Africa: My Story, Your History

I shared this piece in 2002 with my junior secondary one social studies students in Lagos, Nigeria, whose ignorance of basic African history had shocked me. However, their defense was as sincere as it was telling: "We do not know because no one has taught us." Their response reminded me of an African proverb which says, if you don't know where you're coming from, you'll not know where you're headed. So, I decided to awaken in my students (10-11 year olds) a passion for Africa. And for three years I made sure we grounded every topic we discussed on Africa and African examples.

Here's the first piece I shared with them:

Africa my Africa…

Africa of whom my grandmother sings…

I have never known you

But your blood flows in my veins…

Africa tell me Africa

Is this your back that is bent…

But a grave voice answer me

Impetuous child that tree young and strong

That tree over there

Splendid alone amidst white and faded flowers

That is your Africa springing up anew…

(David Diop)

Today most of my grandchildren know very little about me.  Their parents who should tell them my story know no better.  But you, Grandchild, have to know my past that you may face your future with a determined hope.  So, I decided to tell you my story myself.

Funny enough, there are many versions of the origin of my name. An earlier one says that “Africa” is derived from the Latin aprica, which means “sunny.” A later version maintains that the name came from Ifriqiya, an ancient area in modern day Tunisia, Ifriqiya which, in Tamazight (a northern African language), also means "sunny place." 

Of Leaders and Leadership

Recently, a very good friend of mine, a scholar and director of a center for African leadership and development in an African university, inboxed my Facebook asking me to "couple up some words of wisdom on leadership [for him]--just half a page?--before the end of today." Oh my! Then he added for an emphasis a request for an African twist. "As usual, please pepper it with your ilu Igbo [Igbo proverb]."Here's what I "coupled up" for him:

Good leadership is the heart of any functional human establishment. It is, according to a Somalian proverb, like a good head that is the key to a healthy body; the vision, without which a people perishes (Proverbs 29:18).  The renowned Nigerian novelist and critic, Chinua Achebe, blamed the decaying state of his own people, Nigeria, on bad leadership. “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership,” he categorically declared.

The question of leadership has occupied humanity for millennia. From ancient histories to contemporary times, sages, philosophers, and social scientists have grappled with it. Theories abound in an attempt to distill its essence. Some anchor it on a leader’s traits, behavior, or style, while others situate it on the leader’s environment, management skills, or relationship with others. The different theories imply a nuanced understanding based on context and personality.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Redefines "Feminist"

In this amazing +TEDxEuston talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie draws brilliantly from her "happy," "African," and "female" background to redefine "feminist" as "a man or a woman who says, yes, there's a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it; we must do better."

Celebrating Nollywood at 20

The naysayers had predicted its early demise and called it “a flash in the pan.” But twenty years on, instead of a requiem, the whole world sings triumphant alleluia tunes. Nollywood has grown to become the most dominant and accessible expression of contemporary Nigerian popular culture. 

It tells Nigerian stories, with Nigerian voices, to Nigerian (and exponentially growing transnational, global) audience. Its reach is as expansive as its influence, with its films and narratives extending across the African continent and far beyond. Its video films and the discourses they generate have become so key to Nigeria’s and Africa’s self-representation that it is difficult to understand contemporary Africa and its place in the world without recourse to them.

In 2009 the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ranked Nollywood the second largest film industry in the world, after Bollywood. In addition to being a multibillion naira (and dollar) industry, generating myriad spin-off subsector businesses, and employing hundreds of thousands of labor, Nollywood has also studded the Africa galaxy with stars too numerous to count. 

So much for an industry that started from chanced business opportunities taken advantage of by a group of men (who unfortunately are often denigrated as illiterates) with no basic training or education in film production.

As the curtains come down on its twentieth anniversary celebrations in Nigeria and across the world, here’s raising the glasses and wishing Nollywood many more scores of colorful and impactful existence.

Madiba Goes Home at 95

Africa has lost its soul. The world mourns the passing of the continent's symbol of peace, unity, and hope. We will remember Nelson Mandela, above all, for being an exceptional leader--for not clinging to power (even when he could have easily done so), for his insistent call for his people to rise above racial hatred, and his dogged commitment to national reconciliation in the post-apartheid South Africa. His broadminded forgiving and accommodating spirit birthed the new "rainbow nation" that South Africa is today and which forms its foundation as a leading economy on the continent.

Rest in Peace, Madiba!

ShowbizPlus Blog Changes Web Address

In a recent press release by ShowbizPlus with Azuh Amatus, the blog that prides itself as "the most authoritative for news in the Nigerian showbiz industry and more" informs its mega and ever growing readership that it has changed its web address--in order to serve them better.

The new address is showbizpluswithazuhamatus.blogspot.com.

Addressing their readers, Azuh Amatus, founder and team leader, said "the new address is in line with our vision and mission of adhering to global best practices. We sincerely apologize and regret any inconvenience this change of web address might have caused you." Azuh further thanked the readers for supporting the vision to make
ShowbizPlus with Azuh Amatus "Africa's number one blog for entertainment and general news."

