My Talking Beginnings

Africa!

2008-09-22T13:09:00.002+01:00

Once again, we are reluctant witnesses to history, as Thabo Mbeki resigns as president of RSA. I am distinctly aware that, as Jacob Zuma prepares his ascendancy, we witness the beginning of South Africa's decline. Once again, Africa allows itself to be taken over by vision less "leaders" with no ideological direction and worse, love for other Africans. What a terrible shame...

Persepolis

2008-06-21T11:27:00.004+01:00

It doesn't feel like the summer at the moment, not least because of the awful weather we are having but also because of dire news that seems to be the trend nowadays. People dying, the possiblity of the peak oil theory happening as we live it and more. Still, humans were made to survive and i still have to go to Japan -:)
I recently saw the brilliant movie persepolis, originally a comic book by French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi. This comes at the time that i read Wole Soyinka's semi-autobiographical book, you must set forth at dawn. Both texts highlight similar issues, power, ideology, social inconsistencies and even social cycles. It isn't pleasant information to absorb, especially as we consider the suggestions that certain societies have and will always function in anarchy. Those who have read Mr Soyinka's book will understand. I will however, suggest to those who have not seen the movie, persepolis, to either get the graphic novels or see the movie. Read more about it here and even more about its apt title here. Its poignancy particularly hits home to those in diaspora as the seconday themes the text explores are those of dissillusionment when you move abroad and how a lack of ideology back home may not be such a bad thing afterall...
On the subject of Wole Soyinka's book, i will honestly admit that i am struggling. You must set forth at dawn, so far, is a very interesting read;however, one tends to get the impression that the story teller is an old grand-dad who recounts his past in short stops whilst dozing inbetween on a lazy saturday afternoon. Of course, i say this with the utmost respect for the gentleman. Perhaps i am wrong. I am only halfway through the book and it is still early days yet. Perhaps my perspectives shall change as i read on....
On the subject of writing, Dele Momodu regurgitates another ill-researched, ill-written piece that just makes me....you guessed it, quite ill! His saturday pieces are like car crash tv, one is just drawn to in a morbid trance like state. You can read it here for your judgements.
On the subject of deaths, i hear Oliver De Coque has unfortunately passed away. May his soul rest in peace. Perhaps those murderous cretins who currently run Nigeria might want to take a lesson for this and see that nothing lasts forever....

Parade

2008-06-14T13:00:00.002+01:00

In Britain, most watch the 'trooping in color' event if they can. In British tradition, the queen has two birthdays (April the 21st actually) but an all out parade is performed in the summer anyway when the weather is better. In front of my flat, there was a parade just now, which makes one appreciate Britain even more. Its glorious traditions are just brilliant. It was completely fascinating to see all the soldiers, tunics, bearskins and all, marching soberly across the walk. I took pictures, which i shall upload later, meanwhile read more about it here...

Britain!

2008-06-13T15:40:00.003+01:00

Britain is going through an interesting time at the moment. The economic turmoil is being felt, albeit at the bottom only. Last sunday's Times writes about how Britain's rich carry on with the game in Monaco whilst there might be oil shortages as tanker drivers strike. Gosh, sounds very third world doesn't it? This vast economic divide, potential fuel shortages...now what does that remind me of?
Meanwhile, the political landscape becomes even more turbulent (thats not the right word but it seems more exciting). The Irish vote against the EU (technically) and the Tories pull a stunt (for thats what it is). What is most interesting about David Davis's so-called gallant call for a challenge against those who try to "assult our civil liberties"* is how this episode has shown just how gullible the British public are. Of course, shortly after the David Davis commons episode (David Davis is the UK Shadow home secretary who resigns as minister to protest the government's new terror laws), the public immediately rushed to congratulate him as the last bastion of democracy and so on...which is what the Tories expected.
The media tells us that Tory leader Dave Cam knew nothing about the coming resignation, which i do not believe. The tories expect us to believe that a front bench shadow minister, triggering a bye-election in a tory safe seat is actually gambling anything? Of course he isnt! What is clearly going on, is that, once again, the Tories take away what might appear to be dour Gordon's apparent victory whilst keeping attention on the controversial bill and making the man's popular move...er, unpopular. What might put the spanner in the works of the whole thing is if the Sun newspapers actually field a candidate and...win???? anyway, read all about it, here
Meanwhile, three ex-generals that lead Nigeria have the temerity to suggest that Abacha did not steal or destroy that country. If only those villanous cretins would consider what has happened to Adedibu of late....
*(for those who do not live in the UK, the government wants to extend the time it can keep terror suspects locked up for without charge, something that has proved popular with the voting public but unpopular with some, including the other political parties)

British summer time

2008-06-10T13:37:00.006+01:00

Finally, we get a glimpse of British summer time. It won't last however, apparently, it goes back to grey tomorrow. However, its been great the last couple of days. This is not to say that Britain isn't beautiful in its greyness. A little sunshine, as has occurred recently usually means a mad rush for flip flops, awful hawaiin shorts and tacky sunglasses but what about the other three hundred days of grey?
Well i can prove that Britain is still beautiful in its greyness. Witness the pictures i took in the park across the road from my flat...aren't they lovely (even if i say so myself ) :-))

Nigerians boycott BA...

2008-04-10T18:41:00.002+01:00

Read this entry on Chxta's blog and i think its an outrage. Something must be done! There i was considering flying home this christmas and of course, thinking of BA....but no more! I will not fly BA this time around, they're nonesense is too much.
Sign here to get something done about it.
thanks chxta for the link!

Global madness?

2008-04-09T17:05:00.002+01:00

Has the world gone mad? Obviously the British government have the wires crossed where this man is allowed to stay and this poor woman, deported to her death. The world faces a recession they say, anyone thinking Kondratiev?
Click here for linford christies best races in the 90's. What is most interesting from a Nigerian perspective is to imagine that at one time, Nigeria had up to three sprinters in the sprints finals. Where did we go wrong? Silly question obviously. When i was younger i idolised the ezenwa twins....enjoy!

Poverty and splendour

2008-04-03T16:58:00.003+01:00

I came across this article on the late Billionaire Mai Deribe, and it sums up one of the crushing issues with Nigeria. In a recent discussion with a friend, i argued that one of my fears of moving back to Nigeria is not the abscence of basic comforts that is sure to follow but the numbness to poverty that is standard. I admit that i never noticed poverty in Nigeria until i moved abroad to live...now, it is ever so stark!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the Guardian

2008-04-02T17:30:00.004+01:00

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reflects on the ridiculous bill on 'indecent dressing' in Nigeria. Her reference to immorality in the Nigerian context is particularly interesting to note. Visit it here via the guardian website. Even more interesting are the comments that follow. When i go on such websites, such as the guardian and the BBC for example; it is interesting to see people's perspectives on general issues under the cover of annonymity. An opportunity to 'let it all out' in a society so burdened by political correctness and false pretense...not that this is non-existent elsewhere. Chimamanda, i would imagine, would laugh till her sides ached if she read the comments that followed. As a foreigner resident in a country inhibited by undercover xenephobic neanderthals, it is admittedly not encouraging to read; however insightful this may be. An issue of morality indeed!

Saturday

2008-03-29T17:41:00.003Z

Gosh i love saturdays! Even though i never seem to see it nowadays. I graduate this summer which means i am currently engaged in the notoriously awful bit of the process..i.e. studying incredibly hard. Incredibly hard meaning writing three lines and taking a thirty minute break to catch up to the latest happenings on Youtube and of course, nibbling kit-kats with fervour! I wonder, can several bars of kit-kat be referred to as kit-kats?
Its been an eventful time (for everyone it seems), these last couple of weeks not least of all for Heather Mills and Sir Paul. By now everyone knows the sordid affair that has been the heather-macca divorce/heather demands loads of dosh off macca/macca says no and goes to court/Heather fires her lawyers and gets a pittance/Heather gets slightly over 24million pounds/Heather tips a jug of water over macca's lawyer-Fiona Shackleton/Heather stands on the steps of the court and rants to the media/end of/!/ Phew!! I'm shocked i could get it out in one breath. Interesting thing is the perspective of the public to the whole affair. Don't get me wrong, i am not partial to money grabbing ex-spouses, least of all the ex Lady Mcartney but cmon, surely Sir Paul saw it comin and went for it anyway? Apparently not! My views being too long to cram into one post i have decided to post a link to Marina Hyde's take on the issue which echoes my sentiments to the letter....

There appears to be a sudden awakening to the issue of rights within the Nigerian context. Gistmongers Niyi Tabiti and the devine Stella Dimoko K appear to only just have realised that their work has/is being plagiarised and i am sorry to "report" that it has lead to drastic consequences. Whilst Niyi has carried on with his work, Stella the firebrand insists that her blog will close down; much to the dismay of many. Still, Niyi's acceptance of the status quo regarding plagiarism appears to counter this great loss to the literary world of gossip...hurrah anyone?

I had the grave misfortune of seeing the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2008 live courtesy AIT/Sky last night and hopefully, i will never see it again!It was atrocious. Most of it anyway. Whilst i didn't like the song Dbanj performed, i will give it to him that he is a show man. Otherwise, it was a disaster...end of! Bella Naija appeared to like it though, so if you want a full run down of the event....

On the subject of glamour, or a lack of as the case may be; Carla Bruni didn't do Sarah Brown any favours. The press, the paparazzi, the nation and even the queen are totally enamoured by the french "beauty" and for good reason too. There was the notorious picture first and then it went downhill from there. The telegraph have a thorough account of how this has functioned here.

British summer time officially begins tomorrow and i cannot wait. The promise this summer holds is more special than the previous ones. I am stocking up on plans already. Went to Borders yesterday to pick up some books which included the N1LDA which i plan to read this summer. Also, i will also be readingin imagine this by sade adeniran...details of the book could be found here

It ain't half racist mum?

2008-03-27T09:30:00.004Z

I love my housemate to bits but at times his behaviour is a bit worrying! He's your typical white boy just out of uni, clever, 'damaged', drinks too much, parties too much and carries on like he thinks he is still at uni. He's great fun and extremely helpful in many ways, giving advice and even helping with my uni work at times. Problem is he is 'typical' in every sense. Perhaps this is what Barack Obama so uncharacteristically failed to eloquently allude to in his speech on his grandmother being a typical white person. What is a typical white person? Well it is difficult to say, as i am not white. My step-mother was white, my brother is half white; does that mean he is half a typical white person? It is indeed a difficult question.
My reasons for this post are as follows. Friend one (who is aforementioned housemate) goes clubbing with friends (i should mention i was asked to come but couldn't as i couldn't afford it) and meet random people who turn out to be white South Africans. Friend one invites them back to his flat (which is mine too) and they carry on with their partying all through the weekend, which i do not mind. I do not interfere as i am wary of white South Africans, and with good reason it appears. My housemate makes the oddest statement (as he regales me with stories of their mad bank holiday weekend). He says, "I told M (who is a mutual friend) that those South Africans are racist as f*** but they were good fun though!!". I was gobsmacked, even though in light of what mr Obama's underlining message was trying to say, i should not have been. Trying to take the steel out my voice, i replied "How fortunate that you are able to reconcile the dichotomy to their existence". He mumbles something, and leaves. This mutual friend goes away this weekend for a while and wants to go out with the gang. He has asked me on a few occassions to come out with them and i had previously agreed but if those SA's are coming as well, good manners out the window, i will refuse to go!
Friend two at work. Pleasant, funny, charming. He however makes fun of Indian accents betrays uncomfortable ignorance of the world outside Europe and America, which is often unsettling. He is young, white and male. This is not to say that we do not get on swimmingly, we do. There is however a problem.
Barack Obama came under fire recently for suggesting that all good white people are a little racist (invariably thats what he meant). whilst his delivery was questionable, i understand what he meant. It is nearly impossible to grow up in Western society and not be conditioned into believing the white supremist ideology that is prevalent in this part of the world. I will not go into detail about how wrong the ideology is as it would be a waste of my time and anyone reading this. However, It is funny that many should subscribe to it. The idea being that white people have created advanced styles of government, technology and so on. Agreed, but what about the individual? My housemate has graduated with a lower second, drinks and parties and isnt in a great job, so how does he qualify as great? This is same for mostwhite people who subscribe to this ideology. As was quoted in the movie Irobot where sunny (the robot) is confronted by Del (played by Will smith who was in the movie) on his not being human. Del shouts, can a robot paint a canvas or create a symphony like a human? Sunny simply replies, can you?

N1LDA Revisited

2008-03-26T07:00:00.002Z

Just to let everyone know that the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is now showing on the BBC website via iplayer. What you could do is visit the website at BBC.co.uk. or select the UK version when you get to the website and it should automatically allow you to view it!
For young people/or old even, looking to relocate to Africa for work and other things, the Global Careers Africa summit is holding in London at the end of May. They are taking applications now though, so complete one asap if you are looking to get a job on the continent. Click here for more details!!

