SOS for children’s advocate

By Victor Ekpuk September 26, 2010 02:58AMT

For a long time, I have followed the unfortunate human tragedy, the abuse, killing and destitution of children accused of witchcraft in Akwa Ibom State.

I am a native of Ikot Afagha Idung Ukpa, a small village in Eket where the Child Rights And Rehabilitation Network Centre, which caters for the abandoned and rescued children, is situated. As a result of this so-called “Child Witch” phenomenon, that village has, of recent, been the focus of world media attention. Yet, I am proud of the kind-heartedness of my townspeople. I am particularly proud of Samuel Ikpe Itauma, the proprietor of CRARN for his forthrightness and magnanimity, for it takes a special human being to take on the burdens of other people’s children.

When I first learnt about this tragedy, the most that I could do was to offer my property free of charge to shelter the children until CRARN found a permanent site. With the help of UNICEF, Bristol Helicopters and Stepping Stones Nigeria and the generous contributions by anonymous donors, and, yes, initial support of the state government, many of the abused, abandoned and stigmatised children of Akwa Ibom State now have a safe place in a community that recognizes their humanity.

On August 25th and 26th 2010, CNN aired a special about the abuse of “Witch Children” in Nigeria. To my utter surprise, the state governor, Godswill Akpabio, who was interviewed for the programme, stated that the whole story is a scam and an exaggerated attempt to embarrass his government and paint a bad image of Akwa Ibom State.

Later in a radio address, the governor announced, to the distress of many, plans to put the police on surveillance around the CRARN compound.

Two days later armed men invaded Ikot Afagha village and shattered its peace. They shot firearms in front Sam Itauma’s residence and at the CRARN Centre where the children stay. They left the residents, particularly the already traumatized children, in shock. I recall that in the wake of the first international media exposé of the so-called “child witch” phenomenon by the BBC, suspected assassins went to CRARN in search of Sam Itauma and in the process they beat up some of the children and made away with Sam’s computer and digital camera.

Judging by the ongoing spate of kidnappings and assassinations in Akwa Ibom today, I fear for the lives of Sam Itauma of CRARN and Gary Foxcroft of Stepping Stones Nigeria, a partner NGO. As I write, Sam Itauma has gone into hiding. And in his absence, gloom hangs over the CRARN Centre. The children who call him “Uncle Sam” are fearful of their fate if the current situation worsens and the Centre, their only hope for their protection from the dangers of life on the streets, is forced to close.

It is interesting to note that the same governor who visited the Centre a while ago and expressed his support is now apparently unconcerned about the children’s wellbeing. So far the state government has not provided evidence of any breach of the law by Sam Itauma and Garry Foxcroft to warrant treating them like enemies of the state.

On my last visit home, in April 2010, I conducted an art workshop with the children at CRARN. I noticed that the goodwill of donors have been put to good use. For instance, there is a hostel for girls built with funds from UNICEF, another hostel donated by Bristol Helicopters was under construction, and more land has been acquired around to provide vocational training and accommodation for increasing numbers of rescued children.

There is a school and a few volunteer teachers, administrators and a counselor. The children, in spite of the physical and emotional scars inflicted on them looked healthy and cheerful, though most told me of their desire to go back home. The counselor on the staff helps to counsel parents and reunite some of them with their children. With the help donors inside and outside Nigeria, the children are getting education, food, shelter and medical care.

This September, Suomi Sakai, Nigeria’s UNICEF Representative commissioned a new building donated by UNICEF.

In light of the above, all people of good conscience in the media, governments and human rights groups must intercede and encourage Governor Akpabio to pursue dialogue instead of coercion as means of conflict resolution.

Governor Akpabio said on CNN that he has five children; if he were to see the vulnerable children at CRARN Centre as his own, he should surely realise that they need his protection not his wrath. As the chief executive of the state, the governor must do everything within his powers to ameliorate the lives of children in whose hands lie Akwa Ibom State’s future.

Victor Ekpuk is a Nigerian visual artist who currently resides in the United States.

JERRY ADESEWO: Oluronbi returns with government backing

JERRY ADESEWO: Oluronbi returns with government backing

Oluronbi returns with government backing

By Olushola Ojikutu

NEXT Daily, September 26, 2010

It is three days to the first performance of Oluronbi, and it is a beehive of activities at Choral House, Yaba, where rehearsals for the play are in full swing. The door opens at 10.30 to admit the journalists who have been invited for a press briefing, and we are immediately engulfed in the heat emanating from the hall. The four ceiling fans oscillating above do little to dispel the energy from the gyrating bodies, the percussion and the vocal output.

