In Their Own Words … – The Halftribe Gallery

Lara George has a voice like an angel. So it’s a good thing that she sings gospel if not someone up there might want their voice back. I was first introduced to Lara’s music by my cousin this summer. She handed me her first two CDs, ‘Forever in my Heart’ and ‘Lara George’, as going away gifts the day I was returning to the US from Lagos, Nigeria. Two weeks later when she asked me what I thought, I guiltily admitted that I hadn’t listened to them yet. I had purchased another artist and was enjoying that album.

Two weeks later when she asked again, I was in awe! Not only had I listened to both CDs, I had also bought her last album, ‘Higher’, and was gushing about Lara’s music to anyone and everyone I knew. I even wrote a lengthy exposé to my high school alums because Ms. George had also gone to Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, urging them to go buy her CDs. Now she is on my iPhone, my iPod, my iPad, my MacAir,  my iMac (yes, I admit I bit into the apple and have never looked back) and in my car, because I just can’t get enough. All her songs are good but so far, my favorites are ‘O Ti Se’ (Yoruba for God has done it) and ‘Dansaki’ (Hausa for praise). Lara George is young, gifted and black (Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone).

Ms. George  has won several international and national awards including the Nigeria Entertainment Award (New York) for Best Gospel Artiste of the Year 2010 and 2011, the Hip Hop World Award (now known as Headies) for Best Female Vocals 2010, the Nigerian Gospel Music Award (NMA), and many more. She is a member of the Voting Academy of BET International and Vice President of Soforte Entertainment Distribution Ltd., Nigeria’s premier entertainment distribution company.

Recently, halftribedotcom spoke to Ms. George (30mins):

Listen to some of Lara’s songs here:

I Am Glad by Lara George

Dansaki by Lara George

Sade Adeniran is the author of “Imagine This”, a novel,  which won the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region), and was shortlisted for The Book to Talk About 2009. “Imagine This” is the journal of Lola Ogunwole as she charts her survival from childhood to adulthood. Born in London, Lola and her brother Adebola grow up in a foster home after their mother abandons them. They are reunited with their father who then moves them back to Nigeria. In addition to the trauma of relocation, leaving all you know and have known for the unknown, Lola is soon separated from her father and her brother as they are sent to live with different relatives. Sade describes “Imagine This” as Lola’s search for love and acceptance and her resilience against the odds. But this is only part of the story.

The other is that Sade self published her book when many of the UK publishing houses refused her manuscript. Not everyone who self-publishes is successful and we were interested to know what motivated Sade, what she did, and why in the end she thinks she was successful. Listen to Sade tell us her story, in her own words.

It is amazing how you can have really good conversations and sometimes, it’s not until much later that certain things happen that crystallize those conversations. A dear friend, another film director, had recommended Irapada to me several years ago and I remember we talked about it as we do so many things, he telling me to watch it, I asking why, he saying because it’s a really well-produced movie, and I either making a mental note to watch it, or saying sure we can watch it together so if I don’t like it I can give him the evil eye then and there. Fast forward to now when I happened on Phone Swap and I am intrigued enough that not only do I want to watch all Kunle Afolayan’s movies, I also want to have a conversation with the man.

Kunle Afolayan is the director of Phone Swap which was recently screened at the Film Africa 2012 Festival in the UK. Film Africa purports to be the UK’s largest annual festival of African cinema and culture featuring 70 African films by leading filmmakers, and African music nights. How I wish I was there. But I will be speaking with the co-director of the festival, Lindiwe Dovey, in the next few weeks and will bring that interview to you here on halftribedotcom.

In addition to Irapada and Phone Swap, Kunle is also the director of The Figurine. Kunle’s father was the renowned Ade Love, also a film director, so he grew up on film sets. Though a trained banker, Kunle decided to switch careers and went on to study digital film making at the New York Film Academy in London. He makes films for the big screen and not for video like most of Nollywood and his goal is to make films that appeal to discerning film lovers around the world.

As we work to schedule our interview with Kunle Afolayan, in the meantime we are pleased to present here, with full permission, an interview he did in 2010 for Framework, the Journal of Cinema and Media. Here is Kunle Afolayan, in his own words, and at the end he hints at Phone Swap.

