinion clearly without bias or offense. My existence as a dancer who works with his body and emotion, has at many times expanded my discovery and deepened my realisation of some sensual parts of me and also the sensuality of my dance partners, be it male or female. 

This same construct has taught me not to find bodies attractive nor repellent; only the people in them. 

So today, when I look at a homosexual, what do I see? Do I see a dead fag just waiting for a penis to bring him alive? Do I see a punk who has become what he is due to his addiction to liberty, with a bottle of beer in hand and singing "NO FUTURE?” or do I see a fellow human being capable of engaging in a meaningful conversation that could make the world a better place and being able to talk freely (without the influence of his proclaimed "identity") about the entrenchment of difference in a one world? 

So under what category is the existence of this 'Gay Pride Parade'? Of what significance is it? A political movement or a folie de grandeur? These are questions that caress my conscious self as we colorise the city en mass.

-Immorality Is Our Destination-

On getting to the Metro SE, it was as if I forgot that three million was no joke. Sure, on paper it looks a minute population, but for real, imagine the sight of a mass of human beings counting from one to three million. Seeing them all from afar in their ecstatic frenzies, I thought it was interesting as I was anticipating it ever since I heard of the event. 

The image I had in my head began to wash away as I got closer to them. I felt a massive energy filled with life in the punk way. The first reaction that touched my animal instinct was "run back". My legs failed me for at least two seconds. "Courage man" I told myself and so I joined the mob of apparently young boys and girls in their early twenties - newly hatched gays, free of parental guidance - all in pairs. You could feel the pulse of liberty in their faces. 

I was still trying to get used to the hundreds in the throng until I got to the platform of the blue line, where I intended to change for the green line that will take me to CONSOLACAO, my meeting point with the rest of my friends, most of whom were girls and who would be my shield for the next six hours. 

There were at least a thousand people waiting at the platform for the coming Metro. I was astonished. I had never seen a Metro filled with such a crowd. This is the kind of carnival you wish to be at its forefront, archiving all the experiences it could bring you in your mind. And trying to figure out a sense of this interesting madness before your very eyes, something tells you that you are also part of the three million, yet you are in love with the vibrations. As I took pictures, some would come closer to me in an attempt to hug or kiss me. I can still tolerate a hug but get easily and swiftly repelled when something other than that gets close. 

In this gathering, everything is allowed. It was complete madness! We watched in suspense and suspicion, for we all knew that something was absolutely missing in everyone's head. And that one thing was morality. Nothing seemed abnormal no more; each time I asked my friends in curiosity "Is that girl a guy?” “Are those breasts real?” “Is he a girl?" Seeing a guy and a girl kissing was the most abnormal thing in such gathering. No one was sure of what was wrong and what was not to be done. Everything was in a defiant mood of “YES WE CAN! 

We quickly took our exit after the last carnival van that passed us, for we were warned that the moment you see the sun going down, you had better leave with the sunset, because just like vampires, it could get really nasty after sunset.

MORALS are created and defined by society, philosophy, religion, or individual conscience and intuition, which differs between the liberals and the conservatives. Morality is seen as a collection of beliefs as to what constitutes a good life. Throughout much of human history, religions have provided both visions and regulations for an ideal life. In a secular community like in Euro-American setting, lifestyle choices, which represent an individual's conception of good and bad, are often discussed in terms of "morality." The individual makes an appropriate lifestyle choice first, before being compelled within his civil rights, to accept the codes of conduct within their chosen community as what is fundamentally moral, even when such codes deviate from larger social principles. 

HOMOSEXUALITY: A sexual orientation, social construct or identity politics?

The term homosexual is often used in European and American context to encompass a person’s entire social identity, which includes the self and personality. In other cultures such in Africa where the principles of right and wrong behavior is still a communal responsibility, homosexual and heterosexual labels don’t emphasize an entire social identity or indicate community affiliation based on sexual orientation. 

Homosexuality is a modern western social construct, which has today become a group of some interconnected powerful men or women, doing everything possible to buy more young and agile men or ladies into their 'ideal' world, leading to a 'choice' and eventually metamorphosing into a circular religion. 

I recognise that just as heterosexuals, we don't 'choose' our sexuality, some people don't get sexually connected to the opposite sex, if it is about the sudden discovery of one's attraction to same sex, which will of course respect the heterosexuality of the other, I have nothing against that. However such cannot be used as a basis of identifying a human being. 

My resentment has really not much to do with sexual identity, but to the uproar that follows any ideology that the liberal West wishes to sell to humanity as a whole. They make so much uproar about it until it becomes the new world order; and going against it becomes the new sin. And since they are the ones in the front line of human history, they will always look for one truth or the other to cover their lies. 

Finally, I have always believed that to continually participate in this world with curiosity and pleasure, to see any sense in this illogical existence of ours, one definitely have to pretend to be young and uninformed, pretend to be free of traditions and religion, and like that one learns to tolerate others in their identified weakness and insanity.

Lagos destination Paris

Curled from my travel diary.

9th July 2006 (Sunday)

...Joy, fun, fear, encounters and memorable events are often my sky team partners during each trip, beautiful hostesses and cute hosts who adds glamour and splendor to the trip, aside from some few carriers who I think experience matters a lot to them, who recruits mass of frail boned papas and mamas with make ups as that of ancient porn-stars celebrating the remembrance of their days of sunshine. Not withstanding, they all seem to make me laugh during turbulence, they try to be relax and do as if all is well to make me and other half hopeless passenger like me get over our fear and panic, while deep down in their heart one could feel the fear in them and I often imagine how I could be flying every now and then as my profession and not putting all the risk and stress in mind. This brings me back to the only part I find really risky and stressful in my profession. It is the joy of every artiste to export and exhibit his/her product out of the shores of his country, being it African, Asian, American or European.

One other moment that annoys me most in traveling is when I’ve finally got to my destination or transiting through any of the so called western European countries. On sighting my Green ever popular Nigerian passport, then I know at this point I must be ready to sacrifice my precious time for the often long mustached immigration officer who for all he cares you didn’t get your visa in the legal way and your passport might have been fabricated or retouched at OLUWOLE. So all he is looking for is the sign of face changing, data changing or how the visa page was attached to the existing international passport. If he finally didn’t find any fault then he begin to imagine how a black Nigerian as I am could get visa from or for a civilised white western world, which opens to another phase of interrogation, ranging from; where are you going to? What are you going to do there? Where is your invitation? And other document you used in processing your visa? - as if one could get a visa without these documents but one just need to be patient with them, eat, chew to ruminants and swallow your ego if that trip is important to you because this is just the result of the mistake our great grand fathers had made so we are just a victim of the 21st century that nothing could be done to restore at this stage - Moreover the questions continue; for how long will you be there? Can I see your return ticket? Your hotel reservation? Name and address of your employer or that person who is expecting you.

I mean series of those same stupid questions that I was actually asked while applying for my visa. After all asked and properly answered with care, it doesn’t end there because he might not be contented and so he will be obliged to call another officer who is often a slimmer and maybe shorter version who will then take me through series of closed doors that could only be accessed by an immigration officer or other airport officials, as I was victimized at the Milan Malpensa airport. Italy. To get me more shocked, sitting on the waiting room were series of unfortunate Blacks who are waiting to be tested or screened. So i joined the queue of the children of sinners, so for no clear reason i'm still waiting, i see some mustached guys coming to check on me from far from time to time, this is when i realised that waiting could mean so many things, the time can tick so very slow when you are in the hands of official kidnappers but, it is only when you have something to hide that you try to proof that you are clean. Finally it got to my turn, i walked towards this irritating guy with Italian accent, "can you keep your bag please" obviously he was going to search it again, making it the sixth time, "Please take off your shirt" i thought it was a joke, not knowing that i was still going to take off the last fabric that covers my dignity and take my urine, it seems to me that they got a clear information that i had something on me. Well they got it wrong, after a moment of stripping, debates and interrogation, I got acquainted and discharge without bail. 

The price i paid costed me more than i could afford, its memory stays with me forever. I felt raped and it reminds me a similar case at the London Stansted airport where I actually missed my flight because I was still being stripped by the time my flight was leaving for Paris, yet the only word that comes out of their mouth is “you can go sir” i.e. polite at last and no more. Getting to the boarding gate another polite flight mistress at the gate of the just departed flight telling me “sorry sir you’ve missed your flight” then at this moment I knew I could do but just be polite enough to sleep right there at the airport to wait for tomorrow’s flight. Wow twenty four hours at that airport which is at the outskirt of London is just nothing good to talk about, but did i survive it, yes i guess cos here i am writing it...

-DITTO-
For some one like me who got his roof in between borders and abode often tapped in an economic class of a flying box, this is my forth international passport, three filled with visas and stamps, so you can imagine that the war is far from being won, where do i start from? do i have to lament about the over rude perfect visa officer behind the window, the battle with the local thugs at the airport, the professional hospitality you get in the plane, to the international clowns welcoming you, and stripping you off your very last pant, in search of one white substance that you've only seen or hear about on tv... its sad ahn, but what can you do when it becomes part of your job, profession and life, you can choose to be arrogant if you want, but does it change a thing? when they are just puppet of some powerful guys behind close doors, all through my life, i have searched for other human policy that is worse than immigration policy.

-DITTO-
I know this might sound ODD, but when people tell me to be careful about what i put on facebook, cos of their privacy policy, i tend to blush in silence, when i got all my fingers stamped to get Nigerian passport, got all my fingers printed at the embassy, on getting to the newark airport, i didn't just got my fingers printed but also had to look into some machine that looks like a microscope - even to the extent of taking another picture of me, and i wonder if i was applying for an american passport. So i think we are just trapped all ways always, but lets be aware of fascism, lets redefine what globalisation is suppose to mean and let the world order not just treat Africa as the poor little sexy continent, but a geographical location with people born just the same way as those across the atlantic, so if we claim to love to see children play, love to show them love and see them grow, so nothing makes the African child different, so lets ask them, why do we extract the juice of the sins of the fathers from the child ? what do we make out of our common shared history? who bears the heavier baggage of history? how come the third world citizen pays a more expensive visa fee? how come the so called benefit of globalisation, industrialisation and our technological advancement cost more than 50% of what is required in the west? At a very tender age of my life i felt the urge not just find but seek answers to some illogical questions, later i realised that the solution is to create more questions to add to the existing questions.

Lagos heads for the megacity

Join the EBJ CAMPAIGN train !

Hello Good People of this great World.

As WE move ahead with our never ending aspiration, Ewa Bami Jo is improving from day to day, our list of partners, sponsors and interested individual is getting longer by the day. Also in that line we keep building on the concept of the festival. 

As part of our strategies to achieve our objectives: We've put in place the EBJ ONE MINUTE media campaign, which kicks off two months prior the festival, where we engage various celebrities and public figures telling us “What dance means to them...”and this will be proffered with a high sense of esteem and professionalism, and well broadcast nationwide, it is our own way of getting the public aware of such existence though such endorsement. 

We have as well began EBJ mobilisation of a minimum of 100 students of performing arts in all the three major universities in Lagos to adhere to the festival as volunteers, to host the over 500 students and scholars coming from other parts of the country, as well as over 300 participants coming in from outside the country, giving them the possibility of getting closer to either professionals of their chosen career or fellow arts students coming in from other parts of the country, this we believe will in a way create relationships, and at the same time, give them a sense of ownership of the festival to certain level. 

So this is where we feel the need to begin a concrete relationship with our adherents on facebook. Ewa Bami Jo is an event specially dedicated to throwing glitz and glamour on the city of Lagos through DANCE, CIRCUS, COMEDY, MUSIC, DRAMA, SPOKEN WORD and other interdisciplinary art forms. It operates under the auspices of a NON PROFIT organisation. Thus, we seek volunteers from every part of the world, and the objectives laid down for our volunteers are pretty simple.

PRE-EBJ VOLUNTEERS - 

*SPREAD THE WORD ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, MYSPACE, HI5 OF ANY FORUM YOU ARE ON
*INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK TO JOIN THE GROUP OR FOLLOW MY BLOG
*TAG YOURSELF IN ANY OF THE EBJ PHOTOS ON THE GROUP AND USE THEM AS YOUR PROFILE PIX.
*GIVE SUGGESTIONS AND BE PART OF DISCUSSIONS ON THE GROUP.
VISIT THE GROUP AT LEAST ONCE IN A WEEK FOR UPDATES.

EBJ VOLUNTEERS - FOR THE EBJ PROPER.

AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIES OF CREATING A WHOLE NEW IMAGE OF WHO LAGOSIANS ARE TO OUR INVITED GUESTS AND WHAT LAGOS IS ALL ABOUT. 

*WE NEED GOOD PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN LAGOS AND CAN VOLUNTEER, TO ACCOMMODATE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE COMING IN FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY OR OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
*WE NEED GOOD LOOKING PEOPLE TO HOST OUR INVITED GUEST FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF THE FESTIVAL.
*WE NEED GOOD PEOPLE WHO WILL BE IN CHARGE OF THE FESTIVAL KITCHEN THAT WE SHALL BE MOUNTING.
*WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO BE AT OUR TICKET SALES OUTLETS AROUND LAGOS.
*WE NEED USHERS AND GATE KEEPERS DURING THE INDOOR EVENTS.
*AND FINALLY WE NEED TO CREATE A FESTIVE MOOD.

BENEFIT FOR VOLUNTEERS -

WE ARE VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE FACT THAT, NO AMOUNT PAID TO OUR VOLUNTEERS WILL BE ENOUGH TO SAY THANK YOU, AND AS WE ALSO INITIATE SUCH IDEA BASED ON A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, WE CAN ONLY RECIPROCATE BY SHOWING KIND GESTURES.

*EVERY VOLUNTEER THAT TAKE PART IN MAKING THIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL EDITION OF EBJ A SUCCESS, GETS HIM OR HERSELF A FREE TICKET TO ALL INDOOR EVENTS, AN EBJ TSHIRT, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE FURTHER INSIGHT TO THE PERFORMING ART WORLD AND GETTING CLOSER TO PRACTITIONERS. FINALLY WE ARE DEDICATING THE CENTER SPREAD OF OUR MIND-BLOWING PROGRAM OF EVENT TO ALL THE NAMES OF OUR VOLUNTEERS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY ARE, WHICH ALSO WIN THEM A COPY EACH, AND THIS WILL BE DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH SWITCHEDON MAGAZINE. 

FOR ANTICIPATING VOLUNTEERS PLS DROP YOUR CONTACTS AND A BRIEF OF YOU INYKPROJECTSNG@GMAIL.COM. OR ONIKEKU@YKPROJECTS.COM. YOU CAN AS WELL LET YOUR INTENTION KNOWN ON THIS POST AND WE SHALL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU FOR MORE BRIEFS.

LET'S THROW LIGHT ON THE CITY OF LAGOS. AND SHOW TO THE WORLD THAT THERE ARE SHORT-CUTS TO HAPPINESS.

BEST REGARDS.

Qudus ONIKEKU.
Artistic Director
Ewa Bami Jo.

WHEN SWINE FLEW ! HUMANS FALL SICK WORLDWIDE.

After the last pigs summit in Porkland, the PIGS all agreed that the chicken and turkey have BIRD FLU, the cows has taken the MAD COW disease to the mainstream, so unless they want to see more ham served at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Salah day, they've all decided to spread their own SWINE FLU DISEASE ! and with this, not even the Muslims and Jews are safe.

Qd reporting from the Porkland.

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, pigfluenza, hog flu, and pig flu) is an influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs. Swine influenza is common in pigs and pig friendly places like the midwestern United States (and occasionally in other states), Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe (including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Italy), Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

THE SIV

Transmission of swine influenza virus (SIV) from pigs to humans is not common. When transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza and often, the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies which are only detectable by laboratory tests. When transmission results in influenza in a human, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu. However, for the sake of our pork eaters, eating pork does not pose a risk of infection. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

Prevention in humans.

Prevention of pig to human transmission - The transmission from swine to human is believed to occur mainly in swine farms where farmers are in close relationships with living pigs. So farmers and veterinarians are encouraged to use a face mask and finger condoms when dealing with infected animals.
Prevention of human to human transmission - Influenza spreads between humans through coughing or sneezing and people touching "something" with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food.

Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public, always wear a mask while walking on the road, or going to a public performance. Notable Nigerian music star named Lagbaja has been nominated as the ambassador for the prevention of swine flu, and WHO has recommend his kind of mask. Although the current trivalent influenza vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against the new 2009 strain, vaccines against the new strain are being developed and could be ready as early as June 2009, so for those already infected now will have to hang on.



Notable outbreaks

Swine flu has been reported numerous times as a zoonosis in humans, usually with limited distribution, rarely with a widespread distribution until 2009. Through various attempts the Pigs have shown their intention to take over the world, notably during the 1918 pandemic in humans, 1976 U.S. outbreak, 1988 zoonosis, 1998 US outbreak in swine, 2007 Philippine outbreak in swine and now the 2009 outbreak in humans which is said to be the worst in the history of such pandemic.

Final TIPS

I kinda hate to spread more panicky news about swine flu, even though this helpful document is the picture of dry bureaucratic accuracy. People freak out over "pandemics," even though we've got one of the worst pandemics in history, AIDS, raging through the carcass of the body-politic right now. Every once in a while you see a street demo, a sitcom, or a charity show about AIDS. Numerous NGOs are pretty big on fighting AIDS. Otherwise we just drop dead of AIDS in hecatombs, and every pandemic become a business as usual. pandemics are usually extremely fearsome diseases that needed billions of dollars for us to be aware of them, practically 100% lethal, and requires so much hard work to get people to remain properly afraid.

There is always some flu around and flu is always killing some people. Even when a raw mutant flu manages to kill off more people than a shooting-war, flu has never ravaged whole cities as cholera or a common typhoid can do. As awful pandemics go, flu is like the snotty-nosed little sister of awful pandemics.

So if you catch the new sexy swine flu, you're very likely not going to die. But since it is a flu, and like every other flu you're gonna kinda WISH you could die. You're not ACTUALLY going to die unless your lips are turning blue, you have bad chest pains, you can't swallow water, you can't stand up, you're having seizures and you don't know where you are or what your name is. As this document suggests, you must watch out for those symptoms. 'Cos the pigs are flying on a world tour.

diss is MADE IN LAGOS

In Lagos, Music and DANCE render visible the multiple juxtaposition that shape daily life, in the process, it unconsciously become an archive, a relic of our experiences on the streets of Lagos. Signifying an experience that is constantly on the the move - from GALALA – TO MAKOSSA - TO SWO - TO KONTO - TO YAHOOZEE - TO ALANTA - All these accounts for the instability of reality and its dependance on the sounds and Dances that domesticates it, such domestication is possible only through combination of images and lyrics, words, sounds, melodies, dances, social codes and slogans that is locally accepted during a particular era. To tell the story of life in LAGOS, music and DANCE calls on and produces heterogeneity of representation.

So who is the man telling us that the cities of the future are still lying somewhere in Europe or America, or taking the directions of Tokyo or Beijing ! Hell no - the cities of the future are completed works in progress, cities in motion and adhering to contemporary needs of a city, made what it is by the resourcefulness of its creative and entrepreneurial citizens, producing intense proximity of loads of activities and performance of all sorts, from selling and buying, to fighting and praying, loading and unloading, road shows of all sorts, touting, crimes and daily minor violence, all working side by side with dirt, waste, skyscrapers, history, energy, slums, wide roads, and sweat and wealth, to sustain the everyday hustling that put a totally different light to their moments of merrymaking, worship and love. 

All these are what the city of the future is made of and not solely defined by its architectural extravagant extravaganza. In wonder cities like Lagos, the rule of law, law of gravity and the formal pulls of life are brought to the lime light at the square everyday by the people, with full backing of the formal law breakers, to be assembled and demolished even before the end of the inaugural party and political shows, set in motion by the formal government, the informal government of the people, in turn takes from all that is visible and in present tense, to make the static informal, yet mobile government, through of course their creative energy, many thanks to their public reputation and street credibility that none of the statesmen and elite class can boast of.

In contemporary LAGOS, no one is promised tomorrow, one can change one's mind over night, life is easy and fast, we don't define ourselves based on other people's hallucination, we are a people bound to live life to the fullest and never ready to pay the price of death... and when a piece is "MADE IN LAGOS" you the audience can feel the heterogeneity of energy, mood and feel heat at 90°C!

Dance to inspire - inspire to Dance

Dance is music made visible
Dance is a disease in which there is no cure
Dance is the world most famous metaphor
Dance is silent poetry
Dance is a poem of which each movement is a word
Dance - an art form, the body - an instrument
Learn to play the instrument and master the art form.

Dance is the mother of all arts
Dance is fluent body language
Dance is the hidden language of the soul
Nothing is more revealing than dancing
Dancing is dreaming with your feet
Dance to express, not to impress
Dance like nobody's watching
Dance for yourself
Dream it, Dance it.

