Eyin'juOdu

They said Eniolorunda was 45 on January 16, 2008. As usual the birthday boy was tangled with his love. He did not remember. They did. The show of love was overwhelming. Hundreds of good, inspiring words filed his phone and mail box. He drew tears; the second time in five years -- first was Feb. 3rd in 2003, when shortly afer he returned to town from Europe, he was summoned by no less a person than the ElderArtsMan, Steve Rhodes.... "I am standing here im front of OJEZ, and i will not leave this spot until you show up a the door". It was an order; from the man who has come to represent the finest of artistic practice, an inspiration for generations of culture workers and producers of creative products. EniOlorun had to detour from Obalende, some 20 odd kilometres away from the spot where the Art sage was standing. He had landed that same morning from Italy, where he had spent the last two months. January 16 of that year, a dear friend had staged a remarkable family party fo...

Jahman Anikulapo (As published in THe Guardian, Sunday February 10, 2008) HERE is one major art exhibition project that appeared to have sneaked in unannounced on the Lagos art circuit. Not so much loud drumming heralded its birth on Saturday, February 3; at least not any whiff near the celebratory, punch-pulling and influence-commanding opening of Joe Musa’s Recent Paintings, which opened same day at the National Theatre, Lagos. Though the hosting institution, the Centre for Contemporary Art, CCA, Lagos, had done much within its limited resources and current strength to spread the word in the necessary circles, particularly among the ery close-knit visual art patronage family, the show still could not be said to have enjoyed the much deserved public attention, particularly for what it represents for the cultural sector of the national economy; and of course the many factors that make it a unique artistic venture. And these factors are many: One, this is an exhibition featuring the w...

Apruka was a very determined lowly-rated but highly principled character in A Horse on My Back, a play devised by the cast and crew of the Africa Project in 1998, and which toured Germany and part of Nigeria. The sort of confidence and grit determination of Apruka is rare.... he refused to be pushed down by the odds placed on his path by men who ought to be a lords of the animals kingdom; so he trudged on, even when his fellow workers felt resignation was the best option. He won his victory, but only in his own heart; yet he was contented, extremely so contented and fulfilled. We need the candour and resolve of such men when things seem to walk on their heads.

Ambassador Sanders: ‘I Am a Daughter, Sister Of Nigeria, I Won’t Do Anything Against My People’ (As published in The Guardian of February 3, 2008) By Jahman Anikulapo “As a daughter of Africa… I will never be in support of something that will be of negative consequence to the continent”. Of course, with a committal statement such as this, dug up from the recesses of the soul, every doubt about the sincerity of the speaker’s position would vanish. The initial scepticism was instantly replaced by reverence for her courage to take on an issue that had become such a sore on the reputation of the institution she represents. Madam Ambassador had earlier, on same issue of the rumoured intention of the American government regarding the establishment of an African Command – AFRICOM – in Nigeria, declared: “I am telling you as a sister of Nigeria, I will never be party to anything that would be detrimental to the welfare of the people of this country, who are also my own people”. In truth,...