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Osakue Omoera

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Oct 12, 2019, 10:15:42 AM10/12/19

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Hearty congratulations TK. More grace, greater you. Shalom. Osakue Omoera.

On Fri, Oct 11, 2019, 11:46 PM <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>: Oct 11 06:14PM

Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame
Toyin Falola
Professor of History
Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities
University Distinguished Teaching Professor

The extraordinary announcement, coming from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, that ace filmmaker Kelani will now be based there as a Fellow is heartwarming. The news reveals the warmth and uniqueness of the University's boundless imaginations and the humanistic vision of its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako. This news of a deserving appointment follows on the heels of Kelani receiving the prestigious Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact in July, 2019 at the annual TOFAC event at Babcock University. In that same month, he was also inducted into the American Oscars—the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. All of these accolades are well-deserved. Kelani has spent his career putting things—people, ideas, cultures, traditions, and ideologies—inside the cinematographic frame. It is a most exciting thing to see him too bursting out of every frame with all these multiple achievements that celebrate him. Ìrókò!
Ìrókò Olúwéré!
Ọ̀rọ̀ bàm̀bà ní í gbénú Ìrókò.
Igi t'ọ́mọ aráyé ń gbóṣùbà rẹ̀!
Kokoko lára.
Àjífẹnu kíkò pè.
Ọba igi lóko!
Ọ̀rọ̀ hùnnùhùnnù ní í gbénú igi tó le koko.
Kò bojú wẹ̀hìn
Káyé ó tẹ́ńbẹ́lù ẹ̀ rí.
Igi tí í dá jìnnìjìnnì s'ọ́mọ́ ojo láyà!
Olúwéré ni baba igi lóko.

Tunde Kelani, popularly referred to as TK, is to Nollywood, the Nigerian/African movie and entertainment industry, what Wole Soyinka is to literature. These are people of greatness that have crept out from underneath the ancient Olumo Rock. To be widely acknowledged as the most respected filmmaker in Nigeria, or anywhere, against the tormenting odds of uncontrolled piracy, bad economy, sanctions due to political differences and unsupportive leadership, is no little feat to achieve. Kelani has consistently positioned himself as a cultural ambassador, socio-political commentator, and future-oriented creative icon with his filmic productions, and other engagements, all of which are conscience-driven.
TK, a world-class storyteller and director of so many films, hails from Abeokuta in Ogun State. From a cultural viewpoint, Kelani is a cultural educator and an advocate whose works have become a narrative of success and hard-work. From his early works such as The Dilemma of Reverend Father Michael which was co-produced by the movie veteran Adebayo Faleti, who was himself the author of the Yoruba play, Idaamu Paadi Mukailu, Kelani has been a steady yet prolific writer, photographer, cinematographer, and movie producer. In his repertoire of works, Anikura, Iya Ni Wura, Iwa, O Le Ku, Saworo Ide, etc., Kelani has been an advocate of culture, pushing the Yoruba culture to the frontiers of knowledge. He has taken upon himself the duty of an historian to capture, preserve, refract and re/present the African cultural heritage through the lens of his camera. Ìrókò!
Èèyàn bí Ìrókò!
Ìrókò bí èèyàn!
Igi tígí í wárí fún!
Túndé Kèlánì.
Adúmádéyín.
Ọ̀fọwọ́-àrà-gbé-kámẹ̀rá-mú-fíìmù yááyì!
Gíwá, ọba onísinnimá!
Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ni dùndún fi í ríran:
Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ní bàtá fí í fọhùn.

Èèkánnà ọmọ Kélání,
Irun orí ọmọ Kèlání,
Àtáǹpàkò ọmọ Kèlání -
Gbogbo ara ọmọ Kèlání
Ní í gbé fíìmú àrà jáde!

After so many productions and cinematography voyages, Kelani’s company, Mainframe Film and Television Productions (established in 1992) has produced some of the most outstanding movies in Nigeria and Africa while also offering services and technical support to other outfits. Tunde Kelani’s productions include documentaries on different subjects. Many of Kelani’s works are a mixture of tradition and modernity as the movies adapt the language of modern technology and traditional materials such as language, oral poetry, myths, legends, and folktales, and aesthetic and ornamental endowments of the Yoruba orality and knowledge system. At the front burner of productions like Campus Queen and Arugba is the message to embrace modernity into traditional culture in order to sustain the latter and benefit from the former.
The ability of Kelani to seamlessly blend tradition and modernity, both at the production and preoccupation level, has marked him out amongst his peers as a forerunner and maestro of the industry. Although he has been acknowledged as the bridge between the old and new Nollywood, and in fact, as a pioneer figure of New Nollywood, like Laaroye, he has on several occasions denied being a part of what has been popularly perceived as Nollywood. It is not strange that he is still an “outsider” in Nollywood, as the depth of his oeuvre defies the unsophisticated productions that still characterize much of Nollywood. For Kelani, culture is not static and antique; it evolves and in its evolution are the resolutions to the present predicaments bedeviling our society. Hence, whenever Kelani makes bold commentaries on the socio-political existence of the nation, he proffers (local) solutions. Ìrókò!
Túndé to mójú kámẹ́rà,
Tí í pe kámẹ́rà rán níṣẹ̀.
Bó sùn,
Kámẹ́rà rẹ̀ kò ní yàyàkuyà.
Bó yaju, bó ń naju lẹ́nu isẹ,
Kò sí nínú oníyàkuyà.

TK had a very rich cultural background that has greatly influenced his career. This illustrious background and his technical education in film production culminated in the brilliant consistency that defines the legacy of his works. In the development and production of cinema and films (and entertainment) in Nigeria, TK is a leading figure. His career continues to add to the bulging growth of this sector. His contributions to our emerging national identity and culture are immense and indispensable. Down to his personality, TK is always dressed in African traditional attire, especially Adire, which is indigenous to his hometown, Abeokuta, where he had his childhood experiences that inspire and further shape his creativity as a film producer and director. His education at the London Film School and Western Nigeria Television has equipped this talented man with unique techniques and knowledge in film-making and directing. The TV programs Arambada and Tunmigbe were also supported by Kelani as part of his burgeoning career in cinematography. Ìrókò!
Ọ̀kunrin mẹ́ta tí í fọwọ́ àrá gbé fíìmù àrà jáde.
Yóò máa jọ'ra wọn ni:
Òṣùpá ò lè ẹ jọ̀' ràwọ̀ ní sánmọ̀.
Afọ́gbọ́n inú kọ́gbọ́n jọ fáyé.
Adúmádéyín tí wọn ń jowú rẹ̀ nígbà gbogbo.

Kelani’s knowledge in film making and cinematography, and his love for superb literature, have sparked the adaptations of literary works into movies that widened the horizon of the Nigerian literary space. TK’s collaboration with writers and artists across genres has generated a new hybrid of film productions that has deepened Nollywood’s focus and professionalism. For example, Dazzling Mirage, a novel by Olayinka Egbokhare, was adapted into a movie by Kelani’s Mainframe Productions, and that production has helped to create more awareness in the Nigerian space about sickle cell anemia and its effects. With many other adaptations like O le ku, The White Handkerchief, Campus Queen and Maami, Kelani has pushed forward significant socio-political and economic preoccupations projected by the artists, but in a more relatable manner through his audio-visual filmic productions. The coalescing of traditional and cultural values with high technological dexterity in his movies has launched the director-cum-cinematographer to the limelight in the world. Kelani’s works and films also have cultural and political ideologies which have traced the historical and political growth of the nation, Nigeria.
In recognition of his illustrious contributions to the society and achievement as an artist, TK has been recognized both nationally and internationally with many awards and recognitions that span so many years or films and works of his career. These include:

* Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award in 2018;
* Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact, 2019;
* Member of the Emmy Awards International Jury in 2015;
* Elected to vote in the Directors Category of the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019; and
* Nigeria Merit Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
These awards and recognitions are particularly due to Kelani’s inimitable craft and contributions to the advancement of the Nigerian filmmaking industry, and cultural values distilled in his works. As part of his intellectual contribution to the industry, he established the Mainframe Film and Media Institute to educate and train artists in professional cinematography, editing, directing, scriptwriting, etc. within the advanced theory and art of filmmaking. This institute has been established to promote cultural values and also improve the socio-economic output of the nation. With the Mainframe Film and Media Institute, TK has further established himself as a visionary leader with the aim to impact the society and the younger generation more. The Institute becomes a symbol to pass on his legacy and brilliancy to as many as possible, an orientation that is most lacking in Nigerian society.
Kelani is arguably one of the greatest pioneers of the filmmaking industry in Nigeria and Africa whose person and works have been the subject of many doctoral theses and books. The 71-year old filmmaker is celebrated nationally and internationally for his grand narratives about African culture and art. The man Kelani and his art will continually spark admiration and intellectual discourses on the political, cultural and philosophical productions of the Nigerian space both in the literary universe and film industry.
The appointment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta will provide him a unique opportunity to contribute to the diffusion of creativity, the linkages of sciences, technology and culture, and the training of future leaders in a dynamic world in an age of expanding possibilities. T-K's tentacles will spread beyond his current reach. When it rains, it pours. Ojo Ibukun de! Ire wole!! Ìrókò!!!
Kò séégun tó lára lẹ́ṣẹ̀ bíi Lébe.
Ta ni m'ojú fíìmù bí Túndé Kèlánì,
Gíwá tó jọba wọn?
Ìtákùn tó ṣe é dìmọ́ gòkè.
Ìrókò, ọba igi lóko!

Are we surprised of the man TK has been able to make of himself? We will not be surprised when we also think of the noble lineage of the man which shows he is not only greatness born, but also greatness made. TK belongs to the Kúlódò lineage through whom a whole oral poetic form, Esa (the Privileged) became part of the rich Yoruba cultural heritage. It will therefore be befitting to end this piece with the praise of this living legend:
The illustrious Onígbórí scion of Kúlódò
Scion of Kúlódò Awùsí Ẹ̀yọ̀
Scion of the hunchback that praises the king
Scion of the lineage deep in the way of knowledge

Babátúndé, you are the scion of Kúlódò Awùbi
The abundant water that splits into creeks -
From Aàsà, to Ẹkọrọ, to Dòbòdè
And Afúnlẹ́lẹ́, the clean brook of queens

The dance of yesterday is not enough
The whips of yesterday pain no more
Bring us the dancing and whipping masquerades again
It is our father’s rite we are doing

Invoke the spirit of Arúkú,
The cadaver in the cloth called ẹ̀kú
Invoke the spirit of Ológbojò,
Custodian of eight hundred masquerades.
Ìrókò!

Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
104 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78712-0220, USA
http://toyinfalolanetwork.org/

Bayo Omolola <sanw...@yahoo.com>: Oct 11 07:03PM

Congratulation on the fellowship position! You really deserve it! More great accomplishments!

Bayo Omolola, Ph.D
Lecturer
Director, Fulbright-Hays Intensive Advanced Yoruba Group Project Abroad
President. American Association of Teachers of Yoruba
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Arts and Sciences
Locke Hall, Room 308
2441 Sixth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20059
Phone: 202-806-5075

On Friday, October 11, 2019, 02:17:47 PM EDT, Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:


Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Toyin Falola

Professor of History

Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

The extraordinary announcement, coming from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, that ace filmmaker Kelani will now be based there as a Fellow is heartwarming. The news reveals the warmth and uniqueness of the University's boundless imaginations and the humanistic vision of its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako. This news of a deserving appointment follows on the heels of Kelani receiving the prestigious Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact in July, 2019 at the annual TOFAC event at Babcock University. In that same month, he was also inducted into the American Oscars—the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. All of these accolades are well-deserved. Kelani has spent his career putting things—people, ideas, cultures, traditions, and ideologies—inside the cinematographic frame. It is a most exciting thing to see him too bursting out of every frame with all these multiple achievements that celebrate him. Ìrókò!

Ìrókò Olúwéré!

Ọ̀rọ̀ bàm̀bà ní í gbénú Ìrókò.

Igi t'ọ́mọ aráyé ń gbóṣùbà rẹ̀!

Kokoko lára.

Àjífẹnu kíkò pè.

Ọba igi lóko!

Ọ̀rọ̀ hùnnùhùnnù ní í gbénú igi tó le koko.

Kò bojú wẹ̀hìn

Káyé ó tẹ́ńbẹ́lù ẹ̀ rí.

Igi tí í dá jìnnìjìnnì s'ọ́mọ́ ojo láyà!

Olúwéré ni baba igi lóko.

Tunde Kelani, popularly referred to as TK, is to Nollywood, the Nigerian/African movie and entertainment industry, what Wole Soyinka is to literature. These are people of greatness that have crept out from underneath the ancient Olumo Rock. To be widely acknowledged as the most respected filmmaker in Nigeria, or anywhere, against the tormenting odds of uncontrolled piracy, bad economy, sanctions due to political differences and unsupportive leadership, is no little feat to achieve. Kelani has consistently positioned himself as a cultural ambassador, socio-political commentator, and future-oriented creative icon with his filmic productions, and other engagements, all of which are conscience-driven.

TK, a world-class storyteller and director of so many films, hails from Abeokuta in Ogun State. From a cultural viewpoint, Kelani is a cultural educator and an advocate whose works have become a narrative of success and hard-work. From his early works such asThe Dilemma of Reverend Father Michael which was co-produced by the movie veteran Adebayo Faleti, who was himself the author of the Yoruba play,Idaamu Paadi Mukailu, Kelani has been a steady yet prolific writer, photographer, cinematographer, and movie producer. In his repertoire of works,Anikura, Iya Ni Wura, Iwa, O Le Ku, Saworo Ide, etc., Kelani has been an advocate of culture, pushing the Yoruba culture to the frontiers of knowledge. He has taken upon himself the duty of an historian to capture, preserve, refract and re/present the African cultural heritage through the lens of his camera. Ìrókò!

Èèyàn bí Ìrókò!

Ìrókò bí èèyàn!

Igi tígí í wárí fún!

Túndé Kèlánì.

Adúmádéyín.

Ọ̀fọwọ́-àrà-gbé-kámẹ̀rá-mú-fíìmù yááyì!

Gíwá, ọba onísinnimá!

Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ni dùndún fi í ríran:

Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ní bàtá fí í fọhùn.

Èèkánnà ọmọ Kélání,

Irun orí ọmọ Kèlání,

Àtáǹpàkò ọmọ Kèlání -

Gbogbo ara ọmọ Kèlání

Ní í gbé fíìmú àrà jáde!

After so many productions and cinematography voyages, Kelani’s company, Mainframe Film and Television Productions (established in 1992) has produced some of the most outstanding movies in Nigeria and Africa while also offering services and technical support to other outfits. Tunde Kelani’s productions include documentaries on different subjects. Many of Kelani’s works are a mixture of tradition and modernity as the movies adapt the language of modern technology and traditional materials such as language, oral poetry, myths, legends, and folktales, and aesthetic and ornamental endowments of the Yoruba orality and knowledge system. At the front burner of productions like Campus Queen and Arugba is the message to embrace modernity into traditional culture in order to sustain the latter and benefit from the former.

The ability of Kelani to seamlessly blend tradition and modernity, both at the production and preoccupation level, has marked him out amongst his peers as a forerunner and maestro of the industry. Although he has been acknowledged as the bridge between the old and new Nollywood, and in fact, as a pioneer figure of New Nollywood, like Laaroye, he has on several occasions denied being a part of what has been popularly perceived as Nollywood. It is not strange that he is still an “outsider” in Nollywood, as the depth of his oeuvre defies the unsophisticated productions that still characterize much of Nollywood. For Kelani, culture is not static and antique; it evolves and in its evolution are the resolutions to the present predicaments bedeviling our society. Hence, whenever Kelani makes bold commentaries on the socio-political existence of the nation, he proffers (local) solutions.Ìrókò!

