Queen Elizabeth II with husband Philip and others visiting the Lagos Orthopedic Hospital (Igbobi), where the doctor explains the swimming pool therapy for polio and spastic cases, during ROYAL TOUR OF NIGERIA. 1956
Greg Nwoko Historic Blog
Friday, 28 November 2014
Holy Child Sisters 1930
The story of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) in Africa began in Calabar, Nigeria, where on the 20th of September 1930, the first Holy Child Sisters arrived. Calabar is an urban city located in the South-eastern part of Nigeria in the Cross River State.
Source: Affi Essence.
Rosicrucian (AMORC) letter with censorship stamp (mailed in 1940)
It was the practice to censor all incoming letters to Nigeria. This is a Rosicrucian (AMORC) letter with censorship stamp (mailed in 1940)
A protester is arrested by the Nigerian Police at Ibadan in 1965. Protests were against the apparently flawed Regional elections of the same year. Image: Matthew Faji.
Image: Matthew Faji.
A protester is arrested by the Nigerian Police at Ibadan in 1965. Protests were against the apparently flawed Regional elections of the same year.
Martina Johnson, former Liberian NPFL rebel commander, is to stand trial in Belgium over alleged war crimes. Photograph: Courtesy Nordic African News
Plied with drugs and guns that many had been trained to use overnight, waves of child soldiers were sent into Monrovia as cannon fodder, forcing horrified west African peacekeepers to mow them down as one of the most brutal chapters of Liberia’s civil war began on 15 October 1992 when rebels attempted to seize the capital.
Overseeing Operation Octopus was a female commander called Martina Johnson. As part of the operation, a heavy artillery unit shelled residential areas throughout the four-month offensive, and allegations of torture were made that stood out even in a war characterised by mutilations and mass rapes.
This September she was called to account for her actions for the first time at a court in Belgium’s riverside city of Ghent. She is currently under house arrest with an electronic bracelet awaiting a court date. Johnson denies all of the accusations which have been brought against her, according to press reports.
The landmark case, coming after years of dogged work by campaigners, is a milestone in the quest for international justice, which has so often failed to bring to book the perpetrators of some of the most vicious wars in modern Africa. It shows, too, how rather than international courts such as the international criminal court (ICC), the long arm of justice may have a further reach with national courts that allow “universal jurisdiction”.
Thirteen countries have enacted the law that allows individuals to be pursued for serious human rights abuses regardless of where they were committed and the nationality of those involved. Johnson’s case came after three of her victims living in Liberia filed a complaint that focused heavily on Operation Octopus. She is only the second person to be charged for crimes relating to the country’s two civil wars that spanned 14 years.
“What is important to understand with Liberia is that, 11 years after the last war, there has been no justice. There were two very, very vicious civil wars, hundreds of thousands killed, but no convictions,” says Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, the Geneva-based organisation that collects documentation surrounding the allegations.
Overseeing Operation Octopus was a female commander called Martina Johnson. As part of the operation, a heavy artillery unit shelled residential areas throughout the four-month offensive, and allegations of torture were made that stood out even in a war characterised by mutilations and mass rapes.
This September she was called to account for her actions for the first time at a court in Belgium’s riverside city of Ghent. She is currently under house arrest with an electronic bracelet awaiting a court date. Johnson denies all of the accusations which have been brought against her, according to press reports.
The landmark case, coming after years of dogged work by campaigners, is a milestone in the quest for international justice, which has so often failed to bring to book the perpetrators of some of the most vicious wars in modern Africa. It shows, too, how rather than international courts such as the international criminal court (ICC), the long arm of justice may have a further reach with national courts that allow “universal jurisdiction”.
Thirteen countries have enacted the law that allows individuals to be pursued for serious human rights abuses regardless of where they were committed and the nationality of those involved. Johnson’s case came after three of her victims living in Liberia filed a complaint that focused heavily on Operation Octopus. She is only the second person to be charged for crimes relating to the country’s two civil wars that spanned 14 years.
“What is important to understand with Liberia is that, 11 years after the last war, there has been no justice. There were two very, very vicious civil wars, hundreds of thousands killed, but no convictions,” says Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, the Geneva-based organisation that collects documentation surrounding the allegations.
