The Coronation Ceremonies of an Oba of Benin

Prince Eheneden

The coronation ceremonies of an Oba of Benin usually last about 10 days. They begin from Egua-Edaiken, the traditional residence of the heir-apparent to the Benin Throne. On a day fixed by the Edaiken, he is escorted by his Uselu people on his journey back to Benin City. On the way he stops at an historical palm tree named "Udin ama-mieson aimiuwa" (translated to mean "work before pleasure") which the Edaiken "climbs" symbolically. This little ceremony dates its origin to the time of Oba Ewuare the Great whose life as heir apparent to the throne was characterised by long suffering which included periods when he personally had to climb palm trees on this spot to cut the fruits for a living. This act of suffering by the father of the first Edaiken has ever since been re-enacted in a symbolic way by every Edaiken. From the palm tree the Edaiken continues his journey to Benin City; but at the first moat called (lya-akpan) in the vicinity of where the firm of Mid-Motors (Nigeria) Limited now stands, the Uselu chief in the procession take leave of the Edaiken and return to Uselu while the Edaiken is thereafter escorted into the City by Oredo Chiefs.

The Edaiken enters the City via Iguisi (now Lagos Street) and proceeds to Eko-Ohae (bachelors camp) where he stays for three days. After three days at Eko-Ohae the Edaiken continues his journey to Usama, the venue of the traditional Coronation rites. Usama was the site where Orominyan, the father of Eweka I, built the first Palace and all succeeding Obas from Eweka I were crowned and lived there, until Oba Ewedo in the 13th century moved the palace to the present site in the centre of the town, The Edaiken remains in Usama for 7 days performing all the rituals and ceremonies of the Oba.   Before the expiration of 7 days, he visits Use, a village a few kilometers outside Benin, where he performs the ceremony for choosing the name he will answer as the Oba of Benin. This tradition started during the period of Oba Eweka I whose maternal grand-father, Ogie-Egor, lived in the next door village of Egor. When Prince Oromiyan left Benin, he left behind his Bini wife who was pregnant in the care of her father the Ogie of Egor. The woman delivered a male child who was dumb from birth. The maternal grand-father then sent him to Use, the mother's village, for treatment, but when he grew up and still could not talk, words were sent to his father at Uhe. His father sent 7 magical akhue with which the dumb Prince participated in the popular village game known as akhue. With only one seed remaining on the ground and every player having failed to strike it, the young Prince used the magical akhue from his father and succeeded in striking down the remaining seed. Excited by this feat, he spoke for the first time exclaiming in Yoruba, Owomika (my hand has struck it). He later assumed this expression for a title which became corrupted to Eweka.

Governor Oshiomhole pays respect to Benin Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa Having picked a name at Use, the Edaiken returns to Usama where the crowning ceremony is performed by Oliha, the leader of the Uzama and proclaims Edaiken in his newly acquired name as the Oba of Benin. It is significant to note that until the ceremony at Use, the Edaiken never knows before hand what name he is going to be crowned with. From this moment also the Edaiken ceases to use his personal names and he is henceforth known by the new name of an Oba. Also significant is the fact that both at Egor and Use, there still exist almost in their original form the shrines established by the diviners and the native doctors who brought the magical akhue seeds from Uhe. After the crowning ceremony the new Oba then leaves Usama on the 7th day for the town centre to be proclaimed and presented to Benin people. On his way to the City he stops at lsekherhe to perform the ceremonial crossing of a bridge, a reminder of the day Oba Ewedo on a similar journey erected a bridge to enable him pass lsekherhe territory without stepping on the ground. After crossing the bridge the Oba and his entourage engage in a mock battle with Ogiamien and his followers. The resistance of Ogiamien forces collapses while the Oba and his entourage proceed to Urho-Okpota. Urho-Okpota (the gate of Okpota) dates its existence to the era of Oba Ozolua about 15th Century, and it is the area now known as "Ring Road" including where Exhibition Centre and the Local Governrnen't Secretariat now stand.   Okpota was a powerful native doctor who prepared a charm of good luck for the Oba. It is said that the charm which was buried at the gate of the Palace brought prosperity to the Kingdom. The Oba lodged Okpota in a house near the Palace in the area of the present day Exhibition Centre. The verandah to his house soon became a meeting place for the elders, even for the Oba, and Urhokpota has ever since remained a Centre for meeting and useful deliberations. For the same reason Oba Eweka II chose the site for building the new Native Court, now known as Exhibition Centre. The ceremony at Urhokpota completed, the new Oba then moves into the Palace as the Oba of Benin. But he still has Ogiamien's challenge to meet and so 7 days after, he assembles his troops and proceeds to Ekiokpagha where he engages in a mock battle with Ogiamien, a reminder of the real battle between Oba Ewedo and Ogiamien in the 13th century when the latter attempted to prevent the former from entering the City from Usama. By the treaty between the two, Ogiamien surrendered his claim to the ownership of land to the Oba. Source:Edofolks.com

