Crown Troupe is 16!

On the first day in the month of June 1996 a group of young people came together. They met in the seating room of a flat occupied by the mother of one of them in the house of a foremost Nigerian musician King Sunny Ade. His son Adekunle Adegeye was one of them. He was to become the first choreographer of the group named the Crown Troupe, a repertory group of total theatre makers. These young people shared a thing in common-passion for performance.

Over the years, the group has metamorphosed into a socially conscious one from entertainers to commentators. Located in Bariga, a place noted for notoriety amongst others things, the group has continuously created a platform of expression through the arts for young people who otherwise might be tempted to channel their youthful energy to less profitable vocations.

Now in our 16^th year of creative engagements, we intend to celebrate the anniversary in our traditional fashion of a mixed menu of performances at different locations in Lagos culminating in a grand finale at the National Theatre on Friday, the 29^th of June 2012. We also intend to tour some Nigerian Universities with two new creations before going for an international youth theatre festival for which we have been selected and slated to perform in Manchester.

Contacting The World is a biennial youth theatre festival organized by Contact Theatre based in Manchester and Crown Troupe has been invited to participate and represent Nigeria at the festival in July 2012. We have been twinned with another U.K Based Theatre Company, Boundless Productions, Manchester. There have been exchanges between our two companies, with a member of Crown Troupe visiting Boundless Productions in March and the visit reciprocrated by one of them (Cat Dowling) visiting us in April. Through the visits, we were able to see each other in our environment, observe our theatre making techniques as well as meet the constituent artists of the groups. Contacting The World, a trailblazing Youth Theatre Festival has been an inspiring platform for young theatre makers to meet, learn, share creative experiences and network in an atmospere of fun.

Please find show dates and venues below:

June 8^th, The Life House, Sinari Daranijo, Victoria Island.

June 10^th, Ember Creek, Awolowo Way, Ikoyi

June 29^th, National Arts Theatre, Orile Iganmu

Schools to be visited include:

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun State.

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State.

How Laziness Saved My Life

Two years ago, author, speaker and blogger Okechukwu Ofili shared his stupidity with the world in the hilariously successful How Stupidity Saved My Life. Everything seemed to be going well for the engineer-turned-blogger-turned speaker, but all that changed when he was diagnosed with a life threatening disease. He later found out that his diagnosis was a result of over working himself at his job. After seeing so many people other people burnt out from work, he decided to pen his second book to show that contrary to popular belief, laziness can actually save your life! The result is the witty book HOW LAZINESS SAVED MY LIFE: A collection of radical business ideas for tired, overworked and frustrated people looking for an easier way to get stuff done!

 How Laziness Saved My Life is a hilarious attack at the way corporations and businesses push themselves and their employees to the brink of stress. With chapters such as “Three Things I Learned From Getting Kicked In The Head” and “Why We Need Fewer Meetings and Managers.” TBB heard Ofili read from the last edition of BookNGauge, the excerpt was at once hilarious and engaging. If you love motivational non-fiction books, you should enjoy this!


The book is currently available on Amazon and at major Nigeria bookstores including Silverbird Lagos, Silverbird Abuja, Silverbird Port-Harcourt, The Hub Media Lagos, Laterna Lagos and Terrakulture Lagos. 

BONUS STUFF: To celebrate the release of his second book. Ofili will be giving away a Blackberry 9930, an Amazon Kindle Fire and other awesome prices (no kidding). All you have to do is take a simple picture. See the poster below for more information:

Ofili is an award-winning motivational speaker, author, success coach and entrepreneur who blogs about life, success and entrepreneurial excellence. Follow him on BB pin:3300ED8F, twitter , facebook or subscribe to his blog for more success tips!”

