ktravula – a travelogue!

Browsing the archives for the News category.

Pan-Atlantic University Introduces Undergraduate Courses

A few days ago, the Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria, (formerly known as the Pan-African University) had a press conference to announce the introduction of three undergraduate courses into its school system from 2014. The event took place at the Victoria Island campus of the school, and was open to the press and other invited guests.

Present at the event representing the school were Mrs. Rosemary Okolo (Registrar), Dr. Chidi Nwagu (Manager, External Relations), Professor Emevwo A. Biakolo (Dean of the School of Media and Communication), and Professor Chantal Epie, the Deputy Deal of the School of Business Administration.

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According to a press release given at the event, the Pan Atlantic University has been a graduate university for eleven years, offering postgraduate programmes exclusively. Now, it intends to extend its activities to eventually become a full-service university that will also offer first-degree programmes. For now, the three new initial courses are in professional fields: business and mass communication. They are B.Sc in Mass Communication, B.Sc in Business Administration, and B.Sc in Accounting. In 2015, the school hopes to include three new programmes: Masters degree in Film Making, B.Sc. Mass Communication (with options), and B.Sc. in Information Science and Media Studies.

The University boasts of international relationships with many universities around the world, like the University of Central Lancashire, University of London, University of Portsmouth, University of Navarra, as well as organizations like the Guaranty Trust Bank, Gesellschaft fur Konsumforschung (GFK), the USA Chambers of Commerce, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, among others, and currently offers training in Written and Spoken Communication, Digital Media and Communication, Relationship Management, Development Communication, Corporate Affairs, Community Relations, Photography, Film and Entertainment, Animation, Media Business and Enterprise Management, Research, Multimedia Journalism, Radio and Television, and Internet and Online Studies.

More here.

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CORRECTION: The earlier version of this post lists the three new undergraduate courses as B.Sc in Banking and Finance, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, and Marketing. Mistake has been fixed. The error is regretted.

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Photos by KTravula.

Saro the Musical – the preview

How long should a stage play last? What if it is a musical drama performance celebrating the fun and foibles of today’s city dwellers? How much of pedagogy should we put in drama today? How do we get Nigerians to imbibe the culture of theatre-going? Today at Terra Kulture, guests at a preview of a musical drama called Saro – the Musical answered these along with their adulations and other brilliant observations on the short preview. I was one of those invited guests.

Written by Bolanle Austen-Peters, Saro – the musical, is a story of hope, love, and adventure; the story of four young men migrating to Lagos with nothing but their hopes and naivete. According to the writer (who also shares the writing credit with two other young Nigerian thespians), the idea for the play came from her nostalgia for the good old days of Nigerian theatre: Hubert Ogunde, the National Theatre, and a number of other cultural art festivals and theatre that were the mainstay of Nigerian entertainment in the sixties and seventies. Saro, she says, is her way of bringing back the culture of theatre-going by investing time, money, and effort into the production of something that is culturally relevant, fun, and entertaining.

As we saw during the performance of four (out of the proposed fourteen) scenes in the musical drama, an enormous amount of work has been put into the production so far. There was dance, choreography, and a brilliant orchestra at the background. The play is directed by Makinde Adeniran (also working as the Executive Director), Ayo Ajayi is the Music Director, Kenneth Uphopho heads the Drama department, while Gbenga Yusuf coordinated the Dance. ZMirage Multimedia Company led by Alhaji Teju Kareem, is the Technical Partner on the project, while the Cultural Advocates Caucus headed by Jahman Anikulapo is handling media and publicity.

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If what I witnessed today is any indication of the quality of the final performance, then those who go to see the play (coming unto the Nigerian stage between October and December of this year, and then touring the world afterwards) are in for a treat. My favourite part of musical plays is always the music, and in this case, I wasn’t disappointed. From the introductory sequence featuring a brilliant arrangement of horns and heavy drumming, to a number of other ballads and classical Nigerian musical tunes spliced in-between, if I am able to see it again, I will also look forward to going home with the complete soundtrack.

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The number of questions raised by some of the guest called forward to proffer suggestions to the performance (guests who include veteran actress Joke Silva, Professor Ahmed Yerima – formerly of the national troupe, famous talk-show host Mo Abudu, veteral broadcaster and music writer Ben Tomoloju, and a host of other guests chosen from the arts) continued in the cafeteria where a lunch buffet was provided. What the consensus was, at least around my table where a few friends and I caught up after a long absence, is that genuine and dedicated theatre-goers and theatre-lovers will stay for any length of time to watch a play if the subject and production catches their fancy, and that the length of a production should never be decided solely on the short attention span of a current crop of Nigerian theatre-goers.

