Iwalewa… A narrative of poverty-to-awareness dance performance…Read full details

A scene from the play

Iwalewa has been a dance essemble QDance Centre, led by Qudus Onikeku, has been performing all over the world. It probably started in France, where the contemporary dance exponent, Onikeku, lived for some time before relocating back to Nigeria to establish his dance centre in Lagos. Last year, he staged the Iwalewa showpiece in the Belgium capital, Brussels, at a photographic exhibition celebrating old and new Lagos. It had Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, as guest and was curated by Azu Nwagbogu-led African Artist Foundation.

But the show suffered some hiccups. Midway into the performance, some folks called for it to stop. But Onikeku would not hear of it; he protested vehemently until he had his way. Ambode, who made the revelation last weekend at Eko Hotel, Lagos, while speaking at the 3-day maiden edition of Rasheed Gbadamosi Eko Art Expo, said he secretly admired the Nigerian dancer for standing up for his art and not allowing himself to be intimidated. That evening, the governor invited Onikeku to the stage and personally endorsed his art and his very Nigerian spirit of standing up for his right not being put down even in a foreign land.

While the contemporary dance expert should indeed be applauded for his tenacity in explicating a ‘strange’ art form, he probably needs to review his performance art and rejig it so the performance fits Iwalewa theme and make it more appealing. Contemporary dance is a continuously evolving art and could well be defined in many ways, depending on who is the exponent or see it. Although a lot of energy, technique, and fluidity go into the performance, it seems flawed, especially the Iwalewa narrative that seems obsessive with rags and poverty that barely rises above the starting point.

‘Character is beautiful; character is key to achieving life’s dreams’ sums up what Iwalewa represents, but QDance Centre’s interpretation is character but anything beauty, which makes the performance suspect as being truly representative of its intention.

Gangling Chibueze Hermes Iyele’s bursts onto stage with a microphone and slowly begins to sing beauty’s praises and his voice begins a slow rise until it reaches a crescendo just as Onikeku also joins him and dances to the rising rhythm of Hermes’ beatific ode to beauty and the healing that silence brings to the soul in its tranquil form. Alternating beauty and silence in this form for praise, combined with Onikeku’s accompanying dance performance, provides stirring moments for an audience that feels transported to another realm and borne along the wings of something sublime.

If Iwalewa were to end there, it would all be well and good. But no; another scene soon follows that attempts to interpret Nigerian, nay Africa’s wealth of poverty, perhaps to the outside world.

In this scene, Deborah Aiyegbeni squats on a table, twisted in a contortionist form and in apparent pain, and speaks into a microphone. She is telling the story of her constant seizures and why she isn’t the normal person she ought to be. Right from childhood, she has been afflicted with a kind of seizure induced by wrong medication. Her illiterate parents always diagnosed malaria any time she is ill and they consequently administer malarial drugs even without proper diagnosis. That was how her jerking seizure starts. That jerking nature becomes the dance that her mates also join in that yields a demented, hideous, jerking dance performance that apparently gives the creeps.

Also, Olalekan Rufai’s story only differs from Deborah Aiyegbeni’s in small details. His mother is the sixth wife of his father; she runs a small church. A childhood illness, poorly diagnosed and treated, results in a paralysed right leg from the knee down; this gives him a limp. Both parents soon passed away and he is left to his own devices. With little education and no skill to fall back on, Rufai goes to his mother’s church and joins the choir. After a while, he feels sufficiently armed with some knowledge in music to start off as a Disc jockey (Deejay). Rufai invests a new energy into his new trade and he becomes the toast of the town, spinning music off wheels effortlessly to entertain everybody for a fee.

Even with disability in one leg, Rufai isn’t the type to give excuses. He leaps off his disc jockey platform to join his colleagues on the dance floor and he sashays and glides easily along with the others, turning and gyrating effortlessly. Rufai’s story and performance marvel and excite in equal measures, as his transformation represents the possibilities that determination engenders.

