i just finished teaching Americanah this week, a very interesting, rewarding experience. the novel is more than one thing, but au fond it is a romance, and it becomes really really romantic in the past 40 pages or so.
and it is also a novel of how the word been-to has become history, and the new one will be retournee.
all of which makes this column so very interesting. the shifts in genre, in cinema, african, but also world cinema, in the direction of the pop is manifest in the rising dominance of video film, and particularly of the digital, in all its media manifestations. this column by udoh gives us much meat for reflection on that change.
ken
and it is also a novel of how the word been-to has become history, and the new one will be retournee.
all of which makes this column so very interesting. the shifts in genre, in cinema, african, but also world cinema, in the direction of the pop is manifest in the rising dominance of video film, and particularly of the digital, in all its media manifestations. this column by udoh gives us much meat for reflection on that change.
ken
On 12/8/13 8:46 AM, Oluwatoyin Adepoju wrote:
------------ Forwarded message ----------
From: <eudoh@aol.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] Why I am Relocating to Nigeria
To: nigerianworldforum@yahoogroups.com2013 Updated 7:08Articles
Why I am Relocating to Nigeria
Diaspora By Ekerete Udoh
As most of you readers of this column may have already known, I have been in Nigeria for the past three months, and only took a quick dash last week, to observe the Thanksgiving holiday with my kids. This has been the longest I have ever stayed in Nigeria, since I left the shores of this country over a decade ago to the United States, and selecting New York as my base of operations, and my adopted state of residence.Ardent readers of this column would also have realized that in spite of the fact that I have lived in the United States for years, and had been privileged and blessed to have travelled extensively all over the world, that at heart, I am a Nigeria-phile; I am an unabashed cheerleader for this country, and believes in its endless possibilities, the capacity for her to someday rise to fulfill the dream of its founding and the potentials that are embedded in her underbelly. I believe that in spite of the challenges of nation-building, of infrastructural advancement, Nigeria still remains one of the most attractive places for people who dream and dare.I have always considered myself a dreamer, and one who believes in the elasticity of the human thoughts and imaginations- of one's ability to deploy and apply certain skills to advance the human condition and add value to one's essence and that of the community at large. I have always believed in exploring virgin areas, to creatively thread where others would otherwise keep a safe distance. I have always believed in expanding and pushing the envelope of creativity, to provide platforms that others did not quite envisioned.I started this journey of thinking outside of the creative box almost 25 years ago, when as a precocious and daring young man- barely out of my teens, I walked into the office of the then Editor of the now rested Sunday Times, Mr. Achike Okafor and arrogantly –dripping with unbridled Chutzpah, told him that his newspaper was too editorially laden with arcane and convoluted academic write-ups and that I was in his office to help 'soften' the pages and expand the readership base, especially among women and the men in their lives.I remember Mr. Okafor- then known within the Daily Times family as one of the most fastidious editors around, having just been promoted from the post of the Group Features Editor to Editor, Sunday Times, looking at me with amusement and telling me "young man, what makes you think you can write a publishable material in my newspaper, not to talk of writing a column? I like your dash though. If you are so sure of your writing ability, send me four sample stories, if they are publishable, you will see them soon, and if they are not- they will find a home right there" (he pointed to the trash bin.Later that Sunday, having turned in four sample stories, I was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Okafor announced on the front page of the newspaper, that I was the newest addition to the cadre of its columnists. 'Stories that touch the Heart'- a column that explored the mountains and valleys in relationships, marriage and romance was born, and a new genre-romance and human angle stories finally found a space in a national mainstream newspaper. A year later, I moved to the now rested Sunday Concord, where the Column" Stories that touch the Heart" became a must- read column, and shot up the readership of the Sunday Concord to an all-time high. Then Editor-Shina Adedipe, now a columnist with the Sun Newspaper, told me earlier this year, that the column made Sunday Concord the largest selling newspaper in Nigeria for years.The mustard seed I had planted in 1986 has today blossomed so much so that there is no newspaper in the land today that does not devote pages and sections to human angle stories, romance and celebrities. This genre, I can say without fear of contradiction, was my creation in Nigerian contemporary journalism.In 1990, Nigeria's first all romance and society magazine-Hints and published by Dr. Ibe Kachikwu- who today is the Vice Chairman of Exxon Mobil was introduced to a rousing welcome into the Nigerian media and for almost a decade was the largest selling and arguably the most profitable magazine in Nigeria. I had the honor of once serving as the editor of that magazine.You may ask where I am going with all this background. The answer is that I am in the process of exploring a new horizon in publishing in Nigeria. Globalization has made the world an increasingly shrunken place so much so that trends that are happening in politics, fashion, in entertainment and business are consumed and appropriated within minutes in Nigeria. Nigeria, it must be stated represents the cutting edge of some of these trends within the African Continent and we must position ourselves to appropriate the new interest in these areas.As accent has been placed in service economy, Nigeria I must confesses, has adopted and internalized a number of best practices in several sectors of our economy. Consumerism is growing by leaps and bounds, and Nigerians with disposable income now demand for goods and service that meets international standards. Our pop culture- Nollywood and music now dominate the African Continent, spreading its love to the United States, the Caribbean where Nollywood is seen as religion. Our music is enjoyed by a diverse population, including such place – sometimes at places you would not ordinarily have expected them to play our songs, as I recently experienced in a predominantly Jewish neigh hood of Forest Hills, Queens New York , where Tuface's 'African Queen' was repeatedly played and seeing the young Jewish kids singing to the lyrics effortlessly.Every day, we in the media are creating new stars and celebrities, our unique stories abound- untold, unexplored and the reader is angling and waiting for those stories to be told. I remember asking a colleague the other day when he bemoaned the challenging times that publishing is facing in Nigeria, whether we are giving the readers what we want them to read or what the readers desire to read.
There is a huge market in my opinion for a pop culture oriented publication that will celebrate our stars in music, movies, business, and politics and at the same time provide incisive analysis on the issues of the day. In the United States, newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal may be the newspapers of records, but the largest selling newspaper in the United States remains Rupert Murdoch's most treasured baby-The New York Post. This newspaper falls within the genre of tabloid publication, but it has shaped opinion and culture in the United States for almost 200 years after its founding by one of America's most consequential founding fathers-Alexander Hamilton. The New York Post drives agenda in New York and politicians covet its endorsement.It was in recognition of this vacuum that my friend-Prince Chidi Ibe- also a returnee Diasporan and a keen lover of Nigeria , having lived in England for decades and I teamed up to put together the structure to publish the soon- to- be introduced 'News of the World'. News of the World as was the case with the now defunct News of the World in England will be a distinctly pop- culture oriented newspaper with very strong political reportage that will be done with human angle slants and flourishes. We will hold our elected officials feet to the fire if they are seen to have sacrificed the people's trust and aspirations. Those who are providing democratic dividends have nothing to fear, their achievements and efforts will be applauded. Those who have desecrated or sacrificed the bond of the common good sure do have a lot to be afraid, because we will bring their activates to the court of public opinion and shame them.Our stars who misbehave, should also watch their back, because as role models, we expect to hold them to certain standards. Some of their shenanigans will be exposed. The News of the World will be an exciting addition to the Nigerian media. It will be different, daring, brash, yet endearing, exciting yet hard hitting and it will have columns and features that will certainly be addictive.I decided to relocate to Nigeria to make this dream a reality. Sooner or later, you will see the News of the World on your newsstands and you will appreciate what I am talking about here. Like I did in my previous forays, we intend to make a difference and a statement and add value to the evolving best practices that Nigerians are internalizing.Readers of this column do not have to worry; you will still be reading me here.Related Articles
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