THE “THEY” MENTALITY (Part 2)

This is so much more than just the judiciary system. It is connected to the ‘they’ mentality possessed by most of us - the belief that ‘others’ are the ones responsible for everything while the rest of us are exempt from and therefore free of any obligation to act. This mentality is what is killing us as a people. We show no interest in the crisis in Egypt, Syria, Liberia and other nations because we believe it has nothing to do with us. We raise our noses up at the plight of others because it has not gotten to our backyards yet. The Ebola issue is a classic example of this attitude; where thousands were dying and we did nothing for almost 6 months after its initial outbreak until Patrick Sawyer came into the country and we lost 20 lives. I applaud our rapid response but this same attitude I’m referring to is why America, Spain and other countries did nothing until it got to their shores. No more digression, back to Nigeria. If we are to be a people, we need to work together to ensure all parts of our society is working so our future generation can be secured.

Below are a few suggestions & recommendations on how to right the wrongs in our society so as to build better systems to sustain us as a nation:

1. Enlightenment Campaigns - these can be done by anyone (bloggers, journalists, activists or even concerned citizens) on any platform or medium be it on TV, print or social media. We need to educate people on how to be value oriented, emphatic as well as sympathetic towards the plights of humanity all around us. But most especially to be compassionate (which takes empathy and sympathy to the next level which is action!), doing something about the issues around us. Only then can we see the change we seek that can restructure our failed national systems.

Isioma lamented, “Sometimes it seems like all we do is talk, protest and speak plenty English” and who can blame her when you put all our efforts of #bringbackourgirls on the scale of protest versus actions. But I believe that in speaking regularly through every medium about issues plaguing our nation and their solutions, we not only create awareness that these problems exists and needs to be solved but also encourage more people to be solution oriented and proffer better solutions that can be implemented if the right people get wind of all our chatter.

2. Laws and Sanctions- it’s not enough to create laws but there needs to be mechanism in place to ensure that these laws are carried out and sanctions are emitted on those who do not. This is where law enforcers come in, not to victimize the populace but to ensure law breakers are actually knowledgeable about the laws they are breaking and the penalties for them before executing sanctions.

3. Accountability – this is where you and I can play a very active role. We can hold our leaders accountable by holding protests (street march/sit downs & hash tag online campaigns), calling in to ask questions during televised debates with our leaders or engaging in PRO debates. We can also be effective if we knew who the people representing our constituencies are and call them out of they fail to do their jobs.

4. Think and Act - I don’t know about you but I am tired of reading articles that point accusing fingers at everyone else as the blame for the failure of Nigeria as a nation. If we all do what is right, raise children who believe in doing right, then we would have raised a generation of thinkers whose passion is to act on what they know is right to do. Don’t just sit and complain; ask yourself, what can be done? Who can help make my ideas reality and what can I do to ensure the solutions I’ve come up with are heard and implemented? It doesn’t matter who takes the glory for the solution you provide, what matters is if it’s acted upon.

It‘s time we get off our high horse and get rid of this ‘They’ mentality that absolves us of any responsibility towards the improvement of Nigeria, our nation. @grandverve said, “the sort of change we need requires critical mass” and I agree. Only a few good men can’t change our systems no matter the significant position of power they hold. If we won’t do it, who will? Let us not be like those who live in the moment and forget to keep an inheritance or leave a legacy for generations unborn. If our heroes past did not stand up and fight for our independence, we may not be here as a country 54 years later. If we truly believe in the unity and posterity of this nation, then it’s time for us ALL to cast aside all forms of segregation especially the ‘they’ mentality and embrace a ‘We’ mentality approach to Nation Building.