Dambe
Dambe, also known as Kokawa is a form of boxing associated with the Hausa people of West Africa. Historically, Dambe included a wrestling component, known as Kokawa, but today it is essentially a striking art. The tradition is dominated by Hausa butcher caste groups, and over the last century evolved from clans of butchers traveling to farm villages at harvest time, integrating a fighting challenge by the outsiders into local harvest festival entertainment. It was also traditionally practised as a way for men to get ready for war, and many of the techniques and terminology allude to warfare. Today, companies of boxers travel, performing outdoor matches accompanied by ceremony and drumming, throughout the traditional Hausa homelands of northern Nigeria, southern Niger and southwestern Chad. The name "Dambe" derives from the Hausa word for "boxing", and appears in languages like Bole as Dembe. Boxers are called by the Hausa word "daæmaænga"
Although there are no formal weight classes, usually competitors in Dambe matches are fairly matched in size.
Matches last three rounds. There is no time-limit to these rounds. Instead, they end when: 1) there is no activity,
2) one of the participants or an official calls a halt,
or 3) a participant's hand, knee, or body touches the ground. Knocking the opponent down is called killing the opponent.
The primary weapon is the strong-side fist. The strong-side fist, known as the spear, is wrapped in a piece of cloth covered by tightly knotted cord. Some boxers dip their spear in sticky resin mixed with bits of broken glass. This, however, became an illegal practice. The lead hand, called the shield, is held with the open palm facing toward the opponent. The lead hand can be used to grab or hold as required.
The lead leg is often wrapped in a chain, and the chain-wrapped leg is then used for both offense and defense. The unwrapped back leg can also be used to kick. Because wrestling used to be allowed, and the goal of the game is to cause the opponent to fall down, kicks are more common than they used to be
Traditionally, contests took place between men of butchers’ guilds who would also challenge men from their village audiences. Drawn from a specific lower caste of Hausa society who were the only ones who could ritually slaughter animals and handle meat, traveling butchers formed boxing teams from their ranks called "armies". Their bouts took place at festivals marking the end of the harvest season, as clans of butchers would travel to slaughter animals for farm communities. Harvest also marked a time when rural communities were flush with money, so gambling on feats of strength became closely associated with these celebrations.
Today, participants are as often urban youths who train in gyms or backyards, competing year-round. While no longer the preserve of the Hausa butcher caste, the cofraternity aspect remains, as youths who join the professional ranks join a professional community which travels to perform bouts in carnival like appearances, complete with amplified sound systems and elaborate pre-match ritual. Side betting for spectators and prize purses for competitors remain an important part of the event.
During village bouts, contests take place in a cleared area called the battlefield, with spectators forming the boundaries of the ring. In modern urban bouts, local competitions take place in temporary rings, often setup outside meatpacking plants as members of traditional butcher castes still predominate. In these urban matches, participants wear shorts rather than loincloths. Sand filled West African Lutte Traditionnelle arenas, common in large towns, are used for larger bouts, and are often combined with traditional wrestling championships.
Whether traditional or modern, percussive music and chants precede the bouts. The music and chants are associated with both groups and individuals, and serve to call boxers to the ring, taunt opponents, and encourage audience participation.
In traditional bouts, amulets are often used as forms of supernatural protection. Amulets are seen in modern urban bouts, too, but officials generally discourage the use of magical protection on the grounds of fairness. It is still common that amulets are placed in the feather filled pillows which fighters place in their wrapped fists, and fighters often scar their striking arm, rubbing salves and resins into the healing wounds which are meant to provide strength or defence. Some modern traveling boxing companies engage in ritual smoking of Hemp or Marijuana before bouts.
The stances and single wrapped fist of Hausa boxers bear visual resemblance to illustrations of Ancient Egyptian and Hellenistic boxers. This has caused speculation that Hausa boxing is directly related to Ancient Egyptian boxing and who influenced whom is always a contentious topic, but the argument is supported by theories that the Hausa people used to live farther east, toward Sudan, than they do today.
SOURCE :LITERATURE BY WIKIPEDIA.ORG
PHOTOS BY: JANE HAHN.
Although there are no formal weight classes, usually competitors in Dambe matches are fairly matched in size.
Matches last three rounds. There is no time-limit to these rounds. Instead, they end when: 1) there is no activity,
2) one of the participants or an official calls a halt,
or 3) a participant's hand, knee, or body touches the ground. Knocking the opponent down is called killing the opponent.
