THE NIGERIA OF MY DREAMS

I wake up in the morning and turn off the air conditioning because the room is chilling from consistent electricity. I turn on my television after devotion to see my leaders – presidents governors and Local Government chairpersons- share in details all the credible efforts they are making for my future children to have a better tomorrow. I eat healthy food and take a few supplements approved by NAFDAC certified as safe for consumption. Then I read the newspapers and see how investors are trooping into the country and causing our economy to bloom. I smile to myself and say a quick prayer of thanks to God for answers to prayers. I call my friends whose businesses are legitimately prospering and we chat of how we can improve the lives of the less privileged still in our society. As I drive to work, I say hello to the effective police force who are handling traffic, stopping defaulters breaking the speed limit and responding to a distress robbery-in-operation call. Yes, this is not a dream, it’s a reality. It is the fulfillment of a prophecy and multiple countless prayers offered by the saints on behalf of our land. It’s nothing but the Nigeria of my dreams, a world full of possibilities because we turned it over to God and chose to live by values that reflect selflessness and genuine interest in National growth.

You’ve heard of the 3mins video talk on cable called Africa Dreaming where artists come out and talk of their vision for Africa? Well, this is mine. Rather than restrict my thoughts to Africa which is already doing well by the way (especially countries like South Africa whose tourism industry is booming, Benin whose Pineapple juice exportation is doing well, etc). I decided to write on Nigeria, once known as the giant of Africa because of its vast human and natural resources which seems to still be poorly utilized. Why do I say so? If a country like Singapore with no natural resource and whose landmass is not equivalent to a single state like Lagos in Nigeria can be turned into a paradise of sorts then why haven’t we merited the title ‘The Giant of Africa’ in over 50years?

I am a firm believer in a better Nigeria; it is not an impossible goal. There are a lot of people who have not known any better than our current struggles as a nation but if only they can open their eyes and realize that their dreams or wishful thinking can become a reality; if only they act, their dreams will come true. A few individuals have taken up the responsibility to tell the youths, our future leaders, of the possibility of a better tomorrow. One of which is a friend of mine who has organized a regional campaign called Step Up Nigeria. To read more about it, go to www.stepup.imaginitmr.com or http://connectnigeria.com/articles/2013/01/28/beacon-of-hope-teenagers-as-step-up-comes-to-lagos/. The road I speak of is not one without obstacles neither is it one that can be reached in a decade but just as little drops of water make a mighty ocean, so also the little deeds we commit to now has the power to change our tomorrow.

A NEW YEAR, A NEW ME – FREE VERSE

It’s a new year, 2013. I’ve been racking my brain since my last post to come up with something that will be worth your time. I noticed everyone was putting up posts about how to approach the New Year, what resolutions to make and how to make them, yada, yada, yada. So I decided not to. Since I had done a movie fest for you, I decided to give that a break till maybe end of the month or next month, depending on if I can hold back from assessing most of the movies I’ve been watching. Even now as I’m typing this I don’t know where I’m going with it.

Many times my articles are well constructed with a lot of research and thought going into it and hardly do I get the time to just slack off and talk. Maybe it’s because I’m a tad too cautious of talking about things going on in my personal life. So, this year, forgive me if I come online and vent about things and people that piss me off or if I decide to share a piece of my life that you may consider dull depending on your preferences. I think I’ve earned the right to be unprofessional here every once in a while. I’ll still give you the variety of topics and personal views of mine that you so enjoy so fear not.

To jump start the year, here is a free verse I wrote years ago after being inspired by reading Martin Luther King Jnr’s actual speech. There’s a bit of heavy lifting at the end but hey, I just gave him props for the piece. I’ve never shown this to the public, hope you like it enough to give feedback/comments and share with your online community of friends.

I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH

I say to you today my brethren in the Lord, even though we are faced with difficulties in this life, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in Christ.

I have a dream that one day the Church will be full at 8am with lost souls and found coins sitting together in brotherhood serving the one true redeemer Jesus Christ our Lord.

I have a dream that one day while in a world conditioned to swelting with self or serving God from their comfort zones; one day right here, the hearts of every man will be transformed and committed to serving God just because they love Him. I have a dream that one day our desires and ethnic backgrounds will be reconciled to one dream and one dream only, to make heaven.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day despite the fast growing membership of church, that we will all be united as one family under the heavens.

