BURNT (EPISODE 2)

Simi was a free spirited soul. She was the typical example of one who lived in the moment and cared less about what happened the next minute. She had the perfect figure for a body, with everything in the right proportion and the knowledge of her physical endowment added to the aura with which she walked. She had this feline way of walking as if calculating a next move known only to her. To Mila, Simi had been schooled in the art of seduction right from her mother's womb. To crown it up, it was difficult to get angry with her for everyone easily fell under the spell of her charm which she used skillfully to have her way around the office. Mila was sure that, that same charm was responsible for her getting away with her consistent lateness to work.

Mila rolled her eyes when she felt Simi's hug  from behind. Her cubicle looked out to the restless street of  Ozumba Mbadiwe thus, through the glass window, she could see Simi in a peach colored pencil skirt that did little to conceal her curves and a white chiffon top, looking beautiful and fair with her expensive Indian hair sitting pretty on her head. Simi flashed her a smile that melted her heart immediately and sent the morning's pressure scurrying away into hiding. She smiled back and turned to face Simi.

"You're late again as usual"

"yeah yeah, I know" Simi replied non chalantly

"But how could you not care at all? I mean, you could end up not being retained you know"

Mila was exasperated already. This had become a routine conversation to kick start their day since the past 2 months.

"Well, who says I need a job? All I need is just a few months of experience and then, I'll become my own boss. My dad has given up on trying to persuade me on that already so don't even ask" Simi replied and settled into her own cubicle which was positioned next to Mila's and then brought out her Iphone 8 to make a few SnapChat videos first before starting work on the third script.

Mila pinched herself for always forgetting that Simi had taken time to explain her background to her. Her dad was the famous Chief Coker who had struck gold in oil business. He had sent all his children abroad but Simi who loved the thrills and glamour of Lagos had refused to go. Her dream was to become her own boss immediately after her 6 months internship with the ACE Group. So, as a 23 year old graduate of Media & Communications from the the University of  Leeds, she had sworn to take over the Lagos scene and then the world with her skill in persuasive writing  "whatever that meant" Mila chuckled.

Simi was lucky, Mila thought. She could afford to dream big and actualize them because of her dad but she on the other hand had to work extra hard cos, her dad wasn't in Chief Coker's class. In fact, she paid her dad's bills in addition to hers. Well, at least, I'm coping Mila consoled herself as she returned to her work.

.............

Time had been on a marathon as it was already 5: oo pm that Thursday. Mila stood up and stretched with gratitude. What a day. She had ended up writing a total of 5 scripts needed for the day while Simi had continuously taken trips to the restroom, the staff lounge, and the cafeteria. There, she would take enough pictures and make enough Snaps till she was satisfied. Mila wasn't bothered for she had had a good lunch as Mr. Duke had promised.

She arranged her disarrayed desk, picked up her hand bag, bade farewell to her colleagues and left for home. She was intercepted by Simi whom she thought had left earlier.

"What's your plan for tonight?" Simi asked

"Plan?" Mila wondered aloud

"Yeah! plan like hang out, hook up, chill out, chillax... you know..." Simi listed, smiling  mischievously

"Oh! Those kinda things. " Mila got the gist and laughed cos Simi's look was infectious. She continued "I plan on getting home as soon as Lagos traffic would allow  so that I can rest my aching bones. Sounds like a great plan hey?"

Simi faked a yawn and said "Boring" and they both laughed.

"Alright look Mila, I'm taking you out to buy you drinks just as a way of saying thank you for doing my work all the time"

"But I'm not complaining Simi"

"I know Mila." she whined prettily and then added "you've always refused my offer to buy you a drink. Just this once okay? Pweeeeze" she made puppy eyes and Mila agreed.

"Gosh! you're a sore pain in my black behind Simisolaoluwa"

"You sound like my Mom just now Mila"

They both burst into laughter again and left the building together. Of course, Simi had a car she used so they drove out. Mila had no idea where they were going so she had to ask while checking her makeup in the side mirror.

"So, where are we going?