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

2008-03-24T13:33:00.002Z

Overall, I thought it was great! Last night, the BBC had the Number one ladies detective agency; a film adaptation of Alexander Mcall Smith's novel and i would like to believe it was a success...barring a few problems. Yes some of the actors struggled with the accent, some scenes were conveyed in an awkward manner and some performances were stilted, however, the movie left you with the lovely feeling of a feel-good movie....set in any part of the world. I particularly liked how simple the stories were with their subtle references to daily problems in Africa. Daily is the key word. The reference to people in Africa living basic lives and doing normal things was the highlight for me, a situation i believe would not go down well with the average British viewer. Sam Wollaston reflects this in his review of the movie, sentiments we see across the media (see the Times and so on...). It was not news when most friends i asked about it had either not seen it or were watching something else. It is a bit difficult being confronted with an Africa that isn't wracked with AIDS or howling for help. This episode emphasises the imperative for effective communiction of Africa to the world, o when will we learn?
Back the film, the performances that were top notch were by Lucian Msmati and the devine Nikki Amuka-Bird, whom i had never seen looking so fierce! Usually when she's on the telly, its in some rag tag costume with dodgy make up (re: torchwood) but here, she was sophisticated, well dressed and beautiful! The acting i have to say was brilliant! The scene stealer for me was Idris Elba who played Charlie Kgotso. Powerful, charming and danm fine! I will be honest to admit that Anika Noni Rose and Lady Jill didn't do it for me, however, the story charmed away their akwardness. I dare not forget the gorgeous Bongeka Mpongwana who played Happy Bepetsi...stunning, graceful, brilliant!
It is ironic that professionals in the media whose sole purpose it is to inform betray outright ignorance on the subject of the African continent when confronted with the task. This is what Chimamanda Adichie aludes to when she argues that Africans should tell the story of Africa and not the blonde Westerner who claims to the 'African expert'. It is therefore a shame that the No.1 ladies detective agency is dismissed by these so called experts as a fictional account of the true Africa, existing within Alexander Mccall Smith' head. The truth is i know and appreciate the validity of these representations as would most Nigerian viewers of the programme, the question is, what are we going to do about it?

The show that's putting me on the edge of my seat!

2008-03-23T17:43:00.003Z

tonight, it is on! So i am putting my books away for a bit and settling into my comfy sofer for an hour or two to enjoy this..i hope i do. Verdict tomrrow. See here for details!

2008-03-20T11:35:00.002Z

Ama Sumani, 39, has died in Ghana. She may not have directed any award winning films, or created master-pieces of any sorts, but she was a human being and that counts for a lot. The story around Ms Sumani's death which can be read here is such a painful one, that i am at a loss as to how i feel. What are the answers in situations like these? Should the questions be directed to the British government for having faulty processes in terms of deportation or to the inept Ghanian government who have failed their citizen so miserably. The questions abound but the need for development on the African continent becomes more urgent. How many more unecessary deaths like this will it take to show our leaders that it is not the West, nor aid nor China that can help us, but ourselves only!
There are several debates on the best strategy for alleviating poverty and promoting development across the African contient in its entirety. My investigations suggest that the Aid process although kindly, is not working. In fact it is failing miserably. Observers suggest a trend in areas that have recieved Aid that suffer from bad governance and wasteful spending. This is particularly evident in the failed states of Somalia and the DRC. Similarly, the conditionalities attached to the Aid process by Western governments is not helping either, why should societies different to theirs run on policies formulated by these governments (the west)? Amity Shlaes has written severally, that Aid is not the way to African development and even goes on to criticize its alternative, free/fair trade?
What is the alternative? Pan Africanism as suggested by the clever Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem? Perhaps not. Ideal as it may seem, could the many ideologies existent on the continent be absorbed into a homogenous culture in order to achieve our shared objective of development? What is the likelehod of an EU style cooperative effort within a continent with so many levels of inequalities? Africa historically, has been built on difference and not on the opposite.
Trade is not free and definitely not fair. The concept of liberalized trade is a myth suggested by the big guns who run the WTO, aided by the inept leaders who are either clueless with regards to the mechanics of global economics or just can't be bothered to take their minds of the central banks they hold the cheque books for. Trade in itself is problematic. The economic development it is suggested to bring does not guarantee overall development as can be seen all over the continent. On paper, Sub-saharan Africa's GNP grew rather healthily in the last few years as opposed to the 90's but this was driven by an increased oil output, and in essence, the few oil producers on the continent. But as Mabogunje puts it, what does this mean for long term development? He asks that as petroleum is a non renewable resource, how can this be interpreted for sustainable development and managed for the future? The gulf states have seen this and are taking effective action in this regard through sovereign wealth funds and an egagement in the otherwise exclusive club barred by the TRIPS agreement. The problem is indeed complex.
Ama has died, and millions of others along with her. They say that nearly ten million children die before the age of five each year and the amount increases every year. The question here remains the same, what are we going to do about it?

Nayo!

2008-03-17T13:59:00.002Z

Anyone reading this, please go and buy Nayo's cd..I bought mine!!
Here or here

Roisin Doing her thing in convent garden...the girl is fierce!

2008-03-16T12:50:00.001Z

Roisin Murphy rules!!

2008-03-16T12:43:00.001Z

Here she is performing live on later!

here's her album containing the album (real version) of 'you know me'...

All talk and no action?

2008-02-17T20:29:00.003Z

The week starts and i am aprehensive. I can only hope it is better than my last. In the news, i can only wonder if this is policy or outright laziness. Also, consider this in light of Soludo's declaration of the unemployablity of the Nigerian graduate!

Back from London town....

2008-02-16T13:12:00.002Z

So london was great...as can only be expected. I saw the phantom of the Opera which lived up to its glorious reviews. It is interesting to note that it has run uninterrupted since 1986 and still sells to a sellout audience every night. One can see why, considering the incredible vocals and impressive stage craft. The scene stealer for me was Wendy Jackson who plays Carlotta, you can read more about her impressive CV here...
And so my friend goes to get drinks whilst i observe all that goes on around me during the intermission. The place is full of couples all similar in their outlook, youngish, smart casual, whispering sweet nothings as the women clutch roses. It suddenly occurs to me that its valentine's (all this happened on thurs the 14th) and i almost kick myself for forgetting. I laugh at the idea of what my friend and i must look like to other people and promptly mention this to him when he arrives to which the cheeky bugger replies "well they'd only think you've done well for yourself".. it doesn't help that i accidently spill a bottle of pop on the lady sitting in front of me. I suspect my profuse apologies doesn't go down to well with her but i am just happy her 6foot 2 rugby player looking partner doesn't seem to mind...notin dey happen....

I've had a difficult week up until wednesday when i went to London. I was under achieving in my targets, my grades were not the best and i'd recieved a severe bollocking from my dissertation supervisor for what he describes as my lackluster work. It doesn't help that i also recieve a rejection letter for a job i'd applied for at the start of the year. I question myself on my abilities, am i as clever as people say i am? what is wrong with me? why can't i achieve consistently? Insecurities abound as i ask these questions but i am determined to overcome them....

I stayed in a beautiful part of London not far from St John's wood which i fell in love with. The lovely clean streets and large georgian style houses captured my heart and attention but it was the quaint village square that really did it for me. Downside? My host recounted a story of a friend of his who once came visiting, and on finding he wasn't home decided to wait for him on the steps of his house. Soon enough, the police came calling to see why a black man was loitering....

I got the guardian's bulky friday edition to keep myself occupied on the last train out of paddington and to my delight, discovered a review to the talented Asa's debut album here. Whilst i was dissapointed at the overall rating of three stars (i disagree as i would give it four), i could't help but agree with the reviewer's verdict on the producers input on strings and electronics which i think drowned out a lot of the beauty of asa's raw talent. However, for a debut album i think she has done incredibly well. Listen to bits of it here.

Not back to blogging....

2008-02-11T23:27:00.000Z

I'm just really clogged with ideas. So much is going on or has gone on and there never seems enough time to rant on to someone about it, dare i say it is safe enough to resume blogging? Or at least think it? Let them not say i didn't try.....

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A lot has happened since i last blogged which i will not go into but how can one not reflect on the excellent weather of the weekend just gone past? Sunny skies and calm cool tempratures make weekends what they should be. It also turned out that Wales played Scotland in my back yard (i live right next to the millenium stadium in cardiff) and found myself in the thick of things. Of course Wales won which suggests either a winning streak to come or extended luck to the detriment of all. On the subject of the thickness of things, it never ceases to amaze me how confident the butchest men can be wearing skirts...pardon me, kilts whilst swigging beer and squeezing their man boobs. Perhaps one has to be scottish to understand these things....

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Britain on the other hand is going through another winging storm but then again, one has to ask, does the winging ever end. Now it is about taxing non-dom's and most loudly, an angry reaction to the speech give by Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams on sharia law in the UK. Arguments on what the man actually said asides, perhaps the British media in the rare moment of reflection will perhaps see how biased it can be, bearing in mind the lack of objectivity in its coverage of the issue. I laughed out loud as the Beeb reported on the topic, showing background images of women in Burkas on the streets of birmingham, floggings in Kano and shootings in Afghanistan....i wonder if there was a subtext to those images....

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Talking about Kano and by extension Nigeria, George Soros has expressed interest in the Niger Delta. One cannot but ask why however foolish this may sound. Of what impact will economic advice do in the delta? or in the words of the locals, wetin concine crayfish and angle ninety?

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Not necessarily based on issues like the above but i decided to stay on in the UK for a few more years before moving back to Naija and so the job hunt has begun in earnest. I'll admit, it is very difficult considering one has to combine the strain of uni work as well as paid work but the benefits of an organised system of this nature where the job is confirmed before you graduate is brilliant. Works for everyone. Employers can plan a workforce, graduates are guaranteed a place and so make use of their last free summer whilst the economy as a whole benefits because there is no lost time for a potential contributor to the work force. Perhaps the NYSC people are listening. Still, the immigrant (abi?) it must be pointed out has a vastly different experience in such matters. Actually, the immigrant has a vastly different experience in pretty much every issue, wonder what will happen to this poor sod....

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Sean had a fortnum and Mason hamper delivered recently with the best hams, cheeses and salmon. Went simmingly with the 30 year old port that came with it. Reminds me of a post i read recently on Naijablog on class and difference in Nigeria. Whilst i have definite opinions on that, it is very clear however, that class and difference is very evident in British society from the schools you go to, the newspapers you read to where you get your hampers from.....

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And more subtle references on the salubrious leanings of a student, i am off to London this week and it should be one of drinks, good food and theatre as i have gotten seats for the phantom of the opera. Only thing is my main business in London is a visit to the Nigerian High commision. An awful start or a beautiful finish? I shll know when i get back!!!

back to the blog!

2007-11-07T19:31:00.000Z

I've been too tired to blog. Too busy perhaps. It's the end of the year already and one wonders where the year has gone. I am currently bogged down with university commitments and a dodgy stomach. I live in a period apartment building right in the heart of the city and feel content. My brother has just left as the family do the holiday rounds. I am still not sure whether a lot has happened since i last blogged....
This evening the visited i city library for the first time to explore the possibility of the place as a research tool. It holds promise. I notice there are rows of stuff in the international/foreign section and amble over, only to find that 90% of the stuff is Indian/ Chinese...suspect? On the upside, i find several international journals on Africa and the rest of the third world and make up my mind that i will join; so i walk over to customer service to make enquiries. I have a brief racist moment with the woman behind the desk, but i dont care; i've gotten the information i need....
The christmas trees are being put up in the city centre and the shops are selling like its going out of fashion. Fortunately, my brother was down visiting so my experience did not stop at window shopping....
I had a meeting with my dissertation supervisor and he appears to find my topic interesting enough. For my research topic, i am asking the question: is there a crisis in international aid and humanitarian intervention? Its about time someone tackled the issues surrounding the nonesense that is the aid process. My Oyinbo supervisor confesses his fascination with the topic as a result of his lack of knowledge on it, due to his colonialist mentalilty (the baba lectured in lag in the 70s)..na wa o!
I am somehow optimistic as the end of the year approaches. Even as i blog rubbish, i know it will take some time to get my rythm back but at least i have started...and i will continue! Its good to be back to the blog!
P.s. thanks wienna for the push! xx

x factor mania!!!!

2007-09-15T11:47:00.001+01:00

was it my eyes or did i see Esse Agesse Ogoro auditioning for xfactor?

Long Story!

2007-08-03T13:35:00.000+01:00

I've moved to a new flat!!! Yay!! As i make sure my shag pad (as if) is up to spec, i mourn the loss of the internet! Hopefully should be sorted out in the next week but for now...i am confined to office blogging and facebooking whilst looking furtively over my shoulder for my boss...Employers are so fussy nowadays!

Long time no see.

2007-07-26T19:48:00.000+01:00

Its been forever, i know that! Loads have happened...stuff i have even forgotten about. Where does one begin in recounting the recent history...

