Millennial Priestess Rejuvenates Orisha Tradition

(By Wana Udobang) - Why you should care 

Because ancient practices should be understood, not left in the shadows.

Omitonade Ifawemimo presents as a modern-day sage, with gleaming eyes, a petite frame — and wisdom to spare. She is in fact a 20-something Orisha priestess, with an easy smile and tightly knotted hair. And she has made it her mission to teach and preserve the Orisha and Ifa spiritual practices, which are indigenous to the Yoruba people of Nigeria and adjoining parts of Togo and Benin.

“When you see her in person, she is this tiny presence,” says journalist and culture historian Molara Wood. “She is not this image of an intimidating traditional-religion adherent that a lot of Nigerians have.” 

Ifawemimo’s journey started at the age of 5 when she was initiated into the Orisha traditions by her parents, and by 15 she found herself dining with elders and mastering the art and science of divination, chanting and rituals. At 20, through a combination of study, practice and heeding the spiritual call, she earned her place as a priestess.

Of ‘Oniyangi’ and ‘Elepo’

(From Segun Adeniyi) - Let me state from the outset that I am not the writer of this story as it is one  of those interesting offerings being circulated on WhatsApp. Since I found the message rather instructive, I am posting it with minor editing because, in a way, it fits into Mark Twain’s warning that we should never argue with “stupid people” who could easily “drag you to their level and then beat you with experience”.

It is a story of two men: One, called ‘Elepo’ because of the nature of his merchandise, which was palm oil; and the other, ‘Oniyangi’ also because of the nature of his own merchandise, which was sharp sand. One day, a long, long time ago which no one living can actually define, Elepo and Oniyangi set out from opposite directions to market their merchandise. After travelling many days by foot, which was the only means of transportation in those days, they met at a narrow intersection. It was such a narrow path that only one person could go through at a time. Elepo insisted on the right of way. Oniyangi would have none of it.

Both argued until other travellers met them at the spot and a large crowd soon gathered. Having failed to pacify both men, some wise travellers suggested a way out – they should slug it out; and that whoever won the contest should have the right of way. Quickly, each man set down his merchandise by the roadside and they squared up one to the other. The battle was ferocious and long; in the end, Elepo had the better of Oniyangi, lifted him off his feet and landed him on the floor. The crowd roared!

The Gospel According to Nwa Otu

Unku SP

The Achievement of Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe at his house in Enugu, Nigeria, 1959

(By Kwame Anthony Appiah) - 

The genius of Chinua Achebe, like all genius, escapes precise analysis. If we could explain it fully, we could reproduce it, and it is of the nature of genius to be irreproducible. Still, there has been no shortage of attempts to explain his literary achievement, an achievement that starts with the fact that Things Fall Apart (1958), the first of the novels in his “African trilogy” defined a starting point for the modern African novel. There are, as critics are quick to point out, earlier examples of extended narrative written in and about Africa by African writers. Some of them—Amos Tutuola’s Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952), Cyprian Ekwensi’s People of the City (1954), to name but two also written by Nigerians—remain eminently worth reading. But place them beside the work of Achebe and you will see that in his writing something magnificent and new was going on.

One reason for this, which often passes without notice, is that Achebe solved a problem that these earlier novels did not. He found a way to represent for a global Anglophone audience the diction of his Igbo homeland, allowing readers of English elsewhere to experience a particular relationship to language and the world in a way that made it seem quite natural—transparent, one might almost say. Achebe enables us to hear the voices of Igboland in a new use of our own language. A measure of his achievement is that Achebe found an African voice in English that is so natural its artifice eludes us.

Saving Agu's Wife

(By Chika Unigwe) - So Yaradua goes to Israel on an official trip. He gets sick there and dies. His entourage is told, ‘Well, you’ve got two options. Your president was a Muslim and so must be buried quickly. We can bury him here at no cost to you since he was our guest or you can take his corpse home but that would cost a lot. Thousands and thousands of dollars.’ Yaradua’s men beg for a few hours to think about it. Five hours later they come back to the Israelis. ‘Well?’ The Israeli president asks. The head of the entourage clears his throat and says, ‘Your offer is very generous but we’ll turn it down. Thing is we all know the story of the famous someone, the son of a carpenter, who was buried here and who rose after three days. We don’t want to take that risk!’

The laughter bursts in to the kitchen and Prosperous shakes more salt than she intends to into the simmering pot. It must be John telling jokes again. A raised voice says over the laughter, this is an old joke. Yaradua’s been dead two years already. In any case, you’re not right. Muslims are not buried. They are cremated. For their sins, they are burnt. You’ve not told that story well.

Someone – perhaps the one who told the joke – shouts the voice down: You’re the one who is wrong! Cremation is forbidden in Islam. Another voice shouts something she does not clearly hear. She cannot tell who is speaking. All the men sound alike. That’s what this place has done to them – homogenized their voices. It is almost as if they were clones of each other. Their stories are not that different. They have all escaped something – religious riots, poverty, dead end lives – and are hoping to resurrect here.

