Nike Campbell-Fatoki's Blog, page 2

Kemi Macaulay-Newman: Mompreneur and Lover of Life

“It’s important to have a laser focus, start small and ramp up otherwise you’d have your arms around everything without really grasping anything.”

Kemi Macaulay-Newman, CEO, House of Botori

Featured in Magazines –  Pregnancy & Newborn Registry Guide, April, 2014, M Magazine, Woman’s World, Bay Area Parent, Boston Parents Paper, Look East Magazine, Luxe Tentations -   and on television, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of House of Botori is more than an entrepreneur.  She is a go-getter who takes time to also enjoy life.   Here is Kemi Macaulay-Newman, who is also the founder of 9jamom.com.  Be Inspired.

  Who is Kemi Macaulay-Newman? 

I’m a quirky fun-loving geek. I LOVE life, and living it to the fullest is my number one priority. Nothing gives me greater joy than new experiences especially culinary and travel experiences. I’m a voracious reader who loves dancing, swimming, bicycling and generally any outdoor activity; name it and I’m game as long as reptiles are excluded.

I run an Information Security and Privacy Consulting Company advising Government Agencies and Private Sector organizations on leading strategies for protecting their sensitive information, minimizing exposures and overall management of information security and privacy related risks.

 My creative side is not to be left out as I launched a line of diaper bags a few years ago – House of Botori .  I’m blessed to be mom to two amazing boys and married to my number one ace and bestie.

How did you get started with the House of Botori ?

 I founded House of Botori after my first son was born because as a new mom, I found it difficult to find unique, functional accessories to suit my particular style. House of Botori was born from the desire to merge individuality and functionality without sacrificing fashion – our durable and practical line features diaper bags, lunch and work totes and everyday bags made from African and our signature African-inspired fabrics.

The Ginika Tote – Moms and Celeb moms favorite; featured in Pregnancy and Newborn 2014 Spring/Summer Guide

Tima Lunch Bag

The Eneehi Nursing cover – featured in Pregnancy and Newborn 2015 Buyers Guide.

 What has been the most challenging aspects of what you do?

 The biggest challenge was wading through the waters of manufacturing a line of products – going from conception to design and delivery. It was such a steep learning curve because it’s   a completely different field. I’m a Tech girl who had a great idea I thought would be so simple to execute – create diaper bags using African fabrics. Then I had to learn about fabrics, difference between a zipper and zipper pull, regulatory testing requirements, shipping, product photography, PR versus marketing while figuring out channel distribution. I’d have to say hands-down getting the right manufacturer has been the most difficult part of this process.

 Realizing the impact of order minimums and pricing products correctly to remain competitive and profitable is another challenge. And in all ofthis, ensuring one stayed within the retail schedule – while my products are versatile year-round, it’s important to be able to have samples completed and ready to ship within the applicable season – For instance, we’re launching children’s backpacks and the back to school and holiday gifting season are very important.

 Another major challenge has been making sure to stay focused as I have millions of ideas running through my mind at any given time. In this business it’s important to have a laser focus, start small and ramp up otherwise you’d have your arms around everything without really grasping anything.

  What’s in the horizon for you?

Very excited about expanding our line with an upcoming launch of House of Botori children’s backpacks and lunch bags. We’ve ramped up channel distribution support and will be kicking off a major philanthropic effort that’s close to my heart. House of Botori gives back a portion of our proceeds to support Sickle Cell Awareneess initiatives and we are in the process of launching a campaign that will increase awareness dramatically and raise funds for a non profit organization that provides a lot of support to the community.

 Where can people connect with you on social media?

Facebook – facebook.com/housebotori

Instagram/Twitter – @houseofbotori

Kemi in Paris

Kemi’s doing it all and walking her path to greatness. Proud to know her and wishing her all the best.

Meaningful Success

Of late, I noticed people embracing a new type of success; success that carries others along; the success that gives back and uplifts others.

[image error]I haven’t posted any musings in a while.  These are usually unconnected sporadic thoughts, flashes, rants, eureka moments. I have spared you these.  :-)

 I’m happy to report that in my quiet moments, I’ve done a bit.  I completed the draft of my collection of contemporary short stories.  The exercise has taught me the discipline that brevity warrants.  There’s a skill to being brief while getting the message across. One of the short stories was featured in Brittle Paper http://brittlepaper.com/2015/08/appointment-nike-campbellfatoki/. I hope to bring you more exciting news about the short story collection soon.

 The French e- copy of Thread of Gold Beads – Un Fil De Perle d’Or – is coming out this August via World Reader.  It’s been many months coming and I can’t wait to share it with French readers, especially my Francophone Africans.  I fell in love with the cover, made by Victor Ehikhamenor.  He made the process effortless.  Is there any competition for best book cover, anyone?

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of taking on a new project. This came about when I began to ask myself what really is success? Meaningful success, that is. The popular definition always has monetary value associated with it – the top ten richest people on a magazine’s list, the top 100 most influential people in the world, the 100 Most Beautiful People (how this is determined, I don’t know). To others, it’s being infamous, having their names out there for any reason.  Of late, I noticed people embracing a new type of success; success that carries others along; the success that gives back and uplifts others. I wanted to celebrate these ones. Especially the ones who look like me, and make me proud to be African.  The media doesn’t go out of it’s way to do this.

