A theatrical celebration of Wole Soyinka at 77

By Adedayo Odulaja

It will not be considered news by now that Professor Wole Soyinka has now turned the enviable corner of 77 years on earth. What would be news however if the enigmatic literary giant and playwright is not celebrated by the arts, literary and theatre circles which are the very ones he has lived for all his entire life.
But this has never happened and what happened on July 15 was nothing else but a lavish honour for one of Africa’s greatest sons whose activities transverse the layers of literature, theatre, music, dance, politics and many others. It was by no means a night of much talk but space had to be given to the initiators of the colourful atmosphere to say a thing or two about the event and what led to its being put together.
According to the managing director of Zmirage Multimedia Limited, Teju Wase Karrem who collaborated with theatre practitioners to organise the event, with another year rolling by, the future of Nigeria remains gloriously bright although the challenges facing the country seem insurmountable. The values of love, faith and belief are needed beyond all others for the youths, who are the future of any country, to weather the many storms and come out glorious and that is the rationale behind the Season 2 of the Open Door Series which afforded 77 young Nigerians the special privilege of spending a day with Soyinka, the world renowned Nobel Laureate at his home in Abeokuta. This was after they had been chosen out of the whole lot of respondents who participated in a nationwide essay competition under the title “I love my country” and which will hopefully lead them to love their country even more in future.
On his own, Mufu Onifade, chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) paid tribute to the man popularly known as Kongi, saying as a global icon, Soyinka deserves all the ovation and even more.
“Wole Soyinka deserves seventy-seven rounds of applause at the age of 77 and he is such an enigmatic personality that we at NANTAP cannot but honour the man for the many things he has done for the circles of Creative Arts. Wole Soyinka is a river that you can reach through many roads; those of dance, drama, activism, literary activities and others,” Onifade said.
And when it comes to performances in the diverse areas of music, dance, theatre, drama and chanting, they came aplenty as far as that particular night was concerned. The night was first set aglow for what was to come by the Funkadelic Agidigbo Band which consisted of four drummers, one singer and a back-up singer using traditional drums and gong.
Eda Oto, a fast rising folk singer and disciple of the serenading Beautiful Nubia was next with a song titled ‘Aye o feni foro’ and in spite of the flip flops of the microphone, the dreadlocks-wearing young man improvised, getting to carry the audience along in his overall fantastic delivery. He rendered another song titled entitled ‘Somi Edumare’ before leaving the stage for others who were to come.
Corporate Band, another group of young men clad in beautiful Ankara fabrics, was the next on stage, performing a number of classic tracks like ‘Eko Akete’, ‘Oni dodo’, ‘Mummy water’ which were very popular in days long gone. Heavy sounds of bata drumming soon enveloped the entire hall when a group which did nothing other than the drums performed in more spectacular ways than one. That however was after the session for the talking drum, which they used to talk to the audience really as interpreted by one of them, had held.
Other reputable groups which performed to the enjoyment of the crowded hall include Dance Guild of Nigeria (EkoGOND), Equity Theatre Arts Musicians (ETAM), Muri Amulegboja whose ijala/ewi chanting was more than lifting. But one of the very best was that of dancing sensation, Dayo Liadi popularly known in the dance and theatre circles as ‘Ijo Dee.’ Although also let down by the audio set which would have blasted his choice of music, the man who became popular after his choreography part in the ‘Olori Oko’ video of the now split gospel group, Infinity, gave another mind-blowing performance that confirmed his high rating. It was so good one would not want to believe the master of ceremony, Shuaibu Hussein when he said the whole performance of Ijo Dee, accompanied by the guitar-playing and singing skills of Eda Oto, was an improvisation after it was evident the flip flops of the microphone would not allow for a good outing if no other arrangement was made.
Although probably not billed to be that involved in the event, two comedians were given a few minutes each to take their time on the stage and the men of the laughter trade did not disappoint in any manner. Rather, their time on stage can be described as one the highlights of the spectacular event although the whole programme was not lacking many of such as all those present could see and feel anyway.
In terms of drama still, there was nothing more appealing than the piece of dramatic impression provided by the impressive and always reliable Crown Troupe of Africa. The troupe, led by its creative director and stage/screen actor, Segun Adefila excited with its I like Lagos, I no go lie piece and it must be said that the performance was no match for any other on stage that night and they would have easily carted away any award if such was on offer. Also, the staging of an extract of Budiso, a play written by Fred Agbeyebe and directed by the wizardry Segun Adefila was a fitting icing on the cake of the occasion.
Sir Peter Badejo, who was honoured in the United Kingdom for his contribution to the theatre scene in Britain in the area of dance, was a member of the large audience that gathered to commemorate Soyinka’s birthday at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. So were Alhaji Teju Wase Kareem (who was part of the planning and execution of the programme himself), Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi and Chief Mrs Niyi Aluko. Others are Lara Adesola, a member of the Village Headmaster cast; Pamela Udoka, consummate children’s theatre practitioner and wife of National Choreographer, Arnorld Udoka; Shina Elegbede, Director of the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture; popular actors, Yemi Solade and Akeem Rahman; Dele Osawe and many others.
Teju Wase Kareem, in the form of a vote of thanks, commended the entire leadership and members of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners for that event which turned out even more remarkable than it was being planned.
Mufu Onifade further informed that as much as the celebration of Soyinka could not be left undone, it is not Soyinka alone that they intend to honour and celebrate. He said a long list of people who have contributed to theatre and the arts will be celebrated by NANTAP and this they have started doing already with Teju Kareem a recipient of that honour early this year.
Fred Agbeyegbe is said to be next on the list in which have been categorised into two: Living Legends and Grand Living Legends of Nigerian Theatre. For the first group, those below the age of 70 would be celebrated and for the latter, only those who are 70 years old and above beginning with Fred Agbeyegbe whose play, Budiso would be on stage soonest.

