INTERVIEW WITH MR. SHOAL BALOGUN, A PLAY WRITGHT, FILM MAKER, POET. Yoruba creative vision that has really inspired me in my artistic undertakings by SHOLA BALOGUN

INTERVIEW WITH MR. SHOLA BALOGUN, A PLAY WRITGHT, FILM MAKER, POET.

Yoruba creative vision that has really inspired me in my artistic undertakings by SHOLA BALOGUN

E.P: Can we know you?
AND: My name is Shola Balogun, I am from Igboora, Ibarapa Central, Oyo State Nigeria, I obtained a masters degree in theatre Arts from university of Ibadan, I am a play wrighter, poet, film maker and writer, my creative music is the mystic Ladder in the Yoruba world and judeo Christian thoughts, submit that my poetry is in the ladder seeing by Jacob the Hebrew patriarch in the vision whose top of it is said to reach to heaven. My creative music moves beyond the world of forms to the world of formlessness, from interpretations to experience from the natural to the supernatural.
A poet, sometime is a priest in such a role one must know how to bridge the gult between what should be said through observation and what needs to be encoded through diction. The Yoruba world vision that “Oba Ki Mu Onkorin” comes in handy. The poets fury and bitter anger against injustice looting, immoral actions of the rulers are coined playfully but dangerously.
I have featured as a guest writer and contributor, especially in the areas of poetry, post colonial studies  and dramatic criticism to various magazines,
Anthologies including international journal of rescued (Edupadic publication scholar support scheme) New Delhi, India.

The creative launcher, an international open access pear reviewed and refereed E- journal in English vol. 11, I issue iii (August 2017).
European languages, university of Allahabad, Udkar Pradeshi, India.

The Tai literacy and visual Art
Journal of Lourdes university, sylearia, ohio, the invisible bear, a journal affiliated with Duke university’s English department graduate poetry working group (Durham, north Carolina)

Creative Talents
Unleashed: cupidp arrow anthology. 60 years of the muse VI (edited by Professor Femi Osofisan
Question 2, What inspires you in your artistic undertaking?

Ans: It is Yoruba creative vision that has really inspired me in my artistic undertakings by Yoruba creative vision, I mean the Yoruba traditional theater, cultural festivals, poetry and language permit me to come in here both as a poet and acid reader of several world literatures from my youth background to shake spare’s England, Arabic poetry and what I would refer to as Judeo – Christian thoughts. As you correctly observed those poems writer poets whose English is not their first language carry some meanings beyond the shores of English language. They carry in them the profundity, the spiritual intuition the unbroken chords of native symbolism as which could not be defined in the mould of any other tongust in my summation as an example, a perceptive of look into Yoruba contexts serves to provide me with what I call “cosmic esthetics apprehensions of imageries which are both sensual, dramatic and esoteric.
Every creative intellectual who is truly ardent in his native dialect, arts and spiritual visions will not fail to understand what ties with t as the times between the familiar and the unfamiliar. It is one to be a poet, it is quite another to be a true poet. A true poet does not  only have a way with words. It true poet is a word smith, a true poet is a great is a imaginer, to write in English, he must bring more of his lagunity, so maturity and pyro dynamic course seasons into English not only to meet or bend his native language to suit the familiar but mainly to bring the unfamiliar into English in the world of his native tongue. This is a form of awakening, not expatriated from having the proper nativity and creative transmission help me prapoting this with all humility that there are some expressions in Yoruba whose consciousness and weights could only be understood by melting English into a totally different English without leaving out the Englishness.
The impact of this approach has enlarged the bodies of English, added more volumes into English vocabulary and a distinct genre to worlds literature in several of my poems, especially those that deal with traditional Yoruba projectional such as “The Road”, song’s “Balled”, the statue of Moremi “Fakon” “Eyes in the Cile” “Rain whispered” “Othello” I step out to Hwaad this creative line of thought, one convinced my essays further specially “Theatre Aesthetics” in pre colonial Africa.