Túndé to mójú kámẹ́rà,

Tí í pe kámẹ́rà rán níṣẹ̀.

Bó sùn,

Kámẹ́rà rẹ̀ kò ní yàyàkuyà.

Bó yaju, bó ń naju lẹ́nu isẹ,

Kò sí nínú oníyàkuyà.

TK had a very rich cultural background that has greatly influenced his career. This illustrious background and his technical education in film production culminated in the brilliant consistency that defines the legacy of his works. In the development and production of cinema and films (and entertainment) in Nigeria, TK is a leading figure. His career continues to add to the bulging growth of this sector. His contributions to our emerging national identity and culture are immense and indispensable. Down to his personality, TK is always dressed in African traditional attire, especially Adire, which is indigenous to his hometown, Abeokuta, where he had his childhood experiences that inspire and further shape his creativity as a film producer and director. His education at the London Film School and Western Nigeria Television has equipped this talented man with unique techniques and knowledge in film-making and directing. The TV programs Arambada and Tunmigbe were also supported by Kelani as part of his burgeoning career in cinematography.Ìrókò!

Ọ̀kunrin mẹ́ta tí í fọwọ́ àrá gbé fíìmù àrà jáde.

Yóò máa jọ'ra wọn ni:

Òṣùpá ò lè ẹ jọ̀' ràwọ̀ ní sánmọ̀.

Afọ́gbọ́n inú kọ́gbọ́n jọ fáyé.

Adúmádéyín tí wọn ń jowú rẹ̀ nígbà gbogbo.

Kelani’s knowledge in film making and cinematography, and his love for superb literature, have sparked the adaptations of literary works into movies that widened the horizon of the Nigerian literary space. TK’s collaboration with writers and artists across genres has generated a new hybrid of film productions that has deepened Nollywood’s focus and professionalism. For example,Dazzling Mirage, a novel by Olayinka Egbokhare, was adapted into a movie by Kelani’s Mainframe Productions, and that production has helped to create more awareness in the Nigerian space about sickle cell anemia and its effects. With many other adaptations like O le ku, The White Handkerchief, Campus Queen and Maami, Kelani has pushed forward significant socio-political and economic preoccupations projected by the artists, but in a more relatable manner through his audio-visual filmic productions. The coalescing of traditional and cultural values with high technological dexterity in his movies has launched the director-cum-cinematographer to the limelight in the world. Kelani’s works and films also have cultural and political ideologies which have traced the historical and political growth of the nation, Nigeria.

In recognition of his illustrious contributions to the society and achievement as an artist, TK has been recognized both nationally and internationally with many awards and recognitions that span so many years or films and works of his career. These include:

- Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award in 2018;
- Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact, 2019;
- Member of the Emmy Awards International Jury in 2015;
- Elected to vote in the Directors Category of the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019; and
- Nigeria Merit Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

These awards and recognitions are particularly due to Kelani’s inimitable craft and contributions to the advancement of the Nigerian filmmaking industry, and cultural values distilled in his works. As part of his intellectual contribution to the industry, he established the Mainframe Film and Media Institute to educate and train artists in professional cinematography, editing, directing, scriptwriting, etc. within the advanced theory and art of filmmaking. This institute has been established to promote cultural values and also improve the socio-economic output of the nation. With the Mainframe Film and Media Institute, TK has further established himself as a visionary leader with the aim to impact the society and the younger generation more. The Institute becomes a symbol to pass on his legacy and brilliancy to as many as possible, an orientation that is most lacking in Nigerian society.

Kelani is arguably one of the greatest pioneers of the filmmaking industry in Nigeria and Africa whose person and works have been the subject of many doctoral theses and books. The 71-year old filmmaker is celebrated nationally and internationally for his grand narratives about African culture and art. The man Kelani and his art will continually spark admiration and intellectual discourses on the political, cultural and philosophical productions of the Nigerian space both in the literary universe and film industry.

The appointment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta will provide him a unique opportunity to contribute to the diffusion of creativity, the linkages of sciences, technology and culture, and the training of future leaders in a dynamic world in an age of expanding possibilities. T-K's tentacles will spread beyond his current reach. When it rains, it pours. Ojo Ibukun de! Ire wole!! Ìrókò!!!

Kò séégun tó lára lẹ́ṣẹ̀ bíi Lébe.

Ta ni m'ojú fíìmù bí Túndé Kèlánì,

Gíwá tó jọba wọn?

Ìtákùn tó ṣe é dìmọ́ gòkè.

Ìrókò, ọba igi lóko!

Are we surprised of the man TK has been able to make of himself? We will not be surprised when we also think of the noble lineage of the man which shows he is not only greatness born, but also greatness made. TK belongs to theKúlódòlineage through whom a whole oral poetic form, Esa (the Privileged) became part of the rich Yoruba cultural heritage. It will therefore be befitting to end this piece with the praise of this living legend:

The illustriousOnígbórí scion ofKúlódò

Scion ofKúlódò Awùsí Ẹ̀yọ̀

Scion of the hunchback that praises the king

Scion of the lineage deep in the way of knowledge

Babátúndé, you are the

Michael Vickers <mvic...@mvickers.plus.com>: Oct 11 08:57PM +0100

> Many many congratulations to
> Tunde Kelani.

> Baba m

From: Prof Toyin FALOLA <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>
Date: Friday, 11 October 2019 19:14
To: USA-AFRICA dialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>, Yoruba
Affairs <yoruba...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Toyin Falola

Professor of History

Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

The extraordinary announcement, coming from the Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta, that ace filmmaker Kelani will now be based there as
a Fellow is heartwarming. The news reveals the warmth and uniqueness of the
University's boundless imaginations and the humanistic vision of its
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako. This news of a deserving
appointment follows on the heels of Kelani receiving the prestigious
Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact in
July, 2019 at the annual TOFAC event at Babcock University. In that same
month, he was also inducted into the American Oscars—the Academy of Motion
Picture, Arts and Sciences. All of these accolades are well-deserved. Kelani
has spent his career putting things—people, ideas, cultures, traditions, and
ideologies—inside the cinematographic frame. It is a most exciting thing to
see him too bursting out of every frame with all these multiple achievements
that celebrate him. Ìrókò!

Ìrókò Olúwéré!
Ọ̀rọ̀ bàm̀bà ní í gbénú Ìrókò.
Igi t'ọ́mọ aráyé ń gbóṣùbà rẹ̀!
Kokoko lára.
Àjífẹnu kíkò pè.
Ọba igi lóko!
Ọ̀rọ̀ hùnnùhùnnù ní í gbénú igi tó le koko.
Kò bojú wẹ̀hìn
Káyé ó tẹ́ńbẹ́lù ẹ̀ rí.
Igi tí í dá jìnnìjìnnì s'ọ́mọ́ ojo láyà!
Olúwéré ni baba igi lóko.

Tunde Kelani, popularly referred to as TK, is to Nollywood, the
Nigerian/African movie and entertainment industry, what Wole Soyinka is to
literature. These are people of greatness that have crept out from
underneath the ancient Olumo Rock. To be widely acknowledged as the most
respected filmmaker in Nigeria, or anywhere, against the tormenting odds of
uncontrolled piracy, bad economy, sanctions due to political differences and
unsupportive leadership, is no little feat to achieve. Kelani has
consistently positioned himself as a cultural ambassador, socio-political
commentator, and future-oriented creative icon with his filmic productions,
and other engagements, all of which are conscience-driven.