Our Paths to Greatness was created to celebrate the accomplishments of Africans, dispelling the myths of our great continent and inspiring many to go after their dreams (be you white, black, brown).  It’s time to tell our stories, shout it from the roof tops. If we don’t, no one else will.  A Facebook group and page was created and it continues to grow daily. It is also on twitter @OptgAfrica and Instagram @OptgAfrica

 Leading Africans – Archibishop Desmond Tutu, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Stateman, Kofi Ananan, Angelique Kidjo, to name a few, have been featured- with great feeback.  Young leading Africans like Ishay Sesay, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Qudus Onikeku, Ola Ojewunmi, Akon, Malebo Gololo, Kimberly Anyadike (youngest black female pilot), Abisoye Jemiyo – are not left out. Visit the page to catch up – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Our-Paths-to-Greatness/788904837871778

  OPTG’s vision is clear. OPTG will continue to bring the message that Africa is made up of bright, articulate minds, with one goal in mind – advancing Africa.

Thanks to all those I’ve reached out to, to become a part of this movement. In the next few months more information on the organization’s activities and how you can be a part of it wherever you are hill be shared.

 Meaningful success to me is contagious. It has to affect another’s life positively.  It’s the barber who goes on the streets to give free haircuts to the homeless, it’s the volunteers at the homeless shelter serving others, it’s the rapper equipping African towns and villages with electricity, it’s the teacher using his/her hard-earned money to buy school supplies for students who don’t have.

What’s meaningful success to you?

Malebo Gololo: Making Her Mark in the World

“We live in societies that if we are not true to ourselves, someone else will determine the truth for you and that sucks! How sad it must be to wake up every day knowing that you are not at peace with who you are.  You become an imposter in your own life.” – Malebo Gololo

You’ve been described as “Inspirational Speaker, Empress Regnant, Thinker on Development and identity, Soul Whisperer, Supershero,” tell us, who is Malebo Gololo?

I have been through quite the journey and have experienced much light, colour and darkness to a point that sometimes I never know where to start when asked to tell my story. I will therefore not attempt to tell you all my adventures and only choose that which come to mind. First and foremost, it must be known that I am an extremely spiritual person and therefore God is and will always be the basis of everything I do. I am a proudly Afrikan daughter of the soil who took a while to realise how glorious her continent is.  I remember my first trip to Europe and I would get asked where I was from. I would proudly answer “Johannesburg” making sure that they understood that Johannesburg was separate from the rest of Afrika. That was up until Biko happened to me and the rest is history.

“I am Afrika and Afrika is me. She sought me and teaches me to bleed for her Renaissance.”

My childhood is a bit of a blur mainly because of what happened to me. I did not view my existence through the lens of those who were around me. They saw a beautiful confident young leader whilst I was locked up in a world of unworthiness and self-doubt. This was mainly because I was sexually violated at a very young age. I dealt with this through overeating and disappearing into an imaginary world. I became overweight because of this overeating which caused more self-image/esteem problems, adding to the issues I was already  dealing with.   

Being raised by selfless parents ignited a spark I had inside for humanity. For the longest time I can remember, I have always wanted to become a SuperShero (Based on all the cartoons I used to watch and the imaginary worlds I would often disappear off to). When I was 10 years old, I was part of a peer facilitation programme which certified me to facilitate life skills to my peers and even those who were older than me. After high school, I ditched an opportunity to study engineering to travel around the continent and Europe as a youth development worker with a team of young people – oh what a journey. People loved us; we would speak, dance, teach sign autographs and even offer counselling. When we toured Germany and the surrounds, were a bunch of Afrikans setting the Europeans free – totally rewriting the Afrikan narrative.  

I have had the opportunity of teaching performance art and public speaking to hundreds of young community workers. I have taught at a remedial school and have lived and studied in New York. I dropped out of my programme in New York because I was home sick and I knew my heart was back home. Upon returning to South Africa, I enrolled at University of South Africa (UNISA) and worked for various American youth development programmes. I was then recruited into a corporate position in early 2008 (in an American company). Biko happened to me about the same time I got into the corporate world and this was a start of a revolution in my life. [image error]

I started a non-profit organisation called Soul Ova in 2005 which focused on emotional wellbeing and counselling. Initially it was geared at assisting women, but we were so popular and relevant that even men wanted in too. Soul Ova also got to run programmes in correctional facilities (prison) for five years. This was driven by the curiosity to discover and analyse the violent masculinity issues we have in South Africa. 

Struggling to balance my corporate and community work, and my new found consciousness, I resigned from my ever comfortable corporate position at the end of 2011. Although things were going great career wise in the eyes of an observer, it was not where my soul found peace.  I went into a mini sabbatical while pursuing my community work. That is when I found my home as a Thought Leader and Development worker.  I currently run a growth and development company where I offer speaking, MC services and organisational strategies for mostly non-profit companies. Because I found myself overwhelmed with mentorship requests, I started an online female development programme called Lady Leader. I am also involved in various projects and initiatives which speak to identity and development.

I have a learning disability where I struggle with focus and memory. I read a lot to make sure that my brain functions. If I do not do this, then I struggle.

I am a lover of knowledge and as a thought leader; I get invited to contribute about the socio-economic issues facing South Africa and the continent at large. This contribution is done through various channels such as media and events.

You decided to move from the corporate world into social entrepreneurship.  Why? 

