Orukoro Dancer,Benstowe Fubaraibi Anari (Nigeria) #BNPA2014COMMENTS

(Courtesy-photo)

Orukoro Dancer by Benstowe Fubaraibi Anari (Nigeria)

“Child, weep not

Mother will be fine”

Still Tonye’s voice went out

Surpassing the rolling drums

To win mother’s attention,

Her hands stretched forth

Forcing body through dense crowd

To mar mother’s drunken steps,

She, solitary Lass, soaked with her tears,

Weaved a cry:

“Mother! Mother!

What have they done to you mother!?

It’s me your daughter!

Come! Come homeward!”

But all were health tips for pigs.

Dancer, canoe to the unseen paddler

Dancer, slave to the spiritual native banter

Feet, chalk-patterned by her painter

Body, clad with white and red George-wrapper,

Danced forward, danced backward,

Danced drummers-ward, danced viewers-ward,

Danced, Shell to her marine partner

Danced she, beats after beats, songs after songs,

Swung, palm leaves at wind’s gate.

Ah! Several fresh eggs went lost to her belly.

Then I replaced the soil on my soles with another

Weaving pity in my heart

Pity for viewers, lost in spirit’s huddle

Spirits who seek for more canoes to paddle.

Your comments on The Orukoro Dancer.

Precious Nkwanzi

This is a real Nigerian voice: The overt imagery of dance and strong traditional reference. The daughter-month interaction of banshee like is shrill and eerie.

Michael the adventurous:

The first line is so similar to Ngugi’s book. The traditional strength from the myth of the dancer is so strong and inescapable. Even the daughter forcing her way through the dense crowd is allegorical to the woman with the issue of blood in the bible.

William:

So much dancing and drumming in the poem. I want to dance away the women’s troubles.

Note:

Orukoro dancers are women ( most times men) who dance to certain drumbeats under the influence of a marine spirit, at this times, songs and drums are played for them by members of their Orukoro society. Viewers usually come out in their numbers to witness the dancesteps and drumbeats. This experience does not happen frequently, but occasionally.

The word Orukoro means the coming down of a deity, but in this case it is usually the marine deity that possesses a person.

The Orukoro society are worshippers of marine deities in many Ijaw communities in Bayelsa , Delta and Rivers States of Nigeria.

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Lent: Learning from Donald Trump and DvN

Lent: Learning from Donald Trump and DvN

DvN sent an audio link from Donald Trump. Today I listened to it. Today, we are a few days into Lent and this is one of the piths of learning. Listening to Donald Trump.

Stay focused. Keep your momentum going. Have the energy to get the job done. Be thorough. If you lose focus, you lose momentum. This Lent, my prayer is for the BNPA team to never lose focus, always have momentum and for the right leadership for the Babishai Women’s Leadership Academy.

We always have problems but it is important to look at the solution and not the problem. Use what you have and don’t dwell on what you don’t have. Winners keep on going. NEVER GIVE UP. See yourself as victorious. It will zap all the negativity. See your problems as challenges. Use frustration to go where you want to g, instead of staying where you are.

See an opportunity for what it is. An opportunity. Learn something new everyday and be open to new ideas. Be thorough and learn everything about what you’re doing. Continue to be passionate and love what you’re doing. If success is what you want, be successful and you will be happy, healthy and strong.

For BNPA, that began as a small dream shared amongst a handful of friends, I can only thank God this Lent for enabling me to continue growing strong, choosing the right team and seeing the award grow to Africa. We haven’t stopped growing. Mwebare.

Lent.

Lent: One good girl and three bad men

Lent: One good girl and three bad men.

They came and poured themselves into my every space that flowed with goodness. One of them saw my inter-connectedness with writers, publishers and academics and swooped in. When he was done with sucking my blood, the rest hovered above like vultures.

The next, on seeing me wounded, used the opportunity to soothe my pain with health products, after which he said that they will cost 20,000 Kenya Shs but if I registered under his name, I could make that in three weeks. I sold many health products in his name and the money was wired to his account. You can guess what he wires to my account, good experience, opportunity of a life-time and a free T-shirt. That’s the T-shirt I wear to dance zumba in my living room. I can’t afford the gym or health products anymore ever since all the money was wired to his account.

