Fame

Encarta Dictionary describes ‘fame’ as the condition of being well known. Some of us are famous amongst our circle of friends, churches, schools and in every other place our network extends to while some of us like the late Jackson are international figures.

My point is I saw the movie “Fame” and although there were no known faces, the movie was a total blast. It is a story about talented young people with dreams of being famous who enroll @ the School of Performing Arts, people from different backgrounds, races, with different talents, faces and style but share one thing in common, do you want to take a guess? Yes Passion. They are passionate enough to go behind their parents to enroll, passionate enough  to try to make their parents see the reason they are doing what they do and passionate enough to get duped by frauds who are eager to teach them a bit of life’s hard experiences.

In the course of their study, some of them leave to go join the movies, “Sesame Street” record labels, or wherever they got lucky. The performances were well orchestrated and rehearsed and the various performances were tight.

One of the students (cant remember her name), said something about success  being doing what makes you happy, according to her success is knowing that u’ve put in your best; it is not about money, riches and fame but about love and in my own words touching lives.

And it got me thinking. In a country like Nigeria where I never did want to be a banker yet ended up in that sector, does it mean I’m not successful? If I don’t love what I do does it make me unsuccessful? There are millions of unemployed people out there who would give anything to be in my shoes and here I am being ungrateful. In a country where “The Arts” is not fully appreciated, what is the hope for the young and upcoming writers, dancers, singers, rappers, theatre performers and what have yous? In a country where you dare not look your folks in the face and say I want to become a professional dancer. Every parent wants a doctor, lawyer, engineer and all them professionals, no one wants to hear “I want to become a model”. Thank God for those that have succeeded so far and have given the younger generation what to look forward to – the likes of Wole Oguntokun, Tolu Ogunlesi, Dbanj, Genevieve Nnaji, Tosyn Bucknor, Chude Jideonwo and his crew, Chinedu Amah, Chimamnda Adichie, Sefi Attah, Oscar of Inspiration Fm, Basketmouth… I could go on and on but we know these people and know what they have done in their various areas of calling.

Nigeria is 49 today and while some of us believe that we are yet to achieve anything and yes our education system is depreciating by the second; what with the strikes, bribery and all? I think we should be thankful for the little blessings we have. Our entertainment industry is growing; people are becoming more aware of the importance of our very own arts and culture; I mean we can see stage plays of Wole Soyinka’s books, Chinua Achebe and other Nigerian Writers, we can listen to poetry that satirize or humour our country and amidst all the suffering, we are smiling (in Fela’s words). We are famous for corrupt practices already and in the past two months, “District 9” and “Sony” have driven that point home. So fellow Nigerians, take up this challenge and let us rebrand our Country. We may not be where we ought to be but I am proud to be a Nigerian and while we scold, rant and rave, let us remember that Nigeria cannot be made better by just the Government but by you and I, after all, we are Nigeria. And as we pray for a better Nigeria, may we always work towards it and never forget to be our neighbour’s keeper and may we also never forget our traditions and values as these are what make us stand out anytime, any day, anywhere. Happy Independence my Homeland.

P.S

I did it right? I digressed from the movie didn’t i? so much for sticking to a plot but I hope I joined it well.

Through the Glass

Stella I’m sorry but I just have to talk about this after all, I did not say anything about “District 9” cos u asked me not to. (she works @ Ozone Cinemas so you can imagine her fears if a movie is not getting rave reviews.

Anyways I went to see the movie that was produced and directed by our very own Stephanie Okereke. While I will like to commend her for her major landmark in the movie industry, I mean it is not easy to produce and direct a movie abroad right? Then when the end credit came up, I happened to notice that the co-producers also had “Okereke” as their last names. Family business? Who cares? After all, Psquare is being produced by an elder brother or is it uncle? I will however state that I was not impressed at all by the movie.