Despite a ridiculous work schedule, i have managed to catch up on some reading. Perhaps i should clarify before you think i'm some cerebral book guzzling knowitall...I've done loads of graphic novels consisting primarily of archived marvel/DC stuff. Its fascinating to see how far society has come. There was a time when all superheros were mostly blonde, white and male. Female superheros were mostly weak and ineffectual, acting purely side-kicks and often with lesser powers. The most interesting for me, was the archetypical foe/underling who was always dark skinned and considerably inferior in powers...both mental, physical and supernatural. As we consider the effects of the media (even more obvious in contemporary times through issues like columbine and James Bulgar), we can see what the Frankfurt school argue as we consider contemporary understandings of race, sex and ethnicity and the effects the media has/have had on the issues. It is fascinating that they have become such important areas of study in most universities. That said, i am doing my bit in African lit as well...just started Simi Bedford's not with silver which looks promising.

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I've gotten some more Salif Keita Cd's. I particularly find his Moffou CD deliriously brilliant. It is an excellent mix of strings and song that can only get you going, the way African music can. It feels you with an odd mix of melancholia and the most zestful energy you could imagine. Keita's voice helps lots. Personal favs include Madan, Baba and Iniagige. I should warn you though, the CD is incomplete without good red and excellent company to share this with.
I am also listening to Rokia Traore, Baaba Mal and Orchestra Baobab.

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Without doubt, the weather is appalling. With three quarter's of the country underwater and those blasted people trying to blow everyone up, it doesn't look like there's anywhere to go or anything to do about it either. All of this comes at a time as i struggle to arrange my move to a new flat. It all seems terribly difficult at the moment but i should hopefully come out on top. I am determined however, to go away on holiday somewhere....even if it means just going to London or Dorset...(who goes on holiday to London..haha)

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Gordon Brown has become Prime Minister since the last time i blogged. I know its ages ago now but i still can't get over Mrs (WHATSERNAME) Brown...i mean, what was she wearing!!!! Still, i suppose standing next to dour Mr Brown didn't help matters. The labour party i believe got it right this time around, if anyone can stand up to good ol Dave cam, Mr Brown can. That said, I'd much rather watch a Rory Bremner impression of him than the real thing...boring is as boring gets!

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On the other side of the world (yes i mean that in every interpretable way), Mr Yaradua carries on with business. I can't understand how Bode Augusto was dropped from the ministerial list and Mrs Grange put in health instead of education....hang on, how stupid of me...of course i can understand!! So scratch all the nonsense i just wrote. Doesn't make it any more or less comprehensible though. Show or not, I'm just happy that those thieving bastards are being brought to book about their atrocities in their states. Particularly annoying was Alams and the other one who cried...couldn't even take it like a man. Every time i see their kids on campus, their very presence rile me!!!

***********************************************************************************
On a final note, I'm battling my addiction to face book, can anyone help?

2007-07-08T18:28:00.000+01:00

All hail the entry of the Naija super blog...about time too! It's here by the way...

2007-07-08T18:22:00.000+01:00

Brilliant reading here and here by Ike Anya...I can particularly identify with the going home piece!

2007-07-08T17:55:00.000+01:00

tagged!!

I've apparently been tagged by Chude. Now in all honesty, i really don't know what tagging is about or how it works but i shall try my possible best without bungling it!

seven things!

I worry a lot and think very deeply before i do anything

I'm weak for shirts. When i was younger, I once went without eating because i wanted to buy a shirt i couldn't afford.

I'm a workaholic. I enjoy work espeically in a job i like. I've always worked since i was sixteen and hope to do so as long as i can stand.

I'm very good at making eba and semovita.

I'm a very good pretender i.e. i am proficient at assuming other identites to hide my numerous insecurities

I usually get what i want.

One of my biggest fears is returning to Nigeria. I fear if i do so, i will assuming the idea of the mechanics of that society and revert to the status quo.

Now i am tagging...

Everchange
Uknaija
Naijadude
Linda Ikeji

A video on Africa

2007-06-30T23:58:00.000+01:00

An interesting video on the Africa you never see on tv. I particularly find the comments interesting if not illuminating!! I do agree that the first few minutes of big cities and fancy buildings missed the point, but judge for yourself!

attn: Jeremy of Naijablog

2007-06-30T16:59:00.000+01:00

shey jeremy has been feeling like a naija guy, he should come and see his oga here...lol, lol, lol!!! The girl really tried o!

ade in the summer

2007-06-22T11:42:00.001+01:00

My brother helped out backstage at the Ade Bakare summer show in Lagos but didn't bring me any backstage pictures. I was glad to see the press around the show, positive and well deserved. Ade is a talented designer and he has a blog called haute. This was one of the pieces i saw on the net which i thought was brilliant!!

God is an African!

2007-06-22T11:39:00.000+01:00

I am so grateful to God. Whilst the British (oyinbo people) have a government to turn to when things turn dodgy, we (Africans) only have God when things go pear shaped. I did that and it worked for me. The previous week before this was one of my hardest when everything appeared to go wrong, but i was compensated this week. From the angel (you're probably reading this and you know yourself) that decided to shine some light of hope to the other instruments of help, i say thanks!!!!

racism revisited!

2007-06-22T11:25:00.000+01:00

Issues of race still fascinate me. This post comes in the wake of a previous post (two faced BB, see below) and the replies it elicited. Of course, there are the other issues around my life and in the larger society as well. The other day Sean (once again i refer to him. This is primarily because he feeds my curiosity on these matters) and discussed the issues of identity and difference within the ethnic UK population (whatever that is)! He had been accused of being racist as he commented on the Scottish and his incredulity was at the concept of being racist even within one's race. My school of thought is where does one begin and end in the quest of determining race? Surely, if race was based on difference, and difference informed identity; then the Scottish can by all means assume their own identity...and subsequently race. Is it easy enough to describe racial difference solely on genetics? As we take into consideration peculiarities like the Jews and the Sikhs, the matter becomes even more complicated. I remember recently reading half of a yellow sun by Orange prize winner Chimamanda Adichie, and the subtle references to the Igbo people as a racial identity cannot be ignored. How far are we willing to go in determining identity and difference?
British Comedian Bernard Manning died recently to much debate. In my opinion, an entirely inconsequential event. However, it does re-awaken the earlier question on my blog. Which is better, subtle/hidden racism or blatant racism? Manning was racist/homophobic/sexist without apologies. That was his reality and i assume the vast majority of the straight white males of this society, regardless of age. The fact that a group of people alive today laughed at his jokes informs this. Gavin Esler's pussyfooting interview with one of Manning's on newsnight was also suspect, so why pretend?
A friend of mine (a brash Nigerian girl, know to voice opinions rather loudly) was told me that the fault of society was the incorrect assumption that racism was/is a one way street. The white man being racist to everyone else. Does this not put unfair power in his hands? Is this not misleading to other ethnicity's who share the same animosity? Other ethnicity's who are therefore perceived powerless under their assumed roles as the conquered? Your thoughts please!

The end of an era!!

2007-06-18T10:43:00.000+01:00

It is the end of an era for me. In years to come, i'll tell people of the summer of 07. University has been over for a couple of weeks and i have partied silly (perhaps too much). Now it is time to reflect and knuckle down on moving forward. I did have a nice time though. Most of all, i'd probably miss Jean Francois who's moved back to Paris. All the partying, the pulling, dancing to Femi Kuti, the Feng Shuiing, the OCD and have i mentioned the pulling (it works magic cos girl's luv a french accent). I remember when we'd gone out once and this girl asked if i was french as well and i replied i could be (corny i know but worked magic believe me!!!!!)....see what i did there? hehee
Anyways, i remember this really funny episode when we ran to catch a train as JF left for christmas last year and we kissed goodbye. Of course, the whole train station gawked in astonishment. I shouted out to the train conducter "we're not gay, he's french" and the conductor replied "same thing mate"!.....
Ah well, its moving on now. Summer, not going anywhere for a holiday (cept probably the isle of white but that doesn't count); means work and getting a new flat. As i start to sort things into boxes and labels, i remember what i had and remain optimistic for the future!!!

two faced BB

2007-06-07T23:01:00.000+01:00

Turned out i was watching British Big Brother last night as it came on after the Diana documentary on channel 4. I saw the contestant Emily and i liked her immediately. Clever (at the time anyway), pretty and even snotty in that somerset way. Turns out today, she used the dreaded N word and got kicked off the show. Hypocrisy!!!!! This is what Britain is about. It reminds me of how Sean told me that he sees more racism than i do, Sean is white. Does it
1. Show how naive the suburban white kid is to racial issues in today's world?
2. Does it show the precarious balance of civil society injected by political correctness
3. Does it show how the big organisation is willing to sacrifice the little man to cover its backside
4. Which is right or wrong, hidden racism or blatant racism
This is from a country where everyone in charge is still white. The bloody organisation (channel 4) is so hideously white.
Did no one notice how Charley deliberately hammed up the whole thing by feigning shock? Sigh, when will Britain learn!!!

saluting chimamanda!

2007-06-07T10:51:00.000+01:00

Chimamanda won the orange prize in the end. At least my harassing everyone i know to vote didn't go to hell!!! Congratulations to her and salud to the African Renaissance! You can see the webcast here. She is no doubt an inspiration to her generation and should serve as a classic couldaWOULDAshoulda for the idiot generations gone past already!!!

24

2007-05-27T21:02:00.001+01:00

6:30am

Got out of bed and i didn't say my prayers, I never do. Is it that i am too tired or have become so far removed from Nigerian society that i don't feel guilty for not doing it? I didn't anyway. I pottered around the house for ages, eventually had a shower, had cornflakes in the kitchen whilst checking out Linda Ikeji's blog for any gossip...i should know better than to take my laptop into the kitchen....

9:00am

I am in the workhouse. I have found out that my boss has been promoted to some random position in operations and so i am bossless. Also turns out that my application to change teams and subsequently, shifts has come through but i don't want it anymore. I rush to see a friend who used to be on my grade but now a step above me to put a word in....

2ish P.M

I am browsing the high street for clothes...again. I know i should not be here but i can't seem to help myself. It's no big deal anyway, as the shops are dire. Nothing of consequence to buy except my ever faithful Zara and some cheap ass stuff from H and M (Am i the only person who has sworn off H and M and their rubbish???). I trawl the high street for what seems like hours but don't get very much, i realise i am running late for my dinner appointment...

God knows what time it really is but i would imagine about 5ishpm

My friends, a married couple have a new flat and have asked me over to dinner. They have friends over as well. There is excellent N'kwobi (DON;T ASK ME TO TRANSLATE) with special brew beer and of course a proper meal with the option of wine and so on. It is more about the company though, not to say that the food was not good....
We later adjourn to their living room to talk about Nigeria, the Nigerian identity in the UK, the possibility of impending doom that is Chinese world hegemony and creches in the UK.

8pm ish

I make my way home to find the boys getting in on the baileys. I had promised that i would go out with them. R, our Malaysian friend who is a doctor in London has come down specifically for this. Even though i am not one to take things like cars seriously, i am very impressed with his new Audi. I wonder to myself if he would be able to afford this (considering his age) if he had gone back to Malaysia after medical school here....

almost midnight

After drinks and chatting to the boys, we eventually fine up and head out to town. The long club trawl. It's all dancing and drinking and in light of it being bank holiday weekend, everywhere is heaving. Jean Francois gets really drunk halfway through the night and starts to strip, egged on by delighted revellers. As his fingers hook his boxer/briefs, i decide I've had enough and hustle him out before he does any more damage.....
I quite like the oyinbo clubbing scene. It is very different to the black clubbing which is all posing, brilliant music, gorgeous people, well dressed partyer's and great dancers. You're conscious and for me personally, pretentious. But with oyinbo clubbing, the music is more likely simply to be a DOOM DOOM DOOM thing with everyone swaying in unison. Everyone is drunk so no one is looking, and people aren't that impressed with what you are wearing per se....simply put, it is easier....
We eventually tumble out of our last hunt towards six....

6am ish...

We're back in my kitchen eating takeout and cornflakes. Its getting strangely cold and we are all trying to get jean Francois to feel sheepish (I left out all the sordid details). I eventually have a shower and put Jill Scott on. I start on Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a yellow sun but don't get very far, after all; it was 24hrs ago that i was here in bed last....

2007-05-13T20:45:00.000+01:00

Phew, what a week/weekend! Exams are halfway done, all coursework turned in, summer around the corner, all good except the rain. Its rained all week which hasn't helped but this doesn't dim the prospect of holidays..hehe!
Have had a good weekend though. Went shopping and bought clothes i didn't need. I also got new music. The albums by Micheal Buble (2007) and Salif Keita (2005). Also stumbled across Djin Djin by Angelique Kidjo. I am still listening to them so i haven't reached a verdict on them, although i will say that the tracks on the Buble album have not dissapointed (He does a duet with boyz to men).
Saturday night was a dinner party to celebrate a friends birthday. I was glad i went in the end as she pulled out all the stops (she's taking a year out next year so she really did splash out). Being honest, i'd rather a Nigerian party than an Oyinbo party because Nigerian parties are always so extravagant while Oyinbo parties are all cheap beer but this one proved me wrong. Excellent Bollinger and brilliant food helped!! Anyway, got home a bit tipsy and joined the boys with a glass of a lil something (wink)....then it was msn and bed....
Spent the most of today day in bed and didn't do much, sigh. Anyway, with the new week coming, lets hope its better prospects for the weather.