You can follow me on twitter @annkite0 or on my facebook page Life, Love and Anything Goes or Ann Esievoadje (for writers tips)

THE “THEY” MENTALITY (Part 1)

On the 9th of June this year, I was drawn into a conversation on twitter about a nameless woman who was raped to death by some cattle rustlers in Ovia North East LGA about a week prior to this discussion. News report had it that the only witness to the crime was the woman’s 18year old son who fled the scene and reported the matter to Ekiadolor Divisional Police headquarters. In the news report that sparked up the conversation on twitter, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) to Edo State police Command confirmed that three suspects linked to the crime had been apprehended. The possibility that justice would be served if corrupt police officials aren’t paid off to release the suspect pending a court case was what stirred the conversation on twitter. This conversation was by a few concerned Nigerians (not necessarily those living in Edo State) and it went from on how the criminals should be prosecuted and sentenced to how flawed the justice system in Nigeria is. The cases sited to support the latter claim were the ALUU4, Cynthia Osisogu Facebook murder case, and a few other high profiled cases in which there has been no closure despite the years gone by. I recall sharing their sentiments when the Oscar Pistorius Trial in South Africa, came to a close within a year of the suspect’s arrest with every detail of the court proceedings covered by BBC Africa and other international journalists.

Why does it seem like the judicial system in Nigeria is non-functional? Why do cases go on forever with no closure even when the accused or suspect has been granted bail? It hurts to see a guilty suspect go on living a normal life as though nothing ever happen just because the court is yet to decide appropriate punishment for the crime. Why does it seem as though Lady Justice is not only blind but sluggish? It is because our legal system is broken.

It is filled with everyday people like you and I whose basic instinct is first survival before a high desire for seeing justice served on offenders. It’s not like lawyers don’t have a sense of moral indignation that fuels their desire to protect the vulnerable in society against perpetrators of crime, it’s just that practicing law is first a job that meets their basic needs of food, shelter, etc before it can become a form of social activism. That is why most lawyers hardly take on pro bono cases because for them to do that or for them to become vigilantes, they need a steady source of income that won’t be affected by their passion for justice. This is no way an attack on lawyers but a way for us to see how each individual element contributes to the breakdown of our justice system. Starting with the law practitioners is simply my attempt to explain why cases would rather be adjourned forever because each court appearance is factored into the fees to be paid by their client -the guilty, innocent, victim or accused.

Yes it is true that sometimes the police does make mistakes in their arrest and accuse innocent people of crimes they did not commit. [As can be seen in the story of Cynthia’s Murder where an innocent pharmacist, a graduate of Igbinedion University Okada, IUO Benin, was framed by the police and wrongfully accused. In his case protests and petitions from friends and well wishers both on social media and otherwise was what saved him from the 15count charges.] These suspects are held in prison cells till the case has either been taken to court or settled out of court at the police station since it is usually up to the judicial system to decide the suspect’s fate – guilty or innocent.

In the case sparking this discussion, it was agreed that in every state there is a legal aid who should be responsible for taking up cases like this nameless women’s case as pro bono and fight till justice is served. As of right now, i'm unaware of the existence of a Public Defenders Legal Aid office (where the lawyers' fees are covered by the Government to enable the poor get justice if they can't afford the normal legal fees for court proceedings) in any State in Nigeria. We are most certain that one of the reasons a lot of crimes go unpunished in our system is because most victims cannot afford the legal fees associated with fighting for justice and if that’s the case why bother reporting to the Police when a crime is committed?

If the system has failed to maintain order and protect citizens, who then should be held responsible for restructuring the system? By the justice system, we are referring to the lawyers, judiciary, the executive and the legislators. @adeken01 said, “So far the current system allows the inept to thrive while good men are labeled as whistle blowers?” Whose job is it to ensure that something is being done when criminals are said to be tried and sentenced under the Law? Who is to follow up and ensure due process is achieved?

LEAD THE CHANGE: THE EXECUTIVE SQUARE

Remember the Brian Tracy seminar organized by Leadership 300 (an arm of Benson Idahosa University aka BIU) I attended a while back that I blogged about and you loved? Well, I had the similar privilege of attending another powerful seminar held on the 23rd of August and organized by BIU’s Knowledge Development Centre, only this time I paid so don’t expect me to spill all the goodies I learned.