Dance first, think later, its the natural order
Everything in the universe has rhythm
Everything Dances
Let the music move your body
All it takes is to convince your mind to move your feet
If you dance with your heart, your body will follow
The heart of the dance is the heart of the dancer
No one can arrive from talent alone
God gives talent, Work transgresses talent.

To dance is to share
To share is to teach
To touch, to move, to inspire
This is the true gift of dance
Dance is about never-ending aspiration
you can dance anywhere, if only in your heart
EVERYONE CAN DANCE
The only way to do it is to believe in yourself and just do it
There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.

Dance is not all about being on stage, under the light
there are other ways to dance and follow the movement.
EWA BAMI JO
... its AN INVITATION


Message from Q'dance

Home Series II

Take me home
the twinkling stars on my right
shadows of the light
the whispers of the night
Take me home

The memories of my childhood
echoes of my neighborhood
take me home

Agbe, the gods of the road
take me home
the dry smell of my solitude
diminishing self of my absolute
my black ass meant alone for shitting
my inactive penis meant alone for pissing
my aching mind - my loyal companion

Take me home !

The positive dreams of my father
our father who art in Lagos
the passionate whims of my mother,
our mother, the mother of the earth
my dreams, my forte, my anger,
my patience, my believes, my soul
Take me home

The fresh smells of erin ijesha
the mighty stones of Olumo
the fresh lake of Chad
barking dogs of the night, crawling cats of the day
crawling from daylight to sunset, weekdays to weekends
moments to dress to kill - KILL - to dress
the inactive spirit of the wind
the transcendent spirit of the light
bestow teleporting prowess upon me

Come take me home
take me to other places, where i'll be with other birds
other trees, rains, sunshines, and other moonshines
alone with my tireless feet
i'll dance and just dance, run and just run,
my feet will decide when and where to stop

Oh you metaphysical quintessence of dance
Come on...! come...! URGENT.
come take me home !


(folk song)
Agbe gbe mi dele o Agbe (2x)
Akii nrin ajo ka mama dele o
Agbe - gbe mi dele...

Take me away from these four walls
that saps all i can't do without
depriving of my humanness
take me home,
far away from this cynic world
that swaggers on crushing me
placing its heavy weight on my feather shoulders
affirming its power over me

oh my aching mind - my loyal companion
take me home,
my stubborn thoughts - my weapon...
my words - my cunningness
my dance - my sweat
my pain - my voice
my love - my purpose
oh rainbows of the sky,
this enormous blanket above my sky
harsh wind of harmattan
from the white flakes of winter
to the falling leaves of autumn
oh this violent storm, set forth to carry me home

take me to other places where i can feel other kind of torture
take me to a place where love and sincere affection i can feel
these faces and places are getting old
too old to identify my well-wishers
please take me home

let me be with my heroes,
dine with my fellows
able to express my woes
so when the sunset
i can walk away in pride and decorum

My EXILE is in my head!

Hey hear me out,

I think i found another title for my next creation, i decide to change its title again from HOME SERIES, now i want to call it "EXILE" or better still "MY EXILE IS IN MY HEAD" hmm... I find it really exact for what i want to say, especially these days i feel so much away, a self exile, its like i am on a sabbatical expedition yet my chord is always tilting towards Nigeria, at times i feel i need a divorce with that nation, i feel its just too much of a burden to carry on a responsibility i don't think i could fulfil its needs right now, but that kind of divorce don't last me a week most times, there is a constant voice in my head, this voice rages at me, it barks at me, i feel it calls me silly names for being this guy that will not just be at peace and let things go away unnoticed, let life pass through me and just enjoy where my head leads me along with my dancing feet.

A work in progress. (i must setforth at sunset)

I feel i still don't understand why i tend to be political, but other times i tell myself "but that's not being political", not being able to succumb to the lure of those that oppresses me, in relation to views about social relationships that involve power or authority is not being political, not having the temperament of keeping quiet when there is a moral or racial or political or social injustice and rationality doesn't mean I'm political, does it? So i think this EXILE still reside in myself, one that exist out of whom my parents never thought of. One that makes me have a continuous love/hate relationship with my people, my country and my race. At times i get so mad at myself after i might have done something really radical, because i never want to sound too wise nor foolish, i don't want to make deliberate enemy, and those that knows me can testify to my cool head, but presently i feel I'm on a crossroad, where i have to decide where i belong, because in this world, its all about where you belong, who are your pals, who do you identify with, what's your race, culture and religion, what are your beliefs similar to mine. AND I'M SORRY I TEND TO DISAPPOINT EVERYONE.

But like every man, i also love good life, i love those things that makes me feel like a complete man, i also want success, i also want to promise a good life to my family, wife and kids and beloved ones, for it is them we do all these for at times, when we claim not to be greedy and selfish. However, am i ready to belong? that is the question Q. and the answer A for now is NO... NO... NO. I think what killed me in my first life was fraternity, cults, peer groups, alliance to oppress, beliefs that tramples on the lesser people, those that bunch up to rule the world, i think they were the ones that killed me in my initial life, i hate them so much, and i tend to do everything to make them hate me so much.

Yet I'm aware of their curious eyes watching out for me, pinned above my head and they want me to believe that its raining, amongst them lies those that sing far away songs to sooth my dance steps, amongst them are the play boys, finding my body really sexy to award me a top bid, amongst them are those clever ones who validates our artistry with a prize and trophy, amongst them are those who promise us heaven for the gratification of their own affairs... I'm strongly aware of all these curious eyes, and I'm in EXILE, far away from the space they occupy, far away from their belief, away from their reach, they will only hear the echo and feel the vibration, because my own success and (r)evolution will not be broadcast on CNN; le monde might not hear about it, jeune Afrique will walk pass by me without knowing, the big brothers of Africa and the arts will search for me in Europe and America and perhaps in Asia, but they will not find me, cos i might just be in a little room in Mexico, or Santo Domingo, i might be just under OLUMO rock, just by myself and my conscience, for i want to live a life of pride and honour, i want to be as modest as i can be and be arrogant enough to tell even the person feeding me right now how wrong he is, when i feel he gets it wrong.

My exile is in my head i think, now I'm beginning to realise, its not about being in France or in the states, nor anywhere foreign to Nigeria, for even when i am in Nigeria, i still feel far away from the Niger area, its not much about others, its more about me i think, i don't ever regret this life i didn't choose for me, i don't feel sorry for myself, this is just the path at which i find my tent, and my sole quest now is... Survival, i know i have to seek for other means of surviving the massive weight of this pessimist world that promises to crush me, other means of living healthy and alive in the midst of all my antagonising foes and generous benefactors. talk with crowds and still keep my virtue, walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, neither foes nor loving friends will hurt me no more, all men count with me, but none too much; i must survive this life, live my dreams up to my desired world, and find my liberty within the midst of all my antagonising foes and generous benefactors. I must definitely survive and set forth only after my sunset.

Q'dance (my new name!) 

A "Future" that fails to address the past : DOOM

I was just in the comfort of my little caravan here in Paris, peacefully preparing for my night's performance, trying to get used to my new found existence without an address, when i felt a vibration on my iPhone, dated 11th of February 2009, at exactly 3:57pm, it was an alert of a message that will later arouse my long incubating rage for an institution that validates our artistry and make us glow with the kind of self-congratulation that can only be bestowed by very nationally visible and significant people, a kind gesture that fails to come with respect and goodwill. AS IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO. HERE IS HOW IT GOES

Chude Jideonwo
February 11 at 3:57pm

Dear Qudus,

I trust you are well.

We are very concerned with your continued public validation for comments that not just criticize but seek to discredit the efforts of The Future Awards to inspire the next generation of Nigerians.

We are of course aware that you are entitled to your opinions, and you are entitled to the fundamental right to express such – however; seeing that you have severally, in public and in private, lauded the awards, and participated actively in the process of nomination, as well as excitedly and publicly received news of your winning, we are understandably surprised at this contradiction.

You would note that we have gone the extra mile in ensuring a level playing field for this awards – and even you can testify that despite public tangos with some of the organizers and judges of the awards, it did not prejudice your winning at the end of the day. Therefore, if anyone should testify to The Future Awards’ integrity, immense thoroughness and credibility, it should be you.

If you do feel so strongly about its credibility, it would have been more productive for you to refuse to be part of the process in the first place – so that we do not have the present conundrum of a winner of the Award consistently seeking to deride it. We wonder if you realize that if you say in public that you agree with people who discredit the process for this award – then it means that your winning is tainted and your acceptance of that win an expression of dubious standards.

We continue to wish you the best and congratulate you again on your award.

Chude.

Q'dus Onikeku
February 12 at 1:14pm

Dear Chude,

I hope this message meets you in good health and good times. I'm very glad that for once, you have deem fit to consider me as someone you can actually have a conversation with, of which i am not so sure of, until i see where this present correspondence leads to. Here is a key point of an unsuccessful exchange with Emilia few weeks ago;
"don't u think that if Dbanj didn't deserve to win TFA; u didn't too? cos the process and format for judging is the same, in case you don't understand the process that the awards are judged by, we've put them all on the site and if you come up with a way to counter the votes of 650 people; I'd be willing to 'talk'... if not; there's really nothing more to say", so i told her its your dinner, we are all invited for a dine out after-all, we have no say to how its been dished. I really wished she could relax her temper for me to juxtapose my justification with hers, to tell her that i have actually figured a way to counter the votes of the 650 people, but i guess she was only part of the plan, not part of the game enough to take up that baton and i respected that.

First, to clarify any misinterpretation of my "public validation for comments that not just criticize but seek to discredit the efforts of The Future Awards" - Stating that i am an individual responsible for whatever or where ever i seek to identify with is a wearisome cliché, but in actual fact I'm not one of those who dwell on such luxury, to make another dimension of the TRUTH, however i will not attempt to hide behind walls of not knowing exactly what you are talking about, "THE ARTICLE BY UP RISING" posted by SAVE NIGERIA, to give a brief refresh of memory, the basic details of my comment was...

1. "i very much agree with the Dbanj issue, i was very disappointed that he will take a head ahead of ASA for the young person of the year, following the stated criteria, i think its a bit of exaggeration."

2. "i don't see criticism as something that we should begin to create fraternity against, its an issue raised and i personally, think there is a lot the organisers of the award could pick from this article, but that remains their right to dignify it or not, but i think the intention behind this article is not to disrespect or turn the whole thing down, although i, to a certain degree don't agree with the title as it was published on SAHARA REPORTERS. that is in a way ridiculing criticism itself, and like that one could quickly smell beef in it."

I don't have a need to further nag on the Dbanj issue, if you have been following my principles and ethics, you should know where i stand as regards Dbanj and his ethics and apostles, and where i will definitely stand by him becoming "THE YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR". At this juncture, I've never really had the opportunity to really pour out my mind, so let me roll with you as Qudus Onikeku, with pretense of no such article has ever came up. Here is a guy that once wrote an article titled "Celebrity my foot" where i foresaw a feeling of being in a crossroad, where there lie a responsibility, set to take me away from who i am presently, in which i didn't think i was ready for, 'cos the only thing i could do with this social status is already what I'm being accused of, openness and adding my voice to the "right cause", i want to be free, i want to be careless as i do my things, i want to do my stuffs unaccompanied by political drifts, so don't tell me i was right when i stated that..."what do i do with this celebrity title? Form padi-padi coalition to oppress, or feel more important to the people that has similar problems to mine, so there will be another underground celebrity friend of mine who will organize givings and awards to valorise my talent and creativity, and in-turn valorise his own image as the organizer of a one-in-town event, that regroups mobs of "celebrities" which will only end up making me become too paranoid to travel easily within the streets of Lagos, on okadas, in buses or taxis if i so wish..."

Nonetheless; "seeing that i have severally, in public and in private, lauded the awards, and participated actively in the process of nomination, as well as excitedly and publicly received news of MY winning", should in my opinion make you understand that i have absolutely nothing against either the organisers or the lauded values of the Award, in actual fact i supported the award 'cos i saw it as a right tool for the next level of the Nigerian youth towards the Nigerian dream, and if my memory is not playing pranks on me, i can perfectly recall that i did sent an email to you and your colleagues stating how much i will be glad to be a volunteer for this cause.

What is worth doing at all is worth doing well, THE FUTURE AWARDS to my understanding, has gained the place of the most significant podium for projecting not just the stupefaction deeds of the Nigerian youth home and abroad, but also a perfect manifestation for the resolution of standards and dreams at which the Nigerian youth places the bar, therefore, if you tell me that Dbanj is the is the perfect face that fits into all these glamorous definition of THE FUTURE, then i have a need to roar, why because, as the DANCER OF THE YEAR, i think the award for the YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR is too precious and too important for the paradigm shift you and i clamour for, than to see it roll into the KOKO pit. So my brother, let's take sentiment out of it, tell me if i don't then have every right to publicly condemn the award, when Dbanj appears to me the least person amongst the three in an average thinking , but i haven't done that cos i do respect the effort and i think there are issues to be addressed in order to see the season 5 add more stars to not just its credibility but its governance and processes.

I will thus leave you in peace on (THE ARTIST OF THE YEAR) Emeka Okereke's comment on the said article "I just watched D'banj's official video for the hit track "Suddenly"...(one of my best jams of all his works). Meanwhile when I saw the first two seconds I said "Ahh, finally someone is thinking!" but SUDDENLY all we started to see was breasts everywhere!! As if we have not seen enough of that in every porn advert and publicity, and in MTV (I guess he's aiming for the MTV music video award).
Yes, and this is the guy that was AWARDED YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR at the Recent FUTURE AWARDS. Please you guys, really think well o! Really think am well o! To what future Are You Leading Our Country? At least if you are not leading, then what future are you SUGGESTING? The futureless future? Na so so question me I go dey ask now o!"

So my dear Chude, i hope this will not create further grievances between us, THE FUTURE AWARDS has become to RED STRAT what Nigeria is to Yar'Adua, you guys are its custodian but it belongs to the entire young generation of Nigerians, so i will tell you with all sincerity that i mean so well for the FUTURE AWARDS and i pray to see it where my hopes are.

Q'dus.

Chude Jideonwo
February 13 at 10:26am

Hi Qudus,

I read the entire message. I dont agree with you mostly, but it is a divergence of worldviews for which we might never find common ground.

It is generally also the reason why I sometimes refuse to converse, not out of spite or malice but because I see no headway in sight for a conversation.

We are all entitled to our worldviews, and you are absolutely right about the future awards belonging to the entire young generation of NIgeria and so we must be ready for divergence under that umbrella.

Best regards
Chude

Q'dus Onikeku
February 13 at 12:31pm

Dear Chude.

Thank you very much for your prompt but insufficient response, i remind you again that i'm not one of those who dwell on such luxury of "every man to his own worldviews", to make another dimension of the TRUTH, if there is anything i have held onto in your comeback, it is the sole fact that "you don't agree with me mostly" and since at least you agree to my utterance that "The future awards belong to the entire young generation of Nigeria and so we MUST be ready for divergence under that umbrella", i then demand for a more detailed explanation to why "we might NEVER find common ground" for JUST ONE future, particularly in an era where we are presently in the remake of the rot of our fathers, (from post colonial madness to post democracy insanity). If not for anything else, but for myself, my sanity and conceivably those that reason like me.

Share your views and let history judge, Season 5 of the TFA is just a matter of months, the goal is not to find a common ground, NO, a logical development likewise (r)evolution needs disparity and diversity of ideals like everything else. If that is not done with clarification of doubts, how then do i look unto this UNSOLICITED award and feel contented with myself as a sincere "future" award winner. Therefore i urge you to at least for once respect my person and be subdued by the love of the future of this great Nation, by giving me what i want to hear, 'cos if that's not done, i might take it up in a larger platform that might affect the TFA brand and God knows I'm not that vicious, but, i could be IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE A FUTURE - if that's what it takes - to have a future.

Salutation.
Q'dus

Chude Jideonwo
February 13 at 12:42pm

Dear Qudus,

I do not have long conversatons on the internet - it is time-consuming, and time is not a luxuryt i camn afford.

However, something you say catches my attention: Do you want my response so that we can reach a 'logical development' or do you want it just so we can avoid what you call 'taking this up in a larger platform that might affect the TFA brand'??

If the latter is the case, then by all means go ahead and take it up in a larger platform and do what you must to affect the brand. I am always curious to test the strenght of the TFA brand, knowing as i do that it is built on integrity and with sincere commitment to Nigeria. Please go ahead. However, if it is for the former, then perhaps we can find a way to have this conversation when it is convenient.

Regards
Chude

Q'dus Onikeku
February 14 at 5:59pm

Dear Chude.

With every of your comebacks, i couldn't help myself from blushing over the disparities in our visions and loves for Nigeria, just as the north and south pole, so in all that i have said so far, the most touchy and attention catching phrase worth a reaction was the talk about the brand, (not to be witty, who knows the brand in Cotonou?), well there is absolutely nothing to gain doing that, the scheme here is not to destroy but to build, it is however the regards i have for this initiation that is leading to what is obviously seen as a time waste on your part, but if you want me to place TFA in my list of jokers, we can immediately close this correspondence and life goes on. Because it is obvious to me that the "TFA brand" sounds more of interest to you than the Nigerian future in question. if you are always curious to test the strength of the "TFA brand", i am not in the position of placing the future of Nigeria on a roller skate for my amusement.

I think this correspondence lacks intensity and proximity, and the main issue here is that you have no argument and has nothing to say to counter or even juxtapose my clarification, thus i might be tempted to evaluate THE FUTURE referred to, as mere fictional slogan after all, and has nothing to do with real life. If so, declare it as another showbizzy award and has nothing to do with those of us away from that sphere, so i will have nothing against all your pre-award party, nominees ball, after party with the judges and after-after-party with the winners/celebrities - which has nothing to offer towards logical development. So as not to derail from the major issue, i need no alibi for my stand-point, but if you perhaps "found a way to have this conversation when it is convenient". let me know what are your "worldviews" towards a logical development and a securable future that differs from mine? i do challenge it and if they are clear enough i don't have further need to question your governance and credibility of the future awards.

If you refer to this as a conversation, i remind you, it is absolutely not, i wrote a detailed response to your feeler message which is supposed to make me feel dubious for accepting this unsolicited award, it has nothing to do with "long conversation on the internet", i need a detailed explanation of the future you defend and how it tallies with the award processes and governance, if not i will consider all you've said and all i have read as your explanation, which to me has suggested any immediate resolution in this respect, and the future awards, as a helpful system that validates our artistry and make us glow with the kind of self-congratulation that can only be bestowed by very nationally visible and significant people, and as we are also tempted to attend this spectacularly bright and accomplished event – to inspire our “peers” and "the next generation of Nigerians", for this will make us achieve a National Institutional Credibility for our work, as we have been anointed by an institution that many celebrities and young people bow down to. You can henceforth dissociate me of your clever game plan, i don't tend to go well with those who are too proud to "rub minds" on whatever fora.

Regards.

Q'dus, THE LAST SON OF ONIKEKU.

THE UNSTOPPABLE - ENTERTAINER Remix

Track 1 - Dbanj vs 2face... DONT TOUCH IT! FILEEEE !

I've been to different forums and gatherings where people get talking about who is Hotter between Dbanj and 2face, but i tend to quickly get out of such assembly, because if HOT in that sense is to mean lustful, amorous, or erotic, then i shouldn't even be arguing. However, i found it really interesting to give a thorough account of my own remix of both superstars based on their present albums and, in this six track album, i will refuse the contrast between "High" and "Low" art. it is a below average reasoning to begin to place 2face beside Dbanj on a competition for supremacy, they both exist in their space that exhibits particular modalities, sounds, harmonics and relations to sensorial experience that produce particular effects on the listener, and the meaning of musical beauty they both brought to our hearing is not about catgorization. It Is also unreasonable to compare an album which is less than two month old to an album that is already rocking the mic for half a year, an album from someone who just want to groove, which is club inspired, primarily directed towards Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, with an album that is not really for the party hoppers but a carefully rustle up LP. Not a Nigerian material but for a larger audience. It's really illogical comparing. However i don't need a whole year to wait before i can sum up my own "merix" of both albums, since its not much about the word on the street, but the words that passes through my head each time i listen to both CDs. On this 6 track remix album, i am not going to waste my time going into past glories or yet to come glories, i am talking strictly about the Entertainer and the Unstoppable, let's pieces these master pieces, and of course that will surely bring us to the makers of both works, lyrics and beats. Feel me flow.

