The Arts-Muse Fair

Four African artists have been named winners of the 2017 AIR – Bellagio Centre Artist In Residency program. They are Biyi Bandele (Multidisciplinary) Nigeria, Mona Eltahawy (Literature) Egypt, Noo Saro-Wiwa (literature) Nigeria, and Sisonke Msimang (Literature) South Africa. . The residency award is granted to applicants whose work and process align with the Africa Centre and Rockefeller Foundation’s shared goal to catalyze art that progresses the wellbeing of humanity and advances positive social change. The program is a collaboration between the Africa Centre and the  Rockefeller Foundation  to support mid to late career African artists by offering residency opportunities at the Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy.   Applications for the 2018 Artists In Residency Program will open on  July 1st, 2018.

Poets in Nigeria (PIN) has announced the shortlist for the 2018 edition of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) which opened for submissions on 15th January, 2018.   A   longlist   of 20 was announced a fortnight ago. A statement by Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom, Moderator of NSPP 2018, lists the  shortlisted poems as follows: • WORDS MY MOTHER TOLD ME | Oyekunle Ifeoluwa Peter (Federal University of       Technology, Akure) • RED | Deborah Oluwakemi Selemon (University of Ibadan, Ibadan) • COLOURS | Hauwa Saleh Abubakar (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) • DEEP DREAMS | Iberiyenari Godstime Tamunofiri (Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island,    Yenagoa) • HERE, NOWHERE | Kester Kanayo Onyemaechi (University of Benin, Ugbowo) • THIS AGONY MOTHER FEELS | Idowu Ebenezer Odeyemi (Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti) • THUNDER | Ubi Ubi Ofem (Cross River University of Technology, Calabar) • YET ANOTHER HEAD | Amagwula Nnenna Comfort (University o

By Marjaan Sadiq "Lick the lollipop, sweetheart." He said into my ears as his fingers continued to explore my "treasure chest", cementing the "bond" between us. I pressed my eyelids tightly together, and closed my quivering lips over the bulb, willing the tears to not spill, forcing the sob back down my throat. I didn't want to cry. He said crying was for weak girls, for servile girls. Princesses and queens do not cry. I was his little princess. I was to be strong. But I didn't want his hands, or mouth to touch me in the places they did, those places were already too sore, too bruised. I didn't want this kind of love, it hurt too much. I was five when it first happened. Mama was out of town. Her business took her away most times. He said I had become big, and well rounded. "I want to show you something," he had said, caressing the back of my hands. "It's a secret bond every father shares with his daughter. It

The North Central region wing of the Kate Tales Foundation, a literary non-profit organization last Saturday, May 12, 2018 held the 2018 edition of the “Authors Talk” at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. This year’s edition focused on teen authorship with participants made up of writers and students of university and secondary schools.   Poet Umar Yogiza Jnr discussed the prospects and challenges of teen authorship. He emphasized the role of reading in making a good writer, advising that teens should concentrate on reading widely if they want to be able to write books worth publishing. He lamented the lack of support and encouragement to teen writers by parents and schools.  Spoken word poet, Basiru Amuneni, spoke on book publishing. He explained that getting a manuscript published into a book is a long process. He listed the steps to include compiling the writings into manuscripts, finding an editor, and getting a publishing house to publish the book. The Kate

Book :  Nostalgia Author :  Akintunde Oyajobi Publisher :  Delta Publications (Nigeria) Ltd Reviewer : Aminu S Muhammad The jealousy of a husband seething from sexual frustration sets off strings of actions and counter-actions that frame the story of a near-tragedy that Nostalgia is.   Akintunde Oyajobi deploys fine language, tight plot and gripping suspense to tell this story of love, hurt, and tears brought upon the Tunde Giwa family by an act of indiscretion by Rebecca, which in turn fired up the vindictive part of Tunde, her husband. Tunde, the protagonist of the novel needed to prove his manhood to Rebecca, his beautiful wife, the pleasure of which she habitually deprives him in the bedroom. This, he did with the irascibility of an entitled African husband by calling Rebecca a whore and sending her out of his house after a misunderstanding that bordered on suspected infidelity. Embarrassed by her husband’s accusation and buoyed by a firm belief

Women Photographers of the African Diaspora (MFON) calls for photography submissions for the inaugural MFON Legacy Grant 2018.   The goal of MFON is to support emerging and mid-career women photographers of the African diaspora. With that in mind, MFON is offering a $1,000 grant to assist with the continuation and/or completion of an existing fine art or documentary project or the launch of a new idea. The recipient of the MFON legacy grant will also have their winning work included in the upcoming edition of MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora and will be invited to future panel talks and workshops. The winning works should be ready to publish by July 1, 2018. We are looking for submissions that have not been distributed and/or published. The applicant self-identifies as a woman of African descent. We are currently only accepting applications from individuals. A complete application will include: ·          A cohesive body of work consisting of 8 to 10 st

   The Goethe-Institut, Lagos will this Saturday, May 12 explore the theme of food as it relate to the relationship and similarity of German and Nigeria cuisine. A live-cooking session and discussion will feature Kitchen Butterfly (Nigeria) and food blogger Felicitas Then (Germany) to experiment the two distinct cultural cuisines and why it is important to encourage cultural diffusion and how to discover other cultures through cuisine, telling the world about it in new digital spaces. Cooks and lovers of deliciously cooked food will talk about their different experiences and discover new recipe at the event. The live-cooking session and discussion will hold by 3pm at Lecker Bakery and Restaurant, 5a Tokunbo Omisore, Off Wole Olateju, Opp. Diamond Bank, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Entry is free.