BBAmplified: End near as struggle increases with plague of multiple evictions

BBAmplified nears end as struggle increases with plague of multiple evictions

By Adedayo Odulaja

The past 10 weeks has undoubtedly seen most of Africa’s youths hooked on the ongoing Big Brother series which is furiously winding down this month. The show, however, has finally reached the half way mark if one goes by the number of Housemates that were brought into the house at the beginning of the show and now, half that number remains in the house. A total of twelve housemates have been evicted while one was summarily disqualified for violating a core code which leaves another thirteen remaining on the show out of the twenty six that started out.
Most of the countries that are still represented left in the House all have housemates each now but some countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe and trust, Nigeria, are maintaining their strong footing in the house with their two Housemates still chasing the claim to fame and fortune on offer.
Others with one representative are South Africa (which still has Luclay), Namibia (with Bernadina in still), Ethiopia (which still has Hanni), Malawi (with Lomwe). Also, Millicent is still trying to bring Kenya honour while Sharon O and Zeus are still making attempts to do same for Uganda and Botswana respectively.
As July 31, the terminal date of the exhilarating show and judgment day for the housemates draws closer, tensions are expectedly running high and friendships are being questioned as a frantic chase begins for the ultimate prize.
With last Sunday, July 10 looming, the housemates especially those up for eviction were knew they were in for a torrid time but it got even worse that day. It turned out to be the day of triple eviction with the trio of Angola’s Weza, Bostwana’s Peo popularly known as Miss P, Alex who was the only one left flying Ghana’s flag after Confidence was evicted weeks ago, all had to say goodbye to BBAmplified, leaving the thirteen housemates to continue.
Sharon O, whose survival of last week is being viewed as a shocking one due to the fact that she was up against those considered as very strong housemates, managed to soar above all the others except Karen in terms number of votes got. She got three votes while the popular Nigerian housemate, Karen, who etched her name on the minds of many with her daring decision to put herself up for eviction instead of replacing someone with herself as head of house, had the most votes of the night, eight in total.

