Nsibidi existed from the 3rd century before the metamorphosis of the English language from the West Germanic languages in the 5th century.
Nsibidi used on an Efik tray made in the 19th century. A mermaid encircled with diagrams including Nsibidi ideogram.
Nsibidi has been described as a Semasiographic script comprised of ideograms and pictograms that were used in southeastern Nigeria among the Ejagham (Ekoid people), Efik, Igbo, and Ibibio societies.
The Ejagham originally came from Northeast Africa which supports my analogy of the origins of Igbo Ukwu art of the ancient Igbo Ukwu Kingdom with the ancient Indus Valley Civilization of the 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.
Igbos believe that they are descendants of one of the Sons of God who descended from heaven and had a relationship with one of the daughters of Eve.
Insibidi is the secret language of the Ekpe Leopard Secret Society of the Efik, Ibibio and Igbo societies.
Nsibidi means The Beginning in my mother tongue of the Igbos sharing borders and ethnic similarities with the Efik and Ibibio tribes.
Nsibidi is more than a written language.
It is also a sign language of the Ekpe Leopard Secret Society and unknown to the various Nigerian artists who have been doing nothing more than to copy and paste Insibidi for drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints and potteries and posing and posturing as experts, Nsibidi is also expressed choreographically in a movement of hands and footsteps of secret language communication by members of the Ekpe Leopard Secret Society and used by the dreaded Ekpe masquerades.
I once confronted an Ekpe masquerade decades ago in the early 1990s on the popular Fola Agoro Road leading to the University of Lagos on my way to visit a beautiful girlfriend, Naomi, the Joy of my heart.
As others were either avoiding or running away from the scary looking Ekpe masquerade holding a machete and bell and a chain was tied to the waist held by his guides, I stood face-to-face with him. He was growling and snorting angrily. I was not afraid, because I have also met original Ekpe masquerades during festivities in my mother's hometown of Umuda Nsigwu in the Umuahia North Local Government area of Abia State of southern eastern Nigeria.
Two weeks ago, whilst waiting for a tailor in front of his residence in the Ekpri Nsukarra village in Uyo, a friendly discussion with one of his young neighbours drifted off to Nsibidi and the Ekpe masquerades and he demonstrated one of the movements of their secret language.
Since 1988, I have completed my comprehensive research for the historical film on Mary Slessor, the famous Scottish missionary and heroine and saviour of twins among the Efik and Ibibio tribes in now Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of south-south region of Nigeria.
I met with the Mr. Lai Arasanmi of blessed memory, who was the Manager, Programmes, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) , Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos whose resume included B.Sc. Broadcast Journalism, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA, 1975; M.A. Speech Communication; Cert. Public Entreprise Management, ASCON. Member: Nigerian Guild of Producers/Directors with several awards. But I abandoned the project and became an evangelist on the streets and public transport buses in Lagos.
There have been attempts of both film and TV productions of the dramatic life of Many Slessor. But none has been successful, because of poor research, poor characterization of her personality and erroneous art direction and production design. Jeta Amata's "Mary Slessor" was not well done in casting and storytelling as can be seen in the video on https://youtu.be/ospsnFdqsck?si=CQIjzAHamcCaFhA8.
Any "Mary Slessor" without her Scottish accent is wrong characterization and should not have been done.
In my research, I had access to copies of the letters of Mary Slessor, especially the personal letters to her sister.
Presently, no Nollywood actress can play Mary Slessor, because none of them has attained that standard of intellectual acumen and professionalism in acting historical figures of such magnitude.
Nastassja Kinski can play the leading role in the film adaptation of Mary Slessor.
I was convinced by her role as "Tess", the 1979 epic drama film by Roman Polanski, the film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 classic novel, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". that was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and won the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
Nastassja Kinski met Roman Polanski at a party in 1976.e He urged her to study method acting with Lee Strasberg in the United States and she was offered the title role of Tess.
In 1978, Kinski underwent extensive preparation for the portrayal of the English peasant girl and she had to learn and acquire a Dorset accent through elocution studies:
"I was given the book almost a year prior to read, I then had to transform myself and lose my German accent completely. I worked with a coach from the National Theatre in London, Kate Fleming. It was almost an intellectual voyage. I went to live in the countryside of the deep part of England, on a farm, did everything they did, and learned it. When the time came in Paris to do my test, it was with our director and our producers Claude Berri and Timothy Burrill, I had done a screen test with Roman prior to that, for Dino DeLaurentis, but now this was for Tess. Preparation is an amazing thing. It, somehow, after all the work, carries you if you are fully present, it carries you through like a bird, like big inner and outer wings."
