The Arts-Muse Fair

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

The Indigenous Languages Learning Centre (ILLEC), Minna, Niger State has gained full accreditation by the Nigeria Indigenous Languages Council (NILC), to commence the teaching of Nupe and Gbagyi languages.  ILLEC, which was founded to encourage the learning and use of indigenous languages in homes and for official matters, offers Courses in Proficiency and Basic learning of Nupe and Gbagyi.   A statement by Adamu Idris Manarakis states that ILLEC would collaborate with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), Jos, Plateau State as part of its efforts at ensuring that the teaching and learning of indigenous languages get a boost in Niger State. Classes, which shall start on October 4, will run on weekends at the ILLEC Centre, Fati Lami Abubakar Institute for Legal and Administrative Studies, Minna. Registration of students for the programme is ongoing and will close on September 30, 2019.

The African Writers Development Trust has released the shortlist for the 2019 African Writers Awards. Speaking at a press conference at their Abuja office on Monday, 26th of August, the Chief Judge, Anthony Onugba, informed the press that unlike the longlist which had 10 nominees per category, the shortlist contains 3 nominees per category. Winners will be announced during the 2019 African Writers Conference to hold at the Sarit Centre, Nairobi, Kenya on the 28th of September. Below is the shortlist in no particular order: Children’s Literature – Judged by Nahida Esmail (Tanzania) Albinism Is Not A Curse by Oroni Tendera (Kenya) The Zappinator by Eme Ogbu (Nigeria) Cultural Stereotypes by Kui Gitonga (Kenya) Flash Fiction – Judged by Adah Bitiah Chembo (Zambia) Breaking the Norm; Ungrateful Girl by Temani Nkalolang (Botswana) Osu by Bliss Boma (Nigeria) Bambi by Nkateko Priscilla Masinga (South Africa) Poetry – Judged by Kolabomi Adeko (Nigeria)

Denja Abdullahi,  poet, playwright, literary essayist and culture technocrat was born exactly 50 years ago, on the 27th day of August, 1969 at Idah, Kogi State, Nigeria.  He has been writing poetry for over three decades since his days as a student of English and literature at the University of Jos, Nigeria, where he was the best graduating student of the 1990 set. He also has a Masters in Literature-in-English, acquired at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria in 1992. His poems and other literary pieces have appeared in anthologies such as A Volcano of Voices (1999), Uncle Bola’s Promise (2003), Confluence Blues (2004) Abuja Acolytes (2000) Five Hundred Nigerian Poets (2005) Camouflage (2006) Crossroads (2008) Pyramids (2008), Fireflies (2009), Agogo (2009) and in several other newspapers, reviews, journals and magazines. His first published poetic volume Mairogo: a Buffoon’s Poetic Journey around Northern Nigeria (2001) received honourable mention for the prestigious

Activities marking the 50 th birthday of Mallam Denja Abdullahi, the National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), will come to a climax tomorrow, August 27, with a Literature and Arts Festival in his honour to be held at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, Area 10, Garki-Abuja. The Denja@ 50 Literature and Arts Festival (DAFLAF 2019) will hold from 1pm to 6pm featuring a variety of presentations. Earlier in the year, under the auspice of DAFLAF 2019, a Performance Poetry competition was organized for secondary schools in Abuja. Two books by the renowned writer and Arts administrator, The Road to Bauchi and other poems and On His Turf, Vol. II , shall be unveiled at DAFLAF 2019. During the festival, Prof. Sunday Enessi Ododo, a former ANA Vice President who teaches in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts of the University of Maiduguri shall deliver a short public lecture on " Leadership and Institution Building in the

Year of publication - 2019 Number of pages - 87 Publisher - Thaqalayn Publications Limited About the book The book is a collection of moral stories founded on Qur'anic values. Verses of the Qur’an are used in the story telling to ease understanding by readers.  It is a book that enables religious understanding for kids and people of all ages. About the author Fatima I. Kokori-Ojenya hails from Okene,   Kogi State. She is the Proprietor of Leaders and Heirs Academy , Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. She's interested in impacting kids' lives to make them good citizens of the world. Her other books include Mardiyya: My Little Daughter . She's happily married with 9 children. To buy the book, call/WhatsApp- 08023258341. Abuja -08023146180, 08056013282. Kaduna -07033538256. Lokoja -08063826395, 07053075242, 08033320464. Lagos -08037038704, 08022726003. Minna -08090765313, Warri -07063302696. Zaria -08076720860.

AUGUST 2019 Dedicated to, Sule, Paul, Abraham, and all the sailors of humanity. THE ARRIVAL   My journey to Nigeria began on a particularly cold Monday on the 4th of February 2019 at the airport of Hannover in Germany, surrounded by a thrilling feeling of happiness and a paralyzing excitement, which rendered the time and its passing a slowly paced torture. As a result of a long reflection on my journey, I have concluded that the best way of experiencing Nigeria was to come in contact with as less prejudices and prepackaged concepts about the country and its people as possible, and thus gain my own perspective and opinion about the surrounding reality. Thus, not surprisingly, the first time I have realized that Nigeria was preparing for a presidential election was when I saw the gigantic posters depicting the face of President Muhammadu Buhari at the airport in Abuja, the president in charge of the Nigerian government, nowadays and then, who at the time was running f

A reporter with Prestige FM Radio, Minna, and writer with The Arts-Muse Fair, Abubakar Akote has emerged winner in the media practitioners’ category of the 2019 edition of the annual essay competition organized to mark the 78 th birthday of the former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Abubakar Akote  This year’s edition which is second in the series cut across four categories – Media practitioners, Legal practitioners, Medical practitioners and related fields as well as post and undergraduate categories. According to an aide to the former leader, Saka Adeyemi, who conceived the idea in 2018, the aim and objective of the competition was to deepen intellectual discourse among various professionals and youths towards finding solutions to the topical challenges facing the country. Adeyemi said “the emphasis is not to dish out money but in furtherance of IBB’s legacy and leadership which is widely acknowledged to be the most resourceful in terms of p