Track 2 - KOKO MASTER

What D'banj is today is exactly what OlaDapo Oyebanjo and the whole Mo Hits crew wants him to be, a musical brand who has found a solid ground called NIGERIAN AUDIENCE to build his platform, (for the sake of those who are yet to realize the power of the Nigerian audience, go check out what Nollywood is to the world now) and with a Don Jazzy as partner and manager they have already made history, so it is only left for history to jugde them, but for most of us alive now, we get so angry with this guy because we can't just do without him, he has become another billboard, but this time not on the road, but in our cars, clubs, carnivals, parties, shows and grabbing every award, you hate him until you respect the man, respect the movement. And unlike many, i totally disagree that he says nothing, he says what many are too scared to say, he say a lot to give us a clear notion of what most of our young girls and ladies are worth, enough to get the feminists offended, however that is the "Koko" he is yet to tell us, how in the midst of these controversy he has been extremely pop, not just for his easy to sell vulgarity but also for his understanding of music as a tool to keep you on your feet, his melody could get even the priest dancing and the sisters swearing, his energetic larger than live attitude which one don't even need to be in the studio with him to feel, these will however get the attention of the Youth and will generate controversy and, whatever we like say about it. DBanj is a flash and the entire explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions would never wear off with our hypocritical society, his kind of music will catch a fire, but will it burn for long? No, but is he willing to relent? No, he is going to be like cigarette for the addicted, it will take time to stop the Dbanj habit and this the point where one take a second look at 2face's musical genius.

Track 3 - JUNGLE DON MATURE remix 

With a careful examination of the 2face journey as a musical symbol for the Nigerian music industry, one will but agree with his utterance, "when you see me passing through, let me be, because i don pay my due, look at me as your mallam, plus a soldier and a player in this industry...". With this present album, despite the bias of over expectation, 2face has proven to be an Artiste that in any case can be defended on whatever fora, as an embodiment of Fela Kuti, Bob Marly, R.Kelly and Wyclef rolled up into one, with the stage at which he is now, he is a leading voice not just in Nigeria but also part of the leading league of world class Africans taking the locale to a different level, when you mention the likes of K'naan, Nneka, Keziah Jones, Patrice, Didier Awadi, you won't stop without mentioning 2 baba. 2face becoming the number one export and representative of contemporary Nigerian music is in fact a truth that we all need to get used to. He is not trying to access a market and pay the price of compromising his art for the sake of being accepted, but here is a guy that authoritatively says "make i tell you about the place where we been dey come from..." he is not here to terrorize but to revolutionize, and universalize naija music as it is. The 19 track LP, that marks 2face's third album has sincerely made a huge statement for all of us who still have some elements of doubt hidden somewhere in our hearth, not in the history of Nigerian urban music, has any artiste dropped an hour, sixteen minute and two seconds of non-stop good music, fine lyrics, deep thoughts and inspiration for his listeners, delivered with a very matured sense of self esteem. His discourse in the Unstoppable ranges from racial discrimination, Love in the widest range of it, cross boarder policies, war, message for the haters and other undertone messages for those who ponders. The array of quality artistes featured in the album confirms his level of intelligence, with major collabos with the likes of Chakademus and Pliers, Wyre as well as R.kelly proved that he has realized a fan base that is not just limited to Africa, but across the Carribean island and northern America in general. for our information 2face is UNSTOPPABLE, if you want to try to stop the unstoppable...

"shine your eye make u no high, 
make u no dey see double, to con dey cause trouble. 
Shine your eye make u no high, 
make e no be you wey dem go use koboko humble,
because when dem finish with you, 
e go do you like you and kamala fight royal rumble. 
Because when dem finish with you 
e go do you like you and hulk hogan enter one jungle".

Track 4 - THE ENTERTAINER real mix

'The Entertainer' Album is great Period, but my new found respect for DBanj as a 'music businessman' is not based on the fact that i'm beginning to consider him an artist, but my respect for him is drawn from his talent, cleverness and willingness to try other tunes, there is a great infusion of highlife into his style, his lyrical compositions in this album is delivered in a quite poetic way that is not trying to do more than itself, Unlike those artistes who will just want to rhyme by force, but here Dbanj as usual delivers his lyrics in a very playful manner, certainly, we do not have to speak in proverbs or rave philosophically to make sense, sometimes, even the deepest songs wouldn't have done what Dbanj's lyrics does to his listeners, our disagreement with his flippancy, does not justify his lack of intensity, although he confirms himself as a mere entertainer and "don't have to make sense, you don't have to sing anything at all... ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? ARE YOU NOT? PAY ME MY MONEY". I for one enjoy so much this present album but I'm not just in the position to defend it on an intellectual fora. During my visit to Lagos, at a carnival, which was the first venue where i got the feel of the entertainer, it was "Fall in love", the first feeler tune Don Jazzy breezed the listener with was a shock when i listened to what the streets has translated it to, "o nfoko sere! o ntami o nro mi !" (please don't ask for translation) not just one or few people but everybody present was reciting that, i was left mouth opened, so how can i defend that on a moral ground, when the next day was my niece's 10th year birthday, from a share guess, the oldest there will be around 12/13 years of age, same song was played and exactly same reaction, then i realized at what level the Dbanj syndrome had gone beyond articles.

Track 5 - THE UNSTOPPABLE PARASITES

Contemporary Nigerian urban musicians seeks to establish a balance between melody, slogans and club jams, because the music is produced in an environment that is strongly embedded and shaped by omnipresence of oscillating movement and energy, so automatically, because the music producers are also part of this vibrancy and has realized a means of easing themselves of the excessive spell, finally passing it on to us the listeners and the positive reaction they get put them in the position of recycling this same oscillating energy, since contemporary Nigerian musicians has made us get so much addicted to club jams and well mastered our desires, they therefore create this sexual machine to satisfy our nymphomaniac attitude towards music.

Words in every form, commonly reference a plurality of meanings, the things they designate are multiple and their signification structurally ambivalent. Intrinsically they demonstrate an extraordinary capacity not only to tell a story, but also to represent. In Lagos, Music renders visible the multiple juxtaposition that shape daily life, in the process, it unconsciously become an archive, a relic of our experiences on the streets of Lagos. Signifying an experience that is constantly on the the move, accounting for the instability of reality and its dependance on the sound that domesticates it, such domestication is possible only through combination of images and lyrics, words, sounds, melodies, dances, social codes and slogans that is locally accepted during a particular era. Now, if the instant desire of the audience has made a music maker fall to the lure of such demands, by the time we will want to review the happenings of our past, it is then that we will realize how empty some of our archives are, cos the most useful element to us then will be lyrics and good music for all time - the evergreen. To tell the story of life in the Nigerian cities, music calls on and produces heterogeneity of representation.

Track 6 - NOBODY HOLY PASS

These two paragons are of course unstoppable, if Dbanj is presently satisfying his purpose as the "Koko master" of the Nigerian market, sure you can't stop him, and if 2face's aim is to take territories and be a world icon tomorrow, he is as well on the right track and surely unstoppable. Both Album shows that they both listens and responds to their audience and critics, so let's say i am one of their audience, not at all a critic, here are two "big boys" of a whole industry, those who have fully understood the benefit of hard work in a society like Nigeria, these guys have been to places and they've seen the way its being done the "right way", it is understandable that like most Lagosians there is a livelihood to make, so now that they've made that living out of hardworking and the support of the Almighty, what else do they make out of that life? Yes, we will agree that we Nigerian audience, to a certain degree are killers as much as we make our super stars, we get satisfied too soon. However these are guys who see themselves as role models for the generation next and they ought to be pace setters. I will not deliberately dig out hidden fact about their private public life that is to a certain level a bit below expected, that's not the point, my point is, when will the D'banj and the 2face realize that no serious minded concert, (note the wordCONCERT) will await them if they still come to do shows with a copy of their demo stuck in their back pocket, haven't they gotten to the point where they can stand up before a crowd and say "people, here is my band and we are here to rock the show, its not Don jazzy again, its my band this time, nothing dey happen - feel us flow".

VOTE FOR TANKS.

First of all, i want to thank the Almighty for giving me one more chance to say my mind without stammering and being the executive producer of this plate, I want to thank my woman, my love and best friend, for being my manager and first to read and correct my mind, if further award comes out of this, i shall dedicate it to all of you who will comment on this note. But please as you comment remember that nobody holy pass. we all just dey try.

SO GRAB YOUR COPY NOOOOOOWWWW !

24x24 Qudus Onikeku Video

24x24 Qudus Onikeku Video

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Question and ANSWERS for Believers and Atheists

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem 
science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new Christian students to stand.....
Professor: You are a Christian, aren't you, son?
Student : Yes, sir.
Prof: So you believe in God?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student : Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student : Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)
Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?
Student : Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student : No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student : From...God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer.)
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible 
things exist in the world, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student : No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student : No , sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the 
fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class is in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?.....No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir. The link between man & God is FAITH. That is all 
that keeps things moving & alive. We live by faith, NOT by sight!

HOME

I'm staring out into the night 
Striving to hide the pain and stop the tears
distant sounds, healing wounds
whispering palms of Lagos life, echoes of my childhood
I'm going to the place where love i can FEEL, 
and feeling good don't live the cost of my sexuality, color and race. 
I'm going Home to the place where I belong, 
where a slight notion of acceptance has always been enough for me 
So I'm going Home 

The miles are getting longer, The closer I get to my destiny
the boundraies fall apart.
the limits pushed beyond the edge,
memories wither in this narrow path i thread.
This new culture will not fade away my old habits
And I'm left with the conviction of other places 
where i feel at HOME cos it feels like HOME
I'm going home to the place where i feel a different kind of pain.
I don't regret this life i chose for me
but these faces and places are getting old.
I'm going HOME.

UCHE JAMES-IROHA gets the Royal Award

LAGOS - The venue for the Prince Claus Award ceremony was simply set. Guests were treated to relaxing music, drinks and snacks while enjoying the aesthetics of some of Uchechukwu James Iroha's works.

Born in 1972, Enugu. Uchechukwu James Iroha’s artistic career started after studying sculpture at the University of Port Harcourt Art School (Nigeria) from 1990-1995. He started taking photographs in 1996. He is a leading light of a new generation of Nigerian photographers. By fusing the documentation of everyday reality with the creative language of imagery, Uchechukwu expands the possibilities of photography, pushing local art in new directions. His high quality images depict bodies in context, exploring the physicality of existence in the mix of cultures and influences that is 21st century Lagos, a megacity with urgent social issues. Fire, Flesh and Blood (2004), a group of images depicting open-air abattoirs, won the Elan Prize at the African Photography Encounters (2005). While documentary in inspiration, the series plunges the viewer into the chaos of colour, smoke and close-ups that are iconic in their intensity, capturing moments that are at once harsh, powerful and poetic.

Uchechukwu was instrumental in founding the Depth of Field (DOF) collective, bringing six talented young photographers together to create strong exhibitions in Nigeria and abroad. By combining their highly individual perspectives they offer insight into the complexity of their environment. Uchechukwu is also instrumental in mentoring a younger generation of photographers through workshops and seminars. James Iroha Uchechukwu is awarded for his striking photographic work, for his stimulation of photography as a contemporary Nigerian art form, and for his energetic support of young artists. James-Iroha was receiving this year's Prince Claus Award in recognition of his exceptional achievement in the field of photography. The ceremony was a re-enactment of the one held in the Netherlands, which honoured all the recipients of the awards.

The Dutch ambassador to Nigeria, said, "Uchechukwu's work is an excellent example of the theme for this year's award - The Human Body. His artwork is a pinhole to communicate with our lives."
"Uchechukwu is not just a photographer but a movement for a critically better art," saidAbraham Oghobase, his protégé and colleague.
"There is beauty when you do something with innovation and Uchechukwu not only photographs but assists in developing talent," said Luciano Uzuegbu, Programmes co-ordinator of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation.

Uchechukwu dedicated the award to his wife. "I call her ‘Home Made' because she is all African; I thank everyone who made this possible."
Commenting on the contrast of his work, he said, "Colour distracts. When you photograph in colour, your audience tends to get distracted by the colours. Red. Blue. The flashes of colour distract and people miss the stark reality and importance of the piece." On art development in Nigeria, he said, "The only reason I was accepted as an artist in Nigeria is because I have a degree in art. I am happy that Nigerians are recognising photography as an art form; this award strengthens my convictions."

The Prince Claus Fund is a medium for intercultural exchange. The Fund organises activities and publications on contemporary themes in the field of culture and development. Mamoni Roisom Goswani, a writer from India, was presented with this year’s Principal Prince Claus Award of €100,000. Uchechukwu is among the youngest of eleven recipients of this year's awards. Each award comes with €25,000. and the awards are in different categories. Other recipients include Ousmane Sow, a renowned sculptor from Senegal. Carlos Henríquez Consalvi, Venezuelan journalist and broadcaster. Jeanguy Saintus, Haitian visionary choreographer, dancer and educator. Ma Ke, a Chinesse bold voice in contemporary fashion design. Tania Bruguera, a Cuban performance artist. Elia Suleiman, a Palestinian filmmakers. Li Xianting, a Chinesse curator and critic. Venerable Purevbat, an outstanding Mongolian artist and teacher of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition and Dayanita Singh, an Indian master photographer.

Q'dus Onikeku reporting for myself

I FEEL WHAT I DANCE - I DANCE WHAT I FEEL

i dance what i feel-i feel what i dance, i dance to fulfill a need and quench a thirst for life, to live is like fleeing from one question to the other. HELL is cobbled with good intention, suffering and joy normal winds of life. I trust in my wings my answers are floating in my wind.

I like what I write cos I write what I like, I write when I most feel it become indispensable for me to let out my personal frustration, I don't get personal on the public dance floor and neither am I a coward that will go seek a hand in marriage and run back for his 
parents to arrange the marriage rites. 
I feel what I write cos I write what I feel, I feel it, when it is time to scream it out to the guy 
who got the mouth odor, yet claim to have the right to have a smelly mouth, but he forgot that, from the moment or rather before the moment his mouth odor diffuse and affect the space at which we all share, from that moment I also have the right to either urge him, force him, cajole him, toast him or do whatever I'm capable of, to make him go wash his smelly mouth. 
I write what I think, I think what I write, my words are exact, underlined with truth, backed with intelligence and wide open to criticism at both ends. Its my truth, its not necessarily 
the truth. Its my truth so I'll defend it. If you like, you hate me for it, if you like, you kill me for it, I'll however be remembered for the values I defended. 
I know what I write, and I write what I know, I know what affects our societies today is the absence of air where it smells real bad, I know that the oppresed guy like back doors and escape routes... I know that the powerful, like the stupid one, has endless time, whether we whine, howl, beg, weep, cajole, pray or curse - he listens. He is just a big ear minus a sympathetic and meditative nervous system, and nothing touches him but the TRUTH. 

My blog has with time mutated into a space where I carefully chip in my thoughts about everything. Its an open gossip. Its a private part that challenges the public arena. I see myself pack a handful of sand amidst this endless desert, poured it all into the air, as small as 
my palms may seem, the sand still arrives at struggling the atmosphere with the bad odor, it rained down in dust particles, It touched everyone close to the space I occupy. Some smiled over it and took it all for fun but others dwelled over the dust as if they have no hands to dust away dusts.
If words can be weighed on a scale, mine weigh a ton, its velocity is speed over time, to every note i blog, I leave room for an equal and opposite reaction. If you have issues with me, tell me, don't tell my friends, If you feel threatened by my own version of the truth, get over it and let life pass through you, today its my blog and facebook, yesterday it was hi5 so 
tomorrow life goes on, only if change has seized from being the only permanent element in life.

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to. An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, 
with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! My best of wishes for you is to keep living those beautiful moment and making up for all the left overs of 2008, while 2009 brag in with a whole new promise. Wishing you an excessively Happy new year and a bright future.

A big "Thank You" to each and every one of you, for the huge impact you had on my life this year. Especially for all the support, comments and e-mails I received, without you, I'm sure that 2008 would have been extremely long and boring.
And to those who have found someone special, you need a glue
To those who need money, get more PT jobs to aid your finances overflow
To those who need caring, may you find a good heart
To those who need friends, stay off fake-books and go meet people in the real world
To those who need life, get personal with GOD.

Qd dey HAIL all ya.

There is a natural mystique flowing in NIGERIA

What is happening in this country, everybody seems to be Nigerian these days, I recently heard that the richest man in Africa is a Nigerian, Dangote or what does that his wretched name sounds like. Somebody must really be attempting to kid everybody, well minus me. Nigeria, that NATION OF MANY PARADOX, they call them Africa’s most populous nation, and they take that to the bazaar, often regarded as the crime GIANT, SYNONYMOUS TO 419, corruption, and lawlessness, not to mention the oil BOOM, that is BETTER KNOWN RECENTLY AS OIL curse, illustrated by the ongoing rebellion in the Niger Delta. This place of all evils, and how possible will it be that people can still think straight or have time for fun and talent discovery in these chaos, this irritating nation mainly known for her long military dictatorship in the hands of Abacha and others that we can't name because they are still alive dictating in disguise. 

Nigeria that was once the major regret of Christopher Okigbo, that great poet that was killed during Biafra, even Wole soyinka, the Nobel laureate, Chinua Achebe and the likes of Fela Kuti, the king of afrobeat, not to mention others forced out and now claimed by the diaspora, the likes of Okwui Nwezor, Olu Oguibge, Henry Oguike, Peter Badejo, Sam Shonibare those british artists and statesmen, you think if they were in Nigeria they would have been what they are today, you can't claim that those ones are still Nigerians anyway, they are citizens of the world even if most of them were born and brought up in Nigeria, their works, we have been very familiar with mostly in Europe and America and has inspired many of our own artistes throughout the world. Now, all of a sudden so many original and talented young Nigerian artists want to start flocking our European scenes? Admittedly, Nigeria is by far one the most populous country in the world. Ok ok. Which is a good excuse to have all sort of offbeat breeds popping out from there. But nevertheless, who else can you mention in present tense, do you want to talk about Femi and Seun Kuti, those ones we can understand, for they are the sons of the great Fela Kuti and nothing else can come out of Nigeria than that anyway, without forgetting Tony Allen, his former accomplice.

But wait, did someone just whispered JayJay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo, those soccer guru and world acclaimed star... oh no the grammy award winner Seal... and Keziah Jones, the inventor of the "blufunk", no don't tell me these guys are also Nigerians, Keziah that was discovered playing in the metro of Paris, oh no I am a big fan of that genius, the last time he played a surprise concert at the Parisian metro, I couldn't get to see him, but hold on, i'm getting another eye opening news now, that the just concluded, first ever Mtv Africa Music Awards was colonized by some Nigerian artists, no no its a lie, D'banj, 9ice, P.Square,

Naeto C, Ikechukwu, are you sure these guys didn't bribe the organisers, I mean look at the list of winners, ohhh... No wonder they won, it was organised in Abuja, I beg stop fooling me, but even more, for the past three years, we've witnessed another three formidable Nigerian singers invading our radio waves and enchanting our summer festivals. Ayo, Asa and Nneka, ok, sincerely I have to give up now, because here are three good reasons to look at contemporary Nigeria with another eye. Now guys don't mind my unpatriotic utterances, i'm no longer a citizen of the world, i'm actually a Nigerian, cos I think at this moment being a Nigerian is a different kind of cliché, the creative energy in this nation entity is just something to reckon with, at least now people can start making my name synonymous to talents and possibilities, the world has began to place Nigeria on a different platform, so now there is the world, there is United States of America, there is Africa and there is also Nigeria apart. so the Nigerian dream is really alive, now everybody wants to VISIT THIS REVOLUTIONARY NATION THROUGH THE windows of The Nigerian urban music, dance, movies, football and all other trivial means that we took just for what they were.

In the tail end of the 20th century this country just kept surprising us with all sorts of booms, after the eve of independence, the post-colonial power tussle of the sixties that geared up inspiration for the action movie makers in Hollywood, the coup d'état boom was our first hearing to the word boom, should we talk of the oil boom of the 70s, that was followed by the corruption boom of the 80s, which made many of us lost hope in the future of this cursed nation, with resourceful people, but the 90s was the beginning of the soccer and Nollywood movies boom, and then the 21st century opened up with some serious booms, miraculously we see the telecommunication boom, financial system boom, apart from this musician that kept bothering our air waves and as it is beginning to seem now, we are about to witness the dance boom, photography boom, and other inconsequential booms, ok from today on, I'll never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers, and no matter what rubbish I lay my hands on now, I will never let anybody tell me who I am, cos they only want to tell me who they want me to be, so after all the national and international condemnation Nollywood got, yet their destiny can't be changed, and this even goes beyond what scholars can put on paper, or what the major players in this Nigerian dreams themselves can analyse, 

Nigeria is becoming the Nation that really needs a carefully close look at, because even before Obama came up with the “Yes we can” slogan, Nigerians has been saying it with their ways and actions in a very informal and banal way, The individual is a major player and the embodiment of the Nigerian dream. IN THE NEW NIGERIA, EVERYMAN IS A CREATOR, they have become the re-inventors of culture and tradition, a contemporary Nigerian is first a Nigerian above all other things, he is less of his ethnic grouping, likewise does the question of being an African is of any importance to him, he has made himself a dynamic interlocutor between past and the future,

FOR HE CAN FEEL THE NEED FOR A NEW NATION BUILDING WITH OR WITHOUT THE STATE, consciously or unconsciously, through playfulness or mere survival instinct, and talent is no longer a password to success, neither does originality seems to be enough, but all that must be supported with consistency and a marketing gimmick that is definitely out of this world, Nigeria is cursed with everything good and bad, cursed with talent, corruption, greediness, creativity, indiscipline, natural and human resources, corruption, insensitivity to filthy surroundings and many other identifiable plagues in our catalogue of the national mystique. A Nigerian cares less about stereotypes and give no damn about what the international media is saying about them, 

So who is the man telling me that the cities of the future are still lying somewhere in Europe, or taking the directions of Tokyo, Doha or Beijing, hell no, the cities of the future are completed work in progress, cities in motion and adhering to contemporary needs of a city, made what it is by the resourcefulness of its creative and entrepreneurial citizens, producing intense proximity of loads of activities and performance of all sorts, from selling and buying, to fighting and praying, loading and unloading, road shows of all sorts, touting, crimes and daily minor violence, all working side by side with dirt, waste, history, energy, slums and sweat to sustain the everyday hustling that put a totally different light to their moment of merrymaking, worship and love. All these are what the city of the future is made of and not defined by its architectural extravagant extravaganza. In ungovernable cities like Lagos or Benin city for example, the rule of law, law of gravity and the formal pulls of life are brought to the lime light at the square everyday by the people, with full support of the thugs and touts, to be assembled and demolished even before the end of the inaugural party and political shows, set in motion by the state, to celebrate the new reinstated rules and regulation, the people in turn takes from all that is visible and in present tense, to make the informal never changing, yet mobile government, through of course their creative energy, many thanks to their public reputation and street credibility that none of the statesmen can boast of.