HOWEVER, Aiyegbeni and Rufai’s narratives of rags-to-middling achievement don’t feel sufficiently inspiring an African story fit for export. It is an over-worked theme that is even annoying, especially if it is not rendered with enough artistic finesse. Perhaps, it was why some folks in that Brussels audience felt put off and wanted the show stopped midway for its lack of originality and ingenuity. Perhaps, Rufai’s narrative could be forgiven, but Aiyegbeni’s fits into the abject poverty type European audiences so much expect from Africa as a failed continent unable to rise beyond poverty, a continent constantly steeped in the heart of darkness and needing handouts and aids that get swallowed up by thieving government officials.

Perhaps, it would be instructive for QDance crew to borrow a leaf from the many Musical Theatres in town to better imaginatively craft dance narratives that does not play into the warped, stereotypical poverty norm. Bolanle Austin-Peters’ Saro and Wakaa, Uche Nwokedi’s Kakadu and Ice Prince Iweke’s Love Is are such bold dance narratives that go beyond the usual lamentations but arrive at a deeper understanding of Africa’s evolving societies and its people. Of course, Iwalewa is in a mold of its own, yet it could be enhanced as a true African story. Also, contemporary dance need not merely be what is regularly dished out. Incorporating Africa’s diverse dance rhythms and stylistics to it would greatly enhance the dance repertoire of QDance Centre’s essemble and provide it amazing variety to always thrill its international audiences. That way, Iwalewa would truly be ‘character’ that is ‘beautiful.’

Artsville…Read full details

National Theatre, not home to the best of theatric performances

Affordable Art’s Not As Cheap As Imagined
The arthouse crowd was feted to visual art show, music, drinks and entertainment last Thursday evening at the Arthouse Contemporary’s Art Night Out, inside the Kia Showroom on Victoria Island. The event was a preview for the “Affordable Art Auction” the following Saturday February 11, 2017. Over strains of Falana’s mellow re-arrangements of popular, 80s songs, about a hundred guests bantered over quality and prices of several works of paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture. “The Affordable Art Auction aims to attract seasoned collectors and first time buyers with all artworks estimated below N1,000,000”, Arthouse Contemporary said. “The auction features works by emerging artists, modern masters, and Africa’s most prominent contemporary artists, all scaled to a more affordable and accessible price point”.

Translated, the company is aware that its main yearly quarterly auctions are quite pricey even if they have become the top draw in the country’s growing art market. The auction house wants to “build a network of local clients to create a more self-sufficient market”. Given that context, the question is: Is 900,000Naira, really, an affordable price? Some of the pieces on view would be comfortable in the main auction. One of that is Bruce Onobrakpeya’s Three Elephant Masquerades, a 2011 print on serigraph clearly brought into the show to assure would-be buyers that some of these “affordable” art are comparable to the top sellers in the main auction. Some other works are on the show due more to the artists’ star power than the works themselves. Abiodun Olaku’s Folake comes across as an incomplete experiment in water colour by this leading painter. The main appeal is certainly not the central figure.

The dots on the browning paper, against a background of a charged troubled atmosphere, provides room for a little, lingering thought. To offer that for 600,000Naira? Seriously? Olu Amoda, better known as a sculptor who animates large metal works, and beats massive drawings out of steel, provides two drawings, Posing, with effective lines and geometric shapes, but they don’t grab me, even if the 200,000Naira starting price looks tempting. An artist to pay attention to is Sade Thompson. Her Tribute To Ojeikere, (Oil on Canvas) is carefully wrought, delicate design experiment that speaks with eloquence to the subject of Hair design that the late photographer, Ojeikere, was famed for.

