Lookman Sanusi is an artiste, writer and journalist. He has been a consummate theatre practitioner for the past 25years. His forte is in theatre for young people which he has practised for two decades. He recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Bubbles Theatre Company in Lagos, Nigeria. A staunch member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lookman was a member of the National Executive of ANA between 1997 – 2001 and currently the Vice Chairman of the Lagos Chapter ANA. He is also the chair, Peace Committee of PEN NIGERIA. He has been widely anthologised, some of his works include the award winning play SKELETON. He has edited two collections of short stories for Maze Publications. Among his unpublished works are: Ovonramwen: How those Benin Treasures Got Away, Mary Slessor, Legend of Queen Amina, Frog Prince, The Moon Can Dance, Colour Rain and lately, In the Belly of an Elephant. He mentors young authors both in Nigeria and in the UK and has initiated laudable projects for the theatre and the literary world,  notably: The Red Cross Theatre Project for Young People in 1997 sponsored by the International Committee for the Red Cross, and the first National Children’s Theatre and Arts Festival (CHITAFEST) in 1998 sponsored by Goethe International. He has been the Festival Artistic Director for Teenage Festival of Life for six years, an event which celebrates the latent talents in youths organised by Action Health Incorporated. He was the initiator and chief consultant for British Council, Lagos on the project READING FRENZY which toured 5 western states in Nigeria in 2004. Lookman lives and works in the UK.

He also is The Director of Bubbles FM and an Arts promoter and very respected in  Theatre and The Arts – both in Nigeria and The Uk

To find out more about Bubbles FM Radio Station- log on to – http://www.bubblesfm.com 

  The strength from the forest feeds the nation.
I sit and watch the day go by,
I hear the soil crying, yearning and waiting.
My crops are hungry, the plants are thirsty,
for strength betrays the spirit of the land
And my people are suffering.Dark moments, still hours, each page in Life is in motion.
Each lines a curse to seek,
But Strength betrays the spirit of my growth,
Strength betrays my nation.The pangs of pain dig deep;
They cut through the hearts of a struggling crowd
And pierce the hopes of many.
My barn is the home for the squeaking mice.
Silently, father weeps,
But his tears are not enough food for the land.
Many have come;
Many have gone upon the forests of this earth.
Yet the Gods are blind to the curse in my spirit,
Where anguish has found a new home
And my hopes are imprisoned by the claws of povertyThunder Lightening
Then the raging downpour from the crying sky.
The bowl is bare and empty.
I hear the roars of the raging lion,
Pounding through forests, racing through hills.
What are my hopes for a new tomorrow?Men fall, Men rise,
Men rise to fall once more,
And the nation conforms to this unpleasant rhythm of trauma
Where the stings from my father lives within the souls of many,
For troubled minds wonder through the prisons of this earth,
Their aimless spirits…
Wondering… Seeking… Finding.
Motion through the dark is a curse to the shepherd.
Time is a granted option to move,
But how can we move when our bellies are empty.
How can we sing when our memories are a collection
Of tragic thoughts,
Despair, Grief, Survival, Hunger, Confusion, Poverty
My people, when will it end?
We have sat upon this rock for too long
And the burden is a heavy one,
My worry is the children who may not live to see tomorrow.
The forest waits.
The land is hungry.
Where is the strength of my people?
Time splits across the plains of a phase…
The doom spell of a history
I yearn for a new hour,
For the sky is dark,
Feel the grief in my heart,
The pain in my thoughts,
Bare bowls set before the naked sun.
Hear the crack in my voice,
The fear in my song,
But the Gods laugh,
Deaf to the tunes of a beggar child
And like a swaying tree through the mystic wind,
My son staggers through the torments of the seventh hill,
Imprisoned dreams bottled hopes.
The freedom of bondage is a blessing to the cursed,
Where many have risen and many shall rise to fall.

Copyright © 2003 Tony Tokunbo Fernandez

DARK SECRETS

The Beautiful thing about Life is that Secrets have no hiding place. What we do in the dark, is soon revealed by light and the bullets of Karma always catch up with those who embezzle bad thoughts and intentions into the empty arms of a false dream.

A Secret is put to shame when its presence is revealed by light and then there becomes no hiding place. A Secret has no home, it is always running, moving and hiding. – nothing is hidden under the sun.