Any un-Nigerian reader out there reading this article might be thinking, what a patriot and flag wavers contemporary Nigerians must be, well you might be missing the point, yes Nigerians are flag wavers above other things, but I don't know if it can be linked to patriotism, its just fashion, its becoming hip to wear the national colour and proclaim the national slogans, Naija 4 life, Proudly Nigerian etc. without any deep implication attached, but evidently the youth culture and the ruling informal government is very green in colour, and no one wishes to dig into that hidden sack, because for me, the word patriot in dictionary terms is a person who loves and cares deeply about his country and not one who says he loves his country, Patriotism is an emotion of love directed by a critical intelligence, and how can this be possible if the rulers and the ruled are not on parallel grounds and have no common goal of maintaining the dispensation at which the nation lives. The only true patriots we have in Nigeria are the ruling class, they are the ones who cling religiously to the notion of patriotism, clowning themselves with the importance of the national pledge and hymn. What I'm trying to say here is that, Nigeria is entirely different from Nigerians, Nigeria is such a hopeless country, but Nigerians on the other hand are so much of a reassuring sect, despite their ungovernable characteristics, they are a complete opposite to the ruling class, when you visit Nigeria as a foreigner, the visible wonders 
you see everywhere are mere invention of Nigerians, the people you meet on your daily encounters that will make you return with a whole new idea of what Nigeria stands for, because from outside Nigeria the only information we get are the governmental magic of the ruling class who calls themselves Nigeria.

Qudus appears in the long list of "The Future Awards".

The Central Working Committee of The Future Awards, on the morning of Tuesday, the 2nd of December, announced the list of nominees for the 4th edition of Nigeria’s most respected youth awards. 

“It’s been weeks of intense work and research, and we are proud, immensely proud of the list we have from more than 10, 000 nominations! Voting starts immediately, alongside the rigorous 4-stage judging process. All the details, including the full list, will be posted on the website www.thefuturenigeria.com,” said Emilia Asim-Ita, the Award’s PR Director. “And what really warmed our hearts about this list were the twin facts that we have a healthy percentage of nominees from all parts of Nigeria, and even though it’s a star-studded list, more than 50 per cent of the nominees are non-celebrities. “

The Future Awards rewards achieving young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 31. The long list is, as usual, filled with the brightest and best young Nigerians from all over the country – in music, sports, the corporate world, technology, business, amongst others. 

NOMINEES LONG LIST
"THE FUTURE AWARDS 2009"

On-Air Personality of the Year (Radio) 

Phoenix (Rhythm Lagos) 
Tito Otons (Raypower Lagos) 
Tyeng Gyang (Cool FM Abuja) 
Douglas Nwokocha (Rhythm Abuja) 
Yaw & Matse (Wazobia FM Lagos) 
Wildchild (Rhythm FM Lagos) 
Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (Cool FM Lagos)
Chuks Roberts (Cosmo FM Enugu) 

Best Use of Technology

Saheed Adejuwon
Titilayo Akinsanmi
Bamidele Odufuye
Lanre Lawal 
Icebox Studios 
Yinka Adetoye 
Yusuf Jimoh
Oluwaseun Faniran

Best Use of Advocacy

Temidayo Israel 
Mohammed Ahmed-Shaibu
Ugochukwu Nwosu 
Tosyn Bucknor 
Toyosi Akerele
Obinna Etele 
Emmanuel James-Odiase
Emmanuel Etim

Musician of the Year 

Dbanj 
9ice
Psquare
Naeto C
Rooftop MCs
Banky W 
Timaya
Sasha

Actor of the Year

Jennifer Osamor
Funke Akindele
Gabriel Afolayan 
Tonto Dike
Oge Okoye 
Nonso Diobi 
Mercy Johnson 
OC Ukeje 

Artist of the Year

Ogunnubi Babadeji
Seyi Taylor
Abraham Oghobase
Emeka Okereke
Jumoke Verissimo 
Adolphus Opara 
Tolulope Ogunlesi
Jide Alakija 

Magazine of the Year 

Ace 
Soundcity Blast 
Tripz
The Applause
234 
Déjà vu 
Trace
Acada

Style Entrepreneur of the Year 

Dumebi Agbakoba (Dakou Collections)
Funke Adegbola (Ella Brown Couture) 
Korede Roberts (Fusion) 
Uche Nnaji (Ouch!)
Ebubedike Mary (West n Couture) 
Yewande Perigrino (Beyond Faces) 
Olamide Ajayi (Iconola) 
Linda Ikeji (Blackdove Communications) 

Comedian of the Year

Jedidiah
Wale Gates 
Teju Babyface
Princess 
Tunde Ednut 
Seyi Law
Omobaba
Holly Mallam 

Business Owner of the Year 

Mosunmola Umoru (Honeysuckles PTL) 
Tochukwu Onyemelukwe (Cotek) 
Alexander Yangs (Testify Music)
Debola Lewis (Yvent Couture) 
Ibidun Ighodalo (Elizabeth R) 
Funke Awobokun (Cocktails In & Out) 
Hassan Rilwan (Focal Point Publishing Ltd)
Anita Ibru (Minerva) 

Professional of the Year 

Kolawole Osinowo (Nokia West Africa) 
Oluyemi Oluwole (Chevron Corporation) 
Shile Obiesan (Consolidated Media Associates) 
Dr. Dayo Osholowu (Special Olympics Nigeria) 
Uche Okorji (Utchay Okorji Associates) 
Fatima Mohammed (Chapel Hill and Dunham)
Fola Aiyesimoju (Stanbic Bank) 
Carrena Sola (Travant) 

Model of the Year 

Bryan Okpara 
Warebi Martha 
Bisi Rahman 
Bisi Sowemimo 
Amaka Chirah 
Isi Atagamen 
Owobo Ogunlaja
Olubunmi Ademokoya 

Team of the Year 

Blue Labs Technologies
DNMT (Dance Na De Main Thing)
Four Kornerz 
Babs Educational Consult
The UnRulies 
Javabean Ltd
Knighthouse 
Mo Hits Crew

Journalist of the Year 

Rachel Ogbu (Newswatch)
Samuel Olatunji (The Sun) 
Azuh Amatus (The Sun)
Arukaino Umukoro (National Standard) 
Blessing Ogunli (TheNEWS) 
Abdulkareem Baba Aminu (Daily Trust) 
Ruonah Agbroko (Thisday) 
Funke Adetutu (BusinessDay) 

On-Air Personality of the Year (TV) 

Onyinye Igwe (Soundcity)
Tana Egbo (Channel O) 
Lamide Akintobi )(Channels TV) 
Dayo Ephraim (Hip TV)
Blaze (Nigezie) 
Adaure Achumba (STV) 
Jimmie Akinsola (The Best of Football) 
Jumoke Alao (AIT) 

Screen Producer of the Year 

Gbenga Salu
Soji Ogunnaike
Matthew Ogunlola
Onye Ubanatu 
Chuka Ejorh 
Clarence Peters
Kemi Adetiba 
Dayo Oyedele

Sportsperson of the Year 

Yagazie Chukwumerije 
Damola Osayomi
Osaze Odemwingie
Mikel Obi
Eniola Aluko
Obinna Nsofor
Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke 
Olusoji Fasugba

Music Producer of the Year 

Wole Oni 
Cobhams 
Alex Yangs 
ID Cabassa
Don Jazzy 
Jesse Jags 
TY Mix
Suspect 

Dancer of the Year 

Qudus Onikeku
Kafilat Shafaru
Onyekachi Okengwu 
Wale Akinbola Sodade
Jennifer Ogbor 
Bimbo Obafunwa 
Buddy Agedah 
Flex (Nonso Cajetan Asobe)

Young Person of the Year:  

Bukola Elemide (Asa)
Toyin Bello 
Yagazie Chukwumerije
Louise Priddy 
Oluchi Orlandi
Don Jazzy (Michael Ajere)
Cobhams Asuquo 
Funke Bucknor-Obruthe

Collection of those things that burn in us

THE event was a union of two young and established Nigerian performers of high esteem and international reputation. Isioma Williams, a percussionist and choreographer based in the United Kingdom and Qudus Onikeku, a dancer and acrobat based in France. The event was a workshop titled, ‘Collection of those things that burn in us. Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare and Bunmi Obarotimi report.

A dancer and a percussionist, though different, share a passion. Both are artistes – they feel every passing moment with poetry, burn on stage like innocent bodies set ablaze and appear to be innocent of their naivety. Percussionists recite poems with the beat of the drum while a dancer narrates the poem with body movements. Qudus Onikeku, a Nigerian dancer and performer of international reputation, who currently enjoys a scholarship from the French government at the prestigious Ecole nationale superieur des arts du cirque, Chalons en champagne, France and Isioma Williams collaborated to set poetry in motion with dance and drums at the Conference Hall of the National Art Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The event titled, ‘Collection of those things that burn in us’ which came up recently was a bumper package. It featured a workshop session, public presentation and screening of a documentary film that followed Qudus’ recent project, carried out last summer in six African countries and a poetry dance performance titled ‘Afropolitan’.

Afropolitan is focused on the insincere friendship between Africa and the western world - the negative impression that people of the western world have about Africa as a nation and the effect of these negative thoughts on the people of Africa.

In his presentation, Qudus said, “between you and I, Africa has been seen and told from the western eyes, unconsciously, we tend to see ourselves from the slants of the western judgment and you and I continue to dance around these laid down stereotypes.”

The main message of Afropolitan is that Africans should learn to develop at their pace and not imitate or look up to the westerners and wait for them to develop the economy of their nation for them. Qudus believes that Africans need to look inward and also run at their pace; a steady pace that is peculiar to them instead of chasing developed countries at the detriment of their socio economic development. “Let you and I ask each other, if auto-mobile was made by Africans, what would have been the speed limit? Because we tend to run too fast, shall we last long with this pace? We are becoming uncivilized of our proper civilization with the hope of catching up with this capitalist world in the shadows of globalization.”

Another focus of the workshop is to educate people and correct the general misconception that dancers are unserious people. Dancers are also taught to have pride in themselves and the job they do. “Once upon a time, dancers used to be subordinates to dramatic performances, musical revivals and tools for welcoming VIPs at the terminal and airports while percussionists stand beside as a mere subordinate art to other forms of art, but in present time, the story is taking another form. Today has come to be, after a long week of talks, understanding, making performers of these arts to be conscious and empower these art forms, that in recent time appears to be one of the most influential and versatile art form that could go into other art forms.” Qudus said.

The event is not meant to promote a certain form of dance but to bring all forms of dance together as one, said the organizers, “our aim is not to romance a particular form of dance, but on the contrary to "de-individualize" and bring all these forms of body expressions to a platform where they could be individually or collectively conscious and aware of those micro-organs that enhance our movements.”

The film shown during the workshop was extracted from the recent project of Qudus and titled, "do we need cola-cola to dance." It is a project he did around six countries of Africa in 2007. The countries toured are Lagos, Cairo, Johannesburg, Maputo, Nairobi and Yaoundé with the purpose of retracing a path that may lead to the discovery of the things he found missing.

Qudus Onikeku, a young Nigerian dancer and Acrobat based in France ,has toured over 27 countries across the globe while Isioma Williams, a performer of high esteem, Choreographer, Dance director, Percussionist and the coordinator for Gong beats productions. Both are ambassadors of Africa culture, showcasing the rich heritage of Africans in various part of the world and they have used their experience to portray Africa in a positive light at different forum and most recently at the workshop.

ASA wins the prestigious French Music Awards

ASA has just won the highly coveted French Constantin Award for new musical talent this Monday afternoon, 17th of November 2008. "I want to sing for the world, not just be seen as an African singer," said Asa in a recent interview with AFP. This special price was created in 2002 to celebrate the latest talent of the year, and in the list of precedent winners includes Avril, Mickey 3D, Cali, Camille, Abd Al Malik and Daphné last year. Asa won the seventh Constatin Price, after an organized concert for each artiste to perform any of her preferred tracks before a live audience at Paris' Olympia, This award was handed to her by Etienne Daho, president of the 19 man jury for the 2008 edition, she sang at the beginning of the show with guests as Camille and Katerine. Asa prevailed on the list of contending youngsters on stage, including talented artistes such as Dø, Cocoon, Moriarty, Julien Doré, Thomas Dutronc, Yael Naïm, Arman Méliès, Barbara Carlotti and Joseph d'Anvers. 

The young woman appears amazed, falls in tears when she heard her name, saw her work be awarded since the release of her first eponymous album in 2007… during the publication of the ten nominated for this price one month ago, Etienne Daho have announced in silence this final victory.”The French production is feeling well, I think especially about Asa from Nigeria, who is realising a sublime disk” and Asa has said "I really feel too honoured to be a member of this nice artistes’ selection. If I win this price, that will make people know my music, and this is good. So many artistes will like to be at my place. It’s a real luck.” 

The Constatin Price rewards exceptionally artistes whose disk has been produced in France, with the sole condition of the album not being a golden disk before being selected. This year, the list of the ten artistes has much feminine touch. Asa will surely get profit from a media display for the coming years.

(c) Qudus Onikeku reporting for myself

Qudus's Evaluation of Dance in Nigeria... QED

If we get to place Nigeria on a scale against West Africa as a whole, it is clear that the scale could balance at point zero, not just because Nigeria being the most populous nation in Africa with an estimate of 140 million, which is already more than a half of west Africa, nor for her political impact and economic puissance that plays a significant role in the region, but also for its cultural diversity that gives birth to 36 states (if we want to talk in terms of political boundary, if not, we can as well say it is made up of over 250 ethnic groupings).

Qd's Evaluation of DANCE. QED Naija version

Due to this brief intro, which is more like stating the obvious, we will then have no need for further effort in getting anyone convinced that there is a strong need for a network development in such a “monster” nation, and certainly this network can lead to a “Dance boom” that the whole of the African continent and the dance world can also benefit from. However, it is quite a sorry thing to say that there is very little or no single connectivity amongst these various states apart from the highways that links one to the other. In terms of the art scene, apart from mega cities like Lagos who has arrived at dominating and capitalize the Nigerian dance economy, which tends to be the unofficial headquarters for showbiz, there is no concrete exchange or viable relationship that flows amongst the local players of these states, the funny thing about it all is the fact that, it is not even the whole of Lagos that has a share in this monopoly, but a very small league of "local champions" who got the exposure and capital to invest in the industry. 

If we decide to go deeper into the concept of using what we have in place to make things happen, at the same time creating more alternative spaces for freedom and expression. The dance industry in Nigeria is still in its primitive stage with quite a lot of untapped initiations, it is only these “local champions” that rotates themselves around same horizons. What are making out of our differences, complexity and diversity? how do we make use of the existing 36 states? make use of the ATAS(Association of Theatre art students) that exists in over a hundred universities and polytechnics across the nation? of what better use can we make of the state councils of arts and culture that exists practically in all states? how more can we make a functional use of the Dance guild of Nigeria that has affiliates in several states? there are for sure better advantageous means of making use of the ready made network of the French cultural centres that exist in major cities in Nigeria, as well as the molecules of other micro cultural operators and professionals that spread all across the nation. 

I think i have found my own one word answers to this complicated questions, yes its the 3D, we sincerely need to multiply, with aim of “De-individualizing” the isolated operators that is rather being squashed by the massive weight of their one man shows, by means of multiplication and displacement, diverse combination and intra-exchange on a national level, that bonds a chain of network units within each states first before opening up to blocs in the regions, which must however be backed by other possible measures of “De-centralizing” and “De-concentrating” the attention of other secondary operators from the main regions that harbours the centre players. 

Move departments of the large markets, such in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt or Calabar, away from a single administrative centre to other locations, granting them some degree of autonomy, which will later reduce the crowd of bush league that overpopulates the limited chances for the real players. More so, bringing all these individual forces to form an alliance of cultural operators, whereby they come together with a collaborative force, which does not exclude students, journalists, critics, scholars and professionals all around Nigeria, and by so doing, the so called local champions that flock around the unofficial headquarters will have other doors at which they can disseminate their energy, by constantly giving helping hands to smaller operators in other states to develop a sustainable dance market, and unconsciously, there will be a massive network that boasts of its weight even in the world stage, and tell me, for what reason will there not be a conducive environment for our existence at home?

I believe that at this present point of our encounters, after some years of exchange of sight and several hand shakes with the west, it is high time we got to start concentrating on internal issues, now that we got enough technology and professionals present on the soil, we only need to appropriate all this ready made elements as our own means and apparatus, as well as using maximized effort to culture the monetized art face and divert the sluggish and negative energy that flows around the nation like virus into a steady and positive change reaction.
The first edition of the bi-annual Ewa Bami'jo then becomes a wonderful and perfect platform where we bring few targeted alliance into a bond, while the initiation of a similar project like “do we need cola-cola to dance” for a national tour becomes a weapon for us to drill further into the nation, to scavenge for possible encounters with our supposed groupies, thereby the second edition of Ewa Bami'jo becomes the beginning of a concrete alliance that will only get to increase with time and as the word continues to go around.

Benefits of putting 3D into consideration includes possible mobility and artistic initiations among different region. since there are no concrete publication or agencies that provides us with such information of how many professionals, organisations and exhibition venues exist in the country, such initiation then unconsciously develops an accurate statistic and census of the industry, which then become a guide for easy access of the various regions for national and trans-national exchange.

Conclusion.

The existence of this article will not be justified or well interpreted if we demand of Artistes or cultural operators to instigate a movement of reform and revolution as proposed by this analysis. The individual is a product of symbols, imagery and reality, which further explain why the practicality of this theory is not a proposition for all... So to avoid irrationality and invalidity of this analyses, what we need to do is to discover authentic professionals either practitioners or scholars who have the willpower, the ability and the vision, of course such people are rare, if they have the vision and the mechanized ability, perhaps they don't have the economic ability, or their creative temperament will not concur to the lure of managing such affair that can't avoid the romance of politics in all form of it, it is then the duty of those amongst us who are matured enough to initiate such projects, those who are ready to rub both minds and hands with our generous benefactors and the state, to lead the way in their discovery and create such atmosphere conducive for such revolution. 

(c) Qudus Onikeku. for Yk Projects.

The Fascist in ME.

Few months ago, i wrote a note stating my Analyst told me I got an ego problem, I sat back, I was tranquil, fixed my gaze on him and I see smiles forcing their way out of my upper lips, I watched his lips dangle with passion, like a performer of rap music, but this is a full grown man that knows his onion, meanwhile, I was long gone in my world of thoughts, I felt so high, I even touched the sky...

These days i have constantly noticed that everybody want to prove to every other person that they are right and that the other is wrong, they want the other to know that they have their own point of view (a.k.a. POV), so they begin to analyze, they begin to argue, they argue about everything and most especially about why they think others are wrong and trying to analyze who the other is. Meanwhile no one can actually tell you who you are, but who they think you are or want you to be. Some tell me at times "Qudus, do you know you can't be always right" so fuck it, i know i'm not always "right", i will even say i'm often "wrong", but i have got the right to contradict myself isn't it? Perhaps that is the schizophrenic part of me manifesting itself. To realize my fault and accept it or not, is up to me as an individual to deal with. 

I'm used to arguing about everything as well, but it is not about who is right or wrong, its about laying my point of view (POV) side by side as a mean of juxtaposition against yours, to weigh my understanding with yours, perhaps i might take one out of my worn out mind and add one of your fresh ones to mine at the end, so i have learnt something from you, so fucking what? but you won't be shocked, when you see me tomorrow and i engage you in the same argument we had yesterday, perhaps i have updated my POV last night. 