NEST Essay Competition

To mark her 25th Anniversary, the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), offers this Essay Competition for the youth (ages 14 – 30 years). Essays (not more than 10, 000 words) on the topic ‘THE NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN SECURITY’ are invited from the youth in three categories:

1) Secondary school students

2) Undergraduates, and

3) Postgraduate students and young graduates

Awards will be made to the three best essays submitted in each category, at a ceremony during the NEST AT 25 Conference on the 19th of July, 2012.

NEST is one of Nigeria’s foremost environmental Non-Governmental Organizations. It was founded by a group of environmentalists within and outside Nigeria in 1987. NEST has since made significant contributions through research, pilot projects, public policy, raising public awareness and education on environmental and sustainable development issues.

NEST is marking her 25th anniversary, among other ways, by holding this competition, with the hope of stimulating interest in the youth, who own the future, on the varied dimensions of the environment problematique. The physical dimensions of environmental degradation, like soil and gulley erosion, desertification and encroaching sand dunes, silting up and drying up of water bodies, growing scarcity of forest resources and loss of biodiversity, mounting garbage in the cities and air pollution leading to climate change, are readily observable.

But how these environmental failures affect our daily lives, beyond the material shortages and discomfort they create is infrequently considered. Nigeria is at present experiencing an abnormally high level of human insecurity in various forms. Is there a link with our degrading environment? To what extent do conflicts arising from contests for environmental resources – space, farm or grazing land, water and fisheries or just forest resources – underlie the rising level of insecurity in the country?

It is hoped that essayists in this competition will explore these dimensions of the impact of the

environment, to enhance our appreciation of the consequences of inadequate attention to the environment.

For inquiries: info@nestinteractive.org

For submissions: essays must be accompanied by the curriculum vitae of the authors and submitted electronically to Chris Ichite, Programme Officer, at info@nestinteractive.org and chrisichite@yahoo.com

Calling all Nigerian Scriptwriters

You've been dreaming of writing the best movie script that will transform Nollywood right? Here is a chance to get some training.

The scriptfactory was founded in 2004 as an organisations where screenwriters could work out from. it has since expanded into a movie making company and has written well over a hundred successful titles. it has also produced over fifteen feature films and has added a training arm to its activities in recognition of the need to train and develop new writers for the movie industry in Nigeria.

Its mission is to develop the next generation of film and television writers, equip and empower them for the challenges of the new Nollywood as we look forward into a critical and challenging future

Eginald Ebere: "I want to pass on some of the things that I have learnt along this long road that I have trod. And as your journey starts, who knows you might need a tip from one who has walked for too long in all kinds of weather. And before I get too weary to take one more step and since I still have some breath left, I, like a passion crazed lover, ask you to come take the breathe of life from the lungs and lips of love."

Join us at the workshop. Register at the Scriptfactory - 33 Modupe Johnson Street, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere, Lagos. For inquiries: thescriptfactory2006@yahoo.co.uk or call 07087124314

Rubiewe Shows Tomorrow

The last week of May is set to be unforgettable for theatre enthusiasts as the Performing Arts Workshop & Studios (PAWS) in conjunction with The Knot Centre present yet another fantastic drama, Rubiewe.

Rubiewe is an African adaptation of the classic story, Beauty and the Beast, a popular story which has been retold in various languages around the world.  Adapted and directed by Kenneth Uphopho,  Rubiewe would be staged on May 27th and 29th with multiple performances in Lagos. Saddled with a cast of extremely talented actors such as:  Uzor Osimkpa, Tomi Odunsi, Damilola Kalejaiye, Paul Alumona, Sotonye Green,Seun Kentebe and KC Ejelonu. Just like Beauty & the Beast, the exciting drama has its plot dotted by music directed by Deborah Ohiri and dance with Odey Anthony as choreographer.

The drama would be staged first on May 27, 2012 at The Knot Centre, Yaba at  4pm while on Nigeria’s Democracy day May 29, there would be two performances at 3 and 6pm at the MUSON CENTRE. The May 29 performance would have an exciting bonus as female singing sensation, Evaezi is billed to perform before the play commences.

