Joke of the day

I stumbled upon this joke @ Kity's blog and I couldn't resist.

Enjoy the 'lighter' side of Nigerian politics....



A driver is stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway. Nothing is moving.



Suddenly a man knocks on the window. The driver rolls down his window and asks,

"What's going on?"



The man responded, "Militants have kidnapped, OBJ, IBB and Maurice Iwu.


They're asking for a $500 million ransom. Otherwise they're going to douse them with

petrol and set them on fire. So, we're going from car to car, taking up a collection."



The driver asks, "How much is everyone contributing, on the average?"


The man responded, "About a litre of petrol and a stick of matches."

Lamentations of a player

Ma Cheri,

What if I tell you?

That the flowers in

My mind

Grow green

When you come.

And the words

Out your pink lips

Makes the reeds blush.

I sing as your

Presence flows past.

Would you run?

And say those

Are the words

Of a masterful player.

Your antecedence go

Ahead of you

Like an echo in

The plains.

I mourn for me

For the lies I have told;

See the truth is stronger.

It is crippling as

It is soul-stirring.

See what telling it

Has caused.

It has beaten me

To the curb.

Weak and stricken

Blood is all over me

like salt

In a stew.

My overtures are

Rejected.

True feelings

Are profound,

They are clear

As darkness.

The more you hide

They fail you by

Sticking their signs

All over your body,

You stutter; you blush,

Your heart beats faster

That’s love.

But you are paid back

For all the scorn

You have dealt.

EVENTS

EVENTS

Last night, I watched Odia Ofeimun's dance drama A Feast of Return performed at the Agip Hall of the MUSON CENTER, part of the programmes marking the Lagos black heritage festival.

The LBHF is a seven-day cultural manifestation which celebrates the creativity of Lagos within a carnivalesque of traditional and contemporary Dance, Music, Theatre and other artistic offerings.

The A Feast of Return is a collection of poems for Dance Drama and it was written by Odia Ofeimum 2010 Fonlon-Nichols Award winner. The dance drama is performed by matching poetry to pre-selected dances from Africa. The interpretation of the poems to dances was stellar. I could count more than ten different dances from Nigerian dances – the Efik, Benins, Ijaws, Yoruba hunter dance, Hausa – to dances from South Africa and around the continent.

I bought the book and I plan to read it aided with the dances my brain recorded in my head.

I saw Gabriel Okara at the event and the man at 89 is still looking good, standing like the Iroko tree without the aid of a walking stick. I am in awe of the man, He has been blessed by the gods.

I think writers get to live long. Look at the long list of Wole Soyinka, Chinue Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Gabriel Okpara, The late Cyprain Ekwensi, J P Clark, etc still striding the writing plains. There must be something to it. If you can explain the phenomenon get back to me.

Today is a big day for connoisseur of poetry. The big guns with a handful of contemporary writers would be at the MOSUN CENTER for a Poetry Reading (Muson, Agip Hall, 3pm) with over 10 poets . The festival programme just notes it down as 'Readings and performances by Odia Ofeimum. The poets are Gabriel Okara, Wole Soyinka, JP Clark, Mabel Segun, Odia Ofeimun, Akeem Lasisi, Adebayo Faleti, Kofi Anyidoho, Funmi Aluko, Iquo Eke, Tolu Ogunlesi, Emman Shehu, Remi Raji, Tade Ipadeola, Maxim Uzoatu, Jumoke Verissimo, Lesego Rampolokeng.

THE MANY ESSAYS

I just discovered the beauty of Essay competitions. Essay writing is a genre of writing that can be very rewarding. I have won a few in recent weeks (actually two).

The first was by the British council for a Radio Packaging and Presentation Skills learning programme. The second was for the Future Nigeria Writer’s training workshop. They didn’t come with a cash prize but they were tickets for opening the door to great learning that go a long way.

There are essays that come with a cash prize or something tangible and (of course) fame. They support the writer by giving him pecuniary gains and can go a long way to alleviate some stress in your life.

These essays below come with a cash prize. So get cracking.

Announcing 1st Money-Prized Essay Contest & Application to our 2010 Educational Festival

This year’s seminar would be held in Tanzania in order to enable our many East African applicants who for want of travel funds have not been able to enjoy the life-enriching encounters to do just that. And there is a money-prized essay contest open to all Africans between the ages of 18-35 as well.More details here

Be among the 3 winners of $350 each and global profilling by submitting a page essay on the topic


"Discuss any skill, knowledge, technology, issue, product etc that Nigeria can develop, master and begin to teach the rest of the world as a leading nation in that field by 2020 and beyond"


Eligibility - Nigerian youths 18-3years of age resident in Nigeria.


Deadline - entry closes April 15th, 2010. Winners announced in May 2010

Submit entries with CV, Passport photograph and a referee to competition@ youngstarsfounda tion.org

Organiser: Youngstars Foundation Jos with support from Skipsted Ideation, Denmark.

Preamble:

The time has come for Nigeria to become a leading country in a field of endeavour and contribute in making the world a better place. To achieve this, it is time we begin to think about areas we can develop further, master and become the best in such fields such that the rest of the world can learn from us. Different countries of the world have today become known for one thing or the other, the Chinese have become known for herbal medicine as well as technology, Japan became known for technology also. India is also becoming a hub for ICT. USA is known for commerce and industries. The Asian Tigers also are known for all kinds of manufacturing. It is time Nigeria becomes known for something it is teaching and giving the world. Young people can lead in this discuss as we are sure to be the major actors come 2020 and beyond.

