THE UNSTOPPABLE - ENTERTAINER Remix

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

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

Track 2 - KOKO MASTER

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

Track 3 - JUNGLE DON MATURE remix 

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

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

Track 4 - THE ENTERTAINER real mix

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

Track 5 - THE UNSTOPPABLE PARASITES

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

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

Track 6 - NOBODY HOLY PASS

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

VOTE FOR TANKS.

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

SO GRAB YOUR COPY NOOOOOOWWWW !

24x24 Qudus Onikeku Video

24x24 Qudus Onikeku Video

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Question and ANSWERS for Believers and Atheists

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

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

HOME

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

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

UCHE JAMES-IROHA gets the Royal Award

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q'dus Onikeku reporting for myself

I FEEL WHAT I DANCE - I DANCE WHAT I FEEL

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

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

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

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

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

Qd dey HAIL all ya.

There is a natural mystique flowing in NIGERIA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOMINEES LONG LIST
"THE FUTURE AWARDS 2009"

On-Air Personality of the Year (Radio) 

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

Best Use of Technology

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

Best Use of Advocacy

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

Musician of the Year 

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

Actor of the Year

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

Artist of the Year

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

Magazine of the Year 

Ace 
Soundcity Blast 
Tripz
The Applause
234 
Déjà vu 
Trace
Acada

Style Entrepreneur of the Year 

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

Comedian of the Year

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

Business Owner of the Year 

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

Professional of the Year 

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

Model of the Year 

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

Team of the Year 

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

Journalist of the Year 

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

On-Air Personality of the Year (TV) 

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

Screen Producer of the Year 

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

Sportsperson of the Year 

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

Music Producer of the Year 

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

Dancer of the Year 

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

Young Person of the Year:  

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

Collection of those things that burn in us

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASA wins the prestigious French Music Awards

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

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

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

(c) Qudus Onikeku reporting for myself

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

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

Qd's Evaluation of DANCE. QED Naija version

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion.

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

(c) Qudus Onikeku. for Yk Projects.