Goodbye...for now

Hello everyone,

This is a note, to break the silence, to explain it, maybe. First, apologies for the long hiatus.  We have been away for a while, our last post was on October 29, 2012. We have been away, drowned in other things, experienced new roles, learnt from them, yet this blog has been, and is still, close to our hearts.

It has been an interesting journey, since the first post. We have learnt many lessons, we are still learning. 

This is that point where we have to take that decisive break, to decide what to do with the blog, going forward.  That's why it is, goodbye, for now. We will be back. In what form? We do not know now. Maybe. Maybe not in this format. But surely better and stronger.

Kind regards,

Bookaholics

PS. You can always reach us via email: bookaholicblog@gmail.com. We are always there :) 

Picture courtesy of Ranch Ehrlo Society

Arojah Theatre Returns with ‘The Wizard of Law’

The Abuja based group, Arojah Royal Theatre will on Wednesday 31st October return to the stage with the late Professor Zulu Sofola’s play, ‘The Wizard of the Law’ which is being dedicated to the honour of the first ever Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar.

The play which will feature the likes of Oyewale Oluwatoba, Jovita Anyanwu-Chukwuemeka, Oluwaseun Odukoya and Zeb John among others; is a satire about an old lawyer, Ramoni who has met with reverse and tries to impress his wife during a festive period by purchasing nine metres of lace material on credit at a time he is penniless. The cloth seller, Rafiu, takes advantage of this opportunity to inflate the prices of clothes in other to make a heavy gain. Unable to pay the debt, Ramoni gets into more trouble and desperately looks for a court case through which he could raise the money to pay his debt.

The Executive Producer of the play, Om’Oba Jerry Adesewo said “We were planning to stage the play to celebrate the International Day of Justice in July, that was to come immediately after our last outing. We missed the timing and so decided to find another relevance for the play. That was when the idea of using the production to commemorate the appointment by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, of Honourable Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar as the first ever CJN because we feel it is a lanmark achievement.” He added that the whole idea is to celebrate the CJN by hosting her, her family, friends and well wishers to an evening of theatrical performances.

Directed by Adesewo Fayaman-Bay, the Abuja presentation of "The Wizard of Law", which is supported by the National Centre for Women Development, African Independent Television, NTA Entertainment and the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) will also starred the likes of Zubairu Jide Atta and Lara Owoeye-Wise.

Arojah Theatre’s last outing was in June 2012, when the group put up a weeklong festival of theatre in honour of the Executive Secretary of the National Institute of rCultural Orientation (NICO), tagged Festival of Barclays Ayakoroma’s Plays (FESTIBAP) which was held at the French Cultural Centre.

“This is the first of a very busy last quarter of the year for us. Apart from the monthly Play Reading Party we organise in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre, we have two other outings this year and I think it is good but for us as practitioners and for the theatre loving residents of the nation’s capital”. Jerry Adesewo said, adding that the group will stil stage two plays, Adinoyi Onukaba-Ojo’s ‘Sssooommmaaallliiiyyyaa’ which will be entered as Abuja’s entry for the annual Festival of Nigerian Plays (FESTINA) and Dr. Seyi Adigun’s HIV/AIDS awareness play, ‘Call for me My Osheni to celebrate the World AIDS Day 2012.

"The Wizard of Law" comes up on Wednesday 31st October October, 2012 by 6pm prompt @ the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja with a Matinee for students of FCT schools.

The Wives at Terra

The Performing Arts Workshop and Studio is back at TerraKulture for the Month of November with another thrilling Play. The play is The Wives written by Ahmed Yerima, and performed by Performing Arts Workshop and Studio. 

The play shows every Sunday in November @ TerraKulture. 3pm and 6pm. Click on the poster for more details.  

Abuja Literary Society Holds Bookjam

The Abuja Literary Society features three fast-growing and debut authors in its monthly book feast, known as BookJam. The October edition of the popular and innovative BookJam will headline new authors Sylva Ife Nzedigbo, a vetinary Doctor-turned-writer; mother of three Ukamaka Olisakwe; and, hard-hitting columnist, Tope Fasua, on the 26th of October at the Lifestyle Bookstore of Silverbird Abuja. Joining them will be Abuja Slam Champion and dancehall poet, MacFather G, who recently released a musical album. MacFather G will be performing some of his most popular slam poems and new songs from his debut musical album.   

