INSIDE TRACK, MAIDEN EDITION

Inside the first edition of Inside Track. Please click on photo to enlarge...

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Inside Track Print Edition

November 2008 (Premier Edition)

Section One: PEOPLE AND PLACES
Page 6 - Abuja News
Page 8 - Interview with Toyin Eriye, Female Editor
Page 11 - Abuja Visitor: Jochen Theis, A Student from Germany
Page 12 - Abuja Events: Philippine Independence Day
Page 14 - Expat’s Page: Don’t Die on Third…by Ramon Ruste
Page 17 - Expat Interview: Carolyn Johnston
Page 18 - Remi Raji: Taking Nigerian Poetry to the Rest of the World

Section Two: BUSINESS IN ABUJA
Page 22 - Business Diary: Starting Your Own Business…with Araceli Aipoh
Page 23 - Five Tips to Remember When Choosing a Business Name
Page 24 - So You Want to Start Your Own Business?
Page 27 - Business Tips: Networking to Make Your Business Grow
Page 29 - Martha Stewart’s Ten Essential Rules
Page 32 - Marketing Tips: Did You Say Marketing Plan?
Page 33 - More Tips: 3 Marketing Tips for Your Business
Page 34 - Doing Business Alone or With Someone?

Section Three: ART AND LIFE
Page 36: Guest Writer: Jude Dibia
Page 37: Silkworm Genocide by Emmanuel Mayah
Page 41: True Nigerian Story: Take Me as I am by Segun Oke
Page 45: Growing up in a Bahai Family by Farzaneh Foroozan
Page 46: Read a Book? Or Watch a Movie? by Aureen Oshione Aipoh
Page 48: Tough Guys Write Poetry by Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
Page 52: Tribal Stereotypes in Nigerian Comedy by Dr. Wilson Urhiunu

Section Four: IN AND AROUND ABUJA
Page 56: The Writer’s Village – From Idea to Realization by Odia Ofeimun
Page 63: House-hunting in Abuja? Ten Tips
Page 64: Editor’s Choice: What to Do and Where to Go
Page 68: Coming to Africa: NIGERWIVES – What’s Their Story?
Page 70: Social Events in Photos
Page 72: World View: First Woman
Page 74: Couple in Focus: Tony and Rose Akah – Loving and Living in Two Countries


Meet the people inside the first edition of Inside Track…

Toyin Eriye, former Associate Editor of Genevieve Magazine and current Editor in Chief of Joy Magazine, shares the lessons she learned in her close-to-three-decades career as a writer.

Jochen Theis, a student from Germany, answers questions about his Nigerian experience and how he fell in love with pepper soup…

Ramon Ruste, an accountant with Julius Berger, remembers a day in sports in his native country the Philippines and how his decision to take a risk saved the day…

Maxim Uzoatu, The Poet, writes a short story on Bala, a guy who writes poetry.

Segun Oke, a banker who hopes to be a full-time writer someday, shares how he defied his parents’ wish to send him to Medical School. (He wanted to be a writer, not a doctor…)

Carolyn Johnston, a marketing consultant from the UK, talks about what she enjoys most in Nigeria and what she tells her friends when they ask her about our country…

Remi Raji, back to Nigeria after a two-year fellowship in Europe, answers questions on his poetry, life abroad, and his fear as a writer.

Wilson Orhiunu, a UK-based writer and medical doctor, studies tribal stereotypes in Nigerian comedy and says the joke is no longer funny…

Farzaneh Foroozan, a Filipino-Iranian teenager, talks about growing up in a Baha’i family and how their prayers saved her mom from the hands of kidnappers in Port Harcourt.

Aureen Oshione Aipoh, another teenager, explains the difference between reading a book and watching a movie.

Jude Dibia, 2008 NLNG Prize for Literature finalist, on why he writes.

Isabella Brown, who is also Inside Track’s graphics designer, writes a feature story on starting a business in Abuja.

Emmanuel Mayah, CNN Journalist of the Year Winner 2008, talks about the silkworm genocide that threatens the age-long Yoruba weaving tradition.

Odia “The Poet Lied” Ofeimun writes on his vision of a Writers’ Village in Abuja.


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CHRISTMAS PARTY

Nigerwives Abuja Branch End of the Year Party
December 20,2008
Wuse, Abuja

Nigerwives is an association of foreign women married to Nigerians, and are living in Nigeria. They work for the smooth integration of members into the Nigerian society. Through various charity works, they support the less privileged in Nigeria, uphold family values, etc. The association has been in existence for about 30 years now and has members all over the country.

To join Nigerwives-Abuja Branch, send an email to nigerwives_abj@yahoo.com or contact Bogdana at bkadamu@yahoo.co.uk, or contact The Editor, Inside Track Abuja.

(Please click on photo to enlarge)

GOLF TOURNAMENT

Veteran Golf Tournament
December 13-14
IBB Golf Club
Sponsored by Intercontinental Bank

(Please click on photos to enlarge)

ICS BAZAAR

NOVEMBER 29, 2008
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ABUJA SUNSHINE WALK by AIWC

November 18, 2008

ABUJA FOOD FAIR by ASOHOM

Association of Spouses of Heads of Missions (ASOHOM) International Food Festival
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SPANISH EMBASSY ABUJA

OCTOBER 6-10, 2008
3RD Spanish Cultural Week

JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA BAZAAR

NOVEMBER 29, 2008
Life Camp, Jabi, Abuja

DIWALI FESTIVAL ABUJA

Diwali Festival 2008
Organized by Indian Cultural Association Abuja
Date: October 25, 2008
Venue: Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Maitama

Deepavali or Diwali is a major Indian holiday and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Many legends are associated with Diwali. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. Diwali is celebrated on the first day of the lunar Kartika month, which comes in the month of October or November.

In many parts of India, it is the homecoming of King Rama of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest and after he defeated the evil Ravana. The people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa), thus its name: Deepavali. This word, in due course, became Diwali in Hindi. But, in South Indian languages, the word did not undergo any change, and hence the festival is called Deepavali in southern India. There are many different observances of the holiday across India.

Jainism marks Diwali as the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, which occurred on October 15, 527 BCE.

Among the Sikhs, Diwali came to have special significance from the day the town of Amritsar was illuminated on the return to it of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) who had been held captive in the Fort at Gwalior under the orders of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir (1570-1627). As the sixth Guru (teacher) of Sikhism, Guru Hargobind Ji, was freed from imprisonment - along with 53 Hindu Kings (who were held as political prisoners) whom the Guru had arranged to be released as well. After his release he went to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed in happiness by the people who lit candles and diyas to greet the Guru. Because of this, Sikhs often refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - “the day of release of detainees."

The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, particularly the Newar Buddhists.

While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", a more appropriate significance is "the new year of luck and wealth".

Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

Diwali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship. While the story behind Deepavali varies from region to region, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things (Brahman).

In India, Diwali is now considered to be a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.

(Source: http://www.wikipedia.com/)


The Diwali Festival at a glance:

Name of Occasion:
Diwali (Row of Lights) or Deepavali (Festival of Lights)

Observed by:
Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains as a religious ritual. Other Indians celebrate the cultural aspect.

Significance:
To celebrate victory over evil.

Date:
New moon day of Kartika, although the celebrations begin two days prior and end two days after that date.

Celebrations:
Decorating homes with lights, fireworks, distributing sweets and gifts.

Observances:
Prayers and religious rituals.

(Source: http://www.wikipedia.com/