ktravula – a travelogue!

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

Syria on My Mind

Nerve gases are no laughing matter
as hundreds of shrouds tell, in pictures,
removed from this world where allegiances
lay in voting colours and voting districts.

Another brown spot on the world map
spills around the palette of our apathy.
Thousands today and another, and more,
But history tosses us in fracas of wonder.

So, a click on the remote, and it’s gone,
shrieks of pain, and wailing siblings, countrymen.
A tab takes the blood of our screens
into another page with a dancing Miley.

The dead fare no better, though punctured
in lace around the flesh: hollow-point lead.
War is peace, until the air sours on the breath.
Decision hangs the wise on a noose with idiocy.

We are here again, a decade-long sobriety
in the same pit, different boots, and piety.

Google ni Yoruba!

I came across this encouraging (though thoroughly belated) news a few days ago, on twitter and elsewhere, from a friend familiar with my work, advocacy, and interest in facilitating the use of African languages, particularly Yoruba, in today’s world, particularly in Information Technology. Google is opening up its famous Google Translate machine to include a number of populous African languages.

This is encouraging for a number of reasons:

First, I have spent the last two years petitioning Twitter to include Yoruba as one of the languages in which the platform is being currently translated, without much luck. It has however led to an annual Tweet Yoruba Day – a day set aside in March of every year to document trends in the use of the language on electronic platforms, advocate/encourage continuous use, and celebrate the rich depths that the language brings to the world. Having Google take this step without a major public petitioning is heartening.

Secondly, the Google machine is a worldwide platform with reaches into the farthest corners of the earth. Having Yoruba join the league of other world languages, famous and non-famous, in which thoughts and opinions can be transmitted through translation is something to be proud of. I am proud of it. I am also glad that I am here to witness, and contribute to its development. (More on this later).

And third, the sample translations given on the page created by Google for freelance translators towards this project shows that – though very far from perfect, Google has put a lot of efforts into the initial work. That is admirable. Long before the project was announced, word-to-word translations for a number of Yoruba words were already sourced and documented. They will not suffice as far as the final translation engine is concerned, but this is an encouraging start. As the current state of the machine shows, the syntax is far from perfect. I’ll rate all the translations “poor”.

The next step now is to build a larger corpus that includes more than just word-to-word associations, but phrases, proverbs, aphorisms, colloquialisms, songs, and a number of other culturally relevant communicative utterances that make Yoruba a uniquely rich African language. Then, run them through different tense and aspect variations present in the language, and have translators/linguists tweak it until it is as close to perfect as possible. This will take a lot of time, a lot of effort, plenty texts from different levels of complexity in Yoruba speech (from poems to novels), and a number of dedicated people. However, this start is an important step.

I applaud, and will keep my eyes – and fingers – on it.

Driving in Lagos

One of the most problematic obstacles to driving anywhere in Nigeria is the process of obtaining a driver’s license. Living in Lagos adds an additional layer of having to compete with one of about two million motorists that have to get the new driver’s license being mandated by the Federal Road Safety Commission. From the response I’ve got from those who have applied for this new license, it takes from three months to seven to finally lay hands on the official card. (As some consolation, however, drivers are given a temporary form, also called the permit, with which to drive until the seven months – or whatever length of time one is given – is complete). Oh, the length of time to get said card is also dependent on whom one knows, and how much one has!

It’s hard to talk about this without the inevitable comparison to other places where the highest it takes from the time one passes the road driving test to getting the official certified card is about fifteen minutes, tops! But that now out of the way, it’s important to ask what exactly is the problem with decentralization of card issuance, and government employing more (adhoc?) staff for summer jobs to take care of the backlog? And if the government can’t handle it, what is wrong with outsourcing it to a monitored private enterprise?

I have noted down a few other (less depressing) observations about discovering roads and routes on Lagos roads, but they will come with subsequent blogposts. For now, it’s enough to rail at a government, in 2013, that is still too reluctant to move into the electronic century.

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