Before the advent of the colonizers, what is today known as Nigeria was a cacophony of peoples and cultures engaged in the art of living according to their peculiar circumstances and destinies. It was Lord Lugard, the first colonial Governor-General of the area, who facilitated the amalgamation of the so-called Southern and Northern Protectorates to create one entity called Nigeria. His very imaginative wife proffered the name Nigeria and composed the first national anthem for the new nation.

Impressed by the turn out of children at the inaugural National Troupe of Nigeria Creative Station project, the management of the troupe has assured that the exercise will be held on a regular basis as a way of developing the imaginative skills of children.

Helon Habila, Nigerian born US-based award winning novelist and first Chinua Achebe Fellow was home recently and took his turn on Abuja Writers Forum’s Hot Seat. The occasion was the Forum’s monthly guest writer’s session for the month of July which held at its usual venue – the Pen and Pages Bookshop on the very last day of the month. Habila, whose new novel is on the Niger Delta conundrum is being keenly awaited by literary buffs, read ‘The Hotel Malogo’, a short story to the packed hall.

The Mazonia Suite of Eko Hotels and Suites was the venue and the event was the second edition of the annual book party organised by CORA. The event which was in honour of the eleven playwrights whose works were short listed for the prestigious $50,000.00 prize instituted by NLNG lived up to its bidding as the literary community once more gathered to celebrate the playwrights despite the non award of the prize to a winner last year.

The great Russian playwright and short story writer, Anton Chekhov, could have died unknown if he remained a medical doctor all through his life. Chekhov is universally known today because of his plays and short stories, ranking alongside Guy de Maupassant as the greatest short story writer who ever lived.

The Musical Society of Nigeria, MUSON, has concluded plans on its Muson Festival 2010 which has been billed to kick off with a Brazilian Samba. The programme according to the chairman of the occasion, Bashorun J.K Randle is in collaboration with the Brazilian Consulate General bringing in eight multi-talented Brazilian musicians and samba dancers who would thrill the audience.

Nigeria is a country that has lost many steps in the direction towards greatness. The dreams of the founding fathers were aborted before they were hatched, and since independence in 1960, things no longer hold as they should. A mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

As a way of projecting the socio-political and economic well-being of the people as well as bringing them closer to governance, sons and daughters of Ejirin community in Ikosi /Ejirin LCDA of Lagos State last week gathered at the LTV hall 2, Ikeja, for one-day symposium on Ejirin Past, Present and Future Legacy.

Myne Whitman is a Nigerian born and United States based writer, poet and blogger. Recently, she came out with her first novel, A Heart To Mend, a fictional narrative, which seeks to revive the fading romance form in nation’s narrative oeuvre. In this e-mail interview, the novelist, Nkem Okotcha, who prefers to write with the Pen name, Myne Whitman, a transliteration of her real names, brilliantly and critically responds to some engaging issues raised from the deep journey around her narrative universe. She spoke to McPhilips Nwachukwu.

The cavernous hall reverberated with his deep rich voice. In the prevailing silence, you could almost hear a pin drop. Twenty curious faces, full of great expectations, stared back at him as he slowly imposed himself on the scene. His close friend, Mike Jimoh of Sun Newspapers had told me that he had a jazzy voice. Mike was right. Helon Habila’s jazzy voice held us captive with his opening sentence that dewy morning at the serene Grace Point Resort Hotel venue of the 3rd International Creative Writing Workshop organized by Fidelity Bank Plc.

The long awaited global tour of the Nigerian visual arts by the National Gallery of Arts will finally kick off this month in the two Egyptian cities of Cairo and Alexandra.

The Nigerian stage has lost a Jewel. The follow spot will never find her again, the cameras will Roll and she won’t be there any longer to thrill her fans. The spotlight blinked a pause, and the screen shed tears at the departure of an ever refreshing actress, Toun Oni, fondly known as “Mama T”, a dedicated theatre practitioner, who for over 35 years graced the stage and screens with passion, sang her swan song’ last Thursday night. The stage lights blinked a long pause, and the screen shed a tear at the departure of this enigmatic Nigerian, Stage, Screen, Radio Actress and Dancer.

Professor Sam Ukala, Provost, Delta State University, Asaba campus, is a literary icon. He is the Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Delta State chapter. Recently at the 8th anniversary of the body which he has chaired for 8 years / public presentation of his anthology in Asaba,Ukala spoke on the values of the teenage author’s competition floated by Delta ANA, and other sundry issues.

Unlike societies right next to the Igbo for instance – more famously the Benin, or further West, the Yoruba or, all the way southwards of the continent, the Kwazulu of the legendary Shaka – the Igbo, with their strong social formation rooted in republicanism, would appear to belie my general claim. The Igbo have no history of expansionism, being content with a strong organization around autonomous clan entities that made contact – friendly or unfriendly with one another as the need arose (Wole Soyinka, Distinguished Nyerere Lecture, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 2010: 1).

IT was like the Chairman, Organising Committee, International Colloquium on Slavery, Slave Trade and its Consequences, Professor Abi Derefaka of the University of Port Harcourt read the mind of the inquisitive looking journalists that he resorted to making the rhetorical statement: “ Many of us may want to know why we are holding a colloquium on slavery at this time.”