The Arts-Muse Fair

Questions for the Man on the bridge
and the heart is a whore
the body, her palace of exploits
where men dig into women's skins
while shadows wander through the bush paths of their hearts
like politicians keeping emergency aces
ask the child who died faceless
standing on the threshold where death was the best encounter
whose mother only dwelled in the cozy shelter of denial
that poverty could only kill
but not open a grave of sores and frustration
that a husband who constantly chooses to return home
with sweat and grime and grease
of a sun's leftovers smeared all over his ambitions
does so with the legions in his body in full jolt
without hesitation
without any longing for that fresh scent of another locked in his chest
is man not the demon
or is it the world who navigates his pliant feet
One man who belched truth
said home is like bowing to God
the world hands you no choice
nature reeks of repetitions and conformity
said the bridge is a palace of indecision
where every pondere…

Nigerian poetry has witnessed significant growth and metamorphosis over the years. Poetry without doubt has gained prominence as the preferred genre of literature especially among the younger generation. It is arguably also the most abused genre today. The advent of the new media and the subgenre of spoken word or performance poetry, have further revolutionarized the genre. Poetry has become more flexible and relatable, having lost its hitherto iconoclastic gaity; a consequence of the newer generation’s obsession with pop culture and entertainment. Poetry is gradually losing its traditional essence as a sagely enterprise and rapidly degenerating into a merchandise. There is however the existence of a group of experimentalists or poetry fundamentalists who, working separately, are making sure that the value of poetry as we have known it to be is sustained. These are neoclassical poets bounded together by their genuine aspirations to keep the honour of poetry intact. Their works are cha…

Application Guidelines: The African Culture Fund is a pan-African organization that aims to support professionalization of the cultural and creative sector of African countries through innovative artistic projects that it finances.

TO BE ELIGIBLE: Be an African artist or cultural actor or from the African diaspora, an artistic or cultural organization or association established in Africa or cooperating on African projects with at least one African organization and having at least three years of experience; Have a structure or be a member of an artistic or cultural organization or association; Have a legal status (organizations); Present a structuring project in response to the call for projects.
Lot 1 : Performing arts The projects involved in this call are activities and projects of creation, production and dissemination of works and capacity building in the field of the performing arts. The current call concerns the following performing arts: music, dance and theater.
Lot 2 : Visual arts The …

Deadline: September 20, 2019.
The Chinese embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with the Abuja International Photo Festival invite entries from interested photographers for the maidenChina-Nigeria Friendship in Pictures Photo Contest to mark People's Republic of China's 70th anniversary and 48th Anniversary of Bilateral relations with Nigeria.
The Photo Contest is open to all Nigerian citizens, other nationals and Chinese citizens in Nigeria.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 1. Enter single image or set of images (not more than 5). 2. Images on Landscape/Humanities/ Chinese presence in Nigeria. 3. Images from DSLR or Mobile Phones are accepted. 4. Image can be Coloured or Black and White.
Send entries to: nigeriaandchina@hotmail.com
Each image must have: 1. Title of work 2. Photographer's Name 3. Contact Phone Number
PRIZES ·The two top winners shall get an all-expense paid trip to China for a One Week Exchange program. ·Consolations prizes of laptop, Huawei phone or Bluetooth Speaker. ·Images of w…

BY MARTHA KINGSMIKE The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature announced the long-list of 11 drawn from 173 books, for the 2019 edition of the prize over a month ago. All 11 long-listed authors are in the running for winning the cash prize of $100,000 (₦36,200,000) The 11 books on the long list of 11, in alphabetical order by the title of the book, are: - A Hero’s Welcome by Ndidi Enenmor - Boom, Boom by Jude Idada - Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani - Double ‘A’ for Adventure by Anisa Daniel-Oniko - Ginika’s Adventures by Nnena Ochiche - Igho Goes to Farm by Anote Ajeluorou - Mystery at Ebenezer’s Lodge by Dunni Olatunde - Obioma: A Girl’s Journey to Self-Discovery by Nkiru Uzoh - She Calls Him Daddy by Oladele Medaiyese - Spurred Surprises by Lami Adejoh Opawale - The Great Walls of Benin by O. T. Begho A Book Party was held for the 11 authors whose books were long-listed for the 2019 Nigeria Prize for Literature, an initiative of NLNG. Meet the Authors: 9 out of…

AUGUST 2019 Dedicated to, Sule, Paul, Abraham, and all the sailors of humanity.

The interest of the local media gave us also the opportunity to be guests at the TV program “Good Morning Niger State,” where we talked about the subversive power of poetry, and at a radio program at Radio Prestige, in an interview with the chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Banma Baba Suleiman. These and the following days were filled with a lot of meetings and celebration of poetry and friendship. As a way to describe more precisely the tone and the messages fostered in the event, I propose an excerpts from Dr. Emman Shehu’s keynote speech entitled “Literature as a Bridge between Humanity:” 
The big question though is can literature enable the unity of humanity? Our world remains crisis torn at many levels and as writers we reflect these situations in our story-world regardless of the genre. Yet as writers, literature enables us to engage and reflect through one of the most human attribu…