"You'll see. Trust me on this one. Lagos is my bae"

BURNT (Episode 1)

Her fingers worked with a frenzy on the keyboard. She was desperate to beat the dead line of 10 am and it was already 9:45 am. Her boss will skin her alive if the script wasn’t ready by that time. The intern that was assigned to her had not even resumed to commence work on the second script. “What a morning!” she thought. She typed in more words, added a few more lines, adjusted her glasses and then added the final full stop and that was it. She was done. She quickly printed out the 5 pages of the script and hurriedly left her cubicle to her boss’s office.

Mr. Duke quickly scanned through the papers with a speed that always left her stunned cos at the end of every scan he did, he never missed out on any error. He nodded his head in satisfaction indicating that she was free to leave. She was almost at the door of the spacious office when he called her back;

"Mila”

She turned around waiting for his scolding to come in their usual bouts but instead, she was surprised at what came next.

“This is one hell of a script you wrote. I’m impressed. Lunch’s on me”

That said, he turned around to face the beautiful lake side view outside his window. Mila couldn’t conceal her smile that almost made her dance for joy. Anyone who knew Mr. Duke would know that he was never generous with compliments.  He was a tough boss to please.  As she walked back to her cubicle which was in the third open spaced office, she took the moment to reflect on her journey to this point of working for one of Nigeria’s largest and most successful advertising agency.

…………

Mila had been a freelance writer with her focus mainly on reviews. She had started as a result of not being able to secure a job after a year of graduating from college. At first, it had started as her passion but later on, she had gotten serious with it as she realized that her writing had started drawing the attention of the right audience. Her breakthrough came when she was contacted by Mr. Duke himself for a chat. She had been skeptical about the identity of the caller.

Mr. Duke was the CEO of the ACE Group. She knew of the company and had fantasized about writing a script for one of their adverts on countless occasions.  The company was situated at Victoria Island in Lagos Nigeria thus whenever she found herself on the Island, she would deliberately ask the Taxi driver to take the route where the company  was situated so that she could feed her eyes with the magnificence of the building  and also inhale the intoxicating richness of the environment.

Mila had gone for the “Chat’’ which turned out to be an interview. She passed the test as it really was a test. Mr. Duke, coupled with 3 other members of his management team had asked her so many questions which required her to provide just one answer to each and though, she couldn’t recall what her answers had been, she passed. They had shared a glass of wine to welcome her to join the company and each had expressed admiration for her reviews.

That was 6 months ago. Now, she had come to realize that it wasn’t an easy feat working in such a high paced environment. Though, the pay was more than enough for her 25 year old self to go by as well as pay her bills, she found herself working beyond the regular 9-5 hours.

She got to her cubicle, sat on her seat, rested her throbbing head in her palms for a bit and then set to work on the next script. She was mid way typing when she heard the familiar giggle of the intern, Simi.

“Oh hell!” Mila cursed softly under her breath.

ON THE NEED TO CHILL

If you belong to the category of people that wake up 4/5 am (or don't even sleep at all), rush out of the house by 6 am to beat the early morning traffic that naturally comes with every work day of the week (especially in our crazy Lagos), work your ass off at work till 9 pm, have to meet up with crazy deadlines, queries and clap backs, then you certainly NEED to CHILL.

To chill means to relax and relaxation is a state of mind. Once the mind attains that level, the body follows suit. Most of the time, the pressure to deliver, meet deadlines with the bosses or clients and also meet up to life's expectations could throw our minds into a galaxy of complications. However, the ability to restore decorum begins with us. 

Over time, I've come to understand that most people are so stiff necked and uptight about the idea of chilling. They feel like they're cheating themselves or probably the people and the needs in their life if they take a moment to breathe. Come on! Life's too unpredictable to not want to live it to the fullest. So, here are some tips on how to chill.

• Make up your mind to want to relax.   

For some, this is a great battle. They're always the ones to complain about pressure, tiredness, fatigue, and then boredom. Say no to these harbingers of headache and get out of your head.

