DOCSLIB.ORG

New Routes to the African Diaspora(S): Locating 'Naija'

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
New Routes to the African Diaspora(S): Locating 'Naija' NEW ROUTES TO THE AFRICAN DIASPORA(S): LOCATING ‘NAIJA’ IDENTITIES IN TRANSNATIONAL CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS By Olaocha Nwadiuto Nwabara A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of African American and African Studies–Doctor of Philosophy 2017 ABSTRACT NEW ROUTES TO THE AFRICAN DIASPORA(S): LOCATING ‘NAIJA’ IDENTITIES IN TRANSNATIONAL CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS By Olaocha Nwadiuto Nwabara Nigerian American Yvonne Orji–star of HBO Series Insecure–shared her self-defined expressions of her Nigerian Diaspora aka ‘Naija’ identity at a Breakfast Club online interview. She demonstrated her negotiation of her Nigerian and Black American identity, and in doing so reveals the multiplicity of her Black identity. The Nigerian Diaspora is increasingly producing normalized tropes in global Black popular culture, such as formulations of the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, and transnational music in the Afrobeat and Naija Mix genres. Cultural productions that come from these and other Nigerian cultural industries are being created and represented by members of the Nigerian “cultural” Diaspora all over the world. These cultural representations are mapped onto cultural artifacts (e.g. film, music, literature, television, food, clothing) are reflected back into diasporic communities when accepted by its members as having meaning and telling stories of their everyday experiences. Works like these are constitutive of a growing cohort and body of cultural productions emerging from the African Diaspora in the post-colonial era. Examples examined in the current dissertation study include the now famous Nigerian Diaspora representations conveyed in cultural productions such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, rapper Wale’s “My Sweetie” and “The God Smile,” Yewande Omotoso’s Bom Boy, Akin Omotoso’s Man on Ground, and Adze Ugah’s Jacob’s Cross to name a few. This dissertation is situated within the growing scholarly discourse about new African Diasporas through the prism of cultural diasporas. To guide the study theoretically, I draw from African Diaspora theorists such as Kim Butler, Isidore Okpewho, Paul Zeleza, Juan Flores, and Ruth Simms Hamilton as well as from Cultural Studies theorists Stuart Hall and Pierre Bourdieu to examine select Nigerian artists, their productions, and subsequent representations in the Nigerian Diaspora as cultural diasporas. I present these cultural productions of Nigerian diasporas as a way of examining the transformative and transnational identities (i.e. racial, ethnic, cultural) and community formations that are forged in the dialectical relationship between African homelands (Nigeria) and African Diaspora hostlands (the US and South Africa). In this dissertation, I argue that the social construction of the core identity formation of Nigerian Diasporas (Naija) has a purposeful and useful function for Nigeria in the world through its migrants Diaspora hostlands. The study shows the Nigerian Diaspora identity in this regard acknowledges and unifies Nigerians wherever they may be in the world and allows them to asserts an emotional attraction and belonging to the Nigerian homeland. The social construction of ‘Naija’ is used in this study as prism for interrogating issues facing Nigerian people in their respective diasporas, while also revealing the distinctive cultural life-styles that Nigerian Black immigrants bring and contribute to their hostlands. The research design focuses in on those primary components of the cultural diasporas–the experiences of the cultural producers (interviews and public talks) and the analysis of their cultural productions (literature, film, television, YouTube, music)–in order to extrapolate cultural representations of the Nigerian Diaspora communities in the United States and South Africa. The study aims to use this data to significantly contribute perspectives of how Nigerian Diasporic cultural identities and experiences are self-represented and exerted in global Diasporic communities, specifically in the racially and ethnic diverse nations of the United States and South Africa. Further, the dissertation examines how representations of self and community becomes decolonial tools for defining and asserting complex Black Diasporic identities and cultural formations. Copyright by OLAOCHA NWADIUTO NWABARA 2017 This dissertation is dedicated to the people of the African world: those who came before us, those who exist today, and those yet to return. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Even when we walk our roads alone, it’s always with the guidance of those we met along the way. I must begin by thanking my parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins–blood and chosen, living and departed–who shared their love and support in various ways. Between my family of kin and closest friends, I survived this journey and will survive endless more. Sometimes it was encouragement, words of caution, a heartfelt or casual conversation, love via good food, or a place to lay my head. So many thanks must go to my dissertation chair, Dr. Rita Kiki Edozie, for her passionate and no-nonsense guidance as a Black Studies Africanist mentor, teacher, scholar, and friend. She brought me into Africana Studies, and helped me transform the matters of my heart into heartfelt and intentional research projects. I also want to thank my dissertation committee–Dr. Glenn Chambers, Dr. Tama Hamilton-Wray, and Dr. Galen Sibanda–for their honest, encouraging, and patient support through this dissertation journey. I thank my dear friend and big brother, Tracy Flemming, for being