E.P: Tell us some of your works that have been published or produced.
Ans: Some of my books that have been published are “The wrestling of Jacob” “Death and sucide in selected Africa plays” “praying dangerously” “the cry of blind bertimaus” they are available as e-book and paper book formats. My films and screen plays are:
“The Gods are laws
“Wrestling with Shadokws”
“The secret place”
“Deliverance From the rod of the wicked”
Some of my published scholarly articles include:
“Theatre Aesthetics in pre-colonial Africa”
“Mystic ladder in the Yoruba world and Judeo Christian vision”
The Tragic conventions in African play”
“Tragedy in African theatre”
“Traditional Religious festival as theatre”
“woman, Yoruba, festival drums and the theatre”
E.P: How will you describe the attitude of the productive?
Ans: The attitude of the Nigerian reading poetic to published works and production is at best honorous to me, by “Productions I assume you mean home – videos and television, networks. You can hardly find a single book, not to talk of a book shelf in a Nigeria home but you will surely find out to your battlement not that almost each home has a convertible theatre. No thanks to cable networks. We embrace the sensual to the detriment of the intellectual. It is not truly encouraging. There is a reason only the jews are called “People of the book” and we witness to what they have contributed as a verse to the world in an fields of linage endeavours. We need to reconsider only world perceptions.
E.P: Who are those, you look up to in the Arts.
Ans: In the arts, I look up to in such geniuses as Wole Soyinka, A;miri Baraka (Leroi Jews) the mystic poet Sum, Rumi, Omar Khayyam, Duro Ladipo, Efdward Said, Tunde Awosanmi, Leopold Religious circle, I look up to Dr. D. K. Olukoya, Laster Sumrall, Martin Luther.
E.P: Sir how rewarding is the vocation?
Ans: One’s love for creative vision is quite rewarding on its own. It sharpens one thoughts and help to have a purposeful living with the joy that one is contributions to world literature as an imaginer. But in terms of monitory reward, it is my belief that one may still be in the period of sowing.
E.P: Any new work from you e.g new book, film production or concert.
Ans: At present, I have two books which are set to be out soon.- The Demonic Third eye, and The Book of Jasher.. likewise a film titled The Spirit Behind.
These works will be available at book shops across Nigeria especially Mountain of Fire and Miracles ministries bookshop, they will also be available for direct purchase from me.

E.P: Your projection for the next five years.
Ans: Candid is to have volumes that will really shake the foundation of Africa creative writings. Now this is amusing, may be to considered a chair in Harvard or worthy of Nobel prize in literature (Laughs)
E.P: Finally your message to your readers?
Ans: My message to my fans and my readers is that I love them with the love of Christ the power and the wisdom of God.

Thank you so much.

I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULTURE AND DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF BLACK AFRICAN MUSIC BY NADYAB SHANAB

I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULTURE AND DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF BLACK AFRICAN MUSIC BY NADYAB SHANAB  

E:P. Lets get to know you and your music

Ans: Nadyab Shanab. I am from Egypt I am here to explore the music and culture of this great people, to learn more about what is going on in Lagos especially since my music involved waving Arabic music with western culture but now I hope to do more Afro Egyptian sound bringing the best of Egypt to the rest of Africa

E.P: Now in terms of exposing the Egyptian music to the African continent what is your aim in this great fusion?

Ans: My aim is that I want to bring the Egyptian music blending with some African rhythms. Most especially I hope to visit some African countries, I don’t want to be researching from behind the screen I want to visit this places myself and see where I can collaborate with them, I want to learn more about the culture, about the people and I want to combine the different elements of black African music with Egyptian. Likewise I want to remind people that Egypt is part of Africa and people to them.

E.P:  This very musical odyssey you are going how many countries you hope to visit and explore their music fussing it with the Egyptian music.

Ans: I have several of them on my tost, but it all depend on my financial

E.P: (Cut in) But Africa is very wide?

Ans: Yes am starting with Nigeria where I am presently which coincoded with my trop for felabration, Nigeria has a very wide and extensive musical environment. Am hoping to next go to Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Morrocco,  Tanzania, Ethopia, and other this is in order to get the different music of this countries. Rock music coming out of the continent in fact I would have love to visit the Fifty Four countries in but am taking it one at a time.

E.P: What is your perception of Nigeria music forms? I mean the music scene itself.

Ans: i have not experience it, yet, but am excited about tomorrow concert but I have been listening to Nigeria music for several years. Also Afrobeat itself, also for the last Fifteen years Nigerian music which is quite infectious and easy to dance. You know the Egyptian people love to dance also. And I hope one day Nigerian music to Egypt to be performed live.

E.P:  Your music does it have an Islamic colouration with the fact that Egypt your country is an Islamic country? I know music has a universal language.

Ans. I know, my personal music doesn’t have any Islamic colouration, I try to as secular as possible in music but sometimes influences do crep in, wether welike it or not it is not intentionally Islamic (I mean my music).

E.P: But a little bit of mises crep in

Ans: Yes but I don’t listen to a lot of Islamic music.

INTERVIEW WITH OLUWATOSIN AJALA

EP: Can we know you?
Ans: I am Oluwa Tosin Ajala, am a talking drummer, I have been playing the talking drum for over 15year now.

E.P: How did the passion for talking drums develop?
Ans: Well I just develop the passion because when I play this instrument I’m always happy, it brings joy to my heart.
E.P: Do you have a band of your own?
Ans: Not yet, I play with some life band, infact up to 7 different band and less
E.P: What is your projection in terms of playing the drum?
Ans: How  wish by next year I should be like Ara the female interest, and talking drummer but with God I will get there.
E.P: What is your message to your fans and music lovers.
Ans: I thank them immensely for the love they always show to me and that they can get my contact through my facebook/ Oluwatosin Ajala