Notting Hill Carnival: Celebrating Afrocentric Culture and Tradition, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Notting Hill Carnival: Celebrating Afrocentric Culture and Tradition, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

THE FRINGE’S BENEFITS, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

THE FRINGE’S BENEFITS, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

On the Shoulders of Giants Working with the Okoye brothers Peter and Paul was a hard chance to pass down for Akinmayokun Awodumila or May D as he is fondly called. Like all prospects with dreams of lyrical stardom, his were answered two-fold when his friend Alaye introduced him to the sonorous pair with the P Square alias. The episode surpassed his wildest dreams and since then, the only place to look for the suave-looking fellow has been up. “It’s really been a privilege that I’m very thankful for,” he said regarding his meeting with the duo. “Hard work does pay so my belief is that sustaining the tempo should not be a problem.” Being called a protégé of the twins has in no way overshadowed May D’s agenda for his music. After featuring on their “Chop My Money Remix” that also featured American-based singer Akon, he has followed up with five singles that are keeping the audience on their feet ahead of his upcoming album. There is no title for his maiden contribution but the quintet of tracks that include “Ile Ijo”, “Soundtrack” and “Pum Pum” continue earning rave reviews that attract more music lovers to his sonorous output. With “Soundtrack” showing his R&B potentials, other songs in his quiver reflect an artist bent on being an all rounder with Pop and dancehall inclinations. It was not a one-off decision. He puts it down to a love for music. “I’ve always been involved in music right from my younger days. So as far as my memory serves me well I have liked music.” May D also tells me he packs more dance skills than a masquerade. Beyond his boogie in the “Ile Ijo” video that featured dancer Kaffy, he remarked that he could do more than the occasional body movements. But since music is his primary focus, it was logical that dance would occupy the sidelines. “Even though I held my own as a dancer in my secondary school days, music was always a driving force,” he said with confidence. Like most of his colleagues, he tells me his inspiration could spurt from anywhere. So, various trips to concerts around the globe with the P Square pair should leave him with a lot to sing about in the years ahead. A long term deal with Square Records is also in the bag for the singer bursting with an admirable hunger for success. “It’s pretty hectic, you know; travelling the world for concerts but we get by. It’s all part of the job. My long term plan is to be recognised the world over for the type of music I create.” His music is loud but strangely deep when you look beyond some of the slang he seasons his tracks with. He adds that he is just trying to retain the indigenous flavour and build on the strengths Nigerian languages avails him with. “Pum Pum” is a freestyle I did a while and I don’t even think it gets any airplay. “Ile Ijo” and my other singles is a part of the type of music I create which is a fusion of Pop, R&B and Dancehall.” With two videos for “Soundtrack” and “Ile Ijo,” May D is just getting warmed up for the long haul in an industry he speaks of with tons of reverence. His dream is to carve a niche and this will come in a number of projects aimed at placing him in a suitable position while he stands on the shoulders of the giants embodying Square Records. “Being around P Square will only serve to inspire me because of what they have achieved in the industry and the recognition it has brought them. My dream is to have the same level of success as they have if not even better. So there is no fear, just inspiration.”

