The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's wives by Lola Shoneyin

I loved this laugh out loud novel which was tinged with moments of sadness and lots of frustration. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it nonetheless. The first time I picked it up, I wasn't quite there, not quite ready to snigger at the flamboyantly depicted characters in this debut novel. A week and a rather serious novel later, I wanted something light-hearted and decided to delve into The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's wives.
Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian writer based in Abuja where she teaches, writes and raises her four children. She has an amazing talent for not only writing i.e. finding the right words to express herself but also for capturing the subtleties of Nigerian culture. I read page after page and was incredibly impressed by her ability to describe the smallest of details and most delicate of cultural nuances, to put it down on paper so seemingly effortlessly.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's wives is told from the perspective of the four wives, all very different who came to be married to Baba Segi (father of Segi), who for all his bafoonery and lack of decorum is a man with a good heart. The protagonist who is an outsider and who causes the Alao household to be turned upside down is the University graduate and fourth wife - Bolanle. Despite the fact that the novel centres around her, I think of all the characters we meet, her's is the least developed. The decision which she makes to marry an uneducated polygamist is not convincingly explained even by the end of the novel when the story unfolds and we encounter the deception, betrayal and disappointment.
The other wives, Iya Segi, Iya Tope and Iya Femi, who are given their names according to their eldest child  (iya meaning mother) are all brilliantly portrayed as is Baba Segi and his self-serving driver Taju. The background of modern day Ibandan is also captured perfectly. The reader observes the social dynamics, the way different sections of society interact with and view each other. Lola Shoneyin's novel exposes tensions between employer and employee, wife and co-wives, landlord and tenant, mother and child and ofcourse husband and wife. In each interaction there are elements that we recognise either from personal experience or from observing those around us.

At first glance, the story may seem foreign, the concept of polygamy is not one that those of us living in the Western world are familiar with, but this just provides a background for so many human emotions that we can all relate to in one form or another. Above all this is a novel that will make you laugh, gasp, shake your head with incredulity and recommend. Lola Shoneyin has the gift of language and something that is perhaps a more difficult art to perfect - comedy. A funny and thought-provoking read.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

Good Hair

Sometimes you watch something that compels you to keep on watching.....it’s often a strange You Tube video like the one of the little person miming to Rihanna's Only Girl - I'm not sure if car crash TV is the right expression but essentially you find yourself mesmerised, glued to the images even though every fibre in your body tells you there is something so wrong going on and that your time would be better spent reading a book or rewriting that CV.

Chris Rock's documentary 'Good Hair' however, compels you in a more positive way; it should be a must for every black person and for every person who has a child with afro hair. The comedian's depiction of the black hair industry as documented in this film left me at a loss for words. I get the hair thing of course; I grew up with a clear idea of what was considered 'good hair' and 'bad hair'. Like most little girls, regardless of colour, I dreamt of having long flowing hair à la Rapunzel. I also had my hair relaxed in my teens as a special treat after pestering my mum for years on end. Therefore I get the issues relating to black hair; however I had no concept of the complexities of the black hair industry. For instance, I know about weaves but never imagined for a second that women spent that much money on them or that they came from hindu temples in India. Chris Rock opened my eyes to a world that I was relieved to note, I no longer inhabit.

He interviewed a lot of black celebrities from Rev. Al Sharpton and his permed hair to Maya Angelou who confessed to relaxing her hair for the first time at the age of 70. It was quite refreshing to see Stars like Nia Long, Salt n Pepa and Meagan Good being honest about their weaves and opening up about the all important but rather delicate subject of black women and their hair. In a superficial world where the thin, long haired, beautiful Hollywood Stars all like to pretend that they look as good as they do with little or no effort, it was nice to see Raven Symone demonstrate that she was wearing a weave (which she loves) by giving it a playful tug. Likewise it was brave of Nia Long to admit that getting her hair wet whether in a pool or the shower was a no-no.

I doubt Good Hair will change people's habits but it may make them think a little bit more about what they do especially where children are concerned. Although I largely believe that the hairstyles people choose do not necessarily reflect who they are, I do think knowing the composition of what you put on your two year child's head should play some part in your quest for her to have manageable hair.

Whilst hair can be fun and playful and about changing your appearance, it can also have some pretty serious health consequences. Good Hair is an eye opener of a documentary that had me strangely captivated.
Good Hair

Fela! the Musical – It's all about the exclamation marks!!!!

Energetic! Superb! Phenomenal! I could go on using laudable words and exclamation marks to describe this brilliantly directed and choreographed musical about a Nigerian musical icon.


I heard about Fela! earlier this year, even though the musical started off Broadway in 2008 and made its debut on Broadway with the backing of entertainment heavyweights Jay Z, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith in November 2009. A year later it has come to London and everyone seems to want a piece of Fela!

The show started with Rolan Bell as Fela, the small in stature, giant of a man engaging the audience and asking us all to say ‘Yeah Yeah!’ It was clear from the beginning that this was not going to be a ‘sit in your seat and observe passively’ kind of show. At one point the audience was asked to stand up and follow Fela and his beautiful and incredibly agile dancers as they did the ‘clock’ dance which involved the Queens (his female dancers who he later ‘married’ simultaneously) showing us how to use our behinds much to our's and his amusement.