This Sex Which Is Not One

"'She' is definitely other in herself. This is why she is said to be whimsical, incomprehensible,
agitated, capricious ... not to mention her language, in which 'she' sets off in all directions leaving 'him' unable to discern the coherence of any meaning. Hers are contradictory words, somewhat mad from the standpoint of reason, inaudible for whoever listens to them with ready-made grids, with a fully elaborated code in hand. ...
        It is useless, then, to trap women in the exact definition of what they mean, to make them repeat (themselves) so that it will be clear; they are already elsewhere in that discursive machinery where you expected to surprise them. They have returned to themselves. Which must not be understood in the same way as within yourself. They do not have the interiority that you have, the one you perhaps suppose they have. Within themselves means within intimacy of that silent, multiple, diffuse touch. And if you ask them insistently what they are thinking about, they can only reply: Nothing. Everything.
        Thus what they desire is precisely nothing, and at the same time everything. Always something more and something else besides that one--sexual organ, for example--that you give them, attribute to them. Their desire is often interpreted, and feared, as a sort of insatiable hunger, a voracity that will swallow you whole. Whereas it really involves a different economy more than anything else, one that upsets the linearity of a project, undermines the goal-object of a desire, diffuses the polarization toward a single pleasure, disconcerts fidelity to a single discourse ..."

Luce Irigaray, 1985: 29-30

This Sex Which Is Not One

Education in Nigeria: We Can Do Better

(Eketi Edima Ette) - A Nigerian man recently had to go to his daughter's school to set things straight. 

The girl had been given an assignment. When asked who cooks for the home, her answer was, "Daddy."

The teacher marked her wrong. In 2018. As far as that teacher was concerned, cooking was a woman's job. 

*******

My mother runs a creche and early learning school. 

Her children love her. It's cute to see them eagerly run into her office to say good morning every day; some even demand to be carried. It warms my heart to see them say goodbye and see you tomorrow. One time, one of those 2+ year old imps even added, "You will miss me o!" 😂

In a recent conversation with Mama, we talked about her school, home schooling and its necessity, in view of the adversarial educational system we have in Nigeria. 

We talked about how their generation had been raised on the colonial educational system, one that was meant to produce clerks, engineers, doctors, interpreters, architects, etc., for the white man's government and companies. 

Church Business: Tax-free Easy Money

(By Ireh Noh Sehn) - Looking for a tax-free, full profit business venture? Start a church! 
*******
No, this is not an attempt to be sarcastic or blasphemous, church business is good business, it is a lucrative business, can I get an amen?

Anything that sells hope and miracles and the possibility of the unattainable is good business. 

The world is a dreary desolate place, we are fighting each other, living off each other and forever trying to edge out each other. It is hard , very hard to survive in the world, we all need some hope, something extraordinary, some miracle , we all need something to hold on to, to believe in , to help us get through every day, and that is what pastorpreneurs tap into and take advantage of. 

Don't get me wrong , there is actually the possibility of some few genuine ones out there who believe in something and whose sole aim is to touch lives and impact the world. Unfortunately my main focus is on so-called men of God who open churches for the money, for the business, for the offerings, tithes and seed sowing. For them it is not about winning souls or worshipping God, it is about making bank.

Dapchi Girls: Nothing Ever Changes in Nigeria

(By Simon Kolawale) - The More Things Change… 

Confirmed: nothing ever changes in Nigeria. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This immortal epigram of Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, the 19th century French critic, journalist and novelist, captures the fortune of the Federal Republic of Drama aka Nigeria. That is why when anything happens these days, I’m like: haven’t I seen this before? I’m seeing repetition all over again. As we say in Nigerian Latin, “Soja go, soja come, barracks remain the same.” I’m no longer as excited or as agitated as I used to be. An Igbo proverb says what a dog saw and is barking ferociously is the same thing a goat saw and barely bleated. It’s a depressing feeling of “I’ve seen it all”.

The kidnap of 105 female students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state, was Chibok all over again. As it was in April 2014 so it is in February 2018. The president has changed, the service chiefs have changed and the crime scene has changed — but the details are so alike. We were told they were kidnapped, they were not kidnapped; they were rescued by soldiers, they were not rescued by soldiers. Presidential fact-finding team finally confirms abductions. Déjà vu. The missing link is that President Buhari and his inner circle have not blamed political opponents for the kidnapping yet. And, yes, the first lady is yet to cry “Diariz God o”.

