Access Bank's #TheWINKChallenge Writing Competition Deadline!

Women are being encouraged to share experiences and thoughts around health, love, family, food, lifestyle and trending issues. The write-ups can be done as fictions and non-fiction.

Every woman has a story waiting to be told; a thought that needs to be shared and opinions required to challenge current situations.

As women around the world #PledgedForParity in the International Women's Month of March, The W Community of Access Bank made the call, inviting women all over the country to find their voice through #TheWInkChallenge Writing Competition.

The challenge, a prose competition opened on Tuesday March 1st 2016 and will close this Thursday, March 31st, 2016. There are fantastic prizes to be won from laptops to mobile devices, books and loads of discount vouchers.

The community's desire is to see women inspire creativity, engage in a conversation that is important to self-discovery and influence general societal behavior through writing. This is the time for women to question the status quo and build connections along the way while exploring the relationship between the Woman and her ink.

Join the WInk Challenge, Write, Submit and Win- https://thewcommunity.com/guidelines-for-thewinkchallenge/

INCREDIBLE PAINTINGS BY ORESEGUN OLUMIDE SIGNALS A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR AFRICAN ART, MADE IN NIGERIA

Meet the artiste behind these incredible paintings after the cut

THE LADIES IN ME LIFE...

 



To all the ladies I have loved, crushed on, admired and still loving, I am writing you this poem..

Me words flowing like stream converging, just to give you thoughts vase like the ocean.

Sit back, savor this moment as I take you through the motion.

Motion through the memories we have gathered like cowries.

This love n war we shared like dowries.

Dowries for the relationships that was and still is between you and I.

You being you and I being I.

I thank you with deep appreciation for being part of what made me.

The love n war that made me.

Me heart smiling to the sight of you

Me eyes shining to the bright of you

Me lips curving to the thought of you.

You, I crushed on even if you never took reconnaissance of who I am or was.

Was and still is the feeling you gave me to the mere thought of you, never perished.

All you never knew we shared I cherished..

Cherished every enriching pleasure that comes with your beauty.

Watching over you like a guardian angel, call it me duty.

Duty that is the admiration I bestowed on your intellect.

Admiring your ideologies, your principles and the way you carry yourself with 'em walking steps from a distance, as it reflects.

Reflects the epitome of true Africans beauty that was neglect.

And if we talk about the pains that ensued from our union, we will gather the gains that kept us in strong connect.

Connect like emotions in every line as you visualize the picture behind every word and its effect.

The memories held in these pictures, telling the tales we have collect..

If this love for you in me heart will never die

So will this love we share ride on the hands of time, no standby.

Standby for the future, its a story we going to tell

Together we sutured as we dance to the jingles of time's bell..

Written by::

 ....hdrh (@iamheadrush_)

SISTER ACT....Broadway Musical Comes to Nigeria



World-acclaimed Broadway Musical, SISTER ACT, will berth in Nigeria later this year and will parade an all-Nigerian cast.

 

One of the most successful musical theatre productions of all time, its Nigerian production is the brainchild of Nigerian manufacturer and "serial entrepreneur", Dr. Soji Akinkugbe in collaboration with top executives of the prestigious Waterfront Theatre Company, Cape Town, South Africa.

  

Based on the 1992 film of the same name, Sister Act tells the story of aspiring disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, who having witnessed her gangster (and married) boyfriend commit a murder, ends up in hiding in a convent whose parish has fallen on hard times. Though the sequin- free lifestyle doesn't agree with her, Deloris finds her calling working with the choir, and breathes new life into the dusty convent while discovering a sisterhood she's never had before.

 

Akinkugbe, Managing Director of Colours in Africa, who grew up in the 70s/80s campuses of the University of Lagos, and Ife when a robust theatre performance tradition ruled, has long nursed a vision to produce international musical hits with Nigerian casts. He also desires to use the productions to create a training platform that would transform raw local talents and skills into the best standards available around the world. He has been a regular patron of many theatrical productions at home and abroad especially in southern parts of Africa.

 

Through his association with one of the doveness of South African Theatre, Delia Sainsbury, and her business partner Paul Griffiths, Akinkugbe's vision is one step closer to being realised and the production of Sister Act is scheduled for the MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos later in the year. He says he believes strongly in the talents of Nigerians to realise a world-class production of the play.

