Tuesday 31 May 2016

A VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: THE SIMPLICITY OF OUR LIVES

A VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: THE SIMPLICITY OF OUR LIVES

"It is said that when Cosimo was about to die he recommended Donatello to the care of his son Piero, who, anxious to carry out dutifully what his father wanted, gave him a farm at Cafaggiuolo which provided an income on which he could live comfortably. This made Donatello very content, since it meant that he was at least saved from the prospect of dying of hunger. All the same he had not held it a year before he returned to Piero and publicly made the farm over to him again, insisting that he did not want to lose peace of mind by having to worry about running a household and being molested by the tenant, a peasant who was always getting in his way and complaining now because the wind had blown away the roof of his dovecot, now because his cattle had been confiscated by the Commune for taxes, or because a storm had destroyed his wine and his fruit. Donatello grew so sick and tired of all this that he said he would rather die of hunger than have to think about so many things."
                            from Lives of the artiste: Donatello by Giorgio Vasari


Like Donatello in this legend, the mould of our lives presently is a contradiction of plausibiles. Fela Anikulapo Kuti captured this satirically : '... suffering and smiling...'




That is the story of our lives . The death of a loved one calls for the celebration of ' a life well spent' -- no matter how well or otherwise that life may have been really spent.


 Our carnivals are not threatened because we cannot find (even remotely) one and a half square meals a week to sweeten the soul, rather they (our carnivals) are revved up because dance and music lighten the weight of the burden of merely existing on our weary shoulders. In fact for those of us collectively singled out by the epithet 'masses', we had long removed the 'square' from our meals. Any meal would do; any meal is --- fine.

Once in a while however, we are shocked to the bones by the somewhat certain paradoxical complexity arising from the very simpleness of way of life. Over 200 young girls are abducted and unreachable for over 2 years. Suddenly one, by happenstance is found. Found on the day the Nation's labour union commenced strike action against government for increasing the price of petrol.

Immediately the find is announced, the nation goes agog with joy. We rejoice that she was 'rescued' along with her captor 'husband' by our gallant security forces -- men who just happened to be chasing the wind at that exact time the duo were probably just taking a breath of fresh air in that undefined territory.


 It was a memorable battle, one worth celebrating for days in the media. And we celebrated. In our dreams and imaginations the security forces engaged the brutality and the harshness of the breeze in the wild, in a mortal combat. In our dreams they fought long, gallantly and finally snatched the young Amina and her 'now legitimate husband' from the gaping jaws of death -- jaws which had been yawning in the eerie quiet that had gripped that area since the security forces arrived that territory. In our dreams the gallant forces, the security men return with their protégé -- proudly and promptly announce their victory.

Immediately we legitimize the 'ex-terrorist' and accept him as the bona-fide husband. We celebrate Amina's return and celebrate the man's 'change'. We arrange a Presidential welcome for him and our saintly President immediately pronounces that the ex-terrorist will be given amnesty. Sadly this is no longer in our dreams.

Our media ran circuses, violating the privacy of the young girl and extolling the virtues of being found-- 'rescued' and indeed, subliminally congratulating the 'husband' that he did a good job raping the innocence and person of young Amina. We pat each other's back and pat government's back for doing ........ What? No one knows for sure why they deserve credit for this 'find', but -- well they are government and they deserve the credit anyway, Right? Wrong. They will take it anyway, period.

Nothing cataclysmically wrong with that though. What is cataclysmically wrong is government not seeing the wider implications and advantage of having an ex-Boko Haram member in its custody -- not realizing the importance of having such a 'gold mine' in its hands.



But more importantly government should realize that no matter what politics it plays with the resurfacing of Amina, 'that man' is not a husband and should not be treated or hailed as such. To have gotten Amina pregnant implies he must have raped her. He is a rapist. Amina is not yet an adult. So apart from being charged with rape, 'this man' should also be charged with defilement of a minor.



The man should have been taken off the media blitz and confined to a bare four-walled room and asked some hard questions in the presence of a psychologist, psychiatrist, forensic expert and with the help of the usual drugs used everywhere else for critical interrogations. The military owes this to Nigerians-- not arranging a party for that criminal. The military owes it to Nigerians to find out;


  • 1. What was this man's role in BH. Was he simply a foot soldier or someone high up in the hierarchy? Was he just a brainless messenger or someone who was privy to plans, tactics, intel and info ?  