African Proverb of the Month

Agụọ nwere nchekwube/olịleanya a dighi egbu egbu.  

Nigeria proverb, Igbo

The hunger that has hope (for its satisfaction) does not kill. 

English

Background, Explanation, and Everyday Use

The Igbo inhabit southeastern Nigeria.  “Igbo” refers to both the people and their language.  Occupying a rainforest region, the Igbo were traditionally mainly farmers and their lifestyle was patterned on the farming cycle.  Usually, between the end of the farming season (when most of the crops from the previous harvest had been consumed and the seedlings planted) and the next harvest, there is a food scarcity spell, called ụgalị.

This proverb was mostly used at this time, a period of about five to seven months, to counsel hope for and endurance until the next harvest, a future of abundance.  The elders used this proverb to teach the young ones that no matter how trying and challenging a situation might be, one usually survives it if one looks beyond the particular moment with hope for a brighter future and, therefore, endures with dignity. 

However, one neither hopes nor endures in inertia.  Both hope and endurance imply hard work.  So, this proverb ties to another Igbo proverb, aka aja aja na eweta ọnụ mmanụ mmanụ (“‘soily’ hands bring about oily mouth”).  With these two proverbs, people are encouraged to be active and diligent while they hope for a better future. 

Omotola: Women Tell me I'm their Role Model

"Omosexy: The biggest film star you've never heard of." That's how UK's The Sunday Telegraph's Stella Magazine introduces +Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde in a recent interview. The queen of Nollywood spoke to the publication's Ben Arogundade on her career, family, and humanitarian concerns. Below is the full interview.

Omosexy': The biggest film star you’ve never heard of 

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, aka 'Omosexy’, is the queen of Nollywood. She’s appeared in more than 300 films, pulls in 150 million viewers for her reality-television show and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

She scores a zero on the Hollywood Richter scale. She has never starred in a major motion picture. Her most recent film, Last Flight to Abuja, means nothing to devotees of Netflix and LoveFilm.

"Again, Genevieve Misses the Point," Azuh Arinze Responds to Genevieve's Reaction

Genevieve with Azuh Arinze

My attention has just been drawn to the twitter handle of Genevieve Nnaji (@GenevieveNnaji1) where she alleged that she did not grant YES International! magazine the interview published in our Vol. 3 No. 15 edition with the caption: ‘I Want God To Bless Me With The Right Man & A Good Family’. 

First, I want to thank her for at least not also denying me. Or even saying that she has never met me. Secondly, I know she resorted to this for two reasons. One – because of the headline. And two – because she confided in a mutual friend of ours that she still hasn’t forgiven YES International! for making its debut on June 19, 2011 with a cover story entitled: ‘All The Men Who Dated And Dumped Genevieve’ which she considered displeasing.

Well, I have always made it clear that my brand of journalism is progressive-minded, not withstanding that I belong to the celebrity journalism genre. Without sounding immodest, I can say with every sense of responsibility that I first encountered Genevieve as a budding actress who needed encouragement at the time, which I gladly offered. And if I can still recollect very well, I don’t think any other journalist has interviewed her as much as I have.

Now, to the main issue: If at all Genevieve had taken time to read the full interview in YES International! instead of the disjointed and abridged ones ruling on the social media, perhaps she would have seen where it was clearly stated in the introduction that the interview was conducted ‘Long before super stardom beckoned’.

Nollywood's Funny Lot: Who's the Funniest?

We know these faces. We see them everyday on our television screen. Some call them clowns; others, buffoons.  But love them or hate them, we know that they're Nollywood's best, skilled and talented comedians, masters of their craft and role models in their own rights. They brighten our day and annoy us in equal measures with both their wit and idiocy. But we love to watch them "display." I stumbled on this old school picture from Azuh Amatus collection (ShowbizPlus with Azuh Amatus) and thought it worth sharing. Take your pick and let us know who your favorite is. (Postscript: RIP Baba Sam Loco Efe, Africa's best and consummate thespian.)

Genevieve Nnaji: "I Want God to Bless Me with the Right Man and A Good Family"

Long before super stardom beckoned, I had this innocent but interesting interview with +Genevieve Ifunanya Nnaji, recalls +AZUH ARINZE, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Yes International Magazine. I must, however, confess that I stumbled on the tape again only days back, while wading through my archives. I’ve transcribed and extracted some of her candid thoughts which she shared with me. Particularly those I consider to still be relevant.

Born on May 3, 1979 into the family of Benedatte and Theophilus Nnaji, Genny, like I enjoy addressing her, hails from Umuebi – Amuzu in Aboh-Mbaise, Imo State. The fourth of her parents’ eight children, she attended Kemstar Nursery and Primary School, Surulere, Lagos; Methodist Girls High School, Lagos and Girls Secondary School, Akwakuma, Owerri, Imo State. Dazzling and delectable, sumptuous and sexy, sweet and svelte, she is unarguably and indisputably the reigning pride of Africa in the make-believe world.

