IN every sense, it was another interesting session of talent hunt as school pupils drawn from about 50 schools, last week gathered at the Cinema Hall 2 of the National Theatre for the 2012, National Troupe of Nigeria for the troupe’s third edition of story telling competition.

NIGERIA can be a beautiful haven if we don’t allow her oil wells to soil her soul. She needs the creativity and the magical touch of the mystery of Arts. The nation is good but it needs to allow the Arts and entertainment to make her beautiful. We need to rebrand her but we need the clean artistic touch on her education, morals, environment and culture to make her beautiful.

AN anthology of poetry, Reverberations Abroad, a 107 page book with a lovely gloss paper-back recently published by Authorhouse, United States of America, is a collection of poems which echoes the voices of some Africans who live and work outside the continent.

Unoma Azuah and Chika Unigwe are two Nigerian contemporary writers that have through their works attracted international and local attentions. The two writers, who both graduated from the Department of English, University of Nigeria, Nsukka have been very prolific in their writing and have consistently used their Diaspora experiences to comment on contemporary life and debates.

Prompted by certain developments in Bayelsa state, King Robert Ebizimor, the living music legend of Ijaw from Angalabiri town, has artistically cast his Royal Majesty A. J. Turner as the Liberator of Bayelsa whose unsolicited liberation activities have given him immortal colours in the state and beyond.

Lagos State Governor, Mr.Babatunde Fashola and his Anambra State counterpert, Mr. Peter Obi and Chief Sunny Odogwu are among eminent Nigerians expected to grace- Ojukwu ceremony of tributes and presentation of the book: Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu: a Man of History, with the theme: “True Federalism, Citizens Rights and National Unity,” scheduled to take place today in Lagos.

Owo is a town in the present Ondo State of Nigeria, whose traditional ruler is Olowo. The city of Owo lies half-way between the cities of Ife and Benin, about 140miles away from Benin City, on the eastern border of Yoruba-land.

In recent times, there have been concerted efforts aimed at discovering talents early in children especially in the area of stage performances both by schools and non academic organizations. Such efforts have seen the young ones reenacting before the public, best selling works of literary icons in Nigeria and Africa.

Alex Nwokolo is one of Nigeria’s artists who engage in the exploration of forms and new media of expressions. As a talented colourists, Nwokolo explores artistic possibilities with his body of works, but in his latest exhibition titled, Authenticity of Thought, he is seen to have shifted his experimental ground from the usual paintings to the exploration of materials in a new body of works in mixed media.

Recent controversy sparked off following an exhibition of painting that depicts the genital of South African President, Jacob Zuma at Goodman Gallery , South Africa, has again brought to the fore the power of art as both an instrument of debate, criticism, commentary and social control.