Keep Smiling

In all things, smile, and give thanks!

In Memoriam: Amaka Igwe, Nollywood's Finest

Nollywood mourns the death of Amaka Igwe, one of its pioneer movie makers. The celebrated film director, screenwriter, and producer, died on Tuesday, 29 April, at the age of 51, following complications from an asthma attack.

We will remember the doyen of Nigerian screen industry as a visionary and pioneer of modern Nigerian TV drama and film, particularly for her award-winning classic TV soap, Checkmate and its spinoff Fuji House of Commotion as well as for her critically-acclaimed Nollywood blockbusters, Rattle Snake 1 & 2 and Violated. 

The accomplished entrepreneur who died doing what she loved most (she reportedly died on the set of a movie in Enugu, southeast Nigeria) founded the Amaka Igwe Studios, BoB TV Expo, and was the chief executive officer of  Top Radio 90.9 FM and the recently-launched Q Entertainment Networks.

Nicknamed GOC (General Officer Commanding) as a kid by her father, because of her leadership qualities, Amaka Igwe started making money as an A-Level student at Idia College, Benin City, organizing house variety shows. She later studied education and religious studies at the then University of Ife and got her Masters in library and information services from the University of Ibadan.

Following her national youth service in the 1980s, Amaka Igwe pursued her interest in television at the then Anambra State Broadcasting Service, Enugu (home to Basi & Company and New Masquerade). It was there that she got the inspiration for Checkmate after watching the popular soap, Mirror in the Sun.

African Beauty: Lupita Is PEOPLE's Most Beautiful

"She may have won an Oscar for her role as the slave Patsey in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and recently landed a contract with Lancome Paris, but Lupita Nyong'o 'never dreamed' she would be touted as 'Most Beautiful' for all the world to see.

"'It was exciting and just a major, major compliment,' the 31-year-old says of gracing this year's cover. And especially, 'I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen.'

"Born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, Nyong'o first equated beauty with what she saw on television: 'Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair,' she says. 'Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess.' Her mother, Dorothy, who is the managing director and head of PR for the Africa Cancer Foundation, 'always said I was beautiful,' Nyong'o adds. 'And I finally believed her at some point.'

"As a teen, Nyong'o dyed her hair every color – except blonde – and even went as far as shaving her head bald. 'It was very strange and very cold!' she says, laughing. 'It was scary but I like to dare myself.'

"Now she says the best compliments are 'when I have been called beautiful with not one drop of makeup on,' she adds. 'And also before I comb my hair or put on a pretty dress. Happiness is the most important thing."

It's Igbo not Ibo

Dear Editor

Since I first read your magazine in 1999, my month begins in effect with my buying a copy of New African.  I am very grateful to New African for undauntedly bringing an African perspective to bear on its stories, articles and reports; and, by so doing, correcting centuries-old skewed opinions on Africa and Africans.

However, I was disappointed that the November 2006 issue of New African used the colonial English-created paternalistic name, “Ibo” to refer to the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria.

Igbo refers to the people and their language.  But “Ibo” appeared five times in Lindsay Barrett’s Presidential hopefuls seek ethnic relevance and once in Ejiroghene Barrett’s Nigeria, why the troubles in the Niger Delta.

This is all thanks to New African’s ignorance that “Ibo” was the result of the colonizers’ inability to pronounce the double-character Igbo “gb”—considered as one letter—hence opting for just a “b” instead.  What an arrogant and a patronizing way to treat a people’s name and disrespect them! Certainly, New African does not want to perpetuate this disrespect.

Akua Djane: Being Proudly African

Akua Djane

The problem with African society today is the right to choose. In reality this should not be a problem, but it seems all the people's choices are about not being African anymore.

I recently engaged a group of people in a conversation in which I was lamenting the loss of our culture in Ghana. I made a comment that today fried rice is considered a national meal in Ghana, to which a young lady replied that if people wanted to eat fried rice, that was their business. In as much as I agree with that sentiment, I also think that we need to look at this at a deeper level. I have no problem with people eating fried rice. The problem arises when traditional meals, such as plantain and kontomire (a type of spinach) stew, are downgraded in favour of fried rice. Why should this bother me? I will tell you. 

The rice we consume in Ghana is imported from America and Thailand. For as long as we promote fried rice over plantain, it means our plantain farmers (if we have any more left in Ghana) will have less of a market. And this will lead to unemployment, which can lead to crime. And in the long run, this can affect me when I am mugged by a young boy who should be on a farm.  

The problem with the world is that we are all becoming so me, me, me that we forget how some of our actions can affect society as a whole. Each time a woman in Africa buys Brazilian hair, she empowers the Asian economy because it is not Africans who are producing these products. Rather than buy local Shea butter and black soap, which is suitable for the maintenance of our natural hair, our women in Ghana will wear Brazilian hair and buy all the products needed to make the Brazilian hair look nice!

