IFA, THE RELIGION OF THE YORUBAS

THE PLACE OF IFA STUDIES IN OSUN STATE

By Raheem Oluwafunminiyi

Since the announcement made by the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Raufu Aregbesola, few days ago that a comprehensive plan was on the way for the state’s secondary school students to study Ifa as one of their subjects, not many in and around the state were impressed with and disposed to such idea.

Aregbesola made the idea known during the special prayers session to usher in the New Year, organized with clerics from all religions. He disclosed that his government had returned religious studies to all public primary and secondary schools in the state, adding that the free computer tablet tagged ‘opon Imon’, which the government would present to secondary school students had an application for Ifa studies.

Despite the Aregbesola administration not appealing to quite a few, it behoves one to say that this is one policy whose coming is timely and highly needed at a time when religious consciousness of others should be examined to better appreciate who we are as a people, especially when the issue of religious tolerance, unity, love and peaceful co-existence, which Ifa divinity enjoins, eludes us in this country.

For many who have started castigating the state government for such a laudable initiative, this writer make bold to state that they are quite ignorant of the Ifa world view and therefore, should begin the process of finding out what Ifa worship or Ifa divinity has always been and what it is today before condemning outright what ordinarily needed to have been embraced before now. For the single fact that many of the people who claim to be Africans today or coming back home now, Nigerians, were once followers of African Traditional Religion, which Ifa worship belongs, should not look in disgust or awe at a period in history when religion brought all together under one bloc.

As a result of misconceptions which may arise due to the introduction of Ifa studies in Osun state public schools, this writer (though not initiated or well versed in traditional Yoruba religion (Ifa) or any religion that is based upon Ifa such as Lucumi, Candomble and Santeria) will enrich readers with what Ifa and Ifa worship denotes.

Ifa refers to the system of divination and the verses of the literary corpus known as the Odu Ifa. The Yoruba believe in divination and therefore, believe that Ifa is the source of all knowledge and that the Orisa Orunmila is the keeper of this knowledge. It is through divination that man is told what must be done to change things that are negative to things that are positive. On the other hand, according to a blog, Ile Emi Ifa, 'Ifa worship is not intended to be about the worship of Orisas, ancestors, communities, or priests, rather, Ifa followers may venerate and perform rituals to show appreciation to the spiritual entities that comprise their belief system and in all honesty the worship of Orisa and veneration of ancestors is incidental. The blog went further to state that 'The primary point of the belief system of Ifa is the development of strong, responsible, spiritual character and Ifa doesn’t even require people to believe in Ifa, Orisas, or ancestors for their so-called spiritual salvation.'

In Ifa is found the vision of the world, the destiny of mankind, the social relations, the morals of life, from birth to death. Through the system of Ifa of the Yoruba, one can find the knowledge of the community. Ifa is deep rooted in and among the cosmology of the evolution of the Yoruba. The Yoruba since its evolution had developed a form of religion which today has become one of the world's most influential religions, claiming no less than one hundred million believers worldwide. Millions who engage in Ifa worship or its study could be found most especially in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and Togo in West Africa as well as Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Guyanas, Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, St.Kitts, and St.Vincent in the New World.

According to Professor Ade Dopamu, he is of the opinion that Santeria and Candomblé are part of the Cuban and Brazilian manifestations of Yoruba religion. He also noted that out there, the beliefs and organizational structure of the Yoruba religious system remain generally intact, even though they may incorporate other African roots and a veneer of Catholicism.

For the fact that Yoruba religion and its various strands of worship play a very critical role in many parts of Nigeria and disapora, it is therefore, the reason knowledge of Ifa studies should be encouraged and introduced not merely for the purpose of initiating students into some 'occultic realm' which critics are wont to make us believe, but for the sake of knowledge sharing and in the spirit of knowing ourselves better in our everyday conversation and interaction.

If Jacob K. Olupona, a noted scholar of indigenous African religions, whose earlier research ranged across African spirituality and ritual practices, spirit possession, Pentecostalism, Yoruba festivals, animal symbolism, icons, phenomenology, and religious pluralism in Africa and the Americas, had taken giant strides in impacting the Yoruba and African traditional cosmology to American and international audience, or High Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, who is the founder of Ancient Philosophy International, a Cultural Adviser to the National Black Theater in Harlem, New York and spiritual adviser to the San Franscisco based WAJUMBE Cultural Institution and who also doubles as an international scholar in residence at San Francisco State University, where he lectures on African Traditional Religion and Culture, then we also must take that step forward in grooming our children on the need to have a grasp and appreciate the rich socio-cultural heritage we possess in abundance.