Tickets: N3000 (students), N5000 (regular), N15,000 (VIP) and N200,000 (table). For Sponsorship,Tickets and Inquiries, the Performing Arts Workshop & Studios can be reached via telephone on

08037177106,  08034448812 email: performingartstudios@gmail.com 

Book N Gauge XII: Partying with Books and YOU

It's a year already since Book N Gauge started. Are YOU surprised? Oh yes, it is a year since the debut edition that featured Jude Dibia and Odili Ujubuonu. If the event were a baby, it would be crawling, walking maybe. We have crawled, walked, learnt and are still learning.  The twelfth edition of Book N Gauge is scheduled to hold on the 26th of May, 2012 at 2pm; venue is Debonair Bookstores, Sabo, Yaba.

In the one year that the event started, Book N Gauge has featured over thirty writers, and over fifteen performers. Book N Gauge has had eleven book readings with writers and performers from different parts of the country. Does this call for celebration? We think so. And that's why  the twelfth edition, a book party, is dedicated to YOU.

The book party would feature more music performances than ever before, more give-aways and more participation from YOU.   Why YOU? Because you have been with us throughout this whole year. And we need to show our appreciation to you by opening our floors to the readers in you. 

HOW? YOU will read excerpts from your favourite books. YOU will tell us what makes the book your favourite, why you love it so much.

We have decided to open the floor to budding poets for the first time. So, if you would be interested in performing; send us your details: pulpfactioner@gmail.com so that we can include you in the plan.

Our lineup of performers include musicians, Ese Peters, Isebiama, DTone, and poets, Plumbline, Efe Paul Azino, Razaq Ivori and YOU!

Performers

Efe Paul Azino: Regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading Spoken Word Poets, Efe Paul has headlined many performance poetry events, including Anthill 2.0 and Taruwa.  Efe has delivered Spoken Word Poetry locally and internationally.  Reflecting the suffering in African societies and the hope that keeps them going; Efe Paul’s poems cut across class, social and religious boundaries.  Efe Paul is at once entertaining and thought-provoking; he leads a generation of poets in lifting poetry off the printed page, out of the shadows of academia and placing it right before the audience.

Plumbline studied as a Geo-scientist, rather than digging oil pipes; he “mines” words. Influenced by poets like the late Mamman Vatsa and the late Ken Saro Wiwa, the songwriter and spoken word artist wrote poetry from his secondary school days.  He performs Spoken Word Poetry at most Lagos Events like Wordslam, Anthill, Taruwa and hosts Chill and Relax. His words dash straight through the heart of the audience and leaving them with thoughts, little mementos to take home.

Isebiama is a sensational singer, songwriter, guitarist whose love and passion for music has taken him through phases most focused and accomplished musicians pass through. He is a product of the MUSON Diploma School Of Music where he learnt a whole lot about music. Isebiama is indeed a musician of purpose; his genre of music oozes of originality and cultural credibility in Soul and World Music. His songs which are written & delivered in English, Yoruba, Okrika and Pidgin English, are an expression of his experiences.  His dynamic play of the guitar with speed, passion, mental strength, balance and panache, and his remarkable vocal intonation through his mid to high notes registration are assets to be reckoned with.

Dtone: He’s one of the new Nigerian singers to watch out for. His new singles “Sunkun Ife” and“Ife Gbagbara” have been attracting rave reviews. He has performed on stages with Nigerian musicians like Dj Zeez, M I, Banky, 2 face, 9ice, Sunny Ade, Femi Kuti and P-Square. Eyes closed, fingers strumming the guitar, sonorous voice tantalizing the audience, D Tone is always a delight to watch.