when love hurts

When Love Hurts An hour of waiting for the play to commence was soon forgotten once Wale Ojo and Elfreda Rowland appear on the dimly lit stage. Seeing these faces, which were usually indentified with the screen on stage, made some members of the audience betray smiles. Ojo’s role in Phone Swap and Meet the Adebanjos preceded him while Rowland’s long sabbatical from Nollywood was quickly forgotten once she ascended that stage. Her presence was more apparent than the stained glass replica that stage backdrop during the June 3 premiere of the play. • The Hallelujah chorus of the choir does little to douse a sombre opening made more glaring by the use of lights revealing only the characters within the church. There is stubborn Joseph ( Michael Asuelime jnr ) who gets a reprieve earlier in the play from the Reverend Father (Wale Ojo). Such obstinacy in a young choir member is strange until Uncle (Omisade Ajibade ) reveals the familial cracks that have forged the boy’s impious nature. • The passing of his dad has made a headstrong son. Seeking solace in the world, his mother Stella (Elfreda Rowland) abstains from church and seeks solace in her solutions. Sadly, these have failed to plug the cracks she has discovered during years of single motherhood. It is all going downhill while her son becomes more inquisitive concerning the whereabouts of his father. The priest’s confidence in the efficacy of the sanctuary is expected but not everything can be solved with ten Hail Marys and other remedies. Still his interest in the case births an invitation for the lady to attend confession, and the complexion of the play changes with revelations in the shoebox confines of the confession cubicle. Rowland delivers in her role of a mixed up mother. Arriving in church for a much-awaited confession, her reluctance eventually caves in to the appeals from the reverend for her to share her burdens. “My last confession was eight years ago,” she reveals amidst tears. “This truth is like a time bomb waiting to explode.” Her unwillingness is continuously diluted by the infectious optimism of the greying reverend father, and gradually she shifts under the weight of his welcoming words by revealing her dark past riddled with frozen hopes. Apparently, it seems the father of her son might still be alive. But like most humans, the absence of a loved one and zero communication has drowned the initial hope she had in a union her parents and those of her baby daddy refused. Also, her abandonment at the age of 20 with a baby was too bitter a pill for her to swallow. “He did not even fight back...Joseph is the Jesus I seek now,” she adds with bitter resignation. Like the archetypal priest, the father insists there is always a spiritual way forward. His deluge of remedies also packs some sparks of common sense which he adopts to challenge the feckless arguments by the confessing mother. This reveals the conflict between the truth and the obvious. But there are other clashes during the play’s journey to a long-awaited climax. “The best way to defeat your fears is to confront them,” the priest argues with some discernible impatience. “You only have one life, do not let experiences to weigh you down.” Several musical interludes add some pep to a long-drawn performance. Asides from some songs like Islands in the Stream, some choir members also provide pleasing relief from the play’s organic but lagging plot with powerful renditions that light up the stage. Disclosures are not limited to the unhappy mother alone. The Reverend Father also has some skeletons in his cupboard, and some push sees him revealing his secrets to Joseph’s mother. Roles surprisingly switch and his confession unearths his subdued frailties. While alluding to his pre-priesthood days, he has also loved and lost but finds solace in church work and expectations of making heaven. A woman is also involved in his story. But time has filled the absence of a partner with other duties. This is peculiar to him and the lady confessing. “I am also human. She betrayed our love and I have never seen her again,” he says of his lost love. At this point supposed opposites are gradually being alike with the missing gaps in the first confession coming to life in the other. Directed by Michael Asuelime with music from Lolo Eremie, there are flashes of genius in Grey Area’s attempts to dwell on the importance of communication when building relationships. Also the tensions created with the absence of one parent are also laid bare in how Joseph turns out. Far from being a product of a failed union, he represents the negative traits a partial upbringing could unearth. He is aggressive, stubborn and unrelentingly obtuse. Some of love’s many traits are also visible in the play. There is the painful aspect peculiar to the agonizing mother while the contented priest embodies the patience synonymous with this soft emotion. But the conclusion of love’s persistence is an interesting angle to the performance.

