Fascinating Igbo Blogs on the Web

"They are all over the web doing stuff telling people their stories; writing about life events; lecturing their readers on literature, philosophy and society; providing marketing strategies on how to succeed in business; writing about their love affair and the ideal man of their dream; analyzing music to a pace unimaginable; teaching on business solutions; reviewing books; talking about the battle wounds and the pogrom; communicating and exchanging ideas; and a profound biography about Nd'Igbo, among others too numerous to mention."

"Here you go again. What's wrong with you, man!?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. I'm just excited about my people."

"Who are your people?"

"My people are my kith and kin that have shown they can do stuff and mean whatever they say."

"What the hell is that?"

"You see, you just don't get it, do you?"

"I sure don't get it. What in heavens places are you talking about?"

"Nothing, but hold on, what's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. You the one that have issues because you seem to be losing it."

"Losing what?"

"I mean, come on, you are not making sense at all about your ramblings. 'Writing about their love affair and the ideal man of their dream,' what the hell is that?"

"Well, I found out you are nosy and would like to know the goings on. Did I ever tell you about how unique the Igbo people are?"

"No, I don't remember."

"You see, when I say you have a shallow brain, you think I'm talking down on you."

"I know who you are. Your whole thing is to break the country up because you think Igbos are the master race."

"Now, you are quoting Obafemi Awolowo, who, feeling threatened with Igbo pragmatism thought Igbos were the 'master race' during the so-called constitutional conferences of a fabricated state."

"Look, man, I'm not gonna go there with you. Don't even go there, Okay?"

"You are just nuts."

"Maybe, I'm nuts because I am not singing about the Obi of trumpet and Ajoa."

"You see why I called you a knucklehead? How did the legendary trumpeter pop up here, in our conversation?"

"Because he is Okoro like you, and Okoros are known to be mean-spirited people. We call them ajaokuta ma momi."

"You see, that's the problem with you imbeciles, bigots and Igbo haters. When you can't handle the Igbos you start calling them names. What's up with that?"

"Quit man! I thought you brought me out here over some coffee and storytelling. What's the gist?"

"Okay, I gotcha. I am talking about Igbo people and the kind of fascinating stuff they are doing on the web. Some good, good stuff, you know..."

"And what's that?"

"I'm impressed. Finally, you succumbed to knowing what Igbo people are up to and all I can tell you is pay attention and listen carefully. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am ready."

"Here you go, and this is my story":

For some reason, every now and then while checking out the goings on in cyberspace, interesting Igbo blogs pops up and before you think you are just passing through, you get stuck with what the blog has to offer. It happens to me all the time and it is becoming a habit to figure out what these blogs are up to. I have gone through a whole lot of them, and to be honest, I am really impressed.

About seven or so years ago when I began to blog at Biafra-Nigeria-World and Igbonet until the black hats, the robots catapulted from far away China disrupted the drives of BNW News' blog continent and other weak servers on the web, not many Igbo bloggers had emerged. And this happened when the Igbo haters at Egbe Omo Oduduwa, the Nigerian world website run by North Carolina-based Chuck Odili had savagedly axed my colleagues and I for the fact that we mentioned Biafra in our write-ups. That hatred toward Nd'Igbo led to the origin of Biafranigeriaworld, Igbonet and other Igbo-related websites. And the appearance of the messageboard changed all that. That, it can be done.

But now it is pleasing to know my Igbo folks are doing stuff as bloggers, and they are sending the messages across.

First, it is amazing what my boy, Uchenna, is doing with his Comb & Razor Blog. He has digested every part of back in the day pop music from the 60s through the 80s, the whole stuff is now baked in his genes. It is worthy of mention his digging of every damn thing about the 70s songs including my favorites of that era, while growing up.

Somehow, I wonder how he does it. His list of analysis includes Wings (the one led by Jonathan "Spud Nathan" Udensi), Action 13, Wrinkars Experience, Sonny Okosun, Oby Onyioha, Danie Ian, Ofege, Theodora Ifudu, Nelly Uchendu, Bongos Ikwu, Godwin Ironbar, Ubo Jazz Band of Africa, Benji Igbadumeh and His Okeke Sounds International, Harry 'Mosco' Agada, Jake Solo, Funkees, Joni Haastrup and Monomono, Segun Bucknor, Ofo the Rock Company, William Onyeabor and the list goes on and on. His superbly written piece on Danie Ian got me "crawling," I mean crawling because it was indeed well-done.

Enter my home girl, North Carolina-bred Adaure Achumba whose The World According To Adaure is also intriguing and full of life. Now based in Lagos, she blogs about the happenings in her neck of the woods in Eko, and she has pretty good followings. She's been blogging since June 2005 and the stuff in there is the stuff of life which captures her readers from her style of writing -- clear and concise.