Nigeria Returns To Venice, Officially
Jelili Atiku is one of the 120 artists on the curator’s list for the 57th Venice Biennale, running from May to November 2017. He’d be exhibiting his socially charged art performance at the Gardini Arsenale, the locational heart of the event. Atiku was selected by the curatoral panel headed by the Biennale’s director Christine Macel , but this is just one aspect of the Venice Biennale. Nigeria, as a country will be presenting works of a group of artists at its own National Pavillion, for the first time in over 50 years. Peju Alatise, Victor Ehikhamenor, Qudus Onikeku and Wana Udobang will hoist the Nigerian flag at the country’s own pavillion. They will be exhibiting their art, installation work, video projection, performed arts, poetry and paintings, at the Pavillion.

The exhibition is assembled by private initiative, through the two year old Rele Gallery. It’s not yet clear how the gallery got the funding. Nigerians have been involved in the Venice Biennale without the country itself being involved in official capacity, as the Rele Gallery-led show is. The last edition of the Biennale was curated by the Nigerian critic and art historian, Okwui Enwezor. Ms Macel’s theme for the 2017 edition of the event is non ideological. She simply wants a show about art for artists. Viva Arte Viva, as she calls it, “is an exclamation, a passionate outcry for art and the state of the artist. 

Viva Arte Viva is a Biennale designed with artists, by artists and for artists, about the forms they propose, the questions they ask, the practices they develop and the ways of life they choose. It’s a complete departure from Okwui Enwezor’s theme: All The World’s Futures, which brought in works from outside the metropolis, that spoke of the grim realities of the planet and for which some critics labeled it “joyless”.

Bloom Takes Marcia Kure to Cape Town
Ugoma Adegoke’s Bloom Art is presenting the work of Marcia Kure at the Cape Town Art Fair, in South Africa, which is in its fifth edition. The Fair runs from February 17-19, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Kure, based in Princeton, in the United States, will be presenting pieces from her ‘Of Saints And Vagabonds’ series. Kure is a significant Nigerian artist, whose works have appeared at the Sharjah Biennial, the Seville Biennal and the La Triennale, three robustly curated exhibitions which line up, in terms of the art world’s perception of high quality, only after the Documenta, the Venice and the Sao Paulo Biennales.

The daughter of a former Nigerian minister of Culture, Ms. Kure came to national recognition with the winning of the first Uche Okeke prize for drawing in 1994. Married to Chika Okeke-Agulu, the professor of African art history at Princeton, she has lived abroad for over 15 years. Adegoke, founder of the Life House initiative, runs Bloom Art as a visual art promotion agency which organises salon exhibits and pop up art shows.

The Carnivore Runs Out Of Print, Gets New Supplies
The first set of copies of Toni Kan’s novel, The Carnivorous City, has run out and the publishers Cassava Press has had to scramble to get new supplies to book shops nationwide. “I went everywhere during the end of year holidays and I couldn’t find one single copy”, says Princess Irede Abumere, whose book club, Sunshine, selected the novel for its members’ holiday reading. Mr. Kan said in a telephone response that fresh supplies of the book have been distributed to bookshops by Cassava.

But he declined to mention how many copies were printed the first time. Cassava could not be reached for comment. The Carnivorous City, about the disappearance of a high profile white collar criminal is, in large part, a tour guide to Lagos, showcasing the city’s posh hang outs in parallel with its seedier settlements and providing aerial character sketches on them. Its basic narrative explains how a large, poorly serviced metropolis can make a dastardly criminal out of even the most honest individual. Mr. Kan is a best seller by Nigerian standards. His last book, a collection of short stories titled: Nights of The Creaking Bed, published by the same company, sold 10,000 copies.
Compiled by staff of Festac News Agency

NANS lauds University of Port Harcourt for recall of expelled students (Read full details)

University of Port Harcourt

Vice Chancellor of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Lale Ndokwa, has been lauded for the recall of some students earlier expelled by the institution.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which gave the commendation, noted that the gesture has reinforced its confidence in the efficacy of peaceful resolution of crisis between its members and management in academic institutions.

In a statement signed by its national president, Mr. Chinonso Obasi, the association said it was gladdened specifically by the fact that the VC and management heeded its call to recall the students.