The first thing you’ll notice is that it is a “B” movie and this is me doing a great favour because it could very well be a “C” movie. The picture quality is poor and everything about it screams “poor quality”. I mean did she have to go all the way to America to try her hands at producing a movie? I’m sure she could have done better if she had done the movie here honestly. What’s the craze about going to America or South Africa to shoot a video?

Her diction wasn’t exactly impressive for someone who studied English Language…seems like she had her highs and lows in the dialogue throughout the movie, and everything in the movie screamed second rate. No offence but I’m just saying it as it is. The expression in the actors’ faces showed “c” rating, it was too obvious. The story line was quite simple and uncomplicated and I’m wondering why she did not take the hint from Amaka Igwe who by the way does wonders with her movies and has them shot here.

Like I said earlier, I must commend her for this landmark added to her cap but it is my opinion that she could have done better and if she had done it here, who knows? I did not like it so did a couple who left before the movie came to an end. And even those that saw it till the end couldn’t wait to leave the cinema hall.

I wonder why the title “Through the Glass” was chosen because I actually did not see it except of course it was trying to mirror the lead actor’s role in the life of the baby against what he got from his father.

My Dour Week

I’m having a rather unpleasant week…the fates seem to be working against me.

First of all I unknowingly insulted a friend of mine whom I hold so dear to my heart and while I want to blame him for all the emotional turmoil in my life, I really cannot because I believe in taking responsibility for all my actions – good or bad. Now he wont even be friends with me and I know it’s best for both of us at the moment but I miss him already. That sent me into the blues and since this incident happened, I’ve kinda shut out everyone for now…yep that’s how I usually handle stuff. I have sought all the advice I need from friends but right now I’ve got to deal with this my own way…whatever that means!

Then I go to the hospital to be checked and it turns out I have to be x-rayed. After waiting for hours on end, when NEPA brought light (they couldn’t even do a frigging x-ray for reasons best known to them because there was no light) I was told to loosen my braids because it is a head  x-ray and guess what! after spending so much money on braiding my hair which is less than two weeks, I have to loosen it. Guys may not understand why I’m freaking out but my fellow chicks will understand….that’s approximately 5k going to waste but what the hell! Health first right? So after paying for the x-ray I had to go straight to the salon to loosen the braids, of course I paid for that also. The lady @ d salon was surprised and I just kept looking at her all in a bid to hold the tears back. Yes it is painful and to think that I had to plan this particular hair- do coupled with the fact that I hate going to salons and hate people touching my hair that is if it ain’t fingers running through my hair. So I go back to the hospital the next day  and I wait for hours and hours again before I was attended to. Then we wonder why Nigerians do not like going to general, military or teaching hospitals… they suck big time. Even in hospitals, you have to know someone and then we wonder why we are given a bad name globally which i choose to call the "Nigerian Factor". So I go back to the hospital the next day  and I wait for hours and hours before I was attended to.

Then after travelling, paying consultation and hospital fees, I’m totally broke and this is me hoping to go see “The T monologues” @ Terra Culture on Sunday. Apart from my not having funds for that, I’m going to have to think of what to do to my hair again which by the way, is gonna cost me. “The Figurine” is premiering on Independence Day but I guess seeing that movie will have to be postponed till further notice. Is this a cry for help or what? The silver lining in my otherwise dark cloud is I do not miss work. Then again, I’m supposed to resume next week and naturally I’m not looking forward to it because damn it! Waking at 5a.m everyday is not something anyone particularly likes, and then the endless traffic on 3^rd mainland bridge.

The intricacies of Marriage

Recently on Ebuka Obi-Uchendu’s profile (the Big Brother participant), I read his article celebrating his parents' 40th anniversary on the 25th of January 2009 and it got me thinking. In the article he mentioned his fears about getting married and sticking to it for a whole forty years, he admitted that his parent’s marriage hasn’t been all blissful and smooth but there they are clocking forty years. Now isn’t that a story worth sharing? But guess what! His parents actually dated before they got married. Isn’t that strange considering the fact that most of our parents did not court let alone date.