There were five housemates up for eviction last week and in the end, Miss P and Alex got 1 vote each while Weza got 2 votes to put them in a disadvantage compared to the support the two others received from the continent of Africa.
That edition of the eviction show kicked off with Nigeria’s fast rising music star, Ice Prince delivering a fine performance of his ‘Superstar’ track. Next, the head of house was called out to reveal to the other housemates what her decision was and that was when it turned out that she had left the nominations as they were minus in a bid to save her self. All the housemates were expectedly shocked by that selfish move.
Zambia’s Kim was simply overwhelmed with emotions when she learnt that Karen as head of house had sacrificed herself. Luclay soon joined in the act as he got up, hugged Karen as Sharon told of how she had a dream about Karen sacrificing herself.
Miss P was the first one to be called out of the Big Brother house and Kim could not do much but cry even more. While on stage, Kim said “It was awesome for having left the house” in an ironic fate as Weza(who was evicted same day), Sharon, Mumba and Luclay were the housemates who nominated her.
IK swung into action as he called out Alex and Sharon O, telling them to stand on their feet. “Sharon, you are safe,” IK roared as she made the cross sign and thanked Africa once again for ensuring her stay in the house continues while at the same time breaking down in tears of joy.
As Ghana’s Alex made his way to the stage, oblivious of what fate had in store for him that day of course, Ice Prince came back with his monster hit track, ‘Oleku’.
Alex, who was nominated by Sharon O who said that she was aware Alex had not been up and wanted to see how Africa feels about him and it is clear now that Alex did not have the support of Africa and that became evident on Sunday. Other people who nominated him were Hanni, Millicent and Vimbai.
IK again switched to the house as he called Karen and Weza out and without much ado, he immediately delivered fired the sad shot at Weza and saved Karen. The issue of the three housemates evicted on Sunday has led the remaining hosemates into calculation considering the fact that there are only two eviction sessions before the terminal date. With thirteen housemates left, only the much feared big brother knows how it is going to go down and how many will be left as the days roll by.
The import of this is not lost on the housemates themselves and with so much that strategy and popularity cannot achieve, it is time to start calling on God or gods as it were to intervene on their behalf. Already, Zeus and Sharon O have been spotted of late going down on their knees in the last few days and while there is nothing wrong with praying or interceding, that it is coming at this time is sure not lost on anyone. Zeus was spotted kneeling on his bedside and appealing to the power(s) above for intervention a few days ago and who would blame especially with him being the last hope for his country, Botswana.
It was Wendall’s birthday recently and the girls, led by Vimbai, had a great plan to prank him at midnight to usher in his birthday but he duly outsmarted them all by hiding in the closet.
When Luclay, who was part of the plan, was ready to get him out of bed as planned, Wendall could not be found and no matter how hard they tried, it was all futile and all the girls were left with no choice and had to leave their designated spots and go in form of a search party. The initial plan was for Luclay to get him to come outside where he would be sprayed with water with flour on his face to go with it.
However, the plan didn’t work out and they ended up trying to wet him in the bedroom after Vina spotted him in the closet where he was hiding.
Wendall, the birthday boy, equally shocked like other housemates about the three evicted on Sunday, said he has become certain that Biggie would be following tonight’s trend in the next two Eviction shows and would not evict less than three Housemates per show so there can be a decent number of finalists for the final week.
But part of the grand plan of the ladies in the house is their objective that a girl has to win this time around and moving forward concerning this, they held a high profile discussion about maintaining their alliance against the guys,. The girls made a pact to nominate the guys as they insisted that the guys were playing them anyway.
However, coming to this week, there is no dull moment as we await the eviction show tomorrow. Big Brother Amplified current head of house, Zimbabwe’s Vimbai on Monday displayed much patriotic zeal as she saved her fellow country man, Wendall in order to keep the chances of her country brighter and replaced him with Zambia’s Mumba. At the end of the day, five housemates are up for eviction tomorrow and it remains to be seen if she has not incurred the wrath of Africa the next time any of the two is put on the chopping block.
Vimbai’s choice of Mumba was a bit surprising as it was Karen who had nominated her for elimination from the contest in the first place. The two contestants haven’t been the best of buddies on the show and that is as clear to anyone as the sky. Since Big Brother dissolved the Heads and Tails houses two weeks ago and reunited the housemates in one house, Vimbai has consistently nominated Karen but for some reason still unknown to all, she felt it was Mumba’s turn on Monday. This might not be unconnected with Karen’s perceived strength as she seems to be one person that usually has an easy ride with the eviction session.
So Zambia’s Mumba, Bostwana’s Zeus, Namibia’s Bernadina, Malawi’s Lomwe and of course, Nigeria’s Vina are the five on the list of those who could be evicted this week. Lomwe leads the pack in the category of the housemate to be evicted this week with 26.6 percent, followed by Vina with 21.5 % and Mumba with 19.9, Bernadina with 19.1% and Zeus with 12.9% follow respectively out of the 11,698 votes cast yet as at the time of writing this.
The ray of hope for Vina shines brighter on the side of the divide as to which housemate to save with 40.5 %, Zeus follows with 21.2 %, Lomwe has 18. 2%, Mumba has 12.2% and Bernadina has 7.9 % out of 14, 375 total votes. So Africa’s decision is yet unclear and hope Nigerians will not weep for Vina tomorrow with at least three housemates to yield the stage for the others.

"Lady of songs," Christy Essien-Igbokwe passes on at 51

By Adedayo Odulaja



One of Nigeria's music icons, Christy Essien Igbokwe is dead. The death of the elegant lady of songs who will be remembered for her popular tunes, the most popular of which is Seun Rere, a monster hit in the 1980s,was been confirmed dead today, Thursady, June 30, 2011. Known most notably as the “Lady of Songs,” Christy Essien Igbokwe, the pioneering President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, PMAN, passed on after being ill, a situation that lasted about three days.

Her last public outing was at the final edition of the Nigerian Idol event March this year. Essien was not only a singer in her lifetime of just a year after five decades, she was an also actress but her her taking to music early became the most recognised of her career path. She is reported to have released her first album titled Freedom back in 1976 when she was still in her teens.

Her other albums are 'One Understanding,''Patience,' 'Time Waits for No One,' 'Give Me A Chance,' and 'Ever Liked My Person’ released in 1981.

Just 51 at the time of her death, many Nigerians think she was older, having started out very early and attaining such enviable heights in her career back in the 80s. Many followers of the entertainment industry are shocked by her death and condolence wishes have continued to pour our on the various social networks. I pray god grants the loved ones she left behind the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

