Thursday 10 December 2015 0 comments

The Philosopher's Muse...

Who am I?
Where did I come from?
And where am I going?
These kind of existential questions belie the root of all philosophical thinking. The answers to each one however is not always simple and is unique to every individual who must arrive at his answer through deep reflection and profound thought.
William Thackeray, a noted literary and intellectual of his time wrote of the smoking pipe, “the pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher and shuts up the mouth of the foolish, it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent and unaffected.”
And Even Albert Einstein resonated the thought saying "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs,"
What both were implying was the pipe man is the reflective and thinking man. There is no doubt in my mind that the general consensus would agree with this imagery and when we conjure up the
image of a smoking pipe, your mind is instantly flooded with images of a scholar in his 50’s brooding in his study, contemplating the complexities of existentialism, drawing on wisdom from his pipe, Sherlock Holmes, or grandfather.
The question as to whether this imagery is factual and if sucking on a smoking pipe implies the user to be a rugged man of idyllic epoch is unimportant. At least not to Morountodun Obaigbo, the new age African Contemporary creative aesthetic product Designer who recently pre-launched her creative design platform. Her debut project explores the art of pipe making, using materials such as brass, gold, briar wood and acrylic.
She reveals that after studying some African aesthetic smoking pipes at the popular Jakande market, she began to consider the endless possibilities in making a smoking pipe and despite the prevalent anti-smoking sentiment, the smoking pipe making remains as a form of art.
Her smoking pipe collection is designed, looking at Contemporary African motif with stunning visual appeal. She believes there is a gentle charisma associated with a pipe smoker and there is little
difference in tobacco use and marijuana use as it relates to the smoking pipe. The smoking pipe is multi-functional and transcends beyond recreational drug use to a personal accessory which for both the connoisseur and the beginner might be a reflection of the eclectic tastes of the owner himself.
As an art enthusiast or lover of alternate or Afrocentrism, news of this exhibition should appeal to you. The launch of www.morountodunobaigbo.com is set for the beginning of 2016. It launches as an open exhibition, and welcomes other African Alternative Contemporary artists, poets, creative
designers, indie musicians, instrumentalists or photographers who would like to be part of the exhibition to contact uyi and someone else to be a part with other alternate artists and promises to be an evening of intellectual stimulation. You may subscribe to the newsletter or follow on social media to be part of the countdown. Follow on twitter...

Sunday 6 September 2015 0 comments

Phenomenal, Phenomenal Woman.


I am not future Mrs. Something...
I am not made of curves and shapes and edges,
I am not a hash tag,
I am not a tweet or a like.
I am not measured by 1's and 0's.
I am a person.
I am a woman, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.

Skin and flesh,
Feelings and talent,
I am not made of metaphors,
I am not a muse,
I am not a temporary solution to your insatiable inadequacies,
I am not an object,
I am not a female dog.
I am a person.
I am a woman, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.

I am a doctor,
I am an engineer,
I am an athlete,
I am a lawyer,
I am not a property,
I am a person.
I am a woman, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.

I am full of wisdom,
I am capable of reason,
I am not an aphrodisiac,
I am not your damsel in distress.
I am not a prize to be attained.
I am not the light at the end of the tunnel.
I am the entire rail system.
I am not knives and forks,
I am a person.
I am a woman, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.


I am a caregiver,
I am your mother,
I am your sister,
I am your aunt,
I am your niece,
I am not an ornament,
I am not your wallpaper,
I am a person.
I am a woman, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.

I am not a waste of time,
I am not to stroke your ego,
I am not a door mat,
I am not a hobby,
I am not a pastime,
I am a person.
I am a woman,
Phenomenal, Phenomenal Woman.
            Inspired by Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman
Have a lovely Sunday y'all!!!!!
Monday 4 May 2015 0 comments

We Have All Been Raped!