Over thirty years ago, I became friends with a boy called Solomon in a faraway village in Northern Nigeria. Each day we would take long walks together through paths of hot sands for miles. There was nothing that my ears did not hear, the stories were endless. I heard of men in rich clothing who had brought nations to a standstill and stolen the secrets of other nations. I heard the stories of politician, pastors, masquerades and married women and all the time, I did not have to be told that these secrets were for my ears only. I promised him that I would not reveal “The Great Secrets”

I felt the pain, the grief, the fear and the guilt, but each time, I kept on saying “You better come out and reveal yourself, Life is short”, But he never listened,

We bathed together, we ate together, we laughed together and we fought together and there were times I even had to defend Solomon in public.

I knew that Solomon was living on borrowed time and so one day, I decided to tell him a story.

On this day we did not walk through the paths of hot sand but we went in the opposite direction and ended up in the outskirts of the buzzing town of Azare in a little kiosk that sold the best fried yam, plantain and fresh fish. It was towards the end of the school term and I had saved up money for this treat. I was worried for Solomon, he was a boy with potential.

As we sat by the table, I pulled my stool towards him and waited for Mama Benji to finish serving us. She stared at us repeatedly. The food smelt nice and fresh. I was Solomon’s only friend.

I leaned forward preparing to tell my friend what he needed to hear, but before I could open my mouth, the unexpected happened. It happened so quickly and felt like a dream. A Big Black Jeep pulled outside Mama Benjis Kiosk. The tyres screeched on the concrete and I nearly fell of my chair and landed on the ground. Two armed men with white masks came out of the car and dashed towards Solomon. Mama Benji began to scream. They grabbed both of his arms and smashed his head against the wall. They threw him into the boot of the Jeep and drove off. . I never saw Solomon again. That day when I got back to my room, I cried for hours beneath the loneliness of my warm blanket, I felt as if a part of me had been taken away and I dreaded the feeling of facing the music each day would bring. The mood of the evening was strange, it suddenly felt like a new season overwhelmed with a dry spell of sadness.. Each day I prayed that I would meet Solomon again. That night when I slept, I dreamt of him chasing me round the dormitory. It was pitch dark and all the Seniors were fast asleep. I screamed and screamed but no one woke up. His eyes were filled with fury. I will never forget that day

I never saw Solomon again, but I still think about those secrets because these are Secrets that help to govern nations.

BY TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ

It is the mission of Mr & Miss Black Beauty UK Pageant to bridge the gap by creating positive awareness through annually beauty contest to promote educational opportunities to outstanding and develop leadership among young black men & women in the UK.

We are indeed excited about what’s ahead this year and for many years to come, and look forward to be meeting some of our nation’s most outstanding Youth who embodies Positivity and hope for change.We invite you to join us on this journey, as we set out to uplift and empower our young men & women.

Mr & Miss Black Beauty UK Pageant. The pageant was created to honour black beauty, to raise awareness for the minority cultural heritage, and Community significance. In the UK, young black men and women have always remained an epitome of beauty; they symbolize beauty, brain and elegance, which is why we are packaging a beauty contest that will acknowledge and award intelligence, strength, confidence and inner-beauty.

We seek to showcase talents and promote cultural, social, and leadership status by providing a forum for today’s Black UK men & women to express her viewpoints, talents and accomplishments to the world.

General Information
To create annually beauty contest Event that will provide a platform for black beauty across UK.

To provide the outstanding Young Black men and women of the UK “The future of Tomorrow” with the opportunity to showcase talents with cultural pride.

Create a platform for black men & women to harness their potentials in modelling and fashion and to pursue their education.

With limited opportunities presented to black men and women in the UK, they need support and guidance.

Boost other perspectives of our tourism potentials, culture, image and our reputation in the UK.

Endorse and promote products and services that improve the lives of others.

Use the “Crown for A Purpose” to support and encourage their involvement in social and humanitarian causes.

To provide positive media for young black men & women in the UK.

Mr & Miss Black Beauty UK is not just a beauty contest, but also a stage to give the black men & women a platform to be a spokesmen and spokeswomen for their generation and generations following.

  Born Joy Keleibisa Igbelabo on 26th March. The fifth Child of a gospel singing family. Joy Ibisa has an amazing voice that will captivate you wanting more . She has been in the Music scene for quite a long time and continues to dominate the gospel scene with a refreshing feel of new energy.

She enjoys praise and worship songs and on many occasions, she adds a new dimension and voice to the spirit of music through the depth of her electrifying voice, it becomes quite obvious that music is  part of her journey, the minute she begins to sing.