Mike Aremu, Kenny G, others in battle of the saxes

By Adedayo Odulaja


With the maiden edition of his jazz music explosion held in 2009 very successful and that of 2010 even better, popular saxophonist and one of Nigeria’s finest in the area of jazz music, Mike Aremu is set to make a bigger mark with this year’s edition.
Aptly fitted with the name, Sax Appeal, this year’s edition, to be held on Sunday, July 3 in Lagos, this will be the third in the series of what is gradually becoming an event of international proportion. To underscore this point is not difficult especially leaning that Sax Appeal 3 will feature multiple award-winning jazz legend, Kenny G, all the way from the United States of America.
The decision to bring Kenny G down to Nigeria, considered by many in the music circles as the impossible, according to the team of organisers of the event, is in line with Mike Aremu’s simple and clear vision of further raising the standard of music in the country by constantly bringing quality live music with multi talented artistes from home and abroad.
The event, already creating a lot of buzz in and outside the country, is put together by Mike Aremu in conjunction with Classic 93.7 FM, a radio station which plays classic tunes of legends as well as songs of years past.
At a press conference held in Lagos on Tuesday, June 21 at the new and fabulous Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island in Lagos, Mike Aremu relayed the events that played out in the objective of planning Sax Appeal 3 which is being eagerly awaited. According to him, the planning for Sax Appeal 3 started just about a day or two after the second edition was held and one of the major factors that inspired such spirited efforts being put in is as a result of a promise he had made at the edition which held at MUSON Centre, Lagos.
And the reason he made such a promise is down to one fact: most of his peers and himself grew up listening to Kenny G as a dominant name among other jazz artistes and he simply realised that without Kenny G being involved, any kind of Sax Appeal he says he is doing is not up to scratch yet. And the manner with which Mike went all out to get Kenny G on board was incredible; it led many of the friends and team members around him to label him as stubborn but in the end, he braved all the odds and achieved his aim.
It is not for nothing that Kenny G, born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick in 1956, is so renowned and popular in the music world. This is down to the heights he has attained while doing what he knows how to do best, making his name as a foremost musician and adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. It was in his fourth album titled Duotones he achieved breakthrough success back in 1986. Today, Kenny G is yet the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era with global sales exceeding 75 million albums in his career.
Born into a Jewish family in Seattle, Washington, Kenny G came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show and started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he just was 10 years old.
He has since released many solo albums and collaborated with various artists including Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Natalie Cole, Steve Miller (which was the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album), Dudley Moore, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin. He earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone in 1997, using circular breathing. Kenny G held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City.
With the incredibly talented American on Sax Appeal, that is as big as it gets and the show promises to be a show-stopping one the king of Smooth Jazz come to town. But of course, Kenny G is not the only one to dazzle lovers of music come July 3, Kunle Ayo, Judith Sephuma, Yolanda Brown and Waje.
Sax Appeal 3 is bigger in terms of artistic content and steadily growing demand from the first edition has led to organizers seeking a larger venue to accommodate more people as the 2011 edition will hold at the prestigious new Expo Centre at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Yolanda Brown is a British jazz urban contemporary saxophonist and composer, who will be making her third appearance, having been part of the first two editions. Nigeria-born South Africa-based ace guitarist, Kunle Ayo, also an award-winning music star, will be making what is his own second appearance. Jazz and Afro pop singer, Judith Sephuma who is also coming from South Africa will also make her second appearance in a star-studded list of performers that include fast rising star, Waje.
In truth, the inclusion of Waje, born Aituaje Iruobe to thi9s exclusive list of performers would surprise many, maybe even lead them into wondering if there are not many others that should be in the Kenny G-headlined concert. Taking time to listen to any song in which Waje, whose stage name is drawn from a kind of motto: “Words aren’t just enough” would reveal her true depth. She is described as “an incredible Nigerian songstress whose vocal range covers three octaves” as well as one of the reasons the Okoye twins, known as P-Square, enjoy much acceptance. The duo’s “Omoge Mi”, “Do Me” and Banky W’s "Thief my Kele" are all down to her impressive delivery and this is not to leave out her impeccably gripping vocals in M.I’s “One Naira.”
Waje is always ready to tell whoever cares to listen that all the levels of her education were done without a cost to her parents due to her singing ability which got late Bishop Benson Idahosa interested in her from childhood. And since she burst on the stage professionally in 2005 while she was still a student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, her rise has been steady and unhindered.
Waje took part in the Zain/MTV Africa's Advance Warning competition in 2008, ending up in the top three, after which she released a single, “Somewhere” which got a Hip Hop World Award nomination for Best Vocal Performance (Female) while “Kolo” got her a nomination at the Nigeria Music Video Awards for Best New Video and it remains to be seen how she will unveil her musical prowess on a stage which is not for those who only mime their songs and lip-synch all the way through a performance.
Mike Aremu, who said Sax Appeal started as a vision sometime back and it is meant to get bigger as time goes on. Mainly without any kind of sponsorship for at least the last two editions, the saxophone genius said the situation has not changed much although he acknowledged the support of Lagos State Government and the state’s signage agency, LASAA. Others who are providing some sort of support include The Beat FM, Naija FM, Eko Hotel and Suites, Inspiro Productions, Avis, KFC, Event Secure, BHM GROUP, the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel aside Classic FM with which a collaboration on the event is in place.
Other additions to year’s event is the inclusion of the sax appeal weekend package at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel from July 1 to 3 where each evening will have snippets of live jazz from other friends of Mike Aremu performing and guests having a foretaste of what to expect at the mega Sax Appeal 3 to begin by 6pm on July 3.
Although the price of tickets to the event, put at N10,000 for regular and N20,000 for the VIP section, Mike said the dose of fun and excellent music that would be on display is priceless. Even with the corporate tables of N1 million and N500, 000 available, one cannot agree more with the young man who started back in the early 90s and has not looked back on his journey to greatness in music and all that comes with it.

