Sing-around-a-rosy.
This Theater is full of roses.
singing a song of people…
Walking down the rails,
Sailing across the seas.
I hear an echo, It is a call,
A call from a mother
A mother of ideas,
and
curator of secrets,
Peopled by the natives of my origin
It is a call from my homeland.
Sing-around-a-mosey
this stage is full of mediocre
i dance to a rhythm
I hear an echo of other peoples
A people sucker of our pipes,
Seeker of our green grassy grounds
A people of humanity… NOT,
Who knows not humility,
With a heart of stone gold
I dance to a rhythm of a people
Whose sea chants babel
Audible echoes.
The celebrants of life
Even, of DEATH!
Sing-around-a-prosy.
This pond is full of proses.
One of the surfers of the earth wisdom.
I declare, I belong.
We write about the rite.
We create, they cry.
These feelings I get,
Disorderliness in man.
This allergy I have got.
Lairs, -mongers, foes and game people?
How do I move?
How do I dance?
How do I write?
And for WHY do I?
Sing-around-a-foxy.
This fund is flu that freezes.
I can’t dance. trapped all over.
Our patron, a couple of fresh blood-mongers.
our friends, a bunch of foes.
And I swear not to be a prey.
Why is man in here
Running after fiction?
I just need a stage to be seen.
Maybe I’m wrong.
Once again I’m out of my mind.
And this time I promise its over.
Sing-around-a-posy.
this dais is full of poses
we all fall down anyway!
I'm afraid,
i need someone to save me from me
perhaps i'm a cliché to me
for i feel i can be everything,
but inside of me
i hear a sad song singing it to me
that i am everything BUT a good song.
This lousy temperament
has woken the vultures from their den,
the sorcerers that seeks fresh blood
to endorse their faraway melodies.
i have seen the swift movement
of their gracious steps,
i am aware of these curious eyes,
looking out for me...
Sing-around-a-cosy.
This field is full of roses.
...and i cannot just close mine,
will it above my aspirations and
forget who i want to be,
i am at the borders of bearing
the burdens of my boyhood,
arrange them in order of preference,
for i can smell the dazzling odor
of the sun rays tenderly putting light
on my feet.
but with my index finger
pointed to the heavens,
i swear i want nothing...
and nothing to succeed me.
Sing-around-a-rosy.
This Theater is full of roses.
(c) Qudus Onikeku.
Jun 24, 2008
Jun 19, 2008
Living between paradox and paradise
Living between two realities that seemed really different and contradicting sums up to form prison walls around ones’ existence. Imagine a Yoruba - English speaking - Nigerian residing in France, complication of identity and imprecision of which language or culture to think, to pray and converse with one's (self) inner mind and the conflict of which philosophy to incorporate to life generally, those closer will seem very far away, those far away will in turn be the ones closer, when people speak around, just their echo could be perceived because they are quite far away from your reality. and how does one deal with that.
To better complicate the issue lets take me as an example, a swinger between being a student who is suppose to operate with a constant juvenile energy and on the other end, a professional artiste whose melancholy depresses him more often than ever, two characters which are quite distant to the other, a dancer whose body is imbued with movements and emotion to confront and remind the audience of the reality of the world they live, filling every moving second with poetry but also an acrobat, a circus artiste (entertainer), taking the colors of sorrow away from the soul of the audience, taking them on a journey, away from the reality of the outer world, sometimes a clown and sometimes not so far from a savage.
Today I feel like starting up a diary, to say all I want to say, to myself, because in here in my little apartment, there is none to listen or say my mind to, so I write it out, perhaps it stops me from standing in the center of a thick forest one thick sunny day and screaming the hell out of my voice or slamming myself against my concrete enclosure, I speak my mind, I let my mind ascend above the four walls of this earth to search and bring back distant, exotic brick with which I seek to fabricate a better endurable world within this world.
I write of my desired world in words of optimism; aiming thereby to reduce the massive mass of this pessimist world on my shoulders, rediscover my woebegone personality. In this world, loss of self is often expressed as vexation. Anger is the element of attempt to re-crystallize the slowly dissolving self of the oppressed, anger builds a slow and carefully progressive relationship with one and creeps upon one silently until one day. That day, when it will explodes in an assured violence, leaving one in disbelief of ones own capability of being vicious
- I want to recover my lost self - now that I have became conscious of the fact that I had not really had a self to express in the world, that self has flown away with the migrating birds the day I realized that I am enchained, impotent of my own free will, this chain enslaves not so much the hand and feet as it does to the mind, what is left here is nothing but a mass of soulless fellow only to be revived by a witch doctor, a helpless ass sitting inactively in front of a Broadway cinema, gorgeous hair, dress to kill - kill to dress, but... with tearful eyes and saddened soul; an empty box filled with rubbish and garbage of human development, and a pirated machine that only resembles human being but unable to say NO when it is most needed.
i am aware of the curious eyes staring at me, i close mine, i willed it over the walls of this world to other places. Free. i dream of standing under the stars in my world, where the rain would be falling, there would be nothing else: just me and rain and stars and my feet, i will trust my legs, i will run and just run, my legs will decide when and where to stop - Sometimes the anger leaves one as suddenly as it appeared; then one enter a state of tranquil acceptance. Realizing the absolute puerility of anger: it was nothing, absolute nothing but acid, cancer, eating away ones bowels in the dark.
One accepts the inescapability of ones fate; and with that, I have learnt the craft of cunning, I have learnt ways of surviving - surviving the mindless banality of the walls of this pessimist world around my optimist world and finally, the strong man is not that who has got the most vicious virtuosity but that who has been able to kill his anger when it is most predestined.
Jun 10, 2008
Photographers are certainly NOT artist !
Here is an interesting argument i engaged my dear friend Adeoye Adewale in, few weeks ago, and we made a deal to put our argument into essay and see what others says about it, Adeoye is a remarkable scientist, one of the best in present day Unilag and has a wonderful reflection over the arts, so read his ground breaking argument and let me know what you think.
This simple essay attempts to discuss on a rather difficult topic, namely, does photography qualify as an art or an art form? While I cannot claim to possess the force and tact of an art critic who in these days of specialisation qualifies to render opinions on such subjects, I wish to refer my reader to the natural rights of the layman to estimate values and substances in these nontechnical fields; these are apparently subjects of opinions and of the mind, and it is in this comfort I go ahead with my arguments.
It would be immediately necessary to clear certain definitions or stances with the reader in order to foster understanding and a good relationship with him. I make to assert that "art is definable." This point is extremely important and cannot be overemphasised, if everything is to be understood. And why shouldn't it? Why shouldn't it be definable? In order to prevent such hideous speculations which take roof under sentimentality and emotions, unlasting expression-states, this axiom becomes not only responsible, but the only way to constructive development in the subject of art. The nonstimulation often witnessed with the arts (as opposed to the sciences) carry the effects of over-sentimentality, weakness to define or inability to recognize forms, and lack of critical art analysis and reviews. So, reader, we shall do away with all such foreign thoughts and set out to make certain postulations about art and its forms:
1. Art is definable and tangible
2. Art is accessible and analyzable
Also it can be said of art that it is an evocative singular and thorough exercise of the mind and body, and a complete realization of individualism. And of course art may the other things, which don't necessarily exclude the above mentioned points.
In recent times however, an emerging form claims to suitably express individuality. That it can insist on artistic quality and tangibility however represents a quite disturbing leap in its claims. This form consists in the “artist” observing his immediacy (note immediacy) and by aid of an electronic device capture this in still form. It is called photography and with its many proponents across the world seeks to grace the art podium and make merry with such established art forms as painting and sculpture. There are many ways to look at this, one of which consists of sentimental review or its equivalent in the outpour of emotion/thoughts by the observer. To grapple to such “proofs” and insist on the qualification of this form through results obtained by such means betrays irresponsibility, for there is always a reaction to that superficially observed. It’s no more such shows as those which constantly play on the streets or in one’s room; watching a marketwoman display her wares or call to buyers also creates such feelings in the observer (of which he is surprisingly most often quickly emptied) and yet says nothing of the marketwoman and her wares as objects of art. It is important to note this.
Thus, I insist, the worth of an art object is intrinsic and clearly isn’t only apparent upon its evocation of feelings in the observer.
Photography proponents claim the uniqueness in shots make a scene, the ingenuity of the photographer in capturing a still moment which most often can’t be repeated add substance to the act itself, but they seem to forget that even under their own rules, any one shot irrespective of time, space and form can be sufficiently interpreted as art. Should art then lose its form only to satisfy the definitions of a few? It follows that the outcomes, these shots, are hardly tangible/unique, and thereby insufficient as art forms
An argument which very well raises the greatest doubt about the artistic quality of photography resides in the common realization that art is design and by design I certainly do not mean craft or its relations, but willful and conscious participation in the eventual form and state of an outcome. It is only too obvious that the photographer has his home in fortuitousness and the likes. Many a work begs on suddenness in order to realize force, which they do have at times. It is no news many a photographer are often bailed out, in some sort, by a tiny fleck, an unplanned twist, just at the flash of the bulb, what they eventually hold to in substantiating their results. Art, of course, is more than accident and has been for years a relative companion of science in hardwork and toil.
My feelings are, that the mid-20th century decadence in thought and action, represented grossly by the American hippiedom, the craze for sport, unguarded excercise of liberty, and the rebellious teenager, mutated in accidental and quick expressions and eventually stabilized seeking honour, taking eventual forms and consolidation in the acknowledgement of false for true, creationism for science, capitalization for end-of-history and photography for art.
There is resistance however and in the same thread, much of Hollywood hardly qualifies as art. Thus, it surprises how much thought is given photography. As pointed out earlier, that intrinsic in photography is immediacy points to its transitoriness. It suffices to watch (supposed craftily) and only thereafter capture the still, perhaps even irrationally, once the name is made. This makes a mess of real work.
Of course, photography does well in informing, serves well as news-items and as a result can enjoy classification under headings of whatever names, except of course art.
I am indeed a layman in these things and so, though I show mistrust,
can be lightly convinced. For the proponents of photography or her apologists, it isn’t sufficient to tell away my arguments as opinions or views of one simply complementing the grand whole. Rather, a return of arguments proving the inherent artistic substance of photography, if it should exist, must be tendered. So, the ball lies in your court.
(c) Adeoye Adewale
This simple essay attempts to discuss on a rather difficult topic, namely, does photography qualify as an art or an art form? While I cannot claim to possess the force and tact of an art critic who in these days of specialisation qualifies to render opinions on such subjects, I wish to refer my reader to the natural rights of the layman to estimate values and substances in these nontechnical fields; these are apparently subjects of opinions and of the mind, and it is in this comfort I go ahead with my arguments.