If we must begin to get it right through religion where everybody's faith is respected in Nigeria, then we should learn from the Chinese who have never toyed with Confucianism as a way of life and perhaps best understood as an all-encompassing humanism that neither denies nor slights Heaven. Followed by the Chinese for more than two millennia, Confusianism has deeply influenced spiritual and political life in the country.   

Since Osun state is one of the few whose people are tolerant of one another, the introduction of Ifa studies couldn't have come at a better time to further depeen this hand of tolerance. The initiative should also be pushed towards the tertiary institutions and made one of the key courses offered at all levels. The benefit of learning and understanding the Ifa world view cannot be overemphasized as it will train students socio-culturally, engage them in asking critical questions past generations refused to ask, keep them abreast of their historical past and most importantly imbibe in them the spirit of unity in diversity.

Osun state prides itself as a culturally vibrant entity and houses the embodiment of the Yoruba race. If nobody guards these abundant natural yet unique heritage through the knowledge passed by our forefathers, posterity will never forgive us.

When Fatai Rolling Dollar Slept

By Segun Adebayo and Seyi Sokoya

Residents of Oko Oba, Lagos State on Thursday woke up to see the unusual presence of frontline entertainers in the music industry, who besieged the Millennium Estate, Abattoir, new Oko Oba, to pay their condolences to the family of the late oldest practising musician and highlife pioneer, Pa Fatai Olayiwola Olagunju, also known as Fatai Rolling Dollar, when his remains were received by his family members and friends amid tears.
The veteran highlife musician died on Wednesday morning of June 12 at Maritol  Medical Hospital, Surulere, Lagos State. The octogenarian was said to have been rushed to the hospital on June 10 by one of his wives,  Zainab and was said to have been responding to treatment.
The body of legendary highlife artiste, Fatai Rolling Dollar, was on Thursday, buried in Ikorodu, Lagos State. FRD as he was fondly called by his close associates, was buried at his uncompleted house on Number 4, Unity Street, Maya Village, Ikorodu. The burial was witnessed by dignitaries, family and colleagues in the entertainment industry, such as President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Admiral Dele Abiodun, Evangelist Obey and Stella Monye.
R had reported last week Sunday that the Ede-born singer was not in coma against what section of the media had reported. Rolling Dollar, during a telephone conversation with R last week,  had promised to get back on his feet and continue with his abandoned show, but that was not to be. “I will soon return for the continuation of  the show, which had stopped as a result of my illness. I want my fans to remain calm”, Rolling Dollar had said when speaking with R last week.
His last performance in Nigeria was on March, 14 2013 at the Nigerian Idol Season 3, where he performed one of his all-time classic’s ‘Won Kere si Number Wa’. He was later joined on stage by a group of contestants. After his performance, Fatai Rolling Dollar said, “I love what the young artistes are doing. They have a good message for the young crowd out there, and I absolutely love it”.
Kunle Tejuosho, whose label, Jazzhole Records, released Rolling Dollars’ popular hit track, ‘Won Kere si Number Wa’ among other albums, said the deceased came back from America some weeks back where he had gone for shows for about three weeks, “Baba was a great musician. He lived a life of music. He was happy whenever it was time to perform. May be he put too much on himself. He would be missed because he brought the past alive to the present. He re-lived the music of the 50s,” he said.
The deceased was said to have struggled to make ends meet, but got a new lease of life after French Cultural Centre brought him back into public consciousness. He later got a higher lift through Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while as Lagos State governor.
Emotions ran high as frontline celebrities wept. His family members, especially his wives and little children were still in shock; sympathisers were seen standing in different groups discussing Rolling Dollars’ ‘sudden’ demise, which to them, came as a rude shock.
The mood in the neighborhood that morning was pensive, as some of the people who spoke with R, said the late legend lived a fulfilled life, though his family members and well wishers battled to save his life.
Chief Ebenezer Obey, while speaking with R said he was shocked at the news of Fatai Rolling Dollar’s death, describing him as a nice friend.