Nastassja Kinski can undergo the same preparations for the role of Mary Slessor and I am convinced that even at the age of 64 years, she will bring out the great personality of the iconic Scottish missionary and also learn to speak the native languages of the Efik and Ibibio tribes she loved and lived with till her breath in their midst on earth.
The awesome life of Many Slessor would be most appreciated in the historical film based on the facts she documented in her dairies and letters.
Mary Slessor stands just outside Ikotobong court house, which can be seen with its thatched roof on the right side of the photograph.
Mary Slessor with her adopted children.
Mary Slessor stands with a number of villagers outside her house in Ekenge
Pots in which twin babies were exposed due to the superstitions of the natives (photo c. 1880)
In 1889 the British Government established a Protectorate in Calabar and, on account of her unique influence, she was invited to take up the office of Magistrate and Superintendent of the district court. It had already become customary for locals to refer their disputes to her for settlement.
During her forty-year ministry in Africa, Mary Slessor contracted malaria (which never left her), as well as other fevers and health-wracking illnesses. She ministered to head-hunters and cannibals.
She interceded in inter-tribal warfare and she saved countless babies who were left to die in the jungle due to the superstitions of the natives. The birth of twins among the Efiks had always resulted in infanticide because they believed it was the result of a great sin by the mother and evidence of a curse. They would be abandoned in the jungle to wild animals. Mary rescued a number of twins and raised them herself, saving numerous lives. On one occasion she nursed a chief back to health, to the great relief of his wives, all of whom would have been sacrificed if he had died. They gathered around her to ask about her wonderful powers and she replied:
“I have come to you because I love and worship Jesus Christ, the Great Physician and Saviour, the Son of the Father God who made all things. I want you to know this Father and to receive the eternal life which Jesus offers to all those with contrite and believing hearts. To know Jesus means to love Him, and with His love in our hearts we love everybody. Eternal life means peace and joy in this world and a wonderful home in the next world. My heart longs for you to believe in Jesus, to walk in His paths, and to know the blessings of eternal life through Him.”
The natives said Mma Mary Slessor was a mother, a teacher, a court President, and a Consul of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria who traversed the area as far as Arochukwu in Abia State preaching the gospel.
“Mary Slessor came from Scotland to Calabar and then moved to Okoyong. She stayed at Calabar and even built a wooden storey building house there but now they are trying to renovate that place.
“After that, She left Okoyong to Use Ikot Oku. From Ikot Obong village where you have the district court sign board to Use Ikot Oku where you have the bridge, that bounds Ibiono Ibom and Itu local government areas, her tombstone is about half a kilometre from here.
“I have had her oral history from one of our longest Chiefs, Chief Etim Udoudo who reigned over 30 years. That man even sang the song the woman sang before she died. I have gotten the history from my grand father’s second wife, Adiaha Akpan Usung (nee Adiaha Akpan Ekarika). She told me stories about her. I have also gotten oral evidence from one of the twins that she nurtured, late Elder Mrs Ceecee Akpaninyang who happened to be my aunt.
“The woman stayed here and worked. She built her house on that hill, that was her base. According to Chief Udoudo, she used to move and she was carried on what was called ‘amake’, a sort of swing, where young men would put her on their shoulders and travel across this bridge through Arochukwu. The bridge links Atan, Onoyom to Arochukwu to Ikpe Ikot Nkon; that was the route she used to travel,” he said.
According to Elder Usungurua, it was during one of such trips that Mma stumbled on the Long juju shrine where people were used for sacrifice. Mma Slessor was said to have informed the British government of the activity there which led to the destruction of the shrine.
Her advance into Ibibios territory was aided by the fact that the British government was building roads in that region. “Get a bicycle, Ma,” government officials said, pointing to the road, “and come as far as you can. We will soon have a motor car service for you.” At fifty-seven years of age Mary gamely learned to ride a bicycle after a government official presented her with a brand new model from England.
The early months of 1909 found Mary covered with painful boils from head to foot. “Only sleeping draughts keep me from going off my head,” she related. She later became severely ill from blood poisoning. She was taken to Duke Town near the coast where members of the mission attentively nursed her back to heal. But after five weeks of such care she was eager to resume her ministry responsibilities inland, and did so before some officials and doctors thought it fully advisable.
Eventually her health declined to the point that the Mission’s doctor forbad her to travel by bicycle. Hearing of her need for an alternative means of transportation, a group of ladies in Scotland sent her a Cape cart, a basket-chair on wheels capable of being maneuvered along quite easily by two boys or girls.