How did it start? Paul and Lale were neighbors at 25 Branco Street, downtown Lagos, and after school, they would sit on their stoops and discuss ideas. And one day they decided to start their own organization. There were other clubs and organizations at the time but they felt those focused more on dances and fun fair and these two had more lofty goals. They had the grand idea at that young age to create an organization that would recognize artists in some small way and encourage people to aspire to and achieve greater heights socially, and in literary, dramatic and performance arts. They would completely eschew politics and political activities. And they were only in Form 3 or the equivalent of Junior High School.

Paul and Lale attended different schools; Paul was at Baptist Academy and Lale, CMS Grammar School, so they made a pact that each would bring in a friend. Paul brought in his best friend, Fola Sogbamimu, and Lale his cousin, Yemi Lijadu. Initially, they would have meetings and picnics to socialize and get themselves acquainted. This was even more important as new members from other schools joined. Formal meetings were held once every two months, but the Founding Four, who studied together, would meet regularly. The first meeting was held on a very hot, sunny day, Uncle Fola remembers, at 6 Vincent street, Yemi’s parents’ house. Fola became the first treasurer and may have doubled as the secretary back then and Yemi thinks Paul was the first Chairman.

They lived near each other and grew up together; 6 Vincent street was less than 5 minutes from 25 Branco street. They were interested in the arts, theatre, music, and culture. Paul was famous for playing the title role in the musical rendition of D.O. Fagunwa’s play, Ajantala, The Terrible Child. Lale was the local Bing (Crosby) and was in the dramatic, literary and debating societies at school. Yemi was a member of the Lagos Cathedral Choir and the CMS Grammar School soloist. He was also a member of a jazz band. Fola. along with Paul, was an excellent athlete and a great debater. They regularly took part in the annual Festival of Arts and Culture in Lagos and won prizes. And this was the impetus for the Solidra Circle. These young and idealist boys wanted to create a more artistic and cultural society for themselves and for others to encourage everyone to do and be more.

The first event they held was a fun fair with a band, refreshments, dancing and debates. It was called Extravaganza and was held at the Hotel Wayfarers in downtown Lagos. They would also have picnics at a member’s family’s farm, Mr. Elliot’s, at Iganmu, Lagos. Other clubs were invited to come and debate with them. Events were financed with membership dues and contributions. They called themselves comrades, had their own tie, slippers and cap, all specially made with the elongated S similar to the award. It was and it still is an all boys club. Women are welcome and even honored, but not as members. Maybe someday that will change.

After the initial setup and organization, soon there was a lull as members began to concentrate on their studies. Most of the boys by 1949 were focused on graduating high school and pursuing higher education so they studied hard for the college entrance exams. And then there was a break as the founding four and other members started leaving for other shores. Paul was one of the first, leaving for England in 1950 and not returning until 1957. Fola left in 1954 and would remain in England. Yemi left in 1953 for training with the BBC. He would leave Nigeria again in 1964 to take up a position with UNESCO in Paris. He was to be away for only two years but he is still there.

Listen to Yemi Lijadu talk about the Solidra Circle, In His Own Words (15 mins):

By the 60s many of the original members were back home so they decided to regroup and revive Solidra. This push is attributed to S. B. Peters who had come back from England as well. One of the goals of the organization was to encourage people in the arts and so it was only natural that they would begin giving awards to aspiring artists. The Solidra Circle Award for Literary Arts was later renamed the Wole Soyinka Solidra Award for Literature & Drama. The story goes that they wanted to give the man the award but he suggested they use his name instead to encourage younger artists. The Solidra Circle is probably the first organization to recognize the Nobel Laureate this way and the first I found was presented to the author, Fred Agbeyegbe, in 1993.

The Solidra Circle also encouraged children. There were awards and certificates for children who showed an interest in and a talent for the arts. I remember winning once or twice for my sketches. I was decent and it was encouraging for a young child to receive such a public display of acknowledgement. Not sure if being related to the founding fathers had any influence but it couldn’t hurt and they were true to their goals, encouraging established as well as young and upcoming artists that showed talent.