TK, a world-class storyteller and director of so many films, hails from
Abeokuta in Ogun State. From a cultural viewpoint, Kelani is a cultural
educator and an advocate whose works have become a narrative of success and
hard-work. From his early works such as The Dilemma of Reverend Father
Michael which was co-produced by the movie veteran Adebayo Faleti, who was
himself the author of the Yoruba play, Idaamu Paadi Mukailu, Kelani has been
a steady yet prolific writer, photographer, cinematographer, and movie
producer. In his repertoire of works, Anikura, Iya Ni Wura, Iwa, O Le Ku,
Saworo Ide, etc., Kelani has been an advocate of culture, pushing the Yoruba
culture to the frontiers of knowledge. He has taken upon himself the duty of
an historian to capture, preserve, refract and re/present the African
cultural heritage through the lens of his camera. Ìrókò!

Èèyàn bí Ìrókò!
Ìrókò bí èèyàn!
Igi tígí í wárí fún!
Túndé Kèlánì.
Adúmádéyín.
Ọ̀fọwọ́-àrà-gbé-kámẹ̀rá-mú-fíìmù yááyì!
Gíwá, ọba onísinnimá!
Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ni dùndún fi í ríran:
Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ní bàtá fí í fọhùn.

Èèkánnà ọmọ Kélání,
Irun orí ọmọ Kèlání,
Àtáǹpàkò ọmọ Kèlání -
Gbogbo ara ọmọ Kèlání
Ní í gbé fíìmú àrà jáde!

After so many productions and cinematography voyages, Kelani’s company,
Mainframe Film and Television Productions (established in 1992) has produced
some of the most outstanding movies in Nigeria and Africa while also
offering services and technical support to other outfits. Tunde Kelani’s
productions include documentaries on different subjects. Many of Kelani’s
works are a mixture of tradition and modernity as the movies adapt the
language of modern technology and traditional materials such as language,
oral poetry, myths, legends, and folktales, and aesthetic and ornamental
endowments of the Yoruba orality and knowledge system. At the front burner
of productions like Campus Queen and Arugba is the message to embrace
modernity into traditional culture in order to sustain the latter and
benefit from the former.

The ability of Kelani to seamlessly blend tradition and modernity, both at
the production and preoccupation level, has marked him out amongst his peers
as a forerunner and maestro of the industry. Although he has been
acknowledged as the bridge between the old and new Nollywood, and in fact,
as a pioneer figure of New Nollywood, like Laaroye, he has on several
occasions denied being a part of what has been popularly perceived as
Nollywood. It is not strange that he is still an “outsider” in Nollywood, as
the depth of his oeuvre defies the unsophisticated productions that still
characterize much of Nollywood. For Kelani, culture is not static and
antique; it evolves and in its evolution are the resolutions to the present
predicaments bedeviling our society. Hence, whenever Kelani makes bold
commentaries on the socio-political existence of the nation, he proffers
(local) solutions. Ìrókò!

Túndé to mójú kámẹ́rà,
Tí í pe kámẹ́rà rán níṣẹ̀.
Bó sùn,
Kámẹ́rà rẹ̀ kò ní yàyàkuyà.
Bó yaju, bó ń naju lẹ́nu isẹ,
Kò sí nínú oníyàkuyà.

TK had a very rich cultural background that has greatly influenced his
career. This illustrious background and his technical education in film
production culminated in the brilliant consistency that defines the legacy
of his works. In the development and production of cinema and films (and
entertainment) in Nigeria, TK is a leading figure. His career continues to
add to the bulging growth of this sector. His contributions to our emerging
national identity and culture are immense and indispensable. Down to his
personality, TK is always dressed in African traditional attire, especially
Adire, which is indigenous to his hometown, Abeokuta, where he had his
childhood experiences that inspire and further shape his creativity as a
film producer and director. His education at the London Film School and
Western Nigeria Television has equipped this talented man with unique
techniques and knowledge in film-making and directing. The TV programs
Arambada and Tunmigbe were also supported by Kelani as part of his
burgeoning career in cinematography. Ìrókò!

Ọ̀kunrin mẹ́ta tí í fọwọ́ àrá gbé fíìmù àrà jáde.
Yóò máa jọ'ra wọn ni:
Òṣùpá ò lè ẹ jọ̀' ràwọ̀ ní sánmọ̀.
Afọ́gbọ́n inú kọ́gbọ́n jọ fáyé.
Adúmádéyín tí wọn ń jowú rẹ̀ nígbà gbogbo.

Kelani’s knowledge in film making and cinematography, and his love for
superb literature, have sparked the adaptations of literary works into
movies that widened the horizon of the Nigerian literary space. TK’s
collaboration with writers and artists across genres has generated a new
hybrid of film productions that has deepened Nollywood’s focus and
professionalism. For example, Dazzling Mirage, a novel by Olayinka
Egbokhare, was adapted into a movie by Kelani’s Mainframe Productions, and
that production has helped to create more awareness in the Nigerian space
about sickle cell anemia and its effects. With many other adaptations like O
le ku, The White Handkerchief, Campus Queen and Maami, Kelani has pushed
forward significant socio-political and economic preoccupations projected by
the artists, but in a more relatable manner through his audio-visual filmic
productions. The coalescing of traditional and cultural values with high
technological dexterity in his movies has launched the
director-cum-cinematographer to the limelight in the world. Kelani’s works
and films also have cultural and political ideologies which have traced the
historical and political growth of the nation, Nigeria.

In recognition of his illustrious contributions to the society and
achievement as an artist, TK has been recognized both nationally and
internationally with many awards and recognitions that span so many years or
films and works of his career. These include:
* Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award in 2018;
* Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact,
2019;
* Member of the Emmy Awards International Jury in 2015;
* Elected to vote in the Directors Category of the Board of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019; and
* Nigeria Merit Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
These awards and recognitions are particularly due to Kelani’s inimitable
craft and contributions to the advancement of the Nigerian filmmaking
industry, and cultural values distilled in his works. As part of his
intellectual contribution to the industry, he established the Mainframe Film
and Media Institute to educate and train artists in professional
cinematography, editing, directing, scriptwriting, etc. within the advanced
theory and art of filmmaking. This institute has been established to promote
cultural values and also improve the socio-economic output of the nation.
With the Mainframe Film and Media Institute, TK has further established
himself as a visionary leader with the aim to impact the society and the
younger generation more. The Institute becomes a symbol to pass on his
legacy and brilliancy to as many as possible, an orientation that is most
lacking in Nigerian society.

Kelani is arguably one of the greatest pioneers of the filmmaking industry
in Nigeria and Africa whose person and works have been the subject of many
doctoral theses and books. The 71-year old filmmaker is celebrated
nationally and internationally for his grand narratives about African
culture and art. The man Kelani and his art will continually spark
admiration and intellectual discourses on the political, cultural and
philosophical productions of the Nigerian space both in the literary
universe and film industry.

The appointment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta will
provide him a unique opportunity to contribute to the diffusion of
creativity, the linkages of sciences, technology and culture, and the
training of future leaders in a dynamic world in an age of expanding
possibilities. T-K's tentacles will spread beyond his current reach. When it
rains, it pours. Ojo Ibukun de! Ire wole!! Ìrókò!!!

Kò séégun tó lára lẹ́ṣẹ̀ bíi Lébe.
Ta ni m'ojú fíìmù bí Túndé Kèlánì,
Gíwá tó jọba wọn?
Ìtákùn tó ṣe é dìmọ́ gòkè.
Ìrókò, ọba igi lóko!

Are we surprised of the man TK has been able to make of himself? We will not
be surprised when we also think of the noble lineage of the man which shows
he is not only greatness born, but also greatness made. TK belongs to the
Kúlódò lineage through whom a whole oral poetic form, Esa (the
Privileged) became part of the rich Yoruba cultural heritage. It will
therefore be befitting to end this piece with the praise of this living
legend:

The illustrious Onígbórí scion of Kúlódò

Scion of Kúlódò Awùsí Ẹ̀yọ̀

Scion of the hunchback that praises the king

Scion of the lineage deep in the way of knowledge

Babátúndé, you are the scion of Kúlódò Awùbi

The abundant water that splits into creeks -

From Aàsà, toẸkọrọ, to Dòbòdè

And Afúnlẹ́lẹ́, the clean brook of queens

The dance of yesterday is not enough

The whips of yesterday pain no more

Bring us the dancing and whipping masquerades again

It is our father’s rite we are doing

Invoke the spirit of Arúkú,

The cadaver in the cloth called ẹ̀kú

Invoke the spirit of Ológbojò,

Custodian of eight hundred masquerades.

