Eyin'juOdu

In Fond Memory of Steve Rhodes, Articles | THISDAY LIVE --- This commemorative event, designed especially to celebrate his eminent contributions to the Nigerian (and African) music and artistic heritage, features an exhibition of the rich and resourceful collection of photographic recordings of his over six decades of illustrious career. The exhibition, which will last for two weeks (till June 12),  will be formally opened by the Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on Thursday, May 29 at the Museum Gallery of the Freedom Park, Old Colonial Prison, 1 Hospital Road (by Broad Street), Lagos.

The WS80/ICE Exhibition of Portraits of Wole Soyinka, which two weeks ago, flagged off the Countdown to the 80th birthday anniversary celebraton of the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka,  continues at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto Abeokuta. The project also features a weekly workshop/mentoring for select students drawn from around Ogun State. Check www.opendoorseries.com for details of the programme of the celebration

Olu Amoda gives hard issues a soft landing : Nigerian artist Olu Amoda's welding works using ound objects jointly won the top prize at the recently opened Dark'Art Biennale. In the work that won him first place titled, "Sunflower," he plays with contrasts by giving the work a soft name, but utilising hard objects – steel nails and spoons. This is typical of the artist who delights in creating an idea and beauty out of what is considered as discarded but reusable.

The Dakar Biennale turns a fresh page : The 2014 Dakar Art Biennale veers off its beaten part to showcase the works of artists who have never taken part in the biannual art fiesta. Nigeria’s Olu Amoda won the Great Prize Léopold Sédar Senghor for producing the best work among selected artists. He was joint winner with Algeria’s Driss Ouadahi. The curators for this year’s edition include Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, who is originally from Nigeria and is an artist, curator, and art historian of African Art at the Hood Museum Dartmouth College in the United States. He took charge of selecting artists from African countries south of the Sahara. ---

From Garden City to World Book Capital, Articles | THISDAY LIVE --- “I see great possibilities for the city of Port Harcourt, the nation Nigeria and indeed the African continent. With a fifth of the World’s population living on this continent, and an estimated 70 per cent of them being youth, the programmes of the Port Harcourt World Book Capital year, which mainly target this age group, have the potential to transform the education landscape of the continent, beginning here in the city of Port Harcourt,”   EniOlorutidak'oseFarawek'oseF'enutembelek'oseBinuk'oseNa'kaiwosisiWiwol'aawo

Lagos Black Heritage Festival: From Imitation: Tune to Indigenous, Innovative Music, Articles | THISDAY LIVE This year, the Lagos Black Heritage Festival takes a break from the norm –The Black Mediterranean Blue. While the festival policy of a thematic selection for each edition is not abandoned, it moves from the geographic outlook to the disciplinary –the discipline for this year being music. The reason is that so much is happening in the musical field, but there is a domination of European pop forms which nearly stifle the exploration of indigenous musical resources both in direct performance for audiences, and in their application to other disciplines –most notably in theatre and cinema/video.  ---EniOlorutidak'oseFarawek'oseF'enutembelek'oseBinuk'oseNa'kaiwosisiWiwol'aawo

Cultural Rebirth At Lagos Black Heritage Festival, Articles | THISDAY LIVE --- The crowd grew daily as the news about the Lagos Black Heritage Festival spread fast like a virus. From the little school age girl on holiday to a professional who came to steal a look during office hours, everyone had a camera phone to take pictures and record the momentous cultural event. In retrospect, one can argue that the festival has become more organised in terms of programming and delivery of live performances. EniOlorutidak'oseFarawek'oseF'enutembelek'oseBinuk'oseNa'kaiwosisiWiwol'aawo