The Arts-Muse Fair

Pix credit:  Aminu S Muhammad OH BELOVED Oh Beloved! Your love owns a vast abyss In my heart, It grows sturdy like a mountain of metal, Planting its roots in my veins like a tree. Oh Beloved! Your magical enchantments On my being, Weaves a cocoon of love where I hide, To ponder on the sinew of your charms that bind me to you Oh Beloved! Amidst the radiance of moon In my dreams, I see the glints of your ardent trinkets, Your luminous face beams a cascade of light. Oh Beloved! How can I portray your beauty In my poems (?) When your elegance is rare And so delicate to draw on the canvas of my heart Oh Beloved! What is this wisdom woven around you? In my garden, You walk in graceful steps like a peacock, And I see not the blossoming of the flowers but only you? ***** Ahmad Isah Sabo is a budding poet from Yobe state. His works appeared in Active Muse , Arthut and BPPC Chapbook . His poem ‘Oh Beloved’ was shortlisted for Chri

DEADLINE: 14th of September, 2019. Today, the advancement of technology and the digital world is reinventing the African Culture. Terms such as Pan-Africanism, Africanism are becoming more complex to describe. African Traditions are no longer been passed down, traditional roles of men and women in society and family are changing, beliefs are more being tested by logic and sentiments of heritage are being put on the shelf. This year, for the 3rd annual Photocarrefour Exhibition, we are interested in how these changes are shaping a new identity moving forward and what traditions will be emerging in this new African identity. Photographers are invited to visually show some of these changes using their camera. To get started, here are a few photographers who have done works that reflect this thinking. • Cristina de Middel Afronaut • Andrew Esiebo Na God • Osbourne Macharia Send your works (a minimum of 3) to photocarrefour.abj@gmail.com or send to this link: 

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.       Cultural Stereotypes by Kui Gitonga (Kenya) 7.       Christmas in the Village by Kelvin J. Shachile (Kenya) 8.       The Birth of Nuru - The African Barbie

DEAR LOVE Dear love, I long to see your eyes The white round balls like moon My eyes has turned into a sea Pushing worries and grief to its shores When I remember your angelic looks The heart talks like an empty vessel Of when it will find rest And a hope that it will never sail farther. Dear love, I have wept while smiling Days, weeks and months yet to count Lips dried and shrank I stood on the hot rain As it drips on my cheek And flows down with cold tears Mind continue to walk and wonder Thinking of where it will grin That place under the evergreen tree Where those two hearts smile Dear love, Is this how it feels to miss? More like walking in a flame A flame of new burning log The log that became our barrier The barrier that made me walk On bare earth with my tongue Wishing you will send a wind That will come and take me home. ******* Sa’id Sa’ad is a poet, short story writer and an essayist. His short s

Eriata Oribhabor (Di Poet), President of Poets in Nigeria (PIN) this morning in Lagos, would unveil three new poetry books at the Virgin Rose Resorts Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The three books entitled; Walking Truths, That Beautiful Picture , and Colours and Borders contain over 400 poems inspired by his thoughts and experiences from 2015. Eriata Oribhabor The book unveiling event which will start from 11:30am has Mr. Modecai B.D. Ladan (Fmr. Director of DPR) as the chairman while the Acting Director of DPR, Alh. Ahmad R. Shakur would serve as the Chief host and Book Unveiler. The books would be reviewed at the event by Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom with music by Hon. Kutcheti (Africa’s Don Williams)

Credit:  Aminu S Muhammad The Meal of Words The rock you are called O hear this For mother nature gave the flow To make sense of phenomenal nonsense For in this Is the mind of the poet incubated It soars with wings beyond the wind To dazzle the rock with the person of the poet For this your name came from the book of books. My mind soars to find a friend in words. Now I know I shall never be alone To share this meal in books The meal of words is known But only to persons for whom it’s cooked For thus the meal is savoured by them alone Sages are born not bred So their words are borne With wisdom and richness seen Thy praise many would not know Yet the sage like earth absorbed thy words For thy flow like the ocean is great an imagination.  ******** Chris N. John writes from Lagos, Nigeria. She's the author of The Rhythm , a poetry collection published 2019. Her works have appeared in local newspapers, Universi

BY ABUBAKAR AKOTE Professor of Oral and Comparative Literature, and the Dean, Faculty of Languages and Communication Studies, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Prof. Apegba Ker, has advocated for the deployment of oral literature in addressing the conflict bedeviling Nigeria and other African societies floating on destructive waters. Delivering the 14th inaugural lecture of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, last weekend, entitled “ The Dynamics of Change: The Oral Artist and the Survival/Preservation of the Form” Prof. Ker posited that aside the entertainment role of oral literature, the lessons embedded in traditional songs and stories have made them a viable tool for conflict resolution and prevention. According to him, as Nigeria and some other African countries continue to grapple with communal conflicts and violence, oral literature is a passable route to follow in promoting peace and progress of humanity. He noted that “through ora