P.s The video is the dance mix of Salif Keita's Madan redone by french DJ Martin Solveig which i Absolutely love. Here's also wishing Ade Bakare the best as he celebrates his anniversary in fashion, giving back with a fashion competition in Lagos later this week.

Bank holiday monday with Corneille!!

2007-05-07T12:17:00.000+01:00

Amadou and Mariam on Later with jools holland!!!

2007-05-06T18:06:00.000+01:00

People who read my blog will know by now that i am a huge fan of these two...can't help it!! Missed last night's tv as i was entertaining (got out of bed at 2pm with a horrid hangover, but as they say in Local Nigerian parlance, who send me message). Considering i would have to put up with that dreadful Jonathan Ross and his ghastly ties before jools Holland, i do not think i have missed very much.
Anyway, trawling through the later show's webstite, i came across this clip on youtube featuring our very own Amadou and Mariam on Later with Jools Holland. They perfom Le Realite.....

All Nighters!!!

2007-05-03T10:08:00.000+01:00

Phew!! Pulled an all-nighter but finally did it. Finished my essay on new media effects on the third world. Very vast and interesting topic but tiring i will admit. I probably only survived thanks to that bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, a whole choclate cake and Dimanche à Bamako on repeat.

Since when did i become a married Nigerian woman?

2007-04-29T15:38:00.000+01:00

I finally know what it is like to be a married Nigerian woman. Yesterday was one of the longest days of my life. I started as early as five am sorting out things at home including emails and such. Was at work all day as had to catch up on work stuff and was there for practically twelve hours. That done, hopped on the train back home and was met at the train station by JF who reminded me that i needed to get food. So off to the shops for a marathon of shopping. It would have been much easier if JF didn't have a mild case of OCD. He insists that kitchen shelves be stacked in the style of a supermarket and the fridge, in a manner that pleases the eye....ahh, the bloody french!! So offloading food from the shopping bags into the kitchen was not an easy task as you can imagine. We were done just before nine and so JF let me go off to my friend Abi who had promised to cook me proper food....this was to entail lugging bags of food, ingredients and slaving in a kitchen alongside her for almost five hours. However, it was worth it. Every bone in my body ached but the smell of lovely jollof rice, barbecued chicken, stews and the like compensated. Her piece d'resistance was the beef pieces soaked in a special marinade she kicked me out of the kitchen to prepare. Some will wonder what the fuss is about, ranting on about jollof rice and the like. In my world of cornflakes and beans/toast, it is! Then it was lugging lunch packs of food back to my house at two am in the morning to have a long hot shower and finally bed with the best of Jill Scott!!!
Only difference between the married Nigerian woman and me is i didn't at this stage have to have sex with some stupid oily man!

2007-04-23T11:20:00.000+01:00

I am very angry! Perhaps a better word would be melancholic as angry is too strong a word. I tried all weekend to ignore the happenings in Nigeria ref: the elections but couldn't. As i tried to search the internet and even the Nigerian tv station on sky, i was left to rely on reuters and the BBC....and we all know what sort of information you would be presented with when you go there. When will we realise that we need a media of our own? Alright, i am about to go off on a tangent so i'll stop there.
Back to my anger or melancholia or whatever it is i am feeling. My friend's dad passed away last weekend. Well, he is not actually my friend's dad but more his uncle. Any Nigerian reader would understand how this works as surrogate parenting is a norm in that part of the world where society overtakes the government in its duties. The man was very young...only about fifty if only just about. He worked away from home and worked very hard. Its a typical sad story. The kids are young and all at university. The eldest got jammed by JAMB (the awful matriculation exams to get into university which succeeds more at keeping people out than getting people in) and so is a late starter. The woman does not work and knows little about the man's business. The eldest boy is a teenager who is supceptible to manipulation. Bound by tradition, he is now the head of the family and therefore decision maker. I could go on and on about the woes of this issue. How do they survive someone might ask? They will. It is Nigeria afterall. Somehow everyone does.
I was reading on a comment posted by another reader on Funmi Iyanda's blog which talked about the death of a young man as a result of the unavailability of a dialysis machine which costs a mere 70k US dollars. The tragedy of this. Even more pronounced as i watched the London Marathon on television yesterday, people running for good causes and the like.
I apologise if i come across as incoherent, i am just confused right now. It is wrong that the little people suffer in this way. No one even knows what killed my friend's father. And then, there is the case of the dialysis machine which is just pathetic. Isn't it ironic that it costs the same as some governor's wife pocket money for summer in London? All this happens as Atiku and Buhari jostle for THAT power on the guise of protecting democracy. On the other side of the world, a real battle of ideologies ensues as Nikolas Szarkozy and Segolene royale battle our France...what is wrong with this world?
I better leave it, this is beginning to get to me!

There is a link to Funmi's blog on the left pane

The human stain!

2007-04-14T22:36:00.000+01:00

I have just watched the movie 'the human stain' starring Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins. A wonderful movie which centre's on how life could be when based on a false premise. This false premise here being the protagonist's pretense to be white; or passing as it was known. I remember doing quite a bit of reading on the phenomenon but seeing it happen in that movie was....
In America especially, it was not uncommon for light skinned black people who looked Caucasian to pass for white. Passing often meant giving up one's history, heritage and even immediate family. Can you imagine walking past your mother in the street and not being able to at least say hello? I remember reading about American fascist Lawrence Dennis who although anti-Semitic and possibly a Hitler sympathiser, passed for white. He was black as they came. He i think, presents a classic case of passing and the ironies that follow misrepresentation.
Passing was greatly explored by Harlem Renaissance artists like James Van Derzee who told stories about it through photography. Perhaps an even more harrowing account of this would be seen through accounts by Writer Sally Morgan who uses the Australian example as reference. She tells of how mixed race children (part aboriginal) or those who could pass for white were removed from their homes and moved to hostels to ensure segregation....all of this happened in our not to distant past.
What about our present? Does passing not still happen? Maybe not on the face of things i.e. colour and the like. However, there are other aspects of society to look at. Discrimination still occurs and this leads to people structuring their lives around social constructs. Are you passing? Are you encouraging passing? How do we stop this?

And even more music!

2007-04-13T09:07:00.000+01:00

The weather is brilliant. With the met office promising even more higher figures, it can only get better. I'm already thinking of sand and sea as my jumpers and coats gather dust! Oh the joys of summer....
Look at me sounding like a sun starved Englishman when i have only just returned from Lagos. Still, one can't stop the feeling (why do i feel a song coming on)...
I suppose the sun has had it's effects, making put together the strangest play list on my ipod. I have made various CD combinations for different occasions in anticipation. It was handy though, because i came across music i hadn't heard in a while; and others not at all.
Thanks Naijadude for giving me the tip on Chris Botti who's sensual romance with the sax is great for suggested salubriousness. Thanks to Linda Ikeji (i don't believe i read her blog too) for reminding me about TEVIN CAMPBELL who apparently releases a new album this year. I got a few tracks of my stars album from the cranberries thrown together with some Vanessa Carlton to give it that alternative/ rock/ pop ish flavour. Back to some good ole dance tunes, i have turned to trouser snake's new album which i grudgingly admit is very good although i wonder if it was before or after the video of what goes around with Scarlett Johannsen....
Still on R n B, Jean Francois introduced me to French R n B star Cornelle who could be anything from R Kelly to Maxwell...totally amazing; especially as the songs are in french! Of course no summer play list of mine could be complete without Duran Duran. Asides the caddish/playboy identity they played so well, the prospect of them doing a live concert this year is fantastic....see, I've started singing Rio already!

P.S. First picture was taken last summer near cardiff!

Mentorship

2007-04-07T20:55:00.000+01:00

I'm entering a writing competition that explores the issues of mentorship, a topic i am very passionate about. In my opinion, Nigeria lacks greatly in this department and this could greatly explain the issues with have with our society...contemporary Nigerian society i mean. How can a society exist when it does not cater for its future?
I have been very fortunate to have been born last to a family where every one's got your back, especially if you are the youngest. Being last, one could argue that i grew up rather quickly; my parent's inhibition on my case letting me explore and learn faster. This exposed me to accessing people i wanted to choose as mentors or life coaches in my future decisions. Some would argue that the role of the parent falls into this category but we all know that to be partly untrue, after all; there is only so much one can tell his parent....
I was sixteen or seventeen when i first met Funmi Iyanda. I was gawky, badly dressed and i think dreadfully shy as one is at that age. I smile as i think back to the time....what possessed me to do such unthinkables? I had an idea though and followed it through with the raw passion of naivety open to only the young. After the first few sentences, FI (as we call her) rushed me out to lunch and implored me never to stop trying. Well it didn't actually turn out that way, i lie!! We had a long conversation about all sorts of things but i think the most important thing i will take away from that meeting is the analogy of the Bumble bee and its defiance of nature's laws. I never forgot that...
I met Ade Bakare a couple of years later. An immensely talented designer and visionary, i told him that his foray into the Nigerian market would end in disaster...his reply? Well, he has successfully set up a branch in Victoria Island's Sandiland Arcade in Lagos and that is just the icing on the cake. His story has taught me more than anyone else's that you get what you want only if you want it badly enough.
To digress a little bit, isn't it funny how little pockets of inspiration come from the most unlikely places. Turns out i know the person behind uknaija, one of the blogs i totally appreciate; anonymously of course. It is a small world they say. Funny thing is, when i met uknaija in person (i wasn't a blogger then); i was very inspired by his intelligence and listened intently to all he had to say, telling myself that this is someone who could inspire. And then his alter ego does the same thing. I remember leaving a comment on his blog ages ago, something corny but precise. Well i do know him and for all those who read his blog, there's no arguing that there is intelligence there.
This society, British society i mean has learned the trick of the trade. They learned it ages ago. Mentorship is such an important structure of the mechanics of society; it should never be ignored. How can one have a present if your future is not taken care of? The Nigerian society has failed its youth, again not a revelation. As the Nigerian society continues to fail, then we will all have ourselves to blame. It is afterall our individual duties to make sure our futures are certain and this can only be done by ensuring future generations are provided for. What have you done about it?
Read about Funmi Iyanda here and Ade Bakare here.

2007-03-28T13:32:00.000+01:00

I just read a very interesting post on Naijablog and would suggest it to anyone who is reading this one. I usually stay away from populist blogs like his but i suppose some of the stuff on there is pretty cool reading. That said, the slavery annivesary thing is coming to an end and hopefully, life will go back to normal....NOT! For lesser mortals like myself, it means university is almost coming to an end which translates to courswork burdens and exams. I don't mind it so much as it also means four months of summer holidays.The prospects are already bright as we've done away with our coats and jumpers already. I might just go to tuscany this year but first it's finishing uni work.
In retrospect, i am glad for the modules i took this year most especially the culture and subjectivity which has helped me understand the mechanics of contemporary society as it affects idenity issues, sexuality and the like. Isn't it funny how most of ethnic minority extract have something to say about the slavery antecedent as it affects our current social praxis but yet still do not exact change on similar/related issues such as sexuality. In our backyard (i.e. on the African continent), inequality is rife and we have the audacity to condemn the happenings here. Of course i say this from a strictly foreign/internationl student-only-temporarily-here perspective. There's killings in the Dafur region for ethnic supremacy and even the hideous anti-gay rights bill to be passed in the Nigerian legislature, yet nothing is done about it. How can we still get things so wrong? What makes people think they are better than others by virtue of skin hue or even more absurdly, sexuality? Here is where the artists of the African-American renassaince got it right! Challenging the issues of idenitity and subjectivity remain a huge hurdle to scale for the enlightenment of contemporary society. When i read Langston Hughes' Merry Go round, i could understand their arguments on the thin line between all these varied forms of discrimination. Here it is

Merry Go round (Langston Hughes)

Where is the Jim Crow Section
On this merry go round,
Mister, Cause i want to ride?
Down south where i came from
White and Colored
Can't sit side by side
Down south on the train
There's a Jim Crow car
On the bus we're put in the back
But there ain't no back
To a merry go round
Where's the house
For a kid that is black?

Hughes gives insights into racism in America and how it Affects black subjects . consider the poem as he tells this story through the eyes of a little black child. One can see how hideous these behavioural patterns of soceity are. Of course we are quick to think we do not fall prey to such utter tastelessness, but in our hearts of hearts; can we trully argue this point through?

The end of civilisation??