Nzedigbo, known for his love of social commentary, following his Sunday columns in Daily Times, blog sites and Twitter, recently channeled his passion to the creation of a full-length short story collection, The Funeral Did Not End, a collection of 20 captivating short stories ranging from current and persisting issues of politics, religion, social injustice, culture and tradition. Aba-based Ukamaka Olisakwe is the author of Eyes of a Goddess, her debut novel which throws light on the imperfections of a democratic system that emasculates the people. Tope Fasua is a well-known newspaper columnist, who has put his creativity to the production of the non-fiction, Crushed,  an introspective book on the issues debilitating economic and social development, with Nigeria as a case study. 

The BookJam@Silverbird Abuja is a collaboration of the Abuja Literary Society and Silverbird Lifestyle. It holds every last Friday of the month and is anchored by co-host of the Abuja Poetry Slam, Jide Attah. The BookJam consists of book readings, book signings, musical presentations, raffle draw and a discussion by the guest writers. In addition, there is usually a special Slam poetry performance by some of Abuja’s finest Slam champions.

Sylva Ife Nzedigbo:

Apart from being a regular blogist and columnist, Nzedigbo has been writing creative non-fiction for several years, gradually honing his craft and building a loyal fan base. His first published work a novella, Whispering Aloud was published in 2008.  Several of his works are published in local and international Literary Journals including MTLS, StoryLine, Swale Life, Life As a Human and Sentinel, Nigeria.

He has won several awards as a writer and an essayist. The most recent, 2012 Grand Prize winner, National Youth Essay Contest. He won the second prize at the Ken Saro Wiwa, Candle Light Vigil Poetry and Writing Competition 2010,an Honorable mention, 2010UNESCO/GIO Peace Foundation Essay Contest for Young People, by Microsoft Internet Safety, Security and Privacy Initiative for Nigeria (MISSPIN) and YGC, Africa, National Essay Competition on CybercrimeCompetition and the Abuja Writers Forum, Short Stories Contest.

Several reviewers and commentators have described his stories as ‘well delivered with an understanding of where the ordinary blends with the profound.’  Perhaps, a better description is Australian writer and literary critic’s insightful view, ‘The stories in The Funeral Did Not End are varied in scope and theme, but all show the restless energy of a young author struggling and succeeding at encapsulating the tumultuous awakening of a nation convinced it is mighty and willing to show the world exactly what it can achieve.’ 

Nzedigbo wields successfully, the narrative voice, symbolism, simple diction, Irony, Imagery and allusions in telling reality with a dollop of the hyperbolic to deliver in a fresh light the mundane and an open-end technique bound to excite or irritate readers.

Born in November, 11, 1984, Nzedigbo attended the School for the Gifted, Gwagwalada, and obtained a degree in Veterinary Medicine, in 2007, at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Nzedigbo hails from Agulu, Anambra State, the south eastern part of the country which its landscape richly featured in the stories. He also employs a thin line between fiction and realism in his characterization of places, people and scenery.  Nzedigbo works in the corporate communications industry; is single, and likes tweeting with like minds, when he is not writing or reading.

Ukamaka Olisakwe:

For Olisakwe, creative writing began after much encouragement from her friends and while trying to find an escapist means to create, and direct the world to the benefit and empowerment of females and the voiceless in society. She started out with flash fictions published in NaijaStories, an online based blog site for budding writers. Girl to Woman ignited the interest of Sentinel Nigeria, which later published her short story, Running. It was re-published by a South African Magazine, Short Story Day Africa.

Olisakwe has come some ways and waxing stronger. She is the moderator, AfricaReadsWritesTheVision, an online book club initiated by Dr. Claudette Carr of the Jethro Institute, London. The Book Club aims to encourage reading and thinking in Africans and successfully runs monthly book reading for its writers and readers the world over.

