I'm Back... But you probably shouldn't bother reading this one...

Sooooooooooooooooo.... guess who's back? It is I... King of the Lagos Party. Hehhehehehe.


I realize it's been AGES since I last wrote anything new on here, and I apologize. It's Twitter's fault. Someone once told me "people are starting to realize that twitter is to blogs, what emails were to letters"; and it's soooo true. It is ridiculously convenient to just vent in short paragraphs on Twitter and engage people in their responses, and walahi (talahi gimme lighter) it has totally murdered my blogging habit.

In any case, I'm on a mission to attempt to fix this. I refuse to let go!!! Blogging/Writing/etc is a huge part of my artistic expression!!! (That sounds way more impressive than it actually is). Seriously though, I do hope to try and blog often again, because I enjoy it, and apparently some of you do too. (Sidebar: Thanks so much for all the comments on here; and a HUGE Thank you to everyone that follows the blog and has taken the time to read my random rants. I appreciate you guys, you're the best).

This particular post isn't anything special. Primarily, I just wanted to apologize for being missing-in-action. And now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd also like to vent about something very serious. No it's not politics or corruption (feel free to scroll down and read my last 2 or 3 posts for that). It's about my househelp/caretaker/etc. Let's call him "Simon". Feel free to stop reading now. Really.

I moved into my new house about 4 or so months ago. I hired Simon shortly afterwards. I'm now convinced about a few things. For one, Simon's main mission in life is to torture me. Really. I shall explain. Simon almost definitely has a severe case of A-D-D and SEVERE language/communication problems. I understand that he hails from a French Speaking African Country, and thus English is something he's picked up along the way, but damn. How he has survived in Naija this long without being able to properly communicate is nothing short of amazing. You tell him something and he turns around and does the EXACT opposite; and if you call him out on it, he gives you what can only be described as the best "deer-in-headlights" look you'll ever see. 

Me: "Simon, abeg, only use water from these bottles to fill the ice-cube tray. No dey use water from tap oh! Because e no clean. U Understand? Na only this bottled water u go use oh! ONLY bottled water!!!!"

Simon: "Yes."

PS: I think he answers every statement with "Yes". But that's another story. 

Two mins later, I come downstairs and guess what? Yes. Simon has fetched tap water in a bucket and is  now filling the ice cube trays with it. 

He's also either incredibly inept at budgeting, or he thinks he's incredibly smart at duping. Allow me to give you an example (there are so many to choose from)

Simon: "Oga, we need fruits. And shoe Polish"
Me: "Okay, pls write out the list and the total price"
Simon: "Yes"

Simon comes back with a list as follows: Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Pineapples. Black and Brown Polish. And a brush. N10,000.

Yes. TEN THOUSAND NAIRA for fruits and shoe polish!!!! You'd think the fruits were coming with a supermodel to feed them to you. You ask him what the hell he's thinking and yes, you guessed it... "Deer-in-headlights" again. And these are just two of MANY examples. Don't get me wrong though, he has his good sides. He's a nice guy... and I think he generally means well. Oh! And he's great at ironing. (That's if the clothes actually make it through the wash without discoloring or disintegrating. And... okay.. I'm reaching here... Okay I got nothing else at the moment.

But with Simon, I've come to realize that this is just who he is. He's a terrible cook, thus the meat will ALWAYS be too hard, or so soft it shreds into the stew. And it's either the food will be absolutely saltless or WAY too salty. The Jollof Rice will never ever ever be quite the right color. And every month, after receiving his salary, he comes to ask for a raise. 

Luckily for me, now that I've moved into the new place, my folks flew in to visit for the first time since I moved back to Nigeria. So I have Mom's home cooking for a couple weeks before they head back out. I'm seriously hoping that some of her cooking skills rub off on Simon, otherwise we will have to end our business relationship. Because in the wise words of great songwriter/poet who's name escapes me at the moment, "I can do bad all by myself".