The illustrious membership of the Solidra Circle reads like an honors roll. It includes noted pediatrician, Dr. Bolaji Ajenifuja; their Brazilian liaison, Paul Babalola Bamgbose-Martins; insurance man, Banky Braithwaite; physician, Dr. Femi Bucknor; lawyer, Bimpe Idowu; medical statistician, Dr. Babalola Dada (late); gynecologist, Dr. Bose Emanuel; Chief Abiola Johnson; Lola Joseph; Dr. Yemisi Kuforiji; Bola Marquis; Accountant Obaweya; an Ifa scholar, Johnny Ogundipe (late); his brother, an oil businessman, Joe Ogundipe; Mr. Oguntoye; one of the first cardiologists in Nigeria, Professor Okuwobi (late); artist, Paul Salu; Engineer Santos; real estate developer, Egedio Isidro de Souza (late); C. O. Thomas, who lives in London and works in Brussels; lawyer, Mr. Telemi Toye; Army Major Viatonu; and many more.

Today, the founding fathers are retired; Justice (rtd.), Chief Paul Atilade lives in Lagos, he recently launched a Gospel booklet called ‘Divine Healing Power’, Mr. Fola Sogbamimu lives in London, and Mr. Yemi Lijadu lives in Paris. Sadly, Mr. Lale Lipede is no longer with us. But we the families, the extended families, the recipients, the families of the recipients and indeed the people of the great nation of Nigeria, raise our glasses to the vision of these great men who made the decision and dared to be different. And because of them, today there are many artists out there, young and old, who count the Solidra Award as one of the critical awards they received along the way in their careers.

We say to the Founding Fathers and all the members of the Solidra Circle, “The Extended Family of the Solidra Circle Lagos has watched your progress over the years and considers your efforts commendable and deserving of acknowledgement and to that extent we confer on you the Lifetime Achievement Award for Visionary Leadership in Society, Literary, and Drama.”

Tara!

Epilogue

In the past, membership was limited to no more than 20 but it is now being opened up to interested and worthy individuals. Even though the last award was presented two years ago, the Solidra Circle is being revived again and this year marks their 65th year anniversary. There are talks of kicking off a lectures series in as early as the summer of 2013 so respected individuals can share their knowledge and expertise and a few people have already indicated interest. As Paul says, “The next chapter of Solidra Circle will be even better than the first.”

I would like to thank Justice (rtd.) Chief Paul Atilade, and Messrs. Yemi Lijadu and Fola Sogbamimu for their generosity in time, effort and attention and their patience in contributing to this article. They are all octogenarians and I had the wonderful privilege and honor of having several charming phone conversations with each of them. This article could not have been written without them.

This year we celebrated my dad’s 80th birthday and one of my dearest Uncles, Uncle Fola, in his tribute, mentioned the Solidra Circle. I thought it was a nice story at the time but did not think much of it after. Since then I have revived my blog, halftribedotcom, and have been thinking about how best to position it as a serious online magazine focused on people, stories, and events that matter, add value and make great conversations. And I remembered the Solidra Circle.

The Solidra Circle has very humble but inspired beginnings. It was started in 1947 by four young boys whose goal was to make significant contribution to the society in a unique way. The Solidra Award is the award given at the Solidra Circle’s Annual Award Nite to deserving artists and has gone on to become one of the most recognized and sought after Awards for artists. Past recipients include female talking drummer, Ayanbinrin and her Tiwantiwa band; artist, Ndidi Dike; opera singer, Francesca Emanuel; performance poet, Ngozi Eziefule-Emenekwum; playwright, Lola Fani-Kayode; ethnomusicologist, Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko; musician, Bala Miller; author, Flora Nwapa; cultural artist and later Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Chief Segun Olusola (late), and his wife, actress, Elsie Olusola (also late); artist and painter, Bruce Onobrakpeya; musician, Steve Rhodes; actress, Joke Silva; highlife musician, Sir Victor Uwaifo; and many more.