a relentlessly supportive mentor to me from the very start and for teaching me the path by being an exemplar of it. I thank my dear friend and big sister, Tando Songwevu, for constantly reminding me of the importance of centering my and my people’s worldviews in how I find and implement solutions for African communities. Thank you to all the Nigerian Diaspora artists who allowed me to interview them (sometimes multiple times due to rookie mistakes), who graciously gave me access to their artwork and at times entrusted me with vulnerable unreleased material, and who brought life to my own personal existence as well as to my research through our conversations about the importance of storytelling. vi Thank you to the colleagues and friends I’ve made in at Michigan State University (MSU) especially in African American and African Studies (AAAS), at Grand Valley State University especially in African and African American Studies, and in various institutes at the University of South Africa (i.e. the Center for Pan African Languages and Cultural Development, the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, the Archie Mafeje Institute for Applied Social Policy Research, the Institute for African Renaissance Studies, and the Institute for Global Dialogue) for the life long relationships we’ve begun. Thank you to the units and organizations that have provided resources, financial or otherwise, to my project such as MSU’s AAAS, College of Arts and Letters, The Graduate School, the Office of Study Abroad, the African Studies Center, the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, and the Center for Advanced Study of International Development. I also want to give a special thanks to The Bomb Shelter production company for patiently passing along endless hours and hard drive space of Jacob’s Cross and The Burning Man, and to EMBO Media for providing extensive research support in South Africa over the years. Lastly, I want to thank the National Council of Black Studies (NCBS), the African Studies Association (ASA), the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD), and the Africa Conference at the University of Texas-Austin for developing African- centered spaces, with extensive graduate student resources, for emerging Black Studies teacher- scholar-activist such as myself to build upon the innovative scholarships of others. vii PREFACE I am a Black, Igbo, Nigerian, African, American, female, loving, inquisitive, and stubborn storytelling traveler who is constantly changing. Like any African, or human, my path has been forged by my environments and by my communities. However, my journey is determined by how I respond to the worlds that made me, and by those worlds I have yet to encounter. I turned left on the fork in my road labeled “Africana Studies, Ph.D.” because I was curious to know myself, as a product of multiple African communities: Black America and Nigeria. I grew up knowing that in ways I belonged to and was excluded from both communities. But for the life of me, I could not understand why the exclusions, and at times tensions between the communities, when both spaces looked to me like reflections of each other. Two different and diverse Black worldviews, no doubt, but there was a celestial level of comfort I felt existing in these African communities that was always the same. It’s the same feeling I’ve come to experience from traveling to South Africa over the past few years, making close relationships with Africans and exchanging worldviews. It’s the same feeling I have today when I am unable to distinguish a Nigerian song, from a West Indian song, or from a South African song because my father lovingly flooded my siblings’ and my ears with African world music from Detroit to Lagos to Trenchtown to Soweto and back again. I feel alive, represented, and connected to a Pan-African reality. I wanted to tell stories about my myself, my family, and my
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Externalisation of Borders
    EXTERNALISATION OF BORDERS February 25th and 26th, 2020 LAGOS (Nigeria) The phenomenon of re-trafficking of women repatriated in Nigeria by Kokunre A. Eghafona* Introduction Trafficking in Persons (TIP) or Human trafficking (HT) is regarded as a modern form of slavery (UN, 2001). Human trafficking is one of the most egregious human rights violations (Annan, 2001) and violations of human rights are seen to be the cause and consequence of trafficking in persons (UN, 2014). Since 2000, soon after a global treaty to combat HT was adopted, the term modern slavery is now the catch-all term to describe human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, sex trafficking, forced marriage and other slave-like exploitation. Human traffickers are said to be motivated by greed, driven by quota, devoid of respect for human rights, preying upon the vulnerable, and damaging the psychological and physical well-being of their victims (Toney-Butler & Mittel, 2019:1). Human Trafficking (HT), especially in women and girls, is the most visible of the categories of modern slavery in Nigeria because of its international dimension. Nigeria has remained a source, transit and destination country for women and children in human trafficking for forced labour and sex trafficking (Okojie et al, 2003; Maicibi 2008; US TIP Report 2019). Although women, men and children may all be trafficked for various purposes, trafficking is often a ‘gendered’ crime. Available evidence suggests that those who are trafficked into the sex industry and as domestic servants are more likely to be women and children (USDOS: 2011; WHO 2012). According to Annan (2001), HT thrives on discrimination against women, especially the increasing “feminization of poverty” and it is driven by organised gangs of traffickers, who ruthlessly exploit their victims for the easy profit they hope to gain.