The third runs one of the most publicized business shows in East Africa. He asked me to edit his book. We discussed at length what it would take. After two months, I am still waiting for the cheque. I should have fled from this gang-bang when this person told me he wanted to bring Shakira and Beyoncé to perform at a large football stadium. His up market over polished over-sized pointed brown shoes against his purple socks and black tuxedo that Tuesday evening should have been the warning sign. He is wearing shoes too big for him.

The fourth in this hideous gang-bang wanted to see what it would be like with his sister. The one whose organization I have been giving free publicity. My friend told me that I should stop giving people and organizations publicity. Anyway, she came to ex-communicate me, stating that the publicity had given them all the funding they needed. Lent.

I am still doing zumba in my living room.

Lent brings discernment. It opens spirituality and draws us closer to the truth.

Soon to be Slender, by BNN

I want to lose 20kg within a few months.

I am going to lose 20kg within a few months.

Last year, I began an intense exercise routine which was interrupted by natural frustration at the lack of evidence from the hard work and bouts of irregular motivation. For the past seven days from 26th December, I have engaged in a 1 hour daily workout. This includes episodes of Insanity season 2, brisk 30 min walks and kick-ass maximum interval home cardio and hip-hop, mixed with Zumba. It’s exhilarating.

There are people I meet who make boorish remarks about my weight. One of them is my grandfather’s former driver who in Luganda, loudly for all to hear, expressed his displeasure at my weight during what was otherwise an excellent New year’s Family Day. As a former Gayaza girl, I kept quiet and way-laid him as he parked cars of the various owners. I told him in no unabashed terms that my weight had nothing to do with him and there was no reason for him to be so discourteous since I’ve always been civil to him. He apologized, only because he was shocked at the reproach.

Other people who have transitioned from good friends to acquaintances, often jog my memory by reminding me how small I was ten years ago. I also jog their memory with stories of my two children and how women’s bodies undergo alterations after 35 years. Besides, if all factors were constant and the x- axis of low weight transformed with the y- axis of gorgeousness, they should be riding high in the looks department. Those factors are never constant.

I have more endurance than many people who are 30 kg lighter than I am and this is because I have been exercising for a year now. Combined with juices, consistence and overdoses of spiritual food, I’m well on my way this year to my 20kg weight loss. Thanks to my Super Budz fitness group, Lamwaka, Ibrahim, Twongyeiyerwe, Tabaro, Nsengiyunva, Nakayenga, Grace and a few others who lift me up constantly in this tedious yet fulfilling ride.

Happy New Year.

By Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva

2014 Commonwealth Short story competition

This year Commonwealth Writers turns its focus solely on the Commonwealth Short Story Prize as a unique award. The short story provides an accessible format as well as enabling writers to enter from countries where there is little or no publishing industry and to submit stories that have been translated into English. As a result it has become the main focus for Commonwealth Writers, a cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation. 'It would be wonderful to see submissions from bold stylists and stories that experiment with the form as well as more traditional approaches to the short story,' said Ellah Allfrey, who is chairing the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. 'This prize celebrates the power of the short story to spin a tale that concentrates experience and character in such specificity that the local is transformed to significance far beyond its borders,' said Allfrey, who is Deputy Chair of the Council of the Caine Prize, previously Deputy Editor of Granta and a senior editor at Random House. 'This is the magic of good writing, and this is what I hope we will find,' she added. 'Writers from across the Commonwealth will be encouraged to send us stories that bring us news of wherever they are, in the wide variety of voices and accents that make up the English language'. Regional winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000. Translators of winning stories will receive additional prize money. 'We’re proud to have such an accomplished team of judges and excited to be putting more resources into this year’s Short Story Prize,' said Lucy Hannah, Programme Manager at the Commonwealth Foundation. Commonwealth Writers continues its partnership with Granta Magazine, providng winners with an opportunity to have their story published online, while for the first time, selected writers will be offered a chance to work with the London-based literary and media agency Blake Friedmann. The judges are pictured left to right: Ellah Allfrey, Doreen Baingana, Michelle de Kretser, Marlon James, Courttia Newland and Jeet Thayil, reflecting the Commonwealth regions of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The 2014 Short Story Prize opens for entry on 1 October 2013 and closes on 30 November 2013. Entry is via the online application form at www.commonwealthwriters.org - See more at: http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/updates/2014-commonwealth-short-story-prize-open-entry-1-october#sthash.bpGjg7Q4.dpuf