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

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

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

Oginigba - a story by Jide Atta

Jide Atta, at the Abuja Literary Society
reading held on May 25, 2012, Silverbird  
Entertainment Centre, Abuja, Nigeria.
Photo by Araceli

Oginigba 

-a story by Jide Atta

They came at dawn. I should know. I was awake gathering my nets and preparing to go out on the days fishing trip when I heard the noise. I heard them before I saw them. There were lots of them. They were jumping out of the gunboats before the boats even reached the shore. I turned and ran. There was only one thought in my head, my grandmother, and my cousin Ebi. 

I knew who they were, I had seen them before. The whole village had seen them before. But they normally didn’t come this way. Normally it would be the helicopters, then the trucks. There were never any boats, and they were never this many of them. Something was different this time, I could sense it.

I was close to our home when the gunshots began.

What was going on this time? What had we done wrong this time? How come our small village of mostly fishermen and palm wine tappers had to bear the brunt of the so-called struggle for our freedom? And then it struck me! Tiemo! This invasion must have had something to do with his surprise arrival three days ago. He looked haggard with long, dirty and unkempt dada.

Tiemo, my cousin, who caused the most pain to my grandmother. Youthful, handsome Tiemo who the old folks said brought bad luck to his parents. His mother died while giving birth to him and, a week later, his father surprisingly fell from a palm tree. As a little boy, he was always the leader of the gang, dictating what prank to pull and on whom.

There was this particular incident when we were given the beating of our lives, courtesy another Tiemo prank. Tiemo had become fascinated with the village shrine and on the eve of the ashi festival decided we should relocate the totem. Yes, I was terrified but I was excited about being able to touch that totem we only saw in public during the festival, but which we had been seeing during our regular trips to spy on the shrine. We took the totem, when the chief priest went into his shack with Pa Willy’s new wife. They always went into that shack three four times daily. Tiemo had one time gotten close enough to peep into the shack and came back giggling, refusing to tell us what he saw, insisting that we were still kids. 

We hid the totem in Olotu’s hut. He was the village drunk, and we were sure no one would suspect our involvement. 

We were wrong. 

I had always heard that palm wine tappers saw everything and knew everyone’s secret. Well, we had no idea that Papa Preye saw us, followed us to Olotu’s house and went to tell our grandmother. We didn’t know why we were beaten that way by mama. We didn’t think it could possibly have had anything to do with the totem. Mama is a very strong woman. With one hand she held on to Tiemo and me, and with the other administered continuous series of slaps with such dexterity that, if Ikopu the village drummer had seen her, he would have turned the colour of rotten fish with envy. 

That was the Tiemo I grew up with, at least until Abigail. I wonder how or when he saw her, but that was Tiemo. It was said that he had eaten a dog’s legs, because he was always up and about. Something about him changed. He began to pay a little more attention to himself. He even started combing his hair! This was Tiemo who always wanted to have dada like Majek Fashek the musician. 

Everyone in the village knew them, Tiemo and Abigail, always walking hand in hand everywhere they went. She changed Tiemo, made him less of a prankster. She also separated him from me and the rest of the gang, and I resented her for it. I and Tiemo were brothers. Who was this girl with whom he would rather spend time with than hang with us?

Then it happened. 

No one claims to know how it started. But we knew that suddenly oil – black and smelly like when palm kennel fell in dying fire – was leaking from the pipelines that ran behind the village school toilet and from the stand below our rickety makeshift jetty. That jetty is over fifty years old. The oil company had promised to build one since over forty years ago, before I was born. It was the immigration point from our village. Everybody that came and went from the village by sea had to go through it. Legend has it that after the oil company that laid the pipeline had built a rack stack for the pipes that they used, people converted it to a meeting place for discussing happenings between the workers and fishermen. One by one, each would bring a frond of palm or any piece of driftwood or metal pipe remnant and connect to the stack against the rack. The rack kept getting higher as the tide gradually ate below it and took residence deeper and deeper along the shoreline. I always wondered how one could walk for almost a mile out in to the sea and the water would only be chest deep at most. For us, we would use it as a diving place. Our tiny feet scrambling up and then, posing like Eupele, our African Games champion from the village, we would dive into the sea amidst squeals of laughter from the smaller kids who would only watch with admiration. That is how it became the commanding point for the leader of the pack that arrived in boats that day. 

People could not fish, could not farm, and nothing could be done. Emissaries were sent to the oil company, but weeks later, the oil was still leaking. The fishermen and the farmers decided to go to the company’s camp to protest and get them to do something about the leaking oil. I went with them that day. I was excited. My life had been boring without Tiemo but here was a chance to get some fun. 

When mama heard that I was with the protesters at the oil company camp, she sent Tiemo to come and drag me home. As usual, Abigail followed him. 

The oil company camp looks very different from the rest of our village, barbed wire fences, floodlights, well cut grasses, paved roads. I overhead one of the men from the village saying this was how America looked like. We all believed him. Even the smell of the place was different from the one that came all the time from the water just over the copse of palm trees and washed our village. The man said that they sprayed perfume in the air all the time and that the gods loved to sit just on the other side of the fence in the European quarter. I dreamt of America. 

There were armed men at the gate who refused us entry and ordered us to turn back. Some of the village men started turning away. Was this why I had come? To be turned away like a leper? I wanted some excitement; I wanted to smell a bit of America a bit longer. So I picked up a stone and threw at the guards, then they started shooting. 