 

His organization, Colours of Africa Productions, is spearheading the project with support from 2Wice As Nice, a firm headed by the actress and businesswoman, Elvina-Ibru.

 

Delia and Paul round off the creative team for Sister Act with award winning Musical Director Garth Tavares and international Musical Theatre Artist, Genna Galloway.

 

To set the realisation of Sister Act in motion, a three-day audition/workshop would hold in Lagos from February 25-27.

 

 

NB: For further information on the audition and the project, kindly contact Tony Offiong on +23408077833031 and elvinaibru@yahoo.com

EVERYWHERE WAS COLD?

 

Picture Credit: www.familyfriendpoems.com-

Everywhere was cold?
But a chill whispered warmth into a seeking soul
Eyes held burning eyes, bold
Desire melted fire beneath capable arms
The plan was to teach me...
But solos drifted past ears more eager to explore
Aided by hands in playful banters at grey areas

Everywhere was cold?
But hips thrusted passions to shine red
Sultry lips splattering the finest intentions,
Lustful serenades.."I love you"
And rabbit holes caved in..
Swallowing a void.

Love, Love, Love.
Everywhere was warm.

Creative work of Putting Waste To Good Use by Eluagu William

Eluagu William, a final year student of Yabatech Lagos, Nigeria, uses waste PET bottles to create his final year project. He titled it - "Your Destiny is in Your Hands".

 

We appreciate Art and Creativity; this ingenious act of exceptional talent must be exhibited.

 

See pictures below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

HER WILD PASSION

Picture Credit: www.pinterest.com

Her wild passion

In love with love

A terrific woman

Who couldn’t do anything pathway, halfway...

Beautiful!

Too Beautiful!

Too rare..

Uncommon, troubling

Overwhelmingly so.

Her wild  passion

The type you only read about

Such passion musicians sing about,

And artistes capture in paintings

Witty and funny

A smile wider than Mona Lisa smiles

Her character captures your heart

With piercing eyes that windows your soul

A classic;

The epitome of an epiphany

Revolutionary, Extraordinary

In love with love;

She is deeply indebted to the core of life

A lacking capacity to settle for a regular life

Her wild passion; 

Complexities!

Complicated extremes of emotions;

Joy or sadness

Peace or Pain

Such dept that swallows her mind

A beautiful mind you may wish to preserve

But too raw for your poisonous world to touch

Her wild passion.

An intense gale,

Cursed to a world undeserving of her beauty 

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT STAYING IN LOVE

 



The ugly truth is that the more intimately you know someone, the more clearly you'll see their flaws. That's just the way it is. We meet people, make friends or fall in love never really taking into account the significance of making these connections. We fall in love and fall out, running on our heels like a rat escaping a burning bush. The ugliness we had seen or experienced chasing after our backs; while we never look back. We like people on surface values; for the things we hope to get from them, what they have to offer us, how they look or how they fit beside us to show off to friends. This is why marriages fail, why children are abandoned, why friendships don't last! We all seek happiness; a happy start, the happy life. Heck, even a happy ending. But life isn't ever truly like that! That is just the ugly truth! That the things that bring us such profound joy, are exactly the same things that will threaten the greatest pain or sadness. All the force needed is a turn to the back cover, or a flip of the coin.

Let me try with a slightly wise explanation. We may all prefer heads... I mean heads of a coin! Others, prefer tails. But can we pick and choose which side of the coin we keep? THE COIN - that insignificant value no one likes to drag along or brag about. But how it saves us that desperate moment we need "just 5 extra cents"--we leap for joy!. Staying in love is just like owing a coin, you feel you don't need it until you do. You toss it aside even though you have that 6th sense that it has value beyond which you can ever very well quantify. Regardless of this 6th knowledge, owing a coin is such a " huge nuisance, heavy to carry and makes us look poor". In other term; weak, vulnerable, angry, sad, unnecessary baggage, drama, pain, stress...... We just want to give it up any chance we get. Yet, should out of the blues, our bank accounts read an extra cent, we leap for joy, again!

