Distinguished Ben Enwonwu lecture holds November 1

Arrangements have been concluded for the forthcoming 8th Distinguished Ben Enwonwu Annual Lecture scheduled to hold Tuesday, November 1, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The lecture titled: Beyond Two Dimensional Art, will be delivered by Prof. Jerry Buhari, a senior lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State. And while Apostle Hayford Aleli, Pioneer Director-General, of the Nigerian Stock Exchange will chair the event, the Swedish Ambassador in Nigeria, Pär Lindegärde will be Guest of Honour.

The Ben Enwonwu Distinguished Lecture series provides a forum for notable leaders of thought, national and international figures, policymakers and renowned academicians to share their knowledge and perspectives on how art can engage society in initiating desirable changes.

Past speakers at our lectures include Noble Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade CON, Director of the Slade School of Art, University College, London, Prof. John Aiken,  Prof. Freida High Tesfagioris of the Department of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin, USA, former Lagos State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN and Executive  Governor of Cross River State (1999-2007), Mr Donald Duke CON.

The Ben Enwonwu Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization is established to preserve the legacy of Africa’s ‘greatest artist’, Prof. Ben Enwonwu MBE (1917-94). We are also committed to the promotion of art and culture in Nigeria and indeed Africa.

ANA shifts date of planned national convention in Abuja

Umbrella body of Nigerian writers, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has announced a shift in date for its forthcoming national Convention billed to hold in Abuja, just as the association also unveiled its newly reviewed and updates website.

Making the announcement in a release made available to M2A, national president of the body and former minister of state for education, Dr. Jerry Agada, said change in date for the 13^th anniversary edition of the national convention was occasioned some challenges met by the host chapter, the ANA Abuja.

“In the course of their preparations, the ANA Abuja met with some unexpected challenges, which led to their duly requesting ANA National, to consider a shift in the previously announced date of the anniversary convention.  After closely reviewing the challenges and the situation now, we painfully announce a shift in our previously announced date,” Agada said.

According to Agada, the new date for the convention will now be from Wednesday, 30th November – Sunday 4th December, 2011, just as he also assured that other details concerning venue will be announced in due course by the National Secretariat, after consulting with the ANA Abuja Local Organizing Committee, through the Branch

“While this shift in date is regrettable, it is inevitable.  This was the same situation we found ourselves, several years ago, when the Jos, Plateau State convention was postponed, in 2000.  It is our hope that we will have no reason to postpone our conventions again in the future, for any reason.

“We also seize this opportunity to invite writers in Abuja and environs, to our newly opened Secretariat Annex, here in Abuja, where the National General Secretary will be on hand to attend to official matters.  The Secretariat Annex is located on the 2nd Floor, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) House, opposite Akwa Ibom House, and near Ministry of Finance, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT,” Agada added.

The national convention of ANA brings together members of the body in the country as well those in the Diaspora once every year for a week of literary activities at the host state. Now in its 13^th year, the confab is also the only platform for electing a new executive for the body.

Anyagwa unveils book on election rigging Saturday

Political campaign strategist and communication expert Emma Anyagwa will this Saturday unveil his book which aims to uncover the problems bedevilling the electoral system in the country’s polity.

The book which follows two years of detailed research in the country and beyond reveals a solution to election rigging, money-induced politics, influence of godfathers in a form of a book entitled; A Handbook for Winning Elections in Nigeria.

“Over the years, genuine and democratic methods of winning elections in Nigeria have been abandoned. In most cases, the ability to win elections largely depended on one’s financial muscles and endorsement of political godfathers instead of planned campaign strategies. Many people, through electoral fraud and all sorts of malpractice, have found themselves in positions of authority while most people with genuine interests to serve the country were marginalized and subjected to all forms of frustration,” said Anyagwa.

Continuing, the author said: “Apart from this, the situation has not only hampered the country’s economic, infrastructural and human growth and development, it has also reduced our socio-political and moral values. There is therefore a need to design a practical process of producing leaders mandated by the people to serve.”

The book which will be presented to the public at the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Victoria Island, Lagos is expected to draw dignitaries such as Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Mr. Fola Adeola, vice presidential candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), senators, ministers, traditional rulers and political party leaders.