In all, it was a beautiful, stimulating encounter. The musical is highly recommended.

(More information about the performance can be found at http://www.saroterrakulture.blogspot.com/ and http://www.sarothemusical.com/)

Introducing Àsà from Genii Games

PRESS RELEASE

05 September, 2013. Lagos, Nigeria. Once upon a time, when the phrase ‘Once Upon A Time’ meant story time — stories of discovery, values, morals, discipline, love, happiness, etiquette …a way of life.

I wish I could say Once Upon A Time in this technology-driven generation, where globalization is subconsciously eroding our once treasured rich indigenous cultures. I wish this phrase still had the same tenacity to hold children spellbound, their eyes glued to the storyteller or the storybook.

Day after day, as the digital age rolls by, I keep wondering if technology will pay for this or somehow, if it would find a way to bring back story time. Or has it?

What if it has in the new Àsà!

Àsà (meaning culture in Yoruba) is a brand that includes a collection of mobile applications that run on Smartphones (iPhones, Samsung S Series etc) and tablets (iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tabs, BlackBerry Playbook etc). These apps come enhanced with features as games, colourful illustrations, voice, sound and animation, all packaged within cultural contexts to appeal to kids aged 2-12 years.

Once upon this time, children would sit again around the digital story teller to hear the same old folktales once told and retold by our forefathers. Or, in Àsà’s Language Series, follow the cultural evangelists on their journeys to get kids acquainted with our rich languages.

Àsà’s audience has gone beyond the 12 year olds — parents are in love with this digital storyteller, young adults don’t mind being told stories or taught languages in a new exciting, colourful way. Who would?

Here are some Àsà testimonies from parents:
“Thanks. Yes I got the Yoruba101 app for my son and daughter. They absolutely love it”. – Nigeria Customer

“My daughter is doing well! She loves playing the word games & is forever nodding her head to the background music of the app” – UK Customer

“My daughter and I have just read ‘The Lazy Chicken’ app; nice story”!

“Wow! This is one of the best things to happen to my iPad… Heard of this story (Oluronbi) since my childhood but it’s the first time I’ll be listening to the story for real in more than 30 yrs. I so love this, Thank you!” – US Customer

And that’s not all…

Àsà’s Oluronbi iPad app has been given an impressive review by a foremost book review site, Kirkus Reviews.
“The illustrations are cleanly drawn, depicting Nigerian figures in brightly patterned dress and village settings. They are brightened up both by a chorus that sings a song to the Iroko Spirit in one scene but can be heard in the background throughout and by a particularly lively, accented narrator”.

– Excerpts, Kirkus

So far, Àsà has in its growing collection of apps the following Android, BlackBerry and iOS apps:

· Yoruba101

An interactive Yoruba language teaching app, Yoruba101 involves a virtual recreation of a classroom complete with a cultural teacher (Oluko Àsà) who takes the kids through topics like Alphabets, Words and Sentence formations. It also includes games to help the kids test their acquired knowledge. It features animations, colourful illustrations, voice, sound and text.

Download Yoruba101 now to your iPAD; iPHONE; ANDROID phones/ tablets; BLACKBERRY Z10/Playbook

· Igbo101

An interactive Igbo language teaching app, Igbo101 involves a virtual recreation of a classroom complete with a cultural teacher (Onye nkuzi Àsà) who takes the kids through topics like Alphabets, Words and Sentence formations. It also includes games to help the kids test their acquired knowledge. Other features include animations, colourful illustrations, voice, sound and text.

Download Igbo101 now to your iPAD; iPHONE; ANDROID phones/ tablets

· aHausa

aHausa is an interactive Hausa language teaching app. Modules taught include Alphabets, Numbers, Body Parts, Animals and Greetings. It uses a combination of sounds, voice, text, colorful graphics and animation to get the user acquainted with the language.

Download aHausa now to your ANDROID phones/ tablets, BLACKBERRY Z10

· Oluronbi

Oluronbi is a popular West-African folktale about a pretty young lady that has everything going for her except a child. With her sadness about to be broken, thanks to the kind-hearted Iroko Spirit, Oluronbi’s desperation and attitude are put to test. This is a story of trust and attitude with cultural and moral lessons for its audience. The app has features as different reading modes, games, interactive elements for cultural tips and the popular folksong etc.

Download Oluronbi now to your iPAD; iPHONE; ANDROID phones/ tablets; BLACKBERRY Z10/Playbook

· The Lazy Chicken

The lazy chicken is a story that teaches kids against laziness, chronicling the events that led to why Chickens are used for sacrificial offerings in some African cultures. Its features include different reading modes, games and interactive cultural tips.