Good to be back. Now log out and go follow @BankyW on twitter.
~ B.W.

What are you capable of?

Certain people feel like young people are incompetent, and incapable of leading Nigeria.. My natural reaction would be to rush to our defense, by referencing all the incredible things young people have done. History is full of instances were young people were the catalysts of change and victory all over the world... From the Biblical days of David & Goliath, to recent times when it was the youth that voted in President Obama.

But instead of trying to defend the youth, I choose to challenge us. What are the youth in Nigeria capable of? The time has come where there is no tomorrow. 60% of eligible voters in this country are classified as young. We can either choose to take back the power that has been taken from us or we let sleeping lions lie. One thing I know for sure is this: if we choose to, as in times past, tolerate the way things have always been; if we choose to do nothing... if we choose to say "God dey" and "it's Naija"; one thing is certain...NOTHING will change.

Albert Einstein said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Nigeria, is and always will be, a sorry shadow of its potential if we choose to let her remain that way. An unconscious/sleeping giant is less effective than a hardworking ant. The time is now. There is no tomorrow. We must collectively decide to change Nigeria. Now. Today. This very moment. The bad news is, big wheels turn slow. I don't expect PHCN/NEPA to give me electricity when I get home tonight. The good news is, while big wheels DO turn slow, they will turn. Or they'll get replaced.

America moved from being the chief proprietor of slavery to electing a black man of African descent as its President. This is no small feat. Call it blind optimism, but I believe Nigeria can achieve similar results with our Nation's historical problems. We can move from being a country rife with corruption, where power and governance are seen as a birthright, to a real true progressive democracy, if the young and young at heart collectively decide that enough is enough. Change begins when we decide that it should. Its about me. Its about you. Its about Us.

If Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (RIP) didn't decide to do what they did, America wouldn't have come this far; if people like Chief Gani Fawehinmi didn't stand up against all odds when he did, we wouldn't be here right now. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, after decades of fighting for justice, rejected one of Nigeria's highest honors in protest of the many years of misrule since Independence. These are people who believed in our freedom and potential so much that they paid with their lives. May we not let our passiveness result in their fighting and dying in vain.

If we do not stand up to become the architects of Nigeria's future, the opportunity will pass and we will have failed future generations. I don't want my unborn children to witness the same Nigeria I'm seeing now. Change begins with us, if we want it bad enough. If we really feel like enough is enough. If we believe and work hard; if we we sacrifice some of our convenience for the greater good, we can do this.

We must register to vote. We must select and vote for the right candidate. We must vow to defend and protect our vote. The ball is in our court. If we choose not to take back our power by not voting, then we have no right to complain when the same old villains loot and steal from us. We give up the right to complain about the problems later, when we choose not to vote in the first place.

To paraphrase an ancient proverb, we do not inherit Nigeria from our parents. We borrow it from our children. It's time to pay with interest.

~ B.W.

PS: I'm teaming up with some friends and colleagues (M.I., eLDee, #EnoughIsEnough, #Cool2Vote.org, #LightupNigeria etc) to put together youth voter registration rallies and efforts. As soon as its in order we will announce them everywhere. Please spread the word. It's not only cool2vote, it's necessary. Let's do this.

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." - Shakespeare

First, please read the quote pasted above. Let the gravity of those words sink into your system. Then, if you haven't already, and if you're strong enough to stomach witnessing sheer and absolute horror, please click on the following link: http://www.anglicandioceseofjos.org/dogo.html

There is no other quote that better describes the recent inhumane attacks in Jos, Nigeria. If "a picture is worth a thousand words", then what do we say of pictures like these? It's unimaginable. Each picture represents a horrific, gruesome murder. Innocent women, children (and men) were brutally ambushed, attacked, maimed and murdered worse than animals. It's unthinkable that in 2010, after the world has gone through so much progress and development, some of us in Nigeria are still living like this. It's heartbreaking to witness these events. It's heart-wrenching to think of what happened on the morning of March 7th. It's unfair and deplorable. It's mind-numbingly sad, pathetic, and downright insane.