Enough about Ebuka already but frankly, forty years is definitely not a walk in the park. What am I getting at? I’m not here to argue for or against dating, all I’m trying to say is that marriage is serious business, the “for richer or poorer” vow is serious business and we have to understand it before we take that plunge. Now we are in a society that is not divorce friendly and the Catholic Church as we know is against divorce except on the grounds of adultery in which case the couple will be invited for counseling and forgiveness will be preached and even if granted, will take years.

Marriage counselors have told us to get married to our friend, confidant (e), someone we can always turn to in times of trouble and challenges but nowadays is that the case? In some cases our parents force us into getting married to someone that we hardly know, sometimes we get into marriage for the wrong reasons like “all my mates are married”, “I want to have a baby”, “I’m getting old”, “he’s rich”, “we are from the same tribe” and a whole lot of other reasons. When the euphoria of young love and excitement dies what happens next? Now do you think that a marriage built on any of these reasons will last? Will that marriage last for twenty years let alone forty? Even if it does last will it be out of endurance, because of the stigma of being a single parent especially in the case of our women?

Adam and Eve lived together in the Garden of Eden before they had Cain and Abel, Abraham and Sarah were married for a very long time before they had Isaac in their old age. Why am I referring to this? A man and woman are supposed to love each other first, live in unity and produce children as the gift and blessing that is as a result of their love and devotion to each other. Your spouse is not supposed to make you feel unloved and worthless rather your spouse is supposed to make you feel like the best thing that’s happened to him /her. Both of you are supposed to be there for each other in weakness and strength, sickness and health, in poverty and plenty. You are supposed to complement each other and it is a whole lot to do for a human being and the only thing that can make you humble yourself to that level is love. In my opinion, love begets sacrifice and I’m sure you’ll agree with me.
Nothing in life is certain. Some mothers have often wondered what it would have been like for them if they did not have male children, some have often wondered what it would have been like if they did not have kids at all. Some men have also wondered if their wives would have stayed if they did not have that mega paying job, if they could not provide the basic necessities or luxury for their wives. Tough isn’t it?

Again, nothing in life is certain and if you are going to get married, you need to bear that in mind. Your spouse may not be all that you made him/her to be, so when the rough tides come and they always will, you have to remember why you decided to get married to that particular person in the first place and with God, you will scale through but if you did get married for the wrong reasons it will be disastrous because you will not be willing to make certain sacrifices that could otherwise salvage the marriage.
If a marriage is not built with God, it will go nowhere and that is the honest truth. There are times that no matter how close you are to your spouse, you will feel alone, there will be betrayal, there will be disappointments and there will be moments when you’ll question your decision to spend the rest of your life with this person especially if as a woman, you had many other suitors, and who could you possibly turn to if not He that made you. If you have God and work towards it, He will definitely see you through. A successful marriage takes commitment, hard work and the Grace of God.

Young people out there, many of us want to get married but before you do “shine your eyes”. Like I mentioned earlier, marriage takes a lot of hard work and commitment, Please get married for the right reasons and not because you want to please anybody after all, as the saying goes “he who wears the shoe knows where it hurts”. A word is enough for the wise

Our Health Our Wealth

The late Yobe State Governor died, where did he die? California. Where did Stella Obasanjo die? Somewhere abroad even though she went for plastic surgery. Yar’adua our president travels abroad frequently for medical checkups, I could go on and on.

Every year we have thousands of medical students who graduate as doctors but do not have the platform to train themselves and learn more outside the classroom. My immediate younger brother is in his fourth year in med school and one day (thanks to Michael Palmer and Grey’s Anatomy) I was asking him if we have MRI scanners in our hospitals and he said only Ibadan teaching hospital has, I don’t even know if LUTH has one. Is it not heart wrenching that we have political leaders who appear from nowhere every four years with promises upon promises and none of them cares to look critically at our medical system because they can afford to go abroad for treatment. What hope is there for the poor man then? What hope is there for a pensioner? What hope is there for the cobbler on the street?