2007-03-25T17:48:00.000+01:00

It's 200 years since the British Abolished slavery but not very much has changed has it. Except for the fact that the government doesn't condone such practices on paper, the society otherwise does. Black people in contemporary British society still seem to experience every difficulty available in this society, can it therefore be said that slavery has ended and the people are now emancipated? The recent killings of young black males in London, statistics which show young black males as underachieving and all related seem to prove this. Perhaps this discredits works by sociologists like Norbert Elias and their arguments on the civilising processes.
To digress a bit, i can't on the other hand understand the need for an apology from the British government. Does this change anything? Will this change society's attitude towards the descendants of the said victims? Most importantly, will the African governments whose fore bearers equally participated in the heinous crime apologise too?

Sigh yet again!

2007-03-25T13:34:00.000+01:00

Lazy sunday afternoon with great weather outside. Listening to Diana Krall and clacking away on my msn....trying to concentrate on work, it's not happening though!!!

Feng Shui and new beginnings!

2007-03-22T10:32:00.000Z

I finally got around to it! I wasn't going to do it but i eventually did. It wasn't solely of my own doing of course, Jean Francois helped. That's not fair, he prompted it! Lol, it's hilarious to think about it now as he hankered on and on in that Parisian accented English of his..."It eez not difficult a thing, no?"
So we eventually feng shuied my bedroom and finished at about midnight! I must admit, i can feel the positive vibes already! It also helps that i don't have to cross the damn bedroom to switch off the lamps. It is a nice feeling to be able to clack away at my computer and stare out of the window for the odd day dream, although i must warn that there isn't much of a view outside. Unless of course, the weather turns out for the better and then the blue Skies compensate!
I realise how important ambiance is to me. I know its awful for global warming but since my bedroom is my favourite personal space and i love being here, i do everything necessary to get the feel right! I perpertually leave nice music on in the background like SADE, Jill Scott or even Amadou and Mariam. Then there is the one lamp in the right corner of the room so it lights up the room with the right hues. It's great to come back to that after an exhausting day, the best therapy for me. Most would disagree of course, but i don't imagine going out on the lash is therapy for an exhaustive day.
Talking about new beginnings and clearing the air, rang HA yesterday after a long while. HA is an incredibly intelligent and beautiful woman who knows what she is doing. One of the few Nigerian women of a certain age one can have a cerebral conversation with. Our conversation reinforced my remembered impressions of her. We had dealings in the past when i lived in Nigeria but unfortunately parted on less amicable terms. However as can be expected, she put all that behind her and has gotten on with it. Incredibly posh and very stylish (not in the garish over indulgent way that is the Nigerian society woman), i grudgingly admit that she at some point established a position as one of my mentors. She has gone on to author two books including a children's book, an idea i think is marvellous in light of the Nigerian cultural loss and American ideological hegemony. I will be blogging about this as soon as i receive my copy. It is good to see someone with money finally doing things that could possibly effect societal change!
On the subject of people with money effecting societal change, read an entry on an enchanting blog called Bella naija on Nigerian rich kid Taofiq Okoya's new project on Nigerian Dolls. You can read about it here, but that was of little interest to me. I found it most interesting (as with most blogs) to read the wide range of comments for that entry, i suggest anyone reading this do the same. Yes the said dolls are size zero, with straight hair and big breasts but so what? Should they be fat with kinky hair? Would that reinforce African identity? Is that African Identity? Of course, if the said producer had any brains he would scan through the message boards to get a better understanding of what his potential consumers would like. That said, i believe it is a good starting point in combating the ideological conquer of the African continent. Perhaps, if we gave it a change; this might lead onto better things. For the moment i can't be any happier, new beginnings after all present new opportunities no?

Tony Blair isn't bovvered!

2007-03-19T21:52:00.000Z

Tony Blair meets catherine tate for comic relief and he ain't bovvered! Glad to hear he isn't cos the rest of the country certainly is....it was hilarious though i must admit!1

Back!!

2007-03-15T14:18:00.000Z

After a little Hiatus from blogging, i am back! I have been swamped with work, uni and otherwise. It's also been trying for me as i have just recovered from loosing all my zest for achieving and life really. Anyway, with all the rut behind me; i can almost feel myself rejuvenated. It helped that a friend and mentor sent me a lovely magazine and one of those inspirational daily guide book things called the word of today...It is quite easy to misconstrue religion for spirituality, the word for today just clarifies this. It helps to get people like me back on track, people like me who often get derailed easily.
The rant over, i can certify that i am sooooo on top of my game academically, I am embarrassed! It feels great to top every class in coursework and the like..so enough of my silly west African Idol rants and more on my books...got to get that first you know, lol!!
New edition of Vanity fair just came out in the UK with the Sopranos on the cover but perhaps More interestingly would be their take on Litvinenko's murder! Also, my friend jean Francois just loaned me his utterly desirable Amadou and Mariam CD, "Bamako"...you can listen to a bit of it here!!
Ton's of people had birthdays this month including my mate who I've known for ever Eniola...she's turned to a grand old madame now....lol
Meanwhile, will anyone help me pay for tickets to the POLICE concert here in Cardiff later on in the year, I'm skint!!!!

West Africa Idol again!!

2007-03-11T12:49:00.000Z

Oh yes i have been watching the danm thing...so sue me!! I think ex- kush member lara's performance which you can see below was lovely although logically the song was too big for her as you can see at the end...however, she remains my sentimental favourite!Fof her sass, love omawunmi...whatever is happening to me? Reality show viewer now, whatever next?

here is omawunmi's performance

P.s i totally hate the judges....everyone one of them especially the fact that the american is so obnoxiously like randy Jackson from the US version and the Ghanaian lady has an awful false American accent!!

New Dawn on the net!

2007-02-27T23:37:00.000Z

New dawn the Nigerian television show is now available on youtube here!

But instead....

2007-02-25T15:54:00.000Z

Here's dapo torimiro, the only male member of the group then known as Kush. Even though he appeared to have gone awol as at the time of their album coming out, it was evident that his talent was world class...Here he performs with the Oscar brown jr!!!!

Kush on Youtube

2007-02-25T14:09:00.000Z

Randomly ran into this video on whilst trawling through youtube...features my good friend T.Y Shokefun now Bello....they had so much potential....sigh Just remember the message of the song, can anyone tell me how to get the album!!!

Blogging about Pop idol west Africa like everyone else...so i nicked it off naijablog, sue me!

2007-02-24T23:21:00.000Z

So i'm nicking the story off naijablog, i'm sure he won't mind. Got this link to the west African idol's page from there and it was very revealing. Of course, i totally dig Syntyche....perhaps for all the obvious reasons. Perhaps i should not go into the shoddiness of the presentation or how i think the judges talk too much/ waste too much time. More importantly, i think the auditions betray the highly partriachal/reversed ageist society that is Nigeria and then the African continent at large. Still, i suppose this presents an opportunity to an already dissapointed youth....i will keep an eye on it!

more music!

2007-02-24T20:15:00.000Z

It's a lovely saturday evening and it feels just right! My bedroom is just the right temperature, the light the right hue and the ambience....lovely! I have just created a mastepiece cd with great music from Norah Jones and Angelique Kidjo. Oh it's all their old stuff but it seems so timeless.. I particularly like Angelique's fifa from her keep on moving album and of course there's 'babalao' from the same album. For Norah Jones, its come away with me. Georgeous easy music to deal with...try it!

Rebranding Africa!

2007-02-20T18:33:00.000Z

I got a link off Naijablog's page which lead on to a website promising a brand new African attempt at a pathway for ideas called inspire Africa which involves a close relationship with the Media i.e. television shows and publishing. In fairness, it's no doubt a good idea and necessary but isn't this argument an old hat? It is not rocket science that media hegemony plays a huge part of contemporary society's mechanics. I remember joining one of those have-your-say things on the BBC website which prompted replies on the best way to re-brand Africa. The lead question itself is heavily laced with several presumptions and a variety of possible conclusions. Does Africa need to be re-branded? If so for whom and why? What has lead to the need to re-brand in the first place? Does this suggest a failing with respect to global media hegemons like the BEEB and CNN? The questions and arguments go on and in either way. No doubt about it, the African continent at the moment is in a dire condition, but how did it get this way? The responses, as expected with these bloody have-your’s-say things were as varied as it comes. However, a mostly recorded response seemed to go along the lines of "Africa is not a country but a continent". All too true! Personally, it irks me to see that all around me however, (thinking logically) is this the point? And is it so bad to conceptualize the African continent as a single entity? Africa after all as it is now was only as a result of a few lines drawn by the likes of lard Lugard and the likes of him. Perhaps if we as African’s stopped harboring our difference and instead focused on our problems which ARE shared, then we could move forward. Despite their strong history (thanks to colonialism and their media), Europeans would never balk at the idea of being tagged or termed European. Of course they are European, and embrace this identity with wholeheartedness! Ok Ok maybe not in all countries but you get my point. It is at this stage that one remembers the ideology promoted by African thinkers like Nkrumah and co. Of course, SA president Thabo Mbeki replicated this during his “I am African…” speech through which he called for an African renaissance of sorts. Will this happen whilst we still think of ourselves as individuals instead of a collective?

Okay so we are not to be seen as a singular country but a variety of nations and we will forget about lines drawn by imperialism but instead assume they have always been there.

As this variety of nations, how do we tell the world that all our children don’t have kwashiorkor, have flies coming out of their mouths or AIDS? My entry in the have-your-say thing was this. I believe that if we are to tell our story, either as a collective or as separate entities; this story can only be told by Africans. Some will laugh at this somewhat naïve idealist approach to the issue as it means a variety of things. We don’t have a means of telling this story even if we wanted to. We don’t have a reputable media organization(s), most countries lack basic infrastructure to support a cultural industry (i.e. literacy levels, sustainable power supplies, economies, etc). Even the ideas are all leaving the continent through the brain drain thing. So is this option a lost cause?

Look kids, it speaks English rather well!!!

Since I started university, I follow the same pattern of conversation. Soon after introducing myself, it often goes along these lines…

Me: My name is xxxx xxxx (very complicated Yoruba name even for Igbo and Hausa people apparently)

Oyinbo person: Oh, that’s a lovely name. Erm, where is that from?

Me: Oh, Nigeria. I am Nigerian.

OP: Oh, fascinating. Quite obviously, you were born here or went to school here.

Me: No I didn’t, I have only just come here for University.

OP: (Some Oyinbo exclamation inserted at this stage because it changes) I must say, your English is impeccable.

Me: Thank you (insert yawn).

Always unfailingly along the same route! At first I could not understand this and it often made me angry. Of course I spoke English properly, English after all is the first language in Nigeria (last time I checked, lessons in schools were taught in English). This brings to mind the recent arguments on the African shirts page about the Orji Kalu interview, I’d have to ask you to read it on his site to get how it relates to this so I don’t digress too much! Anyway, the above scenario just goes to buttress my point. I eventually understood the origin of the pattern of this conversation and perhaps its gravity. The harm is done and the world DOES expect a certain image from Africa, but what are we as individuals doing to change this? I am not saying we all have to strut around anglicizing/hiding our accents but the contrary. How are we as individuals showing that Africa is not about all of that tripe the western media spew but much more? Of course this does not mean to follow along the lines of the ideology often shared by African-Americans which involves trying harder so as not to “bring down the race”. Once again, I can be accused of naively approaching this. After all telling a story requires more than one person getting A’s in class or speaking English properly as the CNN’s and the BBC’s argue?

Every law of Nature says the bumble bee should not fly but it flies till today

When I was much younger, perhaps only about sixteen, I met Funmi Iyanda. Funmi Iyanda is a Nigerian broadcaster who I believe has transcended all odds to do just this. She told me the story about the bumble bee and urged me never to forget it. Very recently, during our telephone conversation; I mentioned how I could not wait to be done with uni so I could impact my own on the African renessaince. She replied,

“Why limit yourself to Nigeria? You should be thinking on the continental level”.

The amount of information in such a simple sentence is vast. Yes Africa in its entirety has its problems in vast amounts but so what? Funmi Iyanda’s theory suggests that instead of waiting till we can afford to build multi-million dollar studios and have the electricity and brain power to run them, we should take steps individually no matter how small to combat this ideological conquer of western ideas of the African continent. It goes deeper than teaching your children your local language or listening to local music or watching poorly made Nigerian movies whilst pretending to enjoy them. It should be where your heart is. It should be as an Angelique Kidjo album as she infuses Yoruba folklore with Fon and other African languages. Next time someone misconstrues Africa to be a country not a continent, think of it as an advantage of knowledge that you know and he/she doesn’t. The more important thought pattern is how we can turn this piece of information into strength and stop letting it weigh us down as a weakness.

sigh (2)

2007-02-18T20:35:00.001Z

Why is Africa so unfortunate? Everyone ignore me, just feeling a bit funny about the whole identity thing. I'd originally just typed the first question and published it but.....there's just so much to it. Why is Africa so unfortunate despite all we have?

great music!

