Although resonances of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are unexpected in Nigeria, in various ways political actors in Nigeria borrow tropes from the remote conflict to articulate local politics.... Show moreAlthough resonances of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are unexpected in Nigeria, in various ways political actors in Nigeria borrow tropes from the remote conflict to articulate local politics. Relatively autonomous foreign policies of the regions in the early independence period set the stage for contending orientations toward the Middle East, but imported concepts have more recently been deployed in Muslim and Christian politics. Show less
In present-day Nigeria there are twelve states that have adopted or implemented sharia law. These laws have spawned death sentences for two women accused of adultery. The cases have received... Show moreIn present-day Nigeria there are twelve states that have adopted or implemented sharia law. These laws have spawned death sentences for two women accused of adultery. The cases have received international attention, including the boycott of the Miss World contest in Nigeria by pageant contestants upset by the sentences, and the November riots and killings surrounding the pageant's controversy. The Nigerian Federal Government has already intervened to help free the first woman on appeal and to promise to protect the second, and has denied that the pageant was to blame for the riots. However, thousands more northern Nigerian women are affected by sharia laws, which attempt to limit forms of transportation for women and control when and how they will marry. Show less
Until recently, the study of the influence and image of religion in the rich visual art of the Yoruba, the largest ethnic group of Nigeria, was limited to indigenous and Christian religious... Show moreUntil recently, the study of the influence and image of religion in the rich visual art of the Yoruba, the largest ethnic group of Nigeria, was limited to indigenous and Christian religious terrains. However, contacts with Islamic culture predated other non-local religions and are also manifest in the artistic panorama of this group, offering a paradoxical image of enrichment and iconoclasm. A Yoruba saying confirms the antiquated history of Islam in their culture: Show less
The Plaza cinema squats on the edge of the Old City of Kano, Nigeria. Outside women sell bean cakes, men hawk cassettes, cigarettes, and oranges. Buses stop and taxis unload, disgorging passengers... Show moreThe Plaza cinema squats on the edge of the Old City of Kano, Nigeria. Outside women sell bean cakes, men hawk cassettes, cigarettes, and oranges. Buses stop and taxis unload, disgorging passengers who hurry on to catch other buses, different taxis. 'Drop me at the Plaza.' 'Meet me at the El Dorado.' These quotidian directions are uttered by urbanites who have little interest in going to the cinema but who have internalized the fact that cinema theatres, along with mosques, the post office, banks, and other institutions of the post-colony, architecturally punctuate the city. Their built forms create an abstract skeletal structure around which the city's nervous system circulates. Show less