In addition to the public presentation, Dr Sam Amadi of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will present a paper on “Sustainable Democracy: Getting it Right.”

A Handbook for Winning Elections in Nigeria is a realistic step by step manual for all aspiring contenders for political offices. It provides a sustainable standard and easy guide to winning elections in the country. It prescribes modern political campaign strategy, methods of identifying genuine political leaders and also how to prevent rigging elections in Nigeria.

The book is designed for those who want to be models and insignia of visionary leadership, new thinking, new orientation and new approach to purposeful governance. Through this, they will not only set themselves as a standard for proactive realization of creativity, dynamism and exemplary leadership in the country, but also be epitomes of value-based democracy.

The book has been endorsed by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, educational institutions, NGOs, socio-political groups and political scientists as a very effective channel and tool for modern political campaign and national re-orientation.

My programme supervisor inspired my ‘Improvised Mosaic’ technique invention — Michael Ikobi

Imo State-born visual arts veteran, Michael Ikobi recently invented the unique technique of mosaic which he calls the Improvised Mosaic. In  this interview with VICTOR NZE,  contemporary artist Ikobi talks  about the huge impressions his invention has created among the  art community, his view on art in  Nigeria, and many more. Excerpts:

 

Can you introduce yourself?

 

My name is Michael Ikobi. I’m hail from Umuokpara, Mgbidi in Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State. I had my primary and secondary educations in Lagos from where I proceeded to the Auchi polytechnic Auchi, in Edo State for both my National Diploma (ND) and the Higher National Diploma (HND). I am presently concluding my Master’s programme at the University of Benin, in Edo state. I’m married and blessed with children. Professional I operate a full time art studio in Lagos.

 

How long have you been in the visual arts industry and your specialized medium or media?

 

I’ve been in the art industry for the past 20 years with specializations in oil, acrylic, pencil, stained glass, mosaic and print making.

 

What would you say has been your crowning moment as an artist?

My crowing moment actually came this year when I solely discovered a new technique which I call the Improvised Mosaic and this breakthrough for me happened during my master’s programme in Benin.

 

In terms of exhibitions both group and solo, what has it been like for you this year in relation to how the industry is responding to the economy in the country?

 

It has not been too easy, for my works, there are times you sell and there are also times you don’t sell. At times works are sold and it takes a long period of time for your money to be paid. Majority of Nigerians appreciate art but when they consider other pressing issues they put that love aside to attend to them. But personally I thank God because I strongly believe there is hope for any hardworking artist in this country

 

Who have been your greatest inspirations?

 

God and His environment

 

How do you price yourself in terms of value and worth of your works?

 

My years of experience and hours spent in creating art works

How has it been like for other practitioners of art in Nigeria from your perspective as an artist also?

I believe every artist has his or her own personal experience, but by and large, I know the economy is not too favourable to many artists out there.

 

Tell us about your new technique, the ‘Improvised Mosaic’?

 

My improvised Mosaic came about during my personal quest for new ideas and experimentation. I used the conventional mosaic to do some art works and in the long run my programme supervisor, Dr. Sweet Ebeigbe who at the same time is the head of Fine and Applied Arts department at the University of Benin pointed out to me that with the use of conventional material, I have succeeded in adding nothing to the society as a researcher.  She charged me to think deeply into the creative world and come out with something new.  Afterwards, I met another artist, Mr. Kunle Adeyemi who gave very useful contributions to me. I also met Dr John Ogene and Mrs P. Aletor both of who equally made useful contributions. I summed up these contributions and made use of transparent plastic with coloured pigments to create colourful tiles rich in colours that is yet to be seen in the Nigerian Maosaic market. I made beautiful artworks out of this creation, part of which I used for the October Rain art exhibition organized by the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Lagos State branch, which is still ongoing at the Nike Art Gallery, in Lekki, Lagos.

According to my supervisor, she said this is what research should be like, not the use of what somebody has done. She also assured me that with this she can confidently defend me.’ Your colours are richer than the normal mosaic colours; they are also lighter in weight than the main Mosaic tiles. During your final exhibition, you are going to exhibit those Mosaic tiles you created with fanciful plates. Indeed Ikobi you impressed me with your research,’ those were her exact words.