• Try not to pick your house as the only place to want to relax 

Yes, I said so. The reason is, your house is your comfort zone which will only end up reminding you of the numerous tasks you have to accomplish the next minute. Fact is, you could draw some inspiration simply from  stepping out of your comfort zone and your mind will thank you for the brief moment of liberation. 

• Mingle while you're out there. 

This one's for those of you who would go out to cool spots to chill and then start acting like you're in an oven. Oh please! Loosen up! Breathe! Don't give people the impression that you're a no-go area. You want to meet people, share ideas, thoughts on various issues and also network. That way, you might get more ideas and options on how to go about that tough project you've been working on, tips on how to impress that horrible boss as well as hit your targets.

• Smile, laugh.

This is the part where you've got to smile and have fun. Laugh out all the pent up toxins plaguing your mind and exhale. Get rid of all the negative vibes you've accumulated during the day and over the week. 

• Take Selfies! 

Now, a lot of weird people have argued that taking selfies are mainly for self validation and for people with low self esteems. Really? Hmm... I think I'll have to do a separate post about selfies. Anyways, take a selfie or more with your new found click. This is basically to remind you of how happy you looked while relaxing and having meaningful conversations with good people. It would spur you to wanna chill more.

After all of these, go home HAPPY and RELAXED. I bet you, you'll be looking refreshed the next time you step into your work place.

And hey! it's the weekend. Cheers to the weekend!

Question of the day; HOW DO YOU CHILL? Comment below and feel free to add selfies too.

Don't forget to visit my YouTube channel and Subscribe. Simply click on this link http://bit.ly/2wDq2hP

BOBRISKY, TOKE MAKINWA & LAURA IKEJI: INSTAGRAM QUEENS TO LEARN FROM ON HOW TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS VIA ISTAGRAM.

Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) Socialite, Ambassador to Hairnymph 

Toke Makinwa (Presenter Radio/Tv, Vlogger, Best Selling Author of "On Becoming"), Brand Ambassador to Ciroc 

Laura Ikeji Kanu (Fashion Entrepreneur,Owner & Director of Laura Ikeji Store, Ambassador to Ohram Tea)

I know that this topic will cause a lot of people to swear for me but hey! what you're about to read will teach you a lot of sense if you're an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one. And to the ladies I'm using as case studies, come and pay me for free publicity o! Lol. Just kidding  (how typically Nigerian of me to add "o!" at the end of that statement). Anyways, serious mode activated now.

I particularly chose these three people because, they have one particular thing in common. They get a regular dose of insults from Instagram trolls, they are continuously referred to  as fake wanna be's, too ratchet/ local and people complain about them giving out too much information about their private lives thereby making everything about them public. But I'm not concerned with such opinions about them just as they are less concerned. My focus on this post will be on their business strategies on Instagram.

The first thing we need to understand is how Instagram works. Instagram is one of the many social media platforms that works literally with the power of visuals; that's pictures/videos. Facebook operates almost like Instagram but the difference is that, Instagram is built like a photo album so that user's profile can be seen together with the outlook of their page. So; say for instance, you upload an aesthetically pleasing photo/ an interesting video, backed up with a bomb caption that hits the nail on the head rather than beat about the bush, coupled with the right tags to increase your reach of audience. If consistently done, even without boosting a post, there'll be an automatic increase in followers, likes, re-posts, and the rise of a fan base that could become paying clients or conversions who'll take it upon themselves to spread the word about your product or service.

Take Toke Makinwa for instance. I used to feel that she was simply a hopeless self lover (which isn't really a bad thing if you ask me though) but then, I attended the She Leads Africa event  held at the Railway Shed in Lagos, January this year and from all the things she said during the Q/A session with her friend, Smart Money Arese, I held on to this one.

"I usually laugh hard when people call me names like "notice me" and all sorts. What they don't know is that, I am actually sending messages to top brands out there that, hey! I'm available to become your ambassador. That't why whatever I wear something that's beautiful, I put it up on Instagram, when I'm air borne, I put it up on Instagram to showcase my travel style. That way, I'm speaking to brands like Prada, Dolce & Gabana, top airlines etc. And thanks to God, it's working! I'm effectively selling myself  and I won't stop until I'm in everybody's face and they start hitting me up for business deals."

