Oduduwa Lives On

 Rebecca Ejifoma

“Oduduwa”, as its title goes, is a household name that calls for much attention and prestige. Many have known the name, Oduduwa, today through folklore and moonlight stories their fathers told them. However, today, a group of nimble young men from Kings College have opted to roll the history of the Yorubas into a comic relief for students’ pleasurable reading and comprehension.

This, according to the authors’ penchant, is to relay and remind the Nigerian students, especially the Yorubas and the Edos, of their origin. So, in line with the saying that Charity begins at home, three young alumni of Kings College, Ikoyi Lagos, came up with a concept and produced the result, a comic book titled, “Oduduwa”, the story of the Yorubas.

Such men include Olatunji Anjorin, Oriteme Banigo and Adeniyi Adeniji. Others, who contributed in the birth of the comic, are Sunkanmi Akinboye, Harriet Ekwueme, Dayo Animashaun. With one mindset, 560 copies of Oduduwa were donated to the JSS one students, who were 560 in number.

As an idea, which started off seven years ago, “Oduduwa” finally stormed the literary world. With this the authors could proudly say, good thinking, good product. Written for the benefit of impacting historical truth in a comic form, the book is straight to the point, conversational, graphical, easy to comprehend and as short as a fable. The choice of words is simple for an average reader or a learner.

The 36-page book is written in a dramatic style. It started off like an argument among four boys with two on each side of the fence. Perhaps, they needed an older person to correct or explain the truth on how the whole voyage of Oduduwa started.

For the new diction used in “Oduduwa” the authors went as far as expounding those words in the last page of the book defined each word for clearer and better understanding.

Being an educational initiative, Tunji enthused that they decided to make it as simple as they could; even as it is uploaded on their website. “Panaramic Entertainment was created to enable Nigerian and the rest of the world engage in our rich history and culture, thereby, helping to promote and preserve it.

“Reading as a form of leisure and self-development is a faint concept in the minds of most Nigerians; thus, perpetuates the cycle of illiteracy. Through this medium, we are able to provide our audience with positive historical figures and role models who our leaders can relate to: who face the same problem,” Tunji stated.

Every developing economy, he added, has a comic book industry. Nigeria has an industry but it hasn’t been developed. So, we created this comic book that tells our history, historical people and events and our culture. Explaining further, he reiterated that Okiojo is a wise all-knowing man, who will relay this whole story to the young generation. As the Editor-in-Chief of the book, Tunji maintained that for one to know where one is heading one needed to know where one is coming from.

Meanwhile, the Principal of the Kings College, Otunba Oladele Olapeju, said with much thrill, “As a literary man I feel great and as a principal of Kings College I feel greater that this is coming from my old boys.”

We did a preview of this book a year ago, he stated, because they sent copies to us. Olapeju said he took the copies of the books to their teachers and discover that it is not only a literary book but also some of those things about history that these children didn’t learn they can learn from the comic book.

From his expression, one could tell how proud he was of the old students, who pioneered the book for the young students, whom he addressed as Kings. “There have been several other contributions from old boys but this is taken to a different dimension. Some of those things that are tedious to learn in school can be turned into comic or cartoons’ series and children will learn better.”

Students gladly grabbed their various copies as they recited the school anthem to round off the day. Their classes’ teachers as well as coordinators also took part in the exercise. For the students’ delight, Okiojo (the all-knowing wise elder) tells historical tales, myths and legends to the young Nigerians, who are eager to learn about their past and heritage. “We advise students to broaden their horizons and re-live the experience in order to become the arbitrator,” in the words of the alumni.

The set of authors also revealed that they have prepared three other comic books including “1985”, “Queen Amina part one” and “Queen Amina part two”, which would be released through their Panaramic Entertainment platform.

Wande George Shows at TerraKulture

Rebecca Ejifoma

Reflection by Wande

Naked Truth, an exhibition of the recent arrays by the renowned Nigerian artist, Wande George holds from August 16 to 26 at the Terra Kulture Art Gallery in Victoria Island Lagos.