A PROJECT OF PASSION

One hectare of land would have been better suited for a block of lease-ready spaces in an area which is the toast of space-hungry businesses. This was one of the arguments against the state government’s decision to turn the former Broad Street Prison to a recreational facility but my host Theo Lawson is happy for such an opportunity to create a symbolic oasis of calm from an establishment that previously gave many a cause for apprehension. Lawson who is also the design principal and builder of the park would make an ideal park guide due to his vast knowledge of the park’s history- a trait that developed over the years it took for his idea to become a reality.
“I am an architect with Total Consult and the idea came up 12-years ago when a group of architects came together to develop millennium ideas for Lagos State,” recalls the soft-spoken fellow. “Different architectural firms took up different aspects that included transportation and beautification but my firm took up open spaces because Lagos Island had become congested and had no heart as it were.”
The park represents just one piece in the recent push for urban renewal that has become synonymous with the Fashola administration. This recreation and regeneration has also swept through other notable structures in the area, but Freedom Park packs more symbolism due to the whole idea of dismantling what used to be a popular prison and turning it to a testament of freedom.
“We were looking at creating an open space within the island where people could come and breathe. I had known about this space and it was the best, if not the only available space in Lagos currently. So I bought my team here to explore and take measurements.”
The initial structure on the land was an 1872 mud and thatch structure which could contain just 20 prisoners. Her Majesty’s Prison as it was then called was later rebuilt in 1885 and renamed Broad Street Prison after its predecessor kept catching fire. The new prison was erected with materials imported from England and cost the colonial government 16,000 Pounds. Around that time it spent a paltry sum of 700 Pounds on education, a show of the importance it attached to suppressing rather than developing the indigenes.
The prison was one such tool in the whole diary of suppressing voices and famous prisoners to this establishment were Herbert Macaulay, Adeyemo Alakija and Pa Micheal Imuodu who were held at the facility during the colonial era. Obafemi Awolowo, Lateef Jakande and Anthony Enahoro are other names that have had some experience within the prison walls. But there were also women like femme fatale Mrs Esther Johnson (nee Ada Ocha Ntu) who committed a crime of passion by killing her white partner Mark Hall who used a loan from her to set up a new business for his UK-based lover. His refusal to repay ended in dire consequences for him and Esther.
“Her husband or boyfriend was a white man she killed after he could not repay a loan so she was sentenced to death and brought here. It was later changed to life imprisonment after independence when Azikiwe pardoned her, added Lawson. “Fortunately we met somebody who had worked here during the time of the prison and after its closure. He told us the stories and actually brought us into the place.”
Another tale synonymous with the piece of land is the Awolowo curse that the former prison grounds would never be developed. After series of abandoned attempts to develop it by previous firms, the land became a squatter camp and rubbish dump before its new lease of life. Lawson admits that work was hitch free once the state government bought into the idea of the Freedom Park.
“Incidentally, there wasn’t as much red tape even though took ten years for it to be considered as a project. By the time it got to the governor’s attention he bought into the idea immediately and six months saw it passed by the executive committee. One of the main issues we had was the fact that it had been converted to a dump site before we commenced work. Two months were spent clearing piles of rubbish and debris piled here over the years and also at the same time doing some archaeological search.”
Presently it gives a double view by retaining an imprint of the old structure alongside the new one with three major prison blocks represented in pre-abstract manner on their original footprints. Cell A was rebuilt hallway so people could see what the original shoe-box cells looked like while there are other signifiers of what used to obtain within.
“The cells were 4 by 8 feet which was a length of plywood and there was bed which was 1 foot by 6 feet wide and the only other thing in the room was a bucket so prisoners had to pass the faeces, urinate and pass it out in the morning,” explains Lawson as we stroll through it. “Block B is now a parabola with the impression of the cells on the lawn while Block C is the skeleton of a cell block being exhumed from the ground. The new function of this ramp is to accommodate models for the millennium projects of the state government and act as a link to the museum which stands where the prison records office used to be.”
The current food court adjacent the cubicles is where the prison kitchen used to be while the chief warder and assistant warder’s quarters are now administrative and staff offices. The gallows and condemned prisoners section have given way to a stage akin to the Speakers Corner in London. This setting for an expression of the self is not the only new structure within as there is a reflection pool and walkway of fame. A gradual art injection that has also seen the former female quarters replaced by an Amphi theatre, giving a blend of neo-colonial architecture alongside art that is being sourced from various avenues.
“There will definitely be another exhibition with a prison, independence or struggle theme which will last for a year. The works will be sold while the artist and park make money before another set of art will be brought in, Lawson says.”
A well-trimmed lawn and other softer elements complete the ambience of escape in an area that has gradually surrendered to commercialism over the years. The geese are having a swell time in the reflection pool but they are not alone as some chickens peck at the grass alongside an in-built sprinkler system.
“The chickens were resident here before the project started and some of them just remained here. They are very loyal and we call them the ghosts of this place because
They’ve been breeding since we were here and have generations which we don’t know how far back they go.”
Although the project met its completion date and opening on October 1, 2010, a new structure is gradually taking shape within its lush interior to accommodate more art. This storey building will house the art gallery and works that will be donated by Prof Wole Soyinka.
“We are open to the public but it is still a construction site because we cannot fully operate the part even though we are working at keeping everything in place. The art gallery is a new project with a roof terrace strategically situated to overlook the stage since Soyinka has been a playwright.”
It is not the only building with an expansive view of the whole park as there is a bar which can cater for seminars and a pristine museum with maps and photographs of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Lagos. These images which tell the story of Lagos and colonial notions of compartmentalisation graced the opening which coincided with the celebration of Nigeria’s golden jubilee.
“The museum was originally planned as that for the prison but we found there would not be enough material to fill the space we had so it is now the Lagos museum to cater for the history of Lagos. We are working at getting a consultant curator. There is a Professor Charles Gore who we are in talks with. He is in a school of African and oriental studies and has done a lot on West Africa and Benin. He has some affinity to Nigeria but it is because he is a renowned scholar over there. He has access to the materials and information that is lost to us right now.”
Relics discovered during the reconstruction of the site are available for public view at the museum but some like the old prison gate, trees and thick wall remain in their original places.
Unlike the former prison, the new one is made from locally sourced materials and some imported lighting tools. That left the expenses at roughly N250 million, an amount Lawson considers immaterial when compared to what has been delivered.
“It is a project of passion and a lot of people have come here to say the kind of budget we used for this is crazy but I think we have done so much for so little, and the joy is in the fact that it has been realised.”
Lawson sees the name of the park creating a bit of a dilemma when it comes to recouping the amount spent by the government to renovate it, but with a management team in the offing, the idea of a nominal charge for visitors should be settled soon.
“Even though it should be accessible to residents of Lagos, there is a need for the state government to redeem its investment,” argued the architect. “Since it is a prison, there might be a fee for going out and not coming in and we hope people will see it as a maintenance fee.”