In the closing years of her life Mary established churches and schools in the villages of Ikpe, Odoro Ikpe and Nkanga further up Enyong Creek. She carried out ministry at those locations unaided by fellow missionaries. To her deep disappointment, the Mission had already concluded that health conditions were not safe enough in that region to place other missionaries there. To the end, however, she continued to be assisted by several African girls who lived with her as foster daughters.
OYO, Nigeria, July 30, 2024/ -- The religious depictions of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting with contemporary ideological figures that are clearly offensive to Christianity at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 2024 in France is to say the least shocking and disrespectful.
Sadly, it is a perpetration of deliberate ongoing attempts in Europe and America to repurpose and cheapen Christian themes without regard for peace loving Christians who practice and profess their religion in peace.
That this decadent caricature of one of the most cherished events of Christianity is publicized in France, a country with a rich and old Christian heritage, and at the Olympic games detracts from the status of the Olympics and belies all claims to enduring civility and respect for freedom of religion in the West.
Christians should exercise their right of outrage and boycott to the extent that the damage already caused can be mitigated and redressed and future occurrences prevented.
Governing bodies and organizations should take full responsibility for accommodating such insulting, tasteless art and expressions that can potentially cause further hurt and division in our already hurting and fractured world. Huge thanks to all who correctly expressed outrage on the subject well ahead of this.
Regardless of what we go through as African we must never disrespect or thrash religious symbols and sentiments which touch people at their deepest levels of their being. To do this is to throw our humanizing and spiritual values and ideals to the dogs.
+Bishop Badejo
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Nigeria.
The Mathematics and Mystery of The Signature of God
The Signature of God is the name of God in Aramaic. The name of God once written cannot be erased.
This is the ultimate from my Mystery Cubes Series in painting, digital art and NFT.
The geometry and symmetry of The Signature of God
The construction of the 144ft monument of The Signature of God.
Read Revelation 7:1-12 144÷6=24 24÷6=4 4 angels standing at the 4 corners of the Earth holding the 4 winds.
As we know the following facts:
Cubes appear in Abrahamic religions. The Kaaba (Arabic for 'cube') in Mecca is one example. Cubes also appear in Judaism as tefillin, and the New Jerusalem is described in the New Testament as a cube. Why?
Lateral Surface Area of Cube (LSA) = 4a2
LSA = 4 × (6)2
= 4 × 36
= 144 m2
Hence, the length of the diagonal is 6√3 m, and its lateral surface area is 144 square meters.
Cube shape is one of the fundamental shapes of mathematics and is observed very often in our daily lives. We can assume the cube is a polyhedron with equal length, breadth, and height. It can be easily stacked on one over another without leaving any spaces. We say about a cube that,
It has Twelve (12) Edges It has Six (6) Faces It has Eight (8) Vertices
We see various types of figures in our daily life that are shaped like cubes that include, boxes, ice cubes, sugar cubes, etc.
by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
whose artworks have been exhibited in Nigeria and Japan since 1983 and co-curator of the first Art Against AIDS exhibitions at the National Museum and National Arts Theatre in Lagos in 1993 featuring his mentor, the famous printmaker and sculptor, Prof. Bruce Onobraekpeya and other Nigerian artists, including himself.
Author of "The Prophet Lied", "Diary of the Memory Keeper", "In the House of Dogs" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
Nigeria: O Tempora O Mores, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
There is an epidemic of intellectual ignorance among the majority of Nigerians in Nigeria, including those who claim to be graduates of tertiary institutions, but are still intellectually challenged in logical and rational analysis of the vicissitudes of life and the essence of human civilization.
Then there is a facade of conceit and deceit by the elites who are posing and posturing in affluence and opulence of the luxuries of the status symbols of their hypocritical society.
Money can buy lifestyle of luxury.
But money cannot buy class.
You don't need to be rich to have class.
You cannot have class without dignity, integrity and nobility.
You must appreciate the high values of the virtues of life.
A Fraudster can afford to live in a palatial mansion and buy expensive posh cars and SUVs and fly on private jets and dress in Gucci, Dior, Armani.and Versace and drink Champagne. But the Fraudster is still beneath the men and women of dignity, integrity and nobility.
All that glitters is not gold.
You must understand the difference between a life of pretence and a life that is the true essence of human existence.
You must know the difference between fallacy and legacy.