It would be immediately necessary to clear certain definitions or stances with the reader in order to foster understanding and a good relationship with him. I make to assert that "art is definable." This point is extremely important and cannot be overemphasised, if everything is to be understood. And why shouldn't it? Why shouldn't it be definable? In order to prevent such hideous speculations which take roof under sentimentality and emotions, unlasting expression-states, this axiom becomes not only responsible, but the only way to constructive development in the subject of art. The nonstimulation often witnessed with the arts (as opposed to the sciences) carry the effects of over-sentimentality, weakness to define or inability to recognize forms, and lack of critical art analysis and reviews. So, reader, we shall do away with all such foreign thoughts and set out to make certain postulations about art and its forms:
1. Art is definable and tangible
2. Art is accessible and analyzable
Also it can be said of art that it is an evocative singular and thorough exercise of the mind and body, and a complete realization of individualism. And of course art may the other things, which don't necessarily exclude the above mentioned points.
In recent times however, an emerging form claims to suitably express individuality. That it can insist on artistic quality and tangibility however represents a quite disturbing leap in its claims. This form consists in the “artist” observing his immediacy (note immediacy) and by aid of an electronic device capture this in still form. It is called photography and with its many proponents across the world seeks to grace the art podium and make merry with such established art forms as painting and sculpture. There are many ways to look at this, one of which consists of sentimental review or its equivalent in the outpour of emotion/thoughts by the observer. To grapple to such “proofs” and insist on the qualification of this form through results obtained by such means betrays irresponsibility, for there is always a reaction to that superficially observed. It’s no more such shows as those which constantly play on the streets or in one’s room; watching a marketwoman display her wares or call to buyers also creates such feelings in the observer (of which he is surprisingly most often quickly emptied) and yet says nothing of the marketwoman and her wares as objects of art. It is important to note this.
Thus, I insist, the worth of an art object is intrinsic and clearly isn’t only apparent upon its evocation of feelings in the observer.
Photography proponents claim the uniqueness in shots make a scene, the ingenuity of the photographer in capturing a still moment which most often can’t be repeated add substance to the act itself, but they seem to forget that even under their own rules, any one shot irrespective of time, space and form can be sufficiently interpreted as art. Should art then lose its form only to satisfy the definitions of a few? It follows that the outcomes, these shots, are hardly tangible/unique, and thereby insufficient as art forms
An argument which very well raises the greatest doubt about the artistic quality of photography resides in the common realization that art is design and by design I certainly do not mean craft or its relations, but willful and conscious participation in the eventual form and state of an outcome. It is only too obvious that the photographer has his home in fortuitousness and the likes. Many a work begs on suddenness in order to realize force, which they do have at times. It is no news many a photographer are often bailed out, in some sort, by a tiny fleck, an unplanned twist, just at the flash of the bulb, what they eventually hold to in substantiating their results. Art, of course, is more than accident and has been for years a relative companion of science in hardwork and toil.
My feelings are, that the mid-20th century decadence in thought and action, represented grossly by the American hippiedom, the craze for sport, unguarded excercise of liberty, and the rebellious teenager, mutated in accidental and quick expressions and eventually stabilized seeking honour, taking eventual forms and consolidation in the acknowledgement of false for true, creationism for science, capitalization for end-of-history and photography for art.
There is resistance however and in the same thread, much of Hollywood hardly qualifies as art. Thus, it surprises how much thought is given photography. As pointed out earlier, that intrinsic in photography is immediacy points to its transitoriness. It suffices to watch (supposed craftily) and only thereafter capture the still, perhaps even irrationally, once the name is made. This makes a mess of real work.
Of course, photography does well in informing, serves well as news-items and as a result can enjoy classification under headings of whatever names, except of course art.
I am indeed a layman in these things and so, though I show mistrust,
can be lightly convinced. For the proponents of photography or her apologists, it isn’t sufficient to tell away my arguments as opinions or views of one simply complementing the grand whole. Rather, a return of arguments proving the inherent artistic substance of photography, if it should exist, must be tendered. So, the ball lies in your court.
(c) Adeoye Adewale
May 28, 2008
UP NEPA in the City of light!
This darkness...
This energy of life,
This darkness...
These happy people,
This darkness still keeps our humanity alive
and brings us close to the destructive human nature.
sounds of generator,
clamored claps
sounds of effected silence
in this city,
we celebrate life.
In this city,
we even celebrate electricity
UP NEPA has crept gently
into the bowels of our society
and became a permanent bastard
every home can't avoid,
even those with noise making machine
that generates power,
it reminds us that if
Nigerian Electrical Power Authority
can metamorphose into
Never Expect Power at All.
then, anything can happen.
UP NEPA is still our most popular hymn,
even if PHCN threatens to be
a Company that Holds our National Power.
*** UP NEPA ! ***
is not just another phrase in Nigerian context,
it stands for hope and alternative ways of survival
it reminds us of our cool tempered anger
it remind us how much of a failure our leaders are
it reminds us to always put on our full light on the highways
it reminds us of a basic amenity that we don't have
which has become our permanent fascination.
it reminds us to always remember
even if the solution is not vivid yet.
Just on the other side,
across the Mediterranean
on the same meridian
lies the city of light,
another city with a different velocity,
Harbourer of towers and skyscrapers.
still, we wonder how come they
haven't put some light in hidden spots,
mounting on the high towers
won't still afford them seeing these.
Not too good for Paree
This homosexual city
wanting to be a voyager between two;
Finding the sisters romantic and
the play boys sexy
what a way to think.
They killed their kings,
starved the servants,
slaughter their sons and
pray no more to the popes,
we can as well feel the rythms of their mind
screaming and humming to the sounds of UP NEPA
but unable to let it out,
its a pity for their city
we can't stop to love.
This darkness still keeps our humanity alive
and brings us close
to the destructive human nature.
which reminds us that A Luta Contínua!
is a Portuguese language
that means precisely,
UP NEPA in Nigerian pidgin!
and by the time the revolution begins
we shall all scream UUUPP NNEEPPAA!!!
to break lose and be free of our shells
This energy of life,
This darkness...
These happy people,
This darkness still keeps our humanity alive
and brings us close to the destructive human nature.
sounds of generator,
clamored claps
sounds of effected silence
in this city,
we celebrate life.
In this city,
we even celebrate electricity
UP NEPA has crept gently
into the bowels of our society
and became a permanent bastard
every home can't avoid,
even those with noise making machine
that generates power,
it reminds us that if
Nigerian Electrical Power Authority
can metamorphose into
Never Expect Power at All.
then, anything can happen.
UP NEPA is still our most popular hymn,
even if PHCN threatens to be
a Company that Holds our National Power.
*** UP NEPA ! ***
is not just another phrase in Nigerian context,
it stands for hope and alternative ways of survival
it reminds us of our cool tempered anger
it remind us how much of a failure our leaders are
it reminds us to always put on our full light on the highways
it reminds us of a basic amenity that we don't have
which has become our permanent fascination.
it reminds us to always remember
even if the solution is not vivid yet.
Just on the other side,
across the Mediterranean
on the same meridian
lies the city of light,
another city with a different velocity,
Harbourer of towers and skyscrapers.
still, we wonder how come they
haven't put some light in hidden spots,
mounting on the high towers
won't still afford them seeing these.
Not too good for Paree
This homosexual city
wanting to be a voyager between two;
Finding the sisters romantic and
the play boys sexy
what a way to think.
They killed their kings,
starved the servants,
slaughter their sons and
pray no more to the popes,
we can as well feel the rythms of their mind
screaming and humming to the sounds of UP NEPA
but unable to let it out,
its a pity for their city
we can't stop to love.
This darkness still keeps our humanity alive
and brings us close
to the destructive human nature.
which reminds us that A Luta Contínua!
is a Portuguese language
that means precisely,
UP NEPA in Nigerian pidgin!
and by the time the revolution begins
we shall all scream UUUPP NNEEPPAA!!!
to break lose and be free of our shells
May 22, 2008
Unbelievable things i did as a teenager.
Growing up as a young lad who constantly aspire for vastness and success, even if it wasn't a deliberate act, the only thing I never for one day stopped thinking about was how to soar high and meet with the stars. Never imagine myself in any other position than the crown, perhaps it was my name that wasn't letting me be, Aderemilekun, crown soothe my tears. I carry out things that makes people doubt my age, I myself at a point was so scared of the pace at which I was moving, some moments in my life I imagine if I’d ever understood some certain things which seems to be the central aspect of my life now, I was growing up mostly with the time of those whose generation were a bit above mine, I happen to be one of the few teenagers that will face whatsoever scholar (that could be old enough to be ten generations before mine) in an argument that I’m so sure of.
I listen a lot to elders that surrounded me, join discussions of whatsoever and I read wide, wherever I find myself, I am always the youngest but really sanctified with talent and for this reason I tend to attract people around not being cautious of it, I never believed, that perhaps one day I will ever have anything to do with a woman, my school was a single school which made me a complete foreigner to girls, I knew for sure one day I will get married but it wasn’t just in my negotiations then, for i wasn’t so wild about half raw barbecued snail and I detested the assault of loud music as well, so all these still keeps me under restriction of what my parent won’t want me to do, I try as much to be obedient, modest and respect others which I wasn’t acting out but was just part of me, and this aspect turns out to be one of the facet of my life I grew up with.
While in secondary school as a science student, I hated to read some certain subject but i only read them to pass exams, it could be important subjects like physics and chemistry but instead I prefer reading economics, history, literature, even as a science student and of cause solving mathematics which happens to be my preferred subject. I was always thinking of being an engineer one day, chemical engineer to be precise, I have heard my elder brothers and their friends discussing about how those working at oil companies in Nigeria and those off shore live extravagantly like there is no tomorrow, then I wanted to live and die as a rich man, so I began to nurture this half baked dream till I got to secondary school, strived hard to be in the science class after a lot of screening.
I will admit that i was a science student by ego in my high school days, but very early i understood that it was mere deception, i knew that my place wasn't there but for courage and in order to retain my self-esteem, i remained a science student, so i could be counted amongst the best students, but paradoxically, the only memorable and significant phase and aspect of my high school days was the fact that i was an active member of the Music and Theatre art club as we call it then in Ijeshatedo boys' secondary school, so very quickly, because there is no much to say about that aspect of my teenage-hood, i left secondary school in 2000 to join the Lagos state coucil for arts and culture in 2001, as an artiste in residence (as they call it then), there it was i began to question my being, to ask myself about my place in this whole confussion, at the art council i begin to define the kind of artiste i dreamt of being, i wasn't alright with the energy that flows around me, i wasn't ok going to "work" everyday and just sleeping or playing draft and football, so far i have finished learning all the dances that existed there at that time. No more initiation, no genuity, nothing seem to me as art, all we did was a re-showcase of the same pieces that were created decades ago, for i won't even call it art.