To put this in context, what was happening around the world in 1947? On January 1, 1947, Nigeria gained autonomy from the British government; on February 3, Percival Prattis became the first African-American news correspondent allowed in the US House of Representatives and Senate press galleries; on February 10, in Paris, France, peace treaties were signed between World War II Allies and the Eastern European countries; on March 1, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began to operate; on March 29, a rebellion against French rule erupted in Madagascar; on April 15, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball; on August 14 and 15 respectively, Pakistan and India gained independence; on August 27, the French government lowered the daily bread ration to 200 grams, causing riots; on October 5, President Harry Truman delivered the first televised White House address speaking on the world food crisis; on November 20, Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten; on November 29, the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition Palestine between Arab and Jewish regions, creating Israel; and on December 21, 400,000 Hindus and Muslims were slaughtered while migrating into India and Pakistan. And in 1947, Cambridge University began admitting women as full students, and in a cave in and around the Wadi Qumran, the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered.

And on August 13, 1947, in Lagos, Nigeria, four young aspiring students, Paul Atilade, Yemi Lijadu, Lale Lipede, and Fola Sogbamimu, founded the Solidra Circle; motto: Social. Literary. Drama. As Uncle Fola says, little did they know then that the Solidra Circle would grow to become one of the more respectable and dignified organizations in Lagos today. The citation for the recipient of the award goes like this, “Solidra Circle Lagos has watched your progress over the years and considers your efforts commendable and deserving of encouragement and to that extent the Solidra Circle confers on you its 2007 Award for Art.” The recipient? Artist, Dotun Alabi. The article in The Nation was titled, ‘Dotun Alabi, an artist and professional painter, joins the league of those honored by Solidra Circle.’

Listen to Paul Atilade talk about the Solidra Circle, In His Own Words (11 mins):

TO BE CONTINUED …

“What we call little things are merely the causes of great things: they are the beginning, the embryo and the point of departure, which generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence.”

This statement by Olu Amoda may in fact describes the very essence and meaning of Olu Amoda the artist and his artwork.

His current exhibition, Template, is on display at the Skoto Gallery in Lower Manhattan, New York, through January 30. In Template, Amoda ‘explores the complex pathways of what is arguably Wole Soyinka’s most significant work, Death and the King’s Horseman.’ The play based on actual events that occurred in Nigeria in 1946, depicts some of the cultural conflicts between Yoruba traditions and western colonialism. When the king dies, Elesin, the king’s horseman, must kill himself the night before the funeral so he may accompany the king into death. But conflict arises when the District Officer in Oyo State, Western Nigeria, tries to prevent the ritual killing. Amoda tries to ‘encapsulate the spirit’, rather than illustrate or describe, ‘this Soyinka masterpiece’.

This will be his second solo at the gallery. The first, Head ‘n Tie: Fashion Architectonic, in 2007, was a cultural and aesthetic expression of the various forms and fashions of the Nigerian woman’s head-tie display, which is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

Olu Amoda is an artist, an interpreter in art form, of society’s norms, foibles, expressions, events and responses to those events. He is a metal sculptor, a muralist, a metal furniture designer, and a fabricator of gates, steel doors and windows, called ‘Doors of Paradise’ and ‘Windows of Dreams’. His works have been shown in various solo exhibitions as well as group shows and workshops around the world from as early as 1985, which may have been the year he first burst onto the scene and into the mind of public consciousness. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements.

He is a teacher, having been a faculty member of the Sculpture Department of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria, since 1987, and was recently a visiting Sculpture Professor and Artist-in-Residence at the Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. All this, while maintaining an active studio practice since the beginning of his career in the early 1980s. Olu Amoda was born in 1959 in Warri, Delta State. He obtained an HND in Sculpture from Auchi Polytechnic, Nigeria and an MFA in Sculpture from Georgia Southern University, Statesboro. His works are part of several collections and he has executed numerous public and private commissions in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Olu Amoda is an artist that regularly responds to the socio-political and environmental conditions of his society and the world at large through vital sculptures executed mostly in metal. Most of his material he obtains from scrap yards and through the generous responses to ads he has placed. Like for instance, when he placed an ad for keys, and the response was overwhelming, so much so that some keys were accompanied by poems!