Ìrókò!

Toyin Falola

Department of History

The University of Texas at Austin

104 Inner Campus Drive

Austin, TX 78712-0220, USA

http://toyinfalolanetwork.org/ <http://toyinfalolanetwork.org/>

"Harrow, Kenneth" <har...@msu.edu>: Oct 11 08:32PM

very happy to hear the news about TK. to make movies these days often requires some stable income. i hope TK will continue to give us he wonderful work for many years to come
ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

________________________________
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Michael Vickers <mvic...@mvickers.plus.com>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 3:57 PM
To: Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>; dialogue <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>; Yoruba Affairs <yoruba...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Oloruntoyin,
Prodigious and Prolific.
Wonderful. Wonderful.
From strength to Ever new,
Ever greater strengths and accomplishments.
This is excellent, profoundly good news.
Many many congratulations to
Tunde Kelani.

Baba m

From: Prof Toyin FALOLA <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu<mailto:toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>>
Date: Friday, 11 October 2019 19:14
To: USA-AFRICA dialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafric...@googlegroups.com>>, Yoruba Affairs <yoruba...@googlegroups.com<mailto:yoruba...@googlegroups.com>>
Subject: Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Tunde Kelani: The Man Exceeds the Frame

Toyin Falola

Professor of History

Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

The extraordinary announcement, coming from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, that ace filmmaker Kelani will now be based there as a Fellow is heartwarming. The news reveals the warmth and uniqueness of the University's boundless imaginations and the humanistic vision of its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako. This news of a deserving appointment follows on the heels of Kelani receiving the prestigious Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact in July, 2019 at the annual TOFAC event at Babcock University. In that same month, he was also inducted into the American Oscars—the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. All of these accolades are well-deserved. Kelani has spent his career putting things—people, ideas, cultures, traditions, and ideologies—inside the cinematographic frame. It is a most exciting thing to see him too bursting out of every frame with all these multiple achievements that celebrate him. Ìrókò!

Ìrókò Olúwéré!

Ọ̀rọ̀ bàm̀bà ní í gbénú Ìrókò.

Igi t'ọ́mọ aráyé ń gbóṣùbà rẹ̀!

Kokoko lára.

Àjífẹnu kíkò pè.

Ọba igi lóko!

Ọ̀rọ̀ hùnnùhùnnù ní í gbénú igi tó le koko.

Kò bojú wẹ̀hìn

Káyé ó tẹ́ńbẹ́lù ẹ̀ rí.

Igi tí í dá jìnnìjìnnì s'ọ́mọ́ ojo láyà!

Olúwéré ni baba igi lóko.

Tunde Kelani, popularly referred to as TK, is to Nollywood, the Nigerian/African movie and entertainment industry, what Wole Soyinka is to literature. These are people of greatness that have crept out from underneath the ancient Olumo Rock. To be widely acknowledged as the most respected filmmaker in Nigeria, or anywhere, against the tormenting odds of uncontrolled piracy, bad economy, sanctions due to political differences and unsupportive leadership, is no little feat to achieve. Kelani has consistently positioned himself as a cultural ambassador, socio-political commentator, and future-oriented creative icon with his filmic productions, and other engagements, all of which are conscience-driven.

TK, a world-class storyteller and director of so many films, hails from Abeokuta in Ogun State. From a cultural viewpoint, Kelani is a cultural educator and an advocate whose works have become a narrative of success and hard-work. From his early works such as The Dilemma of Reverend Father Michael which was co-produced by the movie veteran Adebayo Faleti, who was himself the author of the Yoruba play, Idaamu Paadi Mukailu, Kelani has been a steady yet prolific writer, photographer, cinematographer, and movie producer. In his repertoire of works, Anikura, Iya Ni Wura, Iwa, O Le Ku, Saworo Ide, etc., Kelani has been an advocate of culture, pushing the Yoruba culture to the frontiers of knowledge. He has taken upon himself the duty of an historian to capture, preserve, refract and re/present the African cultural heritage through the lens of his camera. Ìrókò!

Èèyàn bí Ìrókò!

Ìrókò bí èèyàn!

Igi tígí í wárí fún!

Túndé Kèlánì.

Adúmádéyín.

Ọ̀fọwọ́-àrà-gbé-kámẹ̀rá-mú-fíìmù yááyì!

Gíwá, ọba onísinnimá!

Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ni dùndún fi í ríran:

Tọ́jú-tẹ̀yìn ní bàtá fí í fọhùn.

Èèkánnà ọmọ Kélání,

Irun orí ọmọ Kèlání,

Àtáǹpàkò ọmọ Kèlání -

Gbogbo ara ọmọ Kèlání

Ní í gbé fíìmú àrà jáde!

After so many productions and cinematography voyages, Kelani’s company, Mainframe Film and Television Productions (established in 1992) has produced some of the most outstanding movies in Nigeria and Africa while also offering services and technical support to other outfits. Tunde Kelani’s productions include documentaries on different subjects. Many of Kelani’s works are a mixture of tradition and modernity as the movies adapt the language of modern technology and traditional materials such as language, oral poetry, myths, legends, and folktales, and aesthetic and ornamental endowments of the Yoruba orality and knowledge system. At the front burner of productions like Campus Queen and Arugba is the message to embrace modernity into traditional culture in order to sustain the latter and benefit from the former.

The ability of Kelani to seamlessly blend tradition and modernity, both at the production and preoccupation level, has marked him out amongst his peers as a forerunner and maestro of the industry. Although he has been acknowledged as the bridge between the old and new Nollywood, and in fact, as a pioneer figure of New Nollywood, like Laaroye, he has on several occasions denied being a part of what has been popularly perceived as Nollywood. It is not strange that he is still an “outsider” in Nollywood, as the depth of his oeuvre defies the unsophisticated productions that still characterize much of Nollywood. For Kelani, culture is not static and antique; it evolves and in its evolution are the resolutions to the present predicaments bedeviling our society. Hence, whenever Kelani makes bold commentaries on the socio-political existence of the nation, he proffers (local) solutions. Ìrókò!

Túndé to mójú kámẹ́rà,

Tí í pe kámẹ́rà rán níṣẹ̀.

Bó sùn,

Kámẹ́rà rẹ̀ kò ní yàyàkuyà.

Bó yaju, bó ń naju lẹ́nu isẹ,

Kò sí nínú oníyàkuyà.

TK had a very rich cultural background that has greatly influenced his career. This illustrious background and his technical education in film production culminated in the brilliant consistency that defines the legacy of his works. In the development and production of cinema and films (and entertainment) in Nigeria, TK is a leading figure. His career continues to add to the bulging growth of this sector. His contributions to our emerging national identity and culture are immense and indispensable. Down to his personality, TK is always dressed in African traditional attire, especially Adire, which is indigenous to his hometown, Abeokuta, where he had his childhood experiences that inspire and further shape his creativity as a film producer and director. His education at the London Film School and Western Nigeria Television has equipped this talented man with unique techniques and knowledge in film-making and directing. The TV programs Arambada and Tunmigbe were also supported by Kelani as part of his burgeoning career in cinematography. Ìrókò!

Ọ̀kunrin mẹ́ta tí í fọwọ́ àrá gbé fíìmù àrà jáde.

Yóò máa jọ'ra wọn ni:

Òṣùpá ò lè ẹ jọ̀' ràwọ̀ ní sánmọ̀.