I hope you all know that as a result of her consistency in utilizing that platform,she's become a brand of her own and to several others including notable brands such as Payporte and Ciroc, over time. You might want to argue that her celebrity status pushed her up but please have a rethink.

Look at Laura Ikeji. Is there any name she hasn't been called on her Instagram page? She's been called all sorts especially the popular one that she's riding on the wings of her blogger sister's success. But, here's a fact. Laura Ikeji Kanu is now very successful with her clothes business. She's soon to unveil her own Jeans line which is already undergoing production. What trips me about her publicity strategy is that, she has identified what thrills her followers and her fans about her page and thus, to keep them engaged and interested in her wares, she entertains them with a lot of dance videos and pictures of her modelling her wares. In the process, she gives them style tips and options to grow an affordable closet.

This particular caption she made on one of her posts totally makes a lot of sense.

"Dear Entrepreneurs on Instagram, listen! Being classy doesn't necessarily help sell anything on Instagram. See, if you have something to sell on here and you are unknown, darling be as loud as possible. Classy sellers have clients that are friends and family. If you don't have rich friends and family, be LOUD! shout, dance, annoy, do whatever to get people's attention, drag them to your page so they can see your products. By the way, not all classy people are rich, some of them don't have SHIN GBAIN! All they have are invites to events in Lagos. Nothing more. Be wise"

To tell the truth, call her loud or ratchet or whatever but this caption is one of the best business advise I had ever come across in a long while. Some busy bodies even went ahead to slam her on her page as usual saying that being loud doesn't work for everybody. Honey, loudness means so many things in business and in her context, I think it means "ANNOUNCEMENT". Announce your trade and see it grow. Laura isn't just successful as a business woman; she's also brand ambassador to some brands as well. Way to go Laura!

"Now, when I say Oshey, you say Barrrdest!" I guess we already know whose slogan that is. Lol. Bobrisky is another Instagram Queen (don't even think about contesting that with me cos I can't deal) who's been making waves. For me, I'm not really particular about his gender but what fascinates me about s/he is his calculated manipulation of Instagram to building himself as a brand, selling his Bob's Whitening Creme and also staying relevant. Idris Okuneye knows that Nigerians frown at the kind of lifestyle he poses to live and thus goes ahead to capitalize on their emotion and the attention given, to create and grow a fan base. He uses tactics like providing rumors about him wanting to get a boob and ass job, a false engagement announcement to his imaginary bae and controversial videos of him dancing or goofing around as well as sexy, girly photos of himself all made up.

Some people see his lifestyle as a taboo and highly controversial however, I'm going to say this as a communicator. Bobrisky has succeded in not only utilizing the power of visuals strongly on Instagram, he has also succeeded in using "NOISE" as a powerful tool to his own advantage. Before now, who knew about him? I bet nobody did but now, he's all over the place. 

His noise has made him influential and successful to an extent and whether we like it or yes, there are brands that will still identify with s/he because, every market has it's own audience and sales are made everyday at a per second billing rate. So, there are existing brands that will need his fan base to thrive in their own industry. It's more like rub my back and I rub yours in the Nigerian context.

Point being made 

This post is not out to encourage anyone to act like anyone or to become a brand ambassador by force. You are already a brand of your own self. As an entrepreneur or an aspiring one, try to listen to what's not said than the numerous things being said. A lot of people have judged and castigated these people about their lifestyle on Instagram and even SnapChat but, they're still holding their own and their business is booming. 

The deal is, social media has evolved beyond the point of  simply connecting with old or lost friends. It is now one of the greatest marketing tools if used the right way, to carve a niche for yourself and your business. Companies, organisations and brands actually pay millions to social media strategists to build an online presence for them so as to resonate around the world, engage their audience as well as staying relevant in their industries. So, how about you who's still aspiring and struggling, who can't afford such expenses on promoting your product or service? Remember, Social media has come to stay so, utilize it while you can.