    [Show full text]
  • Legacies of Colonialism and Islam for Hausa Women: an Historical Analysis, 1804-1960
    Legacies of Colonialism and Islam for Hausa Women: An Historical Analysis, 1804-1960 by Kari Bergstrom Michigan State University Winner of the Rita S. Gallin Award for the Best Graduate Student Paper in Women and International Development Working Paper #276 October 2002 Abstract This paper looks at the effects of Islamization and colonialism on women in Hausaland. Beginning with the jihad and subsequent Islamic government of ‘dan Fodio, I examine the changes impacting Hausa women in and outside of the Caliphate he established. Women inside of the Caliphate were increasingly pushed out of public life and relegated to the domestic space. Islamic law was widely established, and large-scale slave production became key to the economy of the Caliphate. In contrast, Hausa women outside of the Caliphate were better able to maintain historical positions of authority in political and religious realms. As the French and British colonized Hausaland, the partition they made corresponded roughly with those Hausas inside and outside of the Caliphate. The British colonized the Caliphate through a system of indirect rule, which reinforced many of the Caliphate’s ways of governance. The British did, however, abolish slavery and impose a new legal system, both of which had significant effects on Hausa women in Nigeria. The French colonized the northern Hausa kingdoms, which had resisted the Caliphate’s rule. Through patriarchal French colonial policies, Hausa women in Niger found they could no longer exercise the political and religious authority that they historically had held. The literature on Hausa women in Niger is considerably less well developed than it is for Hausa women in Nigeria.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Welcome Message from the President, Sphinx Board of Governors 2
    SUMMER 2015 NEWSLETTER Contents: 1. Welcome Message from the President, Sphinx Board of Governors 2. Over 100 Sphinx Alumni and Undergraduate Members Attend Spring Banquet and Alumni Weekend Champagne Brunch 3. Sphinx Raises Over $7500 From Nearly 60 Sphinx Alumni But You Can Still Donate 4. Current Sphinx Campus News: Meet the Sphinx Class of 2016 and the Sphinx Board of Governors, 2015-2016 5. Annual Report of the Sphinx Class of 2015 6. Annual Daily Pennsylvanian Ad Bids Farewell to Sphinx Class of 2015 7. Sphinx Alumni News 8. Sign Up for the New Online Sphinx Class Alumni Directory 9. Order Sphinx Gear Directly From “Zazzle,” and Via Sphinx Gmail Account 10. Visit Penn Campus as a Distinguished Sphinx Alumnus 11. Mentor a Sphinx Undergraduate 12. Contribute to a New Sphinx Historical Archives Page 13. Help Us Identify Missing Honorary Sphinx Members 14. Join the Sphinx Facebook and LinkedIn Groups 15. Send Us Your News, Comments, and Suggestions 1. Welcome Message from the President, Sphinx Board of Governors Since our Spring Newsletter in March 2015, the Sphinx Senior Society, now in its 115th year, has continued to implement its five major goals through its 17-member Board of Governors (BOG), the 30 members of the Sphinx Class of 2015 and so far, the 23 newest members from the Sphinx Class of 2016: 1. Strengthen alumni outreach; 2. Support the undergraduate program; 3. Upgrade our online Sphinx Class Alumni Directory as part of our ever improving web site, www.sphinxseniorsociety.com ; 4. Expand the “Sphinx Links” mentoring program; and 1 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Following Is a List of All 2019 Festival Jurors and Their Respective Categories