Olu Amoda is imaginative, he is creative, he is empathic, but he is not silent, rather he lets his art speak for him, and it speaks volumes. He is an artist!

Listen to Olu Amoda in his own words (64 mins): https://halftribedotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/whoisoluamoda.mp3

Check out Olu Amoda’s Exhibition here: Template

Jude Dibia is a Nigerian author, resident in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of 2 published novels; Walking with Shadows, his first novel, deals with homosexuality in Nigeria and was published in 2005 and short-listed for the ANA/NDDC Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for prose in 2006; Unbridled, his second novel, about a woman and the abusive relationships she endures throughout her life, won the 2007 ANA/NDDC Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for prose and was also a finalist for the Nigerian Prize for Literature 2008. His third novel, Blackbird (working title), a story about people displaced within their own society, will be published in the 1st quarter of 2010.

Jude Dibia kindly granted us the time out of his short vacation from the fast pace of Lagos, to interview him. We on behalf of our audience on halftribe.com would like to get to know Jude Dibia, in his own words.

(60 mins): https://halftribedotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/whoisjudedibia.mp3

About a month ago, at the beginning of July, we got an email and it read:

Dear editor,

I discovered your site recently and was impressed. I’m a novelist resident in Nigeria and would like to contribute a short story to your prose section. 

I discovered that I could not do this, however, as I am not a member of this site. I will like to know how to submit this story.

Kind regards,

We responded that you had to be registered on halftribe.com to be able to submit articles and that we were looking forward to receiving the article. Several emails later, we received the article and after reading it we were in awe. We sent back a note saying we were happy and honored to publish the short story on halftribe.com and we did, that day. In just a short few days it had generated so many hits and comments, and today, The Last Pill, has generated over 500 hits and several comments. At least two print media in Nigeria have picked up the story after reading it on halftribe.com.

You can check out Jude Dibia’s blog here: Jude Dibia’s Blog

Sefi Atta is the author of two published books, Everything Good will Come and Swallow, and is currently working on her third a collection of short stories which will be published in the UK. She has written several stage and radio plays, some of which have been broadcast on BBC radio, and several short stories for which she has won awards and been short listed for others.

We recently had the opportunity to sit and chat with Ms. Atta over the phone. We found the author warm, personable, interesting, and extremely smart. But that’s only to be expected of a Queen’s College girl… In the words of Ms. Atta, at barely 52 minutes in length, this is the “longest and most in-depth” interview she has ever done.

Listen to a sample of the interview: {audio}conversations/gettingtoknowsefiattasample.mp3{/audio}

Listen to the entire audio interview below.

Ms. Atta lives in Meridian, Mississippi, with her husband, a Nigerian-trained doctor, and daughter.

YouTube reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbtwPxbzvvo

To learn more about Sefi Atta and her writing and about her next book, visit her website: Sefi Atta’s Website.

We announced the death of Professor I. Akinjogbin here on halftribe.com on July 26th this year. He died early Sunday July 27th 2008 at age 78. Professor I. A Akinjogbin, BA, PhD, Emeritus Professor of History, was the first Professor and Head of Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. About a year before he died, we were honored and privileged to be granted an interview with Professor I. A. Akinjogbin about his new book Milestones and Social Systems in Yoruba History and Culture. It was a very inspiring and educative conversation and we present it here for the first time on halftribe.com. Due to the length of the interview, we have broken it into several parts.

Part 1 of 4 – How History is Written (15 mins)

Part 2 of 4 – History & Culture Defined (18 mins)

Part 3 of 4 – Social Systems (14 mins)

Part 4 of 4 – Social Systems Continued: From Family to Marriage to Divorce (16 mins)

He had been Acting Director of the world-renowned Ife Institute of African Studies, the first indigenous Dean, Faculty of Arts, and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Professor Akinjogbin devoted his entire academic career to teaching and research in history and was the author of several publications including Dahomey and Its Neighbors, Topics on Nigerian Economic and Social History, Ife: The Cradle of a Race, and War and Peace in Yorubaland.