Razaq Ivori: Spoken Word Artiste. Razaq Ivori graduated from Ahmadu Bello University and the Institute of Journalism. He has two unpublished works: The Sperm, a Sci-Fi African drama piece and The Adventures of Illinick. He longs to bring back the art of the quintessential town crier poetic semantics which he dubs “narrative news”—a  system where actual news content is infused in free flowing prose rendition like the Yoruba “ewi”, though delivered in English yet not without the characteristic melodic chant of the past. For six months, Ivori premiered this art at the Bogobiri House, ikoyi, where some said the uproar it generated prompted the proprietors to establish a full scale stage house next door for performance poetry.

Ese Peters: Ese Peters has a knack for making beautiful music. A self-taught guitar player, he started out as a solo performer of the Alternative Rock/Soul genre. Ese puts an interesting spin on guitar-driven pop music.

Auction Session: There will be an auction session. What do you get? Latest books that you can only find online. Hot CDs that are yet to be on the streets. There is also a surprise X auction item, come to find out. What are you waiting for? Let the bargaining begin. 

Also:                                       

• A platform for book lovers to meet, interact and network.
• Freebies, lots of it. Let’s start with this. Invite five friends, ensure they come for the event and win a free book.
• Live Musical performances by:  Ese Peters and Isebiama.
• Poetry by Efe Paul Azino, Razaq Ivori and Plumbline

·         There will also be a raffle draw with the star prize being a Kindle.

DATE:  May 26, 2012

TIME: STRICTLY 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Debonair Bookstore, 294, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

Remember: Bring five friends and win a free book! Gifts are available for early birds too.

Introducing: Parrésia Publishers Limited

Your manuscript has started gathering dust? It's not time to give up. Oh well, not yet, not until you try this new Nigeria based publishing house. Introducing Paressia.

Parrésia Publishers Limited with its two imprints, Parrésia Publishers and Black Palms Publishers, enters the Nigerian market at a crucial time when publishing is at best a risky investment. Only two serious publishing firms have been set up since the return of democracy in 1999 and while these have published very important authors who have gone on to win international prizes and awards, the Commonwealth Prize, the Orange and the Soyinka for example, they have not catered to talent discovery—that critical, replenishing and uncertain publishing demographic. 

Set up by long time literary aficionados Richard Ali and Azafi Omoluabi-Ogosi to publish especially new voices, Parrésia Publishers Ltd has been causing ripples since entering the market in January 2012. Richard, apart from being Editor-in-Chief of Sentinel Nigeria Magazine and Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors, is best known for his 2010 criticisms of Nigerian literature written in Northern Nigeria. Azafi, who holds an MA in International Relations, was an editor with Farafina [Kachifo Press Ltd’s literary division] for years and has run a community library and a most recently a literary agency, providing content for several national magazines.  Miss Rose Kahendy is the third part of the Parrésia triangle—she is the principal editor. Rose is a writer and translator of East African origin who just successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at the University of Iowa.

The company’s flagship imprint, Parresia Publishers, is a traditional publishing setup that came on stream with its signing on of journalist Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s debut short stories “The Whispering Trees” at a ceremony in Jos where the author signed his publishing contract and received a sign-on advance of N100,000 only. This was followed soon after by the signing on of Saraba Magazine co-publisher Emmanuel Iduma, for his novella “Farad”, at a public ceremony at Debonair Bookshop, Lagos, where Emmanuel received his sign-on advance of N100,000. The reality of an advance on sales made out to a writer has not been seen in Nigerian publishing in over 25 years yet the very philosophy behind the company’s Parresia Publishers imprint is that talented new writers especially need to have their confidence boosted and their effort rewarded—hence a financial advance. 

The Black Palms imprint is a specialized publishing service innovatively designed for authors who want greater control over their work with or without a contract. Black Palms Publishers contributes its editorial competence and the assured quality of production to a writer’s manuscript while he bears the financial and post-production responsibility.The unique selling point of the Black Palms imprint is however its variable contract system, the Black Palms Marketing System, under which the publisher can assume control of such critical activities as distribution, marketing and accounting services—for agreed on percentages off the optimum cover price arrived at after a careful market analysis. A key distinction between publishing with Black Palms and publishing with the Parrésia imprint is that the first is an all-genres service while Parrésia Publishers is only interested in genre fiction, broadly defined. 