Everyday, every night, returning to my self contained apartment, i undo my buttons, unzip my trousers, take off my shoes, remove my socks and empty my mind. I place them all randomly on the floor, before going to bed i decide on which one of them i will still put on for another day, i take a quick recap of the day, i change my underwear, refresh my thoughts, synchronize it with my reality, update my reasoning and say good night to myself, hence, there is no reason for not saying good morning in a different tone the next time i meet myself again. 

The next day is another sympathetic day, i'm filled with profound love and affection even for the guy that took my last argument with him as a brutal attack without pity, i reduce myself to my proper humility after a night filled with intensive wave. I take on my daily journey without a name, without identity which could drift my purpose below my measures, for all i got right now is a point of view, driven by passion and underlined with truth. Constantly scrutinizing myself, cleansing my soul and skin off the fascist in ME, in my head, in my everyday behaviour, the fascist that causes me to love power, fame, money and lust, to desire the very thing that dominates and exploits me. 

I stop here to take a deep breath before i drill further into this philosophical pit, as i am aware that my blog is silently mutating into a public forum and an alternative space for reflection, so if you are thinking right now that i can "HELP" you, then stick to me until you rot away as i continue my journey, i will not like to sway my readers without them being aware of this manipulation, and ultimately win them over against their own will power. This is the weapon of the "Fascist". The Fascist we all are conversant with, might perhaps be the term used of the 20th century totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Mussolini in italy, or the regimes of the Nazis in Germany and Franco in Spain, the Fascism that tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one nationals or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader with a strong demagogic approach. 

Well that might be correct in political or encyclopedic terms, but the fascist i am referring to here is a phenomenon that took place elsewhere, something that could only happen to others, but not to us, its their problem, so here is why my POV refuses nationality or identity, is fascism really a problem for others to deal with? We often want to be the one who seek security and a peaceful life, security even in where we allow our minds thought to visit, making us seem like the man who chop off his limbs in order to get an artificial ones, for he desperately need a life free of pain and troubles, the metal dream of a tranquil and conflict free existence, wanting to be so real that we set fire on reality itself. What about the fascist that is based on the desire to be led, to give a complete authority of our lives to someone else to legislate, the one that awards us every reason not to voice out our pains, even when we are pushed to the wall.

How then do revolutionaries, activists, critics and other militants deal carefully with this same fascisizing element we all carry along with us? how do we rid our speech and our acts, our hearts and our pleasure, of fascism? religious moralists sought to rid us of the fascism hidden somewhere in our soul, while these militants pursue the slightest trace of the fascism in the body, that leads them to state why the other is evil (a fascist, a capitalist, a communist) or what moral values should be, and hence, does that award them a righteous life? does that make them a judge? However the modest fellow loves hiding places, secret path and back doors, everything that seems far away from him entices him as his world, his security, his refreshment; he understands how to keep silent and wait, how to complain and dream, how to be self deprecating and humble, how to survive by sanctifying every lie he has been fed with. This is the realm of the silent majority who has become the apparatus at which the powerful ones behind the closed doors use to express the fascist in them.

The powerful, at which we the silent majority awards the legislation of our lives to, has endless time, whether we whine, howl, beg, weep, cajole, pray or curse - he listens. He is just a big ear minus a sympathetic nervous system and nothing touches him but the TRUTH. When we deceive ourselves on the notion of making the world a better place, we are prompted by an instinct of self affirmation and self preservation that cares little about affirming or preserving life. What constitutes our sickness today? is it not the absence of fresh air where it smells bad? When we do the diagnosis, won't we see the need to cure ourselves of the cure itself?...

OK LET ME DIGEST THIS ONE FIRST, I SHALL CONTINUE WHEN NEXT I GET THE ANOINTING... lol

Qudus Speaks his mind with SWITCHED MAGAZINE

PHOTO CREDIT: EMEKA OKEREKE,

Qudus Onikeku is a graduate of The National Higher School of Circus arts, France as a Dancer and Acrobat. For more than a decade, he has been present in the choreographic scene of Lagos. He is part of the new generation creators springing up from Africa. Known in Europe, in the USA and the Caribbean for his solo pieces, his participation in the works of Heddy Maalem and remarkable with his artistic research and teachings across the globe, Qudus is an Omonaija representing and carrying a message, everywhere he goes. His mission is to influence at lease one out of every 2 people he meets and who wont go on stage if he didn’t feel he could add some form of value to at least 1 person out of the audience, would love to be remembered for his words. According to him, his words are around and alive as the wind, the sea and even “Indomie” (lol). From talks about his profession, to that of change for the Nigerian youth and their thinking and even to his views about life, success and mindset of individuals, this Dance artist cum writer chats with the Switched On Team, baring all and revealing the depth, intelligence, passion and creativity in his dance, his writing and his message. HANG ON!! You’re about to join us on this roller coaster ride of deep, intense, “political” and creative words of a Nigerian who speaks with his mind, his hands…and his feet!

Basic question. How did you get started?

It was all like a kid's stuff, you know when we were young, we recognized those things that make us happy, especially in a society like Lagos. The definition of love was not so much in connection with the universal dictionary, and the strong wind that blows around just want you to do things that you associate more with. Coincidentally, mine was dance, but it all started from the kind of kid I was, very agile, stubborn and hyper. During high school, I took dance very serious, so when I graduated, I decided to move it to the next level, because I didn't believed so much in traditional forms of educational institution. I later headed for alternative learning that could support my creative temperament. As for my writing, I think it was just a way of relaying my mind’s thoughts because there is usually no one to say my mind or thoughts to especially in those days, when on tour and in my little apartment as a student. So, basically, it was just a way of retaining my sanity. I must say that I write everything, I don't have a secret. I think that's all I can tell you guys.

You started YK Projects. What is this about?

YK operates between Nigeria and France as a not-for-profit company. It was initially registered as a performing company in Nigeria, but the lack of appreciation of the arts and the disdain which tends to subject Artistes to a hostile environment, informed the coming together of a collective of Youths with legs in different sectors of the arts, amongst which are Performing artistes, Visual artistes and Writers. All have similar intentions of creating an alternative landscape for the local audience to be aware of the art, by projecting contemporary arts (Dance, New Circus and Street Performance) through outside performances, media and publications, just to create a conducive environment for our existence at home.

Tell us about the “Ewa Bami Jo” events?

“Ewa Bami' jo” is a bi-annual convention around contemporary creations, that re-unites different front- line players in the socio-political development project of the African world, under one dance umbrella that brings about conferences, debates, film screening, exhibition and shows. It used to be an annual event, where I try to invite other art forms to come and dance with me, the first edition was in 2005, the 2nd in 2006 and now due to my absence in Nigeria, it is coming back and bigger and better. The next edition will be in Lagos during the month of November 2009, you can visit www.ewabamijo.blogspot.com.

 

 PICTURE: AGNES MYRIAM CHAFEI

In your dance and writing, what is your message?

Hmm, well first, I am not just a dancer or writer, I am also a human being, that cries, smiles, eat, fall in love, hates and go to toilet etc, so I think there is always one or two things to see as inspiration in all of these attributes of a normal human being. So the basis of my art is just to lay before my audience how I express certain things that they might perhaps, have not found easier means of expressing. I don't think I have a particular message; I am not a preacher you know, but I am someone who tries to find simple ways of expressing what I feel deep inside of me. So there might perhaps be a message in that.

Ever gotten questioning looks when performing? How do you react/ deal with this?

Questioning looks? YES, a lot, especially in Nigeria. How I deal with it is simply to explain what i'm trying to do with my art to the curious ones who get interested in entering into my world, that is my duty, but I also try to settle those questions while creating in the studio.

How has your Yoruba tradition influenced your art?

I like proverbs very much, and my childhood is a great inspiration to me as well, so in case you will like to know, I was nothing but a Yoruba boy while growing up.

You reside in France. How regularly do you visit home, Naija?

Before, I used to visit Naija frequently; it was a six month in, six month out sort of arrangement, but since I came to school here, I have learnt to “miss” Naija. (Lol)

You have traveled a lot. How has this played a role in your artistic life?

Before I left Nigeria for the first time, I thought it was only in Nigeria that we speak Yoruba. I thought Lagos was a peaceful city. I didn't even know who Fela was. But now I know. I have learnt many things while visiting places that I couldn't have been interested in if I had read it in a book. Traveling has really enriched my cognizance and point of view to life and that is the basis of my “artistic life”.

Life, they say, is funny and comes with its specific “dishes”. In your view, describe the paradox of life?

You know, in this life there are several paradoxes, some that are mere master plan, put in place by the Almighty, while many we create by ourselves for ourselves. Can you imagine that after all our struggles in life; we still die at the end? We complicate everything for ourselves and now it has become so complicated that no one has a clear solution to our troubles. A civilized man needs to go to school for almost 20 years to understand how to live in his on civilization; to discover the sea; we have to travel on the land. We know hunger by first knowing that there is something like food. When we eat and get overfed during lunch, it won't stop us from getting hungry at dinner, when we pick up our bags, drop the keys and say goodbye to our neighbors, it will surely be followed by welcome and nice to meet you somewhere else, so when we run away from our social responsibilities, will that change our childhood? will it change the fact that we are who we are? Anyway let me stop here before you start reading something else... lol

Human beings are social and unstable “elements”. Animals are too. You wrote a piece “Are we Higher Animals”. In your opinion, do you think humans are no better than animals?

You know in my article “Are we higher Animals?” I wasn't trying to judge who is better nor giving some special attributes to the “lower animals”. Truly we are “higher animals” and that remains a fact that needs no justification. Our ability to ponder over our conditions, thinking before reacting, our reflective ability over whatever we perceive through our sense organs, I mean, this ability to choose - and choose well; to kill the little harmless insect instead of letting it go; ability to have an ocean of dreams, that will soon flood away the efforts of those with just ways and means and leave others with blood on their skins; all these elements that distinguishes man from animals, for me, has later tend to kill our innocence and make us loose our sudden inner impulse that should manifest in all normal animals without premeditation or external stimulus. So it is for the same reasons for which we are "higher" that we are becoming lower than animals. Maybe we need to get rid of some of our "high qualities" so that we can even hope to ascend to a "mere human being". For some of us, we are way too low to even be called animals! Looking back at the article which I wrote while in Congo, it serves to only call to mind the attitude of those who pride themselves in being high, yet, they are the source of the bad vomit which poisons the world today. The article was not condemning a universal truth, but rather questioning those who have used that Truth as a blanket for their shameful nakedness, thereby creating another dimension of that truth - which is an illusion. So your question is like asking if Blacks are better than whites. It’s not a matter of better, but they both exist in their own particularities.

What one phrase, book or piece of poetry has inspired you of late?

Of late? Meaning like few weeks ago... I will say Kung fu Panda. I have two lines that I really like in that movie.The first line is “Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is mystery but today is a gift, that is why it is called PRESENT” and the second is “The secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup is ... NOTHING, there is no secret ingredient, to make something special you just have to believe its special” Your favorite writer is? Why? Wole Soyinka of course! That man is a genius who has arrived at putting all his energy into one. So, in his works you can't separate talent from passion, politics from art and yet he has his own way of making you laugh. Now for me, that is 100%

Your Philosophy of life is.......

I found a new one in a cartoon (can you imagine) that “Yesterday is really a History, Tomorrow is mystery but today is a gift, that is why it is called PRESENT”. In this great future you can't forget your past and you cannot separate today from tomorrow though, they are very much linked. So, if you decide to see today and not foresee the mystery tomorrow promises, then you are getting one side of the picture.

Performing arts are your specialties. How would you rate your “feet” on a club dance floor?

On a club dance floor, you don't want to try me “Mo Gbona feli feli”... LOL

Lol..What does success mean to you?

Hmm success, you know I did a project in 2007 titled “DO WE NEED COLA-COLA TO DANCE?” While in places like Bariga, Eleko beach, in townships in Cairo, in Maputo, at Soweto, at Mathare slum in Nairobi, and other places like that, no one paid to see my show. It was outside in the dirts, but seeing those kids coming around and smiling after my show, was a “biggggg” success. I was able to successfully add to the experiences of those guys that stopped or came out to see my show. That is one of my most successful performances; more successful than the positive critics I got in New York Times or for my numerous performances around the globe, because that one really touched my sincere purpose as an artiste I think.

Art whether poetic, visual or performing, in Nigeria is worrisome though improving. Do you think Nigerians are ready for this kind of art?

What do you mean ready? Nigerians are human beings and I am also a Nigerian, and that's where it has to start from. I think the question should be “AM I READY TO MEET NIGERIANS AT THEIR POINT OF HUNGER?” You see, I have studied the capitalist way of thinking, even if I don't really agree with it, but I think that it is the language my people understand the most. I just have to learn how to speak it fluently, but keeping my purpose and core values intact of course. Are we ever ready for those adverts and billboards we are bombarded with everyday? Do we even know what we are ready for when we haven't seen it? SEEING IS BELIEVING MY BROTHER; I think it’s time pure art began to claim ownership to what the common man refers to as “mainstream”. That is when all these general misunderstandings will be settled. A sincere example is Soyinka. So many Nigerians don't know this guy for real; they don't even know what he really means to the world, but his name has become a cool reference in the intellectual mainstream. When a Nigerian sees your pix with Soyinka or Soyinka in front of a magazine, it means much more than a D'banj or ASA for Nigerians, you know. That is what I am out for. So, I think Nigerians are in a state where all they cry for everyday is that six letter word C.H.A.N.G.E.

What is the one thing that can put a smile on your face when you’re down?

A flash or SMS from my woman would do.

More importantly what are your fears concerning the Nigerian youth of today?

I think my fears about the Nigerian youth doesn't exclude myself, so I will prefer to use WE. Our attraction to vanity is scary. We want a better life, so it overshadows our morality. The new culture we imbibe is very scary as well. I like the new culture; don't get me wrong, but what is the speed limit? Globalization, is it about exchanging what you have, for what you don't have or mere adding one to what you already have? What’s up with this cultural assimilation? How are we refusing hegemony? How much reference are we taking from our past? We need to structure a future at which we can't forget our past. I also like D'banj you know, just as I like iPhone, but what is the value of my iPhone? Does it mean more that just a phone to me? NO, but what it can really do, ahh! that is the value that takes it one step further than just a phone. It’s not just about the coolness of having an iPhone. This is the profoundness I find missing in today's youth. One more thing is what I refer to as the “UP-NEPA” mentality, which makes us scream in euphoria when we get access to something that is meant to be ours, our basic amenities o. We tend to get used to the lies we've been constantly fed with by our leaders. Now, the normal thing in the Nigerian moral bible is that a politician must throw money in the air to get our votes, even if his head is filled with human feces and his money painted with our blood. In order to counsel a Nigerian youth or convince any typical Nigerian about the credibility of a particular profession, career or project, you are obliged to talk extensively about the possibilities of making money from it, and die rich afterwards, not minding what else he or she will do with the money after making it. Otherwise your preaching is as good as flaunting Naira notes in the air and your job is done, case closed. Our catalogue of the national maladies, that has crept upon every Nigerian youth, still include the undesirable manifestations such as greed, dishonesty, impatience, discourtesy, vandalism, indecency, brutality, robbery (in every form), drunkenness, cultism, tribalism, selfishness, ostentation, indiscipline, corruption, insensitivity to filthy surroundings and many other identifiable ills, and what do we say to all these afterwards “May God help us”. And meanwhile God don't help those who don't help themselves. My brother, when we complain, we also need to back it up you know, when we cry and tears drop from our eyes, it doesn't make us go blind.

If you had your way, how would you try re-shape our thinking as a nation.

I think a great surgery has to be done to our reorientation as a people; we need to flush some superfluous reasoning out of our subconsciousness. We need a whole new academic brainwash that must begin from our first day in school. Stop forcing kids to go to school. Nigeria has more traditional educational institutions even more than Britain that thought her, Uni. of this, Poly of that, Fed College of this, high school of that. Bros! my theory is simple, the moment those numerous institutions begin to transform into practical spaces for alternative learning, things will begin to change. Development can't be one sided; it has to move hand in hand. Erecting schools is not development when the human development is neglected? Do you know I went to a CIRCUS school in France? Yes I did and you don't want me to tell you the fight to convince my parents from stepping out of UNILAG where I was studying Mathematics and Statistics. People are tired of traditional forms of learning, because it’s not even working. Our national maladies won't let it work. Let there be schools of carpentry that offers degrees, erect respectable schools where kids go learn mechanic and give them masters even PhD, then we will begin to feel respect for every human for what they do. And you know what; learning will be fun without cheating. Sincerely this is what I do all day with my works, my job is all about ideology and reasoning.

DO WE NEED COLA COLA TO DANCE?

-THE ART FORM -

DANCE, CIRCUS, STREET PERFORMANCE, PHOTOGRAPHY, AUDIO VISUAL and ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC. 
All these art-forms are what this project reunites into one. 

-THE PROJECT-

All photos by Emeka Okereke

The Artwork is disseminated into two phases, the first phase of the project was the touring of an outdoor performance in Six countries of Africa with a team of five, amongst which are 2 performers, 1 sound artist, 1 photographer and 1 video artist, during the tour we also had the opportunity of meeting and talking to professionals in the arts world, asking questions, trying to structure a future for ourselves as young professionals. The second phase of the project was to return to the studio in France with all the visual materials we were able to acquire during the tour, and came up with a documentary film titled "DO WE NEED COLA COLA TO DANCE?".

-ARTISTRY- 

The project rallies around Dance which is the centre of attraction here, and as it was showcased mostly in public spaces and performed by performers who at a time, posseses the skills of dancing, juggling, acrobatics and hand standing. It broke into the frontiers of street theatre. Meanwhile, the happenings were absolutely un-official; no posters, no info, even we didn't necessarily know where the next performance spot might be, just like in ancient traveling theaters. This "piece", more of improvisation, is to be an alternative artform to the traditional exhibition of dance in the theatre, it creates its own context, since there are few or no ready made theatre venues or audience to begin with, and there is only a few practice of alternative movements in the continent today, the coming to life of this project is not to insert a new style into existing buildings, nor enticing already formed audience away from existing venues, but just to be involved in a special broad oppositional art experiment. The Project is an artistic expression and declaration of our engagement in a structural development that is in the making, as well as our responsibility as artistes for change, it is a sincere laboratory experimentation of an existing theory. Our reference points or case study could be coming from dance and cinematographic perspective, but its a valid element for development using alternative measures.

-INTENT-

I thought of taking contemporary dance to “NON CONVENTIONAL” spaces and locations where the growing art network could not get to, be it public or private surroundings who are yet to discover the theatre for the purpose of Dance, as an avenue of crossing the borders that exists between artists and the audience, as well as formation of a local market and audiences structure. This first attempt took us on a journey across the African continent, around six countries, each from the different regions of the African continent including;Nigeria, Egypt, SouthAfrica, Mozambique, Kenya and Cameroon.

-TARGETS-

The first phase of the project was already two faced in terms of targets, it first seeks to cross the borders of our traditional four wall performances in the theatre space, to go in the pursuit of the populace, i decided to spread this research into three similar locations in 6 cities in Africa (Lagos, Cairo, Johannesburg, Maputo, Nairobi and Yaoundé), organize happenings in public spaces varying from market places to malls, university surroundings to the beach, bus stops and boat terminals as well as the corners of the streets and other unimagined available spaces that could accommodate such manifestation. One important criteria we put into consideration is the possibility of balancing the gaps, by making sure that our happening travels from the locality of the low income earners to the rich quarters and also the young intellectual sects in the educational institutions, in order to have a broader view to this issue. The echo of such project already travels around, and in its own special way inspires a handful of professionals who saw it as a fundamental step towards concrete and logical development. 

The second phase which is the documentary film that followed such manifestation, the film is primarily directed to issues affecting the continent's arts world, but its primary audience lies amongst the young creators and the art's students anywhere in the world, which in no way limits its influential capacity to other domains and aspect of human development, which is more of the reasons why our diffusion cuts across different horizons, aiming at being part of the tours of my presently created solo piece, film festivals in the African world, Dance film festivals, documentary film festivals, alternative film festivals, libraries, schools, museums, cultural centers and all other imagined venues suitable for such presentation.

-AUDIO VISUALS- 

Our approach to the documentary film that emmanate from this tour, is powered by the juvenile energy we are presently bestowed with, by nature we ask ourselves questions about the future as much as we inquire from the older generation, a detailed account of their time for a better comprehention of our tomorrow. This film in its own special way sways between dance, interviews, reasoning, people and politics, aimed to combine entertainment with database, discussion, socio-political proposals, recommendations and policies of culture. Primarily committed to bringing about actual changes in specific communities towards arts and culture. All actions, aesthetics and pragmatics, stories and documentary explored in this film – are inscribed with questions of fundamental importance to the freedom of the young professionals. However, our choice of research was guided by a more fundamental impulse than the quest for mere traveling and performing.

-MESSAGE-

This will perhaps send messages, meet the youth and young creators at their point of hunger, the young generation is hungry for life, we so wish to break bounds and go beyond the line drawn by the older generation, we jump on every thing that comes, and in a life where everything goes, we get confused about what to hold on to, Religion? Culture? Or the Media...? We imbibe the new culture and migrate easily towards easy life, run away from our social responsibilities and these will only lead to a further destruction of our nullifying "Self". Therefore as we seek this freedom, we however need a guideline.