 Community work has always been in my blood and the corporate world became too costly for me.  My corporate work often required me to take my attention off my community work and this caused a huge void inside of me. I was unfulfilled and no amount of money could fill this void. I also realised that the corporate world literally controlled my life and I became a slave to it. When you are not aligned, you are most likely not going to be able to handle the challenges thrown at you. After honest conversations with key individuals I reflected on the type of life I wanted to live. I knew that what my soul hungered for was not found in the corporate space. It was a huge risk because when I resigned I did not have a plan.  I literally took a leap of faith. I usually tell people not to resign after they hear my story as we all have different circumstances to fall on after the resignation. I had a community organisation I could fall on and I was pretty self-actualised when I resigned. It is a different story for someone who has no clue about where they are going. Wisdom plays a huge role in this. 

Here’s a podcast on Malebo leaving her  job:  https://soundcloud.com/malebo-gololo/malebo-chats-to-pabi-moloi-on-power-fmabout-her-leaving-her-job

[image error]

I once attended a summit and a speaker quoted these words by Jennifer Brea “Many of Africa’s best and brightest become bureaucrats or NGO workers when they should be scientists or entrepreneurs.” This quote stuck with me as I realised that Afrika in its entirety has become NGO driven due to its dependence on the West and the narrative that Afrikans are always in need of help. If charity does not develop an individual, it cripples them. I did not want to become a disabler but rather a builder. I decided to change my language from community work to development work. My work focuses on developing the identity of an individual so that they could become conscious citizens who contribute to society in all aspects. One of the things that are close to my heart is to see individuals who participate in the economy.  If we do not develop the individual, then no amount of methods and programmes will solve the ills of our continent, especially given our history as a collective.

You wear many hats, how do you juggle it all? How do you prioritize?

All of my hats are interlinked so I don’t find that I have to worry much about juggling characters. I also do not work alone which helps a lot. Besides my assistant who keeps me sane, I have partnered with various individuals to make sure that most projects and initiatives maintain traction. I must confess though that due to my academic commitments and progression, I have had to learn to prioritise and focus on what matters the most.  This is because I want to make more time for my family and friends and probably start a family of my own.

What does your quote “although you did not apply to be born, the choice to live is yours” mean to you personally?

We all have a story to tell and life has somewhere served us a portion we believe is unfair. Some things happened not by choice but because of the families, communities and continent we were born into. The past therefore does not have to determine your destiny. I had every reason to stay angry at my violators. I had every reason to blame life for some of the challenges I have seen along the way, I had every reason to be some drug addict but I knew I would not get my cape and pen (a pen is mightier than the sword right?) if I did that, so I chose to live a life that is worth an adventure.

Who and/or what inspired you on your path?

My parents are my heroes and they have shaped me into who I am. They have allowed me to make decisions and learn from them. I am very close to my parents which is a blessing to me. After my parents, life and everything around me inspires me. I am very intuitive and my spirit is sharp which allows me to read deeper in a situation. This always allows a different perspective.

You’ve done things that some people never get a chance to do in their lives – skydiving, motor bike racing?  Am I leaving anything out? What drives you?

Besides travelling to countless towns and living with diverse families around the world in my lifetime.  I have always sought to challenge stereotypes and limitations. Because of my self-image problems, I constantly have to remind myself of the immense possibilities within me. Because of the extreme nature of both sky diving and motor biking (and the cost implications), I had to choose one and I chose biking J  

What in your estimation is the single most important thing every individual needs to possess to succeed in life?

“To thineself be true” – Authenticity. We live in societies that if we are not true to ourselves, someone else will determine the truth for you and that sucks! How sad it must be to wake up every day knowing that you are not at peace with who you are.  You become an imposter in your own life.

 What’s in the horizon for you?

Short term: I am so broody – I really want to start a family; mainly to grow the kid’s afro but also for all the right reasons. I also want to finally publish one of the many manuscripts in my possession.

 Long Term: In 10 years I want to be a full professor and have established a leadership school for Afrikans, by afrikans via Afrika.

What haven’t you done yet that you would like to accomplish?

I would like to go on a three-month walk/bike ride around the continent with a bunch of likeminded people. And since we are a bunch of development geeks, a cause will be attached to the trip and we can’t leave out the blogging right?

  Where can people connect with you on social media?

I am very interactive on social media and enjoy connecting with like-minded individuals

On facebook: Malebo Gololo  

Lady Leader:  https://www.facebook.com/ladyleaderInt?fref=ts

 On twitter: @malebosays and Instagram: malebosays

My Blog: www.malebosays.blogspot.com

Where I am exploring fiction writing: www.malebowrites.blogspot.com

 In closing I would like to quote Laurel Thatcher Ulrich – “Well behaved women seldom make history.” 

 Well Laurel, you are so right!!!!

Malebo is a breath of fresh air.  She speaks truth, an old soul in a young woman’s body.  She’s been working her path to greatness for years. Expecting greater things from her. Keep walking your path to greatness Malebo!

Abisoye Jemiyo: International Table Tennis Champion

“In life, we all have setbacks, irrespective of who we are or what our ability might be, but as long as we live to see another day, then we are real-life survivors and true winners because what doesn’t kill us can only make us stronger.”

– Oye Jemiyo

Abisoye (Oye) Jemiyo and I were classmates for a few years in Lagos, Nigeria.   Even then, I knew his light could not be diminished despite his obvious physical challenges.  I’m sure when you read his path to greatness, you’ll be as inspired as I am.