This seminar was titled The Executive Square and the Guest Speaker was Julian Kyula, the CEO of Mo-DE Africa (Mobile Decisioning) and the winner of IBM’s 2012 Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award. His company is the owner of the Telco, “Borrow Me credit” feature so whenever you borrow any amount from your network he gets richer, hehehe.

I had never heard of this Kenyan before but I felt a strong urge to hear what he had to say. Most millionaires make their money silently away from the watchful eyes of the paparazzi, while improving different sectors of countries economies. Enough of my philosophies, here’s an overview of what he taught or shall I say what I learned from my two hour session with him.

Starting out as an entrepreneur
The world of e-commerce is going global due to the value placed on people to share information e.g. Facebook - pictures and stories. The saying that entrepreneurship is not for everyone is a lie. We are moving into a world of partnerships, no one can do business alone, so anyone can become an entrepreneur. The world of entrepreneurship is one no one is prepared for. It feels like a lot or responsibility thrown at you very quickly once you decide to start a business. You don’t have to do it alone. The world is full of people that have the potentials to make your dreams come true.

Your passion/business is personal; nobody else is as passionate about your vision as you. Don’t confuse it for other people’s passion when talking to people like future investors/partners. Do not personalize your business plan; make it factual because people are driven by bottom-line (aka profit). Study who you are speaking to – what excites them, what their passion is, how your passion can be relevant to them and listen when they speak. Investors are serious about investing in people who will bring result and they spend a greater percentage of time assessing the risk factors associated with your business. Be ready to rewrite your business plan over and over again.

On your journey as an entrepreneur
Look at your business like a science, do your maths, get experts to partner with you, know your market size, get statistics on the sector you are venturing into to enable you position your business and break into the market. Get an accountant, history of your longevity in the business, a clear analysis of your competitor and outline the risk factors associated with your business in your business plan. Deliberate planning for positioning is vital for the survival of your business and it prevents you from being sidetracked by success when you’ve not attained your ultimate goal. Have a structure for your business and put people into it, people who will question what you do not yes men. Failure is part of your journey; it teaches you when you don’t get it right. You need to be resilient when venturing into business and plan to live off the interest of your interest. E.g. let’s say your seed is 1 billion and your interest is 10% (100 million) take 10% of your interest (10million) and live off it then invest the remainder or save part of it in Trust funds for your future generation and invest the rest.

What you must do today:
1. Take Charge of your dream because no one else will care about it until you’ve made it. Your passion is more important than your enterprise.

2. Take responsibility. Your time is very precious; don’t waste it on things that won’t add to your life. Find your compass and your true north, you’ve been inspired enough.

3. Take the fire. Don’t let your dream be crushed by external forces. What you have will be rejected so many times but you must have the fire to keep your dream alive.

4. Study your dream. Is it the solution to a problem that a bigger company is looking for? Start looking for global problems to solve. Whose problem are you solving?

5. Pray over your plans.

Lessons of Life
 Relationships are paramount for your next level. Ask yourself, who is my introducer? There will always be someone that will take you to your next level so be careful about ‘burning bridges’.

 Be grateful for the sacrifice of your parents but ensure you are living your dreams not theirs so you don’t pass yours on to your children.

 Spend time writing out your plans. Think trans-generational, let the legacy you leave for your children, their children and their children’s children be your focus and motivation.

 When people say you’ve changed, it means you simply stopped living life their way.

 Stop trying to perfect things, get it out there. There are people out there who are willing to put money into what you started that isn’t perfect.

Now that you have all this information, what do you do with it? Position yourself.

Movie Review & Spoiler

I haven’t done this in a while because I have been enjoying too many cinema movies, Japanese anime and TV series as well as mobile downloaded movies. After so much, I’m in the mood for some spoilers. Here goes:

1. Godzilla – In one sentence, it is a glorified mock-buster on a larger production scale than its counterparts e.g. Sharknado. It is the story of two ancient creatures that woke up to mate but are being stopped by a dinosaur while humans scramble around trying to obliterate them with their military prowess which just happens to be the creatures’ meal. I’m glad I didn’t waste hard earned cash watching this in a cinema. I advise you to watch this only when you are bored.