Obey noted that aside the fact that he had lost his boss, it was also sad that the entertainment industry had equally lost a legend, “I will miss him so much. Our relationship was more cordial before his death. We talked often, especially when he returned from abroad. But there is nothing we can do when we hear the clarion call. We spoke two days before his death and he told me he got my message, which I had earlier sent. When I saw his remains, I wept and said this is the end”.
Recounting what they discussed last, Obey said, “Baba Fatai Rolling Dollar prayed for me, but I never knew that I was receiving his last blessing. His death is painful”, he said.
In the same vein, folklore artiste, Segun Akinolu, popularly known as Beautiful Nubia, also described Fatai Rolling Dollar as a youthful character who was always full of joy and life.
“Each time we met, he would give me a tight hug and say very deep prayers. He was so full of appreciation for music. He loved playing music and being on stage; it’s always as if the show should never end.” Revealing the last time he spoke with him, Nubia said, “we discussed his participation at this year’s EniObanke Music Festival (EMUfest 2013),” he added.
The son of the Afro legend, Fela Anikilapo Kuti, Seun Kuti told R that the news of the death of the veteran was shocking, adding that, “It seems there is lot to say considering his age, but he was still so full of life. I will miss him.”
Jesse King, also known as Buga, who also received the news with a heavy heart, said “it was very sad to receive the news that Baba has gone. Fatai Rolling Dollar has left a great vacuum in the entertainment industry. I pray for the family he left behind that the Almighty will remain with them all. I hold Baba in a high esteem. I cannot quantify how I look up to him. He was a very wonderful instrumentalist”.
Bonsue Fuji crooner, Adewale Ayuba, who reacted to the demise of the octogenarian from his United States of American base, said: “I will miss Baba sorely. The news came as a rude shock to me. Unfortunately, I am not in Nigeria today, but I pray that God will give the family he left behind the fortitude to bear the great loss”, he said.
Reggae exponent,  Victor Essiet, popularly known as Mandator, also reacted to his death from United States, saying “Fatai Rolling Dollar was a good friend of mine. I have known him for a while, even before I left for America 20 years ago. He was jovial, playful, stylish and colourful. I would have loved to see him when I was in Nigeria two months ago, but I misplaced his phone number. He contributed immensely to the development of juju/highlife; he was a fighter and not a quitter.”
Kazeem Popoola, a seasoned journalist, who was preparing a documentary on the deceased said, “Apart from been the oldest performing musician in Africa, his agility, energy, singing prowess, dexterity on guitar and awesome stage crafts at 80 stood him out. I won’t say he died as a happy man because he felt abandoned and expected to be treated like a monument in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Rolling Dollar’s dream was to have a foundation created in his name that will take care of the young and underprivileged artistes but he never lived to achieve his dream”.
One of his promoters, Babatunde Obalana said, ‘‘I think he was one artiste that had a dogged spirit. Never giving up irrespective of any daunting situation. The bigger the challenge, the bigger his faith. He was a believer pure and simple. I spoke to him very briefly about 48 hours before his demise and I never knew that it was going to be our last conversation. I will certainly miss his simplicity and easy going nature. He will be greatly missed. Thank God for his works.”

Citation of Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo for the Conferment of the Fellow of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA)

When stars gather around a megastar, illumination becomes the phenomenon. And, the phenomenon tells the story of the luminary. Sunday Ododo is a cultural icon and an intellectual giant, in fact, a scholar-artiste who has contributed notably to the growth of scholarship and creativity in Africa, particularly in the Nigerian theatre and literary landscapes. His commitment to scholarship has enhanced the academic life of his generation and has positively impacted on his students and younger academic colleagues. He stands out as an exemplary intellectual who occupies the prestigious gulf between the old and the younger generation of scholars. This marks him as a golden viaduct between these categories of people.

Sunday Enessi Ododo was born on the 21^st of October 1962 at Maiduguri North-East Nigeria. He hails from Okene in Kogi State, Nigeria. He attended Nurul Islamic Primary School, Okene between 1970 and 1975, and attended Ihima Community Secondary School for one year, 1975-76, before proceeding to Fatima Community College, Ekan-Meje, Omu-aran from 1976 to 1980, where he completed his secondary education. Sunday Ododo as a youngster is propelled by his academic appetite to obtain his university education at the Universities of Ilorin and Ibadan where he bagged his B.A (Hons), M.A and PhD degrees, all in Performing and Theatre Arts between 1986 and 2004.