Though i was merely 17 years of age as at then but i have always wonder if we can ever produce another Fela Kuti in this 21st century, if another Bob marley could ever come to life, after seven months of making money i didn't even needed then, seven long month of running after politicians for tips and singing "Baba wa ni", seven months of improoving my footballs skills rather than my dance skills, after these seven long months of questions and no answers, i decided to quit all of a sudden, i disappointed my employer by disappearing without resignation, to re-appear at the Gongbeats arts, National theatre. Lagos, i thought perhaps, there i could improve, i could settle the questions of my inner mind to myself, i could at least be amongst artiste for life, for passion and not for money and survival, at the age of 17 my parents were still my guardian so i could take risks.
At Gongbeat i learnt, i was glad, i became rooted with the basics and essence of African dance, this is a dance troupe that was not so much interested in going to animate events for Coca Cola or Nigerian brewies, not so much busy with Unilever end of the year party nor Benson and Hedges road shows as other troupes around did in their quest for survival, we were involved in more demanding traning, initiating project that takes time to develop and i was very glad, i said to myself "yes, this is where i will love to be if i come bak to this life". However, very quickly, i began to develop a need for personal expression, that was also one of the gains of me bieng a Gongbeater, my coleagues and senior colleagues were not getting any younger, so their interest began to shift, they needed to decide about what to do with their lives, going back to school was one of their priority but as i had never for once believed in the idea of a university education, but believes in self development and personal effort, i began to have little or less interest in dances that were created long years ago, i wanted to be part of a new voice, part of a vanguard that will shake tomorrow.
I started getting interested in contemporary dance, for that was the dance form that was in the process of development in Nigeria then, i attended practically all dance workshops that took place in Lagos between 2000 and 2001, i became very common at the French Cultural Center. Ikoyi, i was hungry for knowledge, i was impatient. The Alajotas came from ibadan for two weeks workshop, while they gave a performance at the end, i was anticipating their arrival. I, like many other dancers were present during the first day, but many amongst us were disappointed because usually the FCC pays dancers for being part of a workshop (one of my disagreement with them, they were part of the corruption of Nigerian dancers), since i was not so much hungry for money and the Alajotas had just brought food for my actual hunger, i hung on to them and enjoyed every bit of their presence, i was glad, and i knew that i was fulfilling a very strong need.
The Alajotas performed "Onidundun" at the end of the day, this was the second contemporary dance piece i ever saw, it was sometimes in Janaury 2001, i was emptied after the show, full of vacuum, i wish to be on that stage performing with them not knowing that i was coming to be part of that piece. At the age of 17 i was employed by the Alajotas under the direction of Christopher Abdul in Ibadan, 120km away from Lagos, this was another season of encounters for me, my first work in Contemporary dance, i was to take the role of a dancer, in a trip to the African and indian ocean choreographic encounters in Madagascar (Sanga 2). The learning process was a challenge...
I listen a lot to elders that surrounded me, join discussions of whatsoever and I read wide, wherever I find myself, I am always the youngest but really sanctified with talent and for this reason I tend to attract people around not being cautious of it, I never believed, that perhaps one day I will ever have anything to do with a woman, my school was a single school which made me a complete foreigner to girls, I knew for sure one day I will get married but it wasn’t just in my negotiations then, for i wasn’t so wild about half raw barbecued snail and I detested the assault of loud music as well, so all these still keeps me under restriction of what my parent won’t want me to do, I try as much to be obedient, modest and respect others which I wasn’t acting out but was just part of me, and this aspect turns out to be one of the facet of my life I grew up with.
While in secondary school as a science student, I hated to read some certain subject but i only read them to pass exams, it could be important subjects like physics and chemistry but instead I prefer reading economics, history, literature, even as a science student and of cause solving mathematics which happens to be my preferred subject. I was always thinking of being an engineer one day, chemical engineer to be precise, I have heard my elder brothers and their friends discussing about how those working at oil companies in Nigeria and those off shore live extravagantly like there is no tomorrow, then I wanted to live and die as a rich man, so I began to nurture this half baked dream till I got to secondary school, strived hard to be in the science class after a lot of screening.
I will admit that i was a science student by ego in my high school days, but very early i understood that it was mere deception, i knew that my place wasn't there but for courage and in order to retain my self-esteem, i remained a science student, so i could be counted amongst the best students, but paradoxically, the only memorable and significant phase and aspect of my high school days was the fact that i was an active member of the Music and Theatre art club as we call it then in Ijeshatedo boys' secondary school, so very quickly, because there is no much to say about that aspect of my teenage-hood, i left secondary school in 2000 to join the Lagos state coucil for arts and culture in 2001, as an artiste in residence (as they call it then), there it was i began to question my being, to ask myself about my place in this whole confussion, at the art council i begin to define the kind of artiste i dreamt of being, i wasn't alright with the energy that flows around me, i wasn't ok going to "work" everyday and just sleeping or playing draft and football, so far i have finished learning all the dances that existed there at that time. No more initiation, no genuity, nothing seem to me as art, all we did was a re-showcase of the same pieces that were created decades ago, for i won't even call it art.
Though i was merely 17 years of age as at then but i have always wonder if we can ever produce another Fela Kuti in this 21st century, if another Bob marley could ever come to life, after seven months of making money i didn't even needed then, seven long month of running after politicians for tips and singing "Baba wa ni", seven months of improoving my footballs skills rather than my dance skills, after these seven long months of questions and no answers, i decided to quit all of a sudden, i disappointed my employer by disappearing without resignation, to re-appear at the Gongbeats arts, National theatre. Lagos, i thought perhaps, there i could improve, i could settle the questions of my inner mind to myself, i could at least be amongst artiste for life, for passion and not for money and survival, at the age of 17 my parents were still my guardian so i could take risks.
At Gongbeat i learnt, i was glad, i became rooted with the basics and essence of African dance, this is a dance troupe that was not so much interested in going to animate events for Coca Cola or Nigerian brewies, not so much busy with Unilever end of the year party nor Benson and Hedges road shows as other troupes around did in their quest for survival, we were involved in more demanding traning, initiating project that takes time to develop and i was very glad, i said to myself "yes, this is where i will love to be if i come bak to this life". However, very quickly, i began to develop a need for personal expression, that was also one of the gains of me bieng a Gongbeater, my coleagues and senior colleagues were not getting any younger, so their interest began to shift, they needed to decide about what to do with their lives, going back to school was one of their priority but as i had never for once believed in the idea of a university education, but believes in self development and personal effort, i began to have little or less interest in dances that were created long years ago, i wanted to be part of a new voice, part of a vanguard that will shake tomorrow.
I started getting interested in contemporary dance, for that was the dance form that was in the process of development in Nigeria then, i attended practically all dance workshops that took place in Lagos between 2000 and 2001, i became very common at the French Cultural Center. Ikoyi, i was hungry for knowledge, i was impatient. The Alajotas came from ibadan for two weeks workshop, while they gave a performance at the end, i was anticipating their arrival. I, like many other dancers were present during the first day, but many amongst us were disappointed because usually the FCC pays dancers for being part of a workshop (one of my disagreement with them, they were part of the corruption of Nigerian dancers), since i was not so much hungry for money and the Alajotas had just brought food for my actual hunger, i hung on to them and enjoyed every bit of their presence, i was glad, and i knew that i was fulfilling a very strong need.
The Alajotas performed "Onidundun" at the end of the day, this was the second contemporary dance piece i ever saw, it was sometimes in Janaury 2001, i was emptied after the show, full of vacuum, i wish to be on that stage performing with them not knowing that i was coming to be part of that piece. At the age of 17 i was employed by the Alajotas under the direction of Christopher Abdul in Ibadan, 120km away from Lagos, this was another season of encounters for me, my first work in Contemporary dance, i was to take the role of a dancer, in a trip to the African and indian ocean choreographic encounters in Madagascar (Sanga 2). The learning process was a challenge...
May 21, 2008
I shall NoT want.
The times we live in can be rough, I know
but i'm not ignorant to the fact that
mountains can be brought down to ashes
lion can be called for a fight by insects,
I have seen snail bold enough to challenge the horse in a race.
I have see Mountains ten times the skyscraper
yet subdued by man,
moon can be as far as kutuwenji
still was dared by man as he walks therein.
here can be where my hope lies as I embark on my journey.
even if the storm threatens
and the heaven sent forth fire
i shall not want...
my passion will outshine my faith
my smile will overpass my pains
my vission shall overlap my dreams.
i shall not want...
i shall sleep and dream about my dreams
i shall aptly wake to pursue these dreams,
i have a dream that the summer does come
but after the winter storm
and i shall not want.
May 10, 2008
Clamoured claps
I sing a song,
I dance to a rhythm,
I hear an echo,
It is a call,
A call from a mother
A mother of ideas, and
The curator of secrets,
Peopled by the natives of my origin
It is a call from my homeland.
I sing a song of people…
Walking down the rail,
Sailing across the sea.
I hear an echo of a people
A people sucker of our pipes,
Seeker of our green grassy grounds
A people of humanity… NOT,
Who knows not humility,
With a heart of stone gold
I dance to a rhythm of a people
Whose sea chants babel
Audible echoes.
The celebrants of life
Even, of DEATH!
I dance to a rhythm,
I hear an echo,
It is a call,
A call from a mother
A mother of ideas, and
The curator of secrets,
Peopled by the natives of my origin
It is a call from my homeland.
I sing a song of people…
Walking down the rail,
Sailing across the sea.
I hear an echo of a people
A people sucker of our pipes,
Seeker of our green grassy grounds
A people of humanity… NOT,
Who knows not humility,
With a heart of stone gold
I dance to a rhythm of a people
Whose sea chants babel
Audible echoes.
The celebrants of life
Even, of DEATH!
May 3, 2008
Spilt milk.
We were the ones
Now that we've lost our virginity
who felt libidos for the glossy shoes
offered by the west,
offered by the west,
without questions of maintenance.
Now that we've lost our virginity
to our despots,
there is nothing like secondary virginity
all we've got left is to make the best use
there is nothing like secondary virginity
all we've got left is to make the best use
of our sexual appetite
and not to radically
and not to radically
loose touch with reality
we just have to make the best
we just have to make the best
out of our lost virginity
there is no profit in lamenting
there is no profit in lamenting
over a lost virginity.