You might think you love someone until you see the way they act when they are out of money, or under pressure or hungry, or going through a bad phase, for goodness's sake. Love is something different. It is not just finding someone with common interests, or finding someone who makes you so happy "you cant stop smiling about" or falling in love. Love is staying in Love. Love is acceptance. It is deliberate!

It is choosing to serve someone and be with someone in spite of their filty heart. Their filty hearts you may never get to see until after you've crawled out of the honeymoon phase. Love is patient and kind. It does not run after the honeymoon phase is over. Love sees beyond the ordinary eyes of physical beauty or kind. And because of this, love is hard! It is pain and sacrifice, it's seeing the darkness in another person and defying the impulse to jump ship. It is looking in always, even when looking threatens to blind. I have a wise friend who calls being in a relationship "a deep connection where the other person becomes an extension of you and you're in sync such that you almost breathe the same type of air". What more, for Love?

It may start off with the glamour of what can be seen or achieved but for it to remain love, it must breed and stay. Especially at a time one may fail to nurture it or all the odds defies common sense. Again, Love is hard! Love is that affection which threatens to get lost but somehow manages to find itself. This is why marriages fail, why children are abandoned, why friendships don't last! Why everyone complains that life is hard! Yet air fights to keep us to breathe and thrive!...It is patient and kind. For love may spoil but you must never run.

THIS YEAR, TWENTY SIXTEEN

Caption: Jan 4 - A kiss goodbye to a sociopath

I wish you a year of clarity

Twenty sixteen 

This year, 

We will stop avoiding our fears

Or burying our pains

We will be bold 

And our strengths will grow

Stroke of luck will strike us

Happiness will find us

The adventures we will seek

Will only lead our souls to peace

I wish you a year of merry

Twenty sixteen

This year,

The few you had will increase to many

Your labor will be skewed by favor

The temptations of failure may cycle 

But will pass you by

The guidance you shall find

Will leap you forward

I wish you a year of plenty

To feel only happiness at every chance

To feel content at any change

To meet only the right people

To travel within and without your mind

You will bloom 

This year

Twenty sixteen!

We will move

HOT AIR BALLOON

Picture Credit:  www.wanderingcarol.com

Life feels like a hot air balloon;
It keeps going up
Frayed at heart, heed to my warning:
Do not look down
The fear of the mind kills faster than death itself

One day, someday!
Maybe tomorrow
Your feet will find land
Every footstep shall find its way home
An overwhelming calmness will wash your soul

Finally you will be home
Finaly you can close your eyes and relax
Look back and realize that
Hot air balloon found you a home.

Written by Ogey Onuh

CRAZY PETALS

He picks them out and plucks them out

One petal at a time

One after the other,

Until the rose leaves its strand of thorns

“A rose is better off without its thorns”, He says 

This is what he does;

Sees nature as it needs to change

Tweaks around a beautiful rose

Tweaks around a beautiful rose

He picks them out and plucks them out

One petal at a time

One after the other,

Until nothing is left but just a strand

He plucks and plucks and plucks

Messing beauty as it was…but he fails to understand

Roses are not condemned to weeds

Just because of there thorns

Alas, these thorns would prick him,

And he would burn.

He burned.

Oh he burned

He found the flaws in everything.

And everything was just one other flaw

until she went crazy

He picked and plucked on that,

only to cast her among the crazy ones

To you who noses in,

He thinks we are all crazy.

But he will pick us out and pluck us out

One petal at a time

This is what he does…

“To fix us all!”

Fix your mouth

Fix your heels

Fix your emotions

Open your eyes.

We are all crazy,

We are all crazy 

And doomed to this life

Maybe there lies her fate;

That pureness is never enough

That sincerity could never calm his thoughts

He says she is delusional,

Is she?

Or he is?

DEAD LEAVES

 Picture credit: www.scathing-sanity.deviantart.com

Green, erect, tall and strong

And then came fall;

It withers away

Dead leaves

Dead leaves

Washed down by the harsh unexpected cold

It surrenders, 

Giving up its guise

It shivers at  the call of winter

In hope that it can hide out

Once green, erect, tall and strong

Look at me;

The difference between dawn and a snowstorm.

Picture Credit:Trevor Graeme Wilkin's Grand-daughter, Aly

Stars, the moon and wind will carry me...

