Entertainment
From Fathia to Funke | By Tunde Busari
About five years after I had picked the cd from my distributor at Iyana Ipaja back then, I just found the time to watch the content of Fathia Balogun’s IYA ALALAKE. I recall that the poster, which advertised the film, stimulated my urge to pick the cd, seeing Fathia in a completely odd costume of a female musician behind microphone, backed up by men at a live show.
Regardless of the story being told by the film, Fathia proved she is an all-rounder performer by her proficiency, deliberately sustaining the humorous intent of the film with her regular chant of ofooro mantra at every tensed mood. I still want to believe that beyond theatre, the film is an exposition of a reality of life and times of a Yoruba female songbird with her beauty in being rave of her time and ugliness of being a nuisance to her supposed clients.
She determines which show to attend and which to snub even after having pocketed engagement fee. In predictable conspiracy with her manager acted by Muyiwa Ademola, she commits the crime without considering feelings of her disappointed clients. But she meets her match in a serving soldier whose wife insists in having Fathia performed at her occasion. As usual she disappoints and finds herself arrested and subjected to physical punishment by a team of soldiers.
It’s funny I could not watch the film to the end to have a full grasp of its theme. The disk was embarrassingly skipping and thus putting my patience to test. However, I must buy another copy of the two-part cd to enjoy the fun by Fathia, Iyabo Oko, her mother from whom she inherits music; Femi Adebayo, a band member, Sanyeri, another band member, Kamilu Compo, Fathia’s frustrated husband.
I enjoy dialogue between Fathia and that guy when he is pressed to assert himself as her husband over another disagreement. Fathia charges and reminds him the history of their marriage, including how she is the breadwinner in the matrimony. Wow! The man is speechless on the spot, perhaps wishing a force took him out of sight. His immediate reaction is a visit to Oga Bello, perhaps an uncle, to protest and seek permission to call it quit with Fathia. Oga Bello, however, advises him against divorce. The option he gives him unfortunately disappears with the skipping cd, denying me the rest of the hilarious story.
It is said that Fathia is a Delta blood but water of Lagoon in her system is thicker, for she is more Yoruba than an Ile-Ife daughter, for instance, born by parents who say Yoruba speaking is prohibited in their household. One who is not very deep in Yoruba culture would have messed the Iya Alalake character up because there are some non-verbal communication skills required to give more meaning to the script. God bless the talents of Fathia the more because she is really impressive in that film.
Before I sign off this Wednesday morning, I need to make a stopover at Funke Akindele’s residence with a warning to other celebrities to thread softly. If Funke had read my last week message through Alhaja Salawa Abeni titled BEHIND THE CURTAIN, she probably would not have got her fingers burnt.
I wrote: “The wisdom here is that celebrities should always be in charge of themselves, regardless of situations they find themselves. They shouldn’t be carried away by smiles or hard look of the public to fall cheaply and stupidly too into veiled traps by which they are surrounded.”
Prophetically, I added: “Assuredly, however, hers (Salawa Abeni) is not going to mark the end of such scandal as our celebrities appear to be unmindful of their status, thereby engaging in series of unholy acts behind the curtain and sometimes in the public. They should be reminded that lens of phones is watching everyone, everwhere and everything. So they should watch their back so that they don’t receive Salawa message.”
Will they listen? Hmmnn, time will tell. But certainly, failure to manage fame is a sickness plagued most of these people in entertainment, going by their occasional pellets which they fire at one another over trivial issues like skirt and blouse, shoes and bags, cars and other mundane acquisitions.
Entertainment
Eight Stabbed, Hundreds Arrested at Notting Hill Carnival
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that eight people were stabbed and hundreds were arrested during last weekend’s Notting Hill Carnival, one of the world’s largest street festivals, held annually in west London.
In an update on their policing operation late Monday, the Met reported that five people were stabbed on the final day of the three-day celebration, which is internationally renowned for its vibrant display of British Afro-Caribbean culture.
This followed three other stabbings on Sunday. Three of the victims were left in life-threatening conditions.