In addition, owner and curator of the Nike Art Gallery, where the October Rain is taking place, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye, personally commended it on first seeing it. In fact, she asked me how many of the Improvised Mosaic works I created and that she is interested in acquiring a couple of the works for her gallery and also for sale because there was nothing like that at present.

 

Where do you place visual arts in relation to other genres of art like the literary and performing arts…would you say visual artists are having a better or worse time so far?

 

I must say the visual artists are not having a good time in comparison with other artists in the other genres of art in Nigeria like the literary and performance artists. But I also believe Government and corporate bodies and art lovers can salvage these shortcomings in the visual art industry by investing in good art works as they appreciate with time.

 

Are you the only member of the Ikobi clan into art?

 

For now it seems I am the only one in family who is fully into the visual art. My younger brother who is a Pharmacist was into art back in his secondary school days but later dropped art for science. I remember seeing my father carving rubber stamps and making some drawings when I was a kid,

What else would you have delved into if you were not a visual artist?

At the Auchi Polytechnic, I was a comedian, master of ceremony (MC) and an actor, so apart from fine arts I could also function perfectly in acting and teaching.

 

What has been the reception like for your works at the October Rain exhibition?

 

So far, the reception is fine and I have been asked to bring some of my new inventions to the gallery

What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of exhibitions, seminars? Also, what avenues or platforms have you been able to create for teaching upcoming artists your skills as a veteran in the trade?

I will by the grace of God, have my first solo exhibition next year and will participate in many group exhibitions. I will equally organize workshops, seminars where I believe I will impact my knowledge to the upcoming artists. I’m making frantic effort to fix myself up into any school of higher learning as a platform to teach or give out what the Lord has given me back to mankind.

Lagos Book & Art Festival packs talkshops, plays, honours for art icons

­ As part of programmes for the 13th Lagos Book & Art Festival which holds from November 18 to 20, art advocacy group, the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) has additionally lined up as part of the literary festival, the 2^nd edition of the Publishers’ Forum to precede the fair on November 17.

According to CORA officials Mr. Ayodele Arigbabu and Jahman Anikulapo, the Programme Chair, the planned Publishers’ Forum provides a concentrated space for key publishers in Nigeria to gain critical insight into their current operations within the context of the challenges facing their industry, brainstorm on their findings and identify key steps that can be taken as individual businesses or as a collective to improve their bottom line.

“At CORA, we picture ourselves as midwives to the different facets of the creative industries in Nigeria, therefore what we hope to achieve through the publisher’s forum is the blossoming of the nation’s book industry,” they said.

Explaining the theme of this year’s Publisher’s Forum, Anikulapo said the group had ‘chosen to focus on the theme: The Book in the Age of the Microchip, in appreciating the vast potential that digital technologies hold for empowering publishers in developing economies like ours to dramatically scale up their businesses.’

Continuing, Anikulapo said the group within the four hours marked up for the business forum, intends for the participants to add value to their businesses through the intervention of key facilitators, critical feedback on their processes, input on the most challenging areas they have to deal with and useful networking.

The Publishers Forum will be followed by a conversation (open to the public) tagged: “Wooing the mass market” where two publishers will share experiences from their current work and their future plans, by discussing a selection from their publishing list.

“This year, we will have two publishers discuss their efforts at publishing literary journals and what mileage the internet afforded them in their efforts. A digital display of past editions of their journals will be presented. The discussions will be brought to a close with a cocktail.

“A most apt way to describe the Publishers’ Forum is to call it a ‘focus group’ or a strategy session with key facilitators as guide. The forum is targeted at principals of publishing houses who seek to grow their market and are willing to engage in creative thinking towards identifying strategies that can make this possible for them whether within a collective or through their individual operations. Our expectation is that cogent strategies would emerge from the session which can be immediately implemented or could be built upon in future,” said Anikulapo.

The main event itself, the Lagos Book & Art Festival is a comprehensive, four-day programme of events; readings, conversations around books, art and craft displays, kiddies’ art workshops and reading sessions, book exhibitions, live music and dance.