Picture Credit: sheezbrainwork.wordpress.com

Water color painting: Self-destruction

My excuses lingered on..
More lies to tell myself:
Another hand will lean in..

Stars, the moon and wind will carry me
Stars, the moon and wind will carry me
Make, until one more one will listen
Whilst I'm falling apart:

Tired and leaned out
No one on the ground to fold me in
A bunch of lies weared them out
And unto tears and bruises
Even my lips have forsaken me
I barely recall a last false tale
ALAS, they have turned their backs on me

My hands are dirty and dready
Those who tried to touch them
Barely made it enough to tell the tale
It died in their silence
I died in need

I mean, I yearned in deep need
But those who yearned with me ran in fear to live that long
Each day they drown in a bunch of my lies
Lies I created masking my inner tighs
Lies that lingered on until...
I had lied to my lies saying,
"It was fine"
"It is fine!"

Stars, the moon and wind will move
They will stop to care..
And suddenly stop caring;
Leave my shine to drown and die
While they carry on only remembering;
A diamond once found and thought to be carried along

"For they were weak!
They are all weak!
And they failed
They failed me!
It is fine.
I am fine."
My excuses lingered on. 

STUCK ON A FAIRY TALE.. continued

Picture Credit: www.favim.com

There is no such thing as the perfect guy! So after my heart wrenching disappointment with a fairy tale disaster, you will expect that I would have learned my hard lesson. That was hardly the case. I remained stuck deeply within my fairy; a hopeless romantic. I hung life around finding Prince Charming again; comforting myself that previous Prince Charming was just a total asshole. After a while of unsuccessful search, Cinderella was to grow weary.  At this point, I was certain every guy that crossed my path is an asshole. “How hard is it to find a Prince Charming, really?” In my mind, I was to remain true to finding him while these bloodsuckers drop dead already. 

Lol. The thing about searching for the perfect guy is; you’ll miss all the signs when the right guy comes along. I call him Mr. not-so perfect. He won’t be riding a chariot or have his crown on all the time. He won’t buy you flowers, unending and tell you all the things you want to hear him say. Instead, he will smack you when you do wrong and fold you in when he sees you are rolling in a deep. But because he won’t be doing these things Prince Charming’s way, you will miss it. Just as you will also miss the fact that all these time, expecting and waiting on a fantasy and romance, you never bothered to find out if you are capable of providing this same privilege— a Princess Charming—romantic, loving, giving etc.

My eyes were wide open and it stayed so, expecting my chariot to show up at some point, to carry me into my happily ever after. While I waited and waited, I started to miss all the important points right in front of me. As this happened, I grew weary and impossible. Suddenly, all those beautiful things about Mr. not-so perfect that made me open my arms to him slowly fades into insignificance.  Inevitably, he became the villain I needed to get rid of in order to continue my search for my perfect Prince. And once again, I failed to learn; that the smacking when I acted like an idiot or the random chat about how our boring day went—was the candy in a shitty wrapped box. A pretty wrapped box may be enough to reel my girlfriends into utmost envy but the candy was all I needed to fill me up. “The candy was the price, not the pretty wrapped up empty box”

A happily ever after is supposed to be his endearing selflessness, the practicality in his ways, the solidness in his securities; my soft-heartiness, contributing generosity, humor and support—some of the awe that synced us. Those random moments that are meant to dig depths into a union; those are what make a true happily ever after. That was the true happily ever after!

“Mr. Perfect is just that guy perfect for you”. Realising these too late, I am just sorry it had to have taken me this long. But, more than sometimes, a hard kick is all a wheezing car needs to restart properly. I hope my Not-So Perfect and Not-So Prince Charming finds himself his Not-So Happily Ever After with a female wise enough not to have caught the fairy-tale syndrome.

“The problem with looking for perfection in a world made beautiful by imperfections is a failure to own true beauty.” Deeyssertflower

STUCK ON A FAIRY TALE

Picture Credit: www.favim.com

I cannot finger what particularly leads into how girls become completely stuck on a fairy tale: an ideology that a charming young man will show up one day and change their world. “Arhhh..spin me around atop a chariot until I’m consumed in a banquet of flowery love. Life will be full and happy... and complete and we will live happily ever after.”

