Once upon a time, there was a famine in the land, and every animal was starving except for Bird. Tortoise noticed that Bird looked better than every other animal, she had flesh under her wings. So one day Tortoise stopped Bird as she was in flight and asked her where she got her food from. "I am starving, like everyone else," replied Bird. "If you are starving, how come you look better than everyone else?" insisted Tortoise. "If i show you where I get my food from you cannot reveal it to anyone." "I promise," Tortoise replied.
Bird gave Tortoise some of her wings, and they started flying together. Tortoise was afraid in the beginning because he thought he would fall, but Bird held onto his wings and they both flew together.
They flew over land and sea to a very far, far, far place and they went under the ocean and the met the Water Goddess. The Water Goddess asked Tortoise what he wanted and Tortoise told her that his family was starving. She gave him Igbako and instructed him to use it only for his family and not to reveal its secret. Tortoise thanked her as she disappeared."Igbako, what do you do?" asked Tortoise. Igbako responded in a song:
I make huge iyan
I make huge eba
So much that everyone has leftovers.
Before he finished the singing, lots of food appeared. Tortoise started to eat. He ate as much as he could, took Igbako and flew back home.
When he arrived home, he gathered all his family and asked Igbako in the presence of everyone, "Igbako, what can you do?" Igbako repeated the song, and plenty of food appeared again. All his family ate all they could and still had leftovers. Tortoise was so proud of himself and he thought of how much power he would have with Igbako if he could feed all the animals.
Tortoise went to King Lion and summoned all the animals, he asked Igbako, "What can you do?" and Igbako responded in the song again. Plenty of food appeared and everyone ate and had leftovers. All the animals started singing, "Who says we do not have a father? Stop it, we do! Tortoise is our father." After feeding everyone for two days, Igbako broke. Everyone got angry at Tortoise when they were hungry.
Tortoise went back to the Water Goddess and she gave him another Igbako, but a smaller one that made only small food, Tortoise went back again to his family and fed them with the small food from the small Igbako. They complained that it was not enough. The rest of the animals also complained when Tortoise tried to feed them with the small Igbako, like he did before. "The food is too small!" they chanted. After two more days Igbako broke again. All the animals grew angry at Tortoise and told him to go get another Igbako. So Tortoise went back to the Water Goddess and requested for another Igbako.
The Water Goddess asked Tortoise, "Are you feeding only your family?" He responded, "Yes, I am." "Hmmmmmm," she said, "Did you reveal the secret of Igbako to everyone?" "No," Tortoise responded. The Water Goddess gave Tortoise a rod this time and told him, "This will not break," and she disappered. Tortoise was so happy and he asked the rod, "What do you do?" and the rod responded in a song:
I whip disobedience
I whip greed
Till their skin turns white with pain.
As soon as the song was over, the rod started whipping Tortoise, who tried to get away from it. When it stopped, Tortoise took the rod with him back to his family who were anxiously awaiting his arrival. He gathered everyone and asked the rod in their presence, "Rod, what do you do?" The rod responded with the song again:
I whip disobedience
I whip greed
Till their skin turns white with pain.
All members of his family ran away as Rod started to whip everyone, The King and all the other animals summoned Tortoise to the King's palace because they were hungry. Tortoise arrived with Rod and asked the rod before everyone, "Rod, what can you do?" and the rod responded with the song, and whipped every animal that was present.
THE END.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A World Cup for the Arts?
Most countries especially the soccer loving countries every four years look forward to the FIFA World Cup, and like the World Cup all countries of the world look forward every four years to the Olympics. In Africa, every two years every country within the continent looks forward to the Nation Cup. The excitement and anxiety which characterises these events are so overwhelming and unparalled .
The same thing cannot be said for culture. The last huge cultural gathering that had similar characteristics is FESTAC 77, the gains and the cultural awareness which the events created cannot be rivalled, and so it is astonishing why its objectives and ideals are not pursued by leaders of cultural establishment around the continents. Can we have a cultural world cup or an African cultural event, just like our counter parts in the sports world do?
The generation that experienced the Festac77 event is gradually passing away with vague memories of the performances which they try as hard as they can to relive for their children, who do not understand the sudden excitement that lights up in their parents' eyes at the mention of names like the late Mariam Makeba, the Ipi Tombi dancers, Oke Langbodo, to mention but a few aspects of the brilliance that were the epic of the festival.
Our culture is what defines who we are. I do not think anybody would argue or deny that statement, if so, why then do we not use it judiciously? Culture can generate the same atmosphere as sports, if not better, because with culture we learn something new about each other and other people, unlike sports, where we already know whats going to happen. Just like soccer competitions are organized from high schools, so can cultural competitions be organized; talents are discovered and cultivated.