Former Bread Saler Olajumoke Orisaguna is Nigeria Google’s most searched

Former Bread Saler Olajumoke Orisaguna is Google’s most Searched Person on the net in the List of top10 most searched.

The Killing Culture Of The Neo-Nomadic By Wole Soyinka

Culture is closely intertwined with tourism - the former, in fact, often drives the latter. The destination uppermost in the minds of most tourists we know is  - Culture. This means that both share friends and - enemies. Of the principal enemies, seeing that we find ourselves within the precincts of governance, I intend to engage your attention in this brief address to just one: Insecurity. That inability of any vacationist to let go completely, relax, submit oneself completely to the offerings of a new environment - the sounds, sights, smells, textures and taste. Of Culture itself, in and or out of the touristic intent, there is no ambiguity in the mind of its enemies. They make no bones about their detestation - call them Taliban, Daesh or Isis, Al Shabbab or Boko Haram. Their hatred is pathological and impassioned to a degree that goes beyond the pale, beyond insanity and sadly beyond cure. The duty of governance towards such retrogressive outbreaks remains unambiguous.

After Boko Haram, what next?  In fact, at this moment, Boko Haram has no ‘after’ since it is by no means ended, no matter what technical expressions such as “militarily degraded’ means. But let us assume indeed that we are already in the past of Boko Haram. It is now clear that the succession is already decided, the ‘vacated’ space is already conceded, and that the new territorial aspirants are already securely positioned. The entire nation appears to be theirs without a struggle, and the continuity of an established Nigerian necropolis north to south and east to west is being consolidated. 

Some necropoles are actually architecturally fascinating. They attract visitors from distant places, but those are works of veneration, artistry, and dedication. They are visual feasts, among whose structures the visitors actually picnic, leave flowers and symbolic gifts to hovering ancestors. Latin America is full of them. The Nigerian widening necropoles leave only the taste of bile in the mouth, the corrosion of hate, stench and rage.

When I read a short while ago, the Presidential assurance to this nation that the current homicidal escalation between the cattle prowlers and farming communities would soon be over, I felt mortified. He had the solution, he said. Cattle ranches were being set up, and in another 18 months, rustlings, destruction of livelihood and killings from herdsmen would be ‘a thing of the past’.  Eighteen months, he assured the nation. I believe his Minister of Agriculture echoed that later, but with a less dispiriting time schema. Neither, however, could be considered a message of solace and reassurance for the ordinary Nigerian farmer and the lengthening cast of victims, much less to an intending tourist to the Forest Retreat of Tinana in the Rivers, the Ikogosi Springs or the moslem architectural heritage of the ancient city of Kano. In any case, the external tourists have less hazardous options.

However there is also internal tourism, to be considered a premium asset - both economically and in the spirit of nation building and personal edification. This was an exercise I indulged in the early sixties as a by-product of other engagements, such as research. A lot, however, was simply under curiosity. I can claim modestly claim to be among the top twenty-five percent internally traveled Nigerians, acquainted with the smells, textures, and tastes of their geographical habitation. I wish the late Segun Olusola were around to testify to the sudden bouts of tourist explorations we made in his Volkswagen Beetle in the pre-war sixties.