The solo exhibition, which aims to awaken the instinct of Nigerians to start acting not talking, will feature his 30 works in paintings and mixed media. Naked Truth is meant to serve as a food of thought for the viewers and Nigerians to peep and focus on the current threats facing the nation.

“In his usual thought-provoking reflection of social and domestic issues, the artist highlights both the common elements and the great diversity that constitutes the fabric of our society,” says Joseph Umoibom a reviewer.

According to the artist at a press briefing held at Terra Kulture recently, “When I started the series it was soul searching and were basically religious concepts, but somehow along the way, I found out that what happens to me, happens to others and can easily be applied to the society in which I live, after all, I am a product of the society and so interestingly, the more I explore the more I discover.”

To highlight his message even father, some of the works to be displayed include “Reflection”, “Desperate Men”, “Deceit (The Seat)”, “Generation X”, “East & West”, “Blind Leader” and the “Boarder Post.” Others are “Fear”, “Security”, “Dialogue”, “Window of Opportunity”, “My Sweet Heart”, “Waiting”, “African Queen”, “For Better For Worse” and of course, “Good News.”

Wande also stated that most often, he liked to express the ideas as crude as it hits him, because that is the only way he could be true to the concept and keep the idea intact.

Indeed, the show promises to be NAKED and TRUTHful as Wande, the artist, enthused that the viewers may be jolted, amused, indifferent or nod their heads and say ‘yes, this is true’. “I am just trying to be fair to my conscience on this concept of Naked Truth I have been exploring since 2004.”

For example the “BOARDER POST” is an expression of a personal experience when my privacy was intruded (A Yoruba adage that says “Bi ogiri ko ba la’nu, Alangba ko le wo ibe” meaning without a crack on the wall lizards can not gain entrance” is what I tried to express here but applying it in a global term. You will notice how people are infiltrating and migrating uninhibited especially in Africa, this is because there are so many porous route/access. The advent of the Internet (especially social media) has also given unhindered access to people to intrude on other people’s privacy. The “Boarder Posts” are indeed porous. 

Permit me to say that a few of the works may denote violence, I do not intend to promote violence (I am an ambassador of Christ and He is the Prince of Peace) it is a wake up call that violence is real and it is becoming our second nature, therefore, if we do not act fast, danger is imminent. For example WHO ARE YOU? & INSECURITY are classical examples of how we have all lost patience with ourselves both individually and corporately. There’s no day that I drive on the street of Lagos that I don’t see people bullying each other, on the global scene you will also note that Nations are also on each other’s jugular, trying to prove superiority.  There is an imminent danger and we all need to slow down, unlearn what we have learnt and show more understanding and love because we are made in Gods image and GOD is LOVE In this body of work you will also find figure paintings, landscapes etc., It is only a reminiscence of my days as illustrator in the advertising world  Some people say I am a Cubist Some say I am an expressionist  I don’t know what you think of me.  All that I know is that I am an Artist and a Voice in the affair of my generation.  Whoever you think that I am… welcome to my world!

Toki Mabogunje Dines with Fresh Blends

Rebecca Ejifoma

Toki Mabogunje

From a business tycoon to a literary icon, her name resounds in the mouth of both the young and the old across the country. Her words were inspiring, her gesticulations were luring and her saga thrilled the audience, as she seized the day. With such national and international credit attached to her name, the Association of Nigerian Authors, Lagos at the weekend, made Toki Mabogunje its established literary figure at Vintage Wine and Fresh Blends (VWFB) 2014.

As a jack of many trades and master of all, Toki is labelled one who has paid her dues and carved a niche for herself both in the literary world and in the business sphere.  Toki is a business development consultant interested in the growth and management of small and medium enterprises on the African continent. Also, she has a degree in Law from the University of Ife, Nigeria and a post graduate degree (LLM) in International Business Law from the University of Exeter.

While mentoring and nourishing the Fresh Blends (students) to literary cum career maturity through her experience at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Toki broke the boredom of the usual one-sided tradition of speaker and listener in the hall with an interactive segment of questions and answers as a means of carrying them all along.  And as a side flavour to further entertain the audience, four ever-ready secondary schools performed a special dramatic poem on stage opted from The Duet, an anthology of poems co-authored by Toki and her son, Damola  titled “Life's journey”. They thrilled the audience with their creative gestures of delight.