The primary weapon is the strong-side fist. The strong-side fist, known as the spear, is wrapped in a piece of cloth covered by tightly knotted cord. Some boxers dip their spear in sticky resin mixed with bits of broken glass. This, however, became an illegal practice. The lead hand, called the shield, is held with the open palm facing toward the opponent. The lead hand can be used to grab or hold as required.
The lead leg is often wrapped in a chain, and the chain-wrapped leg is then used for both offense and defense. The unwrapped back leg can also be used to kick. Because wrestling used to be allowed, and the goal of the game is to cause the opponent to fall down, kicks are more common than they used to be
Traditionally, contests took place between men of butchers’ guilds who would also challenge men from their village audiences. Drawn from a specific lower caste of Hausa society who were the only ones who could ritually slaughter animals and handle meat, traveling butchers formed boxing teams from their ranks called "armies". Their bouts took place at festivals marking the end of the harvest season, as clans of butchers would travel to slaughter animals for farm communities. Harvest also marked a time when rural communities were flush with money, so gambling on feats of strength became closely associated with these celebrations.
Today, participants are as often urban youths who train in gyms or backyards, competing year-round. While no longer the preserve of the Hausa butcher caste, the cofraternity aspect remains, as youths who join the professional ranks join a professional community which travels to perform bouts in carnival like appearances, complete with amplified sound systems and elaborate pre-match ritual. Side betting for spectators and prize purses for competitors remain an important part of the event.
During village bouts, contests take place in a cleared area called the battlefield, with spectators forming the boundaries of the ring. In modern urban bouts, local competitions take place in temporary rings, often setup outside meatpacking plants as members of traditional butcher castes still predominate. In these urban matches, participants wear shorts rather than loincloths. Sand filled West African Lutte Traditionnelle arenas, common in large towns, are used for larger bouts, and are often combined with traditional wrestling championships.
Whether traditional or modern, percussive music and chants precede the bouts. The music and chants are associated with both groups and individuals, and serve to call boxers to the ring, taunt opponents, and encourage audience participation.
In traditional bouts, amulets are often used as forms of supernatural protection. Amulets are seen in modern urban bouts, too, but officials generally discourage the use of magical protection on the grounds of fairness. It is still common that amulets are placed in the feather filled pillows which fighters place in their wrapped fists, and fighters often scar their striking arm, rubbing salves and resins into the healing wounds which are meant to provide strength or defence. Some modern traveling boxing companies engage in ritual smoking of Hemp or Marijuana before bouts.
The stances and single wrapped fist of Hausa boxers bear visual resemblance to illustrations of Ancient Egyptian and Hellenistic boxers. This has caused speculation that Hausa boxing is directly related to Ancient Egyptian boxing and who influenced whom is always a contentious topic, but the argument is supported by theories that the Hausa people used to live farther east, toward Sudan, than they do today.
SOURCE :LITERATURE BY WIKIPEDIA.ORG
PHOTOS BY: JANE HAHN.
Nwékpé mask from Ibom village
Nwékpé mask from Ibom village on Nkwo Ekpe Ibom day of the Ikeji. Ibom Village,Arochukwu, September 23, 1988. Nwekpe is a benign (i.e.,not aggressive) type of mask with an anthropomorphic headdress. Photo: Eli Bentor
African Arts, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Winter, 2005), Eli Bentor
African Arts, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Winter, 2005), Eli Bentor
MY FAMILY PHOTO 1978
This
family photo was taken MAY 1978 by Omega Universal Studio, No 19
Akerele, Surulere.Lagos Nigeria. I think my dad went to work that day or
must have travelled out of the country.
from left is Vivian, My humble self Greg, Tony and our most senior Leo and Gabriel is the one behind as the baby then.
Oya, let the yabiss start oh. i know sey I don find trouble today but na blogging una call am na..............
SOURCE: NWOKO PERSONAL PHOTO LIBRARY.
from left is Vivian, My humble self Greg, Tony and our most senior Leo and Gabriel is the one behind as the baby then.
Oya, let the yabiss start oh. i know sey I don find trouble today but na blogging una call am na..............
SOURCE: NWOKO PERSONAL PHOTO LIBRARY.
LEFT OVER MOTARS BY NIGERIAN ECOMOG TROOPS.
Sierra Leone 3 -UN soldier counting mortars that had been left by Nigerian ECOMOG peace keepers after they had pulled out of the area. YEAR 2000.
Nigerian Amry Check point Liberia
One of six security checkpoints on the 36 mile road leading from Roberts International Airport to Monrovia, Liberia. The checkpoint was manned by Nigerian ECOMOG troops.