Police made at least 230 arrests on Monday alone, including 49 for possession of an offensive weapon.
These arrests added to the scores of others made earlier in the weekend. In addition to the arrests, three firearms were seized, and 35 officers sustained injuries during the event, which attracts around a million attendees every August bank holiday weekend.
The number of arrests and incidents this year closely mirrors last year’s figures when there were 10 stabbings and approximately 300 arrests.
Despite the heavy police presence, with around 7,000 officers deployed, the carnival was once again marred by violence, particularly knife crime. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of revellers enjoyed the event without incident, filling the streets of Notting Hill with colour, music, and dancing.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Ade Adelekan expressed his frustration over the recurring violence, noting that a woman attending the carnival with her child was among those stabbed.
“We only very narrowly avoided a fatality,” he said, urging attendees to report any crimes they witness.
The Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of British Afro-Caribbean culture, has its roots in the 1950s, following the post-World War II influx of immigrants from former British colonies.
The annual event is known for its feathered dancers, steel bands, and earth-shaking sound systems, symbolizing the rich cultural heritage of the Afro-Caribbean community in the UK.
Entertainment
Portable Granted Bail After Night in Police Cell Over ₦14m Debt
The Lagos State Police Command has freed renowned street artist, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, following a night spent in police detention.
Portable was apprehended on Tuesday in Lagos’ Abule Egba vicinity for purportedly defaulting on the balance payment for a G-Wagon vehicle he had purchased from an auto dealer.
Reports suggest that although the ‘Zazoo Zeh’ maestro acquired the vehicle valued at ₦27 million, he only disbursed ₦13 million, leaving a ₦14 million outstanding balance.
In footage that went viral, Portable was observed scaling a gate as law enforcement officers approached him with an arrest warrant.
Subsequently, another video emerged depicting him being restrained, handcuffed, and conveyed by approximately four policemen into a waiting vehicle.
During the altercation, a female voice, purportedly that of the car dealer, was heard in the background, issuing profanities and recounting Portable’s alleged threats when confronted about settling the debt.
The Police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that Portable was released on bail on Wednesday after spending Tuesday night in police custody.
He further disclosed that both Portable and the car dealer are expected to reconvene at a later date.
“He (Portable) has been released; he was granted bail on Wednesday to come back with the complainant later,” Hundeyin stated, stressing that “the outcome of that meeting will determine our next line of action.”
This incident marks not the first encounter between the singer and law enforcement.
In April 2023, Portable was detained by the police in Ogun State and arraigned on five charges related to alleged assault and theft at the Ifo Magistrate Court, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Subsequently, he was held at the Ilaro Correctional Centre before being released upon meeting bail conditions.
Entertainment
Autopsy Results Fail to Determine Cause of Mohbad’s Death
In a recent inquiry into the untimely demise of Nigerian musician, Ilerioluwa Aloba, better known as Mohbad, held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Sunday Osiyemi, a Forensic Scientist and Pathologist, revealed that the results of the autopsy conducted on the deceased failed to unveil the cause of death.
Speaking before Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, who presided over the coroner’s inquiry, Prof. Osiyemi cited various factors contributing to the inconclusive findings, notably the significant decomposition of the body due to the extended delay of 21 days before the autopsy was performed.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, representing Mohbad’s family, emphasised that according to the pathologist, the body should have been exhumed within 12 hours post-burial to prevent decomposition, a critical factor in determining the cause of death.
Shittu further elucidated that the pathologist referenced the administration of certain drugs to Mohbad before his demise, suggesting a potential correlation between the drugs and the difficulties encountered in pinpointing the cause of death.
“He also went further to say that it may be attributed to reactions to certain drugs administered on him before he died. Again he then qualified that to say he does not know whether it is those drugs that actually led to his death,” Shittu stated.
With the cause of death remaining elusive, the coroner adjourned the proceedings to June 11th for further examination and cross-examination of the pathologist’s findings, signaling a continuation in the quest for answers surrounding Mohbad’s untimely passing.
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