But this is the Nigeria we live in. A country full of extremes. Extreme wealth and extreme poverty. Extreme Joy and extreme pain. It's hard to imagine that this is the same Nigeria that just hosted the U-17 World cup; that just celebrated it's 50th Year of Independence and boasts of some of the most expensive luxurious lifestyles in the world.

Nigeria is the most populous Black Nation in the world; it is also very much a melting pot. It is home to 250 to 400 different ethnic groups, and is almost evenly split amongst Muslims and Christians (not to mention various other traditional Religious Belief systems). However, while in some metropolitan areas of the world, vast diversity is generally a positive attribute, in Nigeria that diversity is ripping us apart. We are different, but that should be a strength.. not a disease. Instead of learning from each other we resort to fighting. Instead of maximizing our varying degrees of potential, we resort to killing each other.

How men can devise this kind of terrible plot is beyond me. News reports have put the death toll anywhere between 200 and 500 people. Probably More. Innocent lives snuffed out for absolutely ignorant, ridiculous reasons. Mothers and children. Families destroyed forever. All because of some ethnic disputes, disagreements over land, or even religious differences. What's sad about occurrences like this is the fact that usually, there's some underlying resentment towards policy, authority, Government or the powers that be. But instead of finding some other way to address these issues, people resort to killing other innocent (and probably-frustrated-as-well) human beings. Maybe you're justifiably upset at the way things have been... is that reason enough to take the life of someone else who is innocent, and like you, probably just trying to get by in these harsh times?

The worst thing about the Jos attacks is the fact that this is not the first time that we've witnessed such horror, and conventional wisdom says it won't be the last. There's a song on my last album called "Why", where I tried in my very limited capacity to speak from the heart on situations affecting our Nigeria. I specifically mentioned "fighting in Jos, killing one another no remorse". This song was created by Cobhams Asuquo and I over a year ago; I was inspired to write, when similar killings occurred and a friend of mine lost 2 immediate family members. Little did we know that the song would prove to not only be an account of times past, but a prophecy of things to come as we are now witnessing the same evil history repeat itself.

My heart aches for those that lost their lives in Jos and for the families that mourn them. My heart aches for the present state of Nigeria. My heart aches for the future of Nigeria, but it shouldn't have to. I once read that the definition of Insanity is repeating the same actions over and over, while expecting a different result. We are all frustrated with the political and economical climate in Nigeria. We all complain and we are quick to point out everything that has been so wrong for so many years, and rightfully so, because it's just pathetic. But if we decide as a generation to do nothing about it; if we decide to turn a blind eye and ignore the need for change, then our future generations will inherit the EXACT same issues. And that will mean that we have failed them.

We all witnessed the inauguration of President Barack Obama in the not too distant past. The whole world watched in awe, as America, once the chief criminal in slave trade, voted in its first Black President. We all know the U.S.A. still has issues its dealing with, but President Obama's swearing-in is a day that will forever go down in history as a day that changed America. Prior to Obama becoming Commander-in-Chief, most people thought that there would never be a Black Man voted in as President of the USA. Prior to Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and co, most people thought black people would never be able to vote in America and that Segregation would never be demolished. I put it to you that we CAN change Nigeria's future, using similar formulas. Obama became President largely because the younger generations (and those young at heart) decided to exercise their God-given rights by voting for change. We can do the same here in Naija.

Change does not happen overnight... Some will recall that in the USA in 1994 there was a revolution of sorts, but partly due to somewhat dubious circumstances (Florida, etc), the Bush Regime lasted an additional four years. We are used to Politicians in Nigeria treating Power as a birthright and votes not counting, despite our calling it a democracy. But in the same breath, how many of us actually turn out to vote? 2011 might be the year that changes our country forever. We may or may not succeed in toppling the "birthright-mindset" of our leaders immediately, but we MUST, in the very least, get the ball rolling. We the (young) people must decide that we are fed up of the nonsense we've seen for years and vow to change things.

