BY UZOR MAXIM UZOATU
The event sponsored by Globacom Unlimited at Eko Hotel & Suites was billed as “An Evening with Wole Soyinka and Nigeria’s Outstanding Literary Writers”. But something extraordinary happened when Tony Akudinobi, a designer from Aba, stepped forward to present an avant-garde chair to a very grateful Nobel Laureate. Then Akudinobi went ahead to read the poem “Dis Chair” as an accompaniment to the presentation. To say that this wowed Soyinka amounts to a very grave understatement. The Nobel Laureate who guards his privacy jealously has since offered a dinner date to Akudinobi.
Akudinobi, thus, became a standout feature of a GLO Unlimited evening which honoured the Nobel laureate alongside Caine Prize winners, Tope Folarin and E.C. Osondu as well as Seffi Atta, the winner of the 2006 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.
It needs to be recalled that Oyelana, a former University of Ibadan lecturer, had, in the 1980s, teamed up with Professor Soyinka to record a musical album “Unlimited Liability Company” that satirised corruption of the Second Republic politicians. Oyelana is reportedly the holder of the record as the musician to have sold the most albums by a Nigerian High Life songster.
He equally has the distinction as being one of the most played Yoruba musicians in history. D’banj, on his part, is a multi-award winner, notably Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards, Best International Act: Africa and Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards. Bez, the multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer, plays an innovative brand of music called “alternative soul,” a hybrid of soul, rock, jazz and R&B, which resonates with music buffs.
What the indomitable Tony Akudinobi brought to the evening was a home-brewed creativity per excellence. He has a formidable team backing his African Design Roundtable, notably Prof. E. B. Allagoa (Chairman), Prof Frank Ugiomoh, Prof Alabo, Dere-faka, Chike Amene, Jackie K’obani, Perrin Oglafa, and IB. Erekosima. Hammerhead Integrated Ltd. has grown into a 10,000 sq. ft. of floor space, engaging very dynamic and resourceful partnership of gifted and skilled craftsmen, concentrated supervision and the creation of sundry objects. Artistic deans like Sam Dede have teamed up with Akudinobi to shake up the atmosphere of the arts.