Sunday Ododo is an accomplished academic and intellectual. This is a rare feat which he attained not with a sudden flight but by dint of willpower and hard work. His services to humanity spread between the town and the gown.  His academic career started in 1993 when he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin. He rose through the academic ranks to attain the colossal acme of a professor at the University of Maiduguri since 2008.

Sunday Ododo is a member of learned/professional societies. These include Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), where he served as an Ex- Officio in 1991 -1993 and since 2009 he has been one of the National Vice Presidents to date. Sunday Ododo is also a member of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Reading Association of Nigeria (RAN). Ododo served as Secretary-General of the Kwara State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). He was lifted to the position of National Vice President of ANA in 2009, a position held till 2011. He also functioned as Chief Judge of literary prizes, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), National Body from 2006 to 2009. Ododo is also a member of several international academic societies. These include: American Studies Association of Nigeria, (ASAN), and International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR), London. He was also appointed for his distinguished standing into the research Board of Advisors of American Biographical Institute, North Carolina, USA.

As an academic, Sunday Ododo has functioned in various capacities in service to the university community. Apart from such positions as editor of journals at Ilorin, Editorial Advisory Board of the Perfformio, an on-line journal of the Centre for Performance and Literature, Swannsea, Metropolitan University and several other editorial works to his credit, he was Seminar Coordinator, Departmental Academic Adviser, Member Senate of the University of Ilorin, Member Ceremonials Committee and Chairman Production Committee at the University of Ilorin. Ododo was Head of Department of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin. He has held sensitive and key positions as Chairman Curriculum Development Committee for the establishment of a Department of Performing Arts at the University of Maiduguri in 2007, where he currently serves as Head of Department. Ododo has also contributed immensely to Post Graduate scholarship. He held the position of the Post graduate Coordinator, Department of Creative Arts University of Maiduguri between 2006 and 2008. In 2008 he was also appointed Post-Graduate Coordinator, Department of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin.

The erudite scholar has attended over 30 national and international conferences.  His intellectual celebration and deep value for distinguished academic heroes of Africa, led him to convene the Professor Olu Obafemi International Conference on African Literature and Theatre. Ododo is a recurrent speaker at a number of national and international conferences. Between the Universities of Ilorin and Maiduguri, Ododo has spent over two decades teaching a broad array of courses which have ranged from design, theatre aesthetics, and musical theatre to dramatic literature and cultural studies, Arts of the theatre, dramatic theory and criticism, and several other courses like Human Anatomy and Physiology for the Performing Arts, directing, acting, workshop productions, theatre management and administration. Ododo’s critical engagement in theatre scholarship is as functional as a spider’s web.

Ododo is an accomplished gentleman of the Arts. He is a poet in the theatre and a multi-talented playwright and theatre activist of many parts. He has written plays for both the legitimate stage and the screen. These plays include Illusive Force (1984) White and Black Battle (1985), The Revelation, a TV drama (1987) Political Reveries, 1987, a TV drama and African Man also a TV drama, 1987. His Return from the Void an Opera has received encouraging performances between 1995 and 2013. Sunday Ododo’s creativity also manifests him as a poet; he has written and published a number of poems. Broken Pitchers (2012) is his latest poetic offering. Ododo has distinguished himself both as a stage actor and an artistic director of many productions. He has also carved a niche for himself along the artistic road sign of techno-cultural aesthetics.