We still have no constant power supply. We must vow to do everything within our power to get our government to #lightupnigeria. We have leaders that are complacent and corrupt. We must vow to register-to-vote and to actually vote. We can, possibly, abruptly change and take charge of the future of Nigeria in the 2011 elections. Or in the very least we can IMPACT it so that it never stays the same. We are fortunate enough to not have to deal with any Natural Disasters, like the recent earthquakes in Haiti, or the Tsunamis in Asia. It's time for us to stop BEING the disasters, and to start being part of the solutions. I will be one of many young people completely devoted to bringing about change in this country because I believe we deserve it and it's long overdue. I hope you will too.

Lastly, my heart still bleeds for Jos. I will never claim to be an expert on the problems that the region is dealing with, or the solutions. I do know however that we must all decide to collectively be a part of the change we all desperately hope for and deserve. May those who died Rest In Peace. May their deaths not be in Vain. May Peace reign in all parts of Nigeria and Africa. And lastly... May Change Come. Enough is enough.

~ B.W.

I will try and update this blog post with any relevant links for people that want to get involved, for now please check out:
http://www.lightupnigeria.org
http://www.enoughisenoughnigeria.com

"Thank You"

Earlier on this week, I was driving home from what constitutes a “long day” in my new line of work. I had been to the gym, choreography rehearsal, done an interview with a magazine and spent hours in the studio working on the final mixes for my new album. Suffice it to say that I was pooped, so the drive back home through the intense Lagos traffic was tough to stomach.

I’d also made the mistake of not bringing along any cd’s to listen to, so I was stuck flipping the radio from station to station, trying to find something to keep my mind off of the road, while honking my horn and cursing underneath my breath. Lagos drivers probably know what I mean. Let’s just say I wasn’t in the best of moods.
Anyway, while I was there, something… or someone caught my eye. There was this little boy running alongside the danfo bus in front of me, trying to sell oranges. He went through the whole process: first balancing the tray of oranges on his head while giving his sales pitch, trying to court customers. Then one of the bus riders showed enough interest for him to set his tray down and run back with a bag of oranges. The customer liked the bag but asked the boy to go back and peel them. So off he ran, back to his tray, peeling the oranges at lightening speed and cutting each one at the right angle; all while traffic inched along. When he finished he dashed right back to the bus and completed his sale. Total value of goods sold? 200 Naira, maybe (about $1.25 USD).

This is an everyday occurrence on the streets of Lagos, or any similar metropolis around the world. It happens all the time, and we think nothing of it. But I think God may have just used that moment to remind me of all the things we take for granted, everyday. This boy could not have been more than 10 years old, and here he was, working his butt off for a dollar at a time. At his age I was probably mostly concerned with my next toy or next pair of sneakers; this kid was already a “breadwinner”. I was sitting there grumbling in my air-conditioned car, while he had probably been on his feet all day long under the hot African sun. I didn’t like what I was listening to on the radio, but the soundtrack to his day was the blaring of horns and the screeching of tires. I’d probably spent on lunch what he makes in a week of hard labor.

This weekend in the U.S.A they will be celebrating Thanksgiving; essentially it’s a time when families will get together and celebrate. During my time over there, every thanksgiving, I’d get together with my siblings and my closest friends. None of our parents lived in the States, so we’d create a sort of extended family-friend ritual: all 15 or 20 of us young people in a house, hanging out, cooking, eating, and going out together. It was my favorite time of the year there because that was the one holiday we all managed to be together… and the highlight of it all was definitely the food. And of course the parties, etc. But right before we devoured the feast, we’d go around the table and each person would say what we were thankful for.
Fast-forward to today. I’ve relocated back to Lagos, so no more family-friend thanksgiving dinners for me. But after seeing that little boy this week, I’ve decided I still need to take the time to say what I’m thankful for, and ironically, just last Sunday my Pastor in Church preached about having an “attitude for gratitude”.