So, too, is this lady who should be writing scripts for the silver screen (maybe she does, I dunno) because she really got it together in her compelling fictionalized stories. I am talking about Essex, Maryland-based Vera Ezimora, the Verastic lady who got her readers glued for her brilliant masterpieces. I love to read her notes. They are quite entertaining. But methink sometimes her stories are based on her life experience, I mean, probably with some dude.

And somewhere in London, my home boy out there has taken his stuff to another level. Who knows? The next Amazon will be popping up soon and Britain's one and only online hip-hop company is just about to do that. 2GEES, the hip-hop company which has gone deeply into selling any product is run by Daniel Ezihe. He's been working so hard he's optimistic 2GEES will eventually be a brand name starting from the streets of London and all across the world. A blog of note is on the website, and has blogging ever been made easier? You bet!

Also, there is this New York-based enterpreneur called Emeka Okafor. He is the director of the award winning TED Global. He runs Timbuktu Chronicles which takes one to another level of discovery and other environmental matters. Technology is at its highest level here and Okafor would go to any length to bring it to you. He is on a mission and the innovation is just amazing.

Celebrating Nd'Igbo got me on my feet as I kept wondering how these beautiful Igbo minds work. A one of its kind biography blog of Nd'Igbo from all walks of life. Names I have never heard of popped up. How he does it, I don't know, and I surely have to give it to him for it has to deal with a whole lot of research. C. Ezeh, the nwanna that runs Celebrating ND'Igbo has done something entirely different and is doing a wonderful job a magazine on Igbo biography should be on the news racks and I'm quite sure he's giving a thought to it, or someone should be doing something about it, for the job he's done there is enormous.

On Professor Chielozona Eze, who teaches African and world literatures at North Esatern Illinois University, his Chielozona offers literature, philosophy and society. And on the literary circle, there is the Okri Blog run by Okri C. Okri which publishes literary work independently. In case you have plans to publish in future, check him out for a good deal and tell him that I sent you.

Lagos-based model Linda Ikeji is amazing, too, and she knows her stuff very well. With her smooth image, she has digested every part of the media on fashion, travel, publishing and environmental journalism. She's so proud to tell the world about her multi-talents and promises to reveal more whenever she remembers. She is a blogger and that's the part that I like. And this is Linda Ikeji.

Another interesting blogger is Dawn Okro who is studying law at Texas Southern University in Houston. She seems to be accomplished and has been blogging since 2006. She is a painter, an activist and all that. Bella Naija is another heavyweight in the Igbo blogosphere. It is run by Uche Eze. She, too, has a significant amount of following. Her website has transcended her blog, meaning progress is being made and perhaps she now hears the distance tapping of fingers in JP Morgan Chase.

Have you heard of "The Long Harmattan Season"? If you haven't, it is a book written by London-based liberal journalist, Uche Nworah, and he created a blog to promote his book, as a result. When you have time check it out and learn more because I can feel it; your brain is getting rusty. There is another one too run by an architect, Ugo Okafor, and co-edited by Chika Okafor and it's about women on planet Earth. It's called Spectrum Women and I know you will jump in there as soon as we vacate this coffee house. Your life cannot hang without women, and that's why.

Elsewhere on cyberspace, you will see one Jude Dibia whose blog is specifically on new 'writings, reflections and reviews.' His blog is doing well catching up with the old guards. At the same time there is New York-based fashion consultant by the name of Adanna Gbulie whose new blog is about Igbo enterprise and culture. I think she is on a good footing trying to figure out a whole bunch of stuff at one time. How she's gonna do it I dunno. That's tough.

Gosh! I almost forgot the one run by my childhood buddy, Teddy. It has all the videos you would love to see and there are many other activities on that site. You can create your own blog right in there and write your own reviews on a movie you watched. It is called Nigeria Home Videos. It's got lots of lots of goodies. Seeing is believing. Youtube will soon be a midget campared to what my buddy, Teddy, is doing out there.

Before I end this session, do not forget to check out the glamorous world of Chinwe Enemchukwu's Victorious Living, Ndi Uwa Oma blog. Maybe, it will lead you to what you are looking for. It's time to go!

"Thank you so much Ambrose. I have learned a lot and have seen what Igbo people are up to. They are a great people. And Ambrose, you, too, a rare gem. Once again, thank you very plenty!"

"It's my pleasure, my boy, and have a great week!"

Nollywood Review: "Girls Cot"

I’m not sure if I should say one is now hooked to Nigerian movies, the Nollywood and fourth-ranked movie industry on the Planet. I have been watching quite a lot lately but I do have a problem with the plots and the titles. They all seem to be the same. Like “Girls Cot” which marks the genuine return of Genevieve Nnaji after a long sabbatical. It has the same resemblance of Nollywood’s previous projects which much appears they have ran out of stories and better creative stuff.

