Thought Pyramid Gallery to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with an art exhibition

Invitation to Philippine Bazaar

The Embassy of the Philippines in Abuja, Nigeria, with the support of the Filipino community, is having a bazaar, featuring Philippine products, cuisine and services, as well as food and products from other Asian countries.

DATE and TIME: Sunday, September 30, 2012 – from 9am onwards

VENUE: Embassy of the Philippines, at No. 2, Kainji Street, off Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja

OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Bingo games and raffle draw

Proceeds from the bazaar will go to charity in the Philippines and Nigeria

100 Thousand Poets and Musicians for Change -

Come September, 29, 2012, Abuja will join hundreds of towns and cities across the world to mark the second annual 100 Thousand Poets for Change. This year’s edition of the event will as usual provide a platform for renowned and upcoming poets, musicians, artists,painters, exhibitors of arts & literary materials to register their voices on issues dear to their hearts for the betterment of Abuja and the country at large.

Tagged Poets and Musicians for Change, the event is an initiative of Michael Rothenberg, Co-Founder of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, who believes that peace and sustainability “are major concern worldwide, and the guiding principle for this global event.”

The 100 Thousand Poets and Musicians for Change is a free-ticket event that offers opportunities for all to showcase whatever they have with a bid to promote peace and sustainable development in a carnival-like/trade fair atmosphere.

INVITED SPEAKERS: Mr. Tope Fasua (CEO, Readers Are Leaders Bookshop), Prince Zubairu Jide Atta (Atta Associates) and Max Gbanite (Milliken-Hill Group Ltd.)

DATE: Saturday 29th September 2012

VENUE: Gudu Recreation Park, Gudu District, Abuja, Nigeria

TIME: 10.00am

ARTISTS TO BE FEATURED AT THE EVENT:
Dike Chukwumerije – Performance Poet
Denja Abdullahi (Poet & Dramatist)
VALERINO – Musician
Baba Adugbo - Musician
Rita Oranyelu - Musician
Bai Daddy - Musician
Al-Kasim Abdulkadir – Media/Communications
Monday Osasah - Strategy
Eriata Oribhabor – Organiser, Abuja

Pizza and suya night - an update on Abuja restaurants and fastfood centres

Once in a while, after a hard and not so hard week at the office, I don't mind having a treat for myself. One of the places my colleagues and I go to is the clubhouse of Dantata and Saowe, which serves pizza and suya on Saturday nights. The pizzas are baked in a wood-burning brick oven, making them a bit of a rarity here in Abuja. Unfortunately I cannot recommend the place to everyone because I heard that the Dantata Clubhouse caters only to the staff of Dantata and their guests. Oh and JBN staff are allowed to enter also... 

Shoprite shopping mall opens in Abuja

Finally had the chance to visit the newly opened shopping mall, SHOPRITE, here in Abuja sometime last month and took the above pics. The supermarket / grocery store is well stocked, but many of the shops are still empty.  

The place officially opened to the public about a couple of months ago. That was when everyone in Abuja wanted to see the place that traffic movement became a huge problem! But I think now that the people's curiosity has been satisfied, there's no more congestion.

A few of my favourite things - a local fruit known as African pear or ube

It's called native pear, ube, African pear, and many others. It has a sourish taste  (and I guess that's when they are not yet fully ripened when plucked), but these are some of my favourite fruits in Nigeria. It's a fruit, but it is not eaten raw. First it has to be dipped in hot water for about 10 minutes before it can be eaten with a dash of salt. Hmm, yummy.

Stage play in Abuja - coming your way on the 8th of October 2012

The Embassy of Spain presents the Jos Repertory Theatre in Enrique Jardiel Poncela’s Eloise is Under an Almond Tree, as part of the 7th Spanish Cultural Week.  

Venue: Lagos Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel @ 6.00pm.

Below are some of the pics taken during the 6th Spanish Cultural Week in Abuja...

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6th Spanish Cultural Week - a short commentary

The Embassy of Spain in Abuja (Nigeria), the Jos Repertory Theatre, and their collaborators and sponsors did not disappoint us last night (October 10, 2011) as they delivered one of the activities lined up for the 6th Spanish Cultural Week - a drama entitled Sublime Decision! by the Spanish playwright Miguel Mihura and acted by the Jos Repertory Theatre; held at the Yar' Adua Centre.

Sublime Decision! is a play in three acts that deals with the emancipation of women at the end of the XIXth century. It depicts a segment in the life of Florita and her family as they search for suitable suitors (for Florita and her sister) - a seemingly innocent endeavour but is actually fraught with tension, frustration, and all manners of pretensions. Unable to get a suitable suitor, Florita decides to get a job and the office where she is hired is turned upside down!

The superb acting, combined with witty and hilarious dialogues, kept the audience entertained for close to an hour. 

The following photos were taken at the event.

  

Introducing the cast

(Click on the Read more below to VIEW MORE PHOTOS )

The maid faints after several hours in the cold - a scene from the play Sublime Decision!

Florita's first day at work - a scene from the play Sublime Decision!

The audience

A round of applause for the superb performance



More applause



The Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Alvaro Castillo Aguilar

A short remarks by the artistic director of the Jos Repertory Theatre

Mara (right) and colleague, of the Spanish Embassy

Ambassador Aguilar with some of the cast



The cast with the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja and Ambassador Aguilar



Some members of the cast

A young fan requests for autograph

Angelo Fanutti, middle, of the Italian Embassy with other guests

Nigeria Now, an art group, presents SENSUALITY, featuring Nyemike Onwuka

After a summer break, the Nigeria Now team is back, bringing you an exciting new Art Soiree featuring Nyemike Onwuka and others. 

