Jack of All Trade - Master of Non!

While several of my friends knew what their calling way back when we were toddlers - I am yet to find out where I belong. I have always thought this was due to the fact that I am multi talented. But my friend Amalaye Oyakes comments about me on Facebook got me thinking...



By the way, Amalaye settled for exploring the celestial bodies ever since we left secondary school. So when I heard he was one of the big boys at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Huston, I wasnt too surprised. But, why am I so confused? Whats my calling? Why haven't I settled down yet and focused on one career path? Am I a Jack of all trade... and master...? This comment made we think about my diverse interest, and how I came to be where I am.

• My first love is music - I am a prolific entertainer - I once lead a brass band in my secondary school. I even went as far as playing on the same stage with world renowned Dizzy Gilespie (twice at the Port Harcourt Jazz festivals. Femi Anikulapo Kuti, Eddie Okonta, Gerald Opino, etc. I was given a scholarship to study music by the Nigerian Navy, but my father would have nothing of it. The only thing that kept me away from being a musician was education. I play (well I think I still can) all brass music instruments, from the Beagle, Trumpet, Trombone, to the almighty Tuba. I also play the guitar, and most wind instruments like the Clarinet. I have written several songs, but havent mustered the courage to enter a studio... yet.



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•  I have always been an artist. I recall attempting my first drawing at five after watching my Dad draw a human head - I guess its in the blood, I picked up a pencil and tried to do just what I saw and the rest as the say is history. I exhibited my first art piece at the tender age of 15 at the United Nations sponsored art exhibition in New York.
•  Being a science student in secondary school, I applied for Electrical Engineering & Architecture when I left secondary school. I got an offer to study Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Owerri FUTO. But that was not to be, cos my family thought I could do better to study art and be my own boss - I wish I didn't listen. I went on to study Graphic Arts at University of Nigeria. I recall my name was on the notice board when I resumed - my head of department wanted to meet this "Mad man" - I must have been mad to enroll for Fine & Applied Arts with Physics, Mathematics, English & Arts. I got an A in all with Arts been the lowest score. I guess I must have made an impression as Prof. Chike Aniako, Prof. Obiora Udechukwu and Prof. Ola Oloidi would become life time mentors.
• Computer Graphics was a budding career path by the time I left University. In advert agencies of the time, studio heads had to depend on the skills of their "glorified" secretaries to bring their art creations into the digital world. As you may have imagined, this practice did not produce the finest results. With my love for computers, an inquisitive mind and a wealth of creative ability, I thrived in Ad Agency work. After a stink at three advert agencies - Dawn Functions, New Generation & Media Plus International, I realized that I felt like I was being used, while the products I churned out (calendars, Annual reports, Desk Diaries, Product advert, etc) were sold for millions, I got stipends. So I wrote a private proposal to Banks who were the major clients in the industry and voila, Afri Bank (now Main Street Bank) & NAL Merchant Bank Plc. (now Sterling Bank) took the bait. That's how I went to work as the in house Graphic Artist for NAL Merchant Bank.
• One little known secret is that Graphic Artist helped make the internet what it is today. After Sir Tim Bernes Lee created the hyper-text protocol in 1993 (the http:// you find before the www web url) that changed the aparnet (as it used to be known) to what we now call the internet, Graphic artist were the first group of professionals to apply their visual creations... I consider myself one of Nigeria pioneers having built my first website in 1994.I also designed NALs website in the early 1990s when very few Nigerians knew what the internet was.
• As the internet grew in complexity, I grew with it. My simple HTML pages designed with WYSIWYG applications gave way to more mature web programming languages like ASP.net, SharePoint, etc. With several web development and other professional certifications under my belt, I gracefully transited to being called a web developer. Even went on to design the nations Central Bank of Nigeria internet, intranet and extranet websites.
• As you can imagine, web development is not a core function for banking - so the promotions were not coming as fast, and after 10 years of creating the web communications office and administering an army of content managers, one think stuck out like a sore thumb. "But... you are an artist" was becoming a derogatory statement I couldn't bear anymore. and so even-though I really wanted to study Human Computer Interaction HCI to prepare myself to join the now thriving Nollywood movie industry, I was forced to study Information Systems in Manchester University, United Kingdom.
• On my return from studies, along with my Project Management PM skills and certification, I jumped into the deep end of project management pool. The PM skills was to see me working on the banks Cashless Nigeria initiative. I had reinvented myself once more.

So while I am sitting here thinking I have derailed a million times already - Amalayes comments clearly shows that my electronics and inventing talents has taken a back seat. If the climate was right, I should be an industrialist and inventor.Its always reassuring to hear your friends describe you in ways you never imagined. I recalled Amalaye near fatal electrocution at my house in the late 1980's when he tried to test my Door Zapper! a device I put in place to detar buglars who had hit my room a few weeks prior to his visit. His recent visit to Nigeria last month may have well Zapped me back to life - I should make plans to attend the exhibition, perhaps, this time, I may have finally settled down cos a rolling stone gathers no moss.

Everybody Say Yeah Yeah!

For most young Nigerians at home, Fela Anikulapo Kuti is perhaps one character they would rather not be associated with. I was seriously put off by one “oyimbo wanna be” Nigerian girl I met overseas when she professed her hatred for Fela. For yet another category of Nigerians (the over 35’s) Fela represents the courage, passion and simplicity that most of us lack. Fela is one man that stoke his neck out (more often than he needed to) in defence of the poor and down trodden, this fuelled his legendary Afro rhythm that inspired a nation and captivated the world.