2. Transcendence – The story of the pros and cons of using technology to explore the potentials of the human mind alongside a tale of undying love among scientific-minded lovers. For all its hype it is more sci-fi than drama (genre); it reminded me of Tom cruise’s Minority Report. This movie opened my eyes to what blind faith in those we love can cause (it creates a monster that cannot be tamed) and in the end I couldn’t tell if the lead character was human or computer generated. I advise you watch this at home with a large flat screen TV.

3. Divergent – It had the feel of Susan Collins’ Hunger Games adaptation, maybe because it’s an adaptation from a bestselling novel as well. While it is simply the story of a young girl trying to find herself in a class system that kills out anyone who dares to be different, it is also about parents supporting their children in their life choices and being willing to sacrifice their all to save them if necessary. It was a young adult genre with a few popular actors and actresses like Shailene Woodley, Jodie foster and Kate Winslet. I actually enjoyed this movie even though the end left more to be desired. I just pray there’s no part two because I won’t watch it.

4. Blended – Another comedy film by the dynamic duo - Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The tale of a bad date gone wrong that continues on a family vacation in Africa. I would say they at some point the comedy felt unreal like the part where the girl deliberately threw out the rubber slippers false external breast implants. Some funny parts were repeated like the walking down the stairs and certain soundtracks playing in people’s head. My favorite character was Terry Crew and the male singing/mocking choir, they were just hilarious.

5. Half of a Yellow Sun – So far this has been the most anticipated Nigerian movie not only because it was am original Nigerian tale played by Stellar award winning Hollywood actors but also because of its ban. It was the first Nigerian movie I have ever watched in a cinema. But I must say, even though it is a cinema must watch it did come across like a documentary with the use of real life clips from Ojukwu’s speech and so much focus being placed on the historical part of the story and sexual nuances of the characters. It made it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Even though I haven’t read the book, I did find a strong need to do so after watching this movie as it is obvious a lot of important details were taken out to make the film as commercial as it was (like why the lead character was called a revolutionary lover – I didn’t think a few heated conversations were enough to brand him as a revolutionary). I must say besides making me angry at Ojukwu’s desire for self preservation at the expense of the many lives of the Ibo people who were lost & torn apart, it left me wondering why he was celebrated in his death.

6. Angriest Man in Brooklyn – This is the story of a pissed young medical doctor who happens to be sarcastic with the diagnosis of an annoying patient and the fear of imminent death makes the patient realize what a messed up life he’s lived as he discovers the infidelity of his wife, comes to terms with non-existent relationship with his son, hatred of his friends and generally the fact that he’s an unbearable someone. In the end he dies in peace as the messed up doctor helps him find the missing pieces of his and her life. An ironic film to watch in view of the recent passing of its main character Robin Williams by suicide, so glad he has three new movies to be released in December that’ll help us remember him in a positive happy light.

Time won’t permit me to share all I’ve watched since my last movie talk. Hope these suffice.

GOODBYES AND SEE YOU LATERS (fiction)

I wrote this isolated piece a while back.

"I’ve never really been fond of saying goodbyes. I would rather say, “See you later” than to ever say ‘goodbye’. I think the word goodbye has a touch of finality to it. So you can imagine how I felt when my eldest son got married. He’s been my strongest emotional support ever since his father’s death, picking up the slack and becoming the bread winner in his father’s stead. I know he deserves to be happy but with all the plans for the wedding, I could sense this was more of a goodbye that a ‘see you later’ celebration. Don’t get me wrong I love his bride and I wish him the best but as the vows were being read, I had the strangest feeling within to jump up and say something, anything, and nothing in particular, that would not only disrupt the wedding but put an end to it permanently. I realized in that moment I was being selfish. I tearfully clapped as the bride and groom kissed. It was not tears of joy, no, not at all, it was tears of sorrow and a resolute determination to stay away, long enough for me to forget that we had such great moments together as a family. I want to be there for my son but I know I need to know better than give unsolicited advice or expect him to still take care of his siblings like he used to because once his wife gets pregnant and has a baby, he’ll have to spend more money on them. Maybe by then I’ll just become a glorified free baby sitter for them, who knows. I have to stay in the present for now, they are just getting married and after their honeymoon, I’m sure they’ll want to hang out with me on occasion. Oh I’m doing it again; drifting into the future. For now I have to put on a brave face, smile, dance, and rejoice with the newlyweds, tomorrow will take care of itself."