Learn from the gurus. Don't focus on their personal issues cos their focus is not your focus. Focus on your focus to building your own brand/ business. Own yours. Do you as my sisters in business will say. Live and let live.

Don't forget to visit my YouTube Channel as well by clicking on this link  http://bit.ly/2y0yD1h

Cheers!

New YouTube Video on Frankly Speaking with Glory Channel: SELF RESPECT FOR WOMEN.

On starting this blog, I wrote an "Introduction" about the reason for starting it and the connection between this blog and my YouTube channel. So, the most recent episode is up already and I've added the link below.

I talked about;

The topic was inspired by a funny and dramatic incident, that occurred between a randy man and two women at a friend's neighborhood. To get the details of the story, click on the link below to visit my YouTube channel. Below are pictures of what the video looks like.

http://bit.ly/2yI6ZDF

Kindly SUBSCRIBE, share and COMMENT. I'll like to know what you think.

Cheers!

MY EXPERIENCE AT THE "IE ALUMNI SERIES": IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING & MAINTAINING A CRITICAL NETWORK

Glory Elijah (Blogger, YouTuber at Frankly Speaking with Glory)

I never took LinkedIn serious until I started my YouTube channel in April this year. The main reason for me was to have enough social media platforms to share my content. It wasn't really an option for me to expand my network there, even if that was what the platform was created for in the first place. I felt I had people in my network already; people turned friends whom I could call at anytime and share my ideas with. However, most of the people/turned friends in my imaginary network didn't see it that way.

Fast forward to last week, I received an invitation from Onyekachi Eke, the International Business Development Director (West Africa) for IE School of Business.

Somehow, I wasn't so sure about the invitation cos, we both weren't connected on LinkedIn and I didn't know if the event was free or required some sort of monetary registration as is common today. So, I registered and afterwards, contacted the school on Facebook for confirmation that the event was free. It was free (not like I love free things o!)

Anyways, the event was great. It was a small gathering of just about 30 professionals from diverse fields. There was provision for a colorful display of brochures for the various courses that the IE Business School offered as well as a souvenir bag that contained a travel diary, a pen and two more books about IE and Madrid. "How sweet!" 

I met amazing people such as Chimezie Onwuama, a former gym and fitness instructor turned CEO of Milton & Cross Professional Services Group. His company offers legal services as well as business and real estate advisory. 

I also met Debbie Keller - Taiwo; a banker whose secret passion is writing. We hit it off immediately we met. She's fascinating!

There was also Emeka Egbuka, a Network engineer with Cubex Technologies, Abraham Ojes, a Digital Marketing Consultant and Wale, a Tv Programmes Producer.

I loved the setting of it all but the peak of my evening was the moment Daniella Jarikre started her lecture on the "Importance of Building & Maintaining a Critical Network".

Daniella Jarikre (Head, Channels & eSolutions - Commercial Banking, for  ECOBANK Nigeria)

My humble self and Daniella Jarikre

Daniella gave me an entirely new perspective to the meaning of networking and networks. She proved that having a successful career in the banking industry for over 20 years as well as being a writer and a teacher didn't just take a lot of brain capacity for numbers and letters. Personality and the ability to BUILD and NURTURE relationships in life are major keys to being successful and relevant in the society.

Things I learnt from her on the basis of networking in summary;

•  Always smile (my trade mark)
• Dare to connect ( discard your shyness or your "too tush to talk" attitude and connect)
• Don't hijack the conversation (allow room for others to express themselves too)
• Be versatile (don't be too rigid in your thoughts)
• Stay connected (you never know when you'll need someone)
• Don't burn bridges (never completely cut off people. You never know...)
• Never delete phone numbers (you just might never be able to get them back)
• Never despise the days of little beginnings (the struggling entrepreneur today might be the next president of your country tomorrow)
• Invest in people's emotional banks (It secures your spot in their hearts cos humans are more of emotional creatures than logical creatures)
• Learn to perceive opportunities from every situation
• Learn to NETWORK WITH PEOPLE AND NOT THEIR POSITIONS! (positions change, people remain)
• The quality of your network outweighs the quantity (it's not about numbers people!)
• Build TRUST (Don't be a chameleon)
• Offer something substantial not just self importance (don't be a leech, contribute)
• Be a Cat and not a butterfly (be focused and patient with your networks instead of fluttering about for other networks when you feel your initial networks aren't productive)

The fact is, if you're able to do all of these and more, you and your business will be rightly positioned in the society as you'll be the first to hear of opportunities, offers and more. 