General enquiries and submissions can be sent to parrésia@parresia.com while specific questions should be addressed to the Managing Editor azafi@parresia.com.ng or to the Chief Operating Officer at richard.ali@parresia.com.ng

In the month of May, we will feature excerpts from Paressia's titles, and interviews with the new authors. Keep your fingers crossed. 

Ten Best First Lines of Fiction

Sometime ago, The Guardian published what they think are the ten best lines of fiction. What do you think? Have you read any first lines and the book turned to be a disaster?

Let's turn this on its head for a while, bring the message home. What are your best first lines of African fiction?

Africa Centre Artist in Residency Programme

If you are an African artist (writer, artist, playwright, etc.) and you haven't heard about this residency, listen up.  The Africa Centre provides over 15 residency opportunities in different parts of the world. I forgot to say, different interesting parts of the world. You know, we all need that silence to get our works done; that's what the residency is about and here is a chance.

There are three ways of applying, find out here
We think that this deadline is really important: 15 June 2012.

All the best!

Call for Writers: Aprillaughs.com

Aprillaugh.com has evolved from www.aprillaugh.wordpress.com. This started from the posts of an interesting young lady writing about life, as she saw it. Now, she has made the platform bigger, and is giving more writers the opportunity to have a say on the issues of life.

Aprillaugh.com is an online weekly magazine where everybody from all works of life can read about interesting and mind bogging articles. We’ll be having different categories from politics to relationships to soccer to lifestyle, everyday living, and a host of fun posts. We need freelance writers from all over the world who can write creatively irrespective of their discipline. Political Analysts, Sports Writers, Teenage Writers, Poets, Fashion Writers are all interested; there’s no limit to the expectations of the readers anyways.

What to do: Please email aprillaugh@gmail.com if you’re interested.
Selected writers will be given a token monthly for their contribution.

Introducing: Garden City Literary Festival Blog

Garden City Literary Festival has a blog. Are you asking: what's GCLF? Then, check here, here, here and here. OK, now you know enough, well but not enough till you visit the new blog by GLCF. It will be an avenue to ask any questions about GLCF. The GLCF social media pages are also active these days. Just search for them!

Here is the welcome note:

Welcome to The Voice*, the come-to portal for information about the Port Harcourt-based Garden City Literary Festival [and here, in case you're wondering, is the go-to portal]. Apart from doing our job [which is basically to promote the GCLF through guest writer interviews, profiles, photos, Twitter reportage, Youtube videos, Facebook polls, chatty commentary, etc etc], we will also blog about anything we consider connected to literature. [Such as this.] So stay connected to The Voice*. And prepare to be thrilled, informed, engaged.

Introducing: Nigerianstalk, The Literary Pages

I will let the editorial for the newest articles say it all. Yes, follow the links. And they always accept submissions, so play around the site a bit, you will sure find the "submissions" info.

This week’s issue features excerpts of fiction, some poems, and a non-fiction piece from a writer’s residency. Chris Ihidero, a columnist from Lagos, makes a debut with two poems exploring pain and nostalgia. In Bolaji Olatunde’s Straw Dogs, a young man explores his own sexuality and confrontation with the forces of Christianity. I strongly recommend it. Alkasim Abdulkadir also makes a debut with five poems, while Temitayo Olofinlua’s report on a chance encounter with a fellow Ugandan writer/teacher makes for a fascinating insight into a meeting of cultures and thoughts. What they all have in common, I guess, is a touch of personal subjectivity in approaching an always changing world.