So here goes, in no particular order… I’m thankful for my parents and siblings, and all my relatives. I’m thankful for my friends, my business partners and colleagues; for my role models and support system. For my job and being able to do what I love for a living. For my nieces and nephews and for the joy I get in watching them grow. For being blessed with the gift of music. For every school I ever went to and the people that were a part of my life there. For Corona Primary school, Home Science, ADRAO, Colonie Central High, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. For the friends and coworkers I had at Johnson Controls Inc, and General Electric, McDonalds’, Guess, Eddie Bauer, JC Penney, and for my time at TREM, FOLC, and LFMIC. For my Empire Mates Entertainment family and for the industry I’m now blessed to be a part of. For anyone I’ve ever considered a close friend. For anyone that has ever been a fan of mine. For the rough times I’ve had this year and in years past that have made me a stronger person. For any ex-girlfriend I’ve had that made me a better man. For my favorite sports teams and my favorite Artistes, home and abroad. I’m grateful for the gift of family, friendship and love and for the precious gift of life and good health. For all this and for so much more, I’m eternally thankful and grateful.

Because the truth of the matter is, no matter how bad you have it or how rough things may be right now, there’s always someone who has it much worse. And by God’s grace it’ll get better anyway.

So there it is. Happy Thanksgiving folks! And Barka de Sallah to my Muslim friends!
~ B.W.

And finally... drumroll PUHLEEEASE...

Okay ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, allow me to present to you the
"Strong Ting" Video, FINALLY...




I really hope you like it, Lord knows we worked real hard. Check it out, feel free to share with your friends... all that good stuff.

Next up, Lagos Party. And then "the W Experience".
Thanx for coming along for the ride. Hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.

~ B.W. for EMEaaazzyyy

They say "You are what you eat"...

It's part of my job description now to do interviews... unfortunately most of the time they're boring and redundant. U get asked the same things over and over again, and it's hard to stay motivated to actually answer the questions. In any case, I got hit up this week with a set of interesting questions by a magazine called "Food and Country". It ended up being kinda fun, so I'm posting 'em here for you incase you want a good read. Enjoy...

FOOD & COUNTRY CELEBRITY QUESTIONNAIRE


1. Do you consider yourself a good cook?
- I have a limited menu that I’m pretty good at, but anything outside of that menu and you’re on your own. As a bachelor you learn how to make certain things just in case, you know, desperate times. I can make a variation of stew, efo riro (I think), pasta and chicken, breakfast food, plantains, and sandwiches. And then there’s the typical easy stuff like boiling rice, eggs, making eba, etc. That’s about it. But those that have tasted my pasta and chicken or my breakfast sandwiches will testify that they are very good. No accounts of food poisoning just yet.

2. What’s your favourite food?
- Any kind of rice with an assortment of chicken or beef.

3. Do you cook it? If yes, describe how.
- I prefer to have it cooked for me. I’m lazy.

4. Favourite drink?
- I drink mostly juice and water. My favorite juice in Nigeria at the moment is Five Alive’s Berry Blast. For a second they took it out of production and I actually ignited a series of complaints with my fans and friends on Facebook, Twitter and my blog (bankyw.blogspot.com). I don’t know if that’s the reason they brought it back, but that’s what we tell ourselves. There’s Berry Blast back on the shelves now so all is well with the world.

5. Favourite restaurants.
- Anywhere they sell rice and chicken/beef in big portions.

6. What’s your idea of good food?
- It’s good if it tastes great and is filling. That’s part of my problem with French Food. It’s not filling. And the one or two French restaurants I’ve been to in the past were also lacking in the taste department.

7. Food you’ve never tried out but would like to?
- I’m open to try just about anything… never gave it much thought. The only thing I’m not into is seafood, much to the chargrin of my mom, because it’s her favorite.