She further explained that, it's good to build networks around your field but it's best if your network includes more people outside your field. This works in your favor as you won't lack in having a little of everything that the world revolves around.

More profitable on the business of networking are;

• More referrals
• Increased business
• Guidance
• Support
• Advice 

*Sighs*

Such wealth of knowledge in just 2 hours! (God bless IE Business School and Daniella)

Daniella's lecture not only broadened my mind; it also made me understand the reason some people you try to connect with are butterflies. They lack the capacity to build and nurture. They strive to be connected to the position you hold and not you as a person. They do not appreciate your days of little beginnings thus, always "forming" too busy or too "tush" to be in your network. However, never burn any bridges or delete any numbers for the reasons you know already. Stay connected no matter what. As for me, I've always been a  cat so, I intend staying that way. Lol

I'll urge you to do same as well.

Cheers!

COMPARING THE MODERN DAY NIGERIAN RUNS BABE TO THE OLD TIME JAPANESE GEISHA

In continuation to my previous post about the fascinating novel, "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, I wrote that I was going to do a comparison between the old time Japanese Geisha and the modern day Nigerian runs babe. My source for the modern day Nigerian runs girl I won't disclose. Sorry.

So, here are my observations...

From the book, the Geisha was either a girl child sold into slavery/ a legitimate girl child of an experienced and retired Geisha. This means that from the tender age of 9, that young girl has started her training to becoming a Geisha. She would be sent to a dance school which she would attend till even when she turns into a full blown Geisha. She'll also attend a music school where she learns to sing and play the "Sham..."  a stringed instrument like a guitar, to entertain her guests. She then attends another school where she learns to serve tea and drinks. And trust me, all of these lessons of the arts is not just to teach the girl comportment, carriage and manners, but to mainly groom her into building a sex appeal that can turn even the head of a stone. 

The modern day Nigerian runs babe on the other hand is also either a slave/a legitimate daughter with parents (dead/alive) who probably grew up in a normal or abnormal home but definitely not groomed by her guardians in the arts to learn the art of seduction. She probably went to school and learnt any other subject but not seduction. You see, this “Here” society sees that trade as a taboo.

Another observation I made is that, a Geisha's identity isn't a secret in the society because, they are all registered and, every tea house is aware of them and supports their trade. In fact, their earnings is calculated per hour by the Mistress of the house and the most popular Geisha charges the highest amount for her time. The good news for them is that, the entire society/town supports their trade because, everyone is a beneficiary to their trade and so the Geisha makes it a point of duty to be polite, friendly and generous to everyone she comes across else her trade could suffer from the spread of just one bad rumor against her.

On the other hand, the modern day Nigerian runs babe's identity is a secret. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, they guise themselves during the day as CEOs of one beauty/fashion business or the other and then in the evening, they set out to meet their client. But the thing is, not everyone benefits from their "sales" but just the weave, makeup and clothes/shoes/accessories merchant because, that's where most of their income finds rest. They need to keep up the look of sophistication and expensiveness so that their patrons would pay more. Some of them are polite while some of them are ... Really saucy. And then the saucy ones literally look down their nose when addressing people cos they feel too expensive to sneeze. This brings me to my next observation about the Geisha.

The Geisha's dressing is very conservative even though at that time, according to the culture of her trade, she would use certain colors like red as a collar to her kimono to show she's still an apprentice "a learner" or a white collar to show that she was now a fully experienced Geisha. OR, by revealing the upper section of her collar bone, to let on a bit of sexiness to the men who find that part of the Japanese's woman's body really erotic. For them, less means more!