Sad truth..
I am sure 9 out of 10 of you who clicked this link are wishing to read some sad emotional story about a girl who ‘asked for it’ and was brutally assaulted and violated by a bunch of savages because her skirt was a little above her knees. So that we can all feel bad for a second and then blame the girl in our minds for not ‘dressing well’ instead of the mentally derailed dogs for seeking pleasure in someone screaming and scratching in pain.

Yes, we have all been raped, maybe not physically. We have been raped over and over again anytime we make a rape joke. Anytime we find amusing, the fact that someone was forcefully stripped of his or her dignity.

We now live in a society where songs like Robin Thicke’s ‘we want it’ receive awards and top billboard charts and an artiste is not done singing until he makes a degrading comment about women and their bodies.

We live in a world were women are now spoils of war and celebrities who commit atrocities such as domestic and sexual violence against women are given a pat on the hand and rewarded Oscars.

We have all been raped, every single time we tweet, retweet, sub, like or comment on ‘nudes leak’ of women. Yet I wonder why no one ever leaks nudes of men.

Where literary fantasies have now become innocent girls, made to do things beyond their imagination, and the guy is forgiven because he has a ‘broken past’. Everyone has a broken past; it doesn’t give you the right to ignore the consent of others.

I was appalled when a classmate was accused of rape and he said”This is the hottest gist I’ve heard of myself”. I am pretty sure that if he was accused of theft he would have found that much more insulting. We live in this shallow degraded world where a woman has more chances of being raped than of earning a college degree.

Personally, I hate the sentence “I was raped”. It excludes the fact that it was committed by somebody. Like “the book was misplaced”, it doesn’t indicate the fact that someone is responsible for the act. “Someone raped me”... That is a sentence you hardly hear in the news, the misogyny and patriarchy have blindly covered even those who claim to be heralds of the truth.

I once saw a poster that said, “Rape!, now that I have got your attention, enjoy the best cuisines from XYX Hotels”. It was disgusting!. There are numerous advertising strategies to employ but for a society like ours to be extremely comfortable with such billboards on our streets, We then have all been raped.

There are a million topics to use to get people’s attention; sports, religion, politics, entertainment even food itself. But a bunch of college-certificate-wielding PR experts with NBA’s and Ph.Ds. found it thoughtful that the only way to gain the attention of people is to use the word rape.

Let me explain in all intensity, what rape is as defined by feminist Author, Roxane Gay in her book, Bad Feminist.
“...rape is a difficult experience to survive physically and emotionally, there is the exposure to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, vaginal and anal tearing, fistulae and vaginal scar tissue. The reproductive system is often irreparably damaged. Victims of rape have a higher chance of miscarrying a pregnancy. Psychologically, there are many effects, including PTSD, anxiety, fear, coping with the social stigma and coping with shame and on and on. The aftermath can be far-reaching and more devastating than the rape itself”

So the next time someone uses your social network without your permission, If your account hasn't suffered any of the above, please do not say, ‘My account has been raped’. It hasn't and it will never be.

If you are sexualizing 15 year old girls and getting turned on by the length of sleeves, you are the problem.

If you judge a woman by her appearance, it doesn’t define her; It defines the sick bastard you might be.

If you make a rule where boys are not disturbed for wearing brief length shorts out but girls are harassed for wearing free flowing gowns, you give an impression that boys are absolutely not responsible for the irrational decisions they make. Your dress code is SEXIST and promotes rape culture.

If you firmly believe that the value of a woman is reduced by the touch of your hands, you are the problem.

My body isn’t a temple. It is a castle with a moat and crocodiles and a dragon that will set you on fire if you touch me.

I am not written in braille, you do not have to touch me to know me.

Rape is much more serious than it would always seem and once we keep quiet about this cankerworm eating our society, we would find ourselves accepting such horrendous violations as a ‘rite of passage’.

“Qui tacet consentire videtur” – Silence gives consent.