Milestones and Social Systems in Yoruba History and Culture is broken into two parts; the first part traces the history and development of the Yoruba people in various stages through continuity and change. There have been two schools of thoughts on the history of the Yorubas and their identity. The first claims that the Yoruba people are one originating from the same source, Oduduwa, in Ile-Ife. The second school claims that the Yoruba are a group of unrelated groups of people with nothing in common. The second school may have come about as communities rejected the idea of paying tribute to the Alaafin of Oyo, the political head of the Yoruba. In his book, Professor Akinjogbin promotes the idea of a unified Yorubaland based on extensive research initiated as far back as 1957 by Obafemi Awolowo, a renowned Nigerian leader.

The main source of research is Oral traditions from over a thousand years. What the Yorubas lacked in written history they more than made up for in oral history and traditions held together by families that were designated story tellers for the royal family and the people. This is not unlike Homer’s Odyssey in Greek mythology. Verification was done checking one story against the other. Another primary source was festivals and ceremonies, at which the history of the town, the community and its people, were told and retold for all to know. Other sources included installation and crowning ceremonies of Obas, Kings in Yoruba, which traced the history of the monarchy and of the town, and place names could be used to tell their history as well. In recent times, archaeology has been used to trace the history of the Yorubas and the Yoruba language has been scientifically proven to have been in existence for at least 2, 000 years. In Milestones and Social Systems in Yoruba History and Culture, the period covered is over 1, 000 years from pre-Oduduwa to the 20th century and highlights which kingdoms were in ascendancy and when. It also includes the 19th century when the age-long unity of the Yorubas disintegrated through a century of interneciary war. Milestones makes reference to another seminal book, The History of the Yorubas written by Rev. Samuel Johnson published in 1927, which also traces the history of the Yorubas as one people originating from one source.

The second part of the book deals with the pillars of Yoruba civil society and civilization; Ebi (Family), Agba (Elder), Marriage, Power, and Life. Professor Akinjogbin uses this section to explain what Yorubas believe so their actions can be better understood by Yorubas and non-Yorubas alike. It serves to show what family means to the Yorubas. It explains the concept of age within the family system. It talks about the marriage institution, the role of women, the notion of power, and the unity between the seen and unseen world within the Yoruba life cycle. The second part of the book serves to provide a context for the historical actions of the Yorubas as outlined in the first part. Based on this, we think this section should have come first but Professor Akinjogbin is a historian first and foremost and not an anthropologist.

We believe that Milestones and Social Systems in Yoruba History and Culture is relevant today. It educates Yorubas and non-Yorubas alike on the history of the Yorubas. First, you should know your history to know who you are. Second, knowing other peoples’ histories is a good point of discussion for comparing cultures. Social Systems in Yoruba Culture has very salient points that can be applied to our family structures, social systems, and marriages today. Given the current divorce rates in Western society that it seems are being emulated in African societies, it is clear something is not working in the Western model. In contrast, if one looks intelligently and non-superficially at how other cultures have handled the same situations successfully and one comes to understand how and why it worked, it is not inconceivable that the same can be applied to similar situations today and across cultures.

On two claims we do not agree with the author entirely; one that the Yoruba are the single largest language group in Nigeria. Without providing any scientific basis for this assertion we neither agree nor disagree given the Hausas in northern Nigeria. The other is that the knowledge of the history of the Yoruba will make for a strong, just, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria. Based on our limited observations, we think that due to the fact that there are other cultural groups with different histories and cultures in Nigeria, there are other factors to be considered and that affect the unity of Nigeria. The unity of the Yoruba, yes. The unity of Nigeria, well it may help depending on the size of the impact. This second assertion is obviously based on the first.

It is our opinion that this book is a topical book and halftribe.com highly recommends it. Whether you agree with it or not, it will at least enhance your thinking as it relates to how you can live your life within your family, and more importantly in society. Although, this is one culture’s way of doing things, it is still valuable today for that and other cultures as it relates to how people and societies can have family structures and social organizations that work. As the author himself states, “the alternative to this is to pick any foreign mode that appears convenient and base one’s interpretation on them.”

Milestones and Social Systems in Yoruba History and Culture is available for sale. Please contact us for your copy.