While for the you know who's, oh lord have mercy; MORE is MORE! Reveal it! Flex it! Work it! Shake it! Twerk it while you walk! They believe. "Let the men drool as you walk!" they want. And that's how they do it when they set out to conquer the night. And some of them wear leg chains for identification too or a tatoo. On which part of the leg? I still haven't figured out that part yet. Some don't even wear the chains but their style is to go to every popular bar in town and inform the PR that they're available for companionship to any lonely (WEALTHY) man. Then they would tip the person and as well drop their contact. Most of them work the regular jobs with organisations but live the lifestyle of millionaires as they always want to be up to date with the latest rides, gadgets and fashion. 

*such stress* 

Another startling observation I made is that, the Geisha is never regarded as a prostitute but an entertainer who gets paid handsomely to help exhausted and bored men to relax and have a good time. The men never sleeps with them else they'll be seen as loose and cheap. The only man whom the society permits to sleep with her is her danna whom I explained about in my previous post. And they are only allowed a danna at a time because such a union is deemed sacred. Thus, the union could be a contract that'll last for maybe 6 months or a year and then they'll dissolve it. The danna's wife will be fully aware of this union too but won't be bothered cos she knows it's a custom everyone knows about.

Our Nigerian runs babe on the other hand probably sleeps with all of her patrons for good cash. Only a hand few are lucky to get "thanks for coming" without sex. And of course, they're seen as no entertainer but prostitutes or kept women. Their "danna" is referred to as "sugar daddy" and a "big" runs girl could have as many as 5-10 danna as she wants. For her, getting her needs met is paramount. So, she doesn't care. Also, her relationship with her sugar daddy could start or end unceremoniously at anytime, secretly of course. Who dash her liver? Lol. The man's wife could kill her and nobody will care.

Whew! My fingers ache from typing but, what's my point in doing this comparison anyways? I'm simply fascinated at how Arthur Golden has succeeded in making the life of a prostitute/kept woman really interesting, beautiful, and fascinating (just can't stop using this word). However, I have my own reservations about these two lives but I won't state it here. I will probably let it out someday on my YouTube channel, Frankly Speaking with Glory.

Right now, it's drooping eyes, tired fingers, an aching back and more clicks to go down on my keyboard another day. Hey! I'll love to read your comments. Fill me in on your thoughts below.

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog and my YouTube channel for more interesting reviews.

BOOK REVIEW: "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA"

"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden gave me sleepless nights and threw my mind into a trance for a few days until I finished the book.

I must say, this is one of the best novels I've read yet about that part of the Japanese culture. The author's narrative technique, his style of implementing the power of visuals through apt imageries that made me continuously picture a Geisha through my mind's eye not only held me spell bound for days of the reading but also, enchanted me. I started wishing I could dress like one for just a few minutes and walk around the streets of Lagos to see if I could draw the same attention like Sayuri San did on the streets of Gion. I felt like I had met a long lost sister through her character (I absolutely still can't figure out why).

Sayuri San (while she was still a peasant)

Sayuri during her dance performance

Sayuri as a full blown Geisha

My God! Arthur Golden is a storyteller! I was completely lost and totally sold out to the book. However, what fascinated me the most, what completely marveled my sense of imagination was the fact that the life of a Geisha still exists in all it's true form, in this modern day. It exists here, live in Lagos! Geishas, be them the "Apprentice" or the full blown "Geisha" are the modern day "Runs Girls" you know.

The life of Sayuri San is the perfect example of the tale of the lives of some "runs girls" around us today but the amazing thing for me while reading the book is the clash of cultures; of the old Japanese and the, should I say Nigerian? well, I'll say modern day culture.

I was amazed to find out that Geisha's were highly respected and placed several classes above the regular prostitutes to the point that they had a structure which began with them belonging to an "Okiya" (a family by blood or by adoption mainly for the business). That way, they had some root of some sort in that society. And then, they had to be registered, trained for years at different art schools of dance, music, tea service and playing the "Strings". They were in fact groomed for the role and the young Geisha's virginity was sold to the highest bidder!

