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Showing posts from December, 2016

(80): Kannywood Movie Review: HIJIRA

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Director :         Iliyasu Abdulmumini Tantiri Producer :       Naziru Dan Hajiya Story:               Iliyasu Abdulmumini Tantiri Language :      Hausa Year :               2016 Company :      Kumo Production Introduction The Hijra (migration/exodus) of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah is an epoch in the history of Islam. It is featured notably in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Although the Prophet was born and raised in Makkah and had preached there for many years, persecution forced him and the few who believed him to migrate. The Islamic Hijri calendar began at that time. The choice of the title for the film cannot be unconnected to the Prophet’s Hijra. The bond between cinema and orthodox religious and cultural institutions is often  marked by disquiet. Many people reject the film, seeing it as a subtle way to debase their religion and culture. Presentations of bedroom scenes, or virtually anything d

(79): The Reign of Bigotry, Disunity and Provincialism in Nigeria

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Muhsin Ibrahim @muhsin234 This is a compilation of the 2 posts I made on Facebook on December 3 rd , 2016 on two related and burning national issues. Enjoy: On the Deaths of Corps Members There was a furore in the news Friday (02/12/2016) that a female corps member, Ifedolapo Oladepo, died in the Kano orientation camp. No doubt, her death is unfortunate and very heartbreaking especially for her loved ones, but how the story was/is told left me dumbfounded and shocked. The whole saga was territorialised, regionalised, and localized as if the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme was a state business. Thus, Kano is blamed. It’s, after all, Nigeria, and the North is almost always portrayed in bad light. To some southerners, nothing comes out of this ‘Almajiri-populated’ enclave. My suspicion was corroborated by the reaction ‘generated’ by yet another death of another female corps member identified as Miss Elechi Chiyerum.  This occurred not in the North but at