One of our biggest and richest, the single mother of one (Lily) who has in her kitty some of the most coveted award trophies and to her credit some of the most lucrative endorsement deals poured it all out to me. Trust me; you will definitely enjoy this…

Nigerians and Birthdays: How We Celebrate

+Nigerians are, by nature, celebratory animals. Point black. We love our parties, the +Owambes with no apologies. And when we party, we party real big.

Recently, a number of events kept me thinking about how we celebrate, as a people, as a nation. As I researched the topic, I came across Prof. Niyi Akinnaso's beautifully written piece on Nigerians and Birthday Celebrations and thought it's worth sharing, albeit abridged.

"The celebration of birthday anniversaries is one of the acquired cultural practices from the West that NIgerians have overextended in the process of domestication, just as they have overextended the use of titles and honorifics. This is particularly true of the +Yoruba ethnic group, whose cultural and linguistic practices I have had the privilege to study professionally as an anthropologist and linguist. A unique feature of the Yoruba is the encapsulation of their rich cultural tradition in various genres, such as Odu Ifa, Ijala, and Oriki. Unfortunately, much of it has been sidelined by Westernisation, Christianity and Islam.

...perhaps no acquired Western practice is as elaborated by Nigerians as birthday anniversary celebrations. Our forefathers never celebrated birthdays. To start with, in the absence of writing and accurate record keeping, they did not know their exact birthdays... Birthdays are the most ubiquitous and the most elaborated among person-oriented events. In today's literate families, birthday celebrations begin at age 1... The elaboration of these celebrations is particularly evident in adult birthday parties, especially at ages 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80.

Lagos na Waa. Eko for Life

"Lagos has never been, will never be, and has never aspired to be like New York, or anywhere else for that matter. +Lagos has always been indisputably itself, but you would not know this at the meeting of the Nigerpolitan Club, a group of young returnees who gather every week to moan about the many ways that Lagos is not like New York as though Lagos had ever been close to being like New York. Full disclosure: I am one of them. Most of us have come back to make money in Nigeria, to start businesses, to seek government contracts and contacts. Others have come with dreams in their pockets and a hunger to change the country, but we spend all our time complaining about Nigeria, and even though our complaints are legitimate, I imagine myself as an outsider saying: Go back where you came from! If your cook cannot make the perfect panini, it is not because he is stupid. It is because Nigeria is not a nation of sandwich-eating people and his last oga did not eat bread in the afternoon. So he needs training and practice. And +Nigeria is not a nation of people with food allergies, not a nation of picky eaters for whom food is about distinctions and separations. It is a nation of people who eat beef and chicken and cow skin and intestines and dried fish in a single bowl of soup, and it is called assorted, and so get over yourselves and realize that the way of life here is just that, assorted."

"The first commenter wrote: Rubbish post. Who cares? The second wrote: Thank God somebody is finally talking about this. Na wa for arrogance of nigerian returnees..."

 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

What do you say?

Fela's Right?: Shuffering and Shmiling, and the God Question

Remember that 2003 New Scientist survey which suggested that Nigerians are the the happiest people on earth? I'm not sure how many Nigerians actually believed that. But a lot of us did reference it once in a while to buttress our bonhomie nature. Well, Forbes magazine thought ten years was enough for us to bask in that euphoria. So, in January this year Forbes burst our bubble by informing us that Nigeria is now twentieth among the saddest nations on earth. So much for (un)happiness surveys!

Well, my intention is not to ask what, if anything, has changed with the Nigerian peoples and/or character in the last ten years to warrant such a swift shift from one extreme to the other, but to revisit the perennial question: How is it possible for such happiness (with or without the New Scientist survey) that we witness in Nigeria to co-exist with the obvious hardships most Nigerians experience?

No doubt, there are as many responses to the question as there are Nigerians, and more. It's said that joy and smiles are of God. Cheerfulness has a gravitational pull to it, like nectar attracting the bee. Little wonder we are naturally drawn to joyful people. Joy is spiritual, as well as valuable in our spiritual life. And as James Martin, SJ, puts it in his Between Heaven and Mirth, "Joy is happiness in God." This joy exists even in the midst of suffering.

Now That We Have A Jesuit Pope...

It’s now a month since the world was pleasantly surprised (on Wednesday, 13 March) with the election of Pope Francis, the 266th Roman Catholic pontiff.  The new pope said in good humor afterwards that his fellow cardinals had chosen him from “the end of the world.”

And by that singular auspicious act of God, the cardinal electors set Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the pope of many firsts: the first non-European pope in almost 1,300 years, the first pope from Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, the first pope to take the name of Francis, and the first Jesuit pope. Ever.

I emerged from the library, where I had been all day, on time to join the BBC’s live coverage wait for the white smoke from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. My eyes glued to my mobile device on my commute home; I couldn’t thank God enough for digital media technology. The intersection of the mundane and the spiritual.  All serving one purpose.  God’s.  And then my delight, my joy about twenty minutes later at the pronouncement of the much-awaited “magic” words: Habemus Papam! (“We Have a Pope”).