The Arts-Muse Fair

If  You Leave If you leave me life will be bitter and my ambitions will be a broken winged-bird! If you leave me life will be a morgue so why not come as rapidly as a wave and build lagoons of smile inside me? He who fears, err He who fears death and has the will to see God, knows where to go when the Owner mandates His mirrors to tell you tomorrow isn't yours, to tell you you become a chant In their song "carry go". ***** Adamu Usman Garko writes poems, stories, tales, and reports news. He hopes to publish a book next year.

Mr. Denja Abdullahi, the national president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), has made a public appeal requesting financial contributions from public-spirited Nigerians and philanthropists to support Hyacinth Obunseh, a former General Secretary of the Association undertake treatment for his heart ailment that has left him bed-ridden. Obunseh, the CEO of Hybun Publications is currently on admission at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi Araba, where he is required to provide funds for some very specialized diagnostic tests before beginning a treatment regimen. Denja Abdullahi, ANA President Mr. Denja revealed that Mr. Obunseh has been out of jobs for some time, making it difficult for him to cover the cost of his current health problem. He therefore urged members of the association and the public to assist Mr. Obunseh overcome his health challenge. Donations can be sent directly to the account below. Account Name: Hyacinth Obunseh Accoun

The closing party of the LagosPhoto professional week will hold tomorrow evening at the City Hall Rooftop, Goethe-Institut, 4th Floor, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos Island.  Starting 6pm, the party, expected to stretch into the night, will feature art and music to draw the curtains on this year’s festival themed “Regimes of Truth”.  Hosts, LagosPhoto and Goethe-Institut Nigeria, are poised to make it an engaging night for participating artists, curators and guests with a spice of exhibition of works by artists such as Francois Beurain and Medina Dugger, LensCulture competitions as well as short videos from this year’s Canon Workshops.

By Paul Liam The significance of the "word" as an instrument of peace amongst cultures and religions of the world permeated the discussions and artistic renditions by secondary school students, writers and poets, when the city of Minna, on November 23, 2017 joined other cities of the world in celebrating the International Day of Word. The event which was organised in Nigeria by The Art-Muse-Fair News Blog in collaboration with the Niger State Book and Other Intellectual Resource Development Agency, took place at the conference hall of the Agency. According to the Curator of the Art-Muse-Fair News Blog, Aminu S. Muhammed, who is a writer and a former Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) in Niger state, the event sought to draw the world's attention to the importance of the word and to equally stress the need for people to use the word positively in uniting rather than dividing the world. Muhammed further opined that irrespective

Marking this year’s International Day of Word, Students and writers gathered in Minna, Niger state on Thursday, November 23, to pay tribute to the power of word through reading of poems and flash fiction that promote peace, love and understanding among cultures and religions. November 23 is being promoted by the Cesar Egido Serrano Foundation , Spain as International Day of Word to celebrate the word as a bond to humankind. The Nigerian event was organized by the Arts-Muse Fair News Blog, appointed as Ambassador of the Word by the Foundation, in collaboration with the Niger State Book and Other Intellectual Resource Development Agency.   The Curator of the Art- Muse Fair News Blog, Aminu S Muhammad, said the International Day of Word is an annual global occasion to celebrate the importance of word as a tool for promoting peace, love and understanding amongst humanity. Panelists at the occasion  He observed that use of words have positive and negative ef

50 short stories out of 126 entries received across Nigeria have been shortlisted for the maiden edition of the Hausa Short Story Competition being organised by Makarantar Malam Bambadiya in collaboration with Pleasant Library and Books, Katsina. Organizers had called for Hausa Short Stories on social issues around and about the Hausa people. Writers on the shortlist with titles of their stories are: Umar Muhammad Manir, Kaduna state, Tarar Aradu.  Y azid Abdul 'Aziz, Katsina state, Sakaci .   Anas Shehu Gusau, Zamfara State ( Gam- da- katar . Jibirin Adamu, Kaduna State, Kashin Dankali .  Nafisa Abubakar, Katsina State, Abin da ya Koro Zomo. Yusuf Abdullahi Kajuru, Kaduna state, Ga koshi ga kwanan Yunwa. Abubakar Yusuf Mada, Zamfara State, Sauyin Rayuwa. Hassana Abdullahi Hunkuyi, Kaduna state, A Sasanta. Hamza Dawaki, Kano State, Katantanwa. Isiyaku Muhammad, Kaduna state, Tonon Sililin Mutuwa. As

The maiden edition of ‘The Gimba Legacy’ event, a part of the Capital Territory Book Convention initially scheduled for Tuesday 12th December at the Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Wuse 2, Abuja, has been shifted to the first quarter of next year.  In a press statement, Chief Dillibe Onyeama, CEO of Delta Publications (Nigeria) Ltd. and organiser of the event, said the postponement became necessary “to escape the frenetic distractions of the Christmas and end-of-the-year activities, as well as the explosive emotions swirled by the volatile economy in the country.” He gave another reason that “an artiste of the towering heroic status of Abubakar Gimba should not be celebrated as the tail end of a bad year.” Delta Publications (Nigeria) Ltd. was Abubakar Gimba’s first publisher, enjoying the distinction of releasing the late novelist’s debut novel,  A Trial of Sacrifice  in 1985 and many others that followed.                           Abubakar Gimba – seen here in fles