 Tell us about Oye

 Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria into a wonderfully caring, highly disciplined and well educated family, I am the last of seven.  I underwent my primary and secondary school education in Lagos, during which I visited United Kingdoom (UK) yearly for surgery and medical aids to enhance my quality of life.  Growing up in Lagos with a disability was tough but with its excitements at the same time.  I was surrounded with exceptional friends who faded my disability with their friendly love.  Faced lots of challenges, most especially during my secondary schooling but I turned it all into adventure which then became fun hence helped me see the journey through.

  In life, we all have setbacks, irrespective of who we are or what our ability might be, but as long as we live to see another day, then we are real-life survivors and true winners because what doesn’t kill us can only make us stronger.

I am so blessed to have be born into my family.  Our faith provided the strength, wisdom, daily bread and knowledge for my family to be able to support me, and my siblings, until I was  able to stand on my own two feet. I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination and believe me; my imagination is wide and wild.

I finished my secondary schooling in 1991 and after a long battle with stroke, my mentor, my advocate, my hero, the man I call my dad passed away in 1992 hence I relocated to the United Kingdom (UK) in 1994. Leaving behind almost 20 years of a life I was accustomed to was very daunting even though I was relocating with my sweet mother, and two of my brothers were in the UK, it was a very sad good bye to all my friends and family who loved and supported me throughout my life.

Finding my feet in the UK was very challenging - I slept on a sofa for months without having access to a bedroom, bathroom and toilet, and could not even leave the house I was in due to its inaccessibility.  At the time, I did not realise how challenging it was due to the unconditional love of my mother.  I was also sent an angel in the form of a social worker who connected me to all the necessities I needed.  She expedited the process and I owe part of my independence to her and so many other angels God sent me.

I undertook an NVQ Level 3 in IT and my first job was with Clinton Cards Plc, HSBC Bank Plc and then as a Project Manager for a disability rights organization called Independent Living (Keighley) Ltd.  I decided to further my education and decided to study for a degree (MBA) in Social Work.

In amongst settling down, gaining independence, creating my own network and building my own life, I lost count of series of major spinal surgery and other medical interventions…but I am here today, to tell you my journey, in which my faith played a very big part.[image error]

When and why did you start to play table tennis?

 I started playing table tennis during my rehabilitation at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire (UK) after surgery.  I went into the gym for exercises when I saw the Yorkshire county disabilities team practicing.  I joined in, was told I had a gifted talent for the sport and never looked back since 1996 even though there were setbacks, time off due to health and work commitments, etc., I just love what I do and that is playing table tennis.

 Congratulations on your many accomplishments.  What awards have you won and how did you get into the competition stage in the UK?

 I have been quite successful at county and national level, winning several gold medals in singles and doubles.  It has been such a long journey but I still feel very hungry for the sport as I did about 15 years ago when I attended my first ever international tournament in Dublin, Ireland. 

  Oye’s achievements are numerous, the most recent: 

  Draycott Para Open National Grand Prix Tournament, Derby – Individual Representation (April 2015). Result: Gold in Class 2 & 3 Singles, Gold in Wheelchair Doubles.

 Hungarian Open International Table Tennis Tournament, Eger – Representing Great Britain (March 2015).  Result: Bronze in Class 2 Team Event.

 SportsAble National Grand Prix Tournament (October 2014) – Individual representation. Result: Gold in Wheelchair Band B Open, Gold in Wheelchair Doubles & Bronze in Class 1 & 2 singles.

 Disability Sport England (DSE) County National Championships – Represented Yorkshire (June 2013). Result:  Silver in Class 1 & 2 singles event.

 British Table Tennis Association for the Disabled (BTTAD) National Championship (March 2013) – Individual representation. Result:  Bronze in Class 1 & 2 singles event.

 USA Open (Mike Dempsey Memorial) International Table Tennis Tournament, San Diego – Representing Great Britain (December 2012).  Result:  Bronze in Class 2 singles & Bronze in Class 1-2 Team Event.

Disability Sport England (DSE) County National Championships – Represented Yorkshire (2011). Result:  Bronze in Class 2 singles event & Bronze in Open singles event.

Disability Sport England (DSE) County National Championships – Represented Yorkshire (2010). Result:  Gold in Doubles event, Bronze in Class 2 singles event & a special award for “The most improved male player of the tournament”.

 What have been the most challenging aspects of what you do?  

Securing funding to enable me attend international tournaments is my biggest challenge.  I have managed to attend seven international tournaments in the last two years, thanks to all the people that donated and sponsored me in the past via money raised from various table tennis exhibitions, bucket collections, individual donations and I have 5 international bronze medals to show for my hard work.  I need all the financial support I can get to be able to attend these 3 international tournaments before the end of January 2016 to aid my qualification for the Paralympic games where I shall be flying the Great British (GB) flag high and proud.

 For people especially those with physical challenges looking to get into sports in general and table tennis in particular, what do you advise?

 For anyone, with or without a disability, choose a sport that you love and just go for it, disability does not mean inability.  Loving something we do gives us the passion and the determination to do well in it, no matter what.  Obviously “Rome was not built in a day”, success takes time and it comes from hard work, so patience is a virtue.  Anything is possible; we just have to persevere with determination because when we have life, there is surely hope for a better tomorrow.  My advice is never give up!

   What’s in the horizon for you?