It, however, said it was still appealing for further downward review of the one-year suspension handed out to the recalcitrant students to a semester. It pointed out that the students have learnt some useful lessons from their travails.

“We hereby use the medium to urge Nigerian students at home and in the Diaspora to see dialogue and diplomacy as superior to violent agitations in resolving misunderstanding in academic institutions.

“NANS also condemns the action of some student leaders who stoke crisis in institutions of learning for their selfish reasons,” the statement added.

Minister promises upward review of corps members’ allowances (Read full details)

Members of the National Youth Service Corps PHOTO: NAN

The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr. Solomon Dalung, says the government has initiated the process of upward review of corps members’ allowances.

Dalung, who disclosed that the review was undergoing legislative process, acknowledged that what was being paid as allowances to corps members today had become grossly insufficient for them.

The minister stated this yesterday when he conducted an unscheduled inspection visit to the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Magu, Plateau State, to enable him ascertain the welfare of the scheme’s members and status of facilities at the camp.

Pledging that government would not compromise the security and welfare of youths on national service, he warned corps members of the danger inherent in non-disclosure of their health status. He added: “To be sick is human and sickness is not a crime. There is, therefore, no reason for hiding one’s heath status. Giving necessary information will enable the relevant authority take necessary action, including granting redeployment requests to corps members with serious health challenges to states where they can have access to physicians that are conversant with their cases.”

Med-View Airlines lists on Nigeria Stock Exchange, eyes N58b growth (Read full details)

Med-View Airlines yesterday listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) offering N9.75 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N1.50 per share, indicating a start-off market capitalisation of N14.63 billion.

The listing was to boost its current yearly revenue, currently put at N26billion with growth projection to reach N58.5billion by 2020.

By the listing and sale of shares to members of the public, the airline would have access to the needed capital inflow to run more efficiently and improve confidence of investors.

Besides, shareholders would also have a say in the running of the airline, while the risk of ownership is spread among the shareholders as well.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, was present at the Nigeria Stock Exchange to observe the listing, which he described as a step in the right direction for the growth of domestic airlines in Nigeria. Among others who commended the bold step were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NSE, Oscar Onyema, Chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Captain Nogie Meggison and President of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bernard Bankole.

Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Med-View Airlines, Muneer Bankole, shortly after a session on the NSE trading floor, said it was a great day for the airline, “giving something to Nigerians to collectively own since the demise of the Nigerian Airways”.

Bankole, who was part of the Nigerian Airways for about three decades, said the brain behind Med-View was the drive to have a national airline and coming to the public is “one of the litmus tests to show that we are here for you.”

According to him, “With efforts of some of my colleagues at the defunct Nigerian Airways, we started this airline with nothing. But from N3.6billion revenue in the first year, we have grown to N26billion in 2016. First Bank supported us and we are grateful.

“Today, we can boast of four aircraft own by Med-View and two leased to us, total making six. With our noble effort and your (public) support, we believe that that the sky is the starting point,” he said.

NSE CEO, Onyema, said notwithstanding the challenges of the economy and effects on the aviation business, the industry in Africa and Nigeria remains very viable and goldmine for investors.

He observed that the aviation in Nigeria currently generates 255,000 jobs with $1billion contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) yearly.

He added that the crippling problems of policy and larger difficult economy has forced Med-View to the stock exchange, with track record of over three million passengers and 46million tonnes of cargo airlifted since the airline ventured into domestic operations in 2012.

The CEO, however, said that the airline had shown real standard and sound corporate governance for listing in the market.

While he congratulated the management and board of Med-View, Onyema urged other airlines to come on board and make most of the benefits the market has to offer.

Med-View Airline has recorded a steady growth of 20 per cent in turnover. This gave it the confidence to go international, and now operates flights to London, Jeddah, Accra, Monrovia and Freetown. The airline has secured all necessary approvals to link all the countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the next few months.

Also on the front burner is expansion on the international routes to United States via Baltimore, United Arab Emirates via Dubai with connections to Europe and the Far East through a code share airline partner.