Free will doesn't mean liberty
Free will doesn't mean liberty
and liberty does not give you freedom
as you express your free will,
as you express your free will,
you should know that,
it is a terrestrial property of all man
liberty should not lead to your vanity
cos it does't mean freedom to do what-so-ever
if the liberty of your wolf
it is a terrestrial property of all man
liberty should not lead to your vanity
cos it does't mean freedom to do what-so-ever
if the liberty of your wolf
lead to the death of my free lamb
I will exercise my free will
and my freedom to take your life.
Apr 28, 2008
Allegory of an Afropolitan
Between You and I... there is something missing
we both know that there is something missing
that we might probably not find in this generation.
we know that there is something that burns,
much more stronger than what we attach ourselves to.
Do you think there are flames that
burns so fast and last longer?
America burned really fast to catch up with
her first cousin, Europe.
America has become a monster that needed
to be re-born in order to get things right again.
between you and i
Africa has been seen and told from western eyes,
unconsciousely we tend to see ourselves
from the slants of the western judgement
and you and i continue to dance
around these laid down stereotypes.
let you and i ask each other,
if auto-mobile was made by Africans.
what would have been the speed limit.
cos 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.
the title of my presentation in school
as part of my final year degree.
is AFROPOLITAN
African and citizen of the world.
though the autorities claim i'm not African enough
i'm not making them realize that we live on trees
that i tend to be blind to the fact that
Africans are dying of DISEASES and HUNGER.
that there is an issue of child soldier
that Africa strongly need to catch up with the world
because we are retarded.
i think there is something missing again
that i might probably not find.
but let me say it to them in the simpliest way.
and showing them simple images
like the way i was thought in nursery school.
This is Ali,
Ali is a boy
This is Simbi,
Simbi is a girl.
Simple right?
I think teaching was made easy to the highest level
in nursery school days.
PS: nursery school teachers needed.
This is Africa
Africa is not my country!
the Africa you know, is in the media
Thats not Africa!
This is Lagos
if Lagos is as dangerous as you portray it
there won't be 14 million inhabitants remaining in it!
AFROPOLITAN is here at home
not in the artificial luxeries of London
nor in the pitiful paradise of Paris
but in the whispering desert of Lagos.
a lake fresh for new ideas, that will spring up
to find the alternative to a self-fascist way of living
that might just be the saving grace and hope for the future.
A white friend asked me yesterday,
how do i manage to be happy always...
you and i know that this is a question
i have never came across in my entire childhood
in Lagos that even seem more fun.
when i am in Europe
i'm not an African, i'm YORUBA
when i'm in Lagos
i'm not YORUBA, i'm an African...
its time to turn around clichés
use them to our own advantage
The Afropolis is still not big enough
we will keep on the pilgrimage of advocacy
keep going away with our roots or roofs
or perhaps with our peper pot
"do we need cola-cola to dance?"
is a project i did around 6 countries of africa in summer 2007
Lagos, Cairo, Jo'burg, Maputo, Nairobi and Yaounde.
to retrace a path, that may lead to the discovery
of the things i find missing
watchout for the amazing documentary film
that followed this revolutionary jest.
Apr 26, 2008
INSPIRE AFRICA... Trilogy.(Part 1)
INSPIRE AFRICA... Something is wrong with us!
Sometimes, i tend to think that something is Freaking wrong with us! Consciousness seem to have disappeared from our moral dictionary, we often forget to take pride in who we are, forgetting that we are so worthy and beyond doubts, this is coming more from our so called artiste and men of ideas who are supposed to be the once to lead the way to such discovery.
I am sick and tired of an African musician basing his greatest achievement on bringing Grammys home, for who? Likewise an African film-maker or Actor whose greatest aspiration is to win the Oscar award or be in Cannes festival. If we then decide to go a bit further we will see similarities in other aspects of our lives as AFRICANS. I hope that if there is a true infusion of consciousness, add to the power and influence that our artistes has and become more and more reflective of our societal reality, more educating that people starts to see themselves, and inspire Africa to dream through popular works. Nollywood for example is popular cinema, and what it can do beyond Hollywoodian aesthetics is to inspire people to see this new dream of African renaissance, instill confidence in the people, for them to see that they are good enough and give a hype to everything local. I believe by now, we should have entered a faze of that renaissance.
We have to know where we were coming from, what we are running away from, we have to know where we have been, what our history is and we have to reflect it in the art of whatever we are doing.
Why for example do we ill-tag products “Made in Aba” why can't they proudly put their sticker on it, they have the technical expertise, just raise the quality, work a bit more on it rigorousely, like the artisan in little town in Italy or China would do, work on the stuff, put his name on it, be proud of it instead of putting or immitating someone else’s name like Nike or Hike or Kike... which makes it turn out to be an inferior version of the original one. Meanwhile, if we can inspire ourselves to take pride, we know the technique, all we have to do is apply ourselves as who we are, truthfully and believe me, it will be different, new, people would want to see it and people would buy the idea, the concept, they will buy the consciousness, it can be a shoe but it’s a concept and that is what sells not the form, with all of these we can avoid the stumbling back into where we have been.
If we refuze to take pride in who we are and give priority to our local expertise and initiations, dictatorial institutions and propagandist machandizes like Grammys or Oscar or Nobel price will continue to be the dictator of what standard and aesthetics should “be”, while this is the concept of capitalism in the shadows of globalization. Globalization in contemporary understanding, which at the same time is very capitalist in nature, is the standardization of what taste should be, its like *bling bling* is good, its pretty, ok, this old wooden traditional thing is ugly, that is what you should like, this is what you should reject - now there is the flip side of it, which makes it organic and becomes an elitic product, only for those who can afford it, only those who belong to a certain social class or national hierarchy are previledged.
INSPIRE AFRICA... Trilogy.(Part 2)
INSPIRE AFRICA... farewell to post-colonial era!
I strongly buy the idea of Pan-Africanism, because we are a people from common shared root with common shared experience, our journey and narrative is quite similar, whather Anglophone, Francophone, Arabophone etc. We have a shared heritage and I believe that as long as Africa is not uniformly stable, black people will have problems in the world, because by nature we have been given this exterior color that anyone identifies immediately, we are complex people, we are not Europeans, we are not Cartesians, you cannot figure us with Cartesian logic, we are too complex for that, our experiences is so complex and diverse, we are complex and strong people because, we’ve been through hell and back, and it forms you, the more trials you go through in life, your mind is stronger, but still, we cannot live on the superficiality of whatever that means, because of that doesn’t mean black people are sort of superior or so big ourselves up with an idea, this is a notion, a potentiality of what we are, now expressing those potentiality in its complexity is what we should look out for. When you look at any African art, good African art, when African art is good you will see those complexity of the experience, not in the -bling bling- or “I’m black and proud” superficialities, the things that you can market and sell by Coca-Cola; no, that’s not what we are about, we are deeper than that and its in our work.
Europe has been defining the world and setting the pace for the world to grasp with, and i think what Europe has done on the long civilization, from the ancient Greece to Rome and to the west that we know today, what we know or understand through western civilization is only an aspect of what humanity can be and its an aspect that has failed, because it has failed the human family, and any civilization that fails the human family, whether before or in the future, will always crumble and will show nothing to us but to say this is not what to do, in a new civilization, perhaps in another time in the future, people will look at this period hopefully as what not to do as human being, how a failed civilization has been pushed and pushed and pushed till there is nothing there anymore.
When you relinquish your power, then you start to be told who you are, then you start to be told how to behave, what to do, then you get more lost, then you will always be controlled because you are no longer leading yourself, you are being led, you will never know as much what they are doing, you will always be the second to know, so there is always someone that knows before you and that is the portion we've always been in and that is where we need to get out from, we have to know and move aside from it, because we are more educated than perhaps our father's generation, we know more, the illusion is not much as our father's generation, but you have to learn that - to know that - and then knowing that - then you have to find other place in another part, otherwise “you are talking about it, then what do you propose?”.
Africa has to go back to find its own path before its encounter with the west, well we cant literally go back but we can have the courage to veer, to go back to an essence of who we are and from there grow, build a new thing, because if we are bound to their laid down rules, we are going to collapse with it, its falling all over the place. The reason why the post sixties experience collapsed with the great leaders like Nkuruma, Lumumba, and all other great leaders and why they were wiped out is because we were still fused with the so called people we are suppose to be independent of, and i think that will continue until we find our own essence, build on it and start to veer off from all of these, then, we will see who we are for real.
INSPIRE AFRICA... Trilogy.(Part 3)
INSPIRE AFRICA... You can't stop wanting to know!
The job that has been done to our head as Africans is some major surgery, colonial mentality is major surgery, its not a joke - beware of the guy that says he is free of colonial mentality because he is a guy who doesn't even understand what that means to a certain level, its a daily job, because it is centuries of work, we were brought up in it, we were thought that it’s the only way, these are the guys, these are the masters, but getting here we realized that the guys are shit, the guys that your life is not even in their narrative, that you don’t even exist except to supply works and find a way to cheat your own home and kill your own people, to supply your natural resources to build their empire, we are helping building people's house while our house is in disarray, its sad but that’s what’s happening everyday, we always like to be the buttom scale Europe or America, when we can be the top scale Africa.
Some of us rolls in the delusion of the role western aid is playing in Africa. Aid in Africa is a business and I think we have to understand that, It’s like a bigger kind of tax write off to put on some “well meaning” like we mean well so we put some money in Africa, but if they want to cure the problems In Africa, like war problems, then find all the arms traffickers and lock them all up, stop all the arms in-flow in Africa. They know what to do, the United Nations know what to do, if they want to help Africa then find the solution for malaria and typhoid, there are more people dying of these diseases than of AIDS all across Africa.
If they want to help Africa, they cut off all those trade barriers set up through their institutions so that we can trade fairly and sell decent food that don’t taste like they have been grown in dark or sun room, we can export food crops that we have grown like we used to, they break all the barriers, all these aid stuff is just token, it doesn’t affect the balance of Europe and America, it does nothing to them instead its a surplus value added to their stars, it becomes an employment service, you see big guys traveling in first class ticket up and down flying down to Africa and you see them in their big jeeps with the windows wound up, they don’t interact with the people or the place because they have their air conditioned jeeps and those jeeps come out of the same aid money, now find out how much of the aid money finally goes to the people it suppose to go to, find that out and you will see how much of this is so much not about helping Africa really, in a deep sense it is not, its just another con to make it look like illusion through cinema and media “we are giving aid” advertising it, but they are not helping Africa because the way to help is very clear and they know it.