    Following is a list of all 2019 Festival jurors and their respective categories: Feature Film Competition Categories The jurors for the 2019 U.S. Narrative Feature Competition section are: Jonathan Ames – Jonathan Ames is the author of nine books and the creator of two television shows, Bored to Death and Blunt Talk His novella, You Were Never Really Here, was recently adapted as a film, directed by Lynne Ramsay and starring Joaquin Phoenix. Cory Hardrict– Cory Hardrict has an impressive film career spanning over 10 years. He currently stars on the series The Oath for Crackle and will next be seen in the film The Outpostwith Scott Eastwood. He will star and produce the film. Dana Harris – Dana Harris is the editor-in-chief of IndieWire. Jenny Lumet – Jenny Lumet is the author of Rachel Getting Married for which she received the 2008 New York Film Critics Circle Award, 2008 Toronto Film Critics Association Award, and 2008 Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Award and NAACP Image Award. The jurors for the 2019 International Narrative Feature Competition section are: Angela Bassett – Actress (What’s Love Got to Do With It, Black Panther), director (Whitney,American Horror Story), executive producer (9-1-1 and Otherhood). Famke Janssen – Famke Janssen is an award-winning Dutch actress, director, screenwriter, and former fashion model, internationally known for her successful career in both feature films and on television. Baltasar Kormákur – Baltasar Kormákur is an Icelandic director and producer. His 2012 filmThe Deep was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.
    [Show full text]
  • Living Through Nigeria's Six-Year
    “When We Can’t See the Enemy, Civilians Become the Enemy” Living Through Nigeria’s Six-Year Insurgency About the Report This report explores the experiences of civilians and armed actors living through the conflict in northeastern Nigeria. The ultimate goal is to better understand the gaps in protection from all sides, how civilians perceive security actors, and what communities expect from those who are supposed to protect them from harm. With this understanding, we analyze the structural impediments to protecting civilians, and propose practical—and locally informed—solutions to improve civilian protection and response to the harm caused by all armed actors in this conflict. About Center for Civilians in Conflict Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) works to improve protection for civil- ians caught in conflicts around the world. We call on and advise international organizations, governments, militaries, and armed non-state actors to adopt and implement policies to prevent civilian harm. When civilians are harmed we advocate the provision of amends and post-harm assistance. We bring the voices of civilians themselves to those making decisions affecting their lives. The organization was founded as Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict in 2003 by Marla Ruzicka, a courageous humanitarian killed by a suicide bomber in 2005 while advocating for Iraqi families. T +1 202 558 6958 E [email protected] www.civiliansinconflict.org © 2015 Center for Civilians in Conflict “When We Can’t See the Enemy, Civilians Become the Enemy” Living Through Nigeria’s Six-Year Insurgency This report was authored by Kyle Dietrich, Senior Program Manager for Africa and Peacekeeping at CIVIC.
