ARTS knows no culture, gender or religion

The project has been going on and the students are passionate about their ARTs work, we spent this week teaching students how to work with creative Arts materials and produce what is in their mind

And we have opened them up to the dimension of creative arts and how to communicate their minds through arts.

The students are excited and many of them are beginning to value their arts gift, a student of one of the polytechnic who saw the project banner came into the hall and volunteered to also assist us in teaching the students about the art project and how to work with paper.

Pictures we have attached are those of one of the arts class we were teaching and they were asked to do a practical work of the map of Africa and also to write about peace.

We have a little set back on the cultural dance because we now observed that most schools have not been very particular about cultural dances, so we have also as part of the project started carrying out enlighten campaign on the role of culture in peace building.

The beauty of what we are doing now is that, in the schools we also have Muslims and Christian students working together in their various arts project groups, this is aimed at passing a message that we can work together regardless of our differences and that ART truly can bring us together, because paints knows no gender, race or colour that is what we are projecting.

P.E.A.C.E. Project progresses to the next stage

Project Update

The students after going through their rounds of practicals from our peer instructors on Creative Arts, been able to express their thoughts and feelings through simple Arts and also going through the basics of Essay writing, they would this Saturday compete amongst themselves in the area of Creative Arts and also essay writing to know which of them would be able to express the best of what PEACE means to them.
Through the project funding we are making all materials free to them and the students are eager to show case what they have learnt.
The objective of teaching them this is that they can make the best of their emotions through the arts and use them as a tool for peace building and solving inter religious fights. Instead of drawing what will offend people (The case of the cartoon of Mohammed that drew wide spread criticism and almost a global case of violence) we can use arts for peace and also instead of writing stories against people in their classes or schools and other religion that can stir up strife and violence as young people we can turn that tool already.

Through the skills I learnt from the YAC course on Creative writing, I was able to also inform them on basic keys and shared with them the experience we had with the blog and also the importance of headlines and we encourage as many as have access to the internet to start blogging and they were greatly excited about the project.
A lot of school principal that their student could not participate were so angry that they have asked us if we can make it an annual event, increase the number of participating schools and also make room for more participants.

Jonathan using intimidation over Nigeria bombings: rivals

ABUJA (AFP) – Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's political rivals on Tuesday accused him of intimidation and witchhunting as an aide of a former military ruler was questioned over last week's bomb blasts.

Ibrahim Babangida's campaign chief for the next year's presidential elections, Raymond Dokpesi, was questioned by the state intelligence agents, as Jonathan met with former militants who assured that they had no role in Friday's attacks that killed 12 people.

More than 60 former rebel commanders and fighters from the oil rich Niger Delta went to tell Jonathan they were not involved in twin car bomb attacks in the capital as the west African country hosted 50th independence anniversary celebrations.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), in a statement claimed responsibility for the attacks.

MEND's former leader, Henry Okah was quickly arrested after the attacks in South Africa where he lives.

Four powerful politicians who are vying along with Jonathan for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party's ticket in next year's elections, said authorities' attempts to implicate Babangida's aide is a sign of intimidation.

"This latest attempt to demonise Dr Dokpesi and cast him in the mould of a terrorist is but a small part of an escalating culture of impunity, recklessness, intolerance and arbitrariness," said the politicians.

The statement was signed by Babangida and three other presidential hopefuls.

"We consider this as political witch-hunt," said Kassim Afegbua, Babangida's spokesman told AFP.

Jonathan is facing pressure from the four politicians amidst a row in the ruling party over whether to support him or a candidate from the mainly Muslim north.

The four are all Muslims while Jonathan is a southern Christian.

An unwritten PDP policy has long dictated that the party rotate its candidates between the Muslim north and predominantly Christian south every second term as a way of smoothing over ethnic, religious and social divides in the vast west African country.

Since president Umaru Yar'Adua, a Muslim, died before his first term was up, some argue another northern candidate should be chosen.

Meantime, Okah told the Qatar-based television station Al-Jazeera that he was arrested because he refused to play a part in implicating northern politicians in the bomb blast.

He said one of Jonathan's aide had called him and asked him to persuade MEND to retract its claim of responsibility for the Abuja attacks.

"They wanted to blame the attacks on northerners who are trying to fight against him (Jonathan) to come back as president. I declined to do this and a few hours later I was arrested," he said.

But Jonathan's office refuted Okah's claims as an "outright lie".

"He should face the charges and stop making frivolous claims," said Jonathan's spokesman Ima Niboro.

Jonathan has blamed the attacks on "a small terrorist group that resides outside Nigeria that was paid by some people."

On Tuesday dozens of former rebels visited Jonathan to tell him they played no role in the attacks.

"We are not part of the incident on the 1st of October," Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as 'Tompolo', told Jonathan at a meeting that was open to journalists.

"MEND is not involved," said Tompolo, claiming to be a leader of MEND, the most prominent of several groups in Nigeria's southern oil-rich swamps.

"I'm happy that you are here as the actors and leaders of MEND, to tell Nigerians and the rest of the world that it is not MEND that did it," he told the former fighters.

P.E.A.C.E. Project commences with excitement

P.E.A.C.E PROJECT
(Peace Education, Arts and Cultural Empowerment).

The project kicked of with four schools participating and it was an awesome time as we had over 40 students in attendance.
One of the highlight of the project was the excitement in the face of the students as they came into the hall for the commencement of the project. One of the objective is to use culture and arts to foster peace and teach the message of peace.
This week the students were taught the basics of creative arts and essay writing. They were taught by Lemuel David-Ogaga a fine art student of University of Benin, Lucky Ogumah the project director of Dare 2 Dream Youth Initiative a creative gifted artist and Ese Erakpotobor a student of College of Education Warri, who taught them the basics of Essay writing. All the teachers are volunteer workers with Dare 2 Dream Youth Initiative and are fully part of the project.
The students next week would have a competition amongst themselves on how they can promote peace through their arts and the best essay writer would also be given an award.



The Cultural troupes of the school would also participate in the competition; this is to encourage the use of culture in our schools and amongst our students
FEEDBACK:
The students were excited about the project as for a long time as opposed to inter school fights they are now seeing positive competition amongst themselves and at the same time, working on their creative arts skills.
Principals of the students that attended were so happy with the project and they want us to make it an annual event, as more schools are interested in participating in the project.
Ogaga E. Maxwell
E.D Dare 2 Dream Youth Initiative
Warri, Delta State, Nigeria