Igbo Hospitality: Kola Nut and White Clay

Bowl of kola nut; source: www.oraukwu.com

“Kola nut, oji (Cola acuminata), and white chalk, nzu, are two of the most frequently used and

culturally important substances in the Igbo world, and both figure prominently in initial hospitality ceremonies crucial to the success of any social or ritual undertaking.

Both substances are regarded as having ritual power, are sacrifices, and function as facilitators of communication between men and between men and their gods. The two substances are different but each is indispensible, and it is difficult to imagine Igbo like without them.

The cultural preeminence of kola nut and chalk has inspired the Igbo to devise special containers for their ceremonial presentation. While these serving dishes are optional and not always artistically elaborated, the substances are mandatory.

Don't Preach to me, Show me Compassion Instead

Pope Francis washes an prisoner's foot on Maundy Thursday in Rome

(Abiodun Kuforiji Nkwocha)--Did I even mention to you guys that I was once a banker? Ages ago.

If I attempt to take all my gist from that side, the stories will never end. I learnt something vital; whenever someone walked into my branch to cash a third party cheque with no ID and the prefix Pastor or Imam was written on that cheque, regardless of the amount, one of my bosses would not honour the cheque.

Introducing Adesua "Sunshine" Etomi

(Shaibu Husseini)--She is nicknamed ‘Sunshine’ and that is exactly what this new acting dynamite Adesua Etomi brings, to any picture she is cast to feature in. From an appearance in her short film, ‘Brave’ to a leading performance in that engaging telling by Royal Pictures Academy, ‘Knocking on Heavens Door’ and the ground breaking television series ‘Gidi Up’, Adesuwa has shown stuff and has proven that she is that actress any good producer should engage if he or she wants an actress who can live a role believably.

Born in Owerri, Imo State to a father who is from Edo State and a mother who is Yoruba, Adesua acts with a lot of depth. She throws herself into a role and makes every role she has played seem as though it was written with her in mind. Indeed, most directors who have worked closely with her since she returned from abroad to join the industry after her university education affirm that she is good and that the humble, friendly and amiable actress who also sings, has brought some spark to the Nigerian stage and screen acting firmament.

Of Gods, Economics, and Power

"Economics and power have always played a large part in the championing of new deities throughout human history. The struggle for authority in early human society with its prize of material advantages, social prestige and the establishment of an elite has been nowhere so intensely marked as in the function of religion, perpetuating itself in repressive orthodoxies, countered by equally determined schisms. 

In the exploration of man's images of essence-ideal, fashioned in the shape of gods, we cannot afford to jettison our cynical faculties altogether. Adapting The Bacchae of Euripides quite... for a production--The Bacchae is of course the finest extant drama of the social coming-into-being of a semi-European deity--I found it necessary to emphasise this impure aspect of the priesthood. 

There is a confrontation between King Pentheus who is properly opposed to the presence and activities of the god Dionysus in his kingdom, and the seer Tiresias who is already an enthusiastic promoter of the god. Here are a few lines from King Pentheus's denunciation:

This is your doing Tiresias; I know

You talked him into it, and I know why.

Another god revealed is a new way opened

Into men’s pocket, profits from offerings,

Power over private lives - and state affairs –

Don’t deny it! I’ve known your busy priesthood
Manipulations.

Wole Soyinka (1976: 12-13), Myth, Literature and the African World

Chiwetalu Agu: Film Character Vs Real Life

(Tofarati Ige)--Popular Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, often acts the role of a wicked man in movies. And his depictions are so real that many fans believe that is his real character. In this chat with Showtime Celebrity, he explains that the negative reaction of fans towards his wicked roles is what actually led him into acting comic roles. Excerpts…

You seem to have an affinity for comedies; why is that?

I wouldn’t call it affinity. Years ago, I found out that most of the scripts that were brought to me didn’t have comic relief; I was always given roles of a wicked man and I got to understand that most of my fans were not pleased with it. Some of them felt it was something real, and the consequence was that whenever I stepped out in public, I was caught in embarrassing situations.

I then decided to be infusing comic relief even when I’m playing wicked characters because I’m a veteran screen writer. In the early 80s, we were operating in NTA Enugu, which was formerly Anambra Television Channel 50, so the talent is there, and I combined it with the wicked roles they were giving me. The result is that when you are watching me play a wicked role, you will still have cause to laugh, and ease your tension. In fact, I have achieved a lot by doing that.

Nollywood: Shooting for Better Picture Quality

(Samuel Abulude)--The movie industry is evolving and so are its practitioners. In recent times, great movies inspired by creative directors have crafted what is referred to as the new nollywood.

The Nigerian movie industry has without doubt evolved over the years. With new technology and ideas in movie making, Filmmakers and men behind the camera have been part of the process. The film industry that was pioneered by different personalities like Hubert Ogunde, Ola Balogun and others have become an enterprise and the second employer of labour after agriculture. Thanks to the passion and focus of the great brains that wanted to tell the Nigerian story through films.

A Taste of Nollywood's Medicine

Source: irokotv.com

(Judd-Leonard Okafor)--The man in white lab coat runs a blood test and delivers the verdict: the girl is pregnant. The woman in blue scrubs steps out of the theatre, pulls off her face mask and gives the dreaded announcement: I'm sorry; we've done all we can.

Such scenes are easily recognizable in Nollywood, and millions of avid fans eat them up. But they have doctors fuming at the portrayal of medicine in Nollywood. Medical scenes in movies are a constant. Nearly every other story involves a doctor, but it is how movie doctors approach their work that has the Nigerian medical establishment biting its nails.

iROKO Global: Delivering Nollywood to World Audience

Source: iRokotv.com

(Ibukun Taiwo)--African Internet TV pioneer, iROKO, has launched iROKO Global, its global content distribution and licensing division.

The iROKO Global team will license its extensive library of Nollywood films and TV series across Pay TV, Internet TV, In-flight and YouTube channels. From its HQ in London, the division will be partnering with media outlets in key markets, notably the UK, US and France, to license Nollywood films and TV series and develop iROKO branded channels. Leading iROKO Global’s worldwide licensing division is Senior Vice President, Justine Powell, who has recently joined the company from Associated Press, where she was Director of Sales for Europe & Africa.

Nollywood in Search of African Actors

Wale Ojo (Nigerian) and Fatym Layachi (Moroccan) on the set of CEO in Lagos; source: AFP

(Mail & Guardian Africa)--The camera rolls from left to right on a dolly as the actors, go through their lines, a sound operator holding a boom steady over their heads under bright studio lights.

It could be a scene from any film set but Kunle Afolayan hopes “The CEO” could drive change in Nigeria’s hugely popular and prolific movie industry, Nollywood.

“‘The CEO’ represents Africa as a continent,” said the 41-year-old during a break from filming at a luxury resort outside the financial capital, Lagos.

Nollywood and Nigerian Scholarship

Emem Isong; source: pinterest.com

(Isiguzo Destiny)--Nollywood is over 20 years; yet many Nigerian scholars are not keen on using Nigerian films as references for their researches. What is the way forward?

In a survey this reporter took in University of Lagos on 2014/2015 session final year projects students, it was shocking to discover that most of the literary and theatre art students centered their research on creative literature e.g. novel, play, poetry, and literary criticism and there was an overwhelming neglect on Nigerian motion pictures.