    [Show full text]
  • Tracking Displacement in the Lake Chad Basin
    WITHIN AND BEYOND BORDERS: TRACKING DISPLACEMENT IN THE LAKE CHAD BASIN Regional Displacement and Human Mobility Analysis Displacement Tracking Matrix December 2016 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) DTM activities are supported by: Chad │Cameroon│Nigeria 1 The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community: to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. PUBLISHER International Organization for Migration, Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Dakar, Senegal © 2016 International Organization for Migration (IOM) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 2 IOM Regional Displacement Tracking Matrix INTRODUCTION Understanding and analysis of data, trends and patterns of human mobility is key to the provision of relevant and targeted humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian actors require information on the location and composition of the affected population in order to deliver services and respond to needs in a timely manner.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture:​ ​How​ ​To​ ​Turn​ ​A​ ​Message​ ​Into​ ​A
    CULTURE: HOW TO TURN A MESSAGE INTO A MOVEMENT ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ EVENT DETAILS ​ ​ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ CALL TIME: 1:03 PM ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ ​ STAGE TIME: 1:48 pm - 2:13 pm ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ TALENT ENTRANCE ADDRESS: ​ ​ ​ ​ Skirball Center for the Performing Arts ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 566A LaGuardia Pl ​ ​ ​ ​ New York, NY 10012 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ CREDENTIAL AND TICKET PICK-UP: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Please ensure you check in at the talent ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ entrance on arrival. ​ ​ ​ ​ ● For Members of your party who will not be accompanying talent backstage, please ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ head to the main entrance to pick-up your tickets. For ticketing and credential ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ information please see the last page of this document. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ GLOBAL CITIZEN CONTACT INFORMATION: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ CONTENT, ON-SITE SHOW-FLOW: ​ ​ ​ ​ Program Director: Assistant Program Director: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ David Lavin Sanya Thapa ​ ​ ​ ​ Mobile: (206) 300-0205 Mobile: (347) 515-2885 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [email protected] [email protected] LOGISTICS OR EMERGENCY: ​ ​ ​ ​ Manager, Global Programs & Events: Transportation Coordinator: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Taylor Light Jackie Eaton ​ ​ ​ ​ Mobile: (818) 430-7607 Mobile: (203) 948-5503 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [email protected] [email protected] ​ ​ 1 Global Citizen Week features a wide array of events, speakers, panels, performances, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
    [Show full text]
  • A Sheffield Hallam University Thesis
    Reflections on UK Comedy’s Glass Ceiling: Stand-Up Comedy and Contemporary Feminisms TOMSETT, Eleanor Louise Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/26442/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/26442/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. Reflections on UK Comedy’s Glass Ceiling: Stand-up Comedy and Contemporary Feminisms Eleanor Louise Tomsett A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2019 Candidate declaration: I hereby declare that: 1. I have not been enrolled for another award of the University, or other academic or professional organisation, whilst undertaking my research degree. 2. None of the material contained in the thesis has been used in any other submission for an academic award. 3. I am aware of and understand the University's policy on plagiarism and certify that this thesis is my own work. The use of all published or other sources of material consulted have been properly and fully acKnowledged. 4. The worK undertaKen towards the thesis has been conducted in accordance with the SHU Principles of Integrity in Research and the SHU Research Ethics Policy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Onward Migration of Nigerians in Europe
    A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details Imagined Futures: The Onward Migration of Nigerians in Europe Jill Ahrens Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Geography School of Global Studies University of Sussex June 2017 ii Summary of Thesis Dynamic mobility and migration patterns, including forced migration, have always formed part of the complex social, cultural and economic relationships between Africa and Europe. Like other Africans, Nigerian migrants live in countless locations around the world and are connected to their homeland through contingent transnational networks. This thesis explores the onward migration of Nigerian migrants towards, within and beyond Europe and analyses the motivations, patterns and outcomes of their multiple movements. Six cities in Germany, the UK and Spain are the main research locations for the fieldwork that took place over 17 months. The three countries are important destinations for Nigerian migrants in Europe and also the principal destinations of intra-European onward migrants. The cities included in this study are the capital cities Berlin, London and Madrid, as well as Cologne, Manchester and Málaga.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Brooklyn Pride Guide