2007-02-18T12:21:00.000Z

A good year for music! Femi kuti tours the UK at the moment to sold out tickets at the barbican whilst Angelique kidjo dazzles with a new album djin djin come may 1st. The album promises fantastic collabos with the likes of Alicia keys, the fantastic amadou and mariam, joss stone and carlos santana!!! A good year for music indeed....

valentines day?

2007-02-18T10:58:00.000Z

Valentine's day/week is over thankfully. In my opinion, love is for schmuks anyway. Still, i resolved to treat myself better, nay...love myself better so yesterday, after a few hours at the slave house; lounged about in starbucks doing nothing cept sipping on a latte for hours (my days are somehow more manic so its a treat that i get to kick back and relax). Later in the evening, cooked myself the best salmon i've ever had...who says the stomach is not the way to a man's heart?

Orji Uzor Kalu on hardtalk

2007-02-15T10:16:00.000Z

What a monster!! A fucking liar!!! As i type this i am watching BBC's hardtalk and i have never been so ashamed in my life!!! I can only suggest that whoever clicks on this link keep all breakables out of reach. The man is a vile, evil savage (not that i have only just deciphered that). The icing on the cake is how cowed he is by the programme's presenter. Nigeria will move forward when a local journalist can question a politician in this manner. I am so embarrassed and shamed!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!!

2007-02-12T21:43:00.000Z

It snowed last week and i joined in the snow mania!! Took pics of a part of uni and train station, cant seem to download the rest of the pics :-(

music

2007-02-12T11:53:00.000Z

Nothing like good music to sooth the nerves and get you back in the flow of things!!
Currently listening to the devine Angelique kidjo. Just discovered that i had her album on my ipod and its great listening. Feel guilty that i have started listening to the jill scott pretender, corrine bailey rae. I have to admit that the music is brilliant tho. I just hate the brit equivalent factor air to her. To be fair, her music stinks of Jill scott influence, albeit restrained or less soulful. My friend, jon from leeds says she used to perform in a jazz club round the corner before success came knocking, its kinda like the girl who was a drummer in pete doherty's babyshambles who used to live not far from me. Bet they won't be so normal now......

Hardcore!!!

2007-02-12T11:34:00.000Z

Had one hell of a weekend!!
friday:
Went...no, trudged to uni in the snow and then trudged even further into work only to find out that if i had stayed away from work, i would have been doing myself a favour without repercussion!! Anyway, trudged back in the snow back to my warm lovely house only to find out that we all had to go out as it was jean francois's birthday!! Sigh. So up we went, out dancing and making major fulls of ourselves (i know that is not correct english) till the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday morning (reeeeeeealy early):
It is no longer snowing and the mush all over the place....the others are all off to bed but i have to get changed for work, sigh..Life's a bitch. I get to work, trudge through all sorts of crap diary work and faxes and stuff and finally, the work day is over but not quite. Have to go into town to do some shopping and see people and before i know it, its half five. I suddenly remember that i am meant to be in Bristol tonight, sigh....it doesn't end does it.
I eventually get on the train to Bristol, do same as previous night and climb into bed in the wee hours of sunday morning!
Sunday morning, not long after i got into bed:
I have to get going to catch my train as i bought one of those stupid cheap standard class first great western tickets that if you do not use, you loose!! So i brush my teeth, do not shower (what, like you've never done it before) and jump in the cab to bristol parkway.....trains not coming for the next 45 mins so i am sat like a lemon at parkway station for that long, freezing my tits off really really really nackered...and hungry!!!
train eventually comes, train journey is smooth and quick but then train services in wales are dodgy again so there's only replacement bus services and numerous changes and so on! sigh.
I get home, there's cleaning to do, emails to reply, phone calls to make and other silly domesticities i have to see to but i do not care, i have a meaningful shower and collapse into bed for a well deserved rest. As i drop off, i tell myself that i am hardcore for that marathon 48 hours just gone past, but as they say in Nigeria, who sen you message?

Winter wonderland in feb?

2007-02-09T12:35:00.000Z

My Backyard has been turned into a winter wonderland as wales seems to experience the heaviest snow!!! Unfortunately, still means i have to go to work instead of cosying up in bed with a mug of something and a dvd. Will upload pics this weekend!!!

of good friends and not so good!!

2007-02-09T12:24:00.000Z

Got a message from uknaija asking how i was, which was quite nice! Not that i am claiming to be his friend, just saying really. Talking about friends, one of my best people jean francois turns 23 today and i am just delighted for him. Unfortunately, i will not be going out on the town tonight to celebrate this purely because i feel like a sour old fart, i hope this is a good albeit chicken way to tell you jeff....
Birthday boy in the pic!!
Best mates mike and rebecca who were a couple (possibly the best i have seen ever) split up and i was devestated. Isn't it shocking how the breakup of someone elses relationship affects

ou? Some will argue that it is an utter nonesense, well, perhaps it is!
Sold something on ebay recently and the buyer turned out to be a rather decent person, we have since spoken on te phone and find we have a lot in common....it's funny how you meet people nowadays.
I have spent the most of the week cementing relationships i possibly had taken for granted last year. Spent an awful long time on long distance calls to the US and Niger catching up with people like Funmi Iyanda and Chude who's blogs are a must read.
Have you got your friends where you want them???

pan's labyrinth

2007-01-29T11:45:00.000Z

I recently saw the movie pan's labyrinth or Laberinto del Fauno, El in spanish! It is the story of a young girl who accompanies her pregnant mother to live with her new husband. The story is laced with tragedy and melacholy but best of all....fantasy and folk tale. Bear in mind, the movie is set in Franco's spain. Seeing that movie reminded me of my latest trip home which brought me closer to my traditions and folk as a yoruba-Nigerian. I remember as my mother specially made moin-moin (steamed bean cakes) for me with ewe (palm leaves used to wrap the bean paste in), she spoke to the moin-moin to cook properly and set. She admonished the fire for being to harsh and prayed that the moin moin came out in tact.
Culture and tradition is a beautiful thing...it is evident in all societies and extremly beautiful in Africa! It is lovely when you think about how when cooks fry puff puff (buns) they litter the ground with the first few they fry or how your oriki (praise song) tells of who you are or where you are from.
In pan's labyrinth, a central character orfelia; tells her baby brother still in her Mother's womb not to kill their mother as he ventures out to the world. Folk and tradition are distinct parts of society, do you know anything about yours?

The hangman's noose!

2007-01-25T11:45:00.000Z

Is the Nigerian government doing enough to save this man's life? Read more about it here

Of Bigots, Bigotry and all things not nice!

2007-01-23T16:57:00.000Z

Finally we all have a breather! The whole brouhaha on the jade goody/Shilpa Shetty drama has finally subsided and now we can talk about other things…or can we?

First of all a background on the incident I mention as above. In the U.K at the moment, celebrity big brother is on, a dire pedestrian nonsense of a T.V show which does nothing for me. Anyway, it follows the same format but instead attempts to fill the house with has-been’s (usually 80’s pop stars and 70’s TV stars). Perhaps in a bid to up the ante, the producers this year decided to insert a bit of “current” in the form of bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. In all honesty, as a self confessed Bollywood addict (Fav’s are kareena Kapoor and Preity Zinta and of course Rithik Rhoshan), I had never heard of Shetty before…but they say she is a star. Anyway, to cut the long story short, apparently intimidated by Shetty’s confident beauty and all; Goody and her posse (a silly WAG {wife and girlfriends-term for partners of British soccer stars} and an ex pop singer) turn on her which unfortunately backfires and is called racist and we all know the story from there!

Just as the world’s so-called leading news channels stopped ranting on about the whole episode, another happened …but this time with a different face. Isaiah Washington, star of world famous Grey’s Anatomy apparently called his co-star a faggot! And he was not talking about British cigarettes. Despite the offence, there was no brouhaha, hardly as much noise and definitely no leading news bulletins on BBC news24. Hmmmm

So what is Bigotry anyway? What is discrimination? Why is some form of discrimination acceptable and others not? Whilst I do not label myself a gay sympathizer, I do admit that I am a guardian totting liberal who believes in the right to be what you want to be and I am frankly disgusted that nothing is being said about this whole Isaiah Washington incident…is it not just as bad? If the said co-star had turned around and called him a nigger as the argument goes, would he not have been hounded off the airwaves al a jade goody? Perhaps the West is finally collapsing under its own weight of political correctness.

On the Other hand, is Washington just another target here? Is he another black man who is about to be made fall guy? What about the shetty, Goody incident? Was shetty not trully annoying, swanning around the house all hoity toity with a superior attitude? Why was it that in the whole racism palavar was intepreted in the format of Goody the attacker/ Shetty the victim? No doubt about it, this would be a feast for scholars of identity and subjectivity.

During my recent trip home, it suddenly became how evident and intolerant even the people we love are. Tribalism, racism, sexism, homophobia and a host of other isms! I was shocked at how freely my folks made such awful remarks as “thank god those Igbo people have gone home, at least we will rest for Christmas”. Whilst I do not assume the identity of a saint in these matters, I try to fight my prejudices everyday. I think it’s about time we all did!

Nigeria! Episode one!

2007-01-21T20:11:00.000Z

The Plane hovered over Lagos in preparation for its landing. As usual, there were dark spots everywhere (where PHCN had struck) and flickering ones where candles stood! I clutched the book I was reading, which incidentally turned out to be Sugar and Slate by charlotte Williams. Sugar and Slate is a wonderful account of a mixed race woman as she comes to terms with her identity in north Wales. Funny thing is, her account also includes details of her life on Falolu road (in surulere, Lagos, Nigeria) where she once lived (Her father Dennis Williams was an archeologist and artist at the slade in London). I found the book particularly poignant, especially with its reference on first perspectives on any country on the African continent...how one tends to look down on the continent from above! Anyway, I digress. As the plane taxied down the runway, I felt that relief that only comes when you get home. Except for the awful clapping in the cabin and the bleeping phones, I was on top of the world. Lagos has not changed very much though. The staff at the airport were mostly bored and disinterested, the airport was dirty and looked derelict and I could go on and on. The Immigration people however I must commend; they were on the ball and tended to people quickly. Turns out there had been an issue with luggage as the carousel made its rounds. I luckily got all of mine but that was not the case for a lot of the other passengers who soon gathered in a mob around an airport official, shouting and threatening whilst other victims loitered around in resignation. Suddenly, a lady who turned out to be a disgruntled bride-to-be stormed into the arrivals lounge to demand her luggage. She had arrived on a flight from the London the week before and was getting married in a couple of days but did not get her luggage. A fight soon broke out which saw the woman destroying the Christmas tree in the lounge….and it went on and on! The girl behind the desk where you get trolleys from hissed and continued applying her make up, she wasn’t bovvered. Only in Lagos I thought!

My Brother had overslept and hadn’t come to pick me. So I was stuck at the airport as I didn’t want to chance a cab home. That’s why I was able to witness all of this. If I was a visitor to the country for the first time, I would probably react in either of two ways. Find the whole thing/place exceedingly funny and look forward to more of it or go upstairs and get the next flight out! It was utter madness, but it was utter madness in MY country. I was home and I loved it!

Older and Better!

2007-01-21T19:35:00.000Z

Feel so much better now although still have a cough! Thanks to all who stopped by to say pele! Of course loads of things have happened since i have been down including the much publicised Celebrity Big brother fiasco, here in the UK. I choose not to comment on it as i have not been watching the show per se. On a lighter note, i've got a birthday tomorrow the 22nd and i am so excited!! The start of the year is two fold for me in that regard. However, i am used to not recieving presents since my birthday falls at such a.....well, difficult time of the year. So this year, i have decided to get myself a birthday present. I went out a got a rather expensive shirt (have a passion for shirts) by Ermenegildo Zegna. The cut is lovely and was worth every penny.
That does not mean all who want to get me something are not welcome...hint hint! Although i am swamped with work, don't have a smooth face any more and think before i do things, i am deleriously happy right now!

ill!

2007-01-16T22:22:00.000Z

I feel ill, boo hoo! I hope i don't have malaria cos i forgot my anti-malaria drugs in my bedroom in Niger! sigh

ugly betty

2007-01-15T14:54:00.000Z

just started watching the really pedestrian tv show, Ugly betty and i find i like it! Perhaps like the central character tries to tell us all, i need to give the under dog a chance!

a storm AND a tea cup!