National festivals go nowhere beyound hosting. As soon as closing remarks are said, it's over until next year. Participants leave with no sense of what next to look forward to, and talents desintegrate. How exhilarating and rewarding it would be if the artistes could aspire to be members of the National Troupe with the same zeal as footballers do when screening for the national team.
Having a National Troupe is the best thing that has happened since Festac77, but when the troupe is only performing nationally and not globally its scope is very limited. Imagine National Troupes from all over the world converging and competing for gold, silver and bronze, within standards that have been approved by a cultural replica of FIFA. If such a body exists, more needs to be done to generate awareness of its existence. Our cultural trustees cannot continue to fail us. Let's give our children some of that Festac 77 excitement we experienced, and establish the essence of our rich cultural heritage.
Tunde Phillips.
Send comments to support@artfricana.com
The same thing cannot be said for culture. The last huge cultural gathering that had similar characteristics is FESTAC 77, the gains and the cultural awareness which the events created cannot be rivalled, and so it is astonishing why its objectives and ideals are not pursued by leaders of cultural establishment around the continents. Can we have a cultural world cup or an African cultural event, just like our counter parts in the sports world do?
The generation that experienced the Festac77 event is gradually passing away with vague memories of the performances which they try as hard as they can to relive for their children, who do not understand the sudden excitement that lights up in their parents' eyes at the mention of names like the late Mariam Makeba, the Ipi Tombi dancers, Oke Langbodo, to mention but a few aspects of the brilliance that were the epic of the festival.
Our culture is what defines who we are. I do not think anybody would argue or deny that statement, if so, why then do we not use it judiciously? Culture can generate the same atmosphere as sports, if not better, because with culture we learn something new about each other and other people, unlike sports, where we already know whats going to happen. Just like soccer competitions are organized from high schools, so can cultural competitions be organized; talents are discovered and cultivated.
National festivals go nowhere beyound hosting. As soon as closing remarks are said, it's over until next year. Participants leave with no sense of what next to look forward to, and talents desintegrate. How exhilarating and rewarding it would be if the artistes could aspire to be members of the National Troupe with the same zeal as footballers do when screening for the national team.
Having a National Troupe is the best thing that has happened since Festac77, but when the troupe is only performing nationally and not globally its scope is very limited. Imagine National Troupes from all over the world converging and competing for gold, silver and bronze, within standards that have been approved by a cultural replica of FIFA. If such a body exists, more needs to be done to generate awareness of its existence. Our cultural trustees cannot continue to fail us. Let's give our children some of that Festac 77 excitement we experienced, and establish the essence of our rich cultural heritage.
Tunde Phillips.
Send comments to support@artfricana.com
IYARE! Philadelphia's Benin exhibition
IYARE! Splendor and Tension in Benin's Palace TheatreCurrent; through March 1, 2008University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-4000
It's not easy to come up with a new approach for an exhibition featuring Benin's famous bronzes and ivories. Their beauty is always compelling, but they've been the subject of many shows, most recently "Benin Kings and Rituals," a blockbuster that began in Vienna and toured Paris, Berlin and Chicago just last year. "Iyare!"--which means "Go and return safely"--is more modest in scope, but it takes objects from the royal court and looks at them through a dramatic lens. If the palace is a stage (particularly at festival times),then the players--the Oba, his chiefs, courtiers, and visitors--are spotlit, shrines and buildings no longer religious or domestic structures, but backdrops for dramatic episodes. Certainly the splendid festival dress at court differs from daily wear, and activities are strategically placed so that ancestors and gods are physically nearby to lend support. Through 91 objects, particular dramas of the past--Idia's scheming to get her son Esigie on the throne in the 16th century, or Oba Ohen pretending his paralysis was the result of his close identification with the sea god Olokun and his mudfish legs--are highlighted in wall texts and labels. A beautiful bronze head of Idia, ivory tusks and an armlet bearing Ohen's image, and a variety of hip pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and sculptures remind viewers that old stories and contemporary ones intertwine daily at the palace. Large photographs and videos also underscore the splendor of today's palace.
The tensions that make chiefs vie to compete with one another to spend on dress, regalia, and other accessories to catch the public and the Oba's eye, and make themselves impressive, respected figures is current, yet has a long history. Jealousies and rivalry are the meat of any court, and Benin is no exception.
The exhibition includes objects from royal ancestral altars, Queen mother altars, and altars dedicated to Osun, god of medicine. Two 16th century bronze trophy heads show how medicine helped vanquish Benin's enemies, who were then permanently cast in metal to remind other foes what would happen to them. Both heads are sensitively modeled and among the finest in the world. Most pieces belong to the Penn Museum, but some are from the Brooklyn Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian.