My ultimate goal is qualifying for the Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in  2016.  Cut-off for selection is end of January 2016 so between now and then, I have chosen three international tournaments to attend in aid of my qualification but it is all down to securing enough funds from sponsors to enable me attend these three international tournaments.  It is quite a an expense for me because I always have to take my Personal Assistant with me on every journey to assist me with my daily needs so that I can maintain my independence.

Where can people connect with you on social media?

I have a Facebook page: ‘The Road-2-Rio’.  Here you will be able to see more about my table tennis journey in video and picture form.

 Oye continues to inspire me.  He’s not fazed by his challenges;  a testament to the fact that the hurdles will definitely be there, but it’s up to us how high we can jump.  His life challenges me to overcome whatever comes my way.  Wishing Oye the best on his  journey to Rio 2016!  He is indeed walking his path to greatness.

If you would like to follow Oye’s journey and/or support,  reach out to him via email: oye.road2rio@yahoo.com or through his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Road-2-Rio/306258092834200?fref=ts

The Book Affair

   

The Book Affair was held on Saturday April 11, 2015 at the Huntington Community Centre in Bowie, Maryland.  The event was a collaboration between poets/spoken word artist Timmie Fatoki and Tia Ajao of Lyrics by Tia, actress, Kike Ayodeji, author Jola Naibi and yours truly, to support the reading culture and increase literary levels in Nigeria through LAIPO’s mobile library initiative.

 LAIPO, a not-for-profit project founded by author Ayodele Olofintuade in 2010 began as a series of book readings held in primary and secondary schools in parts of Nigeria. By 2013, readings and literary activities were held in thirty schools in both government and privately owned primary and secondary schools.

The moderator of the event,  Jacqueline Aneke-Oguseye kicked it off by introducing Timmie Fatoki, who read her poem,  “My Name.”  Attendees included Ikhide Ikheloa, Tope Fajingbesin radio personality (Impact Africa), and Co-Founder of United for Kids Foundation, Etim Eyo of Nigeria Nostalgia Project and a representative from Southern Advancement Support Organization (SASO), a non-profit organization that seeks to support community-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) assisting women, AIDS orphans and other needy children in the southern hemisphere.

A total of 155 books were donated at the Book Affair.  Thank you to everyone that supported and still is.  If you are interested in being a part of this this initative,  please reach out at: nikecampbellfatoki@gmail.com, follow on facebook:  www.facebook.com/nikecfatoki and twitter @nikecfatoki.  Also LIKE and follow LAIPO Reads on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laipo-Reads/391286724303180?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

 

 

  Tia Ajao performs “Be SUPER” with help from her superheroes

 

Kike Ayodeji’s performs her monologue: “Free Spirit, “Thread of Gold Beads

Nike Campbell-Fatoki reads from “Thread of Gold Beads” 

         

Made

Mama said it will take time

I said time is what I didn’t have

She smiled

Little one, she said

Patting my head as I lay on her bosom

Hard work is like boiling water in a pot

It appears nothing is happening

Until suddenly you see the water bubbling

 

So I worked

Days were too short

Nights, a blur

Nothing blossomed

 

I paused in frustration

And cried to mama

She chuckled

Little one, don’t you see?

Feeling my rippling shoulders, she said

The results are in the journey

The fears you faced

The lives you’ve touched

The lessons you learned

I caressed her wrinkled face

Emboldened, I returned

 

I worked harder, but this time

Listening when others spoke

Questioning before judging

Living, not existing

 

I returned to mama

Carrying her in my arms

I told her of the lives I had touched

The wounds I had mended

The heartstrings I now held

She smiled, tears in her eyes

Little one, she said

You have made it

-NCF 2015

Chibok: One Year Later

It’s been a year since the Chibok girls were taken from their school.  We remember. We cannot, must not forget.

“I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.” – Audre Lorde

   

 Pictures culled from naijapolitica.com, thecable.ng, omojuwa.com

Interview with Qudus Onikeku

“If you focus so much on becoming something or like someone, if your focus is on being accepted by those who in the first place don’t have the courage to be free. Then you are not living, you are in fact on the opposite side of living. ”  -Qudus Onikeku

 

I met Qudus Onikeku in Abeokuta, Nigeria at the Ake Arts and Book Festival in November 2014.  He performed an electrifying, captivating rendition of My Exile is in My Head. It left the audience short of words.  Qudus is a choreographer, teacher and creative thinker.  He is making headlines internationally, performing his dances in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.  We talk about his art, his journey to date and what drives him.  Qudus  continues to send a strong, positive message to the younger generation that there are many avenues to creating a livelihood while still living out your passion.  Here is my interview with Qudus Onikeku, as he walks his path to greatness.

Tell Us About Qudus Onikeku

Qudus Onikeku is a restless but highly soulful and intuitive individual, a lover of beauty, poetry, paintings, sculpture, music, and everything that sings and manifests the beauty, the loneliness, the comedy, the irony and the tragedy of being here now, often fired up by the feelings of unjust and imbalance, with a great passion for using his gift and wealth to touch lives. 

 This gift of mine expresses itself mostly in dance and this wealth is the accumulation of my lived experiences.  I am a big traveler, a nomad chanting at the borders of different cultures. My deep understanding of art, politics, language, life, beauty and everything in between is what serves as a basis for all my contradictory preoccupations, and my body always create a tunnel for them all, to be channeled through my dance without conflict. 

 What got you interested in dancing?