2007-01-14T19:16:00.000Z

We were crusing and the plane was dipping so i knew we were somewhere above the british isles. I looked out the window and i knew we DEFINITELY were back! Gloom and wet everywhere. I was in the economy (a.k.a the ekunle or backyard as a rough translation) section of the plane so this was where it was all happening. The plane was now starting to toss in the wind and our visibility had dissapeared in the fog. The young lady i had occupied myself with was telling me something about sefi atta although i wasn't particularly listening. My mind was calculating how i would lug my box to cardiff and if the best route would be gatwick-reading- cardiff or through london. Anyway, the plane started to shak really violently and turbulence started its thing. The seat belt lights came on and this time, everyone clipped them on straight away; yours included.
Prior to all of this, there had been (still went on till london actually) some fuss about tea accidentally pouring on a passenger, an Igbo woman who knew her rights! She gave em hell without coming across as obnoxious and unreasonable in the way Nigerians usually do on middle to long haul flights. Brings to mind declarations by the Minister of Aviation, Fani-Kayode who insists that British airlines ought to treat Nigerians better. How rich! Like we have much of a choice considering the fact that we haven't got a national carrier to call our own. Saw the man strutting through departures as i was boarding in Lagos, i hope someone told him their mind.
Anyway, as the plane vibrated, hot tea recieving Igbo woman had calmed down as the pilot apparantly tried to attempt a very patchy landing. As the plane vibrated, all on board started the usual blood of Jesus stuff, moslems and christians alike. At a point, the lady in front of me started leading some others in praises. If the atmosphere hadn't become so panicky, it would all have been rather funny. What WAS funny though was a Nigerian comedian on board who as it got really bad, put his head in his hands and i can swear started praying too! Ok Ok, after a while i got just as panicky and said i word or two but i somehow knew it would be fine in the end. Eventually, we landed and the plane erupted in applause (i hate that). You should have seen how fast eveyone deboarded! Nigeria appeared to have come back to the UK with me!

lagos pictures

2007-01-14T18:22:00.001Z

I had gone to visit a friend in surulere and took this picture by a mechanic's shed. I thought the sign said a lot! Apologies for the poor quality, i was miles away and didn't dare go up close to take the picture!

My Brother at the funky terra kulture in Lagos. I missed the place so much as i used to be a patron at its inception! Hasn't changed much tho!note, pic was taken at night.

Here we have another monstrosity. Awful architecture besieges Lagos in the name of big manism!

2007-01-14T18:22:00.000Z

jue!

2007-01-14T18:10:00.000Z

My friend jue! I like her tokyo street chic (even though she is chinese)! A bit of fresh air here as dressing is so boring here in the u.k!
excuse the fire extinguisher the background.

2007-01-12T12:56:00.000Z

Motown!

2007-01-12T12:51:00.000Z

Seeing dreamgirls the movie inspired me to dig up all the soul great stuff i've got in my library that has passed me by. I am currently listening to such great stuff like:
the delfonics: la la la, means i love you
Aretha Franklin: RESPECT, something he can feel
Smokey Robinson: Ooh Baby

and so on.... Go on everyone, get your groove on and find your soul!

jennifer hudson is the dream!

2007-01-12T12:50:00.000Z

I just saw dreamgirls, the movie and my eyes watered as i the end credits rolled. It was fantastic. Possibly one of the most amazing movies i have ever seen. The steller performances by ALL of the cast deserve every accolade they are sure to get...and then some.
My concern here is for Jennifer hudson. Her performance, spectacular in its own right i fear has taken on the fate of her character, effie white. The rumor mill has it that Beyonce Knowles (who's performance while very good, doesn't match up to Hudson's in both quality and screen time) is tipped for best actress at the oscars while hudson is up for one in a supporting role.
I ask all out there to please see the movie and see if there is any justice in that. Dreamgirls is the big screen version of the broadway show. It stars Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover and Boyonce Knowles. The story is loosley based on the story of the supremes and gives you a beautiful insight into the politics of the motown years. Here you have characters loosley based on Diana Ross, Barry Gordy and Marvin Gaye.
This movie is a must see. I'm sure all would agree that newcomer Jennifer Hudson is the scene stealer in this project. There won't be a dry eye in the house as the credits role!

lazybones

2007-01-11T09:57:00.000Z

Gosh, it's odd to be back in the UK. There's just so much to do and i don't even know where to begin. There's course work, memo's at work to catch up on, blogging to do, food shopping, feng shuing my bedroom and even reading the zillions of blogs out there. I don't even have time to make a comprehensive list of my resolutions even though i am already making them up in my head and have started carrying some out already. Sigh. Then there is the Nigerian trip which is another tori (pidgin english for story) entirely. I will get there if this country does not kill me first. Isn't it a good thing when you feel it in your bones that this year will be a great one!!! One question though, why are immigration officials so horrid?

I've brought sexy back!

2007-01-10T10:38:00.000Z

Ok so maybe i haven't. But i am back from my trip to Lagos and so where does one begin! As i sit here, i have mixed feelings about being back in the country. What i shall do is take some time to let it sink in that i am back before i write....Happy new year all!

Jingle all the way!

2006-12-22T10:10:00.000Z

Well I'm off! My train ticket is one of those cheap single ones whereby if you miss it, its gone for good! Despite paying close to thirty quid for it!
My Bag is sitting in the landing now and it's finally squeezed shut! I didn't realise i was carrying so much stuff! I went shopping last night and the city centre was packed....human traffic. The queue's as house of fraser were longer than anything i had ever seen before. The man in front of my was purchasing knee high ladies boots that would suit as young 20something. Judging by his age, i was guessing that it was for a younger girlfriend, second wife or daughter! When i heard the price of the shoes, i hoped for his sake they were for his daughter!
I hope to meet up with everchange whilst i am in town, that should be an interesting laugh.
I didn't meet my target in terms of my coursework (i'm halfway through my researching module essay) but i simply cannot concentrate anymore! I am taking charlotte william's sugar and spice (where she writes about being mixed race in north wales) so that i can read that for my culture and subjectivity essay...that should be a walk in the park. it does not help though that i have gotten the latest vanity fair issue, distracting!
It's so exciting to be going back home, i hope i enjoy it.
To everyone out there, i'll do the american thing and say happy holidays. See you at the other side of my hiatus!
x

Merry Christmas (2)

2006-12-20T10:35:00.000Z

Talking about A merry christmas, i got a christmas card yesterday. It came from my work collegue a muslim Britsh-Iranian chap who smokes and swears and all. He once told us a funny story of how shortly after the 7/7 issue, he got on the train with a rucksack and the whole carraige went silent! Funniest bit was when he reached into his bag to get something. The person closest to him, dived for cover! Now i have no way of verifying these stories for fact but they were funny at the time and taking into consideration the xnophobic society we live in, it isn't impossible! Hope all you sun readers out there are taking note!
Just a couple more days to go and i'll be home. Got the old trunk case out and have started sorting stuff i.e. i am taking this and not taking this! Anyone have any tips for what to take to Nigeria at christmas?
Have to sort out my last minute christmas shopping between today and tomorrow...i do hate being sucked into this commercialism that is now christmas....perhaps that is what the British love more than the religious aspect of things! Or am i wrong?

Merry Christmas Nigeria!

2006-12-18T12:48:00.001Z

At least Nigerians never have to worry about christmas presents...we get one every year. Of course, you tend to get what you deserve as a present! In this case, it is the double whammy of Yaradua and Jonathan as the next Big men in Nigeria!! What does one do in circumstances like these? It is no use ranting on how dire it has all turned out because we all knew it was coming. As i read the paper this morning, i was seething with anger! I was so angry i was close to tears! As i walked through the university this morning (i have to clear my essays before i go home for christmas), i saw the graduation parade and amongst them...a host of Nigerians. Within the group, i spotted the boys that i have been told are jonathan's sons! As i saw them, everything slowed down and became dim. I suddenly imagined myself running madly towards them and hitting them for every pensioner that has died and all the other ills of the society. Of course, i didn't! I walked on still fuming into the library and got on with my work. This is what we do as Nigerians. The certain passivity that allows us (all of us) to watch on whilst our futures are continually ruined. Of course, it would be naive not to point out that the resident population have been numbed to such thoughts either by hunger, stupidity, both and more.
What is to become of us?

2006-12-18T12:48:00.000Z

i left my heart in san francisco

2006-12-15T11:16:00.000Z

Maybe because i am going home soon! I have been listening to Tony Benett's I left my heat in san francisco a whole lot lately....

The Migration Begins!!

2006-12-15T10:28:00.000Z

My Brilliant family have asked me down for christmas i.e. they are paying for me to come down and i am positively elated!!!! Christmas honestly doesn't get better. The prospects of another cold, wet christmas was not exactly appealing.
The mass Migration has already begun. Friends started going at the start of the week and will keep leaving for Nigeria till the last week of the year. Amazing. I am totally looking forward to scoffing on Jollof rice and chicken and going out in Lagos and talking in Nigerian english and so on.....
I have started packing already although i now find myself in a dilenma. I need to find christmas presents fast. I bought an ipod for my brother who is about 28 so that seems ideal and a tommy hilfiger hold all for my sister who is about 27. But there is my brother who is 29 and another who is 33ish and then my darling mama....what do i get them?
I sent my mate vic to town today to get some facial scrubs and stuff for my sister i hope she likes it and then i went shopping for chocs as well....perhaps i am getting sucked into the consumerism that is christmas!!
My housemates are leaving as well...at least some of them. T the cockney chap went on tuesday to london (he once worked as a chef at the ivy actually...or something like that) and J.F is off to paris on tuesday (he is french). V is not sure when he goes back to london but S isn't going anywhere...he is welsh!
At this point i trully do not care what anyone gets up to...i just can't wait to go home.....i say in a sing-song voice!
I am not going to the christmas party at work this year and most think its because i think i am too posh! Tosh! It's bad enough that you have to see them for the 364 odd days of the year but at christmas as well? Pah
I wonder if British people think i hate christmas too just because i am not british? Food for thought? I don't care, i'm off to lagos...la dee da!!

This lady is a tramp!! xx

2006-12-12T19:46:00.000Z

I've wined and dined on mulligan stew on "Live at Talk of the Town" inserted: I have, I have And never wished for turkey I've hitched and hiked and drifted to From Maine to Alberquque Alas I missed the beaux arts ball And what is twice as sad I was never at a party Where they honoured Noel Coward on "Live at Talk of the Town": I was never at Barbra Streisands party - aaah And that make me bloody mad a ...(??) funny girl on "At The Pigalle": Alas I'm always known as being in the pie(??) I was never at Alma Cogans party A shame When she honoured Ringo Starr on "The Birthday Concert" & video "An Audience With Shirley Bassey": I was never at Hugh Grants party When he honoured the great divide - ouh His social circles move to fast for me My hobohemia is the place to be I get too hungry for dinner at eight I love the theatre but never come late I never bother with people I hate That's why this lady is a tramp I don't like crap games with barons and earls Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls Won't dish the dirt with the rest of those girls That's why this lady is a tramp I like the free fresh wind in my hair Life without care I'm broke... that's oke Hate California, it's cold and it's damp That's why this lady is a tramp I like the free fresh wind in my hair on "Live at Talk of the Town": I like the free fresh wind in my wig Life without care I'm broke... that's oke Hate California, it's cold and it's damp That's why this lady is a tramp And I love it Yes, I'm a tramp, and I love it And I wish that you will come in my way yeah I wish that you will come in my way yeah I wish that you will come in my way Yes, I'm a lady But a tramp (transcribed by Roman )

Big band!!!

2006-12-12T19:37:00.000Z

I love big band!! I am sat at my desk (i know its bad english but i love colloquialisms) and i am listening to Micheal Buble do "I've got a crush on you". Earlier on today i had been listening to Shirley Bassey, Tony Bennett and co do big numbers!! Even Little Micheal Buble doing a very spectacular cover of mack the knife. The thing is i like to imagine i am in some fancy lounge club somewhere with all the cool cats in town...martini in hand!! I even go as far as getting the live versions of this art pieces (loads of laughs), pathetic enh?
Song's now changed to Shirley Bassey doing "hey big spender", did you know she was part Nigerian and part Welsh....she used be from tiger bay (rather dodgy area) and still claims family from both places!
SIGH...On the other side of the spectrum, for christmas; I'm treating myself to swan lake which is in cardiff from the 22nd at the devine wales mill. centre with music by Tchaikovsky.....

Indian, Young and Muslim!

