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(143): On Connection Regrets: My Excruciating Experience

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On Connection Regrets: My Excruciating Experience   By Muhsin Ibrahim Khadija, nicknamed Kashe-Kala, who I ‘re-nicknamed’ KKK, was one of my dearest classmates during our undergrad at Bayero University, Kano. Honestly, KKK, a sickle cell patient, was pretty, posh, and from a wealthy family. Hence that sobriquet. So, admittedly, I believed she was out of my league. However, we became so close. Despite our closeness, we disagreed pretty often. About a year after graduation, I met the lady I later married. The day I told KKK about my newfound love, she jokingly bragged that I chose this girlfriend because she’s her namesake: Khadija. On hearing this, some friends thought she loved me. It’s not true; our relationship was platonic. I had visited KKK’s house countless times. I barely missed seeing her at the hospital. Her relatives know me. I can’t forget the day I was riding my motorbike to their house when I stopped by the roadside to answer her call. From nowhere, someone snatched m
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(142): Will Nigeria break up?

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  Will Nigeria break up? By Muhsin Ibrahim Yes, Nigeria will someday break up. It may not be in our lifetime, but that is very likely to happen. It's a matter of time before the bomb explodes. Our disunity is more deeply entrenched than many people imagine. No country can progress while its people harbour hatred of this magnitude towards one another. The only way to avoid the above is to launch a massive yet well-crafted societal reorientation programme nationwide. Nigerians of all walks of life need reeducation on patriotism. We need to place our Nigerian identity above and beyond any other ethnic profile. We need to see and regard our neighbours as humans as we are. As things stand, our future is doomed. Call me a pessimist, alarmist or anything you want. Unfortunately, it's our sad reality. Look around you. Every accident and incident is viewed via an ethno-religious and regional prism. It's also treated as such. Why, for God's sake? Many of our so-called leaders and
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Location: Cologne, Germany
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(141): Ronaldo, Osaka and Us: Between grit and rethinking

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  By Muhsin Ibrahim (Twitter: @muhsin234)   Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, is unquestionably one of the greatest footballers in the world. Needless to say, he has lifted almost all trophies, except the World Cup. Notwithstanding, his recent performance at Manchester United is anything but superb. I am not a football pundit, but I am old enough to understand if someone is no longer in their prime or the odds do not favour them anymore.   Naomi Osaka, 24, is a much younger athlete than Ronaldo. She had a winning streak, including defeating her role model, the undisputable tennis GOAT, Sareena Williams. However, the lady luck stopped smiling at her after that remarkable performances and victories. Much unlike her much older athlete colleague (i.e. Ronaldo), she didn’t summon her grit at that time. Instead, she had a rethink. Thus, she tried the fashion industry and, well, succeeded.   In his book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know , Adam Grant subtly criticises
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Location: Cologne, Germany
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(140): Top 10 Kannywood Films of 2021

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The article was written by Muhsin Ibrahim & Habibu Ma'aruf for, and published by, the BBC Hausa service. Here is a link to a slightly different Hausa version published on their webpage:  Finafinan Kannywood mafiya shahara a 2021. We are yet again at the end of another year, 2021. Kannywood has seen so many good and bad events in the year. Prominent are; the demise of the veteran actress Zainab Booth and that of seasoned cameraman-cum-actor, Ahmad Aliyu Tage and Sani Garba SK. Also, a famous actress, Maryam Yahaya, suffered from a protracted illness; the conflicts between Adam Zango and his mentee, Ummi Rahab, and between Umma Shehu and the Kano State Hisba and some directors and the Kano censorship board. On the other hand, the industry has gotten a new cinema to screen its movies, and Netflix Naija contacted its stakeholder for a potential deal. Moreover, the rising stars; Garzali Miko, Zahra Diamond and Maryam Waziri have all tied the knot in the outgoing year. Despite the T.
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(139): After 16 years, Germans vote for Merkel’s successor

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  By  Muhsin Ibrahim German Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t need any introduction. Divorced and with a doctorate in Physics, Merkel, 67, has been a leader of Germany for sixteen years. She is the first woman to lead Europe’s economic powerhouse and the beacon of democracy. Chancellor Merkel wanted to leave in 2016. However, many people, including world leaders, encouraged her to stay. With Donald Trump coming to power in the US, Brexit knocking on the door of the European Union and the smoke of refugee crises still smouldering, almost everyone knew that Merkel was the best in that crucial position. Thus, she re-contested in 2017 and, expectedly, won. But, whatever has a beginning has an end. Germans go to poll tomorrow, Sunday 26, 2021, to elect Merkel’s successor. The electorates are practically voting for parties, not a particular candidate for the chancellery. The parties would, of course, want to have the majority to form a government, but it does not happen. Often if not always,
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(138): Kannywood and its Unending Scandals (III)

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Muhsin Ibrahim muhsin2008@gmail.com The maxim that says “actors and scandals are cousins” cannot be more accurate if one looks at the northern Nigerian-based Hausa film industry, Kannywood. This is the third of the series I started a couple of years ago. I have, of course, skipped writing about several other scandals for one reason or another. However, the ongoing ones are too prominent to escape my radar. Therefore, I will write about only two. The first one is a bolt from the blue. The conflict between the multitalented Kannywood actor Adam A. Zango and the up-and-coming actress, Ummi Rahab shocks followers of the film industry. Ms Rahab was Zango’s mentee about a decade ago. She was a child actor when Zango and Jamila Nagudu featured as her parents in a movie titled Ummi . The girl disappeared soon after the film. Why that happened remains a subject of debate, and it’s not the concern here.   A decade later, Ummi Rahab, now a gorgeous young lady, resurfaced in 2021. Her former men
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(137) Dear Netflix Naija, there are films and filmmakers in northern Nigeria

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By Muhsin Ibrahim muhsin2008@gmail.com Nigeria’s diversity cuts across many things, chiefly cultures, ethnicities, religions and regions. Although several commentators consider the northern part more Islamic and the southern one more Christian, Muslims and Christians, followers of traditional belief systems and non-religious folks may be seen everywhere. Due to these complexities, the country is a house to two significant film industries – Kannywood and Nollywood – with many smaller ones operating under these brands.   Kannywood , the name given to the “local” Hausa film industry with Kano State as its epicentre, is a distinct and autonomous film industry in northern Nigeria. Nollywood has its root in the South, has mainly Christianity and Western-influenced motifs as themes and produces films primarily in English or other southern Nigerian languages. For Kannywood, however, Islam is arguably the trademark, and the East remains their vital source of influence and inspiration.
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