Funke Akindele lives as an Omo Getto

By Adedayo Odulaja

A first glance at the cover jacket of the movie, Omo Getto, what would probably come to your mind, especially if you are a follower of the Yoruba section of Nollywood, is “another lavish photo shoot cover with the real content lacking the appreciable intensity of a creative effort.” If that is your line of thought, then you are dead wrong as many have discovered after checking out the content of the movie.
Omo Getto presents a spectacle, the rawness of which one might struggle to cope with and what is more than a movie that hits you from the very first blast with raw action? The movie opens on a set of young, rough women who are being chased around by another set made up of a couple of guys and a young woman. We are soon made to know that the lady’s piece of jewellery has just been snatched, hence her attempt to retrieve it. On getting to a spot however, the pursuit ends suddenly and roles are reversed because the place is a kind of boundary. The next scene reveals a man known in his area as Baba oni baba (Adebayo Salami) effortlessly reeling off the songs of great musicians like Fela, Ajadi Lawal, Ayinla Omoruwa and Ebenezer Obey, much to the amusement of some younger folks.
The progression continues as light beams on Ayomide (Funke Akindele) and Yanju (Taiwo Ibikunle), two people in love but whose relationship is constantly threatened by the volatile anger of Ayomide. This is brought into sharp focus when, as a result of calling Yanju without answers, Ayomide smashes her phone to the ground. And just after her latest rush of uncontained anger, Yanju walks in to explain that his reason for not picking the calls is down to being very close to her house already. As further development comes to the theme through the relationship between Ayomide and Yanju, much against the approval of his mother, who has witnessed flashes of Ayomide’s anger, Yanju is bent on continuing with Ayomide. But his resolve is tested when Ayomide attempts to help stabilise the relationship of her friend, Kanyisola (Shola Asedeko). After having urged the said Tunde to be good to her friend by putting an end to his philandering attitude, Ayomide is appalled when the guy hugs and kisses another lady in her presence, the fire of her anger again rages again and she lands a stinging slap on Tunde’s cheeks. The move lands her to the hospital as she is thoroughly beaten by Tunde, the first time anyone would reprimand her. Ayomide’s mother (Peju Omobolanle) is forced to seek spiritual answers to the problem but Yanju still assures her of his undying love demonstrated through his unconditional care and kind words.
But soon after recovering from the incident and back home, a suggestion by Yanju that Ayomide should probably beg his sister so as to mend fences, sparks another round of fury in Ayomide. Not even the persuasion by Yanju to forget the issue could have any effect on her and she goes on until she smashes a bottle on her fiancé’s head, sending him into a coma and running away on realising the gravity of what she has done.
Two months later, the page is turned to the other side of town and life if you care, as life in the slum, which is the major thematic preoccupation of the movie, takes centre stage. Activities of certain people in a slum said to be Ebute Metta and Badia in Lagos, where crime, drugs and immoral acts go hand-in-hand and dreams are hardly ever realised. Here, Shalewa, who is also known as Lefty, again played by Funke Akindele, is the ring leader of a group of girls who hold sway in the slum and one of the most daring moves of the group of young women occur after a party that has become one of their regular hang outs with some local music stars. Some rich girls take over the stage with plenty of cash to spend, disgracing the ghetto girls in the process and to revenge, they later go out of their ways after this to consume all sorts of concoctions and ending in the toilet to pass out the waste. With a high stake mischief up their sleeves, the ladies bring the waste together, making it very watery and eventually pouring it on the ‘forming’ ladies who are too unprepared and destabilised to fight back.
