The African All-Female Musical Ensemble, Nefretiti, turned One today, the 28th of February. They chose to use laspapi’s offices to celebrate. Also rehearsing at about the same time were the Cast and Crew of Anatomy of A Woman, laspapi’s stage play featuring Stella Damasus on Sunday the 25th of March at the Muson Centre.
There was an artistes’ jam immediately after the rehearsal minus the presence of the Diva, Stella, who did not make this rehearsal.. The uniformly dressed females are some of the members of Nefretiti led by Adunni.

KIND invites you to a V-Day 2007 benefit performance of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play to raise money and awareness for local organizations that work to stop violence against women and girls.
This year’s performance includes top female actresses like Joke Silva, Kate Henshaw, Rita Dominic, Iretiola Doyle, Teniola Aofiyebi, Omonor Imobhio and a lot more. Performances would be from 6:30pm at the Agip Hall, Muson (14th & 21st Of March), and Planet One (17th March). Light refreshments will be provided

Proceeds from this performance would be donated to a Rape Crisis Center in Lagos and a VVF Rehabilitation Centre in Kano. Tickets cost 3,000 naira each and can be procured from 5th March at Quintessence and Planet One. For Advance Group bookings and ticket delivery services call KIND on 08033652200, or 01-8902970, 8179398.
We look forward to seeing you at the V-Day event.


Sincerely,
Amy Oyekunle
Programme Manager (KIND)
Organizer, V-Day Lagos 2007

The Ghanerian Idol

The producers of West African Idol have lost the plot.

Firstly, this competition that was meant to be open to participants from all over West Africa took place in only two countries, Nigeria and Ghana.

Secondly, the auditions in Ghana had, at least for a part of the event, only two judges, Nana and Dede. Dan Foster was missing in action. How two judges agreed on who was to be taken to the next stage and who was not, was beyond myself and other viewers. Previously, it had been sufficient that two out of the three judges said “Yes”. What they did in the event of a deadlock between the two judges in Ghana wasn’t explained to us.

Furthermore, it became apparent that because the producers sought a wider representation of West African citizens for their ambitiously-named reality show, totally mediocre singers claiming to be from Liberia or some other unrepresented nation were allowed to go through to the next stage while stronger voices were dropped. I saw this happen.

So truthfully, this maiden edition should be tagged “The Ghanerian Idol”.

For those who rise to the defence of all that is African, no matter how shoddy the presentation is, it’s time to tell ourselves the truth. The producers of American Idol wouldn’t have dared film an episode with only two judges, but here, it went on, for some unfathomable reason. It would have taken nothing to have an auxiliary judge, or to just have waited for Foster’s eventual appearance.

There are 24 contestants left now but I’m tired of the lack of intelligence the producers seem to think runs amongst the programme’s viewers.

The Vagina Monologues will be back on the Nigerian Stage on the 14th and 21st of March at Muson and at Planet One on the 17th of March.
The play will feature Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Zara Udofia, Marie Epkere and Teni Aofiyebi amongst several others. The picture shows from bottom left and clockwise, Joke Silva, Omonor Imobhio, Iretiola Doyle and Iyabo Amoke who were all part of the first Nigerian presentation last year and are in the forthcoming production as well.
This production will be directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa.

Below is an anonymous comment left under my post on mental health titled "Broken Walls". I thought it better to post it. The consequences of a breakdown in mental health are far-reaching and the strain on the family of the afflicted is a heavy one.

I grew up in a happy large middle class family.
When I was a child,I remember that I would ask my mother why God allowed some people to be mentally unwell.

I had never had any close contact with a mental breakdown until I turned 28 and my older brother turned 30 and began to act strange.

It started with him suspecting that his girlfriend and siblings were attacking him spiritually. Then he sough solace in church.

Atthis point I thought he was being spiritual, and that he had found God but I learnt later that spiritual fanatism is one of the symptoms of schizophrenia.

My brother had his first breakdown in 2004 and had two other break downs intermittently over the next 18months.

