Eyin'juOdu

Who Is A Culture Minister? By Segun Ojewuyi TRUST me, the premise is simple. Artists are fueled by a burning passion to create art — expressive and qualitative art that conveys the ennobling power of deep thought and penetrating insight, balanced with beauty. Artists — Nigerian artists not excempted — also want to make a dignified living, the kind that respects and provides the sanctity necessary for creativity to flourish. Where there is talent, good training and tenacity of purpose, such a combination of critical artistic and commercial success, should not be hard to find. Often the artist just wants to be able to keep the creative work unhindered, maintain a responsible family life and foster good citizenship. Opulence is not a requirement, but also not anathema. The artistic life is a cause not a curse, it is one of service not servitude, nobility not futility. It is a life that is just as worthy of every breath, every second and minutia of creativity and labour that ...

(By Chief Muraina Oyelami) Seven stars or Seven-Seven, seven seems to be magical. Even in Yoruba believe, seven is a special number. The grand-finale or shall I say the most important day of most of our traditional festivals has always being the seventh day. My colleague, Oseni was firstly to be known as Seven-Stars. He was an entertainer right from his youthful days. I knew him as a dancer and acrobat helping an Osogbo local medicine vendors known as Ore-Meji (two friends that owned the business) in the late part of 1963. In 1964, a Briton scholar Mr Michael Crowder who was a close friend of Ulli Beier was leaving Nigeria for Fourabay College in Sierra Leone and a dinner party was arranged in his honour at Mbari-Mbayo Artists and Writers Club Osogbo. The time came when the guest was to take the floor and dance, suddenly, without knowing that Twins was among the on-lookers. Twins started to dance and every one was ‘captured’ by his show. A show that was so original in ...

By Bridget Onoche-Chiedu, Abuja THE art community in Abuja has described the death of Prince Taiwo Olaniyi Osuntoki, popularly known as Twins Seven-Seven, as another heavy blow on the Osogbo Art School. Those, who spoke to The Guardian, said the 68-year old Osuntoki would be remembered for his doggedness and pessimism towards life’s challenges, which culminated into UNESCO’s recognition as the Artist for Peace in 2005. One of his friends and staff of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orietnation, Mr. Augustine B Ajibola, in his tribute, said that Prince 77 was one of such artists, whose names are indelible in the hearts of those people that have come in contact with them. He further described him as a man of engaging personality and one, whose sense of humour defied the physical challenge he suffered in the early 70s, when he was involved in an auto accident.

‘They Came With Brushes In One Hand And A Bag Of Knowledge In The Other’ ‘They Came With Brushes In One Hand And A Bag Of Knowledge In The Other’ SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2011 00:00 GABI DUIGU SUNDAY MAGAZINE - ARTS Chief Taiwo Olaniyi (aka Twins 77), the world renowned artist and UNESCO Ambassador for the Arts, who passed on at age 67 on Thursday after weeks of illness at the UCH Ibadan was one of the pioneers of the famous Osogbo Art Movement, having participated in the 1960s workshop that led to the emergence of the movement. In this narration excerpted from the book, Thirty Years of Osogbo Art (Iwalewa Haus, 1991), edited by the man who (with his wife, Georgina) inspired and coordinated the workshop, the German scholar and culture worker, Uli Beier (also late), Olaniyi explains how he came into the world of the art. The interview was based on an interview with Gabi Duigu in Sydney, 1984. THE first time I saw Ulli was towards September 1963. Then I was still working with the ...