-ADDRESSING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONTRAVENTION-

This project is first an imagined solution to a very personal issue that bothers my soul as a young African creator, it speaks the mind of many youth of this 21st century, and breaks the bridge between the artist and his audience and vice versa.

I happen to be one of those trained as dancers in an environment where all inconveniencies and risks were involved, yet survived it, it however gives my originality and identity at the end. i proceeded to study in France where all began to appear as two realities apart, just as the north and south pole, this project was then borne out of my introspection on where i was coming from. This refusal to go back to my locality with all foreign influence, becoming a dictatorial artiste who can no longer perform without a theatre well acclimatized with perfect technicalities and constitution, yet wishing so hard to have the same conditions and structures in Nigeria, as i presently enjoy in France, in order to give credibility to this art form by inspiring confidence in local audience and youth interested in taking up this art-forms.

-IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHT ISSUE-

I strongly believe that there's a powerful connection between artists of all kinds and human rights. Artist and activist sometimes stand up against the establishment to say what needs to be said in the name of humanity. Artists are a leading voice for freedom - and for this project, it is freedom from fear, such fearless project could get us into trouble, but truth comes out of the light that we brought and the powerful often fear this. 
The French cultural centre and other international organizations has claimed a complete authority over the circumstances at which we operate contemporary dance locally, so the need to break bounds and refusal to hegemony brought about this project. This artwork communicates across boundaries of geography, politics, gender, race, cross all divides and belong to every individual in those public spaces.
Freedom of expression is vital for an artist's work and the human rights activist works to protect that very right and in the end the relationship is more fundamental. We experienced art together with our audience, it makes us feel human, and moves us to protect the human rights of others. Everyone has a voice and should use it... No one sees the world in exactly the same way, no one sees the world through the same eyes as I do, nobody will see how i think and feel about the world unless i express it in some way. The interactive moments we shared with our audience was another means of getting closer to them, I was ready to hear their stories as much as they might like to hear mine. This can awaken their consciousness in a way politics or radical activism may not, this on the other hand inspires both fellow artistes and our audience, give self-confidence to people who believe in something but feel that they are alone. 


FOR THE TRAILER OF DO WE NEED COLA-COLA TO DANCE VISIT:http://vimeo.com/1718985.

Fela! A New Musical Off Broadway

Armé de la terre and a other writing.

Armé de la terre !

This Soldier is special one, Usman the Soldier boy... lol

Few weeks ago I got the saddest news... or what can be as bad in a news
as knowing that ones close relation has joined the Army! 
He goes to war to fight those they call his enemy. Foolish Fool, 
he sees himself matured enough to go to war, 
but not cynical enough to know amongst whom his enemies are, 
how can you call people you don't know your enemies, 
neither do they know you,
his real enemies he has left back home, 
he has just accepted to be used as a sacrificial lamb 
for the world to move on.

Sometimes, if he is lucky not to have gone with the memories of the war, 
he maybe come back with what he calls good news of victory, 
hmm funny right? Forgetting that those he left at home are still around, 
and he will never be man enough to go blow their head off as his profession permits. 
Oh sorry, his profession permits, but only on his "foreign enemy"
Then what will be his gain, 
is he not wise enough to understand that he's been used 
as an apparatus for some people's power grabbing tussles? 
A political instrument who think one day he will be a hero, 
trained for the realization of the dreams of the gun makers 
and fought gallantly for the showbiz of politics and power. 

Just like in the movies, war films; 
every second the bullet is hitting somebody, 
someone his loosing his dear life for the dear war to go on, 
someone is struggling not to die 
and the other prefers to die than enjoying the pains of survival, 
someone is being used for awful images that passes emotion to the audience
but the camera never reminds us of those spear carriers, 
that are meant to die for the sake of the lead characters 
who turns out to be the heroes at the end. 

So now i'm thinking to myself now, Those we assume as heroes are actually far from it, 
the real heroes are unspoken, those who didn't made the media their homes, 
those who were not so much awaiting the public applaud of what they are/were doing
but affects lives of the populace and the localities they represent first, 
most heroes are self made isn't it? 
most heroes are criminals i must add, heroes my foot! . . . lol
there is always a first thought of self proclamation and a reason to fight 
that is far from the trumpeted motive, 
have you ever heard of a hero 
that got no link to politics in whatever form of it 
and not hyped by the media? 
Hero for the realization of a dream, 
for the survival of their friends, families, offspring and their generations to come.
is your hero known to others?


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My Squatter has started again.

How could you have done that to me
How could you?
Five minutes after you went into the cinema
I called you but your phone was 
Not reachable,
I called home, no one to pick it up
And you know you got the keys on you
You were almost so stupid to have done that
But at times you think you're so wise,
So if I hadn't think of something wiser 
I would have been outside the cold 
Waiting for you
I had to call the landlady
For a spare key,
Now she knows you live with me
And you know what that means
what's the reason for your stupidness and foolishness, 
don't you realize the consequence of your injudicious actions
At times you tire me
And moreover why didn't you wait
For me before going into the cinema
Anyway, how was the movie?
Don't you think it's a movie to watch?
Don't you want to answer me?
Why are you in this mood?
Is your melancholy back again?
But don't judge me by my words
Don't take them personal
I was only being sincere with you
Because I love you.
why u acting like a fool?
Qudus, You've started again.

In the quest of our lost SOULS and HUMANITIES.

Its no more news to proclaim Nigeria to be a rich nation in all angle we look at it, population wise, mineral and resource wise, religious wise, even cultural wise, and any nation cultivated enough should undoubtedly see reasons to feed her soul and humanity, but regrettably, it is the material aspects of our wealth, rather than the philosophical, the moral or the aesthetic ones that seem to dominate our policy orientation and our developmental growth trends. Before I will be hung for generalising, and finally ending up in stereotypes, my analysis is fully based on the malfunctions of the typical Nigerian society, which is largely made up of Nigerians as the case may be, furthermore, I will try to avoid any quote or reference point in this note, so we can understand that it is solely based on my personal frustration and my intuition of my primary society, with which I need no further reading nor research to analyse. 

Nigeria knows quite well that she is not an AK-47 carrying machine nor a money making monster, a nation with series of religious revivals, yet unaware of her spirituality, her constant pursuit for wealth in which she is obviously blessed with, will not make any heed, if her soul and humanity is still under the bondage of her maladies. Tragically, this rat race in the pursuit of material and financial relevance emanates from the Nigerian society, a society in desperate search for its soul, in search for the very raison d’etre, which only the liberal arts can provide. As an individual I have understood that being an artiste is not about making a conventional living, on the contrary, it is about accepting to make an otherwise living that continuously feed your soul and humanity. Faith in the money making sectors, on the other hand, has become almost a secular-religion, as achievements in those fields have become ever more spectacular, not only for Nigeria, but such has been the make believe all Nigerians deal with, so everyday we hear phrases popping out from our televisions, radios and dailies, advertising or celebrating the success of the oil companies, the telecommunication giants, the business tycoons, the banking system that has become a very important strength for Nigeria's economy, and so on. 

But even with all this wealth, success and adverts, slogans and billboards we are bombarded with daily, why is it still a reality that Nigeria is the worst nation in terms of basic amenities for her citizen? why is it that the rich kept getting richer and the poor poorer? why is it that majority still look up for the April showers, while minority uses excess to wash automobiles? why is it that our catalogue of the national maladies, that has crept upon every Nigerian, still include the undesirable manifestations such as greed, dishonesty, impatience, discourtesy, vandalism, indecency, brutality, armed robbery, drunkenness, cultism, tribalism, selfishness, ostentation, indiscipline, corruption, insensitivity to filthy surroundings and many other identifiable ills, why is it that the average Nigerian keeps reciting “May God help us”, when he or she is being confronted with the “misappropriated” billions, stolen everyday by day in Nigeria. If I'm asked, I can't give a better answer than to state it clearly that, any nation or group of people that has come together, with an intention of trade considered only in terms of volume or profitability, I mean when the primary discourse of their coming together is based on “50-50” or other number sharing formula, from that very moment the soul of such encounter is temporarily placed on hold, while something else close to the monster side of a normal human being is in play. 

I for one, have not been one of those who clings religiously to the concept of art for art's sake, but I try to understand at what point we actually need to draw the line, at what point do we say to ourselves “ok guys lets take it easy, cos if we continue at this pace we might hit the wall”, I give priority to the business of art as much as I give to the making of art for art's sake, just as an individual, i will go to Mosque on a Friday afternoon and later proceed to the club at night. What I believe the arts and humanities can do for Nigeria, is to be in continuous search of the soul of this nation, the money making sectors can go on to take care of the material well-being and infrastructures. 

However, the average Nigerians has misplace their priorities and become the passive fellows, in a system where our pacing machine functions better when it malfunctions, fabricating a society where success is only defined by the attainment of popularity or financial profit. In this epoch, where the higher man is raised higher based on his level of consciousness and intellectual hierarchy, which in no way is determined by how much money he makes, and only the arts in a wide range and sciences can produce or feed our soul in attaining the height of such man, but this ranking of the higher man is not synonymous with that of the Nigerian society. In recent times, I have been continuously reminded that in order to counsel a Nigerian youth or convince anybody about the credibility of a particular profession, career or project, you are obliged to talk extensively about the possibilities of making money from it, and die rich afterwards, not minding what else you will do with the money after making it, otherwise your preaching is as good as flaunting naira notes in the air and your job is done, case closed. 

This mentality that celebrates vanity fair in all hierarchies, has become the major factor why an average Nigerian will prefer to sell his or her vote, sell their future in exchange for few Naira notes, while some will prefer to be the modest ones, who prefers to watch and just go their own way, then they all sit back and ones again recite “May God help us”, not insightfully minding the fact that we encounter several millions, I mean a thousand millions before we arrive at just one billion, and look around you today, how many millions can we feel close to us, but everyday we hear series of billions diffusing into the air, and all we can say is “May God help us”. While I was in high school, we were made to understand that God as kind and generous as He is, will never help those who don't help themselves, so passing an exam goes beyond kneeling, closing our eyes and saying "May God help us". This monsters ruling us, don't even know who the God we call everyday is, even if God Himself comes down in any form, this monsters are ready to play politics with Him, it has become a way of life for them, and in that way of life, the normal thing is what they are doing, so we perhaps have a need to remind them that they are suppose to be accountable to us, they are suppose to be a servant to our nation and not the citizens being a servant, to their dictatorship and nonchalant attitude towards our sufferings and plights, so i will however pray to God for strength to be able to move towards emancipation by force, before begging God is His infinite mercy to punish them and their coming generations they claim to steal all these money for.

In assisting Nigeria, as a Nation in the search for her soul, the moral and ethical crisis facing Nigeria has been well enunciated by successive governments. The ethical revolution drive, the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) Campaigns, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) thrust, the Oputa Panel, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). All portend a trend towards the search for Nigeria’s soul. But we all need to be aware of the fact that, all these are initiations of the soul-less wild animals themselves, setting up their circus show, and when they mistakenly place a soulful individual at the head of it, they sooner or later feel threatened, and since they are the fixers of the rules, it becomes so easy for them to break the rule, because they know that at the end of the day, we are going to sit back and say “May God help us”. This soul can only be reached through what i refer to as "Operation CCC", it could be synonymous to celestial church of christ, but its very far from it, this is a Collective Constructive Criticism, backed by activism, philosophy, performing/creative arts, history and culture.

Nigeria's heritage and the Nigerian's inner spirit is embedded in these Liberal art forms, the ability to understand and appreciate our beliefs and values, to apply them humanly in our daily lives, and to explore the human experience in all its richness. In assisting Nigeria, as a Nation in the search for her humanity, Art is value-laden and targeted towards the nurturing and shaping of human virtues and moral values, the human life is empty without these values and virtues. For through the arts we discover how people of talent have continuously veered towards making moral, spiritual, and intellectual sense of a world in which irrationality, despair, loneliness, and death are as conspicuous as birth, friendship, hope and reason. The travails of these talented and creative breeds, has been to reinstating our daily diminishing souls and humanities, stretch our imagination and enrich our experience, which will however increase our distinctive human potential. Through the arts we should learn to play, learn to BE and not always to HAVE, learn to make choices, learn to criticise, to discriminate between the meritorious and the meretricious, between good and evil, through them we determine which endeavors are worthy of our best efforts, and ultimately we learn to know ourselves, our humanity socially, culturally as well as individually.

EXPOSED! Why Yar’Adua hunts Ribadu.

BY DICKSON OMONODE

THE recent quake in the cadres of Nigeria Police which swept many officers off their seats was just one script in a well-hatched game plan by the presidency to clip the wings of the former 

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in an attempt to please certain interests in and outside the government, including President Musa Yar’Adua himself, it has been revealed. Ribadu was demoted from the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) along with 139 other officers. 

While a good number of Nigerians did not see any justification for the action of the Chief Parry Osayande-led Police Service Commission (PSC) particularly from the legal perspective, information available to National Daily strongly suggest that Yar’Adua and some other powerful officials of the state had targeted Ribadu for ‘destruction’ via demotion for reasons of his intelligence image hunting them.

The problem Ribadu now faced dates from soon after his re-deployment as a student to National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in January this year, when he reportedly confided in a friend that “these people do not know what I have on them even Mr. President. I can rock their boat and let the world know that they are not clean as they claim.”

National Daily investigations revealed that Ribadu may have been sold out to the authorities by that friend as information later got to Presidency that the former EFCC boss had a dossier on Mr. President, some former governors and other public office holders. Particularly, the world-acclaimed anti-corruption warrior is believed to have in his possession copies of the investigation activities of the cases involving very powerful officials, both serving and past while he was Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to Presidency sources, this was why the State Security Services (SSS) were to be unleashed on Ribadu just as the police have taken care of Mallam Ibrahim Magu, another strongman at the EFCC under Ribadu. Magu’s residence was first raided for allegedly being in possession of damaging documents against prominent persons in the country before he was eventually arrested by the police. Specifically, about 24 hours after his demotion was announced the SSS invited Ribadu for questioning. The secret service operatives even visited Kuru in Jos where Ribadu was to effect his arrest but met his absence as insiders had given him a tip-off. Accordingly, “trump up charges have been prepared by the Justice Ministry and should Ribadu be arrested, he would end up in jail, insiders say.

On the president, it is believed that details of allegations of unspent campaign funds from the last Presidential elections allegedly running into about N7billion, and Yar’Adua’s ties with German Construction giant, Julius Berger, a company that is under the intense searchlight of German apex investigation body known as the GKA for offering bribes to Nigerian Government officials are also among issues the President has with Ribadu.

Though, Yar’Adua soon after he assumed office as President in 2007 had publicly declared his total assets with everything put at less than a billion naira, Ribadu is said to have some damaging report on the unspent campaign funds for both the 2007 presidential and the financial activities of Mr. President while he was governor of Katsina State.

Besides the unspent campaign funds, President Yar’Adua was also said not to be comfortable with the information available to Ribadu over the bribe-for-contract scam involving the construction giant; Julius Berger. The company has reportedly been under investigation by its parent country Germany in recent time over some bribery allegations and the company’s Vice Chairman, Dr. Han Wittmann was said to be at the centre of the scandal.

Intelligence source confirmed to National Daily that Wittman has been helping Yar’Adua to secure the best medical help in Germany and so would want the President’s intervention as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), under Ribadu’s chairmanship had reportedly co-operated fully with the GKA with whom they have an existing high-level Mutual Legal Assistance status (MLA).
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the civil engineering giant which dominates construction contracts in Nigeria, was named early in the year as a conduit in the bribery of top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - but the company has stoutly denied playing any role in the alleged scandal

The bribes were allegedly wired through Julius Berger, a Nigerian company in which the German group holds 49 per cent shares equity. A German construction group, Bilfinger Berger, has been accused of paying kick-backs to PDP officials, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported in May this year.
At the time of the alleged payments, the Bilfinger Berger group was reportedly seeking the contract to build a gas-liquefaction plant for Nigeria's gas-export industry.
The GKA, according to our sources, was taking serious advantage of the high level secret MLA status it has with the EFCC (as there is no such treaty between Germany and the Nigeria government). Already, sources further disclosed, the GKA was closing in on Julius Berger with the assistance of EFCC which was somehow billed to commence local investigation into company’s activities in Nigeria sometime this year but for Ribadu’s movement to NIPSS.

With this co-operation between EFCC and GKA on one hand and similar agreements between the anti-graft agency other countries and international bodies over the years, Ribadu’s international image has become upscale and this, according to our source, is now hunting Yar’Adua and his government.

Beyond the presidential anger against the former EFCC boss, some former Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) were also said to have called for Ribadu’s head for daring to disgrace one of their own – Tafa Balogun on issues of corrupt practices.

The former police chieftains were said to be very bitter against Ribadu over his “strong-handedness” when they tried to intervene in some corruption cases he (Ribadu) was investigating. They also are piqued especially at the way he handled the Balogun matter, accusing him of not showing any measure of respect for the office of the IGP. They also pointed out the use of handcuffs on the former police chief and the way he was reportedly dragged by a moving car.
National Daily investigation revealed that when charges of corruption involving multi-billion naira were brought against Balogun soon after he was forced to resign from his position of inspector general of police in 2005, some former IGPs had tried to intervene in the matter but Ribadu who had a direct brief from the then President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have adopted a hard-line posture that made it impossible to mitigate Balogun’s travails.

As a serving police officer, they had expected Ribadu to use his position in ensuring that Balogun was treated with some measure of dignity during the trial. That was certainly not the case, as the former inspector-general of police was hand-cuffed and dragged to the court like a common criminal. He was on one occasion even bullied and felled on the premises of the court premises by the anti-graft agents when he hesitated to board their vehicle. But to most Nigerians, what the EFCC did was not wrong insofar as Balogun was a suspect standing criminal trial like any other suspect. 

Some senior police officers had confided in National Daily last week that Tafa Balogun possibly knew that he would have time to revenge when he said “I will bounce back” soon after his conviction with a few months imprisonment after having entered plea bargain with the prosecutors. To such officers, Balogun may unarguably be an ally with the powers that be in the plotting of Ribadu’s current downfall from the pinnacle of grace.
Ribadu is also said not to be in the good books of the incumbent Police 

Inspector-General Mike Okiro is believed to still be upset that when he (Ribadu) was posted to NIPSS, Ribadu bluntly refused on the pages of the newspapers. Even when the former EFCC boss came back to see Okiro, the IG refused him audience and asked that he “obeyed the order first before complain”, which meant that he reported at NIPSS first.

Just as these exclusively gathered information were being tidied up, another source hinted on the fact that a statement credited to Ribadu during the campaign for the presidential elections early last year where he was quoted to have said the only Presidential Candidate he would have supported irrespective of political party affiliations was General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) because of his integrity and uprightness did not go down well with loyalists of Yar’Adua. They are said to have re-echoed this alleged comment by Ribadu to convince Mr. President that the former EFCC boss never believed in him (Yar’Adua), and could spill the beans any day if “he is not caged”, hence the onslaught. These issues, according to sources, make the President jittery.

Further revelations will unfold in the massive hunt for Ribadu’s head, the sources said, adding that they would be unveiled as time goes on. But no words yet on the place for his vexed intelligence dossiers in the country’s continuing war on corruption. One thing is however evident in the air at the moment is the heightened anxiety over the safety of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former EFCC Chairman.

LAGOS ! - its not funny...

THIS IS LAGOS

Here are some of the stuffs i occupy myself with those days in Lagos, these are one of the few stuffs i ever put on paper, some were fictions, or based on a true life story i heard from a living being, living in Lagos, and also some i witnessed the scenes. They are all funnily sad events but now we can all laugh over it cos its past, but hope Lagosians will never go through those process again.

Life Goes ON

Sincerely all finger are not equal.

ALL FINGERS ARE NOT EQUAL...

a fully armed men, bumped into my neighbor's apartment, they demanded nothing but their share from his hard earned salary “your money or your life” was the next thing my neighbor heard, and here comes the first and biggest fuck up for a Lagosian “brother thief, please I don't have any kobo at home to offer, I so beg for pardon, you know all fingers are not equal” since then my neighbor's finger had never been unequal, after they equalized them with the help of a “Lebe” sword

A typical lagos conductor calling one chance !

ONE CHANCE...

I could clearly remember, it was just around 7pm, we all looking horribly tired at the bus stop, finally here comes a bus calling my destination, adding “one chance' to the phrase, quickly i jumped in, as usual, I always find my way in during rush hours like this, the driver turn up the music, the conducter slammed the door, and we were all feeling high, all of a sudden i received an impromptu slap, from behind to get me intimidated “this can't be free of charge”, I quickly understood. At first, I thought it was a dream as the sun, the moon and the stars were at a time closer to my neck side, so what's next, 
i heard this heavy voice repeatedly reciting “your phone, your money” “don't look up” “your phone, your money” all that were accompanied with rain of smacks, I gave it all unconsciously, as quickly as my reflex can go, i was thrown out of the bus before i begin to get myself on axis it all happened in seconds, too soon to recollect what really happened, with immediate effect it became past tense, meaning “when actually did it happened?”