Afọ́gbọ́n inú kọ́gbọ́n jọ fáyé.

Adúmádéyín tí wọn ń jowú rẹ̀ nígbà gbogbo.

Kelani’s knowledge in film making and cinematography, and his love for superb literature, have sparked the adaptations of literary works into movies that widened the horizon of the Nigerian literary space. TK’s collaboration with writers and artists across genres has generated a new hybrid of film productions that has deepened Nollywood’s focus and professionalism. For example, Dazzling Mirage, a novel by Olayinka Egbokhare, was adapted into a movie by Kelani’s Mainframe Productions, and that production has helped to create more awareness in the Nigerian space about sickle cell anemia and its effects. With many other adaptations like O le ku, The White Handkerchief, Campus Queen and Maami, Kelani has pushed forward significant socio-political and economic preoccupations projected by the artists, but in a more relatable manner through his audio-visual filmic productions. The coalescing of traditional and cultural values with high technological dexterity in his movies has launched the director-cum-cinematographer to the limelight in the world. Kelani’s works and films also have cultural and political ideologies which have traced the historical and political growth of the nation, Nigeria.

In recognition of his illustrious contributions to the society and achievement as an artist, TK has been recognized both nationally and internationally with many awards and recognitions that span so many years or films and works of his career. These include:

* Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award in 2018;
* Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact, 2019;
* Member of the Emmy Awards International Jury in 2015;
* Elected to vote in the Directors Category of the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019; and
* Nigeria Merit Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

These awards and recognitions are particularly due to Kelani’s inimitable craft and contributions to the advancement of the Nigerian filmmaking industry, and cultural values distilled in his works. As part of his intellectual contribution to the industry, he established the Mainframe Film and Media Institute to educate and train artists in professional cinematography, editing, directing, scriptwriting, etc. within the advanced theory and art of filmmaking. This institute has been established to promote cultural values and also improve the socio-economic output of the nation. With the Mainframe Film and Media Institute, TK has further established himself as a visionary leader with the aim to impact the society and the younger generation more. The Institute becomes a symbol to pass on his legacy and brilliancy to as many as possible, an orientation that is most lacking in Nigerian society.

Kelani is arguably one of the greatest pioneers of the filmmaking industry in Nigeria and Africa whose person and works have been the subject of many doctoral theses and books. The 71-year old filmmaker is celebrated nationally and internationally for his grand narratives about African culture and art. The man Kelani and his art will continually spark admiration and intellectual discourses on the political, cultural and philosophical productions of the Nigerian space both in the literary universe and film industry.

The appointment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta will provide him a unique opportunity to contribute to the diffusion of creativity, the linkages of sciences, technology and culture, and the training of future leaders in a dynamic world in an age of expanding possibilities. T-K's tentacles will spread beyond his current reach. When it rains, it pours. Ojo Ibukun de! Ire wole!! Ìrókò!!!

Kò séégun tó lára lẹ́ṣẹ̀ bíi Lébe.

Ta ni m'ojú fíìmù bí Túndé Kèlánì,

Gíwá tó jọba wọn?

Ìtákùn tó ṣe é dìmọ́ gòkè.

Ìrókò, ọba igi lóko!

Are we surprised of the man TK has been able to make of himself? We will not be surprised when we also think of the noble lineage of the man which shows he is not only greatness born, but also greatness made. TK belongs to the Kúlódò lineage through whom a whole oral poetic form, Esa (the Privileged) became part of the rich Yoruba cultural heritage. It will therefore be befitting to end this piece with the praise of this living legend:

The illustrious Onígbórí scion of Kúlódò

Scion of Kúlódò Awùsí Ẹ̀yọ̀

Scion of the hunchback that praises the king

Scion of the lineage deep in the way of knowledge

Babátúndé, you are the scion of Kúlódò Awùbi

The abundant water that splits into creeks -

From Aàsà, toẸkọrọ, to Dòbòdè

And Afúnlẹ́lẹ́, the clean brook of queens

The dance of yesterday is not enough

The whips of yesterday pain no more

Bring us the dancing and whipping masquerades again

It is our father’s rite we are doing

Invoke the spirit of Arúkú,

The cadaver in the cloth called ẹ̀kú

Invoke the spirit of Ológbojò,

Custodian of eight hundred masquerades.

Ìrókò!

Toyin Falola

Department of History

The University of Texas at Austin

104 Inner Campus Drive

Austin, TX 78712-0220, USA

http://toyinfalolanetwork.org/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__toyinfalolanetwork.org_&d=DwMFaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=Zy8I_UX8z9DLbmf5YJ0EIg&m=X5b78hzNw11v8O2yxUtK_IvGVlmel6zYYO8aSNkLYM0&s=9FImwu-8kJpZfL4Uq9U9JRFl1pav8PTKbgYxxsiOeGw&e=>

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Back to top

Adieu!Chief Caution Preboye- ANA OYO Patron & Presenter@Monthly Literary Readings of This Day In History (snippets by Gbemi Tijani MST)

Gbemi Tijani <tijan...@gmail.com>: Oct 11 09:26PM +0300

420pm(11/10/19
----------
Please attn Prof Toyin Falola, Convener USA africadialogue

@Energy Clinic..
for Chief Preboye,(author,poet,presenter @ANA Monthly Readings"This
Day In History")

'Where are you now?'
a ring tone from a brand apple phone disturbs the plight silence
of hundreds waiting besides their cars in a long gas queue to be fueled at
the cheapest option in the city."
''Aleluai,
I 'm on Number fifty
With a tag!"

'Fifty?'!
The spouse queried astonishingly.
Her husband has been on fuel queue
Since Ten O'clock in the night from previous day!Its that horrendous.
"You aren't on ground here to see the reality of vehicles waiting for
the same.
Don't bother to ring me earlier than noon time.'
Got it . Honey,
Despite the tag?"

"Yes.Thats the credential for being on the queue,I tell you!"
'You mean...
More protocols to be fulfilled before fueling?'
"Yes O -- to infinity."

'Don't worry
Remain faithful
The Lord will do it'
"Thanks for calling".

*11:48pm@ fuel ward

Tag 50...

"Yes I m here
Keg or car?
Both.
'No.Not possible here except,e except,except..
'WHAT?

..
" NEXT. Tag 51
...
OPE O...

Tank of thanks
Yeah at last..
Car only Sir
Ok Sir
*'Another Chance.
Tag 50 holder around?
"Yes still waiting?
Full tank sir.
He repentantly moved in his wife s car who does the school run more than
him.
"Thanks" ,he acknowledged his kindness despite his initial greed to fill
keg and car tank at the peak of a fuel hike
"It's a pleasure, he muttered
Good-bye."

Soliloquy

He drove away asking himself a few profile questions on Nigeria "Sure
We'd see better times in this country?
Is Naija not one of the 13th world exporter of hydrocarbon?
Ye-e-e -s.
Is Naija not the six best exporter of crude oil?
Y-e-e-s as far as I know.
Sure there will be abundance
Are you sure?
In this country?
Yes o.we are die - hard optimists
Ok -- being a predominantly a secular but faith - field nation---
It will happen but how holistic or digitally productive will it be ?
I laugh and laugh at myself
This is still a pedestrian nation.
Where ' re real actions of redeeming infrastructural deficit despite
trillions of dollars budgeted germane to this?
* I laugh at myself again and again
Why?
* It takes time.
Besides do we have relevant technical manpower locally to implement cost
effectively as Ukraine,Israel,Singapore ,South & North Korea
* Still you re a laugh big stock of yourself - your questions
As if you or your policy makers haven't travelled around the globe and
witnessed first hand these tech powers how they look up to Russia,Uk & USA
& rise up by planning & dogged determination
And mimic the next tech and economic powers of Japan and China - Southeast
Tigers!
My country is far !
He continued soliloquizing till a welcome ringtone from his darling
Joyfully truncated his self inspired Questions & Answers at last.