Your Voice, Your Story

"I believe it's a lot easier to be successful through your own voice. you don't have to wake up in the morning and try to be someone else. You are able to use your culture and who you are to tell your story. The reality is we are telling our own stories now, in a way that's accessible and we are not losing the meaning and we are not losing our voice."

(Alex Okosi, Nigerian-born media executive credited with developing and launching MTV Africa [MTV Base] in 2005)

For the Love of Igbo and Igbo Culture

"Igbo Child in Finland" by Adebanji Alade

I recently recalled a conversation I had with a good friend of mine some years ago. I had expressed a desire to study Igbo (language, literature, culture, anything) at the university level but my friend immediately dismissed it as a "stupid" thought. "What? Are you crazy," he asked me in utter disbelief. He had not understood why people go to the university to study English language, much less French, he said. And there I was expressing an interest in Igbo language. I must be crazy, he concluded.

Thank goodness I'm as sane as they come. My sole insanity is my passion for a culture that I love so much--its language, its history, and its people. I remember an equally great passion and pride with which the likes of Nigeria's literary giant, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and celebrity journalist, Bashorun Dele Momodu (who actually studied Yoruba in the university), speak of their Yoruba culture. I remember a similar fervor with which the 17th century English playwright, William Shakespeare wrote about English culture and by so doing preserved it for posterity in his plays. I remember a comparable enthusiasm that prompted a group of French men in 1883 to found Alliance Francaise "to promote French language and culture around the world." I remember all this and I wonder at my good friend's disdain for the study of his own culture.

Yes! Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Lecture

In an enviable tradition that is fast becoming a history in the making, Yes International magazine has
continued to deliver on its promise to be "more than just a soft sell."

This morning, Azuh Arinze, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, announced the June 19th date for the third edition of the Yes International Annual Lecture Series/Cocktail Party themed "Running a Successful Business in Nigeria: My Experience."

The high-octane event which attracts dignitaries from the business, banking, media, and entertainment sectors--among others--will be chaired by Sir Steve Omojafor (Chairman, Zenith Bank, Plc.), with  Bismarck Rewane (MD, Financial Derivatives Company Limited) as the guest speaker and Barrister Taiwo Adeluwa (Secretary to the Ogun State Government) the guest of honor.

The event, which holds at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, had great achievers like Udeme Ufot (Group Managing Director, SO&U Saatchi and Saatchi) and Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh (Chairman, Zinox Technologies Limited) deliver its 1st and 2nd annual lectures, respectively.

Nkali: The Danger of "Power" in Adichie's Single Story

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's phenomenal 2009 TED Talk, "The Danger of A Single Story," is just simply that: phenomenal. With over seven million views on TED website alone it represents one of TED's most popular talks. 

Every now and then friends and acquaintances from around the world watch the video and, knowing my passion for Africa, send me a link, wondering if I have seen the video and what's my take on it. My response is always, "amazing," "phenomenal." And then I'm prompted to watch the video again, relieving the joy of having a sister tell her African story with pride and joy in her Africanness.

As I watched the video the umpteenth time this morning, I was struck anew by Adichie's insightful location of power at the root of telling a single story. She emphasizes that "it's impossible to talk about the single story without talking about power." Using nkali, an Igbo noun that loosely translates as "to be greater than another" to illustrate this power structure, Adichie brilliantly points out, "power is the ability not just to tell a single story of a person, but to make it the definitive story about that person."

"So Many Things Confuse Me About You"--Charly Boy: A Letter to God

Dear God,

 I had to muster a ‘lotta’ courage to write you this letter, please don’t get pissed with me, because there is no way on Earth that I can stand your vex, as one of your authentic sons. First of all, I ‘wanna’ thank you for all thou have given me, beautiful children, a beautiful and soulful wife, a family filled with love, Mum and Dad, nice motor bikes, belief in Self. But most importantly that gift, the ability to shift gears when the context calls for it and being able to generate and evaluate several different options in order to respond effectively to any situation, adjusting to any condition that I face instead of struggling with the way things are. Thank you God for all your mercies, but shey you also know that I have worked hard for all that I have today, with the talent you blessed me with. In short BABA, you built me for the Nigerian roads, no shaking, who born dem.

There are so many things that confuse me about you which brings me to the real reason why I’m writing to you. But I guess you already saw this coming, no be you, Alfa and omega.

Religion & Politics in Nigeria by Simon Kolawale

If you want to scare me about Nigeria, throw religion into politics. Nothing frightens me more than that. I find it hard to live with ethnically coloured politics, but I am even more frightened when religion is added to the equation. I shiver. Religion, in my experience, whips up the highest emotion in most Nigerians. There are people whose perspectives are based entirely on religion. They either accept or reject you because of your religion. This wouldn’t matter too much, however, if not that politicians are exploiting this fault line for political gains. They do not worry that once the fire starts, it is very difficult to quench. They do not worry that innocent people end up losing their lives because of religion. Nigeria can burn to ashes, for all they care. I cannot but shiver.