The World? Ostensibly, Felas genre of music – aptly tagged “Afro Beat” is for Africans at home and abroad. However, you would be surprised to learn how popular this charismatic, eccentric artiste is – From experience, i know that one of the few GOOD things I hear about Nigeria from foreigners is about music and football.

In the 1989 as a naive teenager in a crowed dance floor in far away Perth, Scotland, I was stunned to hear those unmistakable “Sorrow, tears and blood” anthem from the 1978 “Coffin for Mr. President“ album. The lyrics “Everybody run, run, run, everybody scatter scatter” could have made sense to the sole African in the club, but I couldn’t help but wonder why, the rest carried on like they could understand what he was saying. My conclusion was that white people would dance to any funky beat regardless of what was being said. That was to change a few years down the line in the then popular South London Nigerian hang out called “Calabar” where I met Fela’s number 1 fan. Arnold... A blue eyed English man who had fallen head-over-hills with Nigeria. Having never visited the country, he learnt how to speak Pidgin English from listening to Fela and hanging out with Nigerians over the years. His passion for Afro Beat appealed to me, as I also have a taste for exotic music far removed from my social and political culture. But I don’t think I could have gone for all Tarrus Riely and Sean Pauls concerts, yet Arnold had not missed any Fela concert anywhere in continental Europe.

Fela Abami eba! Immortalized on Broadway!
In a classic case of a prophet not known in his own kingdom, Fela’s fame outside Nigeria is unrivalled by any other black African musician. Something his son Femi still rides on to date. Like his mother Olufunmilayo before him, The Anikulapo Kuti’s activism runs deep (Beko Kuti is one of Nigeria’s foremost civil activist). There have been several calls for a posthumous award in honour of his fearlessness in his bid to entertain, enlighten and promote our culture. Yet, these have fallen on deaf ears.

Interestingly, the main antagonist Fela sang about throughout his life and their stooges still prowl the corridors of power today. Little wonder why there has been any significant move to honor him. While we wait for our deaf, blind and dumb leadership to rise to the occasion. Other nations and organisation have imortalised this legend - recently Fela’s life and music has hit Broadway.

FELA!, http://felaonbroadway.com/ is the most critically acclaimed new musical of the season, has already received three Tony Awards: Best Choreography, Best Costume Design for a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Musical! Featuring Kevin Mambo as Fela and Grammy award winner and multi-platinum recording artist Patti LaBelle! At the US tour Mitchelle Obama was among the dignitaries at the star studded launch. Read more.

You could be dying on the inside and nobody knows!

"Sometimes all you need is a friend, to just listen and hear your plight, or sometimes all you need is a pen, get your diary sit down and write. Although its hard to pretend that you are fine and everything is alright, it seems that men cant see the darkness inside as long as the outside bright."

have I turned a poet? No, its a reggae tune - by Assassin. How ironic that something so true, so cool can come from such tough guy. Well my love for reggae has grown over the years so much that I know all the militant names ragga artistes adopt are mere reflections of their alter ego - names like Ninja man, Malvo, Spanner, Capt. X, etc are just iconographic tags of a struggling mind. How hard they fight for a space on the Hot Hot Ragga scene.

I turned to music today to quench the sad sad feeling that has come over me lately (me heart a bleed). and Assassin did a good job to soothe my nerves today. His message is so deep, so I thought I should share. Just because most of us can not understand Ragga, I have typed the lyrics out so you can get the message.

=====================
They cant guess about your problem and your stress or happiness,
cos they don't know.
They cant even wonder, cant start to punder bout the problem that your under, cos they dont know.
tell you the truth - they wouldn't want know - cos only Jah knows....

No one knows your heart, No man can see your thoughts,
all men see is your outward appearance - your shoes and clothes,
so you could be dying on the inside and know body knows.

Sometimes all you need is a friend, to just listen and hear your plight,
sometimes all you need is a pen, get your diary sit down and write.
Although its hard to pretend that you are fine and everything is alright, it seems that men cant see the darkness inside as long as the outside bright.
From how your a shine your teeth, no one will know say your heart a weep, they wont know say your problems deep, say you no eat and your losing sleep.
But no worry yourself cos God can see,
and he will be your strength when you weak,
I say no worry cos the Shepard no go let nothing happen to him sheep.

- Chorus -
God knows your heart,
He sees your struggle he feels your pain,
and he will lift that struggle, he will heal your pain,
No matter how the storm a blow - whether hurricane,
know say the sun must shine again.

You know sometimes how it wicked and you just cant bear it,
Sometimes all you need is shoulder to lean on someone to share it.
if you know have nobody to talk to, no fear call Jah name he will hear it,
And remember say no matter how the obstacle big. Yes the father can clear it.

Remember say - faith like a mustard seed can move a mountain
alter your way for you,
And no fear - cos if you cant pray, you can always make somebody pray for you.
No feel say you are nothing and nobody no care for you,
but rest assured say the father is always there for you.

sometimes we are look for garden ina the sky, and it dey right before we eyes. Enough time we pray and get a reply, but we are gaze and make the answer pass we by, and nuff time a man feel say everything crisp because you no break down and your cheeks dem dry,
but hear what - no water dey run out a your eyes,
God knows when your heart a cry

- Chorus -

If you like ragga, you can down load it from Jungo - Assassin "God knows your heart"