In the next 100 to.1000 years in the world if the Earth is still in existence, students.and scholars will be reading and studying Wole Soyinka and his peers and the intelligentsia of our generation. But all the mobs of the intellectually retarded and multitudes of this generation would be forgotten in the sands of time.
I know the time frame of everyone and everything in Nigeria and the rest of the world in the history of civilization.
Everyone has a story.
But not everyone will make history.
- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Author of "The Prophet Lied", "Diary of the Memory Keeper" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye and everyone seeing this.
Smile and be happy.
And pray to our one and only Almighty God JEHOVAH JIREH to have mercy on Nigeria and Nigerians and heal our country in the mighty name of our Lord, Redeemer, Saviour and MESSIAH JESUS Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. AMEN!
Featuring my beautiful friend and perfectly figured model, Vivian E of my popular V for Vivian Series artworks and NFTs on the Algorand blockchain and the continuous of the series coming up on Opensea and Artprice for international exhibitions and auctions.
HAPPY SUNDAY, HAPPY NEW WEEK AND HAPPY NEW MONTH OF PROGRESS, PROSPERITY,
SUCCESS, TRIUMPH AND VICTORY OF TRIUMPHANT OVERCOMERS AND VICTORIOUS CHAMPIONS
OF OUR ONE AND ONLY ALMIGHTY FATHER GOD JEHOVAH JIREH.
HAPPY 63RD INDEPENDENCE DAY OF NIGARA AND 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF REPUBLIC
OF NIGARA.
Psalm 34
1
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my
mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and
be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord
shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see
good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the
remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all
their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as
be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out
of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be
desolate.
22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in
him shall be desolate.
HAVE UNBREAKABLE FAITH in your CREATOR and in YOURSELF. The size of your faith is the size of your strength. Avoid foolish pride in yourself. Be amiable, humble and noble.
Family is your top priority. Reject every form of failure and deprivation in any member of your family. Don't forget that Charity begins at home. Confess every morning before you go out I REJECT POVERTY. I ACCEPT PROSPERITY.
Acquire the education and skills you require for success in your career (occupation or profession).
Be a dare devil go-getter in business for contracts, jobs and commissions. DON'T EVER DEGRADE YOURSELF. And DON'T DEGRADE OTHERS.
Be an enterpreneur and start your own company as soon as you can to produce or provide a product or service majority of people need in your location.
Believe in the Universal Law of Reciprocity. Do Good. Avoid Evil. BE ALWAYS GRATEFUL.
Explore all possibilities and opportunities in legitimate investments online and offline in the most profitable ventures, stocks and startups. INVEST IN REAL ESTATE before you are 30.
In unforseen economic challenges or Acts of God, ADAPT or REINVENT or you will become EXTINCT
Have current, domiciliary and fixed bank accounts in your local currency and in American dollars and Pound Sterling
Cut off liabilities and whatever does not add value to your life and business.
Have life, health and company insurance policies.
Health is wealth. So have only foods and drinks with proven health benefits. Keep fit, Relax and Avoid Stress.
Igbo mythology said Uli was a gift from Ala, the goddess of earth, who blessed women with the ability to create art.
The Igbo tribe has the oldest monarchy in Africa dating back to the ancient Igbo Ukwu during the Bronze Age around 3,000-2,500 BC, same period of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Uli Si Naka Chi
Means Art of Uli comes from the hand of destiny or God.
This esoteric NFT is done in Nsibidi, ancient form of writing in pictograms, logograms or syllabograms by the Igbo tribe and related ethnic groups in South Eastern Nigeria. Insibidi means the Beginning in Igbo language.
I have been exhibited in Japan in 1983 when I was 20 and my works were insured by the UNESCO. I was exhibited in the National Museum of Nigeria and curated the first Art Against AIDS Exhibitions in Nigeria in 1993 at the National Museum and National Arts Theatre in Lagos. All the works were collected.
My highest priced works in oil paintings on canvas were, "The Metamorphosis of the HIV in the T-Cell" was bought by Family Health International (FHI) and "Eruption of the Love Virus" bought by a private art collector. $20,000 for each one at first exhibition in the National Museum in 1993.
Igbo mythology said Uli was a gift from Ala, the goddess of earth, who blessed women with the ability to create art.
The Igbo tribe has the oldest monarchy in Africa dating back to the ancient Igbo Ukwu during the Bronze Age around 3,000-2,500 BC, same period of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Uli Si Naka Chi
Means Art of Uli comes from the hand of destiny or God.
