G@tto's pics on Le Monde diplomatique

*
Just received (by non virtual mail)
a copy of the magazine :
Edition - Le Monde diplomatique (.de)
# 5 - "Afrika. Stolz & Vorurteile"






* Thanks to Mr Buitenhuis !
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NCF Nigeria to restore the Agaja coastline.

"The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF)
has embarked on an ambitious coastal restoration
project, involving the removal of the wreckage of
a tanker vessel from the ocean around the Agaja
Beach area of Olomo-Meta in the Ojo Local
Government Area of Lagos State.

According to a statement released by the NCF,
the wreck was the result of an explosion that
occurred aboard the tanker sometime in 1997.
Abandoned by the owners of the vessel since
then, the wreckage has constituted an unwarranted boulder around the coastal baseline,
disrupting the natural hydrological flow of the ocean".
(read more)

Look at this well 12 years ago and nowadays to appreciate the coastal progressive

erosion.

__________________

(Bob & Lisa - from Life in Nigeria, first pointed to this).

For Hyena Men Aficionados...

Two more shots...
------------------------
- the first one, by Andy Esiebo, from his LightStalkers' gallery

- and the other one from Reuters


















Published by The Telegraph/Pictures of the year.

Back to the original successfull picture...
______
(see also Andy's 2008 Paris exhibition)

Nigeria - A good Point.

Good news concerning Emeka Asiwe and Jonathan Elendu.

The publishers were arrested late last year for the radical views expressed on
their news sites and have been forced to remain in the country till date against
their will.
They have both incurred extra-budgetary expenses running into millions of naira
as their one-week visit to Nigeria was stretched into months by the SSS. (more)

We know since early this morning that Nigerian political blogger
Emeka Asiwe (HuHu-OnLine) could finally leave Nigeria but, at that moment, his
destination was kept secret for safety reasons.
Last update coming now from Nigerian Curiosity is "Asiwe landed in London at
Heathrow airport this afternoon. He was held up by security due to a tip off from
Nigeria's SSS. Thankfully, he was released and allowed to go on his way".

Another good new is that Jonathan Elendu (ElenduReports) could
recently retrieve his passport. Hope next step will be a flight back home in Michigan.

On Today's HuHu-OnLine you can read :
- Mr. Asiwe pursues N500Million Damages Against SSS (State Security Service),
as SSS releases seized items, moves to settle out-of-court.
- Mr. Elendu has slammed a N 1 billion suit against the SSS for his illegal arrest,
detention and seizure of his travel papers, laptop and cell phone. Advances have
been made by the SSS to reach a comfortable out-of-court compromise with Mr.
Elendu.
(more on site).
__________________

A Tribute to Susanne Wenger, the Artist.

The world famous artist and Yoruba priestess
Susanne Wenger died on the 12th January 2009
at the age of 93 in her adopted hometown of
Oshogbo, Nigeria.

See > Susanne Wenger's Obituary, by Wolfgang Denk.
(Photo Cibulka-Frey)


I could have met her, end of 2006, when I was in Nigeria and she was still alive and
well but, unfortunately, my friends had already visited her place in Osogbo before
my arrival. Sob ! I would have liked to meet her, see her work and record all this by
myself...

(Slideshow pics by Andrea Hinterseer - Osogbo, 2005)



(osunyemi)
Locally know and revered as Iya Adunni, Susan Wenger an Austrian sculptor
moved to Osogbo, Nigeria in the 1950's. She is credited with stimulating the
Osogbo Art Renaissance and almost single handedly saving the Osun Grove
from development.
She and local artists and craftsmen turned the grove into a mysterious sculpture
garden dedicated to the deity Osun.
This past summer, 2008, we had the opportunity to meet Iya and several of her
adult adopted children.
We consider her son Sangodare one of our Osogbo friends.
The footage in this video stems from two days spent with Sangodare walking
through Grove and hearing about his experiences with his mother over the last
50 years.


(osunyemi)
Leading Asheville Sister City Delegation to visit Susan Wenger (Iya Adunni,
Osun Priestess) credited with saving the Osun Osogbo Grove.
Her monumental sculptures are now in need of repair.
___

I couldn't resist and posted this...

A great street show in Nigeria !


(by tosche22)

... and later, added 2 more, because the show must go on !


(by preplan)

... and it does !
In Manila and NY and in many other places where people know better !


(by snubbens)

Andy Esiebo in Paris ?

What if Football was born in the street ?
(Tomorrow's last exhibition day).













(G@ttoGiallo)

















Paris exhibition's organizers.
(See also previous post).

Nigerian Photographer Andrew Esiebo exhibition in Paris

Andrew Esiebo is one of Nigeria's young contemporary photographers working on portraits of urban life and his country's culture and heritage.
His works has been featured in several local and international publications including Photoblogs Magazine USA, United Nations Global Report on Human Settlements and Voiceworks, Australia. His recent works on Nigeria Culture and Natural Heritage were published in November 2006 by Laia Libros, Barcelona, Spain in collaboration with UNESCO. Also, his works have been featured at various local and international photography shows in Nigeria, Ghana, France and Syria. He his a member of Black Box photographers collective of Nigeria.

"Et si la rue était à l’origine du Football ?"
(What if Football was born in the street ?)

You are invited to the public exhibition of Andrew Esiebo's photographic work on football...

so don't forget the 2008 African Cup of Nations !

(Bobrottie)
Turn up your speakers and listen !
... and then take a look at Beautiful Naija. (no more code to embed on blogs).

Police raid Kuti family "Shrine" club

Nigerian police late Saturday raided the New Shrine, nightclub
in Lagos...
(follows).