Winning essays shall be essays that are

Clear about the idea is it proposing that can make Nigeria a leading nation
Demonstrates good historical background about the issue being discussed
Point how Nigeria can begin to develop this field over a long term period
Grammar, creativity and simple use of English can make a huge difference.
Selection and Judges

From the pool of entries, 10 essays shall be selected and posted online for our team of local and international judges to evaluate and score up to 60points. After their scoring, the audience shall be invited to vote for their winning essays covering 30points. Youngstars shall have a 10point score to also award. After this process, the 3 winners shall be announced.

Waivers

By submitting your essays, you agree to waive the following

Ø Appealing against the final decisions of those announced winners for any reason whatsoever.

Ø The essay once submitted to Youngstars becomes the full property of Youngstars Development Initiative, and by that the organisation is free to use the essays and articles for any other interactions it deems fit.

Enquiries:

(+234) 8065479817, (+234) 7035538876

or competition@ youngstarsfounda tion.org, ystar27@yahoo. com

The Center for International Private Enterprise invites young people to share their ideas on how to create opportunities for youth to strengthen democracy and the private sector in their own countries.Details Here

LETTER TO MY FIANCÉ

My dear fiancé,

In the near future, I would take you to the altar. You would be my wife, and I would be your husband. This journey is forever till death do us part. People have their conceptions about love, I want to share mine with you. It would aid us in this wonderful journey.

Love is a story. A story has five main elements, and they are viz: a plot, characters, conflict, setting, and theme. Love has these elements too.

The two of us, plus God are the major characters in our love story - the protagonists of the story. We determine if it is a happily-ever after story or happily-never after story. There are other characters, family, friends, etc, their role in the marriage should be limited. we shouldn't allow the bad ones, the antagonists, encroach into our lives and destroy the love we have.

The plot of our love story, describes how we live our lives, what happens to us and the meaning of events. In life different events occur, that may threaten our bond, e.g. tragedies, misunderstandings, sickness, etc. When bad times come we should know it is for better for worse, in sickness and health. We have to believe in ourselves.

With plot comes conflict. They may be physical, emotional, or ethical, that may create some tension, we have to resolve this together, marriage is a road, filled with bumps, potholes and ditches. We have to careful navigate ourselves out of the storms of life, and come out together, whole.

The setting is the immediate environment and time we find ourselves, the world we live in. the internal and external environment has its strain on marriage, e.g. divorce is the order of the day, it is easy to take the easy way out when things are difficult, but we should work through our difficulties.

The theme is the major idea of the story, our theme is God, because God is love, he gives the marriage length and our love breath. He teaches us the way to love, we make God the driver and he leads us. We run to him in all difficulties. If we follow the way he says we should go,our love would last.

Hugs and kisses. Love you to pieces.

Your husband.

New and better

My writing has evolved, gone full 360 degrees on me. My poetry seems to come from a Mad poet. My prose flows sweetly like a soothing spring. My articles are terse and concise. I am not bragging that I am the best. I am just saying due to the influence of books I have been reading. I feel I have grown up a lot. The thing in writing is that you write to please yourself - you are your first audience.

I would start blogging more now because I have a varied things to talk about. And blogsphere would be my outlet. The dam has been let lose; you would be erode with my words.

The wordsmith has spoked.

Ode to the Fallen Bottles

you were once beheaded.
the red cap thrown to dust
with reckless impunity,
your treasures taken in sips
shrouded with music and alanta
sung by substance-abusing artists

you went to your death
with suya and pepper soup,
your companions.

They killed you slowly with each song
with each puff,
with each word,
but you left with your head high,
for as your end came
you took their senses,
replacing it with a gallant high
you showed them reasons to respect you,
you knocked them out
the way they ravaged you
the way they counted your comrades
all lying dead on the table
each facing the firing squad
each tasted Agbons and Dami's bullets
but you sent them to sleep
showing them you are the boss
what's more you would do it again tomorrow.

Poem (Untitled)

I moved powered by an engine,

of focus and dreams,

bodied by ideas and imagination,

They stalk me every second,

they haunt me in my sleep.

Even when failure lurks in the corner,

like a bald vulture on a tree,

i shoot to the stars,

my motivation remains forever young,

in the pursuit of happiness,

in every belief in myself,

in every motion to pen,

i am a writer,

that i shall always remain.

It's been a long while(Letter to my blog)

Dear Blog,

I am back to blogging. From now on I solemnly promise to be a lot regular to you my love. I promise to post my delicious words and thoughts. I miss you, the silent companion you absorb all the good things i say-sometimes a lot of crappy stuff. you are a trusted friend, you don't know my name or my identity but you are always there; to lend you sympathetic ear, your comforting silence.

I miss you and happy we have made up. I will be back to post some juicy stuff.

Dreams

I got a pocket full of dreams.

If they were currencies,

I would be the richest that ever lived.

But they are like air,

Intangible.

But they are as important as air.

Without them life has no substance,

Nothing to look forward too.

Every night I dream.

They make sleep pleasurable.

The dreams are made of ice creams and chocolates.

It’s a pain to wake,

But they inspire my day.

If I can make it in my sleep.

I can make it any where.

I will cloth the dreams and make them real.