He is referred to as one of the pioneers of the lens profession. He is, Tam Fiofori, a fascinating sort of artist/journalist, a veteran, who has written about art, music and culture almost as prolifically as he has photographed them. But only almost. Up close, Tam Fiofori has a grasp of sociology, poetry, filmmaking, philosophy and all kinds of other endeavours, and this makes him a photo-archivist of unusual relevance.

IN an article entitled Egypt asks British Museum for the Rosetta Stone after Louvre victory, the British Daily Telegraph reports that soon after the Louvre has agreed to return the stolen frescoes, Zahi Hawass, the dynamic Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has asked the British Museum for a loan of the Rosetta Stone.

The Management Committee of Abuja Carnival 2009 is set to produce a carnival that will be a reference point in years to come from the 21st-24th November, 2009. This much can be gleamed from the array of plans that have been laid out for the 5th edition of the Carnival.

LIFE theatre can transport one from this world to the underworld and the hereafter. Life on stage can be magical in a manner that can be quite overwhelming. It is in its determination to put theatre back on the front burner of the Nigerian scheme of things that Chams Plc initiated the Chams Theatre Series last year with the production of the adaptation and translation of DO Fagunwa’s novel, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale (Forest of a Thousand Daemons).

The two day festival that played out in the historic town of Badagary last week brought out into visual vivacity those arresting poetic lines of John Pepper Bederekemo Clark, which he wrote as follows in his beautiful poem, Olokun:

Mention the name CBAAC, an acronym for Centre for Black African Art and Civilization, what immediately comes to mind is FESTAC, another acronym for Festival of Arts and Culture.

Activities marking this year’s edition of the annual Muson Festival of Arts kicked off on Sunday October 25 at the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre with what can be described as an evening of jazz music. The featuring of the jazz evening was a re- introduction of one of the MUSON brands that was yanked off the list after its first initial outing in 2005.

The works and legacies of one of the greatest gifts to the Nigerian art community and one who devoted much of her time and energy to the preservation and propagation of Yoruba culture in the 20th century, Susan Wenger popularly known as Adunni Orisa shortly after her death, came alive again last week as a group of artists known as The New Sacred Art Movement, an artistic movements founded by the late culture priestess stormed Lagos from Osogbo for a unique exhibition tagged; A Legacy of Susan Wenger: An Exhibition of the Artists of the New Sacred Art Movement.

The pan-Nigerian Poetry Festival which explores the theme, “Poetry, Laughter, Arts and You” acronymed “P.L.A.Y” has finally secured the goodwill of GTBank as sole-sponsor.

The original Artist is a friend of Nature and a friend of his immediate environments. The artist that interrogates human and material environment, most times, draws attention to his or her art. The artist that vomits his or her internal conflicts and reconciliations on canvas still draws attention to his or her art. But the artist that seeks beyond the self and the outer self to explore that psychic space, often times, draws from a creative pool that carries the tag ‘original’.

The first thing that attracts the eye about this book, even from a distance, is the beautiful colour combination of the cover page. The artistic impression of a pregnant woman and her child compliments the beauty, as well as gives the impression that the author’s major concern is the woman and the family.

A theatrical adaptation of Daniel O. Fagunwa’s Ireke Onibudo will be the focus for theatre lovers as the second edition of the annual Chams Theatre Series takes off across four cities beginning November 7 in Lagos. The other cities are Ibadan, Abuja and Akure.

In Ghana, I have been invited to join Talk Party, which is a gathering of very active writers and poets of Ghana origin hosted by Nubuke Foundation. Dimples on the Sand was well received.

Life comes with various challenges and disappointments that leave a lot of people stressed up and craving for relaxation. Most people after the day’s hard work choose to relax and take their minds off the happenings of the day. One of the ways of such relaxation is mostly entertainment. In Nigeria, most people now relax by watching home video movies, thanks to Nollywood.

The Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) has again called on lovers of music, art and the general public to be part of its forthcoming MUSON festival. This call was made at a press conference held at MUSON center last week in preparation for this year’s festival.