In other news about contemporary developments in the literary world, the Caine Prize has come out with a shortlist of this year’s competing works. The shortlisted writers are Nigeria’s Rotimi Babatunde, Kenya’s Billy Kahora, Malawi’s Stanley Kenani, Zimbabwe’s Melissa Tandiwe Myambo, and South Africa’s Constance Myburgh. Links to their stories have been listed on the Caine Prize webpage while a California-based blogger Aaron Bady has put up a list of current reviews of each of the shortlisted stories on his website. From what has been written so far, shortlisted entries for this year’s prize present a forward-looking snapshot of the continent’s literary future.

All that’s left here is a tribute to Maurice Sendak, the famous author of children’s books (especially, Where the Wild Things Are), who died on Tuesday at the age of 83. Enjoy our issue!

A Season of Shortlists

It seems to be that time of the year when all the judges of the competitions are poring over shortlists of prizes for winners. I imagine a final judge, head bowed on a computer or pieces of paper like some lecturer judging students' grades. Spectacles right on the bridge of the nose.

 Yes, the Commonwealth Prize, for short stories and  Book Prize announced it's shortlist recently. You can see the shortlist here. And no, there are not so many Nigerians on the list. Good or bad? See the list here.

The Caine prize always makes the news with its shortlist. This year is no different. There is an interesting outline of stories. You can read them for yourself here. There is also a blogathon where bloggers are invited to review the stories. You can read about all that and participate. It's called Blogging the Caine Prize

The shortlist for the Ondaatje prize, which goes to the "book of the highest literary merit – fiction, non-fiction, poetry – evoking the spirit of a place" has been announced. And Nigeria's Teju Cole is on it for his book "Open City" We wish him luck.

Did we miss out on any shortlist? Post in the comment box. Thanks!

Events this week...

Lagos Meets London, in the River of Music

From May 14 to 17, 2012, the UK jazz band, The Invisible (whose ‘exploratory, expansive pop music’ earned them a 2009 Mercury Prize nomination for their eponymous debut album), will be in Lagos, Nigeria, for the second time this year. The 2009 Mercury Prize nominees will be spending some time in Nigeria in a studio, rehearsing with the King of Juju Music, Sunny Ade, in preparation for ‘River of Music’, a British Council-curated collaborative showcase taking place in London in July, as part of the “Cultural Olympiad.” 

A Lagos preview

KSA and the Invisible will offer a preview of the performance to a Lagos audience on Thursday May 17 at the MUSON Center in Lagos, alongside a number of guest artists including ‘Ijo Ya’ maestro Weird MC, and Wizboyy. The event will also feature a discussion session to be moderated by Ayeni Adekunle, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET), bringing together the key collaborators (who will be speaking about their experiences working on the project) and a number of Nigerian music industry insiders.

The beat goes on

In about two weeks, Lagos will meet London again, for the second phase of rehearsals. We’ll be sure to keep you posted! More blogposts – as well as photos and videos – will follow over the coming weeks and months. You can follow activities on Facebook, Twitter, and our website.British Council will also be giving away some tickets to the Lagos performance, so watch this link for details! There's more info there also. 

Talk and Exhibition & Preview Sale: Ruth Omabegho

NFS Talk and Preview Sale of Ruth Omabegho’s Collection which will be held at Ekaba Davies house on Wednesday, May 16th.  It will be an excellent evening!

First,  Ruth is an expert on African beads and will give an informative talk. Second, Ruth’s jewellery is exquisite and this will be the first sale opportunity.  They really are works of art.  Third, the Davies’ house is really exquisite adding a special touch to the event. A native New Yorker who lived in Lagos and Accra for more than 29 years before returning to NYC about 8 years ago, her “Eko of Africa” jewellery line is collected and sold in prestigious venues including the Museum of Art and Design and the MET in New York as well as the Royal Academy of Art in London and Saks 5th Avenue.

The evening will be in two parts.  Ruth will talk about the history of beads in Africa, which interweaves the customary traditions of Obas (Kings) and people of wealth, and the history of European/African trade.  This will be followed by a Preview Sale of Ruth’s remarkable jewellery Collection: Eko of Africa.  Ruth holds a Phd in Art and her designs are inspired by a remarkable fusion of art, history and a vivid imagination.