A section called "Playing the Provinces" shows Benin's impact on the Ishan, the Itsekiri, and Yoruba neighbors at Owo and Ijebu. Artists from these peoples adopted elements of Benin dress, such as ceremonial swords or pendants, and created altar sculpture that also mirrored those at the Oba's palace. These were tributes, but also were meant to absorb some of the power of the very impressive Edo court.
The last segment of the exhibition, "Revivals," considers what happened to Benin art after 1897. A map shows how the British looting of the city after its invasion spread the bronzes, ivories, and other art throughout Europe and America, the bulk of it going to Britain and Germany. That didn't mean art ceased in Benin; several contemporary castings and carvings show that old dramas--particularly those relating to Queen Mother Idia--continue to inspire new artists and buyers. Idia's resurgence as a famous figure occurred in 1977 when she graced FESTAC, the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, and a poster of the event showing her impassive ivory face stares at viewers from the wall. She keeps cropping up--on Nigerian stamps, on Chinese lamps, on African American paintings--as do other iconic figures, such as the sea god Olokun. Their endurance and spread around the world speak eloquently to the ways art has made the kingdom one of Africa's most famous faces.
A huge website at http://www.iyare.net/ promotes the culture further, and an exhibition catalogue of 234 pages is due to be published February 2009.
It's not easy to come up with a new approach for an exhibition featuring Benin's famous bronzes and ivories. Their beauty is always compelling, but they've been the subject of many shows, most recently "Benin Kings and Rituals," a blockbuster that began in Vienna and toured Paris, Berlin and Chicago just last year. "Iyare!"--which means "Go and return safely"--is more modest in scope, but it takes objects from the royal court and looks at them through a dramatic lens. If the palace is a stage (particularly at festival times),then the players--the Oba, his chiefs, courtiers, and visitors--are spotlit, shrines and buildings no longer religious or domestic structures, but backdrops for dramatic episodes. Certainly the splendid festival dress at court differs from daily wear, and activities are strategically placed so that ancestors and gods are physically nearby to lend support. Through 91 objects, particular dramas of the past--Idia's scheming to get her son Esigie on the throne in the 16th century, or Oba Ohen pretending his paralysis was the result of his close identification with the sea god Olokun and his mudfish legs--are highlighted in wall texts and labels. A beautiful bronze head of Idia, ivory tusks and an armlet bearing Ohen's image, and a variety of hip pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and sculptures remind viewers that old stories and contemporary ones intertwine daily at the palace. Large photographs and videos also underscore the splendor of today's palace.
The tensions that make chiefs vie to compete with one another to spend on dress, regalia, and other accessories to catch the public and the Oba's eye, and make themselves impressive, respected figures is current, yet has a long history. Jealousies and rivalry are the meat of any court, and Benin is no exception.
The exhibition includes objects from royal ancestral altars, Queen mother altars, and altars dedicated to Osun, god of medicine. Two 16th century bronze trophy heads show how medicine helped vanquish Benin's enemies, who were then permanently cast in metal to remind other foes what would happen to them. Both heads are sensitively modeled and among the finest in the world. Most pieces belong to the Penn Museum, but some are from the Brooklyn Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian.
A section called "Playing the Provinces" shows Benin's impact on the Ishan, the Itsekiri, and Yoruba neighbors at Owo and Ijebu. Artists from these peoples adopted elements of Benin dress, such as ceremonial swords or pendants, and created altar sculpture that also mirrored those at the Oba's palace. These were tributes, but also were meant to absorb some of the power of the very impressive Edo court.
The last segment of the exhibition, "Revivals," considers what happened to Benin art after 1897. A map shows how the British looting of the city after its invasion spread the bronzes, ivories, and other art throughout Europe and America, the bulk of it going to Britain and Germany. That didn't mean art ceased in Benin; several contemporary castings and carvings show that old dramas--particularly those relating to Queen Mother Idia--continue to inspire new artists and buyers. Idia's resurgence as a famous figure occurred in 1977 when she graced FESTAC, the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, and a poster of the event showing her impassive ivory face stares at viewers from the wall. She keeps cropping up--on Nigerian stamps, on Chinese lamps, on African American paintings--as do other iconic figures, such as the sea god Olokun. Their endurance and spread around the world speak eloquently to the ways art has made the kingdom one of Africa's most famous faces.
A huge website at http://www.iyare.net/ promotes the culture further, and an exhibition catalogue of 234 pages is due to be published February 2009.
See a clip from a Voice of America broadcast about IYARE! Click here to go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hs1NfdhZfU
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