Monday, November 13, 2006

Velasquez, classic combos, poppy debates, recent reading& heart of Africa launch in London

On Saturday to the National Gallery to see the Velasquez exhibition that just opened. His paintings are powerful and still speak contemporary...I was particularly moved by his representations of ordinary people in powerful extraordinary ways imbuing them with as much dignity as the royalty and nobility who are the subjects of many of his portraits. I was particularly moved by the gravitas and nobility of the African king in his Adoration of the Magi....

Then to dinner with friends and our host had served up a warming winter stew with carrots and parsnips and chunks of tender delectable beef, followed by cheese and pears a combination I was convinced to try and came away admitting that it was a classic combination- right up there with banana and groundnuts, roasted maize and coconut and other well known and acknowledged clasiic combinations.....

Still mulling over IBB's declaration for the PDP presidential contest- now he's no fool, so what assurances does he have that have given him the confidence to throw his hat into the ring? Besides he doesn't need to convince the whole country- just buy the votes of the PDP delegates and he's halfway there- the sleazy machinery of the "largest party in Africa" will do the rest...or at least try to. He's misread the Nigerian electorate before though- in 1993, he thought Tofa, his shoo-in candidate would beat Abiola especially as the latter was running on a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Nigerians astounded him then and I hope they'll do so again. If only Obasanjo had properly referred him to the EFCC for his financial crimes then he would have been barred from contesting and the whole question would not even arise....

Still on the poppy debate. On Sunday on my way to church, I saw a mother and daughter on the train- the mother was wearing the new pacifist white poppy and the daughter waswearing a white poppy and a red poppy. In a chat with a decidedly pacifist friend, he told me the retort that he had come back with...

Woman- Young man, why aren't you wearing a poppy? They died so you could be free you know

Pacifist friend- Yes, they died so I could be free to choose to wear a poppy or not

I'm well into Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men- it's a stunning portrayal of life in a repressive regime seen through the eyes of a child. In places I was reminded of Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. Reading it, you feel as if you are drawn into a dark sinister world with the oppression bearing down on you...

I've also just finished Selling Olga, an account of international women trafficking. It's well-written and readable and the sheer horror of some of the things victims have endured is nauseating. There're two interviews with Nigerians- one, Vivian Wiwoloku a pastor in Palermo who runs an organization Pellegrino della Terra which helps victims of trafficking and "Bright" a young Nigerian woman who was trafficked but is now studying in university in Italy. The book also highlights the debate about whether all these women are victims or whether there should be more recognition of the fact that some women choose to enter foreign countries illegally to sell sex. The author does acknowledge the difficulty in the distinctions- as always, the debate revolves around the question of what we mean when we talk about choice....

On the front page of Thisday today is a photograph of the newly installed prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. Seeing him and his fellow princes of the church decked in their fine robes, brought to mind a conversation I had recently with a young woman who worked in one of the top ecclesiastical robe makers' shops in London. Apparently the Nigerian clergy are responsible for a huge chunk of their sales and they want all the extra fripperies and trimmings, regardless of cost. Much as she appreciated their custom, I sensed that she seemed slightly bemused at the flamboyant displays of extravagance in the midst of grinding poverty....

I'm falling behind on the cinema front- I'm told Anthony Minghella's Breaking and Entering is a must-see for every Londoner- it was apparently mostly all shot around the currently regenerating King's Cross area. I was at the tube station last week and was surprised to see the changes- it's gleaming new with signs for the Eurostar terminal which I suppose will be coming in there soon.....again I wonder what happens when an area regenerates- do the poor and down at heel just get moved on to other degenerate areas or do they actually benefit?

Browsing on the Nigerian High Commission website I see details of the launch of the Heart of Africa image laundering project in London http://www.heartofafrica.com/uk_launch.cfm Methinks the biggest boost to our image will be having free and fair elections next year

2 comments:

Endi said...

When IBB came to pick his form, the IG was there,the National Chairman of the PDP was there, all PDP bigwigs were there.It was given comprehensive coverage on National TV.It was a swearing-in occasion.Dont you think the signs are ominious?

Anonymous said...

Very worrying indeed :-(