It will run from November 18 to 20 at the ground of Freedom Park, (Old Broad Street Prison site) Lagos Island, while the planned Publishers’ Forum will hold November 17 at the Goethe Institut, City Hall, Lagos Island, a short walk from Freedom Park.

Pre-Festival Events however open Monday November 14 with the National Reading Week just as the main festival events commences Thursday, November 17 with the Publishers Forum, themed: Bridging the Digital Divide.

Also on the Thursday, November 17, will be the Publishers’ Interface With The Public /Pre-festival cocktail (Open event): A roundtable discussion involving some publishers and some ranking writers and journalists, expected to explore the publishing business from the digital perspective and key projects that the publishers have undertaken or currently have under development within that context.

Friday, November 18, at the Freedom Park, will feature: My Encounter with the Book , the Kiddies’ Segment with Mr.  Chima Ibeneche (Petroleum Engineer and Managing Director, NLNG)-a motivational talk to kids, kicks open the kiddies’ segment of the festival.

Also, the Festival Colloquium (I): Theme: Documenting The Governance Challenges: Africa In The Eyes Of The Other-I: Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (a) A Swamp Full Of Dollars- Michael Peel (b). Dinner With Mugabe-Heidi Holland; (c) A Continent For The Taking- Howard French.

Later same Friday, The Festival Colloquium (II) continues with-Arrested Development: “Why Can’t ‘They’ Get It Right? Africa In The Eyes Of The Other: Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (a)The State Of Africa-Martin Meredith, (b)Nigeria: Dancing On The Brink-John Campbell, (c) It’s Our Turn To Eat- Michaela Wrong.

The third colloquium follows with; How Familiar Is This Town? The City As A Key Character In the Fictional Narratives Of The Continent. Readings, Reviews, and discussions around (1)Good Morning Comrades(Luanda, Angola)-, by Ondjaki, (2)The Yacoubian Building(Cairo, Egypt) by Alaa Al Aswany

(3) The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi’s Wives (Ibadan, Nigeria), (4) Tropical Fish (Entebbe, Uganda)-Doreen Baigana; (5) Under The Brown Rusted Roofs (Ibadan, Nigeria)

Day 2 of the festival on Saturday, November 19, at the Freedom Park, opens with: My Encounter with the Book (Kiddies’ Segment– Austin Avuru (Petroleum Geologist and Author/Managing Director, Seplat Petroleum)-a motivational talk to kids; Town Talk1: Theme: Books as tools of The Knowledge Economy: Can a book make you rich? A top notch panel of discussants review the role of books in the Knowledge Economy, using three books as take off points: Hot, Flat And Crowded- Tom Friedman, The Tipping Point-Malcolm Gladwell, The Ascent Of Money-Niall Ferguson.

Also, Town Talk2: Theme: The book as key to the knowledge economy: A conversation around Tom Friedman’s The World Is Flat, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers; Challenging The Present: African Authors And The Global Discourse On Governance: Readings, Reviews and Discussions around: Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working And What Can Be Done About It, By Dambissa Moyo, When Citizens Revolt: Nigerian Elites, Big Oil and The Ogoni Struggle For Self Determination By Ike Okonta.

Equally on the card are: Mapping The Future: Four young authors and publishers under 35, discuss the changing landscape of the publishing industry and express, in detail, their dreams/plans in contributing to the revamp. Inserted in this conversation is a 25-minute presentation by Toni Kan with a working title: What happened to The Pace Setter Series– and when will the new Nigerian thriller come?

On a lighter mood, CORA has also lined up a Festival Combined Birthday Party same Saturday for musician Fatai Rolling Dollar@ 85, novelist Chukwuemeka Ike @80, broadcaster Benson Idonije@ 75, ace broadcaster/actress Taiwo Ajai-Lycett@ 70, Prof. Writer Ebun Clark @ 70; musician Charly Boy @ 60; actor Richard Mofe-Damijo @50; dancer Yeni Kuti @50; actress Joke Silva @50; showbiz icon/writer  Femi Akintunde-Johnson @ 50; and administrator/academic Prof Tunde Babawale @ 50

Concluding on Sunday, November 20 also at the Freedom Park, will be an Arthouse Forum on: Art Of The Biography: Reviews and discussions of Femi Osofisan’s J. P. Clark: A Voyage, Adewale Pearce’s A Peculiar Tragedy: J. P. Clark and the beginning of modern Nigerian literature and Dele Olojede/Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo’s Born To Run: a biography of Dele Giwa.