I was shocked, and filled with fear. I started running. I hadn’t run too far when the shooting stopped. I turned and I froze at what my eyes beheld! I saw Tiemo covered in blood, screaming. He was sitting on the ground holding Abigail as she lay covered in a pool of blood. I walked in trepidation towards him and stopped. All around, men of the village were wailing, some were injured, most looked dead. Was it guilt, was it cowardice, what was it? I couldn’t tell, but I couldn’t bear the sight either. I turned and ran.

That was ten years ago. 

Tiemo disappeared after then and we never saw or heard from him until three days ago. Of course we had heard some stories. We had all heard of Commander T. 

As I got to the house, the soldiers were there already, and they were pushing mama, Ebi and everybody from their houses to the village square. I joined the line and walked there with them. 

A man who seemed to be in command was pacing angrily as we got to the square. He spoke into a radio briefly then picked a megaphone, turned and faced us all. Where is Tiemo? 

I froze! 

(To be continued)

Editor's Note: Jide Atta is a strategy consultant with bias in operations. He has been a member of the Abuja Literary Society for years where he has anchored many of its programs. He has a life long mission to mentor creativity in all forms.

21st June 2012 is World Music Day: Celebrations in Lagos and Abuja (Free Entry for all)

IN LAGOS

Goethe-Institut Nigeria, together with Alliance Française Lagos and Bristish Council Lagos, invites you to the World Music Day 2012.

Date: Thursday, 21st of June 2012, beginning at 5 pm

Venue: The New Afrika Shrine, 1 Nerdc Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos (FREE ENTRY)

Musicians from Europe and Nigeria would render melodious jazz, pop and indigenous music during the evening. The highlight of this musical event is a performance by the German Jazz band ‘Hyperactive Kid‘. Registered guests would also have the opportunity to perform during the open mic session. Towards the end of the concert there will be a jam session among the musicians.

IN ABUJA


On Thursday, 21st of June at 8pm, the French Institute will celebrate the International Day of Music with concerts of King Faji, the Speed Band and other pop singers. This year's theme is 'The Pop Years'. On that occasion everybody is invited to come dressed up as 60s or 70s style. A professional photographer will be there to take pictures of you if you wish. When the concert is finished, a dj will continue playing music until late in the evening!

Entrance is free and open to all. Don't hesitate to share this info with your friends!

Furthermore the Institute is hosting the festival of Barclays Ayakoroma's Plays until Saturday night (Plays every evening at 6pm. Gate fee: 2000 NGN adults, 1000 NGN students, 500 NGN for children). See details below.

And as always the Institute is screening a French movie with English subtitles every Friday!

A busy French month!

The French Institute is located at 52 Libreville Street, off Aminu Kano, Wuse 2, behind M. Biggs or visit their website www.institutfr-nigeria.org.

New schedule of Thai lunch buffet at the Sawadee Oriental cuisine - now every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; family buffet every Sunday at N5,000 per head

For those who are always seeking new ways to enjoy good dining, you may want to visit the one and only restaurant in Abuja - the SAWADEE ORIENTAL CUISINE - that serves authentic Thai dishes and have a taste of some of the most popular Thai recipes in the world, such as the MASSAMUN (beef and curry in coconut milk-onion and potato with peanuts), TOM YAUM KUNG (prawn soup), LARB MOO (sliced pork with chilli) and SOM TUM (papaya salad).

LUNCH BUFFET - for only N2,500

Get your favourite Thai dishes for lunch at the Sawadee Oriental Cuisine, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday,  at 12:00 noon to 2pm.

FAMILY BUFFET - for only N5,000
Every Sunday you can have a buffet lunch at the Sawadee Oriental Cuisine at N5,000 per head. Children under 5 years old eat for free.

ADDRESS

43/45 Kumasi Crescent (off Aminu Kano Crescent), opposite FERMA office, Wuse II, Abuja. Tel- 092911826, 0812878087

Italian National Day 2012 at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja

The Embassy of Italy in Nigeria held a reception on 1st June 2012 to mark the Italian National Day, held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. Photos by Araceli.

International Community School Bazaar 2012

International Community School's (ICS) annual bazaar and food fair was held at the ICS playgrounds on May 12, 2012. The event took place from 10am to 5pm. A raffle draw was one of the highlights, as well as lots of games for children and a variety of food stalls to choose from.

These photos were taken by INSIDE TRACK ABUJA.

Waka waka at Wonderland Amusement Park

So I put on my most comfortable shoes and, together with my husband and colleague, went to the Wonderland Amusement Park here in Abuja on April 1, 2012. Rain was threatening to fall but that didn't deter us. We just wanted to have a leisurely walk around the park before dinner, and so we did!

I was surprised to see that there's now a Ferris Wheel at the park. We didn't try it though, but I think I will one of these days. 

The photos we took didn't come out of okay because it was dark. I will go back during the day and take more photos. Wonderland Amusement Park is just one of the two here in Abuja, the other being the Maitama Amusement Park. Great place to visit especially for children during the upcoming summer holidays.

International Women's Day 2012 - in Abuja

Women from different countries trooped to the Dunes on Friday, the 9th of March, to celebrate this year's International Women's Day here in Abuja.

The event started off with welcome drinks, followed by a short talk by the guest speakers, then dinner and dancing till midnight.

The guest speakers were: 

Sarah Mkeryi Amahson - Gender, Communication and Social Development expert with over 10 years experience in inclusive programming to reduce women’s vulnerability caused by extreme poverty and ignorance.

Ade Mamonyane Lekoetje - one of the successful African women and one of the few women Country Directors in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Aisha Yakubu Bako - has worked for several key NGOs on advancing women, women’s rights and women’s agenda in politics, in business and in education.

The following photos were taken at the event.