NEED FOR SPEED

Sunday morning in Lagos Island assumes the complexion of a famous Lionel Richie song as the popular Tinubu fountain is a beehive of activities. There are no traders today, just a group of footballers getting the Sunday tradition on. They are not alone in their weekly exertions as a handful of skaters are gathered near the Central Bank premises. Their proximity to the massive building would not be possible during the days when Lagos was still the federal capital, and my observation goes down well with the sweaty trio and a slim fellow who introduces himself as their trainer.
On his off days, Lukman skates for Nigeria. Such dexterity is not reserved for just his fatherland as he also sells this penchant to corporate organisations that employ him and others during their marketing campaigns.
“I have been skating since 1999 but I can ride anything including the skateboard,” he says. “At some point I stopped but later resumed because I was picked for a competition.”
Our dialogue is interrupted when one of the trainees falls flat on his backside while trying to manoeuvre the solitary pair of shared roller skates. He is not deterred by the negative comments from a passing multitude as he rises to his feet for another try. His bloodied co-learners offer words of advice, but these prove futile as he lands flat on his face almost immediately. Fortunately he does not have any visible injuries to worry about and rises for another try at balancing, a primary ingredient for every learner.
“People are scared of falling but there is nothing there,” explains Lukman. “Once they get it they can go anywhere like me. I go as far as Epe with my roller skates.”
Such a distance would be suicidal for a learner but Lukman is just one in a several skating posses that are a ubiquity on Lagos roads and other open spaces within the metropolis. Their preference for Sunday skating fits perfectly alongside the day’s other rituals of jogging and street football.
The skater’s paradise is usually the empty BRT stop or public spaces devoid of cars and people like the Surulere-based National Stadium, National Theatre, Iganmu and Lagos Bar beach which has pockets of these skaters of different ages. But it is not just a routine for them as some like Lukman belong to club concerned with the welfare of its members.
“I am a member of the Island Skaters and if there is anything we usually converge at the National Stadium.”
Such associations thrive on a hierarchical system where promotion is based on one’s proficiency with roller skates. This method pushes members to improve on whatever skills they have so they can move higher in the chain and closer to the perks it brings. Lukman is benefiting from such as his skills are taking him overseas in a few months.
“I have a project I am taking to South Africa soon but it will also involve some training for me once I get there,” he chuckles. His temporary flight is not due to government’s indifference to the sport but a way of improving the skills which have made him a bride of corporate and governmental organisations for the past 11 years.
“The state government has also been supportive and ensure we feed from this sport. It is profitable as banks use us for marketing campaigns and we share handbills. But we have so many people who can do this and they need people to build them up. I used to play ball before now too but went to learn this. Once you can handle this, you can also handle the one for skating rinks despite the difference.”
Nigerians might not embrace winter sports in the distant future but there is the Nigeria Skating Federation, Nigerian Inline Skating Association (NISA) and Nigerian Roller Sports Association. In a 2004 report published on weblog.com, the NSF, which also has a Facebook page with 175 members, stated that an estimated number of 3,000 skates were sold in Nigeria during the first quarter of that year alone, a big difference from the 600 that were sold in 2003. Apart from the associations, there are also innovations to the whole idea of skating as some weird sports are sprouting to accommodate the adrenaline cravings of the growing acolytes of this foreign import.
A good example is handball with players using skates.
Daring stunts like clinging to mobile bikes or cars for momentum are also a common sight. This need for speed packs a total disregard for safety as the skates which could be the padded recreational or inline speed versions can attain speeds of up to 100 km per hour depending on the smoothness or sloppiness of the stretch skating space. But there are other worries that Lukman reveals as we watch his learner lift himself off the concrete for the umpteenth time.
“The police don’t disturb us but we are very wary of those we teach because people are funny. There are some who might want to learn it for crimes but we know them and don’t encourage them.”
Such pervasion of skill would be shocking indeed, but for clean characters like Saheed who is a furniture maker based in Idumota, skating is a contingency plan which is not upset by the high cost of the kits he dons with pride.
“The whole kit is around N25,000 which covers the helmet, skates and pads. The chewing gum tyres are what you have to change after a while but the streets of Lagos are okay for them,” he says. “Today is my second day of training and before that I used to play ball on Sundays. The trainer developed my interest after I was always seeing him on skates. He is one of the best in Lagos Island and I am learning for free because I’m his friend so all I got was my kit. If I were learning from a club I’d have to register and pay a fee on each day of training.”
His shin bruises also buttress the fact that he is still a tyro when it comes to skating but his cheerful disposition to this late start also houses some big dreams.
“Learning is one part you cannot do without because once I am in, they will put me on a higher rank in whatever club I join. I will still join a club but I have to know this very well before that happens.”