I had an uncle who had kidney failure, the family raised money, sold plots of family land in the village just to ensure that millions of naira was raised to fly him to India for surgery (a transplant) because apparently, we do not have such equipment here. We raised the money eventually and the operation was successful. He returned and everyone was delighted, we had a thanksgiving mass here in lagos and in the villa and everyone was excited. After a few months he started having trouble again, the kidney was infected by God knows what even after observing everything the doctor asked him not to eat, extensive tests were run both in India and South Africa (not Nigeria), he went to India for checkups, all to no avail. Eventually we lost him. We consoled ourselves with the fact that we tried all we could as humans and it was worth it because we got him extra time and I believe he settled with his God.

What am I getting at? Let us assume that he did not have friends and a family that cared for him, let’s assume that we were not able to raise the huge sum of money to send him abroad, what would have happened? We would have blamed ourselves but we did the best we could and we still lost him. Doesn’t life just suck? There are people with such diseases out there that cannot afford to buy drugs to manage them because these drugs are so expensive, they are as expensive as five thousand naira for a tablet of medicine, there are people who can barely afford three square meals in this country, in our neighbourhood, who cannot raise that amount of money even with family and friends, what hope is there for them?

In this part of the world we are not particularly concerned about our health, we have an ailment but as long as we can move about and continue our daily routines, we are okay. Is that the right attitude? What with cancer on the increase daily? It’s been discovered that cervical, breast and prostate cancers are the most common in Africa. On CNN's "Vital signs" they were talking about a laser tool that helps doctors get into the brain to remove tumors without doing damage. When will Nigeria get there? Probably when our generation is long gone.

While we do not have the best health system, the onus is on us to take care of ourselves first; we have a headache, do not take it for granted and say “it’s just a headache”, it could be your body telling you something, you take it for granted and by the time you go to the doctor it is already too late. Terminal illnesses are not discovered early enough in Nigeria, it is when we are on the verge of death that we run to the hospital looking for a miracle. The poor doctors who are ill equipped try to manage the illness (the terminal ones), and we keep accumulating bills we until eventually die.

If we have good governance in this country, our teaching hospitals would be better equipped and people can trust that they’ll get if not the best, something close to the best. Instead they squander all the money and go on vacations frequently, get the best healthcare and leave the poor poor masses to their fate. In America, bank executives shared the profits while the country is facing her worst financial crises so far in history and it’s making the headlines. there’s an outcry and Obama is airing his distaste at the behavior. While I was watching CNN you know what I thought to myself? What would Obama say if he came to Nigeria and witnessed it here especially since we don’t even bat our eyelids since it’s an everyday affair here.

We should not wait for the government to implement policies before you take care of your health, take control by eating healthily and going for REGULAR medical check up.
The earlier we begin to take care of our health, the better for us. Eat right, exercise, drink with moderation, stop smoking, get enough sleep, drink water, and avoid excess meat… I could go on and on. Some people would say “I know someone that smokes but he’s still alive and kicking even at seventy, how much more me?’’ you and that person are not the same people, it might work for him but will it work for you? “Na one thing go kill man abi”, but it still doesn’t hurt to do the right thing. While I agree that there are no guarantees in life, I still insist that we should try to do the right thing where our health is concerned. After all, it is when we are healthy that we can work, play, have fun and take care of our familes and even plan a perfect or almost perfect valentine gift.

Suddenly! Suddenly! Suddenly!

The first time I heard Dbanj sing, I thought to myself “this guy hasn’t got a talent, what he has is style” and the first time I saw him perform on stage I also thought “he sure knows how to get the crowd screaming for more”. The first “9ice” song I heard was “pass me the rizzla” again I thought “who’s this razz guy and what message is he trying to pass?” Funny enough my opinion does not count because these guys and so many more are making it in the music industry.