 I doubt if I will ever be able to answer that question, because I think I was already dancing before I became aware of me dancing. What I can recall is that my first corporal expression goes far back to the years of childhood, when I saw this individual who did (judging with my adult mind now) a simple acrobatics on the playground, and that simple immediate action triggered something in me at the age of five. It is that desire to express something of the self, the unschooled self, the uncolonized self, the unguided self that I now relate to the authentic self.  That desire for a true expression must be the element responsible for that interest in dance. 

 Tell us about your journey.

 My journey is such a long one. I’ve never been able to completely narrate it, one, because I always feel it irrelevant recounting the past, when there is still a lot to be done, secondly, the damn journey is so long that I fear I might bore people, and lastly, it is incredibly complex even for me to make a proper sense of it, at least for now. That said, I’ll just say I started with acrobatics at the age of five, which led me to dance at the age of 13, that discovery messed me up and is still messing me up till date.

I left high school as a disgruntled science student at 16. Quickly began a career that already became international from age 17, but the pressure at home, to go to school began to heat me up, after I decided to get ‘serious’ even if I knew for sure that I was only writing a love letter to depression, at 20 I got an admission into University of Lagos to study Mathematics and statistics, yeah I did, on a merit list. Simultaneously I got a long term contract with a dance company in France. Dilemma, to go or not to go, yes it might seem very obvious now, but I had a tough time deciding whether to continue schooling or pursue my career in dance. Anyway I stepped out of school, and went for the contract, with one ambition in mind – “find your school in France”. 

 After three years of working, touring, discovering, and finding out what I want for myself, I decided that I would be doing myself a great deal of damage if I go to a dance school in France, so I chose to attend a circus arts school, I know, circus sounds weird, but it’s a contemporary circus, at least that’s what it’s called – no monkeys, lions or elephants. My three years in school was as difficult as hell, because I was already untamable and unschoolable, but it was a great exercise eventually, I left that school at 25, attempted relocating to go change the world from Lagos, but Lagos made a mockery of my claims. Yes I got amazing ideas, but incredibly inexperienced, I was immediately spat out of Lagos, hence my return to France, now with a different status – an exile. That will be the beginning of my artistic journey as a man at the border. Everything after that is where the journey is right now.

 What have you learned along the way?

 Hmm, defiance. Bold disobedience, because life is a bitch. The society discourages radical existence, but those rascal radicals who succeed, eventually become the society’s heroes. We must continuously reinvent the wheel at will. Negation, history is full of lies and make believe, to combat those lies, we need news stories and new names, we need to create parallel make believes, more than history I’ve learnt to trust in my body memories. In my Intuitions. 

 Courage. Fear rules everywhere and there are millions out there who want to make you believe they have you in mind when they try to convince you, but they only speak of their fear-ridden conditioned mind. I’ve learnt that to live is to eliminate fear, when there is fear, you are not. 

Trust. I’ve also leant to trust myself first, which leads to the trust in my intuition and eventually trust for fellow humans, no matter how much it hurts over and over again, there is always a chance for change and advancement.

What or who inspire you?

 Everything. Because the inspiration is not in the what or the who, I can do nothing else but be opened up, my pores, my brain, my heart and my entire being, and this impeccable sensation, as though the outer layer of my flesh is continuously being peeled off my skin, as though I no longer have a barrier between me and the world, as though I am the world, and the world is me, as though I am a fetus in complete unison with the cosmos, as though I am the dog that waits patiently all day, the long lasting aged tree that keeps the memories of the space in time, as though I am every collateral damage, every child soldier, every woman raped in war or peace time, as though I am Gaza, as though I am Kabul, Baga, Kivu, Chibok and every other distressed corners of the earth, as though I am the tiny red fish swimming in the ocean of sensations.  In there, everything inspires you to dance, to write, to sing, to scream, to yell, to want to believe in your powers to change the entire world. 

 Qudus with children in Yaoundé, Cameroun

 What has been the most challenging aspects of what you do?

 Knowing that I’ll always get the support, despite the fact that I sometimes wonder if I deserve it, now the challenge lies in the hope to deliver again and again. It is the ultimate terror most successful creative people face I guess. The terror of not maintaining a previously conquered height. 

 What should we be expecting from you in the future?

 One step at a time, as long as my life is restored, I’ll continue to make it count doing things I love, for those I hope to touch. 

  What advise will you give particularly young people who are yet to identify their passion?

 Don’t hope to fit within the structure of this society. The society is supposed to balance itself between the psychological stability of the individual, and his or her social well being. Every science, every policy, every religion, every need for understanding must first see to this basic need, for it to be even worthy of any consideration, because social cohesion will be utterly impossible if our collective and economic, and political, and social need continues to weigh so much more than the individual’s psychological, mental and spiritual needs. There will be no much room left for passion, for creativity, for playfulness, for spirituality, for just being as opposed to having, that’s where the arts come from, that’s where it makes sense. If you focus so much on becoming something or like someone, if your focus is on being accepted by those who in the first place don’t have the courage to be free. Then you are not living, you are in fact on the opposite side of living. 

 You were recently at the Ake Arts and Book Festival, what was that experience like for you?

 At Ake something happened, and for that something to happen, I have waited for a decade. At Ake it was as if the gates of that enigma called ‘home’, finally opened up and embraced my decision to move back to Lagos. It was really a nod to the next level of my career as an artistic voice coming from Lagos.  Anywhere I go now, I feel proud to represent that jungle. 