Another powerful feature of this area of the society is the regular match up of voices, the type called ‘the battle’ in America and which you have in the film, 8 Mile, featuring Eminem although that is for rap while this is just to twist words, use anecdotes to win the admiration of bystanders or spectators. It is about representatives of groups who are nominated to challenge in a battle of wits and abuses in a session of a large crowd anchored by Ronke Ojo also known as Ronke Oshodi Oke. The scene is packed with abundant excitement as Lefty tears the representative of the males she encounters to shreds with her biting tongue.
During one of their sessions at a rendezvous point, Lefty is told that her boyfriend is with another girl and after confirming the authenticity of the information and finding out where the lady in question stays, off they go to attack her hood. It is while they are on their way to the lady’s location that they have another collision with a car that lands them at the police station.
Meanwhile, the long search for Ayomide, who has been on the run since the unfortunate incident regarding Yanju, is getting tiring for Yanju’s family and the police officers but on sighting Lefty, they all take it that she is the same as the Ayomide they seek. Despite how vehemently she says she is not Ayomide, nobody believes her except that her wild manners of speaking and acting confuses her mother and friend that something is amiss. While at the station, Kanyisola receives a call from Ayomide and when they meet, Kanyisola, her friend, accuses her of having been at the station which she denies. That moment however sets up the process of unraveling the truth.
One can say the movie, in terms of the resolution of conflict heightened by the intensity of the situations, is given a soft landing with the explanation that Ayomide and Lefty, notorious with such girls like Data, Busty and other members of her group, are twins. One of them is however later handed out to Ayomide’s mother for cash as a result of financial issues and their flashes of uncontrollable anger is due to a warning their mother refuse to heed while they were children. Another area of error is that the acting of Ireti Osayemi does not convince anyone she belongs to the ghetto, maybe a place among the rich girls would have been apt for her.
But in spite of this, it must be said that Omo Getto is a fantastic movie that combines the serious with the humourous, while not leaving out didactic punch lines for the society to learn. Funke Akindele has been down this road of acclaim before, with her chart-bursting exploits in celebrated Jenifa even if it doesn not make much sense. And this latest effort increases her stature as an actress, script writer and producer, one that movie followers can rely on to deliver the goods anytime if you don’t care about the controversies surrounding her.
The intriguing and arresting acting skills displayed by Adebayo Salami who is more popularly known as Oga Bello, in his role as Baba oni baba, is what one can describe as a piece of magical delivery in a role. The directorial ingenuity of Abiodun Olanrewaju, the director, also comes to the fore in one of the early scenes where a drop of the bottle of stout by Baba oni baba continues with the crashing of the flower vase on the floor by Ayomide in almost the same sequence. It is an interchange of scene continuity that is very impressive and rare, just like the flashback technique put in place when Ayomide’s mother narrates the story of the twins at birth to the lawyer. The conventional style of the total scene complete with the audio is not the case here; rather, there is a juggling of the voice matching the actions of the past.
How best does one illustrate the magnificence in the portrayal of Funke Akindele especially as Shalewa (Lefty) in the ghetto? It is one that stands up there with the best and is ultimately so convincing that it is breathtaking in its very essence. With a star-studded cast of names like Taiwo Ibikunle, Taiwo Hassan, Yinka Quadri, Racheal Oniga, Peju Omobolanle, Ireti Osayemi and Eniola Badmus who became popular for her ‘bigz girl’ role in Jenifa and Funke Akindele herself among others, many in the Yoruba movie terrain, especially the complacent ones, would have released anything to the market with the cast. But Funke Akindele is different and far better than that and any of the movies she has produced, like Ekuro, Awa Obinrin, Ojo Ketala, Agbefo and others is a valid statement in that direction. No wonder Omo Getto is enjoying so much popularity in town right now.

