Reading On: The Years

Started Virginia Woolf's The Years a few days ago. I'm not quite on 1-book-a-day. Must cram in all other sorts of fun activity and sleep in my break afterall.

Vacation Reading: Marrying Anita

Aaaah, it's good to be on holiday and to be under no compulsion to get-up early or to work - though strangely enough, I find myself doing both anyway.

I just finished the first book of my vacation, Marrying Anita by Anita Jain. Many years ago after visiting India, I developed a strong interest in Indian literature and read everything I came across. It's been a while since I read anything by an author from the sub-continent.

The title of Jain's book is chicklit-ish, but I decided to buy it anyway, intrigued in reading about her perspective and experiences on finding the right partner. Well, it was certainly an interesting and easy read, as Ms. Jain is a good writer with a wry sense of humour. However, is she serious about finding a husband? No, I don't think so! It was painful and increasingly tiresome to read about her drinking, getting stoned and her sexual escapades. Never have I seen such shooting ones' self in the foot.

All the classic signs of not really wanting a relationship are here: sabotaging promising relationships; lusting after unavailable men; behaving inappropriately while on dates (e.g drinking herself blind).

I don't expect to like the characters in the books I'm reading. In fact it's usually more interesting (though often torturous) when I don't. However, it's more painful when I know that someone actually behaved in this way/said these things that are making me cringe in shame.

Okay, bring on the next book.

Ross School of Business Information Session Lagos, Nigeria

For prospective MBA students:

You are cordially invited to attend an information session for prospective MBA students of Stephen M Ross School of Business - University of Michigan in Lagos, Nigeria. Please join our current student ambassadors, and local alumni who will share information about the Ross School of Business MBA program.

This student-led event provides an opportunity to gain insights into a typical day in the life of a Ross MBA student as well as to ask questions about the curriculum, MAP, the Ross Leadership Initiative, student activities, and career development while meeting and mingling with members of the greater Ross community

The Ross MBA is currently #5 position in Business Week MBA rankings and continues to provide leadership in thought and action.

Where: Eko le Meridien, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
When: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 (7:00 – 9:00 p.m.)

Register online.

Goriola Erogbogbo (MBA Candidate, Class of 2011), gorieros@umich.edu

Books & Conversation: Teju Cole & Toni Kan

Teju Cole and Toni talk books and Lagos - this crazy city that we all love to hate.

Teju Cole is a writer and photographer currently based in Brooklyn. His writing has appeared in various journals in Nigeria and the US. Every Day is for the Thief is his first novel.

Toni Kan is an award winning poet, essayist and short story writer. He is one of Nigeria's most anthologised young poets and short story writers. Most recently, Kan won the NDDC Ken Saro Wiwa prize for his collection Nights of the Creaking Bed.

RSVP on the Facebook event page.

When: Saturday, 19th December 2009 (4PM)
Where: Quintessence, Falomo Shopping Centre, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

Social Sector Management Program

As part of the Transformational Leadership Program (TLP), The Coca-Cola
Foundation, through the Africa-America Institute is providing scholarships for NGOs and Entrepreneurs in Nigeria to attend a certificate program in Social Sector Management. The TLP will help organizations and entrepreneurs in the social space operate more sustainably and create more value to the society.

This is open for NGOs and entrepreneurs operating in the following sectors: Health,
Water Management, Education & Entrepreneurship.

Click on the flier to enlarge or visit eds.com.ng for more information. The deadline is January 29, 2010.

Job Opportunity: Researchers for Mapping Case Studies of Transparency, Accountability, and Civic Engagement Technology Projects‏ (Global Voices)

Interesting work opportunity with Global Voices. See below for more information.

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Beginning on Monday, January 11 2010, Global Voices will begin a three-month research mapping of transparency, accountability, and civic engagement technology projects and specifically are seeking:

Latin America - 2 researchers
Sub-Saharan Africa - 2 researchers
South East Asia - 1 researcher
South Asia - 1 researcher
China - 1 researcher
Central & Eastern Europe - 1 researcher

Job Description:
From January to April 2010, each regional researcher is expected to produce four case studies over 12 weeks and facilitate a total of two online discussions - blog posts - over 4 weeks. Each regional researcher will be paid $800 per month for a total of $2,400. We also have some money in our budget to bring the most active researchers to the 2010 Global Voices summit in order to present their findings on a panel.

In addition to the regional researchers, we are also able to offer a small honorarium ($200) to eight reviewers who leave comments that evaluate the case studies and blog posts published by the researchers.

Examples of such projects include www.mzalendo.com which makes information more accessible from the proceedings of the Kenya's parliament; www.congressoaberto.com.br, which uses official data published by government agencies to encourage the public to engage more closely with the Brazilian legislature; and ishki.com/ which aims to involve citizens from the Middle East in developing solutions to civic problems. We want to know what other projects exist, what challenges they are encountering, and what can be done to better support their work.

