Naija Photo Walk

This May. Starting from the 2nd day we would be capturing Nigeria from a whole new perspective. Like a chaste maiden waiting for her betrothed. The aesthetics of the Nigerian society lays with possibilities. The Photography Tour - Naija Photo Walk aims at revealing Nigeria with a new perspective; fusing different genres of art - photography and poetry.

Touring various states in Nigeria, we wish to tell the Nigerian story through pictures. Be it through the morbid, rustic or the bright.  

Images captured during the tour would be auctioned to raise money for charity.

#ThePhotographyTour
#NaijaPhotoWalk
We are accepting donations too from as low as 500 hundred
Acct details: 0031992277,
Emebiriodo Ugochukwu.
Access bank 

WORDAHOLICS

Wordaholics! April Rocks!
Wordaholics! A fun-filled event
Wordaholics! Come commune with poets
Wordaholics! Open Mic!
Wordaholics! Dope dance steps by APRIL BORN POETS
Wordaholics! Creamy and Fruity Cake to by cut by April born Poets
Wordaholics! Come get motivated
Wordaholics! Come learn how poetry can be effectively commercialised. A short lecture by the King not from Zulu, king Olulu (WOWAFRICA)
Wordaholics! Poetry Floods!

This event is powered by VIVID VERSES.
Date: Monday, 25th April, 2016
Time: 4:30pm
Venue: Barbecue City Lounge, 118 Apapa road, Beside Zenith Bank, Close to  Costain bus stop.

Wordaholics! Wordaholics! Wordaholics!

REMEMBERING HOME — POETRY COMPETITION

QUALITY POETS
presents her first poetry competition.‘Remembering Home’ is a theme that is aimed at exploring the very broad branches of Home. Nativity and several other factors are expected to be on the poems.
This competition requests for depth, brevity, maturity and perfect diction.

   

   Rules:

• All submissions should be made to qualitypoets@gmail.com
• Poems should ring round the theme, Home.
• Two poems per submission
• Poems should be pasted in the body of the mail with a short bio not longer than 20 words.
• All entrants must like the Sponsors page .
• Any entrant who do not like the page will be disqualified.
• Submission is opened till May, 20.
• It would be appreciated if this opportunity is shared among poets.

PRIZE:

WINNER: BRANDING BY JBF PLANET WORTH
N40,000 WITH PHOTO SHOOT SESSION.

FIRST RUNNER UP: BRANDING BY JBF PLANET
WORTH N30,000 WITH PHOTO SHOOT SESSION.

SECOND RUNNER UP: BRANDING BY JBF
PLANET WORTH N15,000 WITH PHOTO SHOOT SESSION.

All three winners become the face of JBF Planet.

(TERMS AND CONDITIONS Applied)

About JBF PLANET:

JBF Planet (J-boy Fashion Planet) is a fast growing Fashion house based in the ancient city of Ibadan. The Fashion brand is an initiative of J-Boy Adekunle who has won several international and local Fashion awards including the ANUCA 2015 (BEST STUDENT CLOTHIER OF THE YEAR), FASHIONISTA OF THE YEAR (COLLEGE OF SOCIAL and MANAGEMENT SCIENCE, TASUED) 2013/2014, FASHION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (IJEBU FASHION WEEK 2014), among others.

How Do We Spell Freedom? – Roger Bonair-Agard

In 1970 I learned my alphabet for the very first time, I knew it by heart in 1971.

A is for Africa

B is for black

C is for culture

and that’s where its at.

My mother taught me that from the way you see alphabetty at a time when

A was for apples in a country that grew mangoes

and X was for xylophone when I was learning how to play the steel band

Black wasn’t popular or even accepted then but I wore dashikis sent to me from Nigeria.

Super fly suits sky blue with the elbow patches sent to me from America

and sandals made by original Rastafari before weed and revolution needed fertilizer to grow.

My mother rocked bright saffron saris

We was phat 20 years too early and a thousand mile removed

My mother preached knowledge, hard work and how not to take shit.

D is for defence

E is for Economics

I wrote my first protest letter at the age of 3 to my grandfather for calling me out of the yard.