The schools included National College Gbagada, Ikosi High School Ketu, Reagan Memorial Baptist Secondary School and Aunty Ayo Senior Girls Comprehensive School respectively. Impressed by their nimble performances and justice done to the topic given, having been unfazed by the number of audience watching them, ANA Lagos presented copies of literary works that would enlighten and awaken the students to the world of literature.

According to Toki whilst addressing parents to allow their children be what they wanted to be rather than live their dreams through their children, she enthused “I started writing at the age of six likewise my son. Through-out my elementary and secondary school days, I wrote poems, fables, plays, essays, dialogue and songs. I thoroughly enjoyed it and continued to write poetry until I became an adult. As a child and young student, I had a few adults around me who encouraged me and those who did not even understand what I wrote but I wrote them anyway because I enjoyed writing and reading them.”

She, therefore, urged the students, who crave to become writers to have a clear imagination, read, enjoy story-telling and writing. She urged, “To grow as writer can be tough in this world because the youths are busy with school, homework, sports and chores. But they must read whenever they can find time to. Always have a notepad or some paper handy so that when that idea clusters in a thought or something that they wish to express, you can write it immediately so you don't forget, lest your thought may be lost forever.”

 Notwithstanding, Toki advised couples to always work together for a better and successful result. She also said that couples needed to work cooperatively to get to their success stories. Accompanied by her mum and husband, she proved that two heads in one, indeed, is better.

Over the last 26 years, Toki has been involved in commercial and business enterprise from both a public and private sector perspective. As an assistant Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Defence and later Senior State Counsel in the Mercantile and Industrial Law Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice. Her move to the private sector provided her with the opportunity to attain a well-rounded perspective of business enterprise in the Nigerian Environment.

While imparting to the students, the students in turn tapped from her well of intellect. The fresh blends listened to the visions, desires, yearnings and dreams of the Vintage Wine class and hopefully, as ANA Lagos quest for the day was to ensure they find aces that would help them successfully play the game of creativity.

Being its fourth edition, VWFB craves to create an annual mentorship environment for young aspiring writers in order to nurture them. Through its programme, students, especially those with the innate for literature, ANA Lagos creates a dais for these fresh blends to parley with established members of the literary community, whose words or actions can shape the form of a writer’s works also known as Vintage Wine.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, ANA Lagos, Femi Onileagbon said “We will be there for our Fresh Blends because the youths are the Vintage wine of the future. We will not fail them, not now, not ever because ANA Lagos is committed to the cause of promoting literature in Nigeria.”

ANA Lagos is determined through this programme, he explained, to donate 500 books annually as prizes to all participating schools and the books will build loyalty and commitment to the people in the hearts of our school children. The chairman commended the organisers and the publishers who have funded previous editions of the competitions and had donated copies of their books.

In the end, participants were excited, as they longed for a hand shake from the Vintage Wine, because from their expressions, one could conclude that truly she is an icon the students have traversed.  

Orimoloye’s Ode to Nigerian Women

Rebecca Ejifoma 

                                                               As a seasoned contemporary artist,

Aso by Orimoloye

known for his abstract works and use of colours in the Art Scene with national and international exhibitions to his credit, one can easily enthuse that Gbenga Orimoloye has paid his dues and carved a niche for himself. Hence, his just concluded solo art exhibition, which ran from May 24 to 30 at the Terra Kulture Gallery in Victoria Island Lagos, brought about great art connoisseurs and art students from across the country.   

 The exhibition, titled, “Aso”, featured his 31 artistic pieces of paintings on canvas. According to the artist at the opening, he deliberate opted for a Yoruba word as his theme, because he liked the way the same word resounds many other meaning depending on how one uses it.

Orimoloye exuded the colourful and fascinating lifestyle of the Nigerian women, who dress up sprucely on uniform to occasions, home and abroad. His inspiration, he said, came from the Nigerian women he saw in a London programme, dressed in Aso ebi; all looking very glamorous, having titivated themselves with their makeup beads and igele.