If you were the son, how would you assure your mother that being married wouldn't make you love her any less and that her place will always be in your heart?

5 SPECIAL THINGS NEEDED FOR A STAGE PLAY

Bet, you are thinking, I know what she’s going to write. Beyond the usuals which is finance, actors, a script and props, there are a couple of things that are just as important and have direct impact on the success of your play. Over the years, I have featured in numerous stage plays starting from my first pantomime at age 9 and if there is anything acting has taught me, it is that a lot more goes into making a stage performance go smoothly. They are:

1. Mics – as long as you have dialogue, you’ll definitely need these. Not just any regular unidirectional microphone with Chord but clip-on mics and chordless mics that can be strapped on unnoticeably. Of course you can and should use multidirectional and condensed mics which can be hanged or placed above the stage to help actors when they project. Once a scene is done with, the sound operators should ensure that the mics are switched off along with the stage lights so that the backstage talk or noises do not get heard by the audience.

2. Makeup artists, wardrobe assistant and hairstylist – depending on the theme and era your play is staged in as well as the transitions in scenes from the script that may require different looks, you need these people to make your play believable. For instance to make a character look sick, the makeup artist can give the person nude lips and pale skin while the hairstylist can scatter the persons hair to look bedridden and the wardrobe assistant can dress the person in slightly wrinkled/ruffled clothing to show restlessness from all the turns on bed while asleep or damp tops to show the person drenched in sweat.

3. Extras – the actors on stage will delay scenes immensely if there are no backstage helpers to handle things like moving stage props, switching unidirectional mics on actors going on stage for different scenes, setting the stage by building different sets, prompters that help the actors remember their lines or sequence of the script by queuing them in or those handling the stage lights to create ambience. And all these various manpower need to be coordinated by a stage manager who no one will ever see on the stage. These people are so important because their work begins as soon as the script is written, during the rehearsals as well as before, during and after the stage play. They make sure all the little logistical details needed are sorted out appropriately.

4. Sound specialists – having microphones doesn’t guarantee that the audio of the drama is in the clear. Sound specialists are the ones who take into cognizance the nature of the hall and how the types of speakers enhance the sound/voicing from the stage which can affect how drama experience is received. They also make sure the interference from multiple electronics being used is at an all time low and ensure certain scores and sound effects are properly timed and played to give the drama a realist-feel. That way there are no echoes or hollow sounds in the hall being used and the mood of the drama is on point without people’s ear suffering from irritation or partial deafness due to loud/poor volume control.

5. Audience – what’s a drama without you, the audience? All the preparation and work put in by the production team would mean nothing without a sizable crowd that appreciate all that is being done. That’s why so much effort is put into publicity because in the end, the aim is to create a satisfying experience for the members of the audience.

This list is in no way conclusive because as times change, a lot more changes in the creation of a satisfying stage play experience like the introduction of live animation. Feel free to contribute any other observation you have about stage play production.

Half of the year gone already?!

I'm tired of apologizing for my writing inconsistencies lately so I won't because there's no excuse for my seeming laziness with my blogging. once again like everyone else i'm shocked how quickly 6months have gone by in relation to all the things i planned to accomplish this year. i decided rather than write on the obvious, i'll share a word of encouragement from my pastor (preached at the beginning of this year) on how it's never too late to START.



A million thanks to my friend Charles who created this brief pictorial summary of the sermon.