Spelling fuck you with an F-O-R-K U

Put it under his pillow hoping it would blow up and burn his hair off at night

wanted to get started on the revolution thang

F is for freedom

G is for guns

we gotta get some

we usually said

Evolved into 1979 and a revolution with a changing face

Bang Bang a boogie to the oogie ya up jump the boogie lets rock ya don’t stop

Black folks and brand names became entwined we reinvented dance and made wheels role… with a limp

Cuba had just told america he was Africa in Angola

K is for kings

L is for Land

we got to get it back

so we lost;

Jamaica to the IMF

Grenada to the marines

and Panama to Nancy Regan

Jerry-Curls became high top fades became Gumby’s became Cesars as Michael Jackson moonwalked his way into a lighter shade of pale.

My mother sent to America and she said go fix that.

K is for kidnap

S is for slavery

we usually explained

Cool became butter became phat

we lost our focus and our way just at about the time that black folk outside the nation discovered the dangers of pork.

So fat backs became fat blacks

pigtails became dreadlocks fades faded to bowlers

and Michael Jordan discovered the magic of a fade-away jumper…and endorsments

X is for the nigga who’s blind, deaf, and dumb

X him out we usually said.

My mother told me I should rewrite that

that X is for the nigga who needs to be re-educated, that a corporate job does not spell freedom

Barry White is not racist flight

A democratic vote is not a revolutionary act

And as long as there is a sweat shop in Jakarta there is no difference between Patrick Yewing and O.J. Simpson.

H is for Huey

N is for nocturnal

T is for Tubman

M is for Marcus, Mandella, Marley, and Martin got shot 2 weeks after he told black folk to boycott Coka-A-Cola

and Jessie Jackson still scared of niggas with a purpose.

My mother taught me to respect men who stood by their responsibilities and their convictions

Men willing enough to join the fight but smart enough to survive it and see the signals.

God gave no other rainbow signs

said no more water

but the fire next time

J is for James Baldwin

the next time is now

and someone must learn to read the signs with me

A is for Africa

B is for black

C is for culture

…

and that’s where I’m at. 

Poet and spoken-word artist Roger Bonair-Agard was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the United States in 1987. His collections of poetry include Tarnish and Masquerade (2006); Gully (2010); and Bury My Clothes (2013), which was a long-list finalist for a National Book Award. He contributed to the collection Burning Down the House (2000), a selection of poems from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. He is a two-time National Poetry Slam champion and has appeared on programs such as HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and the PBS NewsHour, among others.

A Cave Canem fellow, Bonair-Agard performs his work and leads workshops internationally. He is writer-in-residence with Vision Into Art and poet-in-residence with Young Chicago Authors. He is the cofounder and artistic director of the louderARTS Project and teaches poetry at the Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Facility in Chicago.

TO BE A MAN by: Igbor Clemency Green

TO BE A MAN

Ogogoro be like woman
Na the same way the two dey kill man
And no forget Baba ijebu
Especially man wey no get something to do

After Mama Emma complain
Paraga go dull the pain
Winnings fit bring some gain
Olosho go get wetin remain

But Baba Emma no get work
On top of that, him no get luck
Business no dey move so him close shop
And him number no dey ever chop

Wetin remain na him go rob
To be a man is not a day's job

 

 

ART by @Ayanfee__ X Pidgin Sonnet by @ThatPoetClem 

 

 

 

 

 

Igbor Clemency is a Medical Student at the College Of Medicine, University of Lagos, LUTH. He is a Poet whose poetry has won several awards, applause and accolades. He's winner of a poetry competition organised by the Law Society, University of Lagos in 2013, 2nd runner up War of Words 4 Poetry Slam Competition, finalist at Eko Poetry Slam 2015. Acclaimed Medilag's resident Poet, He's 2nd runner up Mr Medilag 2015 beauty pageant and a breast and cervical cancer awareness ambassador. He has featured on several radio and tv shows and has graced several stages in Nigeria. He uses his Poetry to Change the world, one stage/page at a time.

HEART by Micheal Ace and Aremu Adams Adebisi

I

You are the reason I smile

moon and sunshine,

calling drummers to beat --

to party abstract voyagers.