Black Panther and Message from Black Women

(Sesali Bowen) - Black Panther Has A Message For Black Men: Trust Black Women 

Finally! Black Panther has hit theaters in all of its glory. In case you haven’t heard, the movie is everything that we hoped it would be, and then some. It’s become something of a nationwide event for Black folks, and my timeline has been flooded with friends decked out in head to toe tribal print, all black outfits, or bold statement tees to go see the film. I seriously haven’t seen this many people dress up for a movie since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 was released. What’s clear is that Black people have been anxious to see ourselves in Hollywood on such a major stage, and the proof is in the painted faces and berets. That Black Panther is such an excellent example of Black representation is only overshadowed by how it takes a fresh dive into themes that speak directly to the Black experience.

And Black Panther delivers on this promise in ways I didn’t expect. Anticipating a bold statement against white supremacy, I was surprised to find the movie to be a cautionary calling out of Black elitism and respectability. And while T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), theBlack Panther, is obviously the protagonist of the film, moviegoers looking forward to a narrative that centers Black men and masculinity as the only eligible leaders of Black communities are also in for a rude awakening. Instead, it is a visual lesson in how Black men can and should lean into the power and aptitude of their female peers.

Of Creative Writing & Nigerian Secondary Schools

(By Temidayo Ahanmisi) - So at one of my client schools where I teach Creative Writing, this English teacher throws a mild tantrum. Doesn't see the need for my support work and always tries to belittle me.

The kids needed the intervention the proprietor had asked for as I can see. Grade 11 pupils constantly writing "Am" in place of "I am/I'm", much like their parents, uncles and aunts on WhatsApp and Facebook.

Grade level 12 pupils who can't manage to string two complete five-word sentences at a stretch. 

Grade 10 pupils who don't know the place of a full stop in a sentence. These pupils would reel off the definitions of parts of speech at your asking, but would argue that the word "She" is the adverb in "She is walking slowly", and that "walking" is either an adjective or a metaphor. Has to be.

This churlish teacher queried my "incursion" into Grammar, Comprehension and Vocabulary. I was there to "just teach ordinary Creative Writing", the experienced teacher of "12 years teaching experienced" would grumble. 

Snake Swallows Cash in Nigeria: Deja Vu

(By Peter Adeosun Keyz) - Snake Swallows ₦36m: 4 Things You Didn’t Know About the Story 

A snake allegedly swallowed money in a government office in Nigeria.

To further demonstrate how rooted corruption has become in Nigeria, another story trended recently. A public official was asked to account for a missing money in her custody. She replied that she couldn’t find the money because a snake had swallowed it. She looked everybody in the eyes and said a mysterious snake swallowed a sum of ₦36m. In words – thirty-six million naira. How brave!

It happened at the national headquarters of the examination body, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). They noticed some money was missing and they tried to make an inquiry into what happened. Then this woman came up with this. If you think this is some fiction or fairy tale, a video link has been attached towards the end of this article.

Africans, Traditional Religions, and Colo-mentality

(By Peter Adeosun Keyz) - Yesterday a lady greeted me "As-salamu alaykum" to which I responded "Wa'alaykumu as-salam". We both laughed about it. She's a staunch Christian, a devoted RCCG member and we've been friends for many years now. So we both knew we were just catching fun. 

Then I took the fun further and greeted her "Eríwo yà!" Instead of responding, she exclaimed "God forbid that I should respond to a greeting like that". I told her that if we could exchange pleasantries the Islamic way when she's not a Muslim, why couldn't we exchange pleasantries the Yoruba traditional way? She said she can still cope with Islam. Traditional religion is the one she can never cope with. Why? According to her, Islam is still close while traditional religion being idolatry is far away. 

I shook my head and walked away. I kept thinking about how the two of them successfully made us embrace their traditions and see our own tradition as dirt, a taboo, the forbidden.

Child Molestation: In Defense of a 3-Year-Old Girl

Eketi‏ @eketiette

I'm angry. A Nigerian school hires a SAN to defend a teacher against a 3 y/old's accusation of sexual impropriety. When I read that headline, I felt a heavy ball drop in my stomach. A potpourri of pain, incandescent rage, horror etc. I have been there. I was 3.

How Not to Underestimate a Girl

The Mighty Miss Malone; Credit: barnesandnoble.com

(By Nkechi Bianze) - 

Part 1:
Between 1996-1997, I was in Primary 4.
I did my first term primary 4 in a school at Isolo, Lagos.

I remember getting there to notice that all the three top positions in class had been colonized by three boys, who held on to them like those positions were their birthrights.

There was also another new student in class.

There were some common factors between me and this other new student.
1. We were both girls.
2. We were both from outside Lagos. While I came from Delta State, she came from Anambra State.

I don’t know whether Lagos residents still live in this sort of delusion. But in those days, many Lagos residents actually had the complex that Lagos was the London of Nigeria. Many of them believed that everyone who lives outside Lagos lives in a village, and is not as civilized as them Lagos residents. And even those who lived in Lagos ghettos, swamps and gutter houses also lived in same delusion. 😏