Underneath 3rd Mainland Bridge

THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE...

This was a beautiful Monday morning, on 3rd mainland bridge, heading to the island, although the “go slow” condition of Lagos is nothing new, "go slow" a complete paradox of the Lagos life, every single moment is a "rush hour" but today was an exception, because i was on okada, i was able to see the cause.
- A molue had fell on its driver's side trust me “what happened, wetin happen” curiously i queried, here, an eye witness narrates...

“Na the reckless diving driver o, thank God nobody die, hmm if no be the hanging conductor wey fall for lagoon, forgetting say one of him leg dey on top bridge, the problem now be say, na how him go take swim commot for lagoon?” Hey ya.


THE RITE WAS FORETOLD BY THE TRIBALIST...

“these cannibals are hungry for human flesh, these vampires are thirsty for human blood".

This period was around 2000/2002, just after those soldier crooks changed uniform. The location was around “Idi Araba” the orthodox abbreviation in charge then wasn't the COP, but the OPC, quite similar to PDP. The setting was just after sunset, I was walking home, with a head full of pessimistic thoughts, after a long day of rehearsals, suddenly I saw a few able bodied youth, obviously they represent a particular tribe's flags and ideals, it was in a total euphoric determination they ran after this other guy of other flags, with arm in arms; cutlasses, swords, injurious batons and the remains of broken bottles, running anxiously to get him off feet, they misses their prey as they give each stroke, me running after them with a bit distance, but kept my eyes on them wanting and willing to see the end, they were really determined, I mean they mean business, as we say in Lagos.
I swear, Not even God can come stop these guys... The poor young man was hurriedly praying and begging for intervention, but who could? He was really determined to survive as well. Alas, they got him and he fell.

with the speed at which he was massacred, I immediately confirmed my thoughts, “these cannibals are hungry for human flesh, these vampires are thirsty for human blood”, and there was a real feast, series of beating! hitting! stabbing! and cutting! I saw what brutality really means beyond what dictionary can explain, a spasmodic savage violence that is very parallel and directly opposite, to the prolonged involuntary muscular contraction experienced before ejaculation,
so immediately I got it, that these guys will never let go until they ejaculate.
Finally, we all confirm the young man was dead, furthermore these guys will not forgive his dead body, they still needed to clean up their spasm, they poured petrol on him, still I wait to see the end so I could be an eye witness, to have the story to tell as it happened without fallacy, they stroke a match and threw it on the remains, ohh good God. Surprisingly, the body we all thought was dead stood up, struggling to flee with flames, ahhh how funny and sad, he died while on his feet, with posture of calved piece of burning art, then now, I couldn't wait to look any further, it is unbearable how fellow human suffers to death. 

Few years later, I understood that, all those moments in Lagos could not have been but chaotic, it was what the rite called for. I am glad those moment came and pass, leaving us stronger and wiser.
Now my friends, hope you get the moral of the narration. If you were fortunate to be born, lived and survived those remarkable moments, for at least two decades of your life In L A G O S, then everywhere you go, it will remain with you, and no one can fuck with you, for LAGOS alone is a moving feast that refines you and gets you ready for any tribulation! I mean NO SHAKING ! 

Which more of the reason why till today, every morning in Lagos, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... in Lagos, when the sun comes up, you'd better be speak to your feet.

(c) Qudus Onikeku. 

Abeokuta

the modern Olumo rock where nature’s sound 

still give our rhythms,

I have known anger, I have dined with pain, being a minority is not when your vote is not up to that of your opponent, back home in Abeokuta, we are fun people, follow me to see the mighty Olumo where the nature’s sound gives our rhythm, underneath Olumo, there you will find our shelter when the tyrant comes with their tyranny, the people of Abeokuta are known for their brevity and courage, yet this is what the world holds against us, they say we are violent, they say we are aggressive, they even say we are not peace lovers, oh friendly stranger no man will allow the thing that knocked off his teeth to blind his eyes, Come rejoice with me, my life is fun.

I’m not proud to be black,
I am fortunate to be black

I have a reason to be joyful each morning my neighbor screams E K A A R O ! From his window. friendly stranger, i know you come from a world of haters but bother not, we won’t strangle you, we love strangers. If not for the presence of fools, all discussion will be done in proverbs, 
it doesn't tend to bother us though, for we know that whenever a vulture is absent in a feast of animal carcasses, it must be due to a very important engagement elsewhere, for as long as our eggs continue to break the palm kernel, the stone will continue to feel threatened. Come and see how fun our life is. 

My father gave life to 13 of us, my father is a wise man, the nose doesn’t perceive its own odur you know!, and one doesn’t pick his eyes the way he picks his teeth. 2 are over the seas, hoping to come back with the profits of the seas one day. 1 is a footballer, his ultimate dream is to play in the Super Eagles, he plays so good but often comes back sad, After attending the national team’s selection and blames it on my father, for not knowing so much people from the elite, my father keeps reciting the same lyrics to him “hens don’t attend a marriage where the fox is the master of ceremony” only God knows what it signifies, cos my brother will not give up.

2 are interested in politics and I believe they will make it to the top,already they are becoming celebrities, cos anytime there is a political rally or manifestation, they are mostly in the front roll and we see them on TV while the camera walk-pass them, I’m proud of them ‘cos I also have an ambition. 2 are top shoemakers in Lagos, but they prefer we refer to them as shoe designers, i don't know what the difference is. 1 a hair-dresser, and since she made hair for a popular actress she changed her job to make up artist just like that. 2 are working for the state people, we don’t really get so much along‘cos state people make me uncomfortable after locking up mumsi’s shop, after she had paid to settle those that claimed to come from the state office one week before, and also the state refused to pay popsi’s pension. i have an allergy for the state people and i know that their leopard will not change their spot.

Anyway our life is fun, 2 are still in school, One in the state university and the other still in the local high school, while I just choose to be among those who uses their body for the manifestation of Art and join words to sum up to a meaning. Friendly stranger my father swore to me that if he had had the power, he’d have had more children then he would have been more respected in the society, and meet more people in the elite class that could save our lives today, so that we will be able to touch all works of life. My father really had a dream for Africa, he wanted us all to grow up to be useful for Nigeria, but he knew he may not be able to do it all, so he decided to have more, to build a legacy with which at least good number of us will follow.

I am glad my father had 13 of us, if he hadn’t done that, maybe I will never had had the opportunity of being in this world with you, cos I am the 12th child. As you can see my humble stranger, my father is a successful man ‘cos our life is now fun, apart from those two over the seas, the moment when death begins to take away a person’s age group members, is it not a forewarning for him to get ready for death, anyway we contribute money to send to them monthly, they complain of too much tax, that even to catch fishes in the seas, they pay a tax of crabs and let some of the fishes go back to the seas for reproduction I guess, I wonder how they survive.

Abeokuta my father land.

Then i understood that what the goat has seen and keeps quiet, the dog sees and bark, because my father warned them, If you think that the livelihood of Abeokuta your home Is not comfortable enough because you want to feel like Robin Hood, good, just get an agent, sell your home and move to Hollywood, then you will be done with, when you find out that, even the hoods in the neighborhood of Hollywood are willing to pay any price with all goodwill just to see Olumo rock. 

A tale of Nigeria's "FIRST FAMILY"

May these words that fiddles with my heart find its way out without overindulgence, may each word at which the tip of my finger secretes mean exactly what i mean, i look up to the heavens, perhaps i will neither want to sound too wise nor too foolish, at times when i think about my words they don't come out as i wish, other times when i write my words without thinking, they tend to match my exact thinking when i'm not writing .

15 months ago when our humble president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was being sworn in as our newly 'demo-cratically selected' president, it did not in any way shook my harden hatred for politics which is the sole reason why i get so much interested in it, i wonder if this syndrome is a generational thing, anyone conversant with Fela's lyrics will agree with me that the two tyrant closest to Fela's mouth was Obasanjo and Yar'Adua, but in case some of us don't know, the Yar'Adua he refers to is not our humble president, that was his elder brother, that was the major reason why i became so much concerned by our new president. So as usual i quickly ran to make my research on this new angel that could be worst than our known devil that just left us in pieces. 

It was with mixed feelings i decided to start following his activities in order to build up my own idea of who he is, which will not be influenced by anything i might have read about him, his strategy of declaring his wealth on june 28, 2007 was a remarkable one for me, his stands against Soludo's naira re-denomination, the several Governors who served with him before 2007 were being charged by EFCC. And his stout clinging to the rule of law were altogether ringing positive bells in my head. As opposed to the time of his nomination where he was an obscure figure on the national stage, and a mere "puppet" of Obasanjo, a jeje man who could not have won the nomination under fair circumstances.

Few meters away from ASO ROCK, i bend down to pack a handful of sand, i walked two meters closer and watch the sand carefully slipped off my right palm, then i silently say to myself in a witty voice, "i'm in the process of modifying this sahara" my words are exacts and they are here like every other thing close to us, they can be criticized but a rose is rose and still a rose.

Not long after, revelation began to come to the space i occupy, i came across the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Foundation's proposal to a project they were putting in place around 2003, check out the Board of Trustees 
H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR), Chairman
H.E. Atiku Abubakar (GCON), Vice Chairman
H.E. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Trustee
Mr. Yomi Edu, Trustee etc.
Going through the proposal began to make me feel like going to toilet with what the budget looked like, and the whole list of individuals and capitalist Nigerians that was involved in the project.

Then i went on with my research, but now with a quite biased mind, brothers and sister, here are facts to my fears and skepticism for this "First family" driving our nation entity.
In 2000, during Yar' Adua's administration as governor in Katsina, Katsina became the fifth northern Nigerian state to adopt sharia, where a woman, was sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery...
His father was briefly the National Vice chairman of the National Party of Nigeria.
Yar'Adua's daughter Zainab is married to Kebbi State governor Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari. Then i'm wondering is it really suppose to be a family heritage? Then the biggest shock. i present to you Musa (jrn) Yar'Adua

Shameful, shocking and sad, or how else can one describe it…? Just in case you were wondering if these pictures were taken from a Nollywood blockbuster, please open your eyes very well. Much more than one of the hottest reality TV shows around, these are real life of Musa (jnr) Yar’Adua, one of the youngest sons of the "First family" living life to the fullest right inside the Presidential Villa Aso Rock. In case you still doubt the possibility of such pictures.perhaps i need to draw your attention to the credibility of their source – Sahara Reporters (www.saharareporters.com). Musa is on facebook and these are his cool profile pictures.

When Mr Fix Nigeria wrote an article titled “Who Can Rescue This Rogue Republic?” some said, this guy has come again. The same sentiment was creatively captured by Tolu Ogunlesi in his parody titled “The Audacity of Kenya: An Obama Tale”, everyone replied 'this is hilarious' and when i wrote "Nigeria comment çava", some say why should i portray Nigeria's image in such manner. You see, Nigeria is a very interesting country. Just as you are optimistic about real change coming, you are taken aback by the emergence of one depressing scandal. Now, what can one make of this? A true picture of the Nigerian Dream? God forbid! But sadly enough, this happens to be the real picture of what is happening today in our society. 

Imagine this happening in Aso Rock, under the roof of our president, a man who has made so much effort to promote the principles of rule of law. But is this not a rule of lawlessness. What kind of example is the "First family" portraying to other Nigerian families? That these are the privileges of a member of the “First Family”? Are there even more revealing facts that we have not seen? Who knows? I doubt if Abacha’s sons would have conducted themselves like this at such a young and tender age. 

Today, our media personnel roar over the censorship bill that is about to be passed at the National Assembly, and i wonder, why the stress, even when we had the freedom to say whatever, what were we saying that is more than KOKOLET and YAHOOZEE? Where were the media when the president himself endorsed the Yahoozee track in Abuja, oh we have to wait for CNN or Oprah Winfery to talk about it so we can revolt and make rally over nothing. 

This is a country where poverty and hunger almost reign supreme. A country where thousands of people die of not having, And here, in Musa Yar’ Adua’s room in Aso Rock, is an unimaginable and flagrant display of our national cake. Why won’t we have armed robbers roaming Nigerian roads? Why won’t we have our young men doing Yahoo Yahoo? Why won’t we have militants kidnapping and blowing up oil wells? Or why won’t other politicians in government and their families, loot the treasury? and to borrow Idiare Atimomo's satire, "This Dam Will Soon Collapse". 

Again, I am just musing to myself...

Celebrity my FOOT !

Guys sorry, i know i should be sending you gists from kinsh and not still bother you with my laughable thoughts that won't just let me be, you know me now, when everything is alright, i don't feel secured, well we can still imagine this to be a gist but from my weary busy head. 
Hajarat called me few days before i left for kinsh and as we do as usual, during our midnight calls that last for over an hour, we gist about everything from the last time we dropped the phone till the second before the phone rang, so to cut the gist short, she gisted me about her school mate, who brought up a certain issues pertaining to dance, so my baby said to her "my fiance is a dancer" then she became curious to know about this dance genre called Contemporary dance, since my baby knows practically everything about me and we talk a lot about anything including the arts, so she started giving her a low down of the kind of things i get involved in. 

• So here we get to the basic reason for this note, after her explanation, the girl now said "so your husband is a celebrity, how are you coping?"
  

Celebrity my foot!

If there is one person on this earth that could claim to really know who i really am, then it must be Hajarat, hear her response "well, to start with, he doesn't see himself as one, and i don't see him as anything but my Qudus" beautiful right?... i don't know why the thought of this celebrity thing came up to my head again here in Kinshasa, i spoke to myself, "i think celebrity is meant for the TV no? those that appears few times on tv doing some very remarkable stuffs like Big Brother, like the movie stars and television actors with lead roles on prominently scheduled shows, High-ranking politicians, national television reporters, daytime television show hosts, supermodels, successful sport personalty. etc. Is that not what celebrity means?" Then i quickly ran to my dictionary.

celebrity |səˈlebrətē|
a famous person.
• the state of being well known :

I though i was wrong until sources from Wikipedia claims that "A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of PUBLIC and MEDIA ATTENTION."

ahhh! i thought... possibly i am a celebrity, since i got 1280 friends on facebook that increases by two to three daily, shown once or twice on some local, national and international TV and News Papers, i got few stuffs on the search engines, ahh Qudus, why have you been this naive? You are a celebrity... lol

                   Celebrity my ass!

This celebrity culture that doesn't involve paying any dues in Nigeria, you just buy the damn title, i mean normally... People of talent would work hard to create something--something written, something painted, something sculpted, something acted out--and it would be passed on to audiences. but with the rise of these fantasized "reality" TV shows, the audiences have been turned into the creators and social instruments needed. The alleged stars of these "reality" shows (especially Big Brother) have become famous not for doing or having some special talents, but merely for being... wow, how privileged and grateful they must be!

Even those who got some talent, what do they do with it to inspire the "common man"? Is it not in this Nigeria where "celebrities" make fame and the next moment they are thinking of their own clothing line, which is suppose to be their "appreciation" to the 140 million Nigerians, isn't it?... as if those clothes will be dashed out for free, this same celebrity that will arrogantly snub the "common man" that bumps into him or her on the streets of Surulere or a road side shop at Ikeja, even to reply to emails on facebook becomes a problem, cos they know these guys don't need autographs.

 

That is how ungrateful and arrogant our "cele-brities" could be, have you even coincidentally met one on a normal day, in a normal venue (which is not looking like the galleria nor shoprite), and you fast forward to say an intimate hi ? don't be shocked if the reply you get is "Have we met before?". some of them will add you as a friend on facebook, the next moment they are sending you their latest video over and over again, dedicating the same track to you almost a thousand times... sorry i didn't come to join facebook to be part of your business strategy, anything going beyond or rather below human relation, please count me out. if i can send you my videos then i must be ready to chat with you or reply your emails, i think facebook is suppose to be a social platform.

They call them celebrity and they run to the market with it, abeg o, i don't want to be part of your revolution, if i won't dance, what do i do with this celebrity title? Form padi-padi coalition to oppress, or feel more important to the people that has similar problems to mine, so there will be another underground celebrity friend of mine who will organize givings and awards to valorize my talent and creativity, and in-turn valorize his own image as the organizer of a one-in-town event, that regroups mobs of "celebrities" which will only end up making me become too paranoid to travel easily within the streets of Lagos, on okadas, in buses or taxis if i so wish... even within the so called celebs, we still find them getting involved in this childish need to have the last word and show off... Then the public will have a love/hate relationship with me.

Ahh! is that what i'm going do with this title. becoming a spectator on the field where i'm suppose to be a player, what if i personally refuse to acknowledge this title? even if some won't agree with me.

CELEBRITY MY YANSH !

Are we really higher ANIMALS?

IF God has decided to make us humans, in His infinite mercies, isn't it fortunate enough for us? 'cos its not our doing that we appear to be a higher creature than the animals. However, it has been proven that we are as well animals, although higher animals, since animals are defined as any living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and nervous system and able to respond to stimuli. Then I began to think about what makes us higher animals, I haven't gone far into the world of my sometimes absurd thoughts, before I realized that even the fact that I have posed this question, already justifies why I am a "higher animal", then I went further by putting my thoughts into consideration in order to valorize my solo argument.

This our ability to ponder over our conditions, thinking before reacting, our reflective ability over whatever we perceive through our sense organs, these elements that distinguishes man from animals, has later tend to kill our innocence and make us loose our sudden inner impulse that should manifest in all normal animals without premeditation or external stimulus. 

I argue with myself, if these crucial module that is suppose to be our argument for being higher animals, is not becoming the same element responsible for our troubles and malfunction-ness. Creating all sort of suffering for the world and all that exist in it to grapple with, i mean, this ability to choose - and choose well to kill the little harmless insect instead of letting it go, ability to have an ocean dreams, that will soon flood away the efforts of those with just ways and means and leave others with blood on their skins, so that tomorrow, we scream out the notorious phrase « we made it! ». Our ability to fight - to fight for our right and fight for our loved ones and deliberately decline our reasoning of its aftermath because its our celestial right, are we really higher animals? who declared us to be? 

The animal part of me wonders, what the so called lower animals must be thinking about us, "these senseless people thinks they know so much, look at what they are turning our world into" i wonder if a brother cow, will be one day intelligent enough to dream about the creation of something that looks like the Atomic bomb and Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK-47) to bombard his fellow cows, no i can bet for money that it won't do that, 'cos it got pride and knows what shame is, and thats what we don't have, no wonder humans are the only animals who weep. 

Have we taken time to listen to what the animals has got to say about us, cos we kept defining everything, because we know quite well that the monkeys has got no advocate, the tigers has got no philosopher and there is no intellectual in the animal world that could be their mouthpiece and communicate with us, to heal us of our insanity in order to put us back into track of our lost naivety, without being killed or displayed in a special wildlife park for weirdness and top ten wonders of the world.

Hopefully one day we shall get a redeemer from the so called lower animals that we have killed so many of their prophets, yet they are calm and you go study the animals and see the way they watch us insightfully, lets hope we get redemption from them and not a revolution cos the world also belong to them and a revolution is often borne out of a familiar force repelling a non familiar pressure. We can fool them sometimes but can we fool them all time ?

Well i still got this prey in my mind, with my preconceived monologue, are human being really higher animals?

Gist from kinsh

Arriving at the airport aleady gives some interesting botton about the kind of air I'm going to breath in the next one month. I wondered if it was (the film maker guy that invited me to work with his preselected casts) Djo's Influence that mounted up to making a full uniformed immigration officer to be the one that handed me my fake vaccination card that Made it possible for me to pass through without wasting so much time. He guided me like I was a VIP on a special mision until we got to the passprt control. The officer that attended to me collected my passport and the yellow form I filled in the plane, he crosschecked my totally filled passport with all sort of visas, congolese visa is the last visa that entered into my passport, so i have to make another one now. Anyway. He checked the form I filled and smiled. He asked if I spoke French I answered "oui" then he smiled again he said in French "so your profession is dance." I replied "oui je suis danseur" then we both smiled while he shook his head in disbelive I was still smilling when he added "you must be a very good dancer" I said "I think so..." He stamped my passport and proceed to meet my immiration officer that has been waiting for me, he walked me to another young man that later collected my baggage tag from me while I describe the type of bag it is, cos all I had to do was to sit in a corner and watch the over disorganized bunch of grown men and women that wrestled over baggage. I wonder if I was really in an airport or an open market for fish auction.

As I sat everything began to look real, some pungent smell of cigaret almost fell me from my seat and I tried to remember if the air hostess was not repeatedly warning in the plane that smoking and snapping were extreemely prohibited in the airport area. I coughed out discretely and only one phrase came to my mind "no one is BELOW the law" as I continue to smile over my phrase I saw another white guy joined the band of smokers and the greatest joke of the night was the guy that walked towards him to tell him that smoking was prohibited. I was filled with laughter I couldn't hold it, the poor guy was making some jest to indicate he wasn't the only one smoking, and I said to myself "is someone BELOW the law?" ahhh perharp only foriegners are, I have to be careful. Not long after then they brought my bag and waited a bit for my immigration officer to confirm to me that the car is out to pick me. I quickly stood up to join Patrick who introduced himself and we aproached the land rover parked at the car park, I remarked that outside was so big I couldn't help but to say it to Patrick who later finished the phrase I got in mind "Yes and inside is so small, you can never imagine from inside" it was like they got the land for free but had a little resources to build with.