  • 2. When was the last time he was B.H? How many months ago? What was their last location ? How did they chose their locations? Who are the visible faces in the BH hierarchy as at the last time he was a BH member? 

Many more questions to quiz this criminal with.

With over one week gone, neither the military nor government has come forth to tell Nigerians how much gold they have mined from this potential goldmine. Maybe the resurfacing of Amina has served its purpose -- provide government the image booster it really needs at this crucial time in this new government's life.

But while the politicking continues, this one question should remain on everyone's conscience: " Suppose Amina was your daughter, would you be thinking of granting amnesty to that criminal?" The world is watching us.    

 

Monday 9 May 2016

MUSIC AFRICA BEACH SPLASH 2015 HUGE SUCCESS OR GRAND SLAM 3 ?

MUSIC AFRICA BEACH SPLASH 2015 HUGE SUCCESS OR GRAND SLAM 3 ?

When it's party time, guys and girls 'just wanna have fun'. The breathtaking scene at Chaka Beach resorts and the electrifying atmosphere of MABS 2015 on the 20th of December 2015, provided one last thrill for music lovers in Lasgidi.









BLACK REVRENDZ:

Throwback 1999/2000 when the likes of daddy Showkey , Father U-turn, Marvellous Benjy, and daddy Fresh were kings of the jungle, -- a few years before Port Harcourt class act, Nigeria's Patra (Gift Gibson) became Muma Gee, the Black Reverendz turned up the heat with this piercing, scathing take on 'girls from the hood'.

                     "Ayangba girls are dangerous, so dangerous, so dangerous..."

Released in 2000, the song quickly became a dancehall anthem.
At MABS 2015 the Ayangba boys Wasiu Lawal and Shuaibu Adams electrified the audience with this early 21st century hit "Ayangba".
















CLICK TO WATCH THE PERFORMANCE OF BLACK REVERENDZ HERE

DANCE COMPETITIONS:

MABS 2015 was not just about the 'big boys and girls who came to perform' it was also about the love shown by spectators who came to enjoy the day.




The MABS 2015 stage was every now and then turned over to the nimble feet and lithe bodies of gracious spectators who competed for a variety of gift items provided by co-sponsors Ace Roots.
 








Catch up with more fun and even more stars from MABS 2015 in our next post.

Monday 2 May 2016

MUSIC AFRICA BEACH SPLASH 2015 HUGE SUCCESS OR GRAND SLAM 2 ?





MABS 2015 rocked. The atmosphere was hot. The crowd thrilled. Music dance and fun at its peak. No way to describe this -- you had to be there to comprehend.



ASHLEY STEPHANIE:
Thrilling, energetic Ashley Stephanie is a musician and multi linguist, (she speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and English). Ashley spent most of her early years in Barcelona, Spain. She was the lead singer, and only black in the Latino group "Spanish Girls."

With ''Spanish girls'' Stephanie Ashley thrilled audiences on different platforms around the world, holding her own against class acts  like Shakira, JayLo , Alahandro Sanz and many others on the world stage.

Since returning to Africa, Stephanie's solo music career has blossomed and she continues to electrify her fans with her unique brand of music "Coupe decalle masquarade".


 At MABS 2015 Stephanie Ashley not only wowed the audience, but electrified their dancing feet with her performance. She was irresistible in the moves she unleashed, sweet in the seductiveness of her voice and tempting in the craftiness of her lyrics.

SAMPLE THIS:

























DJ EXCLUSIVE :
This Physics and Computer Science graduate (Reading University, England) turned professional DJ in 2003.

Xclusive (real name : ROTIMI ALAKIJA), never fails to sweep his audience to their feet and get them rocking to his beats, an art at which he is the master. At MABS 2015 'Xclusive showed why he is one of the best loved DJs in town.








DJ 'XCLUSIVE swept  them off their feet.












WATCH STEPHANIE ASHLEY AND DJ 'XCLUSIVE PERFORM HERE:



More to come on the thrills of MABS 2015. Watch out.

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