Also on Sunday, will be the traditional Art Stampede on-The Nigerian Abroad: Fictional Accounts Of The Immigrant Experience. A panel discussion on The Phoenix By Chika Unigwe, Some Kind Of Black, By Diran Adebayo,  26A By Dianne Evans, A Squatter’s Tale, By Ike Oguine, Her Majesty’s Visit, By Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, Icarius Girl –By Helen Oyeyemi, Lawless, by Sefi Atta, The Thing Around Your Neck, By Chimamanda Adichie

Rounding up the festival will be the Festival Play titled: Waiting Room by Wole Oguntokun.

Okemakinde, 5 others show works at SOS Children’s Village art expo

Print and mixed media artist Abiodun Okemakinde will be among six Nigerian artists billed to showcase their recent works at the forthcoming art exhibition by the SOS Children’s Village, Nigeria.

Okemakinde alongside five others including: Juwon Jones, Tosin Fabiyi, Sunday Oben, Bolaji Johnson, Olaoluwa Smith, will participate in the exhibition themed; Rhythm of Life: An exhibition of paintings, prints, beadworks and mixed media.

Billed for the Aina Onabolu Gallery of Art, National Theatre complex, Iganmu, Lagos from Tuesday, October 25 to Friday, 28, the three-day exhibition features works by the crop of young and veteran artists the bulk of whom like Okemakinde, were products of the SOS Children’s Village.

Specializing in the print media, Okemakinde has been practising his trade since graduating from the famous Dr. Bruce Onabrapkeya School in 2000 having spent four years learning from the master artist himself. He trained under the direct tutelage of the master print maker at the Ovuomaroro Studio and Gallery, Mushin, Lagos.

With no any formal education in the arts, Okemakinde belongs to the group of uniquely gifted class of self-taught Nigerian artists and was introduced to Onabrakpeya by Mrs Agatha da Silva, a former national director at the SOS Children’s Village, Isolo.

Armed with an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Business Administration from The Polytechnic Ibadan, Okemakinde has been in the visual art industry for over a decade even though, as he claims, he has never been able to hold a solo exhibition other than ‘innumerable’ group exhibitions which took off with the second edition of the Onabrekpeya’s Harmattan exhibition in 1999.

On why he is involved in the SOS Children’s Village art exhibition, Okemakinde admits it was his way of giving back to the institution which raised him as well as providing him with the condusive atmosphere for him to properly hone his skills as an artist.

“The SOS Children’s Village is like my guardian. I grew up there. Infact, all of us taking part in this forthcoming exhibition grew up there. So it’s a way to kind of encourage others following in our steps and also a way to boost our careers as artists.

“It’s not that I cannot do solo exhibitions. I have enough works in my studio to take care of that. The problem is funds. I value my works from N20, 000 to N200, 000 so I would not exactly say that I am a small time artist. I’ve been in the industry for over a decade now. If I have the funds now I can truly go into a solo exhibition and that has been the main reason hindering that so far,” Okemakinde said.

Born December 23, 1971, Okemakinde has a deep passion for paintings, printmaking, mixed media and general graphic arts.

His passion for art at his tender age became evident in his drawings, paintings and winning of art prices and awards which were obtained from inter-school competitions and organizations. He was trained in graphic design and printing.

SNA Lagos holds 2011 October Rain exhibition

Lagos State chapter of the umbrella body of practising visual artists in the country, the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) will present the 13^th edition of its juried exhibition, tagged; October Rain 2011.

Under the theme of; Evolution of New State, the exhibition will hold at the Nike Art Gallery and will run from the October 8 to 16.

Through the works of over a hundred artists from across Nigeria working in diverse media, the exhibition, according to organizers, will chart the progress of democracy in Nigeria and ‘celebrate our recently concluded elections, widely adjudged to be free and fair and seeks to uphold the gains of our nascent democracy.’