Oh Yes! This fairy tale dart didn’t miss me most especially. I have been so stuck on this fairy tale syndrome for a long time. This misguided fantasy saw me through most of my teens and youth. With my eyes closed in on this unrealistic idea of love, I found myself tending towards believing that the things I wanted were the same as the things I needed- The Perfect Guy.  

 “Oh the Perfect guy”. He is wonderful, thoughtful and romantic to the core; says beautiful things while he picks up your bills without a flinch. He says beautiful things to you and keeps it coming with flowers. He is textbook- taking you always to Marchenland. And your world is absolutely perfect.

But what we fairy-tale females fail to understand while infatuated with this Prince Charming ideology is that, everything you want is barely anything you actually need. And that that other guy who seems like the villain; annoyingly worrying you about silly details of your regular life or hitting you when you screw up; is the sheep in wolf’s clothing.

For years, I sort out my prince charming. It was all I trusted would make my world spin and perfect- my love story worthwhile. And while I waited for that time to come, I fantasized about how our first meeting will play out. My favorite one was how we will bump accidentally into each-other in a grocery store after which he will pick up my bills and drop me off home. I was pretty wound up prepping myself to plunge into a chariots wait.

And then I found him. My prince charming was perfect. He led me into an adventure, I never imagined existed. I experienced life through a different spectrum while he flaunted me to all his friends and whoever cared to see.  I felt special about myself with his unending romantic gestures and ballads- and my world spun. Everything was perfect and I, completely blinded by love, would see nothing else. Meanwhile, in this blindness, I failed to see that I was allowing myself to get lost.

Idealism prevailed over a reality of common or shared interests, of mutual growth beyond the superficial nuances. So, I missed to see that all the passionate things that interested me barely mattered or concerned my prince charming. Or that the union had not any deeper worthwhile contribution to my life. Such that, even though I was getting what I wanted, I was not receiving any greater influences to foster growth or development. Such a story was to end badly and with a sad realization that prince charming never left an actual dent in your life. For the longer I hung around Prince Charming, the less depth was found. Soon enough, the blind folds came off—just as of any bad breakup. Alas, Prince Charming once thought as perfect; was only just a finely wrapped up empty box. The lies, infidelities, and what more, you never knew were there, starts to surface. And if that’s not the case, evidence that you were never even compatible in the first place, clears it up. --“Not a single shared interest”.

To be continued...

Prodigal Retun

Picture Credit: http://www.growthmine.com/

May this be the final road

My last trial

My last try

Only way back from fall;

A long road back home

An end to spoil

Maybe an end to choice

Maybe an end to more

I failed this time, I failed

I fail this time, I have failed

WHO IS SHE?

Picture Credit: http://www.india-forums.com

Who is she?

Who is she?

Beyond those green contact eyes

Each time you hold her;

Each time you want to hold her;

And longingly watch her while asleep

Are you ready to know furlong?

Who is she?

Who is she?

Whilst the mess upon her back

Each time you stop to care again

How you care too much

And you just can’t stop

Who is she?

The tuft she is made of,

The tuft she is made of,

Won’t you appraise her?

Her tuft now crumbles upon your ruff

Curse, you would dare to judge her;

Where has she been all along?

How is it taken her too long?

Who is she?

Who is she?

A tuft ruffled up

A mess upon her back

But will you keep her?

Will shrewd luck be enough?

Are you ready to know furlong?

THE BIRTH OF RUINS

Picture credit: http://www.hypocritedesign.com/

Remember how we wished upon stars
While we begged for our hope
And hoped in good faith;

That one day all we long-prayed for will become ours

Remember when we finally looked upon heaven

On the day we saw a glimpse of hope

 When joy seemed to be overwhelming us

Remember how we prayed it was only the beginning;

To the greatest story we were pressed one day to tell

Remember solitude shared even in odds places

Our space too large to have less than one,

But too small for anyone else to join in

Oh we were young and happy again

And finally, we thanked the stars for listening

We thanked hope for knocking

We wrapped in the power of our misunderstood shared strength

Talked and talked while at work to build

Talked and worked while we built;

Talked and dug for more

But with time, we grew too fast

A haste which created grief too controlled;

By a hope we took for granted, hoping this would never end

Hoping mistakes can never catch up with us

Imagine now the pain we have caused

When the sand we thought was solid rock crumbled upon our heads

Imagine how we got too distracted

And focused on the wrong things

Imagine our shock to the end of digging for gold

And more to some indifference that followed such cold

An end to peace now seemed only once promised us

Glared with bloodstains of hate

Glazed with bloodstains of fail

And mournful regrets of our new fate;

The birth of ruins

And mournful regrets of your new hope;

The birth of my regret,
The birth of ruins

Another tale of unending aches?