I have a dream that one day in the midst of gross darkness, the restlessness and the world’s apprehension, everyone in Christ will find peace. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every youth in Nigeria and the world at large, whose loyalties were once pledged to the world, will find the church more interesting and solution driven that they’ll forsake their former lifestyles and pleasures in search of God’s truth, Jesus.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be made low; the rough places shall be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope.

This is the faith on which the body of Christ, the Church is built. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair, a strong hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling disorder in our world into a beautiful place for Christ to reign. With this faith, we’ll be able to work together, pray together, struggle together, be imprisoned for the gospel together and stand for freedom together knowing that we will be free of this earthly tabernacle one day.

Talk Movies (Movie Review)

As 2012 comes to an end, I find myself hustling to watch some great movies being released like Cloud Atlas, Disney’s Oz the great and wonderful, the musical Les Miserables, Jackie Chan’s latest action adventure movie Zodaic and many more. Thanks to a cool friend of mine that visited 2days ago, I’ll be able to do just that, maybe not for all the movies I listed but for others like The Hobbits: The unexpected Journey, Lincoln, Pitch Perfect, etc. I’ll tell you about them next year. Here are a few of the movies I’ve watched since our last movie review:

1. Think Like A Man – I have to applaud the writers of this screenplay (Keith Merryman & David A. Nweman) for their ingenuity in creating a dramatic story revolving around an actual book by Steve Harvey titled “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” especially for the witty dialogue. I also have to acknowledge the Director (Tim Story) for casting such great choice of actors, their act were believable and their characters, loveable. This 2012 movie may not be uniquely different from the movie written & directed by Mark Brown in 2001 Two can Play that Game, particularly for those whose genre preference isn’t Romantic Comedy, but what stood out for me in this movie was the way the principles of the book were portrayed by the characters. With a production budget of $12.5millon, it went on to become a worldwide hit grossing about $99.1 million; I guess it’s safe to say this film is a massive success. Thanks to the film, I sincerely believe that every single woman should get Steve Harvey’s book because the truth in it is so subtle and realistic (infomercial objective achieved). As for this movie, I learned that in the end Love is not a game to be played but a choice that we make to share our lives with someone who truly matters to us.

2. Total Recall – Someone asked me if they should go to the cinema to watch this movie when it just came out. Based on the previews and Behind the Scene shots I had seen, I encouraged him to and it was worth the cash spent. This 2012 dystopian Sci-fi action flick reminded me of Minority Report & Aeon Flux especially with the futuristic approach to societal living and technological advancements. Funny, I hear this movie is also a remake of the 1990 version of Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as lead character. Also that the film is based on a short story by Philip K Dick titled We Can Remember It for You Wholesale which is also responsible for inspiring the movie scripts for Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. What I liked about this 2012 futuristic thriller was the great fights between Kate Beckinsale and Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel (now Mrs Timberlake) and the interesting car chases. The twists in the plot that was not easily predictable especially since we were left guessing if the entire movie is real or just in his subconscious. Even though I got to watch a pirated version compiled in a DVD I bought where the heads and eyes of the characters were completely out of the screen in some shots, while other screens were blurry, it was still an enjoyable movie to watch but the storyline is highly unmemorable.

3. I am Number Four – Although it was released in 2011, this movie by Dreamworks Pictures to me was all about the chase amongst aliens on earth (kinda reminds me of a cartoon I love watching on Cartoon Network, Symbiotic Titans) and the fight to live a normal teenage life by the lead character John Smith aka ‘Number 4’ played by Alex Pettyfer. The movie is actually an adaptation form a novel within a series called the Lorien Legacies written by Pittacus Lore (James Frey & Jobie Hughes) and published by HarperCollins in 2010. The story from the book is engaging but the movie had its low almost clichéd moments that nearly turned me off from watching it to the end. You want an example? How about Number 4 running off with the other characters and forgetting his wounded shape-shifting dog in the school bathroom after the dog fought to protect him; leaving the dog hopping on 3 legs to find its way to him at the end of the film as both he and (Teresa Palmer who played) ‘Number 6’ drove on to find the other numbered aliens on earth which had not been found or killed by the Mogadorians. My worst almost clichéd moments were Alex is seen playing love in the river at night with a girl and when Teresa set a house on fire and walked away in slow motion with Adele’s Rolling in the Deep score as the house exploded behind her. After a movie like Jaws or Piranhas, why would people playing in the water at night not let you know something bad is about to happen? Besides the fact that Number 6 was fire resistant, thanks to Jasmine Sullivan’s Burst Your Windows' musical video, messing up a property in anger is now overrated. At the end of this Young Adult Sci-fi movie, I kept asking myself “where on earth was Number Five?”

