The Arts-Muse Fair

BY AMINU S MUHAMMAD The second edition of the Niger state Photography contest for secondary schools held last weekend with three winners going home with cameras and total cash prizes of one hundred thousand naira. The contest, sponsored by Mal. Abdullberqy U. Ebbo and organized by the Hill-top Arts Foundation, seeks to introduce students to the art of photography and encourage them to build a career in it for economic and recreational gains.   Abdullberqy U. Ebbo, sponsor of the competition               BM Dzukogi, Founder, Hill-top Arts Foundation This year, eleven schools participated with each presenting three participants to compete for the prizes. All participants took candid, outdoor shots around the themes of Chaos, Climate change, and Infrastructural decay . The photos were exhibited to the audience before winners were announced by Mal. Aminu S Muhammad, the chair of the jury. Wada Muhammad, an SS2 student of Model Secondary School, FUT ...

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. Adamu Idis 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.  

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 a lthough 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 adher...

Judge: Ismail Bala, Bayero University, Kano (poetry). Judge: Mahmud Zukogi, Bayero University, Kano (prose). 1st Positions  - N120, 000 each. 2nd positions  - N80, 000 each. 3rd positions  - N50, 000 each. Poetry 1st Position: Do not Bury Me by Adamu Usman Garko - Gombe High School, Gombe State. 2nd Position: Carved by Zakiyyah Dzukogi - Himma International College, Minna, Niger State. 3rd Position: Poetic Musings by Muna Sheikh Lemu - Himma International College, Minna, Niger State. Prose 1st Position: Nowhere to Run by Tofunmi Adeoya Abiola - Dansol High School, Ikeja, Lagos. 2nd Position: City of Smoke by Mujaheed Ameen Lilo - Sunshine International School, Kano. 3rd Position: Destined by Salamatu Abdullahi - Himma International College, Minna, Niger State. Judge’s Report: Poetry . The following texts are deserving of this year’s Prize: Do Not Bury Me       ...

The second edition of the Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Festival (HIASFEST) opened this morning in Minna, Niger state. The 4-day Arts festival would see secondary school students from across Nigeria compete for prizes in singing, painting, poetry, spoken word, short story, nonfiction, cultural dance, craft, and quiz. This year, participating students and their teachers would get the opportunity to also win individual awards endowed by Hajiya Maryam Aliyu in the following categories: Most Valuable Contestant (male and female) and Best Teacher Award (male and female). The best behaved School shall also receive an award. The 2020 HIASFEST Star Prize shall be presented to Adamu Garko, an exceptional Nigerian Teen writer. The organizers shall also present Golden Awards to two Arts Patrons, Engr Yahaya D. Daudu and Barr. Ahmed Maiwada.                                           ...

Paul Liam joins The Arts-Muse Fair Editorial team as Associate Editor. He was previously our Guest contributor, pitching in incisive essays and reviews. As Associate Editor, Paul Liam will work closely with the Founding Editor to edit, curate and publish literary works on our site. Paul Liam (Paul T. Liam) is a poet, author, book reviewer, critical writer, editor, literary columnist, polemist, organizer and a creative writing mentor. A 2014 Ebedi fellow, he is the co-editor of  Ebedi Review  (Journal of the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State, Nigeria). A former Assistant Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Niger State Chapter, a former Public Relations Manager of the HilltopArts Centre, Minna. His published works include,  Indefinite Cravings  (2012),  Saint Sha’ade and Other Poems  (2014),  Life is Like a Flower  (anthology),  Fireflies  (anthology). He co-edited,  Dew ...

The team at Ayamba is excited to announce the official unveiling of her website,  www.ayambalitcast.com , on the 31st of December 2019. Spurred by the dire need to cater for the influx of emerging voices, and to celebrate their brilliant works, the platform provides for the promotion of African literature and the introduction of African writers to the world.  In the words of the founder and editor, Halima Aliyu, “Art is our identity. It is for us the banquet for our stories where we listen, drink and dance in their aura. Because they matter. Because we matter."   Halima Aliyu, Founder - Ayamba Litcast By creating and managing their profiles, writers can be accessed and read from anywhere in the world. The site has online literary agents on standby to answer questions and proffer advices on writing and publishing. It is also the home for podcasts, book reviews, interviews, and literary news. To be a part of this adventure, visit  www.ayamba...

November 2019 would forever remain indelible in the minds of six young African writers. The six writers are Modou Lamin Sowe from The Gambia; Sakina Traoré, from Cote D' Ivoire; Tega Oghenechovwen, from Nigeria; Ngang God'swill N, from Cameroon; Maryam Boyi, from Nigeria and Edem Azah, from Ghana. They would never forget November 2019 because of their convergence in Abuja, the Nigeria’s Capital city, for a residency program organised by the African Writers Development Trust, AWDT. The residency started on the 1st of November and ended on the 21st.  According to their accounts, the residency program tagged: ‘PenPen Africa Writers Residency’, was an opportunity for them not only to learn how to improve their art, but also an opportunity for learning new cultures, new environment and, above all, an opportunity to make more friends and writer colleagues. Speaking on her experience during residency, Ms Edem Azah said she learnt a lot about other residents’ cultu...

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) ...

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 ...

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 ...

BY PAUL LIAM Yesterday, Wednesday the 14 th of August, 2019 at the AB Hotel hall, Ado Ekiti, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi was installed as the Grand Patron of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Ekiti State chapter The installation was part of activities of the chapter’s Annual State convention. According to the chapter, Dr. Fayemi was named the Grand Patron because he is a writer and supporter of literary development which made him deserving of the honour of serving as the Association's Grand Patron in Ekiti state. The Governor was represented at the auspicious occasion by his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi who is also a remarkable writer and civil rights advocate. She received the plaque on behalf of her husband and assured the association of her husband's continuous support to the development of literature and art in general in the state. L-R: Erelu Bisi Fayemi, ANA Ekiti chairman, Odia Ofeimun and Ahmed Maiwada The installat...

The African Writers Development Trust (AWDT), has released the longlist of the 2019 edition of the African Writers Awards (AWA). Forty African writers from Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Cameroun made the list in the categories of Children’s literature, Flash fiction, Poetry, and Short story.   A press release by Anthony Onugba, which states that a shortlist will be published on Monday, August 26, 2019, lists the following writers on the longlist. Children’s Literature – Judged by Nahida Esmail (Tanzania) 1.       Albinism Is Not A Curse by Oroni Tendera (Kenya) 2.       Okapi Rock Ii by Allen Jo (Kenya) 3.       Kumba Wants to Skip Class by Spencer Okoroafor (Nigeria) 4.       The Lazy Vulture by Elaoje Sophie Oto (Nigeria) 5.       The Zappinator by Eme Ogbu (Nigeria) 6.       Cultura...