IBB CONGRATULATES IGBINEDION.
Former Nigerian
President Ibrahim Babangida congratulated Sir Gabriel Igbinedion on the
acquisition of Okada's first B747 AIRCRAFT.
Source by: James Iniobong.
Source by: James Iniobong.
NIGERIAN ARMY IN LIBERIA
Nigerian ECOMOG soldiers drive through the streets of war-torn Monrovia in a MOWAG Piranha APC, 22nd April 1996.
SOURCE. ARMY HIGH COMMAND ABUJA.
SOURCE. ARMY HIGH COMMAND ABUJA.
Major General Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro
Major General
Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, pioneer Nigerian Field Commander of ECOMOG who
was famous for his effective blood-and-thunder style
Source: CORBIS
Source: CORBIS
SLAVE TRADE DOCUMENT 21ST NOV 1818
Document signed between the King of Bonny Kingdom (Rivers State) and the
Queen of England for the abolition of Slave Trade. The agreement was
dated '21st of Nov 1818'.
Source: Meseum Onikan
Source: Meseum Onikan
MAO AND GOWON 1974
Chairman Mao Zedong met with the then Head of State of the Military
Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of
Armed Forces, General Yakubu Gowon in Beijing (On September 10, 1974)
ALI TURNS 70 BIRTHDAY PHOTO BY TIME MAGAZINE
On his 70th birthday, TIME presents 70 iconic images (and one for good luck!) of the boxing legend and Civil Rights activist, as athletes, celebrities and photographers recall their favorite memories of The Greatest.
Source by TIME.COM
3 GREATEST FIGHTERS
Muhammad Ali: Previously unseen photographs of the Champ: Three great fighters, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Ali at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, NV Ali, in a Las Vegas hotel lobby with the legendary Middleweight Champion, Sugar Ray Robinson (left). Ali called him, 'the king, the master, my idol.' He is regarded as 'pound for pound, the best boxer of all time'. Between them is Sugar Ray Leonard, the first boxer to win titles in five different weight classes
Source. Telegraph.co.uk
DR ALBAN 'THE DENTIST'
Dr. Alban, born Alban Nwapa is a Stockholm, Sweden-based musician and producer with his own record label dr-records. His music can best be described as a Eurodance/hip-hop reggae with a dancehall style.
Alban Uzoma Nwapa had his secondary education at Christ The King College, Aba, Nigeria. He spent most of his youth in his hometown Oguta. At age 23, he traveled to Sweden to study dentistry. In order to be able to finance his studies, Nwapa started making music. He worked as a DJ in the Stockholm club 'Alphabet Street'. Very quickly his name became widely known, especially since Alban often sang to the records he put on the turntable. DJ René couldn't help but notice him and so he was discovered. Alban finished his studies and even opened his own dentistry practice, keeping his disk jockeying as a lucrative sideline.
In 1990, he met with Denniz PoP from the SweMix label. Together with Denniz and Rap-Queen Leila K, his first record, "Hello Africa" - his declaration of love for his African home - broke all records.
One year later this success was surpassed by the second album One Love. 1.6 million singles of the song "It's My Life" were sold (the single was even used as background music for a Tampax advert). It was #1 in the Netherlands, Israel and Germany and #2 in the UK. The following single "One Love" was #5 in Israel. The album immediately sold over 1.7 million units.
Dr. Alban is a cousin of another famous Nigerian musician, Charles "Charlie Boy" Oputa. He is also the uncle of Ricarda Wältken from the German Hip Hop Band Tic Tac Toe.
In 2008, he released a single with Haddaway, entitled "I Love The 90's".
Source: Wiki
Chinwe Azubuike
Chinwe Azubuike is a contemporary African Poet regarded as a strong female contemporary voice from Africa, born in Nigeria. An indegene of Imo State, she is the daughter of the late Wisdom Azubuike who served in the Biafran War, and Mary Azubuike, her mother.
Chinwe’s humble beginnings were a far cry from the literary educated class of poets- born into a relatively poor family. Over the past decade she has gradually crafted her own powerful voice and found a unique style of no-nonsense writing that comes directly from her heart- seeing herself as a spokeswoman for Nigeria’s deprived underclass.
The bulk of her work, which is reflected in her poetry, focuses on female issues; of love, life and torture with specific references to ethnic family traditions in Nigeria and West Africa.