4. Footloose – Until I heard the footloose soundtrack at the end of this 2011 movie, I found it hard to believe it was a remake of the 1984 version starring Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, John Lithgow etc which frankly, i don't remember. The storyline is basically the same with the 1984 version which was around overprotective parents stifling the freedom of expression their teenagers so desperately desire. This modern version adds technical modern dance moves like housing, windmills, head spins, flips, lindy hop, texas-line dance and acrobatics to the mix (in the old version, the dance move was mainly tap dancing). I like that teenagers were encouraged to put forth their strong reasons for their intentions logically to their parents while acknowledging their parents efforts as necessary for their own good. There was an adequate balance between the story being told and street racing (not as much dancing as I would like especially after watching tight dance movies like Step Up Revolution) making it quite an enjoyable movie overall but not one I would like to watch more than twice.

5. Battle for Terra – hah! Life won’t be complete without a little Animation. This Sci-fi Anime is the tale of heroism and how desperation and grief drives one to hostility, be it humans or aliens. It was popular in 2008/2009 when it was released winning a Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival held in Ontario, Canada. For some reason we in Nigeria never really heard about this film. I thought maybe because there wasn’t any shockers in the storyline despite the voicing been done by Chris Evans, Danny Glover , Evan Rachael Woods, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, among a long list of others. It reminded me of the beauty of an Alien World as created by the 2009 movie Avatar starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, written and directed by James Cameron. this anime may not have been 100% visually stunning or have tight gripping plot but it is still a nice film to watch when you are looking for a delightful light hearted entertainment that has 3D graphics and cool CGI effects.

6. New Year’s Eve – this star-studded romantic comedy is fun to watch on the 31st night of any year. It shows how much value people place on what they hold dear to, love or believe in and how special being alive to celebrate a new year is. My favourite character was Sophia Vergara, her accent and lines were just as hilarious as her act. There were a few moments I loved in the movie; one was Katherine Heigl slapping Jon Bon Jovi, another was Zac Efron interpreting Michelle Pfeiffer’s fantasy wish list into a meaningful reality and last but not least was Lea Michele getting her moment in the spotlight as she sang the first song in the New Year celebration at Manhattan after the countdown to the New Year. I wasn’t fond of the kiss someone as the clock strike 12midnight/12am culture portrayed at the end of the movie though. There is a sharp contrast though between how the New Year is celebrated all over the world and here in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, we tend to go to our places of worship, pray into the New Year and celebrate with brethren of similar faith before the fan fare of fireworks, knockouts, walking in a single file with lighted candles till 1am, begins. If not that then people choose to stay home watching a televised service of any denomination into the New Year or go out partying in a club or joint and what not depending on which part of the country you find yourself.

There you have it. With this I say good bye to 2012 and hello to 2013 where a ton of great movies are waiting to be released.

A thought at Christmas

I shared this write up last year on Facebook and felt my dear readers who didn’t know me back then would like to see it. I have an elaborate article on Christmas but this year, I decided to go with this very short piece:

A crazy friend walked into my office last year and lamented on the Christmas frenzy in Nigeria. To my surprise I found his line of reasoning fascinating. Most appalling to him was the carrying of live animals about, the hike in transport fares and other food items, the rush in the marketplace, and might I add, the hustle for Christmas songs via CDs/online media. According to him, some questions had become fashionable such as “What are you killing for Christmas?”, “Are you traveling?”, “You dey town?” even if the person is obviously in front of you. It’s funny how we Africans and Nigerians in particular celebrate Christmas.

We put ourselves through unnecessary stress and forget the reason for the season. It is actually to celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ, and his unique entrance into the world. Over the years, feasting has replaced reminiscing; activity has replaced reflection and even the act of love has overshadowed the person of love himself. Now songs of his birth are being replaced with lovers’ songs to each other, songs of the weather and gift giving culture of the season.