Jazz in the Present Sense

Lovers of Jazz were treated to another evening of soulful tunes as a contingent of indigenous and foreign-based acts treated jazz followers to a rare evening of music at the Eko Hotel and suites on November 12.
The Luxury Concert was another musical episode in a year that had witnessed the MUSON Jazz Festival, Lagos Jazz Series and Sax Appeal, a preponderance of shows that kindled hope for a genre that had witnessed a preference of some of its jewels for foreign shores.
This did not douse the enthusiasm exuded by the foreign acts on the line up as Gerald Albright, Angie Stone, Tiwa Savage and the duo of Richard Bona and Mike Stern shrugged off all signs of fatigue to attend to a long list of pre-performance events after their arrival a day before the show proper. Indigenous acts Bez and the duo of Pure and Simple were also not intimidated by the glut of international names as the press conference at the Eko Hotel revealed lots of gusto.
This mood set the pace for a night of soul and jazz fusions promised by the organisers which included Smooth FM, GTBank, Onward Publishers, Avis Car Rentals, UNIC Insurance, Linetrale and Design Options Limited.
Sadly, some jazz lovers missed the boat as tickets were sold out hours to the start of the night of complementary music that commenced with Tiwa Savage. The Sony ATV songwriter regaled the audience with her captivating voice fitted over tunes like “Collard Green and Cornbread” and “African Man. The gorgeous singer’s dancing skills were suspect, but her vocal might was not in doubt as she held the audience captive with a vocal delivery befitting her profile in the event catalogue. With a repertoire that has seen her back-up the likes of Chaka Khan, Kelly Clarkson and Whitney Houston, the foreign-based Nigerian singer might achieve her aims of sharing music with the whole world sooner rather than later.
A blend of Ebony and Ivory was on display as Richard Bona, one of the best bassists in the world opened with five-time Grammy nominee Mike Stern, also described as one of the best guitarists on the planet. Their dexterity with the six-strings was evident as their 20-minute performance brought the house down after their six-man band move from a low to high tempo. At some point, Stern could have been accused of showboating during his solo, but it was his first trip to Nigerian shores and he seemed bent on making up for lost time with his guitar delivery and a Yoruba salutation that commenced it.
The electricity of this performance was replaced by the stark simplicity of Pure and Simple who returned with their armada of indigenous tracks. In a line-up brimming with established names, the duo of Ifiok Effanga and Nathan McDonald seemed unperturbed as they exuded the potential that has seen many jazz devotees finger them as the next stars of the genre. They closed their act with “99 days for the thief and one day for the owner”.
A standing ovation heralded Gerald Albright unto the colourful stage and such adulation was not misplaced as his dexterity in the genre was followed by fame that was bigger than his imposing frame. Having also sold over a million copies around the world, it was understandable why many swayed and chorused to the soulful notes from his silver saxophone with familiarly. The night of soothing tunes also had performances from Angie Stone and Bez.