These case studies will be published on a separate website that uses the same platform as threatened.globalvoicesonline.org. Each case study should include a Skype interview with a representative from the project. Those Skype interviews will be recorded and excerpts will be published to the website to serve as a weekly podcast.

If you are interested in working on this project as a regional researcher or as a reviewer please let me know as soon as possible. If you know of someone who is the perfect fit for this project please put me in touch with him/her. If you are interested in the regional researcher position please respond (off list) with answers to these questions: 1) What is your experience and interest in the field of transparency, accountability, and civic engagement? 2) Why do you want to be involved in this project?

Best,

David

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David Sasaki | outreach@globalvoicesonline.org
Director of Rising Voices
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org
gtalk: osopecoso | skype: elosopecoso
http://el-oso.net/blog
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Call for Concept Notes: Radio, Convergence and Development in Africa

Deadline: January 8, 2010

Carleton University’s Centre for Media and Transitional Societies (CMTS), in collaboration with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is pleased to launch a call for concept notes, in French or English, outlining proposed research examining the impact of convergence between traditional radio and new information and communications technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa.

For full details on the research competition, the call for concept notes and the submission process, please visit the project website at www.cmts-cmst.org.

Moving Forward in the Fight Against Gender Violence

As we wrap-up this year’s 16 Days Campaign against gender violence, it’s important to identify steps to advance this cause.

Last Friday’s march to protest the rape and murder of youth corper Grace Ushang was an excellent step in raising awareness about not only this incident, but all the other thousands of assaults that take place daily and go unreported. Efforts like this also provide a space for women and advocates against gender violence to get together, support each other and propose progressive measures.

At the march and vigil, protestors made the following recommendations:
- To take measures to guarantee the safety and personal security of youth corps members and indeed all women and girls who remain vulnerable due to impunity amongst perpetrators in Nigeria;
- To pass the Bill on Violence Against Women presented to the House of Representatives since April 2002;
- To adopt and pass the Harmonised Bill on Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Bill 2008 presented to the Senate through its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters in July 2008;
- Appropriate funds to facilitate the establishment and equipping of units in all divisional posts of the Nigeria Police Force to enhance the investigation and prosecution of cases of violence against women, thereby enhancing accountability and access to justice for women who suffer abuses in private and public spaces;
- Commit a full scale investigation to bring the killers of Grace Ushang to justice.

The last is crucial, because after the initial outcry, the incidences fade from the public’s memory and justice is either intolerably slow in coming or permanently deferred. Last year’s attack of Uzoma Okere by a naval rating is a perfect case in point. Thankfully though, the court case is still in process, despite delay tactics from the defendants’ lawyers.

It’s important that each of us thinks about how we can help eliminate violence against women. For a start, supporting bills and other legal instruments that seek to provide additional protection to women is a good start. We can participate in events and gatherings like the vigil and march in honour of Grace Ushang and mobilize others to do the same, as our physical presence – especially in large numbers – shows solidarity and makes a greater impact than we imagine. We can individually challenge thinking and cultural mores that permit violence against women through discussion and action.

It’s not always easy, especially within cultural contexts that view these issues of violence benignly or even actively encourage them. We might not all think ourselves capable of ‘putting ourselves out there’ but perhaps you could find small but important actions to take. The struggle to eliminate gender violence requires all our efforts and should not be left to those considered the ‘heavyweights’ of women’s rights. This is a continuous struggle and should not be consigned merely to these 16 days of each year.

Podcasts: The Nigerian Photographer

Listen to podcasts from lifetsyle and wedding Nigerian photographers on The Nigerian Photographer.

Photographic Exhibition: '101 Reasons NOT to Visit Lagos'

(Click image to enlarge)

The Ben Enwonwu Foundation cordially invites you to RE: 101 Reasons NOT to Visit Lagos, a photographic exhibition and visual commentary on modern Lagos by Olayinka Oluwakuse III.

Where: Wednesday December 9, 2009 (5PM prompt)
Where: The Civic Center, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos

Peace Vigil for Late Grace Ushang

The horrendous rape and murder of youth corper Grace Ushang in September shocked and angered the nation. Ms. Ushang was abducted and raped to death by a gang of men in Maiduguri, Borno allegedly because they were offended by her wearing trousers (which happens to be the uniform of youth corpers).

This is another example of violence against women that is so pervasive in our society. Rather than condemning and addressing the violence, the blame is often shifted to the victims. In this case, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps urged youth corpers to 'take their personal security seriously.'