Let’s not lose sight of what’s really important this season - the celebration of our Messiah who left his riches, glory and throne in heaven to partake of our humanity. This Christmas, I hope we’ll have a better understanding the significance of what we are really celebrating which is our life in Christ. I’ve bought my Christmas hat, ready to dress up in red and white, symbolic of His blood and holiness to me and I’m ready to give God all the praise he deserves because He is truly worthy.

Back To The Basics

Some of my readers have quizzed me about when my books will be released. I’ve been so busy establishing my online and print presence (by sending out articles to Websites and Magazines) that I kinda slacked off for a while *covers face in shame*. If you haven’t been following me online on other web pages, visit http://bit.ly/SC8aM4, http://bit.ly/TIRHne, http://bit.ly/TPzbj7 and http://bit.ly/TCb550 .

So I’ve resolved to go back to the original plan for 2012; that way when I look back at this year in retrospect, I won’t have any regrets. Till my next blog piece, I leave you with this story I wrote two years ago. Why put it up now? Well, that’s because it has become a testimony to me about the power of words. Someone read it then and today he has gone on to fulfill his musical aspirations, even becoming a nominee in the best gospel category in the 2012 South-South Music Awards in honor of artistes in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. I hope it inspires you as well.

ANY LAST WORDS?
“I loved to write… it was my pride and joy. The one thing I could sit in a corner and do for hours when I was eight. Dreaming of all my imaginary friends… listening to how they talked and playing in wonderland, a world I created. Then I fell in-love with movies as I entered my teens, because they gave expressions to thoughts put on paper. I tried to write stories and picture them as movies. In my mind they flowed just fine but on paper … I’d rather not say. So I proposed to study on writing, how to share my world and life with the world. I got books my friends’ parents used in England when studying journalism. I ravaged the books and thought I was an expert until I got multiple criticisms on my lexical abilities. I read up key points on English language in a bid to improve my command of English. I was told by well-meaning friends I had grown and my goal was fulfilled. I tried to get out stories based on the examples I saw in books – fiction and nonfiction – that I read in the university. Friends commended my tenacity in writing and encouraged me to take the writing beyond my bedroom. I tried but got slammed by series of rejections from publishers and editors.

Despondent I gave up on writing. My husband noticed without my ‘little green place’ I became a pain to live with so he urged me to go online and get knowledge from free online-courses and degrees, to help teach me what I lacked. I did. I spent my life gaining knowledge, trying out for writing competitions to know if I’d become better while working in my mundane job and raising kids that made my house a home I couldn’t get away from. I’m not saying getting knowledge is bad, but a little tryout in the world of practicals won’t hurt. Besides, what have you got to lose? Here I am, writing my last words almost nine decades later. I wish I dared the world and followed my heart, I won’t be here watching everyone around my coffin in black saying goodbye to my body lying in rest while my heart wrestles with eternity knowing the thing I loved the most I never excelled at it. Dear ones, follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Mercy raised her head to establish eye contact with her audience before she proceeded, “These were the words of my mother, Mrs. Grace Arile. And these are my words to you who hear me today. Life is too short to spend it in fear of not being perfect. Do your best and know you lived a fulfilled life in the end. Thank you.” Mercy said and exited the stage, leaving the crowd of secondary school children who looked upon her in utter silence.

I FEEL PRETTY, SO PRETTY, SO PRETTY....

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If you’ve watched the movie Anger Management starring Jack Nicolson and Adam Sandler, you’ll definitely be familiar with the title of this piece. As a writer, I’m always seeking for different sources of inspiration for subsequent article material. Of course, i know that actually living my life everyday is one of the best ways to get material to write about. Life is so full of moments and experiences to share that being engaged rather than watching on the sidelines is the most fulfilling way to be inspired. Enough of the philosophizing, I bet you are wondering what has all this got to do with my feeling pretty.

A friend of mine was planning the first edition of her colourful online magazine,Ardent, and I had the privilege of being featured in it. For once, I wasn’t writing for the magazine. My role was simple: get dolled up and pose for photo shots. Since we were all to be ‘el naturelle’, I stretched my hair at the salon and headed to another friend’s beauty studio for the makeup session. From then on, it was a matter of hanging out with a bunch of cool and beautiful lady friends. Having the touch of a professional make-up artist has a way of making even a beautiful woman look more gorgeous and making everyone want a snap shot of their beautiful self. So I got to play armature photographer taking pictures of friends with their phones.