Sunday Ododo has published books, Peer Reviewed Chapters in books, Peer Reviewed Monographs, Peer Reviewed papers and a number of pragmatic academic essays in various peer reviewed national and international journals. He has published essays on a broad variety of subjects, within the multi-disciplinary discipline of theatre arts, from technical theatre, theatre management, make up and mask practice, light and lighting design, semiotics and communications in dance, ritual studies, poetry, scenographic semiotics to traditional African experimental performances. A larger chunk of these publications run across the visual trinity: costume and make up, light and scene design. Interestingly, Ododo in some of these essays brings to fore feminist dimension and consciousness by advocating gender participation in technical theatre practice. Besides, Ododo brings his knowledge of theatre technology and technical theatre to bear on traditional African theatre with special focus on the masquerade Art and the Eku performance art amongst the Ebira which is an interface of Techno-cultural aesthetics. Remarkably, Ododo has published papers in Theatre for Development (TfD), dramatic literature, theatre management, marketing the performing arts, dance, theatre and computer studies, theatre practice, approaches to theatre production and children’s theatre. To be sure, the forte of his published works is anchored on theatre technology and cultural performance idioms. His essays have been cited in the fields of literary criticism, performance studies, cultural studies, theatre studies, and film and video studies. His research interest beside theatre technology is hermeneutics in the investigation of texts and performance. Together with his creative works and a corpus of journals and books he has edited, Ododo has recorded over 70 publications.

The landmark glory of Ododo’s intellectual and artistic contribution to theatre arts studies is his Facekuerade Theory, which has immensely contributed to the world’s measure of performance aesthetics and theatre technology. The Facekuerade theoretical paradigm is an original and revolutionary contribution by an African theatre don that adds value to world theatre scholarship. Facekuerade has become a word and a formula in theatre parlance; it is a theory and a form of theatre, a four in one quintessence. This is a theory extracted from the traditional Ebira-Ekuechi festival supported by Oloolu of Ibadan, Jenju of Abeokuta and other prototypes across Africa, which Ododo subjected to dialectical contemplation to stand. What this means is that there is plenty of artistic theories yet to be discovered by African scholars from traditional African festival drama. Ekuechi facekuerade festival of the Ebira of Kogi State in Nigeria is a mask-less masquerade archetype put to theoretical test by Ododo, a techno-cultural academic. The hub of the theorising is the “transformation and doubling essence of mask-less characters conceived and perceived as masquerades”. Ododo is roundly and resoundingly a theatre bird. He is a professor of distinction and a true Nigerian academic patriot, a polyglot and a multi-talented artiste. As a playwright he has made an impact, as a poet he is celebrated and as a master of technical theatre and theatre technology his footprints are engraved. He has travelled across the creeks and crannies of the academe to the deepest dominion of rare scholarship.

In 2011 Ododo published a play Hard Choice which further brought him to literary limelight as a gifted playwright by winning the prestigious ANA Drama Prize in 2012. The play is written with a great sense of cultural nationalism, national unity and more importantly with a thesis attitude on the modernisation of the Aristotelian tragic variety.  Hard Choice emblematises Ododo as a nationalist who indicts the off-putting and vindictive romance between ritual and politics, over ambition and their possible fatal consequence on the jaded masses. Ododo recreates national tragedy from the perspective of politics, ritual valve and democracy as practiced in Nigeria and calls for caution. This is a play in which authorial judgment and passions unite to condemn the excess greed of politicians.

Professor Ododo is a treasured apollonian pictogram of the literary and theatre rings of Africa; a confluence of intellectual and artistic merit and a transporter of billowing scholars finding voices. His cerebral persona and pedagogical attributes have help to build a fertile tide of intellectuals in Nigerian academic chateau. He has transmittable determination and dedication to the academe. His works in drama, poetry and other kinds are pulsating pulses of the human heart in all its complexity. There is therefore no doubt that Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo has contributed tremendously to theatre epistemology. He represents a historical force of fashionable theatre erudition and artistic originality in Nigerian intellectual and cultural history.

A situation in which theatre scholars and practitioners naturally declare their support to give immense academic honour to one of their own is a clear signal of intellectual solidarity, national literary and academic honour. On the strength of this rich and engaging contributions to theatre enterprise, ladies and gentlemen, permit me to present Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo for the highest award of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists- the Fellow of SONTA; FSONTA. Thank you.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF PROF. ODODO, SONTA PRESIDENT

Acceptance/Inaugural Speech by Prof Sunday Enessi Ododo on his Election as the 8^th President of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA) at the 26^th SONTA Conference, Benue State University, Makurdi: 4^th - 7^th June 2013.