Most of the scenes take place at the Shrine, Fela’s club where there is everything in abundance, music, dancing, weed or ibo smoking and beautiful women. The Director, Bill T Jones does a superb job of giving us a glimpse into the life of a man who became notoriously political, denouncing the corruption not only of Nigerian politicians, including military leaders Generals Obsanjo and Buhari but also of the international community, companies like Shell that plundered the wealth of the Nigerian people and propped up oppressive regimes. The influence of his mother who died tragically of injuries sustained at the hands of Obasanjo’s soldiers who raided Fela’s compound is evident throughout this powerful musical.

Rolan Bell who is currently understudy to Sahr Nguajah (who I believe in ‘on loan’ from the Broadway Production) was a pleasant surprise, having appeared in Eastenders as the perhaps forgettable love interest of the character Chelsea, Theo, he was at his best as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. What an incredible British talent! He played the saxophone convincingly, sang amazingly well in between rather long and complex delivery of his lines which were sometimes in Pidgin-English. He was able to improvise effortlessly with the audience taking his cue from the braver theatre-goers who did everything from confess to having spent time in jail to request a drag from his spliff (weed). He even did a good job on the Yoruba and Pidgin pronunciation, apparently even better than Ngaujah according to a Nigerian friend who ‘ought’ to know. If I had a criticism it would be length of the scene ‘Dance of the Orisas’ and the fact they chose a Soprano for the part of Fela’s mum. It didn’t sit well in my humble opinion with the rest of the very Afrobeat tunes but of course that did not take away from the fact that Melanie Marshall who played Funmilayo Kuti is an incredible talent.

It was extremely refreshing to see so much British and International talent, although a good portion of the cast were British, there was also representation from Cape-Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Kenya, the USA, Jamaica and of course Nigeria. The dancers were AMAZING in a word! They moved so effortlessly with incredible precision. My favourite choreography was to the track ‘Zombie’ – it blew me away completely and had the entire theatre giving them a standing ovation. My favourite musical interpretation was definitely ‘Kere Kay’ – overall the show was Superb and without a doubt a Must See!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjxMQqGlB94

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

I started reading this book and felt like I could carry on until the last page and even then I would have wanted more. The writing is superb, simply put it’s beautiful. No need for head scratching or reaching for dictionary just a plain yet meaningful use of the English language. Tóibín superbly conveys the main character, Eilis Lacey’s sentiments and the reader is able to experience everything she does, from the close family ties that she leaves behind in Ireland, to the newness of her experiences in Brooklyn, to the colourful characters she meets and their hopes and aspirations and perhaps the most poignant of all, the beautiful depiction of her feelings of loneliness and powerlessness at being so far from home.
Brooklyn gripped me from the start and I devoured every page of it. I was so drawn into the book that I found my heart beating faster as we reached a critical point in Eilis’ life where she’s faced with a difficult decision. At this point I had already formed my allegiances and I became irritated and even angry at her actions but I guess that is a testament to Tóibín’s talent.

To say the book is an easy read would be missing the point even if it is that….it is also so much more. Simply put, Brooklyn is a beautiful book that will make you want to go on an adventure, discover new things but most of all cherish home and family, these elements that we sometimes underestimate yet that often hold the key to our happiness.

Brooklyn: A Novel

Happy Birthday to me...la la la la la la.

Birthdays are special, regardless of how old you are. The day you, the wonderful human being that you are today should be celebrated!
I've always been big on birthdays, I plan and inform friends and family so that there are no excuses for forgetting to wish me a happy birthday or not attending whatever event I organise. Call me shameless but why keep schtum if it's going to mean having to spend the most important day of the year angry with everyone for having either forgotten your birthday or made plans that clash with your big night out!

Besides what's the big idea of not wanting to celebrate because you're getting older, as though sitting at home and sulking will stop time. Whether you like it or not, you will turn 30 and then 40 and so on, so why not cram as much fun and living into those years as possible so that you don't end up regretting them?

My recipe for a good birthday includes atleast 3 days of activities, one with the family, one with friends and one with just yourself. If there's someone special in your life this could extend to 4 days or you could simply allocate a night for your better half. You should spend some of the time being thankful for your life, what you've achieved and those who love you but also reflecting on what you want to do with the future that lies ahead of you.
When it comes to presents - don't ask for vouchers or money, let people who know you choose something that's personal. I always enjoy getting presents that I would not ordinarily choose for myself but nonetheless reflect me and my personality. There are times that loved ones will miss the mark and get you something that you may not like but I still think its important to look at each gift for what it is - an expression of someone's appreciation of You. So what if the earrings are a bit bigger than you would like, keep them in your jewellery box and you may end up wearing them when the 80s make a second comeback.

Celebrating your birthday is like taking part in life - sometimes we seem to sit on the fence, refusing to subscribe to this festival or that trend, but what are we really gaining? So what if you're above Valentine's day - how often does someone offer you a bunch of flowers throughout the year? And yes Christmas has become commercialised and turkey isn't the nicest of meats - but when was the last time you and your entire family spent the day together? In a similar vein birthdays are about participating - take part in the celebration of you. If you're not happy with your age, just don't tell anyone but let your hair down, eat good food and pamper yourself, simply because it's a day that is all about You!