Where is she going with this you may ask and I kinda wonder too but please fasten your seatbelt and follow me. The first time I heard “Suddenly”, I was indifferent about it, the track that got my attention on the “Entertainer” album was “U don make me fall in love” because I felt that however corny it sounded it had a message and while “Suddenly” talks about his rise to stardom and how all of a sudden chicks are flocking round him, I still did not “send” the track until I noticed that everyone in the office (especially Bella, who is one of my colleagues) was crazy about the track, then I started growing to like it. But when I saw the video I was disappointed, don’t get me wrong, the beginning was good but the “pool party” had me thinking “no way are my kids gonna watch tv when I’m not home”. I wondered when Nigerians’ value system deteriorated to that. Watching that kind of video on western television is …well, we are used to the Britneys, the Lil Kims and the Lady Gagas just to mention a few but our very own people doing that kinda stuff on both national and international tv got goose pimples on my skin. Ikechukwu was pulling a girl’s panty and putting money inside like she was at a strip bar and she was enjoying herself, Dbanj making lewd suggestions with his hand and everythin in the video reeking of sex and alcohol after all sex sells right?

Let's even talk about Tuface’ “Enter the Place”, “enter the place make we see whether u sef no go carry belle”. What exactly was he thinking? Is he telling me that he has no conscience after fathering three or four kids by three different women and making a mockery of it? I actually have better things to do than sit and count how many kids he has so excuse me if do not know the exact number of kids he has. Pardon me but I’m a traditionalist to some extent and while I believe that change is constant thing and we should be open to it, it does not mean that we should let go of our values that is if we have any left. It was not surprising when these particular songs were banned from playing on air and yours truly was among the happy few. I may not be all innocent and all but what are we teaching our kids? How to impregnate women without committing? How to be women readily available to men for the taking? (And you see our girls strutting their stuff without a care in the world in these videos that even debase feminity) How to depend on “yahoo runs” as a source of income? I did not even understand why Kelly Handsome’s “Maga don pay” was banned until my brother mentioned that it has “yahoo” undertones? Are we encouraging our kids to lose all form of innocence and values very early in life before they even get to their teens?

I miss the days of Onyeka Owenu, Christy Igbokwe, Chichi of Africa and the like just to mention a few. I miss the days of when we actually used to dance (you know the fun form of exercise where we actually move to the rhythm of the music) and not the “sex” we exude on the dance floor nowadays. Have you been to a children’s party recently? You see girls that are barely ten years old dancing like Shakira, all they know how to do is twist their waists like they see on tv. Whatever happened to “running man” it’s old school now isn’t it? And new school dance is called “rocking”, the kind we see in “enter the place”, “do me”. This is not to say that there aren’t modern musicians that pass a message with their music, Psquare still has it going for them, Dare too is good at what he does, Banky, Styl plus too and some others still manage to pass along a message be it love, hurt, or just good old dance.
What the hell is kokomycin? Dbanj has never really told us what “the koko” is now has he? But he has stage presence which is one thing Styl plus totally lacks, even tuface cannot pull as big a crowd as Dbanj. (And he sure is working on his abs! forgive me but between he and Ikechukwu who has a better body?) Now that’s what I’m talking about. Well you really can’t blame me after all, did I ask them to record their video shirtless?

It is not the fault of these musicians is it? I mean they are giving us want we want are they not? I mean here I am dissing some of their videos and on the other hand, admiring their taut bodies. Truly if we didn’t want it we would not be getting it, would we? We all play a part in our society’s moral decadence and I wonder, I just wonder what values our kids will grow into and I can’t help but be afraid. But maybe Sound city and other local stations should air those videos late at night when our kids won’t watch them or what do you think? I mean yours truly has to look at those abs and wish. Okay! Okay! Yes I know that for the purpose of this piece I’m not supposed to but ain’t no harm in admiring them even if their music lacks content. And in answer to my question, Ikechukwu’s body is hotter but Dbanj oozes sex appeal… before I digress further, I think I should stop right here.