You are the reason I cry

rivers in piercing nights,

making me sit by myself,

shooting the twinkling stars.

You are behind this dream

of a sight on a mountain's peak;

you are its propelling door

and its forceful waves.

You are the beaks of tongues

and the humans in hands;

you are the glorious birth

and the covered graves.

You are life and how it's lived,

the definition of a vicissitude;

you teach a beginning

so to learn in an end

II

The bone marrow of universe

and seed of the fertile births.

A home of imperiled earth

and the womb of paradise.

The width of emotions

and muse birthing emoticons,

How shall smiles last it's ego,

when heart lives in sorrow?

The face wear not a frown

at the freedom of a puzzled heart.

For stale is the apple of life,

from Adams' to throat of man.

The fragility of a feeble heart

Strong under the ribs of time.

Forms the ladder linking in even

the old aged seven of heavens.

If i am to cry my feet on tracks

then i shall begin with an homage to heart

For from 'in' comes the all of 'out'

and in the nucleus of map of life heart is

cornered out.

 

#OrlieturnHadarms

#magicalpoetry

©ACEworld

Reply

LiteraNation "What Little Kids Can Do" (A collection of poems written by children.

On the 18th of March 2016, we (LN) hosted a book
reading/ open mic event at Jacob Montessori
School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos in which
we asked the pupils to write a poem about “ MY
TEACHER”. Here it is! 6 entries from 6 pupils.
All the individually submitted works are published
collectively as “what little kids can do ( a
collection of poems written by children)”

This publication is officially supported by
ThePoetryCourt, BN BLOG, AFRICAN SHELF and
ANAMBRA BLOG.
We are thankful to the Proprietor, the entire staff
and students of Jacob Montessori School,
Agboju, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, for logistical
support and for providing necessary guidance in
hosting the event.
We are also grateful to the entire members of
LiteraNation’s Lagos team especially; Brenda
Nwafor, Adenike Adeniyi, Blessing Igwemmadu
and Chidimma for moderating the event and in
that
line improved the manuscript significantly.
We have to express out appreciation to the
entire members of our advisory team for sharing
their pearls of wisdom with us. We
are also immensely grateful to Sasen Omo-
Osagie, Chinua Ezenwa – Ohaeto, Amaka Obiorji
and Izuchukwu Udokwu for their comments and
reviews.

BENNETH NWANKWO
(on behalf of LiteraNation)


1.
APPRECIATION
written by: Obiora Chiamaka

my teacher
i thank you for helping me
to read and write
for teaching me well and
for making me study well
and for making me to be a
good student or child.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Obiora Chiamaka is a basic 6 student of Jacob
Montessori School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin,
Lagos.

2.
OUR TEACHER
written by: Ekene Ezugwu

our teachers
teachers who suffered to
teach us so we can be
leaders of tomorrow.
leaders of tomorrow
because of our teachers.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Ekene Ezugwu is a basic 5 student of Jacob
Montessori School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin,
Lagos.

3.
THANK YOU
written by: Balogun Ibrahim.

thank you for what you did
i like the way you read
i like to be with you
thank you sir
i thank you.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Balogun Ibrahim is is a basic 3 student of Jacob
Montessori School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin,
Lagos.

4.
THEY TAUGHT ME
written by: Emeka Ogbonna

they taught me how to write
they taught me how to spell
they taught me how to read
they taught me how to pronounce words
they taught me how learn.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Emeka Ogbonna is a basic 3 student of Jacob
Montessori School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin,
Lagos.

5.
APPRECIATION
written by: Ogbonna Ifeoma

i want to tell you that
i will improve in my studies
and i want to tell you how much
i love you
and i want to thank you for helping
me improve in my studies.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Ogbonna Ifeoma is a basic 4 student of Jacob
Montessori School, Agboju, Amuwo Odofin,
Lagos.

6.
MY TEACHER
written by: Praise

my teacher who taught
us how to read and write
who taught us how to speak
good English
who disciplined us to be good children.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Praise is a student of Jacob Montessori School,
Agboju, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

Photos by: OSIGWE BENJAMIN