In recent times, religion has been a topic of discussion on the lips of politicians. As the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continue their desperate media war ahead of 2015 elections, religion has taken the driver’s seat. The APC has consistently been accused of having a Muslim bias.

It has been “positioned” by the PDP as the Nigerian equivalent of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, APC chieftains have also described the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as a wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has been openly supportive of President Goodluck Jonathan. Also, the fact that Jonathan openly knelt down before Pastor Enoch Adeboye some years ago has also been highlighted as a promotion of the Christian agenda.

The African Question: Why Africa?

This morning, Michael Buchi Ezeh, an African intellectual history scholar, posted the content below on his Facebook wall. I find both the post and the comments it has generated so far germane to the Africa discourse.

"The annoying question keeps coming up: "Why do you do African intellectual history? Is there an African Intellectual history? You Africans are just copycats, Can’t you stand on your own intellectual tradition?” I looked at her, at first with indignation … but then on a second thought I asked, "Oh thanks! Could you remind me your area of specialization?” 

I enjoyed your lecture (I didn’t enjoy it)? " She responded with benign indifference but with a touch of arrogance that she is a professor of Mayan Literature and Culture! 'Wonderful! I didn’t know any Mayans until I met you' I responded! She squandered my good 4 minutes, 32 seconds rambling about Mayan culture and peoples. When she finished I asked her of her historical experience as a “Mayan” within contemporary North American intellectual culture! 

She retorted that she was not a Mayan but a third generation Greek-American! My body jerked with revulsion, hatred and anger! 'So why and when did you become an expert on Mayan civilization?' I asked! Then she understood where I was going and left without a word! I remembered wondering why the organizers of the conference let her give the keynote. But now I know. She is an Ivy League Franchise. She is from Harvard. 

SoMma: Divine Masterpiece

Oh Sublime Beauty!

Oh Radiant Enchanting Glory!

You on a Sabbath dawn the Creator did create;

His own rest day command He thus did break.

If, in your pre-creation, the Creator you did so influence;

How much more me, a mere creature, now in your radiance?

How vulnerable your love renders me;

Yet, what joy, what smiles it brings me!

Graceful, lovely, and smart She created you;

Elegant, exquisite, and brilliant I acclaim you.

SoMma, divine MASTERPIECE!

Why Faith and Family?

We Africans are reputed to be notoriously religious. Our faith is not divorced from our everyday life.  More so, in Nigeria, our faith imbues our everyday actions and behaviors.  This is evident in how much faith or religious-flavored expressions have permeated our everyday parlance.  And that cuts across all strata of social interactions.  “God dey,” once the solace of the poor, I am told, has also become a succor for the rich.  Someone once said to me, “Father, na before dem dey talk say ‘God dey’ na poor man prayer oh.  Now na rich people even dey pray am pass.”

We are familiar with the passion with which many Nigerians forever cover everything with “the blood of Jesus” or perpetually “cast” and “bind” and then send whatever it is “back to the sender” or “to the bottomless pit.”  Indeed, “God pass dem.” Phrases like “to God be the glory” (a favorite of Nollywood home videos), “na God” and “by his grace” have become acceptable ways of acknowledging greetings and compliments. Some of my non-Nigerian friends, all thanks again to our enchanting Nollywood movies, tease me to no end with “my broda, we thank God oh, we thank God oh.”

All of this indicates that, for good or bad, faith orients our lives, albeit in some quarters, shallow faith and popular religiosity lead to faith schizophrenism, an unstable, inconsistent or contradictory mentality or approach to faith, a situation where one is neither here nor there.  This results in an eclecticism that drives one, as we say, from pillar to post, as one traverses all kinds of churches, spiritual homes, shrines, and beaches—in the name of searching for healing and answers to prayer.

To All Mothers--On Uka Nne

Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta spoke of the Joys of Motherhood in her book with the same title--the often unacknowledged labor that mothers put in daily to nurture their families. 

        On this Mother's Sunday, Uka Nne, I wish all mothers the best that motherhood offers: May your children rise up everyday to bless you for your loving care, and may your husband praise you as the one that smiles fortunes into his future (Proverbs 31: 25, 28). 

        May your dreams for yourself and for your family come true. And may God keep you smiling and relishing the joyful joys of motherhood. 

        Happy Mother's Sunday. And keep smiling. 

        Together with the Nigerian mothers we intone O bu onye ga-abu mama m? Nne m o! (Who will be my mama? My mother); with Prince Nico Mbarga, we sing the evergreen, Sweet mother, I no go forget you; and with Onyeka Onwenu, we belt out, Chukwu biko gozie ochie dike mama (God, please bless my dear strong mum).