Download The Lazy Chicken now to your iPAD; iPHONE; ANDROID phones/ tablets; BLACKBERRY Z10/Playbook

· The Monkeys’ Quest

This folk-tale takes readers through a story involving monkeys and how they came about their look. It includes folk-songs, games amongst other features.

Download The Monkeys’ Quest now to your iPAD; iPHONE; ANDROID phones/ tablets; BLACKBERRY Z10/Playbook

More of Àsà apps can be found on http://www.geniigames.com/apps.html

Going forward, Àsà’s development efforts are geared towards releasing more culturally oriented apps across board to cater for our diverse and rich cultures.

With the new Àsà, brought to you by Genii Games (http://www.geniigames.com), we can confidently say that our age long morals, native tongues, etiquette, fables and other treasured cultural elements will not die.

About Genii Games

Genii Games is a proudly Nigerian company and the parent entity of the Àsà brand. It is a company with a vision to preserve and promote our Rich African Culture using technology. Its mission is to stimulate the interest of kids aged 2-12 years in subjects relating to our indigenous African culture.

Its Àsà brand has been recognized as a tool for the future Nigeria by “The Future Awards”.
Website: http://www.geniigames.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/genii_games

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/geniigames

This Weekend: A Blood Intervention

A couple of years ago, December 4, 2009, precisely, I wrote a blogpost in which I lamented a discriminatory practice in the blood donation system on the American campus where I was working then a visiting scholar. Because I was a Nigerian and for no other reason, I had been turned back from giving blood. Two years later, this time as a Masters student in the same university, I wrote a second report, acknowledging a change I noticed in the policy.

Since that first encounter, through the second one, the availability of blood (and the policies behind blood donation drives around the country) had remained on my mind as an abiding interest. So when, back in Nigeria, I was called into the founding of the One Percent Project and the Ten Thousand Donor project which both aim to make access to safe and healthy blood affordable and available through the means of information technology-driven applications, I jumped into it.

It had been fun, and enlightening, and rewarding. Since the founding of the organization in May 2012, the One Percent Project has helped facilitate the collection of about 754 pints of blood from young professionals from around the country, through the Nigerian National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) who then give it to hospitals where they are needed, thus potentially saving about 2262 lives (since a pint of blood is reputed to be able to save about three human lives).

But that was just the beginning. So, starting from tomorrow June 14, the best tech volunteers, programmers and hackers from around Nigeria are gathering in Yaba and Lekki to collaborate with the One Percent Project to create an app that can make it easier for potential donors to link up with blood donation centres around the country, and especially for patients needing blood to connect with willing donors who have signed up to be called whenever the situation arises.

Tomorrow is also the 2013 World Blood Donor Day

I will be part of the event, tweeting nuggets, pictures, and thoughts via my twitter feed @baroka. At 4pm on Sunday, at the Audax Solutions Office (at Plot 24, Block 113, Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos‎), the app, called the LifeBank App, will be publicly launched. There will be bloggers, social media personalities, print media practitioners, and other trustees present. If you can make it, it would be nice to see you there too. It would be nice to introduce you to the advances this new generation of Nigerian youths are making to make the future much better than the present.

The LifeApp Facebook page has been set up, as well as a twitter page. Conversations on the hackaton and the app launch will be on twitter under the hashtags #hack4health and #LifeBank and on the LifeBank App blog.

Calls for Audio Poetry

The following is a mail I received from my friend and publisher Maurice Oliver. Please send him an email if you have an audio poem he might be able to use.

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Hope all goes well.

You probably already know that Lip-Service Journal will be replacing Eye Socket Journal on the first of next month!

I love poetry and I think I can reach a larger audience with the audio poetry approach. The trial-run of the 1st issue has already had nearly 200 hits in 3 weeks. But I need your help.

I was wondering whether to could connect me with some African poets who have audio tracks of their poetry on Sound Cloud. I need their Sound Cloud homepages and their permission for a one-time publication of 3 tracks that would be featured in an upcoming issue of Lip-Service Journal. The tracks should be recorded separately with the title of each poem indicated in the recording. The homepage should include their name and the city/country where they live.

I would very much like to include your audio poetry in an issue too! I would enjoy hearing your voice reading your work.

Take a look at the brand new Lip-Service Journal here:

http://lipservicejournal.tumblr.com/

You do have the sign-up for Sound Cloud but the first 60 minutes of recording is free (must upgrade after that).

While you’re in Tumblr take a look at my own personal daily poetry blog at:

http://dailypicturepoetry.tumblr.com/

I started it back in Sept. and have nearly 800 hits with 14 followers. I’m so proud:-)

Anyway, please help me if you can. I want to start building up a backload of poets for the new literary monthly, this time all audio!

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Send to maurice.oliverATymail.com

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