“When I first came into contact with Orimoloye over 30 years ago in Ikoyi Lagos, neither of us knew I would one day be a great admirer of his talent and works, the Honourable Consul of Switzerland, Mrs. Marlies Allan, expounded, “he has a tenacious and audacious spirit. His commitment to his goal and dedication to his craft comes across when you encounter the quality of his works. His masterpieces exhibit his style, with vast amount of paint about wasteful at times.”

Known as a colourist in nature, the artist gathered works including “The Family” (123 X 82cm), “Aso” (123 X 82cm), “Elaja”, “Aso 2”, “the Family 1”, “Aso” – Rhapsodies in yellow, “Untitled” (122 X 61), “Contentment”, “Rhapsodies in Orange”, “Aso”− Rhapsodies in brown, “Boat boy with Blue and White Paddle” (82 X 62cm), “Aso” – Rhapsodies in colour, “The Trip”(82 X 62cm), “African Women at Work”, “Late Morning”, “Elegantly Dressed”, “Badagry Beach”, “A Quiet Place” (81 X 62cm), “Figure on a Red Background”, and “Untitled” (80 X 60) among others.

Although his works’ titles seem almost all one, his style – values, tradition and painting with many mixed colours is distinct and unique. It all encompasses his quest to pass his message of “Contentment” (polite enditement) that one needs to be contented with what one has. Viewers were impressed and right at the opening bought several works to his amazement.

According to him, these days, he deliberately begins many of his works without a preliminary sketch, because he is keen to leave some things to time – chance and the Spirit that creates. “As such, many of my compositions, including and especially the ‘Aso’ are the results of as much spontaneity as possible. Many of which bear my fingerprint.”

His recent solo exhibition at the Saffron Walden Gallery, United Kingdom in March 2014 depicted the rich culture of the people and ‘the inherent transient nature of the people alongside realities, which can stand as the allegories of life. His love and appreciation for mankind has paved his canvas, one of which is Aso.

However, from his visual streamline on Aso, Orimoloye pictures the identity of the Nigerian woman dressed in her gele and buba with all kinds of accessories to match. However his message of contentment he adores the elegance of the Nigerian women as he finds them glamorous and becoming.

In order to satiate his audience, Orimoloye, described as an artist who knows his onions, explained that this is like an encomium to the Nigerian woman, for her ever-green beauty and packaging. “In this harvest of work which I have titled, “Aso”, I look figuratively at our obsession with elaborate festive dressing.

Aso, Yoruba word for cloth, is also used colloquially as regards groups of people dressed in identical fabric and or colour, especially seen at a typical Nigerian wedding. As an artist, whose artist’s instincts tell him this is where he ought to be and the first fan of his own works, he says he is fascinated with the dressing, colours, textures and styles at many of these events. 

“A great deal goes into our dressing and into selection our Aso. I believe that if we could be as fervent and enthusiastic in many areas of our existence as we are with our dressing, our collective attitude will adorn us with majesty and excellence; we will be arrayed with glory and splendour,” he enthused.

Meanwhile, the artist had featured in 21 group and solo exhibitions including “Oju” and “Ona” at the Terra Kulture in 2013, “A Parent’s Eye View” at the Parabola Art Centre in England in 2012, “Africa at Whiteley’s” at the Atrium, Whiteley’s, London UK and the Exhibition of “Sculpture and Paintings” at Master Craft in Surulere Lagos in 1990.

Orimoloye, who bagged his HND and MSc from the Yaba College of Technology in Painting (1991) and from the University of Westminster, London (2003), is as well contented and dedicated to his craft as his full-time job.

An artist, who tries to produce whatever he lays his hands on, says ones talent alone is not enough; hence, one needs to work very hard. “I try to work very hard to unleash what is within,” he says. While art collectors like Ejiro Onobrakpeye, son of reputable Bruce Onobrakpeye and others lauded his works, they went round for a gaze at his works hung on the walls of Terra Kulture.