She also loves travelling, meeting people, exchanging ideas and has a massive passion for interior design- all qualities connected with art, creation, growth and new space to explore, expand and add more value to Life

I first met Joy a few years ago, when i began to present and produce my radio show called AFRICA4U, co-incidentally, she was a guest on the show with another female gospel artist called Nevaeh’s Angel, She presented me with one of her CDS, and from then onwards, I kept on listening to her music which also caught the attention of my listening audience on many countries

Joy was also nominee for THE AFRICA4U SONG OF THE YEAR ONLINE AWARDS FOR NIGERIAN ARTISTS a few years ago- An Awards, that i initiated to encourage and empower upcoming artists at grass- root level

She was also performed two days ago at THE PRAYER REVIVAL FOR BRITAIN 2014 organised by Pastor Matthew Daniels and once again, memories were relived of a an electrifying voice that continues to embrace the spirit of  Love and harmony

You can contact JOY by email – 

Can you hear the gentle voice,

From the priceless Golden mantle

Pillars of ancient music,

Mothering and Fathering The footprints of silent soldiers

Beauty dressed in the spirit of magical motion

Warm in grace, Rich in taste

The mental scent of the land,

Strength painted with a subtle voice

embraced with a thread that unites the stories of our generation

Mother than just a Mother

More than just A Motherland- But a blessing to every home

Wishing my Mother and My Sister- A happy Mothers day

Wishing all Mothers around The World

A Happy Mothers DAY

TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ 

 AFRICA4U IN CONJUNCTION WITH ZIMLINK WILL BE ORGANISING THE SMALL WORLD COMMUNITY CONCERT FOR PERFORMING ARTISTS, POETS, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS, COMEDIANS AND COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS AIMED AT CELEBRATING THE GREAT WORK OF ROLE MODELS WITH REAL LIFE STORIES AT GRASS-ROOT LEVEL

BOTH AFRICA4U AND ZIMLINK ARE INVOLVED IN YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND PROMOTING THE GREAT WORK OF UNSUNG HEROES YOU DO NOT GET TO HEAR ABOUT EVERYDAY

WE CONDUCT MONTHLY VIDEO INTERVIEWS WITH ROLE MODELS, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO LIFE AND WE WIL BE CONDUCTING VIDEO INTERVIEWS ON THE DAY AS WELL

PARTICIPANTS ON THE DAY

ELAKA- PERFORMING ARTIST – LONDON BASED

O RAEL – PERFOMING ARTIST READING BASED

AKPOS OGAGBE- COMEDIAN – LONDON BASED

FERDINARD LAWSON- BEFFTA AWARD WINNER- WRITER OF THE YEAR 2013- TOPIC -HOW TO CHISEL THE GOLD OUT OF YOUR MINE

MADAM MARY AJOKE- COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR
DEREK DZIVA- MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER – LONDON BASED

DOROTHY DIX- CEO OF CREATING BRIGHTER FUTURES 

KINGSTON BASED

ALI SKUSE- SPEAKER ON HEALTH AND NUTRITION- THE PROJECT 10 CHALLENNGE- KINGSTON BASED

JAMES KIRIAMITI – CEO & COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR FOR SMART KENYA – KINGSTON BASED

WAYNE BOUYCARD – RADIO PRESENTER- URBAN JAZZ

NIA CONSCIOUS BROTHER- LONDON BASED

DARK ZAC OF ZIMLINK – LONDON BASED

MANY MORE

THE SMALL WORLD COMMUNITY CONCERT WILL BE TAKING PLACE AT THE WHITE LION, 233 STREATHAM HIGH ROAD, STREATHAM, SOUTHLONDON ON SUNDAY THE 27TH OF APRIL AT 1PM, ADMISSION IS FREE

FOR MORE INFO- CONTACT ME ON 07882809005

It was only yesterday,

That Mother sang of your beauty,

and the shinning star that summoned the blessings of the world,

And when you Smile,

YOU take the World with you,

Certifying new bonds of friendship with ease

People have asked me ..

Is she your Sister or your daughter/

As your youth continues to outsmart  the footprints of age

Today MEANS the world to ME,

You have made it this far,

Smiling each time you climb every mountain,

Nurturing in strength and the pillars of your home,

Yet much stronger than people think

There is only one Nicolette,

When you meet her- you have no choice than to like her,

I could not have wished for a better SISTER

I LOVE YOU TO BITS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND REMEMBER, THE HEIGHT OF YOUR BLESSINGS ARE YET TO COME