(Jamati/FireTongue)



Le Shrine avait été ouvert en 1978
à Lagos par Fela et avait fermé peu
de temps après sa mort.
Pendant une vingtaine d'années, ce
temple de l'AfroBeat a été l'un des
clubs les plus connus d'Afrique.
Le fils de Fela, Femi, a redonné vie
à ce club mythique en ouvrant le
New Shrine dans le même quartier,
en octobre 2000.
History repeats...

(Céline, Lagos)

Here a "must see" at Femi's New Shrine...


(dejiario)

The never ending story of the hyena men's picture

A successful photograph indeed !



Originally posted by a brazilian tourist to Scamorama in December 2006, this
picture (+ 2 more) made protographer Pieter Hugo decide to go to Nigeria to learn
more about the gadawan kura (hyena men, in Housa language).
He did it, met journalist Adetokunbo Abiola, together they got in touch with the hyena
men guys... and Hugo made a book.


The picture was also asked to appear as cover illustration
by some editors and was featured on the cover art of the
Gorillaz album "Demon Days" and "NO HOLIDAY-80 Places
You Don't Want to Visit", a Disinformation Travel Guide.




I stumbled across these impressive photos end of December 2006, when I was back
from Nigeria and sure I regretted I wasn't lucky enough to meet any hyenas at all.

Last week, I had a Flickr alert for someone uploaded hyenas pics, so there I went
and guess what ? It was the old Scamorama pics.
So I told the guy I already knew them and ask if he had a blog or something where
I possibly could watch them... There was no answer and the pics soon vanished from
his Flickr photostream.
Nonetheless, the picture has been uploaded by many other Flickr users :
- PeaceablePrimateSanctuary, Javaneh and Hamid, coolpictureguy, caffeineguy -
ryanclark75 and joi.
____

RES PUBLICA !

La post-Présidence n'est pas toujours de tout repos.
Le pire c'est que juste au moment où on aurait le plus besoin de paix et de tranquillité,
après une vie bien remplie, on vient vous reprocher des peccadilles, des erreurs de
jeunesse et que sais-je encore...

L'ex-Président de la République, entendu ce matin par
une juge du pôle financier du tribunal de Paris, a été mis
en examen pour «détournement de fonds publics» dans
l'affaire des emplois fictifs de la mairie de Paris. (suite)
Silvio : ... t'en fais pas, je connais, ce n'est qu'un mauvais
moment à passer. Moi, ça me stimule, ça me donne bonne
mine, ça renforce mes bulbes capillaires et ça me rend plus
créatif... je viens même de me payer un nouveau parti !


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on
wednesday, said that it would investigate allegations of
corrupt enrichment against former President Olusegun
Obasanjo. (Lagos' PUNCH)

Restez au courant avec Nigerian Curiosity de Solomon Sydelle.


"Aucun être humain ne peut prétendre à la perfection" a dit humblement M. Obasanjo, en
demandant pardon au peuple.
C'est si joliment dit que ses amis les plus proches feront des pieds et des mains pour le
tirer d'affaire.

Quant à M. Berlusconi, c'est un battant et grâce à son dynamisme, aux progrès de la
chirurgie esthetique, et à son amour pour l'argent et (aïe!) pour le peuple italien, il espère
encore que ses brébis égarées reviendront - en passant par les urnes - quitte à aller les
chercher sur le Tibre.

On aura tout de même passé de joyeux moments avec lui...

Je ne puis m'empêcher de suggérer, aux jeunes qui souhaitent réussir rapidement, la lecture de
l'excellent ouvrage de Elio Veltri et Marco Travaglio, "L'Odore dei Soldi" (L'Odeur de 'Argent/
The Scent of Money).
Réussite assurée ou remboursement du ticket d'achat garantis.
_________________

Bad news from Lagos

Well-known Art Market of Maiyegun (Lekki, Lagos) to find it bulldozed without warning
by forces of the Lagos State Government. According to eye witnesses several persons
received gunshots, one died.
The market, home for about 120 artists from the African Pride of Art & Crafts, was completely
destroyed today and many more people lost hope and income. Properties and artwork valued
provisionally at 30-40 million Naira was destroyed, unnecessarily.

(3 pics from expat friends)

Why ? Lucas Ajanaku, (Tell Magazine, Nigeria's independent weekly), explains :
"Tension mounts in the host communities of the proposed Lekki Free Trade Zone
over unfulfilled promised in the purported memorandum of understanding signed
with the Lagos State government"... (see more)

Lekki as in december 2006 !
(G@ttoGiallo)

Nneka Egbuna, a deep cry from Nigeria...

She was tonight on Tracks/arte.

A deeply touching voice mixing soul, hip hop
and reggae. She's born in Warri, Nigeria, lives
in Hamburg and is at the moment on tour in
France.

Focused Nigeria's News : an interesting and enthusiastic point of view...

Check by yourselves on Tayo Odukoya's Break Of Down.

The Nigerian Presidential Elections results have been released
on april 23, 2007.

Governor Umar Musa Yaradua emerged the winner of the Presidential
Elections and is now the President Elect. (More)





Besides, BHF Magazine (BHF stands for "Blessed and Highly
Favoured) - coming on summer 2007 - asks all nigerian writers
to contribute. Tayo already said yes.

If Nigeria is ready for a change then the world will change too...

____

Hopeless Elections in Nigeria

Pit of darkness
By Amanze Obi [nzeobi @sunnewsonline] Monday, April 23, 2007.

If it were possible for an average Nigerian to be shocked, many would have been
astounded by the way the 2007 general elections went. But because the people of
this country have acquired a very thick skin, their reaction to the electoral charade
we have just witnessed did not go beyond a mere shrug of shoulders.
The people were not perturbed because they did not expect otherwise.
Perhaps they would have been roused into some form of excitement if the elections
had followed the path of sanity.
















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