That’s why we have to take things into our own hands and stop believing all these and find ways, we are doing it in art and others will be doing it in science, painting, cinematography, historians re-teaching us the true history as oppose all that we have been taught, educate us on the whole curriculum system, changing everything, a kind of a re-evolution of the mind that comes from every aspect of where we are doing it, because we are not all just musicians or footballers, even in carpentry, in anything, I don’t care what we are doing, but making sure that we are expressing what it means to be African, then imagine the snow ball of what can happen from there and that’s why I don’t like to put Nollywood down because its expressing a facet, some might say they don’t like it because its all about juju or a man who’s having an affair, but this is daily life of grinding on and its expressing a facet of what it is to be Nigerian, an African and its valid so we are taking stuff back because we cannot wait to be given anymore and I don’t think that we have always done that, but you know, they will give the aid but lets not be fooled by what it means.
To we the youth, we need to know, we cannot stop wanting to know, because the more we know the more we free ourself, know what is working for and against us, then we can make choices to move towards more of what is working for us, I don't know about those studying in Africa but most of what I read here has nothing to do with my reality, I am been taught things that doesn't correlate but i decided to be inquisitive, we have to read outside the curriculum of whatever someone has prepared for us as the list of what to read, then whether you are a lawyer or doctor, a mechanic or an artisan whatever you do, the rest are just branches but this is the root and then you can do whatever you want from that point but that consciousness of searching for knowledge and not suffice yourself in the knowledge that is proposed, they are mostly based on someone else's agenda, but I can listen to their own sense and then take what is good for me, try and figure out why am not being taught the ones that should be good for me and then go searching for the ones that are good for me.
Mar 29, 2008
Letter to the UNBELIEVERS in my neighborhood.
One of the greatest sins in France, under the republican law is to talk openly about religion, especially Islam in a country that had undergo series of grievances from the hands of the Maghrebian arabs, who refused the oppression of the french "civilization mission". One might say that is a matter of history. Well my point of approach today has nothing to do with such argument.
Yusuf Ali published a book titled "The meaning of the Holy Qur'an", what amazes me about this book is how he tackles his argument out of religious context, he made me understand that a man's actual personal religion depends upon many things; His personal psychology, the background of his life, his hidden or repressed feelings, tendencies or history (which psychoanalysis tries to unravel), his hereditory dispositions and antipathies, and all subtle influences of his environment.
I tend to get so steamed up, over individuals who claims to be men of God or righteous preachers, who just wants a non-believer to "believe or die and go hell", i have had friends who seek my hands in helping them unravel this lifetime problem some has in truly discovering their genuine spirituality, due to all these elements stated above. At that moment, i try as much as possible to make it clear that, my task as a "Preacher" at that moment is
(1) To use any of these elements (stated above) which can subserve the higher ends.
(2) To purify such stereotypes, which has been misused or mishandled mostly by the western judgement.
(3) To introduce new ideas and modes of looking at things outside the myopic view points that has been.
(4) and to combat what is wrong and cannot be mended - all for the purpose of leading to the truth and gradually letting in spiritual light where there was darkness before.
Meanwhile if these is not done with discretion and skill of an individual who has -on his own- understood spirituality, not by the push or lure of an external force or material belonging. There may be not only a reaction of obstinacy, but an unseemly show of dishonor to the true God and His Truth, and doubt wll spread among this weaker brethren whose faith is shallow and infirm.
What happens to individuals in a collective nation like France. They think in their self obsession that thier own ideas are right. Allah in his infinte compassion bears with them, and has tasked those who have purer ideas of faith, not to vilify their neighbors, to help push away ignorance and folly, and urges the believer not to hide his light under a bushel, nor compromise with evil, or refuse to establish right living where he has the power to do so.
The obvious problem in this neighborhood is that my neighbors in their turn vilify the real truth and make matters even worse than before. its like the reverse is the case, it is you who speaks about religion that should be ashamed, you being a muslim should only exercise your religious acts in a cashe-cashe. you are seen as the ignorant one, still living in barbaric epoch with ideas of the first world war, and you being an African caps it all, it makes them go -oh we understand-
Yusuf Ali is an Indian scholar, who has lived in different parts of the world, especially in Europe, that gave him an intimate insight of how people view religion in a wider space of existence, and this was what attracted me so much about him, because i am living in Europe and reading his book was the best way i could explain what i feel everyday. In his words "if the unbelievers are merely obstinate, nothing will convince them. There is no story more full of miracles, than the story of Jesus. Yet in the same story we are told that Jesus said in Matt. 16:4; A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jo'nah"
Therefore there are signs given by Allah everyday, including contemporary times - but solely understood by those who believe. in my kind of neighborhood, where there is sheer obstinacy and ridicule of faith, the result will be that, such an unbeliever's heart will be hardened and his eyes will be sealed, so that he cannot even see the things visible to ordinary mortals. he gathers momentum in his descent towards ignorance. Allah's grace is always ready to help human weakness or ignorance, and to accept repentance and give forgiveness. But where the unbeliever is in perpetual rebellion, he will be given rope, and it will be his own fault if he wanders about distractedly, without any certain hope or refuge, he will have nothing to hold on to as spirituality.
Yusuf Ali published a book titled "The meaning of the Holy Qur'an", what amazes me about this book is how he tackles his argument out of religious context, he made me understand that a man's actual personal religion depends upon many things; His personal psychology, the background of his life, his hidden or repressed feelings, tendencies or history (which psychoanalysis tries to unravel), his hereditory dispositions and antipathies, and all subtle influences of his environment.
I tend to get so steamed up, over individuals who claims to be men of God or righteous preachers, who just wants a non-believer to "believe or die and go hell", i have had friends who seek my hands in helping them unravel this lifetime problem some has in truly discovering their genuine spirituality, due to all these elements stated above. At that moment, i try as much as possible to make it clear that, my task as a "Preacher" at that moment is
(1) To use any of these elements (stated above) which can subserve the higher ends.
(2) To purify such stereotypes, which has been misused or mishandled mostly by the western judgement.
(3) To introduce new ideas and modes of looking at things outside the myopic view points that has been.
(4) and to combat what is wrong and cannot be mended - all for the purpose of leading to the truth and gradually letting in spiritual light where there was darkness before.
Meanwhile if these is not done with discretion and skill of an individual who has -on his own- understood spirituality, not by the push or lure of an external force or material belonging. There may be not only a reaction of obstinacy, but an unseemly show of dishonor to the true God and His Truth, and doubt wll spread among this weaker brethren whose faith is shallow and infirm.
What happens to individuals in a collective nation like France. They think in their self obsession that thier own ideas are right. Allah in his infinte compassion bears with them, and has tasked those who have purer ideas of faith, not to vilify their neighbors, to help push away ignorance and folly, and urges the believer not to hide his light under a bushel, nor compromise with evil, or refuse to establish right living where he has the power to do so.
The obvious problem in this neighborhood is that my neighbors in their turn vilify the real truth and make matters even worse than before. its like the reverse is the case, it is you who speaks about religion that should be ashamed, you being a muslim should only exercise your religious acts in a cashe-cashe. you are seen as the ignorant one, still living in barbaric epoch with ideas of the first world war, and you being an African caps it all, it makes them go -oh we understand-
Yusuf Ali is an Indian scholar, who has lived in different parts of the world, especially in Europe, that gave him an intimate insight of how people view religion in a wider space of existence, and this was what attracted me so much about him, because i am living in Europe and reading his book was the best way i could explain what i feel everyday. In his words "if the unbelievers are merely obstinate, nothing will convince them. There is no story more full of miracles, than the story of Jesus. Yet in the same story we are told that Jesus said in Matt. 16:4; A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jo'nah"
Therefore there are signs given by Allah everyday, including contemporary times - but solely understood by those who believe. in my kind of neighborhood, where there is sheer obstinacy and ridicule of faith, the result will be that, such an unbeliever's heart will be hardened and his eyes will be sealed, so that he cannot even see the things visible to ordinary mortals. he gathers momentum in his descent towards ignorance. Allah's grace is always ready to help human weakness or ignorance, and to accept repentance and give forgiveness. But where the unbeliever is in perpetual rebellion, he will be given rope, and it will be his own fault if he wanders about distractedly, without any certain hope or refuge, he will have nothing to hold on to as spirituality.
The true face of islam
I am a Muslim.
And as a muslim who is aware of the stereotypes that has been inscribed to this religion of peace. I have decided to go on with my own way of islamic Jihad as thought by Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).
It is our right to clear ourselves (The Muslims) off this muddy image that has been influenced by politics and personal grievances between men haters vs blood lovers.
This video has just explained a bit of all you need to know about Islam and terrorism.
Terrorism, unjustified violence and killing of innocent people, whether muslims or non-muslims, are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Islam is a way of life that is meant to bring peace to a society, whether its people are muslims or not.
There is a thin line between TERROR and JUSTIFIED RESISTANCE
The word "Jihad" does not mean "holy war". instead, it means the inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the will of God. The Prophet (PBUH) said "One who kills a non Muslim citizen of the Muslim state will not even smell the fragrance of paradise"
Women are not oppresed in Islam, Any Muslim man that oppresed a woman whether muslim or not, is not following islam. Among the many teachings of prophet Mohammed (PBUH) that protected the rights and dignity of women is his saying, "the best among you are those who treats their wives well".
Islam grants women numerous rights in the home and in society. Among them are the right to earn money, to financial support, to an education, to an inheritance, to being treated kindly, to vote, to worship in a mosque... and many other.
After seeing this video, you can go on to see the concluding parts that ranges from Part 1 to 5.
May the peace and Blessings of Allah be with you for your visit.
Mar 28, 2008
Go tell it to the mountain
BONJOUR
Let the house rat hear this and go tell it to the bush rat, let the bush rat get the message and go tell it to the mountain...
I have the honor of writing this note, for a brief introduction of myself... it goes this way.
Lets say i'm Qudus Onikeku, a Nigerian choreographer and performer of international reputation, i currently enjoy a scholarship from the French government at the prestigious Ecole nationale superieur des arts du cirque. in France, i have toured over 27 countries across the globe ( no shakara intended!!!). So that's that
My principal purpose for writing this, is to bring your attention to a dance workshop i plan to put in place in Lagos during the month of April (7th- 12th April 2008), followed by a public presentation and a screening of a documentary film of (do we need cola cola to dance?) my recent project that was carried out last summer in 6 African countries (Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Mozambique, kenya and Cameroon).
it is my own little way of sharing with others and making things happen locally in the Dance scene.
PROGRAM
A week workshop that will take on an intensive trip on making dancers understand ways of becoming indispensable for the audience, how to move like tigers in silence, understanding the power of immobility on stage, their rapport with the earth, with the space and with the group, becoming immune and authoritatively demanding the presence and participation of the audience and understanding what it is that makes a performer emit flames and be on fire on stage.