34 Limpopo Street, Maitama. 4pm-8pm

Only guests on the Security list will be admitted.  RSVP to nigerianow2012@gmail.com. 


The Nigeria Now Art Fund was established to support emerging Nigerian artists.

....and in Lagos - a film showing by the Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut, together with the Nigerian Film Corporation and iREP; the Documentary Film Festival, presents its monthly film-screening with German, Nigerian and African films on Saturday, 29.09.2012, 3pm.

The film is called Kinshasa Symphony – directed by Claus Wischmann & Martin Baer, 2009, Germany

"Kinshasa Symphony" shows how people living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world have managed
to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra.
It is a film about Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music.

Venue:
Nigerian Film Corporation,
Lagos Branch Old Film Unit,
Opp. Ikoyi Cemetery
Ikoyi, Lagos

Entrance is free!

French language lesson for FREE at the French Institute

Celebrate the European Day of Languages at the French Institute on Wednesday, September 26, 2012.

 

FREE SAMPLE FRENCH

LESSON FOR BEGINNERS:

10 am - 11 am

2 pm - 3 pm

 

Interested in learning French? 

Choose your time slot and register at coordinatorstudies@institutfr-nigeria.org

It's totally FREE!! 

More info at www.institutfr-nigeria.org or at the Institute: 52 Libreville street, off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 (behind M. Biggs)

The Bukka - an update on Abuja restaurants and fast food centres

One of my favourite restaurants in Abuja is THE BUKKA at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. The food is a combination of Nigerian and continental dishes. I think this is the place where you can have the best Nigerian buffet in town - with a wide variety of choices, including the meanest pepper soup in the whole of Abuja... and I mean it literally burns your mouth! 

Bukka is actually a local term which means 'roadside restaurant.' So anything you want to eat in a roadside restaurant, you can find it at THE BUKKA.  

The ambience is great and the waiters/waitresses are very courteous and friendly. It's expensive though, at 6,500 naira per person, excluding drinks. But it's worth it. 

Abuja motoring - car for sale; price £8,000 or nearest offer

Power sunroof, cruise control, climate control air conditioning, 4-speaker radio and CD player, roof rails, steering wheel mounted audio control, airbags - driver & front passenger, front and rear curtain airbags, colour keyed door handles and mirrors, trip computer, with fuel consumption & average speed display, ABS, central double locking with remote activation, engine immobiliser and perimeter alarm.

This car was imported from the UK on 10th November 2009. It was fully serviced prior to shipping on 26th August 2009 at Toyota Twickenham at 98,662 KM.

The car has been serviced in Nigeria annually since it was imported. Services have been performed by a well known mechanic and last full service was August 2012 when new brake discs and pads, new air-filter, oil-filter and new battery were all fitted. Brakes, oil and air filters bought in the UK by me. Car comes with spare oil and air filters (again from the UK).

Current mileage - 109,412 KM. This is a great car for life in Nigeria. Has always been reliable and has never let us down.

The car will be available from mid/end November 2012.

Price £8,000 ONO

Any questions please email on nick.murdoch@fco.gov.uk or nicholasmurdoch@btinternet.com

(Source: Abuja Expats)

Two vacancies at the U.S Department of Defense Walter Reed Program - Nigeria

The Henry Jackson Foundation Medical Research International (HJFMRI) has two vacant positions for the U.S Department of Defense Walter Reed Program (DODWRPN). Interested applicants can send cover letter and resume to rpnrecruitment@gmail.com stating the position applying for as subject. (see position description attached) Closing date for submisison is Monday 24 September 2012.

For complete details, CLICK HERE

More on ASOHOM...

Below are photos taken of the ASOHOM INTERNATIONAL CHARITY BAZAAR in 2009, 2010, and 2011. I also had photos taken during the 2008 bazaar at the Hilton, but my laptop was stolen and all the pics were gone. Here in Abuja, I've had my laptop stolen at least 3 times (L.O.L.), twice at my former flat in Wuse and the other at the parking lot of the Transcorp Hilton. I still love Abuja notwithstanding....

...more photos - ASOHOM International Charitiy Bazaar 2011

Posted by Araceli Aipoh

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ASOHOM International Charity Bazaar to take place in Abuja on October 13, 2012 - at the Sheraton Hotel

I just received the poster for the International Charity Bazaar organised annually by the Association of Spouses of Heads of Mission (ASOHOM).  The event takes place this year at Sheraton Abuja Hotel on the 13th of October from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

The ASOHOM BAZAAR is one of the most exciting events in Abuja during the year, so be sure to be there.  Great prizes to be won at the raffle draw including the following:

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE TICKETS from Air France/KLM, British Airways, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines.

• DINNER VOUCHERS from your favourite restaurants 
• SHOPPING VOUCHERS from your favourite stores and supermarkets
• GIFT HAMPERS
• ELECTRONIC GOODS

Also, there will be:

• LIVE MUSIC
• CHILDREN'S CORNER
• ART AND CRAFT
• INTERNATIONAL FOOD STALLS AND MERCHANDISE.

Raffle tickets cost N250 each. All raffle proceeds go to charity!

For more information or more tickets please email asohom@gmail.com

Below are some of the pics taken at the 2011 ASOHOM INTERNATIONAL CHARITY BAZAAR.

More photos of the ASOHOM INTERNATIONAL CHARITY BAZAAR below.


Posted by Araceli Aipoh

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