The Geisha could gain a bit more luxury if she succeeded in gaining the attention of a wealthy "danna" or "Sugar Daddy" as you may put it. They might end up marrying if the "danna" was single (rarely). If not, she was only a mistress to be stowed away, far from the man's family but known by his friends and associates as his jewel and recognized by the society as his mistress. Even the wife of the "danna" is aware! Because, the Union between the Geisha and her "danna" is celebrated as a ceremony, like a mini wedding!

Amazing!

Check out my next post as I'll do a  comparison between an old time Japanese Geisha and our modern day Runs girl.

What a world! What a book!

DRUM NETWORK AFRICA: THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC IN NIGERIA, AFRICA.

Back in the day, I used to love watching music concerts on TV but something always put me off while watching those shows; the fake mimes and lip syncing from the artistes. I would always ask myself why they didn't just do live performances in the real sense of it. After all, people paid money to come watch them 'perform'and not lip sync. I mean, we've heard the studio version of your song that's been padded with so much fine tuning and digital accompaniments that made it sound beautiful. How about giving us some real tunes "straight outta you". Thoughts like these were usually made up for when I listened to the music maestro, Fela and his Egypt 80' band. His, is what I referred to as real music for the soul. But still, I believed that something could still be done to remedy this situation.

Then last year, I had a talk with Solomon Elijah; popularly known as Soulman Eli, a Mechanical Engineer and Mathematician, who found his passion in making soul fetching music as an Instrumentalist on the drums.

Solomon Elijah (CEO Drum Network Africa)

I asked him the reason artistes do not employ the services of instrumentalists on stage instead of lip syncing and he explained, that these instrumentalists end up being short payed and exploited. He sighted an instance where, an artiste could be paid about 5 million Naira for a show but when he/she wants to pay an instrumentalist for performing along side, the pay could range between #30,000 to #80,000. For him; the fact was, artistes do not provide good patronage to these musicians. At the end of the day, it looks like only the artiste makes the music while the core music makers are side lined. This was part of the reason he had started the organisation he called, Drum Network Africa. I was intrigued by the amazing details of this journey he had embarked on since 2011.

In the course of our conversation, I went further to ask him about the objectives of his organisation and he had this to say;

''We are committed to promoting drumming and performing arts. The whole idea is born out of the need to empower people in the performing arts and give them a level playing field of expression like other professionals in other fields. We engage in training, recruitment and promotions for people in the performing arts.

One of our major events called Drumxtreme Series, sits about 3000 audience annually.  We partner with media houses and arts organisations across University Campuses in the country. Over the years, Drumxtreme series has become a strong brand name amongst musicians in the performing arts industry."

"Impressive!" I thought. Talking about the Drum Xtreme Series, I later on attended the event at Unilag that year and the turn up was massive. I was more impressed to see that some veterans in the entertainment industry were in attendance. Here are some photos of them.

Dan Foster ( Veteran On Air Personality & Mc of the Drum Extreme Series 2)

Pappy J (Music Producer & member of P-Square's 14 man music band)

Bimbo Akintola (Nollywood Actress) &Tee Mac Iseli (Percussionist and Ex PMAN President)

This is a first of it's kind in Nigeria and according to Solomon, 

"Drumxtreme series is an urban Drum and live music show that showcases musicians popularly known as instrumentalists as front line artiste. This way, we are telling the society that there are individuals who work equally hard and need their own share of visibility and promotion.                We're bringing them to limelight. The show is not restricted to drumming; it's all encompassing of all'

So, for all you lovers of real and live music, Drum Xtreme Series 5 tagged; "Drum Xtreme Evolution: Rise of the Drum Machine" is happening again this year and the T shirts and face caps are out for grabs. There's no fixed date yet for the event but trust me to bring you the details of the date and venue. 

For your viewing pleasure, below are some of the varieties of colours for the shirts and face caps.

P.S

Check out website at www.drumnetworkafrica.com
And also check out my Youtube videos by copying these links

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