BACKGROUND
What is contemporary dance? A question most Africans ask these days
... Contemporary dance is absolute nothing
What then is art?
... Art ... Art is... No - thing. and can be anything
There is a popular Yoruba proverb that says, "Eniyan nii mbe labe oro, ti oro fi ndun". Which could be possibly translate to “It is the man that exist in phantoms that make phantoms make sound”. It is however, the relationship between the cognizance of the creator and the subject matter, between desire and reality that makes a "master piece".
It is the being in our human that makes what we call art, or the several branding we give to dance worthwhile. whatever form of art we get involved in is only a material or rather a palpable representation of the playful or melancholic “self” of the creator. What we should lay emphasis on is the “self” who has a need and a strong urge to express him or herself.
Dance is a form of expression and it should remain so, if contemporary dance is now going out of its literal sense, then i'm not part of that, if its becoming a branding or commodity that is specific to a certain kind of movement or expression or people, then i wont be part of that hegemony.
DANCE AND IDENTITY
African dance scene is in a state of puerility, a state that needs a revival; call it Contemporary dance, tag it Contemporary-African dance or even Afro-fusion, Traditional dance or Modern dance, name it Hip Hop dance, Salsa dance, Dance Drama, Dance Theatre, Acrobatic dance or whatsoever, so far its location or destination is Africa and has been destined for the theatre space, for public consummation and being part of the wonderful world of creative dance, those branding is not the most essential, its not the nickname given to a baby that will determine his destiny, i think the audience cares less about what we call it.
I call it African dance, that already has complicated the whole affair, meanwhile, this branding of mine is not guided nor misguided by a particular culture, ethnic, religion nor by political or salt water boundary, it is a branding that is solely a matter of location and destination. Since Africa is situated in a particular point in the world map, in this manner, it becomes a mere geographical expression and the location i'm referring to is also in the same methodology, not determined by all these identifying elements i have stated above, the location is not somewhere situated outside the peripheries of the "conscious SELF", its three dimentional space might physically be anywhere in the world but its mind and conscious location is Africa, while its primary audience lies amongst these sects.
APPROACH
I have tagged this workshop “Collection of those things that burns in us”, this then becomes one of the few initiations that refuse to discriminate between the several forms of dance that already exist in contemporary Africa, our aim is not to romanticize 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, searching for those peaceful barbaric moment where there is no capitalist, no despots, just forming a body without organs.
The French has found a better expression of making the characterization of dance obvious, je danse which mean “i dance”, has been systematically made obvious from je faire de la danse which literally translate to "i do dance", “i make dance”, the verb that exist in between “i” and “dance” has said it all. This initiation will however distinguish a mere dancer who “dances” from one who “make dance” for a living.
The projects is produced and partly funded by Yk Project in collaboration with Gongbeat Productions. with the support of the National theatre and French cultural center.
Thanks for taking time to learn about this initiation and hope to you at the national arts theatre for the public presentation on the 12th of April 2008
Let the house rat hear this and go tell it to the bush rat, let the bush rat get the message and go tell it to the mountain...
I have the honor of writing this note, for a brief introduction of myself... it goes this way.
Lets say i'm Qudus Onikeku, a Nigerian choreographer and performer of international reputation, i currently enjoy a scholarship from the French government at the prestigious Ecole nationale superieur des arts du cirque. in France, i have toured over 27 countries across the globe ( no shakara intended!!!). So that's that
My principal purpose for writing this, is to bring your attention to a dance workshop i plan to put in place in Lagos during the month of April (7th- 12th April 2008), followed by a public presentation and a screening of a documentary film of (do we need cola cola to dance?) my recent project that was carried out last summer in 6 African countries (Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Mozambique, kenya and Cameroon).
it is my own little way of sharing with others and making things happen locally in the Dance scene.
PROGRAM
A week workshop that will take on an intensive trip on making dancers understand ways of becoming indispensable for the audience, how to move like tigers in silence, understanding the power of immobility on stage, their rapport with the earth, with the space and with the group, becoming immune and authoritatively demanding the presence and participation of the audience and understanding what it is that makes a performer emit flames and be on fire on stage.
BACKGROUND
What is contemporary dance? A question most Africans ask these days
... Contemporary dance is absolute nothing
What then is art?
... Art ... Art is... No - thing. and can be anything
There is a popular Yoruba proverb that says, "Eniyan nii mbe labe oro, ti oro fi ndun". Which could be possibly translate to “It is the man that exist in phantoms that make phantoms make sound”. It is however, the relationship between the cognizance of the creator and the subject matter, between desire and reality that makes a "master piece".
It is the being in our human that makes what we call art, or the several branding we give to dance worthwhile. whatever form of art we get involved in is only a material or rather a palpable representation of the playful or melancholic “self” of the creator. What we should lay emphasis on is the “self” who has a need and a strong urge to express him or herself.
Dance is a form of expression and it should remain so, if contemporary dance is now going out of its literal sense, then i'm not part of that, if its becoming a branding or commodity that is specific to a certain kind of movement or expression or people, then i wont be part of that hegemony.
DANCE AND IDENTITY
African dance scene is in a state of puerility, a state that needs a revival; call it Contemporary dance, tag it Contemporary-African dance or even Afro-fusion, Traditional dance or Modern dance, name it Hip Hop dance, Salsa dance, Dance Drama, Dance Theatre, Acrobatic dance or whatsoever, so far its location or destination is Africa and has been destined for the theatre space, for public consummation and being part of the wonderful world of creative dance, those branding is not the most essential, its not the nickname given to a baby that will determine his destiny, i think the audience cares less about what we call it.
I call it African dance, that already has complicated the whole affair, meanwhile, this branding of mine is not guided nor misguided by a particular culture, ethnic, religion nor by political or salt water boundary, it is a branding that is solely a matter of location and destination. Since Africa is situated in a particular point in the world map, in this manner, it becomes a mere geographical expression and the location i'm referring to is also in the same methodology, not determined by all these identifying elements i have stated above, the location is not somewhere situated outside the peripheries of the "conscious SELF", its three dimentional space might physically be anywhere in the world but its mind and conscious location is Africa, while its primary audience lies amongst these sects.
APPROACH
I have tagged this workshop “Collection of those things that burns in us”, this then becomes one of the few initiations that refuse to discriminate between the several forms of dance that already exist in contemporary Africa, our aim is not to romanticize 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, searching for those peaceful barbaric moment where there is no capitalist, no despots, just forming a body without organs.
The French has found a better expression of making the characterization of dance obvious, je danse which mean “i dance”, has been systematically made obvious from je faire de la danse which literally translate to "i do dance", “i make dance”, the verb that exist in between “i” and “dance” has said it all. This initiation will however distinguish a mere dancer who “dances” from one who “make dance” for a living.
The projects is produced and partly funded by Yk Project in collaboration with Gongbeat Productions. with the support of the National theatre and French cultural center.
Thanks for taking time to learn about this initiation and hope to you at the national arts theatre for the public presentation on the 12th of April 2008
Parable of the Ant and the Grasshopper
TRADITIONAL VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for your stupidity!
MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NBC, BBC, PBS, AIT, CNN, RFI, ALJAZEERA, TV5, ABC, CCTV, SABC, NTA and all other media abbreviations show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper, next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned, Europe is perplexed, the whole world in a surprise shock by the sharp contrast. How can this be? That in a world of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? The issue becomes the front page headline on Time Magazine, Daily Times, Newsweek, Jerusalem post, The Guardian, The Sun and all other dailies. Kermit the Frog, Fraggle Rock and Barney and friends appears on Oprah’s show with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, "its Not Easy Being Green."
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house, where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. George Bush, John Kerry, Nelson Mandela,Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozi exclaim in an exclusive interview with Larry King and also showed on HARDtalk with Stephen Sackur, that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, then they call for an immediate tax hike on the Ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the 8 Goats draft the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government. Hillary Clinton gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that George Bush appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case; there is a hullabaloo all over the world, the condemnation of the judgement from Africa, Asia, Europe and all over the world, Tiken jah Fakoly, Bob Geldof, James Blunt, Yanick Noah, Wyclef Jean, Mos def, Diams, Keziah Jones and Femi kuti are amongst the musicians that stood up for the liberation of the Ant, there is a huge emancipation rally by the Rastafarians, the Islamic global community, the Buddhist Monks, the Christians federation, all rallied in thousands all over the world. Osama Bin Laden sends a new video that is aired by Aljazeera, condemning the decision and ones again asking them to repent…
… But after all said and done, the story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the Government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighbourhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful with what the media says, there are no more heroes in present time, just media pals.
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for your stupidity!
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NBC, BBC, PBS, AIT, CNN, RFI, ALJAZEERA, TV5, ABC, CCTV, SABC, NTA and all other media abbreviations show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper, next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned, Europe is perplexed, the whole world in a surprise shock by the sharp contrast. How can this be? That in a world of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? The issue becomes the front page headline on Time Magazine, Daily Times, Newsweek, Jerusalem post, The Guardian, The Sun and all other dailies. Kermit the Frog, Fraggle Rock and Barney and friends appears on Oprah’s show with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, "its Not Easy Being Green."
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house, where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. George Bush, John Kerry, Nelson Mandela,Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozi exclaim in an exclusive interview with Larry King and also showed on HARDtalk with Stephen Sackur, that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, then they call for an immediate tax hike on the Ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the 8 Goats draft the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government. Hillary Clinton gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that George Bush appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case; there is a hullabaloo all over the world, the condemnation of the judgement from Africa, Asia, Europe and all over the world, Tiken jah Fakoly, Bob Geldof, James Blunt, Yanick Noah, Wyclef Jean, Mos def, Diams, Keziah Jones and Femi kuti are amongst the musicians that stood up for the liberation of the Ant, there is a huge emancipation rally by the Rastafarians, the Islamic global community, the Buddhist Monks, the Christians federation, all rallied in thousands all over the world. Osama Bin Laden sends a new video that is aired by Aljazeera, condemning the decision and ones again asking them to repent…
… But after all said and done, the story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the Government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighbourhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful with what the media says, there are no more heroes in present time, just media pals.
I'm NOT proud to be Blak... Part 1
Its the season for the growth of a new age, this youth-quake, borne out of an awareness of the old times, just like the comprehension of the present and aspiration for the realization of a future Africa proposed by those of the past. Presently there is a completely different lingua franca and point of approach of the contemporary times. The youth no longer do disco, this is the Hip Hop era.