This esoteric NFT is done in Nsibidi, ancient form of writing in pictograms, logograms or syllabograms by the Igbo tribe and related ethnic groups in South Eastern Nigeria. Insibidi means the Beginning in Igbo language.
I have been exhibited in Japan in 1983 when I was 20 and my works were insured by the UNESCO. I was exhibited in the National Museum of Nigeria and curated the first Art Against AIDS Exhibitions in Nigeria in 1993 at the National Museum and National Arts Theatre in Lagos. All the works were collected.
My highest priced works in oil paintings on canvas were, "The Metamorphosis of the HIV in the T-Cell" was bought by Family Health International (FHI) and "Eruption of the Love Virus" bought by a private art collector. $20,000 for each one at first exhibition in the National Museum in 1993.
The Largest Market For Yoruba Epic Movie, "Orisa" is in Brazil and Not in Nigeria
The Yoruba epic movies, "Orisa" and "Jagun Jagun", are the biggest Nollywood movies so far in 2023.
These epic movies can attract more people beyond Nigeria. But
the producers don't know how to promote them globally.
They are fixated on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video and the cinemas in Nigeria. But the largest audiences for them are outside Nigeria.
Over 10 million Afro Latinos in the Americas with Yoruba lineage have enough disposable incomes to watch the movies in cinemas and on cable TV channels.
In Brazil alone, millions of people will rush to watch "Orisa".
The producers have to see the Big Picture in international film distribution and exhibition.
FilmOne Entertainment has tried with the theatrical release of "Orisa" in the United States of America, showing at selected Regal theaters. But we must see the Big Picture of the future of Nollywood in the world and the future begins today and is in our hands.
The Africans in the Diaspora have a population of over 350 million people and as a country will be the third largest in population in the world after China and India.
Countries with significant populations of Africans in the Diaspora:
United States
46,936,733
Brazil
14,517,961
Haiti
8,583,759
Colombia
4,671,160
Jamaica
2,700,000
Venezuela
2,641,481
Mexico
1,386,556
Canada
1,300,540
Ecuador
1,200,000
Cuba
1,034,044
Dominican Republic
1,029,535
Africans in the Diaspora remit more than USD 65 billion to Africa annually, more than the total foreign aid by the IMF and other international organizations to the continent in the last five years.
Why is Brazil the Largest Market For "Orisa" and "Jagun Jagun"?
There are over 14 million Africans in the Diaspora in Brazil and majority of them are traditional devotees and those who are fully informed on the widespread Yoruba Orisa religion and culture since the transatlantic slave trade to date.
They have popular annual Orisa festivities attracting millions of Brazilians and thousands of tourists from other countries.
Their history is common public knowledge.
The film industry of Brazil is bigger than the film industry of Nigeria having millions of moviegoers with GDP per capita of $8,918 USD in 2022, a 15.86% increase from 2021.
The GDP per capita in Nigeria was $2,448 in 2022 and with the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, it has decreased and shown in the decreasing box office revenues, because majority of the moviegoers cannot afford to pay for the tickets again
.
The Film Industry in Brazil -
At the end of 2022, there were around 3.4 thousand movie theater screens in Brazil, up from over 3.2 thousand a year earlier – an annual increase of four percent.
The number of movie tickets sold in Brazil increased by 81.7 percent between 2021 and 2022.21 Mar 2023
With 3.4 thousand screens in Brazil compared to less than 300 screens in Nigeria, the larger market of moviegoers is Brazil.
Film distributors in Nigeria should promote "Orisa" and "Jagun Jagun" through the international film festivals in Brazil and contact the film distributors in Brazil at the 2023 annual American Film Market (AFM) coming up from October 31 – November 5, in Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
"Chukwuabiama Na Ezedibia" (God and the King of Wizards) Coming Soon on NOLLYWOOD MAGIC Channel on CINETIE
Igbo dramas started the phenomenon of Nollywood with the first Igbo blockbuster movie, "Living in Bondage" in 1992.
NOLLYWOOD MAGIC Channel is bringing the captivating movies of Nigerian dramas on CINETIE of Rwanda streaming to millions of people online, including over 50 million Igbos in the world with over 45 million Igbos in Nigeria and over 4 million Igbos in the Diaspora.r Hundreds of thousands of Igbos are in America and the UK.
"God and the King of Wizards" is an Igbo epic drama of supernatural battles and encounters with powers of darkness and principalities never shown before in any Nigerian movie.
Director: Evans Orji
Major Cast: Prince Emeka Ani, Agbaogidi Clement Cornel, Camilla Mberikwe
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