Entertainers Who Went Flaccid This Year

Adedayo Odulaja
REPORTER, Lagos

As the year 2009 gradually winds to an end, the entertainment industry for the year has witnessed countless innovative and enchanting presentations and performances from musicians, actors, actresses and other industry players.
But on the other side of the divide are those who, by their performances at a time or the other, their promise or sheer noise-making, gave the impression that they would bring something spectacular to the table or would be like hot coals but at the end of the day, they are neither here or there in the running for names that made 2009 a memorable year.
It might be surprising that the focus on the celebrities drawn from the music and movie circles who refuse to marry the heights of success that industry watchers betrothed to them will contain different names, from the superstars to the not-so-big names in the entertainment square.
Probably the biggest name in the list of artistes that flopped in the outgoing year is that of Eedris Abdulkareem.
Eedris, whose other names are Turayo and Ajenifuja, is also widely known as Mr Lecturer, a name drawn from the title of his very well received second album of the same name.
Eedris was a pivotal member of The Remedies, the pioneering three-member music group through whom we can say hip hop was born in Nigeria and after the duo of Eedris and Eddy decided to go their separate ways after Tony Tetuila had left after the very first album of the group. With P.A.S.S, Mr. Lecturer, Jaga Jaga (which was a stinging criticism directed at the former president) but that was as far as Eedris could go until he got into trouble as a result of a bitter scuffle with 50 Cent in the latter’s time for a concert in Nigeria.
Although he released another album titled Mr President, his popularity waned and in spite of the expectation that greeted his collaboration with erstwhile arch enemy, Ruggedman in his new The King is Back album could sway the fans, let alone the market, in Eedris’ favour and one can only hope Eedris, a crowd favourite who has had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of carrying the Olympic torch would reclaim his place in the music arena.
Innocent Ujah Idibia might not be such a familiar name but mention 2face or Tuface Idibia and ladies around would become unsure of their reaction.
Tu Baba, the handsome Idoma boy reported to be probably in competition with America’s Lil Wayne on who would come up with the highest number of kids from different women, was forced by hostile reception to shift the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009 instead of the proposed release date announced in 2007 and in spite of the huge promo concerning the feature of the sensational R Kelly, the album can best be described as an album that refuse to fly. This is the reason the prodigiously talented and multiple award-winning act whose pouch is brimming with many awards is a big feature of the list entertainment players that flopped in 2009 and whether he is really unstoppable or not, the new year might just be the time to find out but for 2009, he was more popular for his ability to father children than for his musical ability.
We all know Peter and Paul, the talented singing and dancing Okoye twins we like to call P Square and releasing their albums a few weeks before the yuletide is one business strategy that has always worked so well for them but Danger, their lastest album does not seem to be following the trend. Anyone still in doubt should go into the clubs and confirm and then rewind back to this time in 2007 when ‘Do Me’ was all the crowd wanted to dance to and so, either we like it or not, the verdict is that P Sqaure, whose “Get Squared” video once held the no 1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks, after all the hype and waiting, were expected to raise the bar a little higher but feelers are not showing they can even match the success of Game Over but even if they ever will, of course, not in 2009.
Emmanuel Nzemeke is the name of an artiste known as Kaha, an erstwhile pal of Rhymzo but he is little known although “Omo Ele,” a single from his albumback in 2002, Party Buddie got honourable airplay and Heart Robber, a track featuring 2face would be easily identified by nigerian music buffs although little is known of the name, Kaha. The album, whose promo single hit the airwaves few weeks after 2face was shot in 2007, was expected to catapult the Economisc and Statistics graduate to the eldorado of music success which he desires so much but 2009 has come and gone but little has changed for the ghetto child who almost joined the Plantahsun Boyz back in IMT Enugu.
The emergence of diminutive rapper, MI might be due to the cleansing or if you like, dissing job Ruggedman did some years back.
The Lagos State University graduate took Rasqie, Eedris Abdulkareem, Maintain, Black Reverendz and others to the cleaners with “Ehen”and followed up with “Peace or War” and gave fans “Baraje” but after his second album, Ruggedy Baba, which includes the lead single “Ruggedy Baba” (featuring 9ice) and Club Rugged which was said to have moved over one hundred thousand units after only three weeks of release and that is where the story seems to end for the fabulous rapper. News of retirement have trailed the ‘controversial character’ but the promise of a banging, pace-setting last album is not being fulfilled by the contentious music man at least as far as 2009 is concerned.
This time last year, shouts of ‘ID Cabasa, Lord of Ajasa, nkan to ba wun anybody no le fi enu won so’ was not far from television sets and that was a pointer to the fact that Lord of Ajasa really held it down. Olusegun Osaniyi, the Ikare-Akoko born lyricist had just released the video of “Le Fenu So” and many believed 2009 held so much promise for the man described as a rhymesayer but it seems the people are not feeling him so much now. It is actually not because he has lost his appeal but the fact that he was only active for the early part of the year accounts for his appearance on this list. With no video from his last album or a club banger to usher in the new year right about now, Lord, as some call him, would definitely hope for better prospects in 2010.
This definitely does not begin and end with only music stars. Ini Edo is one actress after the hearts of so many brothers but then, she got married this year and that is about all that made some sense about her this year. Maybe marriage has slowed her down or it is something else, 2010 would be a good time to find out but in her inactive status for the major part of 2009 earned her a place among flops for the year.
DJ Zeez hit gold, so to speak, with “O 4kasibe” which became an object of passionate love for those who only care for a good dance and that of intense hate for those who go a step higher to look at content. The handsome dude, who calls himself a mixed breed with an Igbo father and Yoruba mother became known by a single called “Same Ni” in 2005 but as it happened then, no other effort seems forthcoming after the track that fetched awards for the massively accepted street song and whether he has all it takes to replicate such remains to be seen but the fans are already asking if it was just a one off and with a stage name that has DJ in it, probably expressing the idea of another option and a Cadillac to show for his efforts, will Zeez give fans more or ‘call their bluff’?
Genevieve Nnaji is an immensely popular Nigerian actress who has been considered probably the biggest Nollywood player but for 2009, something remarkable was recorded when she was recognized by Oprah Winfrey as the most popular movie personality in Africa, following a painstaking survey carried out to arrive at the conclusion.
Aside this undoubtedly monumental achievement, not much washeard of Genevieve in 2009 as far as music and movies arenas are concerned and she belongs to this list for now but so many fans would be happy if she repositions better for 2010.
The identified players are not the only ones who failed to fly in 2009, there are so many others like Zaki Adzzay, Muma Gee, Fathia Balogun, Lagbaja, Tony Tetuila, Durella, Olu Mainatin e.t.c who did little or nothing for the outgoing year and could be said to have fallen by the way side in the battle for relevance in the soul of the entertainment arena.