Though it seemed like fun, it soon turned into something meaningful as I found myself being helpful in organizing the ladies being transported to the photo-studio of another friend of mine where I ended up playing hair-stylist on set. What started at 10:30am ended up taking the whole day with me as the last person to be photographed. How best to end my day than a meal of Scotch Egg, Cake and Ice Cream. Now I not only looked pretty, I felt pretty for being helpful. To end the day, I kept up my appearance to impress hubby when he returned from work and when he saw how pretty I was, he went ‘wow’. But these amateur shots of me and a few others are nothing compared to the professional shots taken.

Check out my one day of fame day as a ‘celebrity’ writer by visiting www.jemimasemoy.com

Addicted to Books

It’s a new month and I’ve been thinking, ‘what can I give my readers that would be worth the wait since my last post in October?’ Then it hit me like one of those light bulb moments: A Book Review. You see, a friend of mine started a Book Club on her blackberry network and the whole process of deciding on books to read reminded me of my love for reading. I started a Book club on Facebook called Parchment Review earlier this year but for some reason (probably laziness); the club has been unable to function as I hoped. Besides, I’m supposed to be reading two books this month, The Ruins by Scott Smith and For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. So I thought I’d share a bit of my library with you. Remember, readers are leaders. Hope you enjoy it!

1. A little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul – a 64page mini-book designed exclusively for J.C. Penney (a chain of department stores in America). It is filled with excerpts from the New York Times best seller, Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthrone and Marci Shimoff. Even though this book was published in the year 2000 by Blessings Unlimited, it is filled with heart warming stories of mother-child relationships and can be read in an hour. It’s so refreshingly positive; it is bound to leave you with a smile when you are done.

2. A Simple Plan – this novel written by Scot Smith is one of my favourite books. It’s a spectacular thriller that shows how easy it is for good people to do bad things. This book is so cool that Stephen King endorsed it as ‘...the best suspense of the year’ in 1993. The rave reviews were so much that in 1998, it was made into a movie (bearing the same name). The story starts with a simple plan to conceal $4.4million but as time goes by, the plan gets complicated and the risk of exposure becomes the fuel that drives all the characters in the story. In other words, it shows just how dark the human heart will go to protect what is believed to be his/her property. It is definitely a good read.

3. The Icarus Girl – As an African writer, I’m always on the prowl for other cool writers’ works. I got this book as a Christmas gift and when I was done reading it, I was glad I did. Helen Oyeyemi - the author – published this work of fiction in Great Britain in 2005, combining her knowledge of life abroad with her native roots in Nigeria. Its genre is a cross between fantasy and young adult as it tells the haunting tale of a weird eight year old, Jess, who encounters TillyTilly, a friend with mysterious origin, during one of her visits to her mother’s family home in Nigeria. Although the end leaves more to be desired, the relationship between both Jess and Tilly is sure to keep you glued till the end.

4. Church Shift – a lovely non-fiction book written by Sunday Adelaja. After reading this book, I was left with a passion for my nation and a desire to see the will of God established in every sphere of my society. Amidst his true life story of his struggles in Nigerian and Europe, he also shares self-taught revolutionary methods gained from the revelation knowledge he gained from his fellowship with God. By combining his Masters in Journalism degree with his passion for the gospel, he’s been effective in communicating his side of the story about the Christian revolution that began in Kyiv, Ukraine since 2006 and how it enabled him build the ex-soviet republic’s first true megachurch. This book is a must read for all Nigerians who claim Christianity as their religion.

5. The Housemaid – this indigenous story written by Amma Darko brings back fond memories. As an African, I grew up in superstitious environments that deemed old women as witches (for no apparent reason); we saw villagers as desperate people always seeking greener pastures and single rich business women as prostitutes. All these form the premise on which the characters thrived. The story which can be read in 24hours is so intriguing that you won’t want to stop till you’ve found the answer to the mysterious question: who killed that baby?

There are so many books/articles I read that I would love to share but one step at a time. If you would like my take on any book/subject matter, drop a comment here or tweet me (@annkite0) and who knows, I may just review it in my next book review post.