Her meteoric rise in African literary circles came about following a talk she was invited to give on female circumcision for the BBC World Service in 2004. Since then, she has given various readings and spoken candidly on various radio stations in the capital. Her work, which includes a worldwide campaign for women, against the victimization and deprivation of human rights of “the Widow” in Nigeria- an issue borne out of her own bitter experience when her father sadly passed away, has been published in various online publications and offline magazines in London and throughout the world.
Source: Blacklooks
Chris Igwe
Chris Igwe is Managing Director of Chris Igwe International, based in Paris. The Company specialises in strategic retail and real estate advice to international companies.
Previously Chris worked for Consultants RMJM in Edinburgh, Scotland and then Laing Management Contracting Ltd on London’s acclaimed Stansted Airport project. He joined Swiss specialist contractor, Schmidlin, in Basle, Switzerland in 1990 as Senior Project Manager and was responsible for major international projects in Germany, Switzerland, Libya, England, Scotland, and France.
Chris is also Director of Retailp, the leading European retail real estate intelligence service provider.
Chris Igwe was educated at the International School, Geneva, Switzerland, and gained a BSc(Hons), in Civil Engineering at Newcastle University, England, and a Masters degree from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Eni G. Njoku
Dr. Eni Njoku is the Supervisor of the Water and Carbon Cycles Group. His current research interests are focused primarily on surface-atmosphere processes of the global water cycle and climate using spaceborne passive and active microwave techniques. He is a member of the EOS Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) science team, and was project scientist for the recent Hydros ESSP mission, investigating surface soil moisture and its role in hydrologic and ecological modeling, weather and climate prediction, and monitoring of natural hazards.
Dr. Njoku's other research activities have included: applications of microwave sensing and geophysical retrievals from spaceborne data in the land, ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere disciplines; technology studies utilizing large deployable antennas for spaceborne microwave sensing; and field campaigns for land surface studies using airborne microwave radiometers and radar systems. Dr. Njoku is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He also won a NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1985.
Ivy Uche Okoronkwo
Ivy Uche Okoronkwo holds the enviable record as the first female officer
to be appointed Commissioner of Police for a state command and that was
when she served in trouble-pruned Ekiti State.
She is also the first woman to head a zonal command in the 148-year history of the Force as she currently presides over the affairs of Zone 7 Police Headquarters at Abuja, overseeing operations in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger and Kaduna states.
Ivy,a native of Arochukwu in Abia State, enlisted in the police as Cadet Assistant Superintendent on August 1, 1978 after her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Criminology at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977.
On November 3, 2007, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Women in Nigeria and she is the president of Women Police Officers in West Africa.
She is also the first woman to head a zonal command in the 148-year history of the Force as she currently presides over the affairs of Zone 7 Police Headquarters at Abuja, overseeing operations in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger and Kaduna states.
Ivy,a native of Arochukwu in Abia State, enlisted in the police as Cadet Assistant Superintendent on August 1, 1978 after her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Criminology at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977.
On November 3, 2007, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Women in Nigeria and she is the president of Women Police Officers in West Africa.
Dr Ejine Okoroafor–Ezediaro
Dr Ejine Okoroafor–Ezediaro is a medical doctor living in New York. She originally hails from Oguta, Imo State, Nigeria. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria and MBBS from Vinnica State Medical University, Ukraine.
She is also the author of critically acclaimed A Rose in Bloom and its sequel, Pathos of a wilting Rose as well as poetry collection, Whimsical Rhapsody.
She is also the author of critically acclaimed A Rose in Bloom and its sequel, Pathos of a wilting Rose as well as poetry collection, Whimsical Rhapsody.
Thursday, 27 November 2014
FELA,LOU REED AND JACK HEALY 1986 NEW JERSEY USA.
Fela Kuti and Lou Reed with Jack Healy of Amnesty at the press
conference for the Amnesty Benefit Concert held at Giants Stadium at the
Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 15,1986. (Photo by
Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
BIAFRA WAR BURNT CORPSE 1968
APRIL: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) Fighters of the
Ibo ethnic group passing near a burned jeep with a corpse burnt to ashes
during the Biafra war in April, 1968 in Nigeria. (Photo by Fondation
Gilles CARON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
BIAFRA WAR IMAGES 1968
NIGERIA - NOVEMBER: Mercenaries bathing in a river during the Biafra war
in November, 1968 in Nigeria. (Photo by Fondation Gilles
CARON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)