'Honey,are you still on queue?"

"No no no I m almost with you ."

'Where are you?'

"Don't worry i will be right home less than ten minutes!"

'Great & Gooooood..
We will rejoice together.'

*His mind- though comparatively lighter is still full of uncleared
dregs
He continued ruminating on symptoms that made us systemically poor,a
carbuncle
Unteachable ...

"Are you still there?"the wife s impatient voice caught in his soliloquy
again successfully

"No .I m out of the queues".
I told you not to doubt this Fuel Ward.
That's why I didn't fall out unless the nozzle hangs up
For settlement
Against a convocation of hustling scholars
Burning both ends of the candle dimly

Should you hold the silly thrill?
Endure the ultra delicacy?
You don't need anaesthesia
Don't waste the passions
Cultivate it's molecular infinity
If not ,see the knight Voice
Praise The Theory of justice
Despite its impermanence
If you desire some stable ecology
The energy chess tournament isn't a palatable cake - baking joint.
Nor an auto- fuel injector delight.

Beware another entropy
For sheer ubiquity
Of Jerry cans
Hydrocarbon aroma
Hydrocarbon crisis
Tough times imminent
For pedestrians &
Association of empty tankers
In the absence of any laser surgery clinic
For Treating Transportiasis
Could we erase the mute images
Of those who perished with tragic hustling - dagger for dagger?
*The effigy of injustice is burned unhindered-
In the gas stations &
Toil--assisted transit.
Fuel station--
What a painful energy clinic?
Even for paraffin!

At Preboye --shops galore
Sumptuous kitchen abound
Keebabe customised spices
Boutique with Thailand wears
Unisex salons,cosmetics
Literary Readings &
Authors Secretariat & Remnants of
The then 24/7 cybercafe
For the Epicureans,
A culture & Jaz,z club exists
* How swiftly the days pass!
It makes us realise how short
The years we have left.
Adieu.Chief Preboye
CEO,Preboye Complex & Holdings
Affable ANA - OYO Patron,poet,author

GBEMI TIJANI MST
Paul Harris Fellow
Convener: Civicconcern,
* Alliance4Social Justice

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FW: BBC’s 'Sex for grades' documentary not journalistic - Prof Karikari - Graphic Online

Julius Eto <juli...@yahoo.com>: Oct 11 06:16PM

OAA

You have a point, that is, on BBC's failure to get the two universities' reactions or angles to the story/report.

On Thursday, October 10, 2019, 10:36:32 PM GMT+1, OLAYINKA AGBETUYI <yagb...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Briana:
BBC did not say 'racism' and methodologies contributed to the sex for grades scenarios. Some commentators including myself stated the racist bias is involved in the coverage by BBC. They did not first ask the institution for their side of the story and find out if they had anti sexual harassment policies and how well it was working. They assumed it was not working and used people who were not student to demonstrate what had not been properly researched. They did not ask if victims reported to the authorities instead of the BBC and whether the authorities failed to act on their report. This was why we said it was a shoddy report meant to portray African universities as inferior universities where no parents should send their wards.

OAA
OAA

Sent from Samsung tablet.

-------- Original message --------From: Briana Releford <brianar...@gmail.com> Date: 10/10/2019 17:00 (GMT+00:00) To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - FW: BBC’s 'Sex for grades' documentary not journalistic - Prof Karikari - Graphic Online
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This both, similar to mine, is about the “sex for grades” epidemic currently taking place at some of the most prestigious universities in West Africa. However, this post introduces a different viewpoint. BBC reporters state that “racism” and “methodologies” are contributing factors in this outbreak. Nevertheless, it is immoral and should dealt with as such. These young women are attending these universities to further their education. They should be allowed to do so without having to advance unethically.

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reducing the cost of governance

Anthony Akinola <anthony....@gmail.com>: Oct 11 06:44PM +0100

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Anthony Akinola <anthony....@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 6:04 PM
Subject: reducing the cost of governance
To: Anthony Akinola <anthony....@gmail.com>

Anthony Akinola <anthony....@gmail.com>
5:38 PM (6 minutes ago)
to me
STILL ON REDUCING THE COST OF GOVERNANCE
By Anthony Akinola

Agitation or call for reduction in the cost of governance has been rather
perennial. I wrote on this very topic some time in the 1980's for the
London-based *West Africa* magazine. I had then called for a reduction in
the number of senatorial seats per state,which then was five. I had also
called for a reduction in the number of ministers and advisers-all these in
the Nigerian Second Republic.I would later follow up this discussion with a
memorandum to the Ibrahim Babangida-led Armed Forces Ruling Council
(AFRC),some time in 1986,in which I suggested that senatorial
constituencies could be limited to what is now 3 Senators per state.

The cost of governance in Nigeria remains disturbingly astronomical in
spite of expressed honest concerns by the citizenry. Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
Governor of Ekiti State, recently joined the crowd of agitators by calling
for a unicameral legislature. He would like the Senate to be scrapped. Even
before him, former Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state had called for the
number of Senators per state to be reduced to one. It is gratifying to note
that these political elites share the common concern of ordinary
Nigerians,even when one may not agree with their suggestions.

In calling for the Senate to be scrapped, Fayemi alluded to the fact that
both little Ekiti State and mighty Lagos each has 3 senators. One would be
surprised if Governor Fayemi did not know that the very essence of the
Senate is to serve as a forum where states, irrespective of size and
population, assert equality of status. That was the philosophy that
informed the American founding fathers to introduce a bicameral
legislature. The House of Representatives accord representation based on
population.

Ekiti State has 6 members in the House, while Lagos and Kano each has 24.
However, because of equal representation in the Senate, the smaller states
have not been complaining of domination or oppression by the bigger states.
Preponderance of representation from one geographical end over the other
would be cause for major concern if the Senate were to be scrapped. As for
the recommendation by Senator Okorocha, one might as well suggest that
governors double up as senators representing their states. The idea of one
senator per state may not be smart enough.

Of course, the need for a reduction in the number of ministers and advisers
at every level of governance cannot be over-exaggerated. I am not an
enthusiast of the President picking his or her ministers from each of the
states making up the federation. It is enough that we respect geographical
spread, especially that our nation has been demarcated into six
geo-political zones. Nigerians would need to be educated about this, not
least because they are the very ones who complain if a member of their clan
has not been nominated as minister. They even quarrel over the portfolios
of political appointees.

I assert that the disturbing cost of governance in Nigeria is more of the
result of our corruption and prodigal culture than anything else.
Professor Ayo Olukotun elaborated on this in a recent article in The Punch.
The privileged greed of the elite is one reason the Senate has become an
eyesore to ordinary Nigerians. Because these elites decide their own
salaries and emoluments, they believe it is their divine right to take
Nigeria to the cleaners. The greed and corruption that have brought Nigeria
to its economic knees permeate all levels of governance and other
institutions in Nigeria.

We are all witnesses of the volumes of stolen monies and assets being
revealed on a daily basis by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The billions of naira being stolen daily by both elected and other
officials can hardly be described as the cost of governance in Nigeria.
Until stiff punishments are meted out to these economic criminals, and
until a new generation emerge to assert the future of Nigeria, complaints
about the cost of governance will never cease.