The culture and approach is taking another phase, gone were the days of "i'm proud to be black" and "Black is beautiful". The slogan these days no longer broadcast our Africanity, it actuality affirms our humanity and engagement in the global discussion and as part of the master plan of why mother-earth is still the world "I AM BALCK AND AFRICAN, I'M BLACK AND YOU KNOW IT".
We should be "Afro-Politans", Africans and citizens of the world. No Negritude, No Tigritude, whatever we may be, we should only constantly have it in mind that the Lion will never look back when the little dog barks, inferiority only reduces the self-esteem in he who feels it. So, we just have to decide if we want to be the Lion or the barking little dog, but not by words of mouth or blind patriotism.
Africa has been vulgarly seen and told from the eyes and mouth of the west, innocently most of our creators and men and women of ideas finds themselves dancing around this already laid down stereotypes, its then our own duty to cleanse ourselves off this standard/conventional image.
Its time to sprang up new energy, stop wanting to prove to the west that we can also do it, of what good will that do to us, i don't know, i'm yet to get hipped to the ism behind that ideology.
If i have anything to say to the French, either good or bad, i will go ahead to say it with ease, because just the same way i have a responsibility in Nigeria, i do the same in France, i am in the system and that is where my second home lies, so when i speak of a circumstance that faces me as a Nigerian, it doesn't mean i face same as a France inhabitant, and in the same way, if i face one as a France resident and not as a Nigerian i still have the same responsibility and ordeal as an artiste to voice it out just as raw as it is without blue-pencil.
In this 21st century, we must give to the sea what belongs to the sea, there is no more need for pointing our violent knives at the white folks for over 400 years of slavery and over a century of colonialism. Those were the cries and agitations of all the recent black heros of the 20th century and we arrogantly say farewell to post-colonialism, farewell to apartheid, farewell to dictatorship.
All the Fanonian criticism, Mandela's 26 years imprisonment, Lumumba's ultimate life price, Senghor's Negritudism, Fela's radicalism and Soyinka's intelectual struggles and Tigritudism, all those were not raise to make the occident afraid of our black melancholic moods, but a mere warning and an awareness of our "black-ness", their guns were principally pointed to fellow blacks, who has gotten the special talent of oppressing their subjects and others who have been specially created with wools in their ears, they were been rejected, tortured, exiled or even murdered, just for you and i to realize where our hiding shelter and survival race should be directed.
Unfortunately, we still never get healed of our sleeping sickness, we turn deaf ears to those mesiahs as if they never existed, yet searching elsewhere for our saviors, we want to face the future as if our past is not enough for us to learn from.
This generation of Africans must shift the question, our immediate past and present heros has faced the situation with the realities of their own time. For sure those books they wrote, those songs they sang and the words they said were not accessible solely to Africans or blacks, the white folkes also took the pain to listen to them, read them and with the help of some super humans like Jean Paul Satre, Antonin Artaud and their likes, they understood better and now the rule and the mode d'emploi of the game is taking another form.
The past has come and gone, gone leaving some with the possession of stolen values while others were devalued, even though we are conversant of the fact that this is not how the story should go, yet, i propose that all our guns be pointed to our own noses, our creators; writers, choreographers, theatre directors, film makers, sculptors, painters, poets, photographers, musicians and all other people of ideas who has got a voice, instead of speaking behind the walls and refining their words like deluded stammerers. They must enormously take the pain to explain to us, that the western value poorly matches with our present day reality. That our values has been devalued and refused from developing organically from its own will and pace. To add to it, we can neither reject their generosity nor sincerely integrate them as one of our wins...
The culture and approach is taking another phase, gone were the days of "i'm proud to be black" and "Black is beautiful". The slogan these days no longer broadcast our Africanity, it actuality affirms our humanity and engagement in the global discussion and as part of the master plan of why mother-earth is still the world "I AM BALCK AND AFRICAN, I'M BLACK AND YOU KNOW IT".
We should be "Afro-Politans", Africans and citizens of the world. No Negritude, No Tigritude, whatever we may be, we should only constantly have it in mind that the Lion will never look back when the little dog barks, inferiority only reduces the self-esteem in he who feels it. So, we just have to decide if we want to be the Lion or the barking little dog, but not by words of mouth or blind patriotism.
Africa has been vulgarly seen and told from the eyes and mouth of the west, innocently most of our creators and men and women of ideas finds themselves dancing around this already laid down stereotypes, its then our own duty to cleanse ourselves off this standard/conventional image.
Its time to sprang up new energy, stop wanting to prove to the west that we can also do it, of what good will that do to us, i don't know, i'm yet to get hipped to the ism behind that ideology.
If i have anything to say to the French, either good or bad, i will go ahead to say it with ease, because just the same way i have a responsibility in Nigeria, i do the same in France, i am in the system and that is where my second home lies, so when i speak of a circumstance that faces me as a Nigerian, it doesn't mean i face same as a France inhabitant, and in the same way, if i face one as a France resident and not as a Nigerian i still have the same responsibility and ordeal as an artiste to voice it out just as raw as it is without blue-pencil.
In this 21st century, we must give to the sea what belongs to the sea, there is no more need for pointing our violent knives at the white folks for over 400 years of slavery and over a century of colonialism. Those were the cries and agitations of all the recent black heros of the 20th century and we arrogantly say farewell to post-colonialism, farewell to apartheid, farewell to dictatorship.
All the Fanonian criticism, Mandela's 26 years imprisonment, Lumumba's ultimate life price, Senghor's Negritudism, Fela's radicalism and Soyinka's intelectual struggles and Tigritudism, all those were not raise to make the occident afraid of our black melancholic moods, but a mere warning and an awareness of our "black-ness", their guns were principally pointed to fellow blacks, who has gotten the special talent of oppressing their subjects and others who have been specially created with wools in their ears, they were been rejected, tortured, exiled or even murdered, just for you and i to realize where our hiding shelter and survival race should be directed.
Unfortunately, we still never get healed of our sleeping sickness, we turn deaf ears to those mesiahs as if they never existed, yet searching elsewhere for our saviors, we want to face the future as if our past is not enough for us to learn from.
This generation of Africans must shift the question, our immediate past and present heros has faced the situation with the realities of their own time. For sure those books they wrote, those songs they sang and the words they said were not accessible solely to Africans or blacks, the white folkes also took the pain to listen to them, read them and with the help of some super humans like Jean Paul Satre, Antonin Artaud and their likes, they understood better and now the rule and the mode d'emploi of the game is taking another form.
The past has come and gone, gone leaving some with the possession of stolen values while others were devalued, even though we are conversant of the fact that this is not how the story should go, yet, i propose that all our guns be pointed to our own noses, our creators; writers, choreographers, theatre directors, film makers, sculptors, painters, poets, photographers, musicians and all other people of ideas who has got a voice, instead of speaking behind the walls and refining their words like deluded stammerers. They must enormously take the pain to explain to us, that the western value poorly matches with our present day reality. That our values has been devalued and refused from developing organically from its own will and pace. To add to it, we can neither reject their generosity nor sincerely integrate them as one of our wins...
I'm NOT proud to be Blak... Part 2
Africa surely do have a future, this future that is just a matter of years or perhaps decades, and in this great future we can't afford to forget our past. To fulfill the book that Bob Marley sang about in redemption song, the artistes and other conscious men and women then have a strong need to begin to redefine their engagement in this great future, we need to censure our broadway and clean up the mainstream.
Each civilization informs their art and expressions, but today, Africa no longer trust in the words that comes from within and this has also affected her art and artists, our expressions these days are confused - We have a mission to re-Africanize the Africans, they have become too uncivilized for our liking. Dance is my mission, my own personal mission is not about the bad ones who are too skinny, lazy and scared, but the self proclaimed good bold ones who are too fat to be bothered.
We cannot ask Artistes to go into politics, but artistes need to be aware of the socio-political drive of his or her society. The artiste in me cannot do without being "also political" in situations like this, the artiste in me needs to understand who his audience is, what perception he wants to affect and in what way to bring himself to the center stage of ideas and creativity, if we look at the history of art, (especially performing art) you will agree with me that the artiste and the politician both do politics, but at opposite end. The politician is like an astonishing magician, stupefying his audience and taking their attention away from what he is actually doing. While the job of the artiste is to be the cultured one, standing behind to deduce the malfunction-ness and the banality of such extravaganza.
We must be clearly clear about our intentions, we must know what we want, if all we want is to succumb to the lure of capitalism, be the audience instead of the performer in this drama of life, tour the world, make fame amongst fellow artistes, oppress the masses, accompanied with wealth and power of course. Good, we don't even have to say so, we only need to go on just the way we are, just as vulgar opportunist, turning deaf ears to the whistles of those crying visionaries, to keep on creating like snobs and philistines - wonderful pieces which will never transcend the wonderful world of art.
Unquestionably, our aesthetics, at times, manage to dazzle our innocent audience, only by chance, without a single consciousness of the power and legislation we could arouse. This game, empiricism, chance and anarchy must come to an end, the dead creators must give way to the living, no more to those pieces benefitting those that create them, rather than the audience being of social service to the creator.
Mostly in the western region of Africa today, there we have some of the most clamored names in the dance scene of Africa, forming a sort of consortium of local champions, getting great ecstasies by seeing unprivileged dancers and young choreographers gather around them, arrogantly they continue to live and create under this same cliché of AM BLACK AND PROUD, pieces that subject-wise are just to benefit the creator as a valid "AFRICAN" Choreographer, tallying with the exact image of what the west imagines to be Africa; energetic, spiritual, entertaining and exotic, yet not so far from the attitude of African government towards dance; raffia wearing, sword carrying masquerades, parading and extravagantly flaunting their exotic culture for tourism.
for sure, it is also a form of art, but what about those of us that are hungry for a voice, those limping across the sahara with no path, us... i mean us the Tarzanists, who claims to have home here and there, yet became strangers at both end, those of us who are scared of making our culture and heritage a commodity of buying and selling to who pays more. those of us who has in the recent times witnessed a handful of Hollywood film makers sprinting to get their share of this exotic first world, their share of the on going modern scramble for the continent of hope, whose creators and men of ideas has become so corrupt, so they took opportunity of that by telling African stories in a mannerism that is very vulgar and intuitive.
I wont tend to hold them responsible for their cunning intervention, if the African film makers could not see the "SOS" state of their industries, if they've chosen to go on creating films that is so scared of telling fictional stories that brings their grotesque past to the present, just as African choreographers are seeing nothing to create than beautiful energetic, good-for-nothing dance works, then the Heddy Maalems of today, the Edward Zwick, the Jean Claude Galotas of today will continue to intervene in our sorry state in Africa, they've got the resources and the access to a larger and ready audience who are quite tired of what is theirs and thirsty for something propositional and "exotic", they will continue to make use of our green grassy grounds that we have decided to ignore, i as a normal dancer, just like other young dancers all over Africa will then have no other choice than to accept this last choice of being part of something "big" and not rot away with our so called choreographers.