The Talk and Exhibition & Preview Sale will take place in the home of Ekaba and Alan Davies, both notable architects.   There will be small chop and a cash bar.  There will be a charge of 500 Naira/person to defray the cost of small chop, water and minerals.  This event is OPEN to NFS Members and Guests.  Please contact Robin Campbell at robin.campbell52@ gmail.com (0807 277 8322).  Space is limited so please do not delay in replying!

Iread

The weekend is here and we are back with the Iread series which keeps you updated on interesting things to read online. Dive in as you lazy around this weekend. Have a restful one.

Who is the Author of Toni Morrison? A rather long piece about the writer but you'd be glad you read it till the end. At 81, and after the loss of her son, Morisson is waxing stronger with a book to be released soon.

Morrison’s voice is as layered and visceral as her writing. The author growls, purrs, giggles, and barks. Discussing politics, her voice rises in indignation before cresting and breaking into a loud chuckle. (“They should have that in the military, or the prisons—a little affirmative action! Let’s bring some white guys in!”) She surrenders to a wheezing, shoulder-shaking, freight-train laugh when describing a particularly gruesome Funny or Die video. She booms theatrically in recounting the ghost stories her parents would tell every night. (“Sharpen my knife, sharpen my knife, gonna cut my wife’s head off!”)She slows to a pedagogical rhythm while discussing her “invisible ink”—symbols and allusions in her work that would be picked up only by a deep reader, or maybe someone writing a dissertation twenty years from now.

Best Resources for Fiction Writers: You think that you can write. Perhaps at different points, you attempted to write, some lines of poetry, some paragraphs of prose. You think you need some help to be better. Here is a list of resources that can help you. Don't just read them. Go out and get them. My favourite is Steven King's On Writing. Number Seven is our fave: A Wicked Good Dictionary

A good dictionary can be a writer’s best friend. My favorite online version (free!) is Merriam-Webster. It includes a thesaurus and, while grounded in American English, does offer British alternative spellings. (My UK friends might prefer other versions; let us know your favorites.) However, I’ve kept my big-ass print dictionary. To me, there’s something visceral and writerly about taking down a weighty tome and flipping through the pages. And it’s yet another resource for discouraging interruptions

Noo Saro-Wiwa, on her father, Ken Saro-Wiwa, his other family and writing: This well-written piece says it all. Go read for yourself!

"For years, we'd been dragged back there for two months every summer. We just said, enough is enough." And after Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the country's military dictatorship in November 1995, of course, there was even less of an incentive to return. Nigeria, says Noo, became a repository of all her pain, fears, disappointments and resentments, a place "where nightmares come true".

Do you have any links, stories to share with us? Feel free to drop a comment about them in the comment box. Thanks :)

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: African Road Rally 2012

The African Road Rally Organization is proud to announce a call for Participation in the maiden edition of the road trip project. The ARR team plans to travel from Senegal, through Lagos, Nigeria to South Africa through Ethiopia and Kenya for the 2012 edition. This year’s trip will feature 50 Nigerians and three delegates from 18 other participating African Country traveling over 19,000 km within 57 days (through mostly rough terrains). The trip is anchored to the “International Day of Peace”.

The group will make stops every three days in the capital and important cities of the Road Rally Route to Advocate for Peace across Africa; showcase the richness of Africa through Youth Mobilization and also brand participating organization in and across Africa, in collaboration with the indigenous artists in the cities, while networking within the host community. However intermediary stop will be made in towns between cities according to the on-ground reality of the trip.

We are looking for interested young adults whose dedication and patriotism will be the anchor for a successful portrayal of Africans who resonate with the idea behind Invisible Borders and would like to take part in the ARR 2012 road trip. Female participants are particularly encouraged to apply. 

More info here