INTRODUCTION AS EPILOGUE
Today’s posting is a blast from the past – thirty-two long years ago to be exact – when Emotan, the magazine that is, brought readers the refreshing face to match the beautiful voice of she who would become Nigeria’s “Lady of Songs”. At the time, Emotan had been on for a little over two years and for a bimonthly magazine that it started as, we had had eleven issues but none of the women interviewed for “Our Kind of People” column was as young as Xtie – or would ever be. In fact, most were old enough to be her mom: Mrs. Sade Ogunlade; Late Mrs. Adeline Oseni; Louanne Finkel-Smith (wife of retired Col. Dr. Jide Smith; Much-decorated Marie-Therese Basse of Senegal who won the 1979 Italian Donna dell’anno” (Woman of the Year award) for the International Year of the Woman. Ms. Basse’s competitors for the prestigious award included Late Corretta Scott-King; Wanda Rukiewicz, the first woman to scale Everest, etcetera.
In fact, Xtie had not been born when Ms. Basse got married in 1957 nor was she yet born when Auntie Mrs. Alakija (daughter of Late Sir Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife) got married in the 50s. While Barbara Mintah (nee Clark) from St. Petersburg, Florida who moved to Ghana after marriage and after her college degree and a Columbia University MBA was young back when Ngozi Morah interviewed her for Emotan in New York to be featured in our Vol. 2 No. 5 in 1979, she was already in her mid-twenties unlike Xtie who was just about twenty years old.
As mentioned in the July 1st posting, I had decided to use Xtie’s interview to mark emotan.com’s 100th day and had gotten it ready enough to have mistakenly posted it about two weeks before her death. After Friday’s Obit for the beloved songstress, a reader who checks in every morning into this blog, and often again during the day, got in touch that he did see the posting which was not that legible. It was a scanned copy and I was waiting for the 6th before making it legible but did not realize for some time my mistake. I then withdrew it.
I wanted to shout out Xtie’s name and achievements again and what she meant to us oldies and, surprisingly, many younger Nigerians. Little did I know it would become a farewell tribute.
I’ll end this look-back with a twist on a Shakespearian quote from Julius Caesar: while the words of Julius Caesar stood against the world yesterday and today, he lies there, Xtie’s voice in songs roused the world yesterday and today, still lives on. [But yesterday the word of Caesar might have stood against the world. Now lies he there ...]
May you find eternal rest with the Lord, Xtie, and may God grant your husband and the children strength and comfort in the very difficult days and years ahead.
In the short period this blog has been on, it’s reached quite a few milestones including the first posting on March 29, 2011 and the first visitor on the same day which may sound like nothing but those who have personal blogs would appreciate the anxiety a blogger might entertain on such a day: will anybody stop by? Other mileposts have included the first comments, the first 180+ view day, etcetera.
Today as this blogger and her blog celebrate our “Lady of Songs”, I present the first posting from the long-rested magazine. I hope to have all the issues available to me up – as earlier promised – including advertisements seemingly from the Dark Ages – no, not designs – when 60-inch table fans retailed for N59.00 (fifty-nine) naira, Phillips refrigerators sold for N209.00 – N589.00, etcetera.
Just as Emotan tried to feature women of African descent back then, emotanafricana.com which name this blog assumed last week will continue along that tradition [see Ms. Basse and Ms. Mintah above], and will go further afield into the world beyond as it’s done these last 100 days although this time, it’s not a forum for women only.
Welcome to emotanafricana.com which I must state here as I’ve stated before, is NOT a news blog but MAINLY a home for all my past journalistic endeavors. When I feel the urge and capability to contribute to discourse on subjects stated in the categories here, or I get contributions expressed in very civil way that align with these subjects, I’d use them.
While I appreciate your feedback/comments, I will not use comments that show very poor judgement. emotanafricana.com is not responsible, nor can it be held liable for feedbacks and comments or any form of inaccuracies as the comments are not edited, nor are names used by bloggers, verified.
[Emotan Vol. 3 No. 9, 1980.]
Post Script: Dupe Oresegun, who has always loved to write though a Second Class Upper degree in Physics from the University of Ibadan (UI) was already in her kitty when she started writing a column, GETTING DOWN, for Emotan. She has since added loads of other educational & professional achievements: a Masters in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Ibadan. She was a Senior Lecturer in Nuclear Physics at UI and a one-time staff for several years at the IAEA Vienna HQ before taking up appointment as Director, Nigerian National Radiological Authority at Abuja. Dupe is now an international private consultant in her area of specialization.