Tuesday 24 February 2015 0 comments

Who Are The Rich and Poor in Nigeria? - Social Class Better Explained


The past few weeks has seen me cross the Third Mainland bridge severally and I have come to the grand conclusion that two very different worlds exist at the opposite ends of Third Mainland bridge.
From the supercharged angry atmosphere soaked with sweat and impatience characteristic of the mainland to the tranquility and oyinboishness experienced at the Island, one can only be baffled at the disparity that exists.

After salivating at the structures and automobiles I have seen, I think it would be a great disservice if I don't properly classify our social class and enable people find out where they belong.

1. The Rich
     Examples: Dangote, Otedola, Oniru, Elegushi
This are the class of people allowed to call a Private Jet, a Toy. They are permitted to have hectares of land at Banana island and Eko Atlantic city. They have breakfast at Oriental Hotel, Lunch at Federal Palace Hotel and dinner at Eko Hotel. They are the worthy mentors of the youths. God specifically told me that this is where i'd be.

2. The Rich Middle Class
     Example: Oil Workers
This type of people are my best kind of people. They think they are Dangote. You see them with nice cars, starched white shirts and an air of importance. One good thing though is, when they are sacked or retired they have just enough to setup a business to rescue them from disaster.  (Continue Reading)
Monday 23 February 2015 0 comments

People Change



People change, But don't be afraid to be sweet. Don't be afraid to do good to all men.

People change, But don't be afraid to keep your tongue bridled. Don't be afraid to speak life.

people change, But don't be afraid to care. Don't be afraid to be emphatic. 

people change, But don't be afraid to trust. Don't be afraid to accomodate.

people change, But dont. be afraid to laugh. Don't be afraid to cry.

people change, But don't be afraid to love. Don't be afraid to be loved.

People change, But don't be afraid to remain you!


*image Source
Saturday 21 February 2015 0 comments

We are gods...




I hope you had a wonderful week. Just a little something to spice up your weekend. Do Enjoy!!

We are gods...
Whenever you go out-of-doors,
Draw the chin in,
Carry the crown of the head high,
And fill the lungs to the utmost;
Drink in the sunshine;
Greet your friends with a smile,
And put soul in every handclasp.
Do not fear being misunderstood
And do not waste a minute thinking about your enemies.
Try to fix firmly in your mind what you would like to do;
And then, without veering off direction,
You will move straight to the goal.
Keep in mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do,
And then, as the days go gliding away,
You will find yourself unconsciously seizing opportunities
That is required for the fulfillment of your desire,
Just as the coral insect takes from the running tide the element it needs.
Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you desire to be,
And the thought you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual.
... Thought is supreme.
Preserve a right mental attitude -
The attitude of courage, frankness and good cheer.
To think rightly is to create.
All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered.
We become like that on which our hearts are fixed.
Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high.
We are gods in the chrysalis.
-Elbert Hubbard
Essayist and Publisher
Monday 9 February 2015 0 comments

THE PH.D vs. THE DISCIPLINED


It wouldn’t be courteous if I do not apologize for having not posted for a long while. I won’t be giving any excuses to my ardent readers and all who hung around.  I am truly sorry indeed.

Happy New Year!!!!!!, yeah, it is coming a little late, but better late than ever. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Just in case you think you did not, remember we weren’t greeted with Nigeria’s usual New Year’s gift of fuel price hike and/or scarcity. So you should reconsider. =)

On to the next one! Its election season and we have a choice to make. The Ph.D. vs. The Disciplined. I am well informed that we have a few other boxers in the ring, even a female. Now I believe my Further mathematics teacher in high school who used to say, ”You can’t afford to be comfortable with mediocrity, In this quiz, It’s the best versus others”. I am not saying they are the best, I’m saying if the others weren’t mediocre in campaigning and letting their voice out, we would have at least known their names like the back of our hands. So, I blame them for making us choose between Beans and Akara. (Continue Reading)
 
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