In other cases, the victims are accused of dressing in a provocative way that would only naturally attract unwanted male attention. In 2008 the chairperson of the Nigerian Senate's Committee on Women, Senator Ufot Ekaette, introduced a bill in the Senate to prohibit 'indecent dressing'. The bill covers any female above 14 years wearing a dress that exposes 'her breast, lap, stomach and waist ... and any part of her body from two inches below her shoulders downwards to the knee.' The bill would invite the both the police and citizens to pounce on women perceived to be indecently dressed. In a nation where unfair on-the-spot justice is routinely meted out, the opportunities for abuse of this bill are too horrific to imagine.

In honour of the late Grace Ushang, the Nigerian Feminist Forum is organising a march and vigil tomorrow (Dec 4).

When: Friday, 4th December, 2009 (2PM)
Where: Agindingbi Senior Grammar, Agindingbi off Lateef Jakande Road, Ikeja, Lagos

Learn more and the Grace Ushang Foundation and read the invitation letter to the vigil below:

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Dear All,

In the spirit of solidarity and support for the family of late Grace Ushang -(the Youth Corper raped and killed while properly dressed in her NYSC uniform in Maiduguri, Borno State) the Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF) is organising a peace vigil and a march to speak up and speak out against violence against women and the indecent dressing bill.

I urge you all to attend this event to show your support for the cause and your belief in the fact that NO INDIVIDUAL HAS THE EXCUSE TO RAPE A WOMAN ON ACCOUNT OF HER DRESSING.

Venue: Agindingbi Senior Grammar, Agindingbi off Lateef Jakande Road, Ikeja Lagos

Time: 2pm prompt
Date: Friday, 4th December, 2009

Dress Code: Black
Also come along with a candle stick
Bring family, friends and loved ones

I thank you all and look forward to marching with my sisters and brothers in solidarity.

Sincerely,
Amy Oyekunle
Executive Director, KIND

Shingai & Me

The braids are coming out after a grand total of 3 weeks. Normally I have them in for as long as I can get away with, but for some reason, I'm itching to get this load off my head. Maybe it's the heat or perhaps I've braided my hair one too many times this year.

Anyway, thankfully I am not fussing about what my next style will be or what my 'Christmas hair' will look like. With more knowledge and fellow naturals whose hair I can admire, this year has seen me explore more options. At the same time, I think I've developed a signature style, which is different from my signature dos in the years past.

This change in style has in part been due to the singer Shingai Shoniwa. She has gotten a lot of attention on some hair blogs this year, but I first saw her earlier this year when the group she's a part of - The Noisettes - had a single Don't Upset the Rhythm playing everywhere in the U.K. Her hair is a similar texture to mine and she wears it long, though from some photos I've seen that she's not averse to incorporating extensions in some of her looks.

I paid particular attention because of her natural hair and the way she wears it, which is in a very laissez faire, casual way. The less-schooled would be tempted to think she rolled out of bed and forgot to do her hair, but I know better. The earthiness of her pompadours and puffs belies the careful sculpting and pinning that must have taken place.

I do have to say that some of her styles are not for the faint of heart. Some might even say that they fit better into the pages of magazines and the ultra-glam life of celebrities, since no one expects them to be 'normal' looking anyway. Well, I suppose being natural is not for the faint of heart either.



Introduced to this new option, I've made best friends of my bobby pins, clips and bands to twist, mould and secure my hair into new and interesting styles. These rarely take more than 15 minutes. I'm happy and I think my hair's happy too.

A Tug of War

I have been reading about Jane Fonda and the end of her marriage to Ted Turner. At the time, it was widely alleged that the cause of the break-up was her newly-found faith (she became a born-again Christian in 2001; he has been reported to be anti-religion). Both she and Ted Turner have since said that the main problem was a lack of communication and not religion. He said he was upset that she didn't talk to him about it, while she has claimed that she feared that he would talk her out of it if she had.

I understand what it's like to have faith so young and fragile that you worry that the slightest attack will completely snuff it out. So you try to protect it and stay away from negative influences as much as possible.

However, Ted and Jane would not be the first couple with almost diametrically opposing perspectives (in 1 or more areas) who have successfully lived together (or at least appeared to do so), so what makes the difference? Is it having shared values that transcend a particular faith? Openness and communication? Flexibility? Plenty of humour? Or something else? I suspect that it probably comes down to a mixture of the above.

My musings are not just in reference to faith; it could relate to attitudes to life (e.g. Adventurous & Risk-Taker vs. Fearful & Cautious); political views (e.g. Liberal vs. Conservative); values (e.g. Feminist vs. Patriarchal).

And this brings me to the next point: where do you place the person who has views that would ordinarily be considered conflicting? For instance, being a Christian and a feminist? At a conference last year, I was reminded that as feminists we need to embrace all women into the movement irrespective of individual situations, abilities and sexual orientations. As a Christian, certainly not all things are acceptable. I've always been a big proponent of safe sex for people who are sexually-active and not married. As a Christian, pre-marital sex is a definite no-no. I have always felt strongly that a couple should be equal partners in their relationship. However, while men and women have equal standing in God's kingdom, within the family unit, the man is the designated head. So, this leads to another set of internal wranglings and I suspect these will go on for me for a while.