Evolution of a New State is part of a series of initiatives developed by the SNA to highlight the role of visual art as a social change agent to harness our human potential and define and re-organize our socio-economic and cultural assets.

“Furthermore, the exhibition will attempt to document the art produced during this significant period in our history. With this exhibition, the SNA continues to provoke critical thought and contribute to narratives of contemporary art practice in Nigeria, while expanding the local market by encouraging connoisseurship and exposing our artists to increased audiences,” the association said.

Akpaturo: Giving meaning to arts & culture

The Saturday, October 1^st presentation of a dance drama by the National Troupe of Nigeria under the title of Akpaturo (or Summary) could well be said to have captured the mood of the populace on the occasion of the 51^st anniversary of the country.

Providing as sharp departure from the glamour and jamborees of previous anniversary celebrations that have of sorts become a tradition with the country’s leaders at such occasions, the national troupe in portraying the mood of the populace applied the arts to providing the veritable vehicle for driving popular aspirations and portraying the national mood.

Dogged by security challenges, conflicting political aspirations by its various ethnic nationalities, economic problems, youth unrests, thinning morality, eroding professional standards and ethics and other myriads of challenges, these are not exactly the best of times for Nigeria, by any measure of expectation or imagination.

This is what makes the six-dance pieces presentation by the troupe last Saturday all the more compelling as it is commendable, when other government agencies and parastatals opted for the traditional jamboree celebrations, a replication of which was expected from the National troupe on the day.

The mimetic dance Akpaturo was choreographed by Mr. Arnold Udoka, a Director, in charge of Dance of the National Troupe and was staged at the Cinema Hall 1 of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos to a full house audience of theatre enthusiasts.

Set both in pre and post independence Nigeria Akpaturo comprises six dance pieces drawn from the troupe’s vast repertoire of dances including: The Arbiter, The Kid, Black Skies, Ode to Earth, Rivers of Jubilation, and the Kolanut Dance.

For Udoka, Akpaturo was intended to be a showcase of the rich dance heritage of Nigeria enshrined in dance presentation.

While The Arbiter highlights how political conflict is stoked by the merchant of violence, The Kid, a tribute to the pugilist Hogan ‘kid’ Bassey exemplified an individual courage in the blossoming of national pride. The challenges of mutual co-existence in the face of bomb blast, militancy, religious conflicts and the pains of these conflicts on the Nigerian civilization and the national psyche is what Black Skies addressed while Ode to Earth focuses on how cosmic harmony is consistently threatened by natural and cosmic disasters.

The kolanut as a metaphor for a united Nigeria is the thematic occupation ‘of The Kolanut dance’ while Rivers of Jubilation showcases the therapeutic effect of athletics and sporting successes that has served as a unifying factor and that has continued to inspire unity.

Each of the six dances addressed a particular sector or society in the larger Nigerian society, and the sum of it impacted on the audience by way of bringing home the truth about modern Nigeria and the way forward.

While in praise of Hogan Bassey’s sporting feats in The Kid, Udoka also points to the corruption and bias that had seeming crippled and discredited present Nigerian sporting feats in Rivers of Jubilation, a parody, of sorts, on our sports industry.

Aptly put, the National troupe using Akpaturo used the country’s past to point the way forward, attempted the re-orientation of the masses via the platform of the arts, just in the same way as the troupe exploited the theatre for the delivery of a new message to the country and the loud applause received at the show clearly explained the potency of the arts in this cause.

The Arbiter is a dance piece that succinctly exposes the underlying threat of political jobbers and fifth columnists and the threat they pose to any attempt at driving national aspirations and goals of contemporary Nigeria and is particularly relevant in a politically charged society that the country has sadly plunged into.

With The Arbiter, the National Troupe addresses the problem of divergent causes pursued by the country’s multiplicity of ethnic societies which are now presently on edge over conflicting aspirations, the roots of which have seemingly baffled the government.

For critics who had hitherto concluded that the arts and culture was all about song and dance, Akpaturo by the National Troupe is a timely answer and one can only hope that the cultural troupe continues to churn out works in that direction that should impact on present realities in the country.

Commenting, Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria Mr. Martin Adaji explained: ‘We thought it will be necessary at this point in our national life to through the platform of the performing arts particularly dance reflect on some of our land mark experiences so that this can inspire people to greatness especially as we enter into the first year of another jubilee.’