Back to top

CONGRATULATIONS, PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED, AND A PEARL FROM ZIK

"Harrow, Kenneth" <har...@msu.edu>: Oct 11 03:44PM

hear, hear
ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

________________________________
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Gloria Emeagwali <gloria.e...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 10:26 AM
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>; deji...@yahoo.com <deji...@yahoo.com>; Onyumbe Lukongo <onyumbe...@subr.edu>; kes...@yahoo.com <kes...@yahoo.com>; afaug...@yahoo.com <afaug...@yahoo.com>; noahk...@gmail.com <noahk...@gmail.com>; Teaway Collins <teawa...@yahoo.com>; Ucheoma Nwagbara <unwa...@yahoo.com>; ovau...@amherst.edu <ovau...@amherst.edu>; Afoaku, Osita <osaf...@indiana.edu>; doy...@gmail.com <doy...@gmail.com>; drk...@yahoo.com <drk...@yahoo.com>; drben...@aol.com <drben...@aol.com>; George Kieh <georg...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CONGRATULATIONS, PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED, AND A PEARL FROM ZIK

A Nobel Prize well deserved. Prime Minister Abiy also opened the prison gates and freed thousands, at great risk to himself. One of the freed prisoners launched an unsuccessful coup attempt in June 2019, aimed at bringing down the very regime that freed him. He also faced an assassination attempt on his life a year before.I happened to be in Ethiopia on the two occasions. He must now continue with economic growth and infrastructure development.

GE
www.africahistory. net

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 11, 2019, at 9:59 AM, Kissi, Edward <eki...@usf.edu<mailto:eki...@usf.edu>> wrote:

“...In one of its most instructive editorials, toward the end of the war, the West African Pilot recalled on 2 May 1945 how Adolf Hitler had “basked in the sunshine of fame,” how “by the majestic wave of his hand, the destiny of nations was sealed,” and “by the stroke of a pen, life was given or life was taken...from any person within the jurisdiction of the Third German Reich.” But “today he is dead [having committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30 April 1945] and his stinking carcass is food for the populations of the world of microbiology.” Like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini’s “words, like lightning, destroyed those who dared to stand in his path....Wherever he went, his pomposity and arrogance created terror in the minds of his people. They called him ‘Duce’.” Yet, like Hitler, “Mussolini is dead [captured and executed in Italy on 28 April 1945] and in spite of his callous invasion of Ethiopia, only six feet of earth await to swallow his bloated corpse.” The Pilot observed that “there must be a lesson for Africans from the biographies of Hitler and Mussolini.” That lesson is that ambition and fame are noble, “but man must not allow his head to be swollen as to forget that life has a meaning---service to humanity.”

[Source: Africans and the Holocaust, pp.136-137].

CONGRATULATIONS to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, and proving Nnamdi Azikiwe and his famous paper right.

This is a deserving recognition of a leader for serving his people, and for his “efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation.” That is called Leadership, the noblest of human ambitions pursued through “service to humanity.”

Edward Kissi

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafric...@googlegroups.com> [mailto:usaafric...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Assensoh, Akwasi B.
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 7:23 AM
To: dialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafric...@googlegroups.com>>; Toyin Falola <toyin...@austin.utexas.edu<mailto:toyin...@austin.utexas.edu>>
Cc: deji...@yahoo.com<mailto:deji...@yahoo.com>; Onyumbe Lukongo <onyumbe...@subr.edu<mailto:onyumbe...@subr.edu>>; kes...@yahoo.com<mailto:kes...@yahoo.com>; afaug...@yahoo.com<mailto:afaug...@yahoo.com>; noahk...@gmail.com<mailto:noahk...@gmail.com>; Teaway Collins <teawa...@yahoo.com<mailto:teawa...@yahoo.com>>; Ucheoma Nwagbara <unwa...@yahoo.com<mailto:unwa...@yahoo.com>>; ovau...@amherst.edu<mailto:ovau...@amherst.edu>; Afoaku, Osita <osaf...@indiana.edu<mailto:osaf...@indiana.edu>>; doy...@gmail.com<mailto:doy...@gmail.com>; drk...@yahoo.com<mailto:drk...@yahoo.com>; drben...@aol.com<mailto:drben...@aol.com>; George Kieh <georg...@yahoo.com<mailto:georg...@yahoo.com>>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to John Goodenough of The University of Texas at Austin

Dear All:

Many Americans know that the country's President (Mr. Trump) and his supporters were craving for the

Nobel Peace Prize, hence his North Korean and other zealous efforts at expensive peace summit meetings.

To him, African nations are "Sh...t hole" countries. What, then, will he say now, as the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has

been awarded to Prime Minister Ably Ahmed, from one of Mr. Trump described "sh...t hole" countries? Can the Nobel

news make Mr. Trump see African nations in favorable terms now?

A.B. Assensoh.

******************

1. Nobel Prize in Peace · 2019

WINNERS

MOTIVATION FOR WINNING

<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.bing.com-252Fsearch-253Fq-253DAbiy-252BAhmed-252Bnobel-252Bprize-2526filters-253Dsid-253A-2525228b769640-2D264e-2D25d4-2D5b3b-2D3b3d837de7f3-252522-2526FORM-253DSNAPST-26data-3D02-257 C01-257Cekissi-2540usf.edu-257C63ef051b4369454d950d08d74e406371-257C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa-257C0-257C0-257C637063910760735001-26sdata-3DOjKBMubnyqQbj7CKoq98kKpsa-252FRHF6-252BKL-252FpRh8p4aKI-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=Zy8I_UX8z9DLbmf5YJ0EIg&m=b7ixsyn6mQzR5DBSkbNKhP0GLAugbG3Vl8W4yxUVyM4&s=qHZ7YWCFluh-_akNfH-pagh5OyTASyOpq90eY-Zu5HY&e=>

<~WRD000.jpg><https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.bing.com-252Fsearch-253Fq-253DAbiy-252BAhmed-252Bnobel-252Bprize-2526filters-253Dsid-253A-2525228b769640-2D264e-2D25d4-2D5b3b-2D3b3d837de7f3-252522-2526FORM-253DSNAPST-26data-3D02-257 C01-257Cekissi-2540usf.edu-257C63ef051b4369454d950d08d74e406371-257C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa-257C0-257C0-257C637063910760735001-26sdata-3DOjKBMubnyqQbj7CKoq98kKpsa-252FRHF6-252BKL-252FpRh8p4aKI-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=Zy8I_UX8z9DLbmf5YJ0EIg&m=b7ixsyn6mQzR5DBSkbNKhP0GLAugbG3Vl8W4yxUVyM4&s=qHZ7YWCFluh-_akNfH-pagh5OyTASyOpq90eY-Zu5HY&e=>

Abiy Ahmed<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.bing.com-252Fsearch-253Fq-253DAbiy-252BAhmed-252Bnobel-252Bprize-2526filters-253Dsid-253A-2525228b769640-2D264e-2D25d4-2D5b3b-2D3b3d837de7f3-252522-2526FORM-253DSNAPST-26data-3D02-257 C01-257Cekissi-2540usf.edu-257C63ef051b4369454d950d08d74e406371-257C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa-257C0-257C0-257C637063910760735001-26sdata-3DOjKBMubnyqQbj7CKoq98kKpsa-252FRHF6-252BKL-252FpRh8p4aKI-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=Zy8I_UX8z9DLbmf5YJ0EIg&m=b7ixsyn6mQzR5DBSkbNKhP0GLAugbG3Vl8W4yxUVyM4&s=qHZ7YWCFluh-_akNfH-pagh5OyTASyOpq90eY-Zu5HY&e=>

Nobel Peace Prize<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.bing.com-252Fsearch-253Fq-253DAbiy-252BAhmed-252Bnobel-252Bprize-2526filters-253Dsid-253A-2525228b769640-2D264e-2D25d4-2D5b3b-2D3b3d837de7f3-252522-2526FORM-253DSNAPST-26data-3D02-257 C01-257Cekissi-2540usf.edu-257C63ef051b4369454d950d08d74e406371-257C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa-257C0-257C0-257C637063910760735001-26sdata-3DOjKBMubnyqQbj7CKoq98kKpsa-252FRHF6-252BKL-252FpRh8p4aKI-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=Zy8I_UX8z9DLbmf5YJ0EIg&m=b7ixsyn6mQzR5DBSkbNKhP0GLAugbG3Vl8W4yxUVyM4&s=qHZ7YWCFluh-_akNfH-pagh5OyTASyOpq90eY-Zu5HY&e=>

For his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.<<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.bing.com

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