Distinguished Chairman of SONTA Council,

Hon Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation

The Vice Chancellor, BSU,

The Immediate Past President of SONTA,

Distinguished Members of SONTA Executive,

All SONTA Fellows here present,

All Past SONTA Presidents here present,

Eminent Professors of Theatre Arts here present,

Theatre Scholars and Practitioners,

Respected Members of the Press,

My Dear Colleagues and Students,

Congress men and women,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

God is the author of time. To Him we owe ultimate gratitude for everything He causes to be at His own time. What he causes to be is also often brought to be through active involvement of men and women; hence, the saying that the voice of man/woman is the voice of God. When noble intentions are intoned, they travel on the wings of great voices, and the greatest voice is the voice of the people - speaking out - in prose, or painting or poetry or music; speaking out - in homes and halls, streets and farms, courts and cafes - let those voices speak in unison and the sound you hear is the voice of God. My dear and valued SONTA members, for unanimously electing us as the 8^th President of SONTA on 5^th June, 2013, God indeed has spoken through you.

Our investiture today as Fellow of SONTA, even though it is part of the package of instrument of office for emerging as SONTA President, we consider it a worthy and valued reward for our over two decades contributions to theatre scholarship and practice in Nigeria. It is also seen as an encouragement to us not to relent but to engage in greater exploits for the good of our profession and the Nigerian society. May God grant us the grace, strength and perfect health to serve you more.

We are extremely honoured to be elected SONTA President, and we are grateful to all SONTA members for making this possible because, you all are the charming gardeners who made our aspirations to blossom. Even though the heart is small, mine holds a rather large amount of gratitude for your trust and faith in us to lead the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists, the highest professional body for theatre and culture scholars and practitioners in Nigeria. This is great responsibility thrust, and we accept it wholeheartedly with deep sense of humility. We would not take this responsibility lightly, and we will strive to represent you with the utmost transparency and boldness. In our work as your President, we pledge to be guided by SONTA Constitution and extant decisions of the society.

President Emmanuel Dandaura has led the Society to new heights and has set the stage for an exciting next chapter. Being part of his achievements as Vice President, we shall consolidate and build upon these achievements.  Indeed, SONTA has had a remarkable history of successful presidents who have guided the society through tremendous growth and change.  This legacy reflects a strong scholarly and professional body with a clear sense of identity and purpose.  Working with SONTA executive and the entire membership, we will strive to sustain and build upon that powerful tradition.

As we look forward, there is much to do.  The newly approved SONTA Strategic Plan must get underway and define a fresh lease of growth for our dear society. The challenges are great, but the opportunities are even greater. To secure these opportunities and succeed, all hands must be on deck. We eagerly look forward to having your support and active participation on SONTA projects and activities.

Under our stewardship, the executive will be guided with the specific goal of building bridges of consolidation and breaking new grounds for the benefits of our members and the Nigerian society. We shall reinforce and create multiple bridges that will enhance our linkages with government and her relevant agencies, international bodies and the corporate publics. These bridges will be built based on imagination, openness and courage.

• Imagination is the innate willpower for discovery and innovation;
• Openness grants us liberty to harness our distinctive strengths for multiple creative yields; and
• Courage helps us interrogate conventional wisdom and take risks to make a difference.

Through these bridges, we intend to:

1. expand the financial base of SONTA,

2. identify and provide solutions to critical and crucial issues affecting theatre scholarship, practice and training in Nigerian tertiary institutions,

3. strengthen the membership fold of SONTA and encourage more active and committed participation,

4. pay keen attention to issues affecting the professional and scholarly advancement of members,

5. provide platforms for the growth of young theatre scholars/professionals and the projection of established ones,

6. project the society more to public consciousness both nationally and internationally, while we continue to synergize with other relevant associations and bodies in the creative arts,

7. seek the attention of Government and the corporate publics on the activities of the society and to secure support for theatre infrastructures in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

8. seek legislative regulatory instrument from the Nigerian parliament to strengthen the practice of our profession and training.

We wish our members well and urge each one to continue our collective journey with imagination, openness and courage. To my distinguished fellow executive members, colleagues and friends, we have a trust to keep, and a dream to fulfill to make SONTA greater than it is today.

Congress men and women, we also need your sincere assurances that you would cooperate with us to succeed. If indeed you would give us your cooperation to succeed, please say “Aye”, if you would not cooperate with us say “Nay”; the “Ayes” have it.