Nollywood should come out bold and start telling stories of human events and tragic moments of our time and beyond. Like Hollywood’s “Shindler’s List,” “We Were Soldiers,” “Pearl Harbor,” "Gangs of New York," “Platoon,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Pianist,” “The Holocaust,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Malcolm X,” “Amistad,” and many more films of that nature, it would be worthy of Nollywood to start producing movies in the same manner with scenes like “Blood on the Niger,” "Aba Market Women Riot," “Asaba Male Death March,” “Where Vultures Feast,” “The Pogrom,” “Never Again,” “A Tragedy Without Heroes,” “Sunset in Biafra,” “No Place to Hide: Crises and Conflicts inside Biafra,” “The Brutality of Nations,” “Blood Lust Hausa-Fulanis,” “The Northern Islamic Jihadist Murderers,” “Adekunle the Beast,” and “The Rapists.”

Most Nollywood movies, if not all, now tells the same story. The story-line and plots has the same similarity even with its different titles which somehow has nothing related to the movie. Take for instance, movies like “Hot Money,” Blood Billionaires,” “Millionaire’s Club,” “Blood Money,” “No Way Out,” “Broken Shield,” “Battle for Battle,” “Under Control,” “Blames of Memories,” “Where Envy Lies,” “Touch My Heart,” “The World of Riches,” “Total Control,” “The Prince,” “Golden Axe,” and many more are chiefly the same with basically the same cast. On the other hand, the titles of most of these movies do not relate to the theme when the movie breaks down to its climax; for example, “Girls Cot.”

First, let’s take a look at the word “cot.” Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “cot” (1) as a light portable bed, one of canvas on a folding frame, and (2) as a small house; a cottage; a hut; a small place of shelter; and a sheath or protective covering. Or could it be as abbreviated—“cot”—Commitments of Traders Report which is a report published every Friday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that seeks to provide investors with up-to-date information on futures market operations and increase the transparency of these complex exchanges. While Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary defines “cot” as a wheeled stretcher for hospital, mortuary, or ambulance service, one is getting confused and puzzled to the subject-matter in question—“Girls Cot.” Maybe, the logic here works as the movie plays on.

“Girls Cot,” an all-star cast marking the return of Genevieve Nnaji is about campus girls in a town where politicians, government officials and top-notch businessmen run the show. The movie stars Nnaji as Queen; Uche Jumbo as Bella; Rita Dominic as Alicia and Ini Edo as Eve. It also features Bonita Nzeribe and McMaurice Ndubueze and directed by Afam Okereke.

The movie starts with a high speed chase on either a moving violation or a crime committed by the foursome Queen, Bella, Alicia and Eve. They reach their destination while on hot pursuit by the cops. The cops could not arrest them on the ground the compound they 'vroomed' into belongs to the men of higher places. All you could do in the words of these girls was for the cops to vamoose before they get themselves into some big trouble. Much is made in the movie of the fact that these girls did not think of themselves as prostitutes. They were just ordinary campus girls who get by scamming the top shots and politicians in Abuja.

Bella and Eve shared a room in the school dorm (perhaps the word “cot” appropriately fits here as in a small shelter place) when Eve runs into Alicia in an alley where sluts hangs out to do business. Alicia, desperate, destitute and kicked out by her uncle had no place to stay. Eve comes to the rescue and offers her a squatting spot in the dorm room she shared with Bella. Bella complains but later gives in and accepts Alicia’s temporary stay. Later on Queen arrives and claims the room had been allocated to her from the students’ office. A little squabbles over the issue but worked out as the four most dangerous and most glamorous girls in Abuja sets out for a kill.

Although the story is centered on Queen (Nnaji) who calls the shots and makes all the connections, the most interesting character in the movie is Alicia beautifully acted by Rita Dominic who had always lost out on the men who slept with her and quite often would either not pay her or leave a little change while she is still asleep in her hotel room. Over and over again her vulnerability makes her an easy lay for cheap change until Queen played by Nnaji, the Vice President’s daughter who had gone low profile to live in the dorm rather than rent a flat off campus, comes to the rescue using her Abuja connections to get everyone involved in a high scale prostitution ring. Not even the bad guys on campus could touch or mess with these girls who had power and money, and had the politicians and business moguls slammed in their pockets. The scam is played over and over again. The movies upshot shows the power of escort enterprise if you have the right connections.

"Bad Girls" or "The Vice President's Daughter" would have made a better and logical title for the movie.

My ratings: Three Stars.