Nigeria is paradise,” says Italian born, Pietro Evangelista. My goodness, is he from a different planet? For crying out loud, this is a country that’s steeped in turmoil, turbulence and trauma. Why would any rational, normal, logical thinking human being remotely imagine that Nigeria is paradise, or anywhere in Africa for that matter? For decades, perhaps even centuries, Africa has been perceived as the melting pot of negativity.

Recently, a specialized celebrities magazine, Nigerian TopLeaders International hosted its first International Conference and Awards in Accra-Ghana where people from various fields turned out enmasse. The publisher, Aminu Oyarekhua, spoke about the significance of the event and future plans of his organization.

In the bid to maintain her lead in the evolving Nigeria’s third tier art market, the ArtHouse Contemporary, will again tomorrow, at the Lagos high profile event venue, the Civic Centre host the 4th ArtHouse Contemporary’s art auction.

Nigerian poet, essayist, journalist, and social critic, Odia Ofeimun has been announced as the 2010 winner of the Fonlon-Nichols Award. The award, administered by the African Literature Association, ALA, is given to an African writer every year for excellence in creative writing and for contributions to the struggle for human rights and freedom of expression, according to Dr. Oty Agbajoh-Laoye, chair of the ALA award committee.

Ahead of this year’s International Theater Day (ITD) which will come up on March 27, National Association of Theater Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) Lagos State chapter has unveiled plans for a successful hosting of the event. As usual, the event will be marked in a unique way in Lagos and other states of the federation.