Got home to meet Djo and Bruno in the living room of a quite cosy duplex, filled with jeeps, land rovers and maids, i was welcomed in lingala and Djo introduced me to Bruno the director of the atelier, so i was quickly served my dinner while we delibrated on how the work will go.

Day 2 in kin, i set out to watch Bruno working with guys, and also the tai chi teacher, i was trying t obe quiet as i do alwyes whenever i am in a new space, i was introduced to the guys and the encounter began quite slowly but i wasn't bothered, and before i knew it, they started asking if in know « Faustin Linyekula » who is like one of the leading voice coming from Africa in the global dance scene, i said of course i do but funny enough i have never met him personally so one on them told me he already told him about my coming, so he gave me his number, rang him around 4pm and to my disbelieve this guy was with me at 6pm, that was humble, someone that i have only read on journals, internet, watched on YouTube and other documentary films, could be this simple, i already liked him, and those who knows me knows the kind of topic i get quickly carried away with, this guy is one of my biggest reference in terms of African artiste who are not using this romantic name « Africa » in a vulgar way to get us reduced to « African artist » before we know it, we were already deep into argument and discussion on the general madness. 

I was offered a free ride because the driver that was supposed to come pick me was unable to understand our movement, so Faustin proposed to drop me, Getting home after my hang out with him and his family as well as Jean christophe and Eza possible collective, i thought it was a good idea that seems real cool to get home and just find food on the table, " ...oh my father, who art in heaven, give us this day, our daily bread different from the French fries. " it was spaghetti with vegetarian source and by the side was a small bowl of deliciousely smelling pepper source, i was feeling like an African man that i'm supposed to be, so i dipped my little spoon in it, cos deep inside of me i know, how much of an African i am, so as not to get myself disappointed but the pepper was just too hot. 

Today i understood what people try to impact on you, when they say "you will smell pepper" wow that source almost killed me, naturally i am not that guy that will go to the kitchen to pick up his food and remember to bring water along, so tonight was not in any way different, but the first spoon i placed on my hungry tongue, stroke my consciousness, spoke to my feet and i didn't know when my left hand was forcing a bottle of cold water into my cervical cord, oooppss it was like an action movie. I mean hollywood action not nollywood, the different electronic reggae fuji music that was banging in my head didn't make me hear when Bruno was repeatedly asking if i was ok, i managed to get my voice heard, because i thought that pepper has siezed my voice, so spoke so loud, « YES... YES I AM OK, » but i couldn't just lie till the end, so i added « but.. wow, this pepper is HOT » but man, i have promised myself never to waste food again, so i eat less than my stomach wants, so as to be exact for its need, so i started gulping the SPA- GHET-TI, i tried to put all my impulse and sence organ to purse, so i can dearly face the consequence when i'm done, 
Sweating like a goat even from the nose, my tongue felt swolen as if there was acid on it, water dropping from my eyes without having the feeling of crying, at a point i couldn't control the mucus dropping from my nose through my mouth, in actual fact it was like they work more than the series of cold water i have been gulping, " ...wooooow i will never try this again. "
I started feeling better but never stopped staring at my plate and thougth to myself « if someone wants to kill me, they should simply ask me to lick the remains in the plate, i quickly rushed to keep the plate in the kitchen before i get tempted to commit suicide ... lol.


its a gist so manage the typo errors...
Qudus Onikeku, reporting for bloggers and fakebookers
Stay tuned for more from kinsh.

My analyst told me...

My Analyst told me that I have ego problem, he said I need some attention, someone to probably save me from myself, the way he described it, he said i'm too much into my head, that i'm not easily led from my crazy ideas, and my tempers are just bizarre.

• I looked at him furiously, I tranquilly picked up the wooden chair I was sitting on and carefully stroke it against his shinning forehead, his glasses that were thickk enough to read my mind were broken into particles and all over the floor was filled with blood...
  

That was exactly what I got in mind for him, but I knew I wouldn't dare that, I just asked him “what's so strange if you found out that you're already a brainiac at the age of four ?”
I had a brain and that was insane, I had a dream and that was atypical.
He also refer to my ex's analysis of who she thinks I am, she said and he quotes “... he is that kind of guy that creeps upon a girl, make them feel loved and let them down when they begin to fall for him, we have been together for two years and he hardly say “I Love you” I think he also has that problem”

I picked up my phone, rang Hajarat to tell her how much I love her, miss her and promise to make the queen of my life...

My Analyst thinks he can put me in a box, so he can say “...alright this is who you are” but I get him so pissed, 'cos my complexity is not just making his job easy. I asked again “what will you do if you have a temperament that will not just let you be, I mean one that could just turn your five year old dreams of BLUE to RED in just one hour? A temperament that doesn't conform to any written rule, culture, nation, notion, religion, philosophy, profession etc. One that makes an African feel American at times when in Europe, or feels European when in America and something else when in Africa, one that makes a dancer wear the cap of a circus artiste, take up the job of a writer and critiquing, in the next moment making documentary film and writing poetry and making street art, and taking up the expertees of a sociologist and preaching the gospel of Islam, quoting Fela Kuti and the bible, and spends all day listening to Bob Marley and Obesere while socializing on facebook and soliloquise on the stage. Yet trying so hard to remain simple, 'cos i'm in the process of establishing my truth, accuracy and validation of something that circulates around my existence which i can never verify if it is right or wrong".

My analyst will not give up, 'cos he need to authenticate his hard earned degrees, my analyst thought he was accessing a young man who is pretending to know what he wants. NO, that's where he got it all wrong, because one thing I know is that I am a successful young man that doesn't know precisely what he wants but doing all he can to reject completely those things he doesn't want.

My Analyst told me I got an ego problem, I sat back, I was tranquil, fixed my gaze on him and I see smiles forcing their way out of my upper lips, I watch his lips dangle with passions like a performer of rap music, but this is a full grown man that knows his onion, meanwhile, I was long gone in my world of thoughts, I feel so high, I even touch the sky...

in Nigeria, we are allowed to be a dreamer.

In Nigeria we are allowed to dream, 
'cos what are we really left with
our best moments had been robbed, 
bargained for and mortgaged ages before 
the sad good news of our conscious birth. 
in Nigeria, ideas are not what we search for, 
we have them in gross, cos we permit ourselves to dream 
and enjoy the fruits of our ecstatic hard work 
only in the comfort or our beds.

Crying out the notorious phrase "This will be great" 
'cos from the moment we step our feet 
out of our illusive heavens, 
we face the daily reality again and unconsciously forget 
about those abundant dreams, until we get back to our bed, 
to begin another dream that will ease us of all the dailies 
of our daily lives.

then we have just one ambition,
and that ambition is to pester our long gone distant cousin
about joining him in the quest for a greener life 
than that of the Nigerian flag,
we compile the sweat of our hard earned money
and dream about the day we will leave...
our departure is not about leaving the country 
but walking away from these troubles of our life,
hoping that dreams come true across the Niger

When you become a Nigerian in the diaspora
you are still allowed to dream.
'cos you don't have much you are left with
Some moments in life, everything stops working 
as sudden as they started, leaving one in a complete stand still
you feel so lazily hard working and call yourself silly names like "Shit... Merde"
'cos nothing seems moving in the direction of your feet.

Then you've got just one ambition at this point
and that ambition is just to be where your heart is,
you dream of your return,
speak to yourself in loud voice,
in a very Nigerian way
words of self confidence in your hallucinatory 'home - coming" 
you raise your personality high with two stars,
you brag about how you alone will turn the town up-side-down 
and paint it all RED.

This is the sort of feeling that occupies my busy mind at times.
is it a dream? or an objective? or mere optimism?
Optimism itself, isn't it a dream, 
the song playing in the mind of the oppressed is for sure "optimism"
and that's what we are left with, 
for that is the only moment we are able to enjoy those things we miss
even if it is for a minute, we live that moment as robustly as we can
'cos we are sure of loosing that enjoyment in the next wind that blows on our sensibility.
Well i am allowed to be a dreamer. 'cos i am 101% NIGERIAN.

I don't know about other nations but i think there is a particular kind of dream that is very peculiar to nigerians, there is the issue of our aspiration that has been trampled upon by some few that makes us even dream of the very basics of life, like electricity and pipe borne water, you know the more tribulations you go through in life, it forms you, refines your sight and make you see just money in everything, money becomes the numero uno of our motivation, when poverty (not just financial) creeps upon you, you become vulnerable and anything goes, and in a situation where anything goes even your dreams go. 

A very personal anger is that of my fellow Nigerian dancers, there was a time when guys were aiming big, thinking of projects and how to make things happen both internationally, nationally and locally, but there comes a little shift in recent times, where guys makes "nice cash" through salsa dance, "reality" tv shows, music clips and animating for oil companies and banks etc. 

So "Success" in that definition can as well be another kind of dream killer, because when we had nothing we were quite young so we could do a lot of sacrifice but now guys are in serious need of meeting with daily expenses and responsibilities, so there is a huge rush for the daily bread and of course the money is coming but where are those dreams?

In Nigeria we trade dreams in exchange for anything, in which its popular demand is "material success" 
in the Diaspora i wonder if we even dream again, cos we never have the time... 

GUYS DEY HUSTLE FOR ABROAD.

Nigeria, comment ça va!

Nigeria, a nation richly blessed with poverty
a perpetual ignorant of her abilities due to her disabled condition 
for her metamorphosing sons, from man into homosexuals overnight 
raping her in broad day light.
she sells her offsprings to the vulgar opportunists.

Nigeria, a nation situated in the midst of illusion
deaf to the cries of her beloved visionaries
most intelligent intellectuals, 
that is only good for the benefit of other lands
because the intelligent ones at home 
are left with scamming machines.

Africa looks up to Nigeria
as Nigeria look down to the world
Nigeria musing over joining the up north
as she takes-in illusion
the World explains to Nigeria comment çava up north
but Nigeria is just a crippled nation, optimistically sitting on her ass
struggling to get unto her axis, struggling to get her center right

Nigeria, is just a notion, 
a customized dead giant in motion
a politically correct expression, 
a brand for amalgamation,
a geographical illustration.
Nigeria, seen from all angles yet we see the same.

Nigeria... hmmmm. yaaaawwwwnnnn!

Every man has got the right to decide his own destiny,
And in this judgement there is no partiality.
So arm in arms, with arms, we'll fight this little struggle,
'Cause that's the only way we can overcome our little trouble.

Yes brother you are right! I am very optimistic too 
but very soon we shall find out who the real revolutionaries are, 
cos i don't want my people to be tricked by those amongst us 
who are primarily concerned with material reward 
at the expense of ethics and revolution. 
In everyman chest, there beats a heart but 
i have fears hidden in my breast, i don't know why...

Nigeria, A nation blind to her disgrace
a nation of disillusioned adults
turning the whole town into a sex city,
pedaling at the same velocity since dawn
yet, a mob of celestial favors, youth, talents, work force, intellectuals
hopelessly anticipating the future in the punk way
Chauffeured by a playboy puppet, not woman enough to drive his home safely.

there are tears hidden inside of her, 
the world look at her with scorn 
and offering her a transplanted heart.
and they ask in a witty voice, comment çava Nigeria
for the world knows, she is just a brand new second hand.

With the thought of the 1960 Nigerian madness
I learn how to dialogue
with the thought of the future heroes I contribute to my world
with the grace of my parent I'm alive today
in the name of my family I thank you listeners, audience 
and readers of my poetry, Article and essays
in the name of my nation, I pledge to be humble
for the pleasure of many antagonizing folks, i promise to step aside.

US tour 1

The General Misunderstanding... Contemporary dance in Nigeria!

One of my frequently asked questions these days is "So, What is your plan after school?" or precisely put as "so, what is your participation in the ongoing development in Nigeria", although it is an ambiguous question to ask a young guy like me who is just about to leave The National Higher School of Circus Arts, a school that is considered one of the best in Europe, where one becomes a sort of "hot cake" after passing through this school.

The Ambiguity of my frequently asked question is that, i am a contemporary dance artiste, that, i'm about to finish from an art school, and musing over going to play a part in the ongoing development of my country, haha, that sounds more like a suicide mission to me, being a dancer and being a Nigeria, two things that doesn't go well together, well why am i complaining is it not my choice after all, because some will counter my stupid notion of dance in Nigeria by citing that "shebi Kaffy is a dancer, Ijodee is a dancer and they are both Nigerians and doing very well" The only excuse i have at the end of the day is that, our aspiration and pride is just not the same, i'm going to lay down my problems and you have two choices to choose from, either you will move with my stupid notion or urge me to seek alternative elsewhere, cos i don't usually sound patriotic.

I'm creating this kind of forum which i have tagged MAD HAUZ (Media And Dance), to see if i could ever settle with these questions that fiddles with my mind, to engage you all in a forum where the ignorance and general misunderstanding of contemporary dance in Nigeria can be settled, to update my own general understanding of the typical Nigerian society, which of course i cannot still claim a complete understanding of how things work and to also share my own vision for development.

To start with, i will give a very brief narration of a very recent wind that simultaneously swept over many nations of Africa, it is the wind of contemporary "African" dance, that came in trough the windows of the west (mostly French), the race began in the 80s, then it will be legal to say that contemporary dance in Africa has been around for close to two decades, it marked its debut in Nigeria, in 1994 to be precise and since then it has been growing with an unquenchable pace all over Africa, network is being set all over the continent, dancers started getting together and it is sounding very much like the eve of independence, and so it will also be legal to say that, it is the fastest growing contemporary art form on the continent, but i find it difficult to alter such a phrase in the Nigerian context.

Since 1994, Contemporary dance has only existed (officially) in Lagos and Ibadan, proponents of Contemporary dance in Nigeria has performed outside Nigeria or rather outside Africa than they've ever done in Nigeria, even at that, the audience for contemporary dance in Nigeria is usually fellow dancers, few other artistes, but more of the expatriates, it is still perceived as a foreign product, as a copycat of a western value, but i have no problem with that, it is new then it must certainly be chaotic and that will evoke a lot of agitations and contempt, but what i tend to have problem with is the circumstances at which it is being operated in most countries of Africa.

However, local critics has scolded us over and over for our sell off, then i demand of them to respond my questions, economically, are we able to meet up with our ends-meet, while performing our traditional dances that has presently been degraded to a tool to welcome VIPs at the airport and terminals, entertainers at wedding ceremonies, an element for filling the gap during "item 7"(Menu! Menu!! Menu!!!) at Unilever and Cocacola end of the year party. Legislatively, are we up to date? are we able to command respect by trying to keep tradition alive? i don't know if other dance practitioners feel good doing that, but i got my own dignity and pride to shield, and nobody can put me in a box. I am not holding anyone responsible for that, not even the government, whose idea of a dancer is a raffia wearing and spear carrying man looking very "African". Its all about the general misunderstanding.

The question i in-turn ask myself is that, does my notion of Home mean precisely being physically in Nigeria? are dancers really forgetting their cultural heritage, if some of them tend to do away with dance forms that has existed centuries ago, to be involved in some more creative tasks that conforms to today's lingua franca and becoming a vanguard that will shake tomorrow, i ask myself if there will be any logical development or cultural evolution, if we decide to stick to our root, which is suppose to make us grow and spread out more branches. The dance industry is not only about the dancers, it also about who is managing it, who is writing about it, who is making it popular for the audience to have a feel of it, a work of art is only completed when it is out there, if it is still in the studio, there can't be any dialogue on such art piece.

Now, talking about development, this is the part i feel capable of developing, there is a bi-annual meeting that rotates from country to country all over Africa, (just like the African cup of nations) it is called Dance -Africa- Dance (African and indian ocean choreographic encounters), it has never been brought to Nigeria and the only Nigerian that has ever won this price is Adedayo M. Liadi (Ijodee) and that was since 2003, the last edition was in Tunis between 1st and 8th of May 2008, i have had the opportunity to regularly attend this meeting since 2001, and i will tell you that Nigeria lags so much behind in all of these continental norm.

I am presently at the edge of bringing in over 130 professionals, cultural operators, journalists, film makers and art scholars into the city of Lagos in 2009 for EWA BAMI' JO, this is one of the initiatives i find very important for clarity and for us to well fix our gaze unto the floor as we go on with our encounters with the world, being able to go global but with our local consciousness. This initiative is about Africa, which as well stand a great chance of bringing the realities of contemporary dance to fellow Nigerian where my primary target lies. i want to begin a fresh movement that is very well poised, backed with intellectual discourse and powered by this present youth-quake spreading all over the continent.

For this logical development, i found it absolutely impossible for Contemporary dance to grow in a society such as ours, if the media is not educated on this dance genre, in order to educate the masses or be persuaded to cover it (for we believe that seeing is believing). However, it is when a precise representation of dance is made by whosoever is writing about it or presenting it on TV, that this general misunderstanding be eradicated, what i propose now is using this blog medium, to answer questions (those that i am capable of...) on contemporary dance, propose articles that has been written on dance in other parts of the continent and other links to such discovery.

To make my final precision in order to avoid another general misunderstanding, i am not doing this because i need fame or its look alike, (i like the kind life wey i dey live now!), so please don't suggest writing my story in the front page of a national daily (no harm meant), I'm not so much hungry for popular audience, its not about the audience now, its about you and us, the media and dance! because for me, it is a really sad thing that we've got just one dance critic on the African soil (Adrienne Sichel, who will soon retire by the way), so this is just to see if we could share something amongst ourselves as youth and who knows, you might be the next celebrated African dance writer and that will certainly be a plus to Nigeria.

Ditto:
for further info please visit the following link and have a different feel of what i am talking about.

www.ewabamijo.blogspot.com
www.movementrevolutionafrica.com
http://www.kuumba-survivors.com/peterbadejoobe.htm
http://www.artmatters.info/theatre/articles/dance2.php
http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cca/Jomba_2005.htm
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2893/Acogny-Germaine.html
http://www.kinodance.com/participants.html

Boundaries of Criticism in “21st Century” AFRICA

It is incontrovertible to us right now that the supremacists and proponents of western civilisation has proclaimed Africa to be absolutely not part of the world map of thinkers and ideologists, Academic racism was pushed by white supremacists during the period when white people garnered great profits from slavery and colonialism. Which had the effect of attempting to deny and define the culture, history and ancestry of the victims of the profitable slave and colonial systems. Before i go far, i will state a handful of comments that will make it clear to us that the clichés laid down for us Africans has gone beyond repair, it is only left to us to turn them around and use them to our own advantage. Film maker and cultural historian Owen 'Alik Shahadah made a comment, stating that, “Historically Africans are made to sway like leaves
on the wind, impervious and indifferent to any form of civilisation, a people absent from scientific discovery, philosophy or the higher arts. We are left to believe that almost
nothing can come out of Africa, other than raw materials”, which can as well be turned inside out to their continuous need of ritualistic and primitivist contents coming out of Africa. A
Scottish philosopher and economist David Hume made an accurate comment to verify the genuineness of Shahada's statement, saying he is “apt to suspect the Negros to be naturally inferior to the Whites. There scarcely ever was a civilised nation of that complexion, nor even any individual, eminent either in action or in speculation. No ingenious manufacture among them, no arts, no sciences”.

Africa has been systematically detached from the rest of the world and we can now understand and see reasons why Africa can not continue to play the role that the world has specially left us with, in this civilization the higher man is rated higher based on his intellectual capabilities and the basic element used in measuring this, is either the arts or sciences. Without doubt Africa cannot claim a higher share in the sciences but that doesn't mean that there are no Africans or "Negros" in the front line of present day science and technology, but one thing that i am quite sure of is that Africans has a concrete stake in the discourse of arts, but not by engaging in cultural tourism or propagating the ways and believes of our fore-fathers.

The world look up to Africa with hope as much as they look down to it with despairs of their culpability, they treat Africa as another breed, different from the human race, it has become their mirror, but not looking directly at them selves, but looking at their humanity, a place where it becomes possible for them to carry out their humanitarian assignment, for them to continue to feel the human in them, then if we look at the world today, only the west becomes the architect of humanitarian initiations, they are the ones travelling around the world, adopting kids all over, they are the ones bold enough to give aides and save the lives of these Negros, saving them from themselves, they even show off their "givings" for personal gratification and surplus values, haven't you seen them use how much aide they've given in Africa for their curriculum vitae and Nobel price for peace? so they will look away from what could appear to be the solution to these problems, because from the moment that is solved, they won't have anywhere to go for their humanitarian pilgrimage, their children who has even gone to the extent of studying it in schools will have no more market to integrate after studying how to be useful to the petit negro.

It will be an understatement that is looking away from the truth, if we proclaim that the "love" t