For Udoka: “The six-dance pieces reflect Nigeria’s 51-year experience as a politically independent nation. Now after 51 years should we continue to look in this direction for solutions to the same problems or should we explore other avenues on the issue of resolving our conflicts.”

Thus, beyond song and dance, the National Troupe of Nigeria may well have embraced the best practices mantra preached by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation for parastatals in his ministry, by realistically applying itself to addressing issues that affect its operating environment with a view to achieving a viable relevance.

And as Adaji remarked, Akpaturo was the cultural troupe’s own way of undertaking a revue through dance of the events that led to Nigeria’s independence and events that has shaped Nigeria’s existence as a progressive and indivisible entity.

Committee lines up symposium for Okon Uya @ 70 celebrations

The Okon Edet Uya @ 70 Central Planning Committee has announced invitations for abstracts of not more than 250 words from scholars, analysts, and the general public ahead of a planned symposium lined up to honour the envoy and academic on his 70^th birthday anniversary which comes next year.

The symposium, which is open to people from all spheres of human endeavour who might have encountered Uya personally or through his works, is meant to provoke robust discussion of his entire oeuvre as a scholar-activist.

Papers for presentation should focus on, but not limited to, Uya’s role in such areas as African History, Diaspora Studies, University Administration, Diplomacy, Political Engineering, Religious Activities, Nation Building and very importantly, Perspectives and Methodology for historical studies.

Scheduled for Tuesday, October 2, next year, at the New Arts Auditorium, University of Calabar, Cross Rivers State, the theme of the symposium is; Okon Uya and the Challenge of Being a Public Intellectual.

Abstracts are to be submitted not later than December 15, this year just as participants will be notified of the acceptance/rejection of their abstract by February 15, 2012.

Now 69 years old, Okon Edet Uya, Ambassador Extra-ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (FNAL), Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria (FHSN), Fellow, American Biographical Institute (FABI) and Genius Laureate of Nigeria turns 70 come October 3, 2012.

An internationally acclaimed and respected scholar of the scholar-activist fame, Uya has taught in many universities around the world and he is a mentor to people from various walks of life world-wide.  As a historian and administration of great repute, Uya’s life has become legendary across continental borders and deserves to be celebrated by his former students, friends, relations, colleagues, well-wishers and lovers of hard work.

According to the committee, the choice of theme is informed by the fact that the history of a people, place or era could be understood through a close study of the lives of some of the men who lived in the place and era, and who played important roles in the shaping of the events of their time.

“Uya has proved himself to be a towering historian and a public intellectual interested in policy related issues important to the development of Nigeria, Africa and the Black world at large,” the committee said.

Professor Uya was also briefly chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON), appointed by military president Ibrahim Babangida after the presidential elections of June 12, 1993 had been annulled and his predecessor Humphrey Nwosu dismissed.

Uya who is of Oron origins in Akwa Ibom State has served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Chile for six years. A professor of history at the University of Calabar, Uya was appointed to conduct a new presidential poll after the annulment of the 12 June 1993 election.

The National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) were asked to present new candidates for the new presidential poll with a target of new elections by March 1994. But in the confusion that followed the annulment crisis Uya was not able to conduct the election before he was removed when General Sani Abacha assumed power.

Uya has equally served Deputy Vice Chancellor and acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar.

Slavery: Only 46 ethnics groups from Nigeria, others account for most Afro-American origins–Research

Before the advent of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) testing, scholars relied on shipping records that listed the African ports from which slaves were exported to determine where in Africa the African-descended population of the United States originated. But these lists were quite limited because they noted only the port of departure and not the actual community from which the enslaved were taken.

Advancements in DNA analyses, along with African shipping records, have revealed that African Americans do not have roots in the entire continent. A relatively small number of African groups supplied the lion’s share of the ancestral African population.

In fact, three large regions of Atlantic Africa were the major contributors to the slave trade: Upper Guinea, including the modern countries of Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia; Lower Guinea, including the southern portions of Eastern Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria; and West Central Africa, which encompassed mostly the western portions of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. In all, these regions made up only about 15 percent of Africa’s total area, all on the Atlantic side of the continent.