As a naturally introspective person, I am constantly analysing and questioning. I believe it was Socrates who declared that the "unexamined life is not worth living", and while I agree that digging below the surface is important to do, it is also very tiring.

So what to do? Live a life governed by one set of rules so that there will be no contradictions in any of your views? Be or partner only with people who share all your fundamental values, so there is no push and pull? So many more questions added to my already full head......

By the way, I am always interested in finding out about women who are both Christian and Feminist, so I'm pleased to see that Jane Fonda has a blog. I'm going to check it out, though from a cursory review it looks like she she's more comfortable sharing about her activism and professional life than her faith.

Funding Nonprofits

There has to be a better way! I'm writing a funding proposal and have been trying to write this proposal for the last month. I don't think I have it in me anymore to spend days on what will turn out to be yet another unsuccessful proposal. I have decided that next year, I will turn to more innovative ways of raising money for the nonprofit organisation, which I run.

There will be less time chained to my desk slaving away on yet another proposal! There will be more out-of-the-box thinking on how to generate revenue! There has to be a better way!

11th Lagos Book and Art Festival

The 11th Lagos Book and Art Festival is holding November 13 – 15, 2009 at the National Theatre Complex, Iganmu Lagos.

The Festival will feature exhibition by Bookshops, Publishers, Libraries and "freelance" individual exhibitors; a huge Art Fair featuring a variety of works by galleries, art-dealers and individual artists; live music, dance, drama and live performances.

Friday, November 13 will feature events such as Mentoring Kids by Eugenia Abu at 11 am, followed by Children Craft Workshops, Play Groups and Performances. The final stage of the Book Trek: the Quest for the Most Literate Student holds at 2pm and will involve the review and the discussion of various books.

Saturday, November 14 will kickoff with Conversation: Lagos in the Imagination (3) with extensive references to Isi Joy Bewaji’s Eko Dialogue, Tejo Cole’s One Day is For The Thief, Odia Ofeimun’s Lagos of the Poets and Sefi Atta’s Swallow. There will be a Publishers Roundtable: Why I Publish What I Publish from 2pm to 4pm. Festival Party celebrating Segun Sofowote@70, Frank Okonta@70, Sammy Olagbaju@70, Tunji Oyelana@70, Mahmoud Ali Balogun@50, Nobert Young@50, Afolabi Adesanya@50, George Uffot@50, Edmund Enaibe@50, Kunle Adeyemi@50 will start at 5pm with music by Fatai Rolling Dollar.

Sunday, November 15 will open with a Youth Conference: Creativity and Empowerment, featuring a panel of young creative artists and art managers; convened by Positive Development Foundation and Youth Bank. Art Stampede will come up at 1pm.

Telephone: Toyin Akinosho 0805.762.2415 and Kafayat Quadri 0702.902.5583

Email: stampedecorang@gmail.com

Check the CORA blog for more information.

POLDEC Mobile Workshop

I am here at thr workshop organised by POLDEC on the use of mobile phones in advocacy.

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Windows Live Hotmail: Your friends can get your Facebook updates, right from Hotmail®.

Test post from phone
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

A Single Girl's Guide to Dating

This is hilarious. When you think there's been no progress made in gender relations, things like this make you realise that it used to be so much worse. But depending on where you are, some of these rules are still very much in effect.

"A lady should know how to behave on a date...and we've got you covered: follow these 13 steps from the February 1938 issue of Click Photo-Parade magazine and you'll have men falling all over you."

Book Reading: Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Cassava Republic Press is pleased to announce a new voice in Nigerian literature: Sarah Ladipo Manyika and her debut novel In Dependence. Sarah, a resident of California, is visiting Nigeria this November to promote her book, which will be available nationwide from December. Sarah spent much of her childhood in Jos, Plateau State, but has lived in Kenya, France, and England. She currently teaches literature at San Francisco State University.

There will be two book readings in Lagos and Abuja.

Lagos Venue: Quintessence, Falomo Shopping Centre, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi
Time: 4.00pm
Date: Sat 7th November 2009

Abuja Venue: Pen & Pages, Plot 79, Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, White House, Wuse 11
Time: 5.30pm
Date: Tues 10th November 2009

'October Rain' Art Exhibition

For art lovers:

The Society of Nigerian Artists Lagos cordially invites you to its 11th annual juried art exhibition, October Rain 2009.
The exhibition will open on Saturday 17th October 2009 at 4.00 pm at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, and continues until Thursday 22nd October 2009.