 Also performing in the gathering of literary giants, those whose mastery or words and letters I’ve not only admired, but I’ve used as a strong base during my formative years as a young artist. Reading and music were the first muse that led me towards my own discoveries, so performing in such gathering was like an unspoken dream that suddenly came true. In essence Ake was a brilliant opportunity on different levels. 

My Exile is in my Head with Ese Brume at Ake Arts and Book Festival, Abeokuta, November 2014

  You are also quite vocal on social media when it comes to national and international issues, would you consider yourself an activist?  Do you see your art as a form of activism?

 Actually I have constantly refused to either regard myself or allow others refer to me as an activist, because I don’t deal in certainty. I change my mind too often to be an activist, I love my unpredictable ability to contradict myself at will, I too often give in to the complexity of my existence, but like I said, injustice is something that I link to one of those human vices which I just can’t swallow easily, but just like the activist, the artist is also a social commentator, and my slogan these days is, “every space is a space and must be occupied.” The leitmotiv of my work will not only be found in my works on stage, but everywhere I find myself including the social media, even in the way my body is presented and clothed. My entire being is entrenched in my continuous wish to heal, to touch, to mediate, and to translate and to contribute. That I guess is where all the energy comes from. 

 Where and how can people contact you to learn about your upcoming shows, and those interested in getting into what you do?

 I’m the easiest-to-get artist in the world.  I’m visible everywhere. My Facebook page is where you’ll always find me updated facebook.com/qudus.onikeku

Followed by my website qudusonikeku.com, or my organisation’s website ykprojects.com or the project we are onto In lagos qdancecenter.com, then I’m on twitter @ykprojects, Instagram on @qudusonikeku, my YouTube channel also got most of works at Qudus Onikeku.

 Looking forward to greater things from Qudus who is walking his path to greatness.

 

 

My Favorite Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

Martin Luther King Jr, continues to be the role model of non-violent resistance and social activism. He spoke against injustice  even in the face of death.  His words continue to resonate in our hearts and challenge us to do better.  Sadly, his words and the circumstances that led to MLK Jr.  embracing his role as an activist and speaking out over 50 years ago  are still applicable today.  Racial tensions, injustices and hate in our world continue to percolate and and combust.  As we celebrate his life, join me in meditating on his words.  Here are my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

 

We have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

MLK Jr. sitting in jail in Birmingham Alabama, 1967

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

A right delayed is a right denied.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

 Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of

their character.

 

The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

 Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. 

 Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

 *pictures culled from various sites including www.history.com, www.drmatinlutherking.net, www.forgottenhistoryblog.com

 

About Ake Festival 2014

Where do I begin?  Should I start with the case of the lost and found  blackberry phone whose sole purpose of coming to Abeokuta was to make sure one of the guests did not miss his flight back to the US?  It’s a case of six degrees of separation, a post for another day.  So many posts and pictures have flooded social media  so, I’ll keep it light.

 Ake Arts and Book Festival 2014: Bridges and Pathways held from November 18 – 22nd was a melting pot of authors, poets, art, dance, drama, film and political figures such as Governor Rotimi Amaechi and former president Segun Obasanjo. I write from the perspective of a guest.  This was my first time at the festival and really, had no idea what to expect.  I’d read up on the guests that would be there and was looking forward to meeting them finally.  Social media paints an image of people but sometimes, in reality, what you get is different.  So was the case when I met fellow guests.  I met Yejide Kilanko, author of Daughters Who Walk This Path first(we’ve been friends for a while on social media), at the connecting flight in London.  She’s shorter than I thought she would be (yes, I told her this).  She has a presence though and she’s very sweet.  (OK, that’s all the praise you’re getting Yejide, let your head deflate now).

 Arriving at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, I was unable to avoid the customs officers’ drama. I would have been happier if they had just asked for money outright rather than go around in circles asking what I had in my luggage. My response of ‘just clothes,’ was followed by “Are you sure?”  How won’t I be sure?

 I vividly remember meeting Zukiswa Wanner author  of The Madams, Behind Every Successful Man,  Men of the South,  Maid in SA: 30 Ways to Leave Your Madam, and London Cape Town Joburg (Kwela, 2014). and Beverly Nambozo Nsengiyunva, writer, poet and founder of Babishai Niwe (BN) Poetry Foundation as we waited for the shuttle to take us to Abeokuta.  There was an exchange of cold water and plantain chips at some point on the shuttle and we were content.

L-R:  Zuki, Beverly and I

The ride to Abeokuta was uneventful, just long. I now understand how kids feel when they ask ‘Are we There Yet?’ I was looking forward to returning to Abeokuta, a place I hadn’t been in years, my maternal grandparents hail from there.  Some parts of my novel, Thread of God Beads is also set in Abeokuta. 

 There was the meet and greet on the 19th with the governor of Ogun State, Governor Amosu and his wife.  I had no idea the state had its own anthem.  It was sung right after the national anthem. I could feel the pride in their voices as they sang.  I enjoyed the school tour to Gateway Secondary School. I was part of the dream team made up of Beverly Nambozo Nsengiyunva, Richard Ali and Jekwu Ozoemene.  We visited with three classes – the science, arts and commerce classes.  Two students stood out during the visit.  They answered questions brilliantly, and we were again, hopeful for the future of Nigeria.  Not surprising that these students were in the arts class.  After our short talk, we each asked if any of the students had any questions.  One of the boys raised his hand.  His question was could he take a ‘pix’ with me. I obliged much to the giggles and laughter in the class.