Her debut prose fiction, Eyes of a Goddess, is the story of a fifteen year old girl, Njideka, whose family gets mired in political intrigue when her father, broken and disillusioned after a peaceful protest, underwent drastic changes. It is the story of hardship, abuse and most importantly the resilient spirit of those gasping for freedom.

Tope Fasua:

 Fasua has been writing for the past six years in the Sunday Trust, newspaper where he has a weekly column. He is also published by other weeklies across the continent like Modern Times, Ghanaian Magazine, Africa Development Magazine, Inside Watch, This Day, Champion , The Sun Newspaper among others.

In writing his book, CRUSHED, Fasua seeks to examine the peculiar issues militating against economic and social development in Africa, using Nigeria as a case study.  It is a hard-hitting book, which emphasises the need for self introspection, pragmatism, selflessness, a knowledge of history, as well as a vision for the future, on the part of Africans themselves, as well as evidence-based appeals to the more advanced countries, for them to see that a better Africa is ultimately necessary for the good of all.  The book has been acclaimed by pundits to be one of the best to have come out of Africa, in the non-fiction genre. 

MacFather G:

Born George Obinna Ononiwu, MacFather G is a dance hall poet and singer. A former seminarian and graduate of the Delta State University Abraka, MacFather G is the founder of Love Motion, a youth-focused NGO that seeks to develop the talents of young people for national and global advancement. His creativity has led him into slam and spoken word poetry, radio presentation, facial art, and now, music with the release of his album, Came to Do. In 2011, he won the famous Abuja poetry slam competition.

For more information, please write to: abujaliterarysociety@gmail.com .

Mission Accomplished: Felix Baumgartner

Austria's Felix Baumgartner earned his place in the history books on Sunday after overcoming concerns with the power for his visor heater that impaired his vision and nearly jeopardized the mission. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km (Mach 1.24) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall and set several other records* while delivering valuable data for future space exploration.

 After flying to an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 feet) in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner completed Sunday a record breaking jump for the ages from the edge of space, exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket-powered airplane. The 43-year-old Austrian skydiving expert also broke two other world records (highest freefall, highest manned balloon flight), leaving the one for the longest freefall to project mentor Col. Joe Kittinger.

Baumgartner landed safely with his parachute in the desert of New Mexico after jumping out of his space capsule at 39,045 meters and plunging back towards earth, hitting a maximum of speed of 1,342.8 km/h through the near vacuum of the stratosphere before being slowed by the atmosphere later during his 4:20 minute long freefall. Baumgartner's jump lasted a total of 9:03 minutes. Countless millions of people around the world watched his ascent and jump live on television broadcasts and live stream on the Internet. At one point during his freefall Baumgartner appeared to spin rapidly, but he quickly re-gained control and moments later opened his parachute as members of the ground crew cheered and viewers around the world heaved a sigh of relief.

"It was an incredible up and down, just like it's been with the whole project," a relieved Baumgartner said. "First we got off with a beautiful launch and then we had a bit of drama with a power supply issue to my visor. The exit was perfect but then I started spinning slowly. I thought I'd just spin a few times and that would be that, but then I started to speed up. It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I'd lose consciousness. I didn't feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself. We'll have to wait and see if we really broke the sound barrier. It was really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

Baumgartner and his team spent five years training and preparing for the mission that is designed to improve our scientific understanding of how the body copes with the extreme conditions at the edge of space.

Baumgartner had endured several weather-related delays before finally lifting off under bright blue skies and calm winds on Sunday. The Red Bull Stratos crew watching from Mission Control broke out into spontaneous applause when the balloon lifted off.

For more information, please visit: www.redbullstratos.com 

Introducing: Nothing Comes Close

Accomplish Press is pleased to announce the official publication of Nothing Comes Close, a debut novel by Tolulope Popoola. The story is a compelling tale of the struggle to preserve love in the midst of daunting challenges. Nothing Comes Close is set in London, Milton Keynes and Lagos, with a cast of intriguing characters that showcase a realistic portrayal of the lives of young, ambitious Nigerians in the diaspora.

The Author

Nigerian born author, Tolulope Popoola taps into her experience of living in the UK to write a book about familiar themes - real people with ambitions struggling to make the right choices in their romantic relationships. The story also shows the tensions of living within two cultures - trying to maintain a Nigerian identity whilst absorbing British values.