The musical play, Oluronbi is making its third annual appearance on the Nigerian theatre scene. Hailed as the first ever Nigerian Broadway-style musical, Oluronbi is described as an “audio visual spectacle on par with such international successes as ‘The Lion King.’ The play, which in the last production had cast strength of about 40, will this time round boast a 70-member cast - probably the largest ever deployed for a Nigerian stage play.

Producer of the play, Ikhane Akhigbe, says, “Oluronbi derives from a need to tell a story that reflects and celebrates our culture, language and rhythm. Like our own ‘Umoja’” The beauty of the play, he continues, is its constant renewal, as some of the singers and actors used last year have been changed. According to Akhigbe, the changes in the play’s execution and cast are due to his belief that “The essence of theatre is keeping it fresh. We are building a brand and we are trying not to have it hinged on any particular artists,” he said, also disclosing that an edition of the play was staged with an all children cast at Grange Schools, Lagos, earlier in the year.

A Nigerian affair

Akhigbe, an Edo State indigene, insists that, Oluronbi is not just a Yoruba Folk tale, “Yoruba culture has crossed over to a lot of places in Nigeria. Oluronbi in our production is a Benin princess settled in Yoruba Land. The six geo-political zones of the country are represented in the play. We are one culture, the same original, with slightly varying tones. Oluronbi is Yoruba in inspiration but Nigerian in production.”

The recorded success of Oluronbi, which has been sold out in its last two outings, Akhigbe says, is due to “its appeal to both Nigeria’s elite and the ordinary man. We all love our culture and we want to see more of it being celebrated.” He also expressed plans for the play to go on tour of the South-western states and then on a national tour.

Actress Iretiola Doyle gave an insight into the production effort, saying, “It’s an ambitious project and I am part of it because I pride myself on pushing the envelope. This is the third time I am appearing in it, and I will continue to say: yes. It competes with, or even surpasses, some international plays in terms of content. It brings all the dramatic elements to bear in a wonderful mix.”

The play, in which she plays Iroko (a part human and part spirit being) is about Oluronbi, who desperate for a child, beseeches the female tree-spirit for one. In her desperation, she makes a promise, which in Doyle’s words, ‘comes back to slap her in the face’. Oluronbi, she continues, “is about the choices we make and the consequences that lie therein.”

Disclosing that there will be no use of recordings, as all the musical aspects will be performed live, Akhigbe nonetheless does not under emphasise the challenges of executing such a large production. He explains that aside from logistics, marketing and sponsorship, the greatest challenge he has faced is coming from a non-creative arts background. “I am just getting used to the temperament and structure of the industry. But this is a labour of love; I love what I am doing,” he concludes.

Sponsorship

Lanre Onipede, artist manager for AbOoiginal Productions, says that the play stems from the company’s passion to bring back musical Broadway to Nigeria, but how successful have similar endeavours been in a society that puts theatre on a back seat in its entertainment industry? While affirming that in Nigeria, theatre is “an orphan child of the arts. It is seen as elitist and we don’t get as much or as quick returns on investments, Doyle maintains that stage entertainment is on the path of growth. “I see the young ones among the cast; they are bubbling with the love for theatre, and I know there’s a future for it.”

Coinciding with the nation’s independence anniversary, this year’s edition has been taken on board as part of Lagos State’s Cultural project. According to Onipede, “The show in its entirety is sponsored and endorsed by the Lagos state government. Lagos state is helping with the publicity, it gave us the go-ahead to print the state logo on our adverts; and as we speak, some BRT buses are carrying awareness for Oluronbi.”

With the efforts of its organisers, cast and crew; as well as the governmental backing it has acquired, this year’s production is undoubtedly a performance to look forward to. And as the wheels of the production are been greased to finesse, Akhigbe and his team definitely have their work cut out. Doyle affirms this jocularly: “It’s a huge undertaking, and with some of the challenges that (the producer) has had to face, it’s amazing he’s still standing.”

Oluronbi is being staged on several dates at the MUSON Centre and the National Theatre in Lagos, until October 2.

Activists seek prosecution of ‘child witch’ abusers

Activists seek prosecution of ‘child witch’ abusers