EMOTAN MAGAZINE, Maiden Issue, August/September 1977.
PICTURE Credit: Tola Adenle, Benin City, Nigeria, March 1977
Camera: Canon AE1
My nephew, Bolanle Adamolekun of the University of Ibadan Medical School, Ibadan, Nigeria, had traveled with me to Benin, and my husband (Dr. Depo Adenle) who would later photograph many of Emotan’s covers as well as pictures of shows like the Black Beauty Expo in Washington, D.C. (Sammy Davis, Jr’s wife, Altovise was there) and Revlon’s Introduction to Nigerian Market (through Prince Albert Awofisayo’s Continental Pharmaceuticals) etcetera, had persuaded me to take along his prized Canon AE1 because a field trip clashed with the Benin trip. While he’s been a photography buff forever, I was an Instamatic Camera lady! I must mention that while Albert managed the business aspect of CP, Felix, his brother who was a Pharmacist, managed the production side.
Bolanle not only drove our Toyota Crown on that tortuous journey but we took turns taking pictures of each other beside the famed statue, pictures that I still keep, and one of these days, I may be bold enough to show the picture Bolanle took of me.
Meanwhile, I present the story of the woman that has become almost mythical but who was real flesh and blood. Stop by her statue when you visit Benin as suggested in her story above.
Bolanle, a 2004 Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University, is now an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Tola at Emotan Statue, 1977
TOLA ADENLE, Washington, D.C. Metro Area
July 7, 2011
August 16, 2012 at 8:52 pm
I like her pic indeed she is a role model
August 17, 2012 at 9:52 am
Dear Ms. Idehen,
Thanks. She was – and remains – a real role model. I agree that her image
is beautiful, and so is your Benin name, Adesuwa!
Regards,
TOLA.
December 28, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Madam’s analysis of the story of Emotan, the mother saint of Benin City is something worth reflecting upon.
True it is that heroine Emotan was a dedicated local market woman whose occult skills were put to good use by Oba Ewuare in the 15th century. Perhaps I should add this: Once upon a time during the colonial era in 1950, a commotion was caused in Benin by the pulling down of the tree sacred to Emotan, either by a tornado, by lightning, or as others said, by a French trader, during a demonstration with a hand-winch. The report had it that, for the atonement of this pulling down, 200 cows, 200 goats, 200 dogs, 200 cocks and hens, 200 rams, and 200 kola nuts, were needed, with 200 human beings, or their equivalent in cash. Of course, the items required for expiation in this instance were more than the execution of the Son of God as atonement for the sins of the world. Anyhow, in 1951, the Director of the British Council in Lagos, John Danford, assisted in re-modelling a 6 foot statue of Emotan at his studio in England to replace the one that was blown down.
But Madam made a profound statement “about African art in general … that they are closely tied to our past, our history, our religion and our social life.” Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, wrote in The Times (Nov 26, 2011), that the “God of Israel is the God of all humanity but the religion of Israel is not the religion of all humanity.” For, while “God later makes a covenant with Abraham … it is not a universal one. Neither Abraham nor his descendants are commanded to convert the world. On the contrary, they are given the task of being different, countercultural.”
Given Lord Sacks exposition, why should an ethnic group embrace a foreign religion to the detriment of its own culture and heritage? This is the basic question which has arisen here. Religion is a system of ideas governed by cultural rules specific to a particular ethnic group. May the spirit of heroine Emotan, and others like her such as Obatala, Sango, Oya and Ogun raise, at least, the authentic consciousness of the African peoples and especially of Nigerians that, in the words of Lord Sacks, “God creates cultural diversity just as he created biodiversity. There is only one God but there may be more than one path to his presence.”
Best regards
AO Ajetunmobi.
December 28, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Thanks, Dr. Ajetunmobi for this illuminating additional info. I’m speechless. I’ll put it up tomorrow so that others can have access to the very useful additional information. Regards, TOLA.
December 28, 2011 at 6:06 am
Nice story…only you can tell!
Enjoy your vacation ma
December 28, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Dear Dauda, Thanks, as always. Ku ipalemo odun.[May the New Year meet you & yours in peace and good health.] Regards, TOLA.
November 28, 2011 at 9:46 am
RIDDLE
I am something ,I am so large,
I house billions of people
I have two major colours
The green and the white.
Inside me, the people
Therein are great,I am rich but the
People inside me are poor,
I am fertile but am Not fully utilized.
I am green but the authority inside
Do not want to see me, they cut me down. I am
United but people insider, me are divided. I gave
Power to people I chose but they are using the
Power to harm me.
I chose some people,to shepherd my flock
But they are killing and, starving my sheep inspite
Of my green pasture, I gave them my name as
“great”but they changed me to “least”.
I was beautiful, I attracted people to me because
of my gift of nature.
I am blessed with human and
natural resources but those I chose made me ugly,
they pursue people from me
even my people are sent away from me
my chosen ones squander
my resources, they don’t
allow it to circulate among my sheep. i gave
them meat but my people eat bones.
They take my resources out of me and
keep it Idle from me but
Useful to stranger outside Me,
I have more than enough but I still borrow
I give out electricity but am in darkness.
My name was peace, love,Accountability,
and unity, but I was renamed as
trouble,Hatred , prodigal and Selfishness.
What am I? ( )
youcancomein@yahoo.com
+2348039412584
Daniel sam ugwo
July 26, 2011 at 8:04 pm
The picture does not show. Please correct to go with this interesting write up.
July 26, 2011 at 9:34 pm
The picture does show on my laptop. I wonder what’s going on because somebody also complained that the Stand Up 2 Cancer ad does not show when he opened the page today. Unfortunately, I’m no expert, a novice, really in these matters. Thanks. TOLA ADENLE.