    2 3 Brooklyn Pride Mission Statement Brooklyn Pride, Inc. strives to increase visibility, acceptance, and inclusion to ensure equality for the LBGTQIA+ Community honoring the Spirit of the Stonewall Riots. Brooklyn Pride 159 20th Street • Brooklyn, NY 11232 PO Box 150508 • Brooklyn, NY 11215 PARADE PARTICIPANTS 718-928-3320 [email protected] as of print time...more to come! www.BrooklynPride.org Achievement First Public Charter Schools Connect With Us! AIDS Healthcare Foundation Facebook: BrooklynPrideInc Ali Forney Center Twitter: @brooklyn_pride Antique Automobile Association Instagram: brooklyn_pride Brooklyn Pride Brooklyn Public Library Cheer New York Board of Directors Dignity, New York 5th Prospect Park Scouts Co Chairs First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn Jamie Farnam & Mickey Heller First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn Secretary Gay Men’s Health Crisis Tyler Evertsen Good Shepherd Services Hetrick Martin Institute Members at Large Kings County Pipes & Drums Mohammad Hamad Lesbian Herstory Archives Ariel Sanders Metropolitan Community Church of New York New Kings Democrats Brooklyn Pride Committees New York City Comptroller New York City Fire Department Diversity & Inclusion New York City Mayor Mohammad Hamad, Chair, Ron B, Erika New York City Pride Light Bright, Francisco Lazala, Verna Martin, New York City Public Advocate Pauline Park, Daniel Puerto Prospect Park Women’s Softball League Queens Pride 5K Run Rainbow Heights Club Mickey Heller, Joanna Hoffman, John Solano Sanctuary for Families Seeking Asylum & Finding Empowerment Festival Committee Sirens Women’s Motorcycle Club Jamie Farnam, Ariel Sanders, and Stonewall Democrats Stephen Sheffer TARAB NYC The Brooklyn Pride Guide is published by Brooklyn Pride, Pride Guide Inc. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertising contents in any manner without the permission of Brooklyn Pride, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Nigeria Within the Context of the Atlantic World
    Omer Cooper J (1971) September 2010 Newsletter Understanding Nigeria within the Context of the Atlantic World By Samuel Oluwole Ogundele* Abstract The legacies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and its enduring impacts in Nigeria starting in the mid-15th century, present a paradox. Those oppressive activities, orchestrated by European interests, comprise a subject that evokes intense emotional reactions to condemn such incidents of slavery, economic exploitation, and political subjugation. Continuing, damaging effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade can be seen in the cultural landscape of Nigeria today. In turn, enduring lessons of human character, aspiration, and resilience can also be learned from these histories. In this regard, a paradigm shift presented by trans-disciplinary approaches involving such subjects as archaeology and anthropology presents a promising development. For too long, attention has been almost totally focused on the debilitating effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on facets of Nigerian cultures. Such an approach was derived from a discourse of condemnation that tended to inhibit the full potentials of modern education and appreciation of cultural accomplishments in Nigeria’s history. The lacunae of silences created as a result of this condemnatory focus and related parameters of authenticity or truth can be filled in through the lenses of archaeological and anthropological sciences among other disciplines. Such trans-disciplinary research efforts provide new insights into the resilience and achievements of Nigerian cultures. For example, agricultural, culinary, and architectural knowledge and heritage were greatly modified over time in Nigeria as a result of the historical processes and entanglements generated during the period of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
    [Show full text]
  • Nollywood Interventions in Niger Delta Oil Conflicts: a Study of Jeta Amata's Black November
    NOLLYWOOD INTERVENTIONS IN NIGER DELTA OIL CONFLICTS: A STUDY OF JETA AMATA'S BLACK NOVEMBER Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Ebekue* & Michael Chidubem Nwoye* http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/og.v15i1.6 Abstract The discovery of oil in Oloibiri town in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria in 1956 has brought with it myriads of problems to the region. There has been lingering crisis in the region which has led to repeated loss of lives and properties. There have been countless efforts at finding a permanent solution to the conflict. However, there seems to be a renewed agitation and restiveness resulting from the stoppage of the amnesty program that was instituted by the late President YarAdua’s federal government. It is against this background that the researcher embarked on this work in order to critically x-ray Nollywood’s contribution to the peace effort with a special attention to JetaAmata’s Black November (2012). The researcher used the case study approach of the qualitative research method in analyzing his data. Findings from the research showed that any solution to the lingering crisis aimed at long term must adopt a populist approach. Key Words: Nollywood, Niger Delta, Oil, Conflict, Intervention 1.0 Introduction The importance of film in human society has been underscored by critics. However, the potential of the film medium are yet to be fully utilized for national uplift and human development. Many countries of the world with the United States of America (USA) and India at the vanguard have used the film medium to give their people a better life.
    [Show full text]