The Dream Team – Beverly, Jekwu Ozoemene (poet and playwright), me, Richard Ali (author of City of Memories)

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Richard Ali taking the ‘pix’ with student

  

With Students and teachers of Gateway Seconday School, Ibara, Abeokuta

My Book Chat on Thread of Gold Beads on November 20th was moderated by Chinelo Onwualu, a writer herself  and co-editor of bimonthly speculative fiction magazine Omenana.  A panel discussion was also held at the same time on Mutation and Mutilation: Feminism in Africa.  Chinelo asked some insightful questions on the book, and of course someone asked what am I working on now.

Chinelo Onwualu and I at the Thread of Gold Beads Book chat

Foreign Gods Inc. by Okey Ndibe and Thread of Gold Beads

I attended Yejide Kilanko’s book chat on Daughter’s Who walk This Path moderated by Professor Remi Raji.  If you have read the book, you know it deals with sexual molestation, an issue that society is still not comfortable discussing.  A few questions about how to talk to children about it and make them aware came up.

 That evening was the viewing of the much anticipated movie October 1 directed by Kunle Afolayan.  I had been waiting to watch this movie and it did not disappoint.  I particularly loved the attention to detail in the settings and costumes.  It was authentic and believable.  The characters were well rounded and the movie kept me on my toes.  There was no dull moment. I was so happy to see Sadiq Dabar again.  It took me back some wee years to his time on Cock Crow At Dawn (Will we ever get there? Will we ever make it…I digress).

 

With Kunle Afolayan, director and actor, October 1

Watching October 1

Welcome cocktails followed.  I’d like to say a quick thank you to Uche Peter Umez who introduced me to a drink. I’ve been reacquainted with it since my return.  I’ll just leave it at that.

Exile in my Head by Qudus and his team was beyond words.  The pictures tell the story.  As he said, dancing is an experience and did we experience something that evening out there.  It was …..captivating.

 Exile in My Head

The Panel discussion moderated by Lizzy Attree, director of the Caine Prize for African Writing  on Writing Backwards Writing Forward included Olufemi Terry (2010 Caine Prize winner), Yejide Kilanko (author of Daughters Who Walk This Path), Okey Ndibe (author of Arrows of Rain and Foreign Gods, Inc), Abubakar Ibrahim, (author of Whispering Trees, shortlisted in 2013 for the Caine Prize for African Writing) Bryony Rheam (author of This September Sun) and E.E. Sule (author, winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize, Africa Region for Sterile Sky ).  Discussions became deep at some point when E. E. Sule and Abubakar Ibrahim discussed their experiences in the Northern Nigeria riots.

 

L-R:  Olufemi Terry, Lizzy Attree, Yejide Kilanko, Okey Ndibe, Abubakar Ibrahim, Yours truly, Bryony Rheam, E.E. Sule

Zukiswa Wanner’s book chat on London Cape Town Joburg  moderated by Molara Wood was refreshing.  To watch an author bring his/her book to life by reading it is magical.

 Zuki chatting about her book London Capetown Joburg with Molara Wood

Ex-President Obasanjo’s book chat was not exactly about his book, more about his growing up years.  Some difficult questions were put to him, one about the imprisonment of a journalist which he quickly responded to that he was not in office at that time, another about what he thought of the law against homosexuals in Nigeria.

Patrick Okigbo and ex-President Segun Obasanjo

Call Mr. Robeson, a one-man show by Tayo Aluko was another highlight of the festival.  His baritone voice was scintillating.  I was up front and center and did not miss a step.

Tayo Aluko – Call Mr. Robeson

There was a lot more  to the festival than the events - the ‘after’ events at the hotel.  I must say I could not last as long as others.  There were some die-hards.  My bed called.

 I wasn’t able to stay for Professor Wole Soyinka’s chat, but was fortunate to catch him as he came in.

 

 What I loved most about the festival –  the connections I made with readers and guests.  (Thanks to the young man by the name of Socrates who gave me his pen. I am a penophile by the way. If your pen happens to write smoothly in my presence, be very afraid), the opportunity to exchange ideas and to finally feel that I wasn’t so strange after all.

 Thanks for the laughs  (“I’m feeling somehow’ on an okada comes to mind),  for the freedom to share ideas and possibly your next writing project (you know your selves).

About Ake Festival 2014 – It ROCKED.  Enjoy more pictures below.

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With Qudus (dancer)

With Hawa Jande Golakai, Crime fiction writer (loved her outfits)

Tayo Aluko and Yejide Kilanko 

Poetry Panel discussion 

L-R: Zukiswa Wanner, Yejide Kilanko, Vera Botterbusch (artist), Ben Aaronovitch (crime fiction author) [image error]

Ayodele Olofintuade, author of Eno’s Story and Willi-Willi the mask  With Rotimi Babatunde, 2012 Caine Prize Winner for African Writing

With Sci Fi author Nnedi Okorafor

 L-R:  Ukamaka Olisakwe, Beverly, John Stewart, Lola Shoneyin, Uche Peter Umez, Jekwu Ozoemene and Yours Truly

With Lola Shoneyin, director of Ake Arts and Book Festival (Muah!)

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 My spoils from the festival