2006-12-06T10:10:00.000Z

A-A Khan is standing right in the middle of the street waving to me. He has asked me over to his house to conduct the interview as opposed to the coffee shop on campus I had previously suggested. He is lanky and visible on the street in his jeans and t-shirt more so for the fact that he is without an umbrella on this wet November morning. Unlike him I am huddled under my little umbrella trying to keep my ipod and man bag from getting wet. I try to asses his person as I walk up to him. Should I be cautious so as not to offend his religious sensibilities or am I being paranoid? I am unable to neither decipher this young man nor place him in any category whatsoever. Entering the house is welcoming considering the warmth as against the dampness of the showers outside. He offers me tea or coffee which I politely decline in embarrassment as I remember the gluttonous breakfast I had had some minutes before. His bedroom is busy but tidy with books that look like they have been read; his spanking new laptop is buzzing with msn windows and loads of DVD’s including the lord of the rings trilogy. I ask if he is a fan and he admits that he is. I also notice the prayer mat at the top of his cupboard and ask him why he has decided to come to university here, so far away from home. “Oh it’s funny because I was initially going to Edinburgh but by chance I noticed a map of this university and it had a mosque in it and then and there I changed my mind” he replied. “Of course I didn’t know how the U.K worked so I had to go on the barest information I had”. Fair enough, I thought. But very obviously his faith plays an important role in his life; perhaps this is typical of all Muslims? He tells me that One’s faith is from within; therefore there should be little or no interference in life’s activities. He points out that whilst some Muslims drink and do other things, others don’t. He admits that he goes to the university union, but only to listen to music, socialize and play pool; suggesting that religious interpretations are subject to perspective. I ask how he relaxes, if he does at all. He laughs to this and points to his DVD’s. “It is only because I currently live in a university town which is entirely boring in other aspects but back home I love to drive…fast”. He smiles as I bury my face in my notepad scribbling furiously. A speed demon and a Muslim at the same time? That will take some reconciling! Perhaps he has a point about religious perspective being subject to interpretation…and perhaps a little explaining. This leads me to ask about “back home” and he lights up to this. “Oh that’s everywhere” he replies. He goes on to explain that his family has always moved around from his native country of India to Dubai and so on. He asserts that he is Indian first with close ties to Afghanistan and celebrates this identity but admits a certain fondness for Dubai. “Dubai for me is a fascinating mix of east and west which is refreshing, I believe it has a beautiful multicultural future” he states. He had told me earlier that he worked in IT in Dubai before coming down to university and often shuttled between India and Dubai. His sisters still live there and work as models and event consultants. I glance quickly at the pictures of his family on the side table and can see why how it can be as his sisters are beautiful. I voice my difficulty in understanding how modeling works in the Middle East; when one considers the perceived representation of women in that part of the world. “there is a female bus driver in Sheffield” he says, “she still drives a bus till date and wears her hijab; it does not affect her work in anyway”! It turns out that his sisters are still cosmopolitan businesswomen who are successful despite the perceived constraint. I think back to a story from the BBC in 2005 which explored how women in Dubai were breaking the “patriarchal mould” of Middle East society with recent achievements. According to statistics, 65% of all university students in the UAE (United Arab Emirates where Dubai is situated) are female. 15% of the work force in the UAE is female; the irony is that the figure also considers expatriates; many of whom are men. However according to the BBC, it is generally considered to be inappropriate for women to speak to men they are neither married to nor related to in public amongst UAE nationals; although it is increasingly becoming acceptable. No doubt about it, things are changing in the Middle East; but these changes are in accordance with acceptable cultural references. I tax him on the possible interpretation of my findings as possibly sexist? “This is clearly not sexism” he replies. He insists that women are respected and maintains that conformation is about choice. I wonder if this choice is subject to conditioning, but I choose not to pursue it further.

Recently the BBC conducted a poll on young people around the world and from its samples, it was deducted that although most of the respondents see religion as a force of good, the greatest percentage thought terrorism was the most pertinent issue in the world and did not think that the American led ventures in the middle east would make the world safer. “So is there a certain animosity towards westernization then”? I ask my interviewee. “Like everything else in the world, westernization has its good and bad points” he replies. He goes on to explain his thoughts on the Bush war in the middle-east, stating his opposition to it. He points out that Bush (U.S president George W. Bush) was very adamant about his ideas on Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda but still the world is not a safer place. He believes that Islam is not the issue that needs to be sorted out but the surrounding factors around it. “If you threw a book away without reading it, you wouldn’t know what was in it, would you?” Food for thought! I decide to tax him on terrorism asking “taking into consideration 9/11 in New York and 7/7 in London, do you think Islam is doing enough to counter terrorism and in effect; does Islam need a revamp of sorts? He replies that Islam completely dissociates itself from extremism and points out that suicide for example is not a part of Islam “so how can these people represent a religion they do not practice”? He goes on to point out that as Islam is a way of life, the religion is not about it looking after people but people looking after it. He genuinely is baffled that assumptions are made on a culture through the actions of individuals.

I move on to easier subjects at this stage. Bollywood superstar, (The big B) Amitabh Bachnan is in the U.K to promote bollywood movies, something I am personally passionate about. There is also talk of the rapid increase in India’s status on the world stage, India is getting richer. I ask what all this means to A.A. “turns out my entire family are in the movies in one way or the other” he returns with a smile. He loves bollywood movies and the very concept surrounding its success, this is something I can understand! He is not sure what he will do next after his course here. He is young, Muslim and Indian and he is not going to let something trivial like identity boxes stop him from getting where he wants to be.

A.A Khan Is currently studying for a masters degree in wales.

Inner thinking of blood and race!

2006-11-22T13:29:00.000Z

I have just seen the fascinating programme by channel 4 titled "100% english". Basically the programme tackles the preconcieved perceptions we all have about race and ethnicity. It does so by interviewing a group of rather ordinary "english" people on their perceptions on what being english is about. I must say, i whilst i wasn't particularly surprised at the replies given; i was taken aback by the outcomes of the programme.
One of the characters included was a bigoted so called english woman who runs a charity of ethnic english people. Turns out she has romany gypsy ancestry. Perhaps if she had not threatened to sue channel 4 the whole episode would have gone away!! Then there was the lady from kent who sighed with relief when she found out she didn't have any genetic references to sub-saharan Africa. How do we see ourselves? How do we see race? In retrospect, i see how easily i have fallen prey to this essentialist thinking on race and identity. I remember coming across Jeremy of Naijablog's web page and finding it difficult to reconcile his caucasian picture to his identity stamp of english/yoruba hybrid! Of course most would react that way; perhaps this explains why he is often misrepresented as racist or imperialist when he voices his views on the shortcomings of Nigerian soceity. Is his being white a hinderance to his being Nigerian? Is being Nigerian being black? Does it work the same way with Immigrants in this society; voicing their views and their rights? With reference to blogging, does it in anyway explain my preconcieved ideas of my fav blogs..ie everchange as a young black woman and eshuneutics as a distinguished older black male?
My brother is mixed race. Up until univerisity, My brother might have been black in my eyes. Why? Is his being Nigerian/yoruba contrary to our stereotypical image of a mixed race kid? In retrospect, there are two types of mixed race kids in Nigeria. There are the ason (ie yoruba word for posh) ones who assume their white identity and accentuate it by speaking in a certain way, growing their hair and associating with only a certain kind of people. Then there are the kpaki ones(more hardcore and more fun really) who could not care less about their heritage; and in most cases are more localised than "ethnically pure" people. I notice how the ason ones come across as better at eveything. Better spoken, rich, better looking, etc...is that how we as a people see the other side? Does this explain the failure in our system? Perhaps for our leaders, the west is prosperous and white, Africa is poor and black? food for thought?
I was recently engaged in a class discussion on race and ethnicity. My tutor, the African American GJ i blogged about earlier posed the question, how would you deal with it if you suddenly found out that you were not so ethnically pure? Of course all the white students all declared that they would not care less...which somehow did not ring true. How would you deal with it if you suddenly found out that you had chinese or Iranian heritage?how?

investing?

2006-11-17T13:16:00.000Z

Dork that i am, i've been spending the last couple of evenings(over the last couple of weeks, fucking sigh) in the library...i am determined to get my first more than anything else; afterall the hard earned pounds my folks are churning out should not go to waste. sigh
If i am to be honest, its not really about the pounds. I am worried. I keep thinking back to an argument propsed by my dad's friend, a man we called uncle tunde. He refused to send his kids abroad to study since he believed that "they would loose time and possible contacts".
Now here i am at university, yes i'm having a nice time but apprantly nowhere near what my friends who have stayed back in Nigeria...or so i think!!!
I've reading and seeing these people in the news, already headliners and decision makers and what am i doing, investing for the fucking future????
What am i doin?

its friday but it feels like the end of the month!

2006-11-17T12:33:00.000Z

Fun day today!! It's dress down day at work today and we all have to pay a pound towards children in need...oh and wear dodgy socks as well which i am not looking forward to. As i am not oyinbo, i am not going to cramp my style...for charity or not!!
Meeting up with mates later tonight and we are going to see the casino royale thing...just us boys. Will lay the verdict down when i get back. Oh and have to go to london at the end of the month, yippeee!

If anything else, not another one!

2006-11-11T18:25:00.000Z

Whatever happens we have to make sure IBB does not get back into power in Nigeria. This appeals goes out to all Nigerians everywhere and to those who love Nigeria. If you have a blog, spread the word and contribute to the possibility of a bright future ; something i believe can only be possible without people like IBB back in power. Say I if you believe this too!!!!

Nollywood wahala!!!

2006-11-11T17:46:00.000Z

My Brother sent this to me by email and i thought it was hilarious!!!

24 Things we've learnt from Nollywood

1. Every problem you have is spiritual.
2. In every romance movie, someone must die.
3. It is possible to hit a person without actually touching them!
4. Anyone who gets hit by a car dies immediately.
5. Poisoned food always tastes better.
6. The best way to make money is by visiting a 'Babalawo' / joining a
cult / sleeping with rich men.
7. One of a pair of twins (identical or not) is born evil.
8. There is never an end to your suffering, except death!
9. With a pastor ... all things are possible.
10. A movie can be titled anything... such as:
*The boy is mine,
* Face me, I face you
*Two rats,
*Spanner,
*Calculator,
*Igala,
*Ijele,
*Igodo,
*Igudu
*Shigidi
11. A movie has not been made if at least one actor/actress has not-
'shelled', twisted his/her lips to speak wrong phonetics'.
12. You are in love... you want to take your girl out, the best place you
take her to is...
*Mr. Biggs/Tantalizers: where you'll most probably see an ex while
feeding each other.
*The beach: where it is imperative that you ride a donkey and carry her
playfully.
*Or the best: take her to buy some new ugly clothes.
13. An Igbo movie has been made if ...
* You visit a 'Babalawo'
* A fleet of cars is shown off at regular intervals for a total of half
of the movie time.
* Kanayo 'O' Kanayo is in the movie. Pete Udochie is also there too!
* To get rich it is mandatory you join a cult
14. Gun shots and knock-outs sound the same!
15. Sometimes the title has absolutely nothing to do with the movie and
other times, once you read the title and see the poster you know it
all!!! (Also the soundtrack gives you a headache because it just narrates
the whole story repeatedly - so much for suspense and intrigue!)
16. A love story has not been produced if it does not have one or two of
the following actresses-
* Stella Damascus
* Stephanie Okereke
* Genevieve Nnaji
* Omotola Jalade
* Rita Dominic
17. The police are extremely 'efficient' unlike their counterparts in
real life.
18. An actress can wear the same hairdo for more than a year and even in
longer flashbacks.
19. It is permissible to wear very dark shades at night!
20. When you are shot in the chest, it really doesn't matter; your head
will be bandaged! Same for your legs!
21. When advertising a movie, you really should shout because... people
are deaf?
22. When you are extremely poor, you will still be able to afford- very
good furniture, T.V., but you won't be able to send your kids to school.
23. Most especially in Yoruba movies, your gateman must be inefficient
and comical. He MUST dress like a freak, be rude to all your visitors and
never mind his business.
24. My personal favourite- the bad guy always dies or gets caught by none
other than the police- LOL!!!!

talking about young Nigeria....

2006-11-10T10:14:00.000Z

I have not met Tayo Etomi personally (I don't think anyway) but i admire her. We have mutual friends for sure and her work for a better future for Nigeria deserves applause. Her group who are promoting voters rights for young people are looking in the right direction i think. I believe all should support this in anyway we can. Click here for more information!

That Lil Nigerian girl called Nnnena

2006-11-10T09:07:00.000Z

So the Nigerian girl on America's Next top model is a bit of a slag, so what? I love her. Nnnena the girl i feel like "hailing" half the time. Of course, at first i was offended that such a beautiful, intelligent (bookwise it turns out) girl should go on a seedy patronising reality show like that but in the end i got hooked.
Great smile, fantastic body and the cutest Nigerian accent i have heard in a long, long time(to quote lil miss jocelyn) and definitely true to her roots. I mean the girl was even khunle(ing) for tyra. Excuse my atrocious yoruba, i mean khunle in the way yoruba Nigerian girls greet in that awfully respectful way with the slightest curtsey dip!
I hated the way the background music changed to some jungle drums and ethnic beat everytime the spotlight was on her but i suppose that's what American's can understand. On the other hand, i suppose you could appreciate the fact that the girl is trully African to the core and drums are our thing. You should have seen her dig it in that Igbo ass shaking, bent over double way they do, marvellous.
One issue i had with her was the fact that she was portrayed to be some sort of sociopath possibly suffering from some sort of mult personality dis-order. One this amiable simple girl and the other this bloodless cold predator focused on only one thing...the kill!!! Hmmm.
That said, the part me that did it most for me was the way she handled her boyfriend on the issue of her flirting with a male model. The girl is a playa!!!!!! Maybe Nnena is not a good girl after all!
That said i appreciate that the girl was trully Nigerian in every way and wish her well in her ambitions to bring medical aid to the entire African continent!