Thursday, February 15, 2007


After a meeting a short while back, I raised the issue with two friends, Deji Toye and Ayo Arigbabu- Is Jahman Anikulapo the most powerful person in the Arts and Cultural circuit in Nigeria? Jahman is the Editor of the Guardian on Sunday and Life Magazine. He is also the Programmes Chair Person of the Committee of Relevant Art (CORA), the country's leading Arts Advocacy group.
Why does this interest me? These are the waters I swim in. It's like the world of playwrights- The King is Wole Soyinka, Breakfast TV is Funmi Iyanda, Ahmed Yerima is the country's number 1 Arts Officer, Bolanle Austyn-Peters is C.E.O. of one of the most respected Arts Centres in the country etc, Ali Baba rules the comedians, The Bruce Family Dynasty (Silverbird) has shackled the Entertainment Empire. One should know those of influence in one's circle.

So Jahman, whose middle name is Oladejo... Is he the most influential person in the Arts and Cultural circuit?
The premise- The Guardian does the most work on Arts and Culture in the country. The Guardian on Sunday especially. That is his portfolio. CORA is also the most relevant of the Arts advocacy groups. Jahman's proteges litter the Arts landscape- I have met many of them and I hear them say how they got where they now are because Jahman stood by them. They are many.
By the way, if I recall properly, my fellow discussants that day leaned that way too.

This post is for those who write, have literary leanings and seek exposure- mack, jola, vera etc. It might be good to know Jahman.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ogbeni Laspapi,
Why have you decided to make me a star through your engaging blog. I stole in here to steal yet another of those cranky ( sorry, i didn't write that o) takes on aspects of our battle-wearied life, only to see my name swimming in the course of a seeming mental pugilism (eeeeeboooo!!!).
Beware o..... enemies plenty for public o. But as you know, when you are so blessed by Him to be so ever busy thinking and working, you will not even have the slightest time for the tantrums of flat-heads ( have i abused someone?... notto me o, na Kongi teach us to always unleash the hammer of grammatical on the incongruent head of olorikunkuns)..
So what have i been jiving so far.....? Just to say that I am happy to make your acquaintances.... as it is, I only move with dreamers. Dreams are my keys to life's endless mysteries. Have no time for the opekentele afi gele (or fila) mu omi ojo ( ha, Bros Laspapi, you want to decode that? Well, you can really, except that you may have to pay a visit to my eternally resting father ajamiratititititititi) ...

Okay, i am saying learn how to don the 'mawo be' cap, or the gobi that sings: 'Gbenu re soun, elete longolongo'. or the gele that screams: 'Eyin lemo... egbe amoba loju.. ori ade ose binu si.' Or simply lullabise the gboingboin ears of arobafin with the essentials of the name:Enioloruntidakosebinusikosefenutembelekosenilunikumopakosepakosedojuiajkowiwolawo -- JAHMAN

Yes oooo (Tuface don land lingo ooo)... learn to ignore those who are too EAGER and HASTY to write their own UNFORMED, rickety HISTORY that they would rather seek to UNWRITE the history of other people. I always console myself thus; the man who is running down the history of another person, just how much of the history he despises does he know?
In clearer terms: the anti-jahman avian flu flapping its wing of treachery and mischief, just how much of my story does it know. Abeg lef matter.... you should have no business with the children of tifunledo (you know that child of visionlessness who only thinks of orgasmical satisfaction of its whimsical pressures that tomorrow is a mirage to its bulging eyeballs).

My broda, just keep at your dream. Keep at your vision. That is one thing no one can take away from you. Your Dream. Your Vision. Your Being.
In other words, bi won ba nle eku si e iwo sa ma le ejo si won.
Yokolu yokolu ko ha tan bi, iyawo gboko sanle oko suke........
Ko ha tan bi.
Ire ati alafia always.....


NB
Oh, i forgot to say that i have stolen your great piece-- Signs that you are new in Nigeria ---- ooooo.
Awa thief re o, EFCC egbe wa oooo!!!!


jahman