Picture credit: Works of Gyeong Yoon An

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN EMERGING AFRICAN DEMOCRACIES?

http://www.rowead.org/

Visionaries at the front-line of social change

About ROWEAD Conference:

The Role of Women in Emerging African Democracies (ROWEAD) was conceived in December 2013 with a desire to arouse the consciousness of women and their role as change agents in contributing to building strong democracies and democratic values in Nigeria and Africa. ROWEAD is the initiative of Women in Education and Leadership Development Society (WIELDS) a not-for-profit organization that now convenes a yearly one-day Conference for women in Nigeria with particular reference to their roles and participation in the building of the Nigerian socio-political and economic structures.

ROWEAD’s strategy is practical in nature, it is a participatory approach characterized by intensive group discussions. The presentations from our identified keynote speakers serve to sensitize women on strategies of how to overcome the challenges existing in their environments. It also creates learning and inspiring opportunities from individuals who have proved that it is possible for women to thrive and excel in leadership and governance.

This approach for driving change is to expose our members and mentees to women leaders who have already began the race, learn from shared experiences and approaches and experience the possibility of being involved in politics and governance leading to a better Africa. It provides opportunities for colloquium and mentorship.

ROWEAD are the visionaries at the front-line of social change as our slogan states, “Be the change agent or become the change”. Our first conference was held on the 23^rd of May 2014.

Vision:

The vision of ROWEAD is to provide learning and experience sharing platforms that arouse the consciousness of the average woman as a change agent.

Mission:

ROWEAD has a Mission of Igniting the mindset of women with the shared experiences and values of other active and prominent women in business, politics, academia and media within the African continent and beyond.

  

ROWEAD Objectives:

·         To increase the representation of women in politics, leadership and decision making roles

·         To demonstrate to women that they should learn to go out there and get it

·         To answer the question, where do I start?

·         To reduce the issue of gender discrimination in business and politics

·         To secure the female gender agenda in the democratic process

·         To prepare women for the expectations within the African political terrain

ROWEAD 2015 Conference Speakers:

Guest Speaker Ilyasah Shabazz – Author, Activist, Motivational Speaker and daughter to Malcom X “Women as Peace Seekers Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth"
Speaker Chief Mrs. Alaba Lawson – The Iyalode of Egbaland, Founder, Lawson Group of Schools & President, NACCIMA Women Business Group (NAWOG) “Women Traders – The Silent Wealth Creators”
Speaker Mr. Amaechi Okobi  –  Past President ToastMasters Nigeria & Communication Consultant “Being Your Own Best Seller - Understanding Communication as a Selling Tool”
Speaker Alh. Mrs. Sekinat Yusuf  –  President/Chairman of Council, Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria) “Digital Education: A must for women in the 21st Century”
Speaker Prof. Abiola Awosika  –  Executive Director/Owner – Olawoyin Awosika School of Innovative Studies & CEO – Edutech Business School “The Role of Education in Enhancing Women’s Participation In Politics and Democracy"

 

      ROWEAD 2015 Conference Theme:

       Women as Co-Pilots in the Economic Growth of a Nation

  

      ROWEAD Participant/Audience:

   Female entrepreneurs, Young aspiring women leaders, Leaders in Corporate, Women in Non-Governmental organizations and Public Sector, Politicians, Women Representatives, University Student Leaders.

 

   Conference Venue:
 Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria

   Conference Date:     
Wednesday July 29, 2015 

   Conference Time:  
 9:00am Prompt

Information Enquiry:

W: www.rowead.org ; E: info@rowead.org ; FB: www.facebook.com/rowead ; T: @ROWEAD_