Thank you very much for today’s support and the support you will extend during our tenure. God bless you all; God bless my wife and family; God bless all my well wishers; and God bless SONTA. Peace!

Prof S.E. Ododo, Ph.D, fsonta

SONTA President. 6^th June, 2013

Professor Ododo Of UNIMAID Emerges SONTA President

Professor Ododo Of UNIMAID Emerges SONTA President

Friday, 07 June 2013 12:15

 

Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo of the University of Maiduguri has emerged President of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), the umbrella body of Theatre Arts lecturers in Departments of Theatre/Drama/Cultural/Performing Arts in Nigerian Universities.

Professor Ododo, who was elected at the just concluded 26th Annual Conference/General Meeting, hosted by Benue State University, Makurdi, succeeds Professor Emma Dandaura of Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

The election, which took place at the Arts Theatre Complex of BSU, was conducted by an Electoral Committee, chaired by Professor Chris Ugolo of the University of Benin, producing Professor Alex Asigbo (UNIZIK) as the 1st Vice President; Dr. Tor Iorapuu (UNIJOS) as 2nd Vice President; Professor Sam Kafewo (ABU, Zaria) and Dr. Gowon Ama Doki (BSU) re-elected as Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General, respectively.

Others members of the newly constituted EXCO are Dr. Suru Damisa (Nasarawa State University), Financial Secretary; Dr. Mariam Asabe (AAU, Ekpoma), Treasurer; Dr. Dennis Ameh Akor (Osun State University), Editor of SONTA Journal; Dr. Rasheed Adeoye (UNILORIN), Events Manager; while Mr. Sylvanus Dangoji (ABU) retained the post of PRO.

A celebration of Chinua Achebe

culled from Sahara Reporters
 President Barack Obama of the US last night lauded the late Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, as a “revolutionary author, educator, and cultural ambassador.”
Mr. Obama’s words of praise for Mr. Achebe, the author of the classic Things Fall Apart and four other widely read novels, were contained in a condolence message he sent to the organizers of an event held in Washington, DC on Sunday, June 2, 2013 to celebrate the life of the late author. The celebration was held at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC.
International writers, government officials, and fans gathered at the venue to remember Mr. Achebe who was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of Africana Studies and Literary Arts at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. The event, which lasted from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., included readings, music, an arts exhibition, Igbo masquerades and a variety of cultural dances.

Mr. Obama’s personal condolence message at the event was read by representative of the American president. In his statement, Mr. Obama stated that the late professor and author “shattered the conventions of literature and shaped the collective identity of Nigerians throughout the world.” The US President added: “With a dream of taking on misperceptions of his homeland, [Professor Achebe] gave voice to perspectives that cultivated understanding and drew our world closer together. His legacy will endure in the hearts of all whose lives he touched with the everlasting power of his art.”

Other speakers at the event included Ruth Simmons, the immediate past President of Brown University, Johnnetta Cole, a former President of Spelman College and current director of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, Sonia Sanchez, a leading American poet, Scott Moyers, whose Penguin Press published Mr. Achebe’s last book, There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra, and Micere Mugo, a Kenyan-born poet, cultural activist and professor of literature at Syracuse University. Professor Simon Gikandi of Princeton University as well as Jules Chametzky, a retired professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst also spoke about the late Achebe.
The Afrobeat band known as Eme and Heteru entertained at the event. One of the highlights of the evening was a dramatic recreation of a scene from Things Fall Apart by the Chuck Mike theatre group.
Among those who attended the celebration was Africa’s literary star, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of three novels, including the recently released Americanah. In a recent interview with SaharaTV, Ms. Adichie described Mr. Achebe as a literary icon, adding that the late author “gave me the permission to write.”

IF YOU LOVE INDIAN MOVIES, YOU WILL DEFINITELY MISS HER....

Jiah Khan 'quiet, reticent but charming'

Bollywood actress Jiah Khan has been found dead at her apartment in the Indian city of Mumbai, police say.
Khan's mother found her body hanging at her home, police told the BBC. No suicide note has been found, they said.
A post-mortem examination is to be carried out to establish the cause of death and police say they are seeking information from her neighbours.
Asian Network's Entertainment Reporter Suki Padda has been talking to Boman Irani who acted with Khan in her last film, Houseful.  SOURCE:: BBC