Kerewa Ban Was A Blessing In Disguise– Ibro Zule Zoo

By Adedayo Odulaja
REPORTER, Lagos

Remember the two enchanting guys that held the whole country bound to television and radio sets few years ago with their spectacular dance steps and swaying moves? They go by the name, Zule Zoo and really, that is one name that many people will not forget in a hurry. Their reach was so wide and their strutting so seductively suggestive that it attracted the ire of the National Broadcasting Commision, NBC. Subsequently, Kerewa, their massively popular hit track was banned but according to Ibro Zule Zoo, who founded the group alongside his secondary mate/childhood friend, it only helped to expand their hold on the industry.
“Well, then we did not even know what NBC was saying and when they said they banned ‘Kerewa,’ it was like comedy to us. It was nothing and you know Nigerians and their inquisitive nature, everybody wanted to know why and it even helped the album to sell more. It was a real blessing in disguise but they wouldn’t let us see the money.”
Ibro, named Hassan Ibrahim, an Igala by tribe reminisces on other parts of their music, message and essence and, once again, says they are not breaking up.
“To be realistic, I won’t call it a break up. It is just that we want to do our things individually. I am just coming back from Abuja where I had a meeting with my partner. We are embarking on a tour and we are still coming back to work together on our label, you know we jointly own a label that is called Moonlight.
And on a personal level, I am coming out with a new album which is my fifth and when I say that, it means that I’m combining the albums we have as a group and the ones I have done since I went solo as Ibro Zule Zoo.”
A typical reaction from members of Nigeria’s musical units, but Ibro says this album, titled Ekelu, (which means fifth in his language) is the bomb that would be felt everywhere.
He also tells of how he found himself in music:
“I came into music a long time ago since when I was a kid. I just discovered that I was an entertainer right from childhood. I started by entertaining my mother and sisters in the house and later decided to take it to the next level by joining a theatre group called Ebony Theatre and stayed with them for about five years. After that I joined another theatre group for another four years before I relocated to Lagos where I joined up with Black Marble with the likes of Ijo Dee and it was from there that I started seeing myself in the musical side of it all and although it has been rough, I give glory to God.”
How did you meet Michael, your partner? That was the question and with his eyes seeming to light up in the fascinating pool of remembrance, he recalls:
“We met during our secondary school days, I was the leader in the school band and he wanted to join but I don’t know why, but I didn’t want him to somehow but he later became an integral member and later as friends, he liked hanging out with me but there was only a place I used to go that he did not know; which was for my rehearsals. One day, he traced me there and I was shocked but he said he would like to join too. I said it was okay and we became not only close but we got to understand ourselves so much that we became an item to the extent that when I am on stage, he would be on the drums and vice-versa. Later, there was a National Troupe auditions we heard about over the radio and as we wanted to became members of the troupe, we decided to come for the audition and after the auditions held in Lagos, those who had transport fare to go back home left but I was stranded. For two years, I was looking for transport fare to go back to Benue; you won’t believe it. It was like that until a voice spoke to me: ‘Anywhere you lay your head is your home, why don’t you stay here in Lagos’ and that is how I became a Lagos-based artiste and I ended up dancing for a lot of artistes. Julius Agwu, 2face Idibia and many others. I also went for Star Quest in Benin and came third and I said to myself that there must be something about you that would have made you come out like that in such a competition and so I decided to take it seriously. “Michael also came to visit me in Lagos and he told me he was tired of life over there where it is all dry and I took him to the people for him to join a theatre group so he can learn the style of dance. I took him to Cultural Ambassadors where he was for three years but when he said he wanted to work with me, I wanted us to bear different names but he said we should use the name, Zule Zoo which people had been calling me before the time. That was how it went and we have been working together both home and abroad before we decided to go solo. We knew people would misunderstand it but that is what we have decided, that we must do solo albums and at the same time, do the group’s album.”
Just what the name, Zule Zoo, means was easily offered to Saturday Independent.
“The concept is representing the true African culture even if there is a little bit of contemporary in it. If you look at the music industry four or five years ago, you discover that a lot of Nigerians musicians were trying to do like Americans and we know we have our roots and we want to show the world there is a place called Nigeria and Zule Zoo means positive warriors in the music industry who are out to preach the true meaning of African culture. I am Hassan Ibrahim, an Igala by tribe while my friend is Michael Aboh, a Tiv.”
Not a few music buffs would say they are nowhere to be found anymore in the entertainment playground but Ibro does not think so.
“We have the group’s project that will be ready soon in this January while my own album, as well as Michael’s album will be ready soon. It has been wonderful except for the pirates that would not let us rest and the crooked marketers everywhere in this country. Because of these problems, we are thinking of marketing it ourselves by using a unique way of selling on the streets, maybe through young and unemployed people.
“Well, entertainment is not only about Lagos. Many people think it is only when you are everywhere in Lagos that you are making it, they are getting it wrong and for instance, I have just come back from a tour of the country and you need to see how much people enjoyed my performances even though many of them had not seen me before. Another thing is that, when you listen to Wazobia fm, if they play two hundred songs, one hundred and fifty are my boys who have featured me. That is something I consider very highly; my dream is to be able to bring up as many as possible talents and turn them into stars, that would be my greatest joy because it is the greatest legacy you can ever think of leaving for posterity. Because as it is, there is nobody who can live forever and also make people know that after Fela, there is someone else in Nigeria who made Africa proud.”
Fela introduced and called his music Afro Beat, Ibro Zule Zoo calls it own, wait for it, Takuruku beats.