“I’ve always loved reading,” the author said. “Growing up, I read a lot of books by authors such as Enid Blyton, Louisa May Alcott and Jackie Collins. When I started writing, I wanted to write about characters and situations that people like me would recognise, without the burden of adding to the narrative of what’s expected from an African story.”

Tolulope Popoola was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to England for her university education where she studied BA Accounting and Business Economics, and a Masters in Finance and Investment. She started blogging in 2006, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. In 2008, she left her Accounting job to concentrate on writing full-time. She writes short stories, flash fiction and articles for both print and online magazines. Nothing Comes Close is her first novel. Tolulope lives in London with her husband and daughter. She can be reached through her website

The Novel

The plot for Nothing Comes Close grew out of an online series titled In My Dreams It Was Simpler that Tolulope created and co-wrote with eight other writers. She created the main cast, and picked two of them as protagonists for her novel. “The online series ended on a cliff-hanger.” She said. “I wanted to get my female protagonist to a point where she was satisfied with the choices she had made for her future. With the novel, I got to make that happen.”

The story captures the ups and downs in the lives of a Nigerian girl, her group of friends and her love interest as they try to navigate their lives in London. There are issues such as marital infidelity, career decisions, death, heartbreaks, loyalty and cultural expectations. Each of the issues is dealt with in a sensitive, exciting and entertaining way.

For an enticing preview of Nothing Comes Close, visit the Accomplish Press website to download sample chapters and view its exciting trailer. Nothing Comes Close is available as an ebook and paperback from Amazon.com, Waterstones, WHSmith, Barnesandnoble.com, and other online retailers. The book will be officially launched on the 27th of October 2012.

If you want to share the story with your readers, I'd be happy to send you a copy of "Nothing Comes Close" for a review, feature or giveaway; or I can arrange an interview with the author.

Reviews

Nothing Comes Close explores the usual love story in a very fresh manner, employing lovely prose, suspense and the posing of serious questions to tell an immensely entertaining story. I enjoyed every moment spent reading it. Highly recommended." ~ Richard Ali, Editor-in-Chief, Sentinel Nigeria Magazine.

Tolulope Popoola is a good communicator. Her writing connects readers to the story in a way that makes it easy to relate to the characters. I particularly like her description of objects and events, and how they are tied into the story effortlessly. Nothing Comes Close is a book I will really love to see as a movie, I can actually picture the characters and scenes in my mind already! I hope that day will come. ~ Shola Okubote, Editor of Femme Lounge

In her debut novel, Nothing Comes Close, Popoola, explores a theme familiar to most of us, which is that of finding love. However, an unexpected death, imprisonment, betrayal and dark secrets, add twists that make this book much more than a boy meets girl story. A fine debut. ~ Yejide Kilanko, Author of Daughters Who Walk This Path

One word: Riveting. Sometimes unsettling. That’s how I can best describe Nothing Comes Close – Tolulope Popoola’s novel. I appreciate her ability to create believable characters that readers will find themselves rooting for when it comes to that sometimes complicated life challenge of initiating and building love-relationships. ~ Lara Daniels, Author of Love in Paradise and Love at Dawn

World Cultural Council Seeks Arts Nominations

The World Cultural Council pays tribute to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding achievements in science and arts, granting annually the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, for work in the field of Physics-Mathematics-Astronomy; Life Sciences: Biology, Biochemistry, Medicine, Paleoanthropology, Ecology or Chemistry; and every two years the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts, which may be conferred upon a renowned artist, sculptor, writer, poet, cinematographer, photographer, architect, musician or other performing artist, whose work constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of the world.

The laureates are typically preeminent researchers or other leaders in their field, whose work has had a significantly positive impact on the progress of human culture. After almost 30 years of such ceremonies across the five continents, these prizes are now widely recognized and highly esteemed in the scientific, educational and arts communities.

All nominations should be submitted with the curriculum of the candidate, clearly stating his or her achievements in the respective field and showing how he/she has made a definite contribution to the betterment of our world.

The nomination requirements are detailed here