Now that Africa is in fashion, now that our masquerade is dancing at the town centre, now that African nations have turned out to be in the list of "1st world nations" in terms of culture and arts, this doesn't imply that there is another birth of a new civilization, but the claws of the vultures will be on the then dark continent, now Continent of hope, as it had been before now.
In the recent history of art, its look has been shifted from one civilization to the other and this is just the time for Africa to be opened to the world of contemporary arts, more foreign choreographers, directors, film makers and curators as the race has already began will hunt for more and more materials from Africa, more African creators will begin to set the pace, but, i'm emphatically suggesting that we must also remember, that our sun can still stop shinning and the heaven can still fall on us.
This is why we must be cruel on one another now in order for those creators that will soon be our representatives in the mainstream to go with a totally different reality and argument, rather than integrating existing ones into ours, when i say "CRUEL" i mean not cruel in the sense of blood and hatred, cruelty as in self criticism, inward check and balances, creating such piece that are difficult and cruel for myself first of all, general abolition of those pieces that comes so easily, accepting that some are actually called into this profession, while some were also called but after all not as a creator.
We must belt up and be ready at all times for the world, going global but only with our local awareness, no more to self made Artistes, that name Artiste is not meant for any riffraff who give us craps, the title of an Artiste is given by a higher force and only to those who merits it, it is then an obligation to those crowned Artistes to use their title for the service of their subjects, only then will it remain theirs forever, if not they shall be dethroned and overthrown, by force or by fire!
Each civilization informs their art and expressions, but today, Africa no longer trust in the words that comes from within and this has also affected her art and artists, our expressions these days are confused - We have a mission to re-Africanize the Africans, they have become too uncivilized for our liking. Dance is my mission, my own personal mission is not about the bad ones who are too skinny, lazy and scared, but the self proclaimed good bold ones who are too fat to be bothered.
We cannot ask Artistes to go into politics, but artistes need to be aware of the socio-political drive of his or her society. The artiste in me cannot do without being "also political" in situations like this, the artiste in me needs to understand who his audience is, what perception he wants to affect and in what way to bring himself to the center stage of ideas and creativity, if we look at the history of art, (especially performing art) you will agree with me that the artiste and the politician both do politics, but at opposite end. The politician is like an astonishing magician, stupefying his audience and taking their attention away from what he is actually doing. While the job of the artiste is to be the cultured one, standing behind to deduce the malfunction-ness and the banality of such extravaganza.
We must be clearly clear about our intentions, we must know what we want, if all we want is to succumb to the lure of capitalism, be the audience instead of the performer in this drama of life, tour the world, make fame amongst fellow artistes, oppress the masses, accompanied with wealth and power of course. Good, we don't even have to say so, we only need to go on just the way we are, just as vulgar opportunist, turning deaf ears to the whistles of those crying visionaries, to keep on creating like snobs and philistines - wonderful pieces which will never transcend the wonderful world of art.
Unquestionably, our aesthetics, at times, manage to dazzle our innocent audience, only by chance, without a single consciousness of the power and legislation we could arouse. This game, empiricism, chance and anarchy must come to an end, the dead creators must give way to the living, no more to those pieces benefitting those that create them, rather than the audience being of social service to the creator.
Mostly in the western region of Africa today, there we have some of the most clamored names in the dance scene of Africa, forming a sort of consortium of local champions, getting great ecstasies by seeing unprivileged dancers and young choreographers gather around them, arrogantly they continue to live and create under this same cliché of AM BLACK AND PROUD, pieces that subject-wise are just to benefit the creator as a valid "AFRICAN" Choreographer, tallying with the exact image of what the west imagines to be Africa; energetic, spiritual, entertaining and exotic, yet not so far from the attitude of African government towards dance; raffia wearing, sword carrying masquerades, parading and extravagantly flaunting their exotic culture for tourism.
for sure, it is also a form of art, but what about those of us that are hungry for a voice, those limping across the sahara with no path, us... i mean us the Tarzanists, who claims to have home here and there, yet became strangers at both end, those of us who are scared of making our culture and heritage a commodity of buying and selling to who pays more. those of us who has in the recent times witnessed a handful of Hollywood film makers sprinting to get their share of this exotic first world, their share of the on going modern scramble for the continent of hope, whose creators and men of ideas has become so corrupt, so they took opportunity of that by telling African stories in a mannerism that is very vulgar and intuitive.
I wont tend to hold them responsible for their cunning intervention, if the African film makers could not see the "SOS" state of their industries, if they've chosen to go on creating films that is so scared of telling fictional stories that brings their grotesque past to the present, just as African choreographers are seeing nothing to create than beautiful energetic, good-for-nothing dance works, then the Heddy Maalems of today, the Edward Zwick, the Jean Claude Galotas of today will continue to intervene in our sorry state in Africa, they've got the resources and the access to a larger and ready audience who are quite tired of what is theirs and thirsty for something propositional and "exotic", they will continue to make use of our green grassy grounds that we have decided to ignore, i as a normal dancer, just like other young dancers all over Africa will then have no other choice than to accept this last choice of being part of something "big" and not rot away with our so called choreographers.
Now that Africa is in fashion, now that our masquerade is dancing at the town centre, now that African nations have turned out to be in the list of "1st world nations" in terms of culture and arts, this doesn't imply that there is another birth of a new civilization, but the claws of the vultures will be on the then dark continent, now Continent of hope, as it had been before now.
In the recent history of art, its look has been shifted from one civilization to the other and this is just the time for Africa to be opened to the world of contemporary arts, more foreign choreographers, directors, film makers and curators as the race has already began will hunt for more and more materials from Africa, more African creators will begin to set the pace, but, i'm emphatically suggesting that we must also remember, that our sun can still stop shinning and the heaven can still fall on us.
This is why we must be cruel on one another now in order for those creators that will soon be our representatives in the mainstream to go with a totally different reality and argument, rather than integrating existing ones into ours, when i say "CRUEL" i mean not cruel in the sense of blood and hatred, cruelty as in self criticism, inward check and balances, creating such piece that are difficult and cruel for myself first of all, general abolition of those pieces that comes so easily, accepting that some are actually called into this profession, while some were also called but after all not as a creator.
We must belt up and be ready at all times for the world, going global but only with our local awareness, no more to self made Artistes, that name Artiste is not meant for any riffraff who give us craps, the title of an Artiste is given by a higher force and only to those who merits it, it is then an obligation to those crowned Artistes to use their title for the service of their subjects, only then will it remain theirs forever, if not they shall be dethroned and overthrown, by force or by fire!
Mar 27, 2008
Are the most corrupt nations in AFRICA?
Minister Farrakhan Versus Mike Wallace On 60 Minutes CBS News Mike Wallace September 29, 2005
Feb 10, 2008
Le Sacre du Printemps on US tour
Heddy Maalem talks about being in Lagos, Nigeria, preparing the work that would become Black Spring. In the bustle and clamor of this African New York, a city of 12 million inhabitants, he heard echoing inside his head bits of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
June 7 - 8, 2008 Charleston, SC Spoleto Festival
In 1913 in Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring), Igor Stravinsky brought us life through the spasms of a killing, the death of a young girl burned in a “primitive” ritual. Today we know that Stravinsky’s score was the foreshadowing of a war which lasted four years. It is also said that the work by Nijinsky and Stravinsky was an emblematic combination of the barbarism and modernity of the twentieth century. Jacques Rivière in his review of Sacre in September 1913, asked if Stravinsky’s piece instead of evoking things, confirms them, that Nijinsky’s choreography made the dance less interesting than the movement. In any case, Rivière spoke of Sacre’s score as “without effusion,” its “limited music,” its way of “direct, deliberate expression.” This is also part of Heddy Maalem’s choreography -- straightforward, devoid of unnecessary prettiness, without artifice, all driving toward one goal, the “desire to express something to the letter.”
Le Sacre du Printemps
Poland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Tunisia. The Spring/ Fall 2008 tour will mark its North American premiere. The 2008 tour is being produced by MAPP International Productions through The Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium – a coalition of 11 diverse arts institutions, advancing a dynamic exchange of arts and ideas between artists, arts organizations, cultural and other institutions of Africa and the United States.
The ensemble of dancers assembled for Le Sacre du Printemps are trained in both contemporary dance and the traditional dance forms of their respective countries of origin. Le Sacre du Printemps is the final part of a trilogy of dances including: Black Spring(2000), which deals with the recurring question of identity and perception of the African body, andL'Ordre de la Bataille (2002), which questions the meaning of existence in a war-torn world. Heddy Maalem collaborated with award-winning filmmaker Benoit Dervaux on each of the three parts of the Trilogy.
Fourteen utterly distinctive dancers from Nigeria, Mali, Benin and Senegal have come together for Heddy Maalem's explosive interpretation of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. Maalem’s Sacre—furious and bold, straight forward and without artifice—is placed in urban Africa and inspired by the choreographer’s time in Lagos, Nigeria. Highly dynamic dance sequences and overwhelming group scenes are interlaced with intense scenes of silence and atmospheric film projections that provide provocative contrast to the music. Again and again, the male and female dancers—each one urgent and unflinching—melt into one unit, pulsating with energy.
Le Sacre du Printemps has had more than 100 performances throughout France, Portugal, Italy, Germany,
Poland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Tunisia. The Spring/ Fall 2008 tour will mark its North American premiere. The 2008 tour is being produced by MAPP International Productions through The Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium – a coalition of 11 diverse arts institutions, advancing a dynamic exchange of arts and ideas between artists, arts organizations, cultural and other institutions of Africa and the United States.Dancers: Qudus Onikeku, Simone Gomis, Hardo Papa Salif Ka, Amie Gomis, Marie-Pierre Gomis, Marie Diedhiou, Alougbin Awoulathe, Rachelle Agbossou, Alou Cissé, Dramane Diarra, Alberto Jacinto Nhabangue, Kingsley Odiaka, Vincent Etagweyo, Koffitse Akakpo-Adzaku.
June 7 - 8, 2008 Charleston, SC Spoleto Festival
June 10 - 15, 2008 New York, NY Joyce Theater
June 25 - 29, 2008 Becket, MA Jacob's Pillow
October 2 - 4, 2008 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater
October 10, 2008 Chapel Hill, NC University of North
Carolina
October 15, 2008 Ann Arbor, MI University Musical Society
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