The Arts-Muse Fair

The essentiality of any literary piece is in its accessibility to readers, for the writer anticipates that there are readers for his work. However, poetry is often considered to be one genre of literature enjoyed by a cerebral few, who often than not are armed with the mechanical requisite for its appreciation. This supposition is drawn upon the assertion that poetry is esoteric in nature and as such can only be enjoyed by a limited group of readers who are sometimes fellow poets. Although, there are others who believe that since poetry reflects and represents emotion and reality of human societies, it is only rational that those who constitute the influences of such representation should be able to partake in the appreciation of the poeticization of their lives rendered in poems. It is lieu of this assertion that Niyi Osundare in his meta-poem “Poetry Is” avers that a poem should be accessible to the layman on the street, the laborer, market woman and farmer. For only in the masses’ …

Japanese language
petals hover river flows and drains On the tea cup nankeen trickles cicada sings monk’s semblance rustle of trees
Letter for a Kurd
Roj Light cloaks the flowers in the wind, even in the silence, tell to souls it message lethargy doesn’t tell to your dragged and tomb soul on the cross of your sword ear the valley of the dead from far away in the garden, a drop after rain in the sun of your glance
şev Esman, stêr, mang. Taught me: sky, star and moon the poetry shows us our illiteracy, said while seeing the stars who don’t know to read the night, couldn’t read himself sounds in the head fade away on an infinite remembrance each time clangs on an insistence to breath sleepless do it: vibration in the window bird’s absence looking for a set point light absence: weapons
Av The waters go into the earth by tiny shocks on your portraits the martyrs of the day in a clash between silence and explosions unfortunately, I don’t speak your language

Are you a student of any of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions (Universities, Colleges of Educations and Polytechnics)? Are you a Nigerian student currently studying in other parts of the world?
Do you have a previously unproduced/unpublished ONE-ACT play that addresses issues of corruption and its human costs, lack of accountability and good governance, or a call to action to engender change and ethical revolution?
Arojah Royal Theatre and the International Centre for Creative and Performing Arts with the support of MacArthur Foundation and the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) is pleased to announce the maiden edition of The Arojah Students' Playwriting Prize (TASPP).
Interested students are hereby invited to submit entries for a chance to win N100,000 plus an opportunity to be published in an anthology of new plays. 
Please study the guidelines and agreement before submitting your play in the link below: https://forms.gle/DqxtAJVkp8j6ZxqJ9
For further enquiries p…

BY PAUL LIAM Teresa Oyibo Ameh also known as Aunty Talatu is fondly referred to by many as the Mother-Teresa of Nigeria, because of her charity work and girl-child empowerment programmes. A reputable writer of children’s works and author of eight (8) books, she is the author of The Torn Petal, and Founder of the Aunty Talatu Reads Foundation, which encourages reading culture in children and young adults. The Kogi State born philanthropist is also a successful Civil Servant and Board Member of FCT Basketball Association. In this interview with Paul Liam, she sheds more light on the inspiration behind her foundation and charity support for the less privilege members of the society. This interview was conducted via email.

The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers,Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar CFR has pledged to sponsor a 1-Month free Nupe Language e-learning class to keep participants busy as part of measures to encourage compliance with the stay-at-home order in force over COVID-19.
He made the pledge in a telephone conversation with the Director, Indigenous Languages Learning Centre, (ILLEC) Adamu Idris Manarakis. Indigenous Languages Learning Centre, (ILLEC) shall commence the free NUPE LANGUAGE ONLINE BASIC STUDY for a period of one month, beginning from Friday, April 3.
The Director said lectures shall last for one month only. He therefore appreciates the Etsu Nupe for his gesture in ensuring that learning in our mother tongue is safeguarded and sustained amidst the lockdown the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on parts of the world.

THE RIVER SONG

The river song lifts the hoarfrost off a shadow its melody bends water around jagged rocks- like boulder, like mountain, like stone, like sarsen, reach a sprightly bunch of near green shoots
to let there be light and water kiss dawn, while fingers interlock to crown hope. There will be eloquent regards; where palm meets palm tracing fear that can curve a mind into something else
But we will not take–up the stupidity of the broken we carry peace and truth on chapped lips forgiveness falls out of our gorges , wrapped in laughter so we do not choke here
Our tongues spool into balls of fire with the message of healing. Let the river-bird cluck a new day into animation enshroud dark moons in a moment, until it bleeds peace
Earth moon, erupting with elation like a new mother like morning, like song, like river, like forever. We wear our conscience on our sleeves, we are bare like truth this tune is sacred. I have a country and I call her a song.
UNDER WATER
Some memories hug you tight like a blank…

Owing to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Nigeria, organizers of the Tiwa N' Tiwa Street Art Festival have postponed the festival earlier scheduled to hold this month in Lagos to November 2020, when they hope that the pandemic would have been contained so all participants and guests could operate in a safe and conducive environment.
Organizers said that although the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has not declared the need to close public gathering, the evidence suggests that the situation has the propensity to evolve rather rapidly. Because the festival is a community event, their priority is the safety of the community, the attendees and Lagosians.
They assured that while they understand the gravity of the situation for all the artists and creatives who through the festival have found a platform to support their talents, and the businesses that participate in the festival, they are by this postponement respecting and adhering to the guidelines and pro…