A group of 5 Nigerians poets have launched a poetry publishing house, Konya Shamsrumi to majorly publish, promote and sell their poetry books. The group, comprising of Kechi Nomu, Umar Abubakar Sidi, Funmi Gaji, Rasaq Malik Gbolahan and Richard Ali had formed a collective and launched the Konya Shamsrumi  four weeks ago. Konya Shamsrumi aims to create great poetry content, ranging from interviews to essay and poems. The publishing house also plans to publish, as a major project, two poetry collections written by Richard Ali and Abubakar Sidi and three chapbooks by Kechi Nomu, Rasaq Malik Gbolahan and Funmi Gaji. Its weekly blog interviews called “5 Questions”, has featured Unoma Azuah, Peter Akinlabi, Alexis Teyie and DM Aderibigbe. The poets named their publishing house Konya Shamsrumi   in tribute to the Persian Sufi poet, Jalaludeen Rumi, who is strongly associated with a village called Konya (in Turkey) and his friend, Shams of Tabriz, who inspired a lot of his

Sada Malumfashi, Nigeria writer and participant of the Cameroon-Nigeria Literary Exchange Program has been awarded a 3-month writing residency at the Sylt Foundation, Germany. Organisers announced this last week in Abeokuta at the Ake Festival where the participants concluded the exchange program, which began six months ago in Cameroon, with a panel discussion. Malumfashi, who was  on the  shortlist of Writivism's 2017 Koffi Addo Prize for Creative Nonfiction,  was among the five Nigerian writers who joined a group of five Cameroonians for a 10-day Literary program which held in May in Limbe, Cameroon. Organized by the Goethe Institute in Nigeria and Cameroon in collaboration with Saraba Magazine in Nigeria and Bakwa Magazine in Cameroon, participating writers went through a series of intensive workshops on Creative Nonfiction. The two most outstanding works produced by the participants at the workshop, each from Nigeria and Cameroon, earned their writers the Sylt Found

The Cesar Egido Serrano Foundation, Spain has appointed the Arts-Muse Fair Blog as an Ambassador of the word in Nigeria. A notice of the appointment, which came via email, urged the blog to organize literary activities to mark Thursday, 23 November this year as International Day of Word . The appointment notice stated “This year on the 23rd of November we will celebrate the anniversary of the word as a bond to humankind, coinciding with the date in which the Museum of the word opened. This year, the Cesar Egido Serrano Foundation would like to appoint you an ambassador of the word in your country or city of origin for which you may, coinciding with that date, organize activities and initiatives in your place of residence with friends and other institutions”. Since 2014, The Museum of the Words, a part of the Cesar Egido Serrano Foundation, whose ethos is to promote art and the use of dialogue as a tool to achieve peace between different cultures and religions ho

Golden Baobab is pleased to announce the call for submissions for the 2018 Golden Baobab Prize. The Prize discovers and celebrates African writers and illustrators of children's stories and confers awards for their work. After enjoying nine successful years as an industry leader, Golden Baobab this year announces an exciting new phase with a heavier focus on publishing. It also announces the re-opening of the Golden Baobab Prize for Illustrators, the most important award for African children's book illustrators. The 2018 Golden Baobab Prize offers a distinct platform for professional African writers and illustrators to kick-start their careers. The Prize will work to facilitate relationships between African publishers and finalist writers and illustrators with the goal to see more African children's books being published. In view of this, Golden Baobab is excited to expand its publishing network and increase its impact in more countries. The 2018 Golden Baobab

The winners of the 2017 Nommo Awards were announced at the Ake Festival in Abeokuta, Nigeria reports  TOR.COM . Members of the African Speculative Fiction Society voted on the awards based on a Short List of nominees announced in April of this year. Congratulations to the nominees and winners! The Nommo Awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as “science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else.” The nominees and winners: Best Novel · Azanian Bridges by Nick Wood · Azotus, The Kingdom by Shadreck Chikoti · Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett · Rosewater by Tade Thompson · Taty Went West by Nikhil Singh The winner * Rosewater by Tade Thompson Best Novella · Binti by Nnedi Okorafor · The Flying Man of Stone by Dilman Dila · Hell Freezes Over by Mame Bougouma Diene · The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson and Nick Wood · Ta O’Reva

'Salvator Mundi'. Photo: AFP A 500-year-old painting believed to be by Leonardo da Vinci sold for $450.3 million in New York on Wednesday, blazing a new world record for the most expensive work of art sold at auction, Christie’s said. News Agency of Nigeria  (NAN), reports that “Salvator Mundi” or “Savior of the World,” which depicts Jesus Christ, more than doubled the previous record of $179.4 million paid for Pablo Picasso’s “The Women of Algiers (Version O)” in New York in 2015. Lost for years only to resurface at a regional auction in 2005, it is one of fewer than 20 Da Vinci paintings generally accepted as being from the Renaissance master’s own hand, according to auction house, Christie’s. All the others are held in museum or institutional collections. Wednesday’s price was all the more extraordinary given that the oil on panel fetched only 45 British pounds in 1958, at the time believed to have been a copy, before subsequently disappearing for years. Dat