8. Worst culinary blunder.
- This is horrible to admit, but I once set a kitchen stove on fire. I was living in Upstate NY at the time, and I was about to fry plantains to eat with some rice and stew, and then an artiste was appearing on television I really wanted to see… so I left the kitchen and went to watch the tv in my bedroom, not realizing that I’d left the frying pan with oil on the fire… Needless to say the oil over-heated and set the stove ablaze!! I just realized there was thick smoke coming into the hallway… by the time it was said and done the fire department even came. Luckily my landlord was real cool about it, especially because his insurance company gave him a big fat cheque to cover the damage so he actually ended up throwing us a small pizza and beer get together. True story.

9. Funniest joke on food.
- Someone just sent this to me, so please don’t persecute me because I didn’t write it. “Someone went to a Naija Restaurant recently and asked for 5 Wraps of Eba, 2 Meat, 4 Pomo and 3 Yar Adua. The waiter serving asked the customer what he meant by Yar Adua, and the customer responded… Snail.”


10. Strangest food ever eaten.
- I went to a restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya a few years ago called “The Carnivore”. It was set up like the Brazilian all-the-meat-you-can-eat restaurants, except they brought everything from beef and chicken to zebra and alligator. Some of those other types of meat were “interesting”, to say the least.

11. Your position on the World food crisis.
- It’s something we need to pay urgent attention to… and by “we” I mean everyone from the Governments of Countries on downwards. Part of the problem is that in places like the U.S. and Europe, they don’t know what’s really going on because it’s mostly affecting poorer countries in places like Africa. But it’s terrible.

12. What’s vegetarianism to you?
- Torture. Plain and Simple

13. The last time you ate out; where and what did you eat?
- I ate out yesterday at a restaurant in VI, and I had a chicken and mushroom pizza.

14. If you were to eat a ‘last meal’ what would that be?
- I’d rather never be in a position where I have to choose my last meal.

15. Any culinary quirks that describe your person?
- People find it surprising that I’m not much of a sweet tooth. So I’m not into eating cakes, chocolates, candy, etc… And I eat way too much rice for my own good. I eat rice at least once a day (sometimes more). My mother would cringe at my current idea of a “balanced diet”.

16. If you had a opportunity to run a column in a food magazine, would you take it?
- If I did, it would probably be a disservice to the subscribers… I’m not an expert cook, and I’m not nearly knowledgeable enough in the field to offer any enlightening commentary. However, I’m an excellent top-of-the-line consumer.

~ B.W.

Strong Ting Teaser, Music Video Pleaserrrr... :o)~

So it's been over a month since my last blog... I've been locked up in the studio trying to put finishing touches on my new record "The W Experience". I'm kinda obsessive about making an album; I thought I was done with it a month or two ago, but then I decided it was missing some elements... so I've been back in the studio real hard... and it's coming together nicely... can't wait for everyone to hear it.

I promise I will return to blog-mode shortly; just need another week or two to wrap up the album and then we're home free. In the mean time, if u haven't already (shame on u!!!) please check out the trailer from my soon-to-be-released video for "Strong Ting"... I think you guys will really like the video. This is officially our attempt to enter the video-of-the-year-out-of-africa conversation :o)~

Banky W - Strong Ting Video Trailer... check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJSoLvKfA4 (the vid refused to load on my blog so pls just copy and paste this youtube link in ur browser)

Rumor has it that the video may or may not debut in a private exclusive invite only screening in Lagos Nigeria on or about the 20th of August, after which it will be officially released world wide.

Lemme know what you think... also there are pictures from the set on http://www.facebook.com/BankyW

The video was shot in Pretoria South Africa and directed by Eban Oliver of Production Militia Studios, currently arguably the best director in Africa. The next video shoot will be in September for "Lagos Party". Stay tuned for more on that. "Strong Ting" video coming so soon like a one minute man :oP The W Experience is on the way.

Cheers
~ B.W.