I come from a middle class, very enviable family. And in my worst nightmare I would never have forseen such a trial for my brother and for our family.

I have not been faced with anything more frightening. In fact in the face of life threatening circumstances, I laugh because I feel that nothing is worse than seeing a loved one in torment and not being able to do very much about it.

My brother is stable now, but I find myself worrying. What if he decided to stop taking his medication? What if we fail to watch him closely enough.What if?

I have no other anxieties, no other needs than to be assured that my brother will continue to be well.

Unfortunately pshychiatric treatment is not an exact science. And even the medication he is taking have unpleasant side effects.

Wole, what you did with your neighbour is very commendable. But you must take to heart that God made us all with different strengths. The burden you have for people is a gift and a curse. It is what drives you and what gives you fulfillment. Not everyone has this gift, this burden and you must understand that.

This was sent me by Jahman, Editor of the Guardian on Sunday

LETTER OF COMPLAINT FROM A CUBAN TO A HOTEL MANAGER IN ORLANDO


Dier Senior Gerente Jotel:

Now I am tell yu di story jau I was treated at yor jotel.
I cum from miami florida as touris to orlando and estay at yor jotel.
When I cum in my room I see der is no shit in my bed.
How can I sleep with no shit in my bed?
Ay col down de ricepchon and tell dem: -"I wanna shit".
Dey tell me "Go to the toilet".. I sey "No, no, I wanna shit in my
bed".

Dey sey "You betta not shit in yor bed, you sonnawabitch".

What is that of sonnawabitch?.
I go down for di restoran for breikfast.
I order beicon and eggs and two pisses of toast, I getta only one
piss of toast. I tell di waitress and I points to toast.
"I wanna piss". She tella me Go to the toilet"...
I say "No, No, I wanna piss on my plate".
She den say to me: "You piss on yor plate, I col da cops, you
sonnawabitch".

Secon person who don even know me, and chi col me sonnawabitch!
What is that of sonnawabitch?

So I go to di ricepchon and ask for di bil.
I no wanna stay in dis jotel no more. When I have pay di bil, the
porter say to me: "Thank you and piss be with you".
I say "piss on you too, you sonnawabitch!
"If I go back to orlando , I'll never more comma stay in your jotel,
you sonnawabitch.

Sinsirly,
John Towers
(Juan Torres Delano)

WEST AFRICAN IDOL

I sat open-mouthed for about half an hour tonight and watched as sado-masochists ran at full pelt before the judges of West African Idol , our version of the American Idol and the British Pop Idol, and asked to be humiliated. The judges- a good looking female simply known as Nana with a striking head of dreads, Dede- Fela Anikulapo Kuti's apprentice, clone etc and Dan "The Cool Breeze" Foster, the African-American presenter on Cool FM.

Nana played the part of Paula Abdul, usually pleasant but firm when the need arose, Foster played Randy Jackson, the nice Music Producer and Dede played Simon Cowell to a fault.

A lot of those contestants certainly deserved to be cussed out like they were and I had truly never seen a more deluded crowd than those who came to audition. There was a guy who couldn't have been a day under 45 but claimed to be 30 (the age limit). When asked to sing, what he crooned and tried to dance to, in the most ghastly voice was Michael Jackson's "Dance, Come on...", confirming how old he was, really. He looked his age, and the judges made it obvious they didn't believe his "official" age.

Another girl came on to sing R.Kelly's "I believe I can fry...". Yeah, she said "fry". They came repeatedly, smashed aside time after time by the judges, one evidently psychotic and looking around the set as if he was looking for a heart to plunge a knife in and I saw Dede, the most street-wise of the judges, furtively searching for an escape route. Others just talentless and without enough sense to realize this, were immune to the insults of the judges. There were a few great singers but the great majority couldn't sing to save their lives. It is every man's inalienable right, the right to deceive yourself. No one can take it from you.

I winced repeatedly, yelled, ranted and then switched channels.

I do not like pain.