Niger State contingent at the just concluded 2017 National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) in Kaduna have emerged sixth position behind Bayelsa, Kaduna, Lagos, Delta and Ogun States at the festival. A released signed by the Acting Director, Public Relations of the Niger State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Peter Wakili Shatta revealed that 18 states including the FCT participated at this year’s NAFEST which saw Niger State among the best six performing states. Contingents from the state have performed wonderfully in Children Dramatization, arts, crafts and painting and traditional board games among others. He noted that since after the 1989 edition of NAFEST in Bauchi State, the Niger state performing arts department was only able to record success in this year’s edition through children performance. The Acting Director observed that The Niger state Governor, Alh Abubakar Sani Bello approved the participation of Niger State in good time, but the

2017 ACT Award opens submission of fictional stories for 2017 ACT Award today. ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Previously published work is not eligible for the ACT award Only one story per author will be considered Only fictional work is eligible Works must be between 2,500 and 5,000 words AWARD OF PRIZES: The Prize is awarded to a short story by any writer between the ages of 16 and 26 and resident in Nigeria. There is a cash prize of N50, 000 for the winning author Works translated into English from any Nigerian languages are eligible. But should such a work win, N20, 000 of the prize money will go to the translator. A long list of entries will be announced in February 2018 A shortlist of 5 will be announced in April 2018 While a winner will be announced in May 2018 HOW TO ENTER: Submissions should be sent via email to awelecreativetrust@gmail.com However, submissions should include a cover note with the name, date of birth, e-mail addre

Book : People of the City. Author : Cyprain Ekwensi Reviewer :  Nana Sule. We are first introduced to the city by Amusa Sango, a man with a flair for women, words, and music and excitement. The city takes us by the hand after that, it shows us the life of Aina, and Beatrice; women who have the city camped in their veins. It paints us life in the eyes of the affluent of the city; how they fashion the way the city progresses. It is the action of the affluent that would drive Amusa out of his home, out of a job and render him without sustenance. But his problems would first start peeking at him from the eyes of a woman, it would take the shape of an envious rival, and he would suffer on account of a woman who’s love she would rather gift him than the those who would eventually bring him down. But Amusa is made of stubborn heart, he would imagine the city as a bull, and he would take the bull by the horns, shove it aside and, march out of it. The city has no name. It

Following the astounding success recorded in previous editions of the PIN 10-Day Poetry Challenge, Poets in Nigeria (PIN) is pleased to announce the Call for Submissions for November edition of the Poetry Challenge geared towards stimulating consistent and spontaneous creativity. This is a special edition as it would be the last for the year. Entries will be entertained between 13th and 22nd of November, 2017. 10 exceptional entries will be officially published in a forthcoming Anthology, on PIN Official Facebook Page and in the next Edition of PIN Quarterly Journal and on Pulse.ng, our media partner. Find below the guidelines: • Theme: No specific theme, feel free to explore relevant subject-matters. • Entries must be freshly written and previously unpublished in any form. • Each entrant is entitled to a single entry during the 10 days. • Entries must be original intellectual property of the entrants. • Submissions are welcome from all countries of the world. • Submissi

TIME Turn and see The little you have done The much you have left And the 'me' you have lost Turn and think Of what you might have done And all couldn't have left Only if you know I'd be lost Turn and smile Plan what you could have done Vow, no iota of 'me' would be left Embrace my residue before it is lost TURN BACK  Oh sweetheart! Turn to my page Set me free out of this cage When in your heart my love starts to fade It's all hot in the sun and hotter under the shade All over me are marks of ache clear like a montage The pool of love on your face has turned into a mirage My heart is yours, you're free to break In it your affection has long took a trek I'm a prisoner, your love is the shackles Tied around wrist, waist and ankles I remain prisoner your love is the prison To live out of 'the prison' I see no reason Life will be acute after your rejection Body cells become dormant, out of action I need to h

The door is open for secondary schools in Nigeria for registration to participate in the 2018 annual Nigerian Festival of Teen Artists (NIFESTEENA). 2018 edition holds in Kaduna, Kaduna State, from 22nd to 26th April, 2018. NIFESTEENA is an annual festival of teen artists initiated by the HillTop Arts Foundation, Minna. The objective of the festival is to bring together talented teen artists to showcase to the world their talents in the literature and arts. The 2017 maiden edition which held in Minna, Niger State, had participating secondary schools from across all the regions in Nigeria with various awards and prizes won. Modalities for Participation There are various categories of programme to be participated in by interested schools. A school may or may not enter-in for all of the categories. Each category carries independent prize from 1st to 3rd. However, to emerge the overall winner requires a school become the highest point earner from the tally of points won at v