People were once skeptical of claims made by early DNA ancestry-tracing services that they could identify a subject’s “tribe” or “ethnicity” in Africa; the available data didn’t seem to sustain such claims. But new ways of calculating ancestry from the genome and larger African samples can make determining ethnic identifications more accurate.

 

The Language Connection

 

Today, speaking a common language is the primary way to identify an African tribal or ethnic affiliation. Since African languages are quite stable and reports of these languages demonstrate that there has not been any large population movement within the slave-exporting region of Africa in the past 400 years or so, it should be relatively easy to match modern ethnicities or tribes with those of the slave-trade era.

However, the names of these languages and ethnic groups have changed over that period. For example, in 1767 a German missionary named Christian Georg Andreas Oldendorp did a survey of slaves living in the Danish West Indies to try to determine which languages should be used for evangelical purposes. The Danish West Indies received slaves from the same shipping route that North America used.

Oldendorp, calculating ethnicity by language, listed 30 apparently different languages (his terminology sometimes makes it unclear where political and where linguistic units divided), and he provided vocabulary for 26 of these languages, which allows us to be certain of the modern equivalent.

In the Americas, Africans were most likely to form social units with other people who spoke their language, even if they might belong to different political units; in Africa their identity was more likely connected to a political unit. Their rulers collected taxes, demanded service (including the military service that resulted in their enslavement) and rendered justice, while neighbouring polities might well be hostile even if they spoke the same language.

People collecting information about identity in America were likely to choose linguistic units, while those commenting on it in Africa were more likely to focus on political units. This created an interesting paradox: The names of African “nations” in America often did not match exactly with the names of “nations” in Africa.

 

The Ethnic Connection

 

For African Americans seeking to learn about their African ancestry, there is also the issue of ethnic associations. Since the inception of colonialism, Africans have come more and more often to cast their identity in terms of ethnicity, or by “tribal” identity. While most certainly do recognize themselves as citizens of Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria  or Angola, they are also quite likely to recognize identity as Wolof, Akan, Igbo, Oyo  or Mbundu.

Neither the political units nor, as often as not, the linguistic units are directly comparable to designations of nations or states given for the era of the slave trade. In fact, less than one-third of Oldendorp’s language names are the current names for the language. Ethnic maps, like the famous map published by George Peter Murdock in 1959, are the basis for most understandings of today’s ethnicity, and researchers collecting DNA samples are likely to ask for these names when collecting the sample and report their results using the same names.

African Americans seeking their roots must understand that there was no Senegal or Ghana in the era of the slave trade, and that while Angola and Congo were commonly used as ethnic names, these places did not have anything like their modern borders. The names of some of the ethnic groups of today have changed, and anyone attempting to find the links to African ancestors must know something about the history of the group.

According to Murdock’s ethnic map, Africa has more than 1,000 ethnic groups and as many languages. By Oldendorp’s definition, barely 30 of the ethnic groups on Murdock’s map contributed to the population of the Americas. Africa appears to be somewhat less diverse in the era of the slave trade.

But using the geographic information that Oldendorp supplied, and plotting the borders and ethnicity according to the Murdock map, it becomes clear that Oldendorp’s 30 ethnic groups encompassed 46 of today’s ethnic groups. (This is because some modern ethnic groups make up two or three of Oldendorp’s.)

 

Their Origins

 

For people seeking their roots, it is probably not as important to link to a long-lost political group or try to locate the 18th-century name of genetic ancestors. The real contribution of the results provided by DNA is that they connect an African American living in, say, Boston or New Orleans with an African who identifies himself by a name — say, Asante or Wolof — and who lives in Ghana or Senegal. The African American who shares genetic sequences with that person can link himself to that modern ethnic group. By matching genetic anomalies in an African American and an African, one can establish that these two individuals had common ancestors two centuries ago.

Slavery and Jim Crow were meant to wrench African Americans from their African past, but with research and advances in science, the search for ties to a vast continent has narrowed considerably.

Courtesy: Linda Heywood, professor of history and the director of African-American Studies at Boston University and John Thornton, professor of history and African-American Studies at Boston University.