But now, would the adventurous young set out to visit the mystery caves of Anambra and its alleged curative pools from mere interest? They would think twice about it. It is not merely arbitrary violence that reigns across the nation but total, undisputed impunity. Impunity evolves and becomes integrated into conduct when crime occurs, and no legal, logical and moral response is offered. I have yet to hear this government articulate a firm policy of non-tolerance for the serial massacres have become the nation’s identification stamp.  I have not heard an order given that any cattle herders caught with sophisticated firearms be instantly disarmed, arrested, placed on trial, and his cattle confiscated. The nation is treated to an eighteen-month optimistic plan which, to make matters worse, smacks of abject appeasement and encouragement of violence on innocents. Let me repeat, and of course, I only ask to be corrected if wrong: I have yet to encounter a terse, rigorous, soldierly and uncompromising language from this leadership, one that threatens a response to this unconscionable blood-letting that would make even Boko Haram repudiate its founding clerics.

It is now close to a year since I attempted to utilize the Open Forum platform of the Centre for Culture and International Understanding, Oshogbo, to launch a national debate on the topic  -  SACRED COWS OR SACRED RIGHTS. The signs were already clear, and the rampage of impunity was already manifesting a cultic intensity of alarming proportions. For reasons which are too distasteful to go into here, the forum did not take place. We were already agreed that General Buhari be invited to give a keynote address, based on his long experience in such matters as former head of state, and as a cattle rearer himself who might be able to penetrate the mentality of this ‘post-Boko Haram’ pestilence.' That challenge remains open, but should now involve this gathering, which surely includes tourist and educational agencies. They should join hands with human rights organizations, the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming, and local Vigilante associations, etc. It is a gauntlet thrown down to be picked up, and urgently, by any of the affected or troubled sectors of society, or indeed any capable and interested party at this conference. The CBCIU is prepared to collaborate.

Let me narrate a personal experience - just one among many - that was brought home to me, right against my doorstep. Before that specific happening, I had observed a change of quality in forest encounters with cattle herdsmen over the years. These changes had become sufficiently alarming for me to arrange meetings with a few governors and, later, with the late National Security Adviser General Azazi. At the time, we thought that they were Boko Haram, infiltrating into the south under the guise of cattle herding. That was then, and of course, that surmise has never been firmly proven or disproved.

Recently, however, I returned from a trip outside the country about to find that my home ground had been invaded, and a brand-new “Appian way” sliced through my sanctuary. That ‘motorable' path was made by the hoofed invaders. Both the improvised entry and exit are now blocked, but interested journalists are invited to visit. In over two decades of living in that ecological preserve, no such intrusion had ever occurred. I have no idea whether they were Fulani or Futa Jalon herdsmen but, they were cattle herders, and they had cut a crude swathe through my private grounds. I made enquiries and sent alerts around, including through the Baale of our neighborhood village. There has been no repeat, and hopefully, it will remain the first and last of such invasion. What it portends, however, is for all thinking citizens to reflect upon, and take concerted measures against.

Herdsmen, let us appreciate, are perhaps humanity’s earliest known tourists. They must be taught however that there is a culture of settlement, and learn to seek accommodation with settled hosts wherever encountered. The leadership of any society cannot stand idly and offer solutions that implicitly deem the massacres of innocents mere incidents on the way to that learning school. For every crime, there is a punishment, for every violation, there must be restitution. The nomads of the world cannot place themselves above the law of settled humanity. 

Wole SOYINKA

Address to the National Conference on Culture and Tourism. April 27, 2016

Herdsmen’s attacks threatening Nigeria’s unity – Igbo senators

The South-East Senate Caucus on Thursday warned of imminent danger and possible threat to the unity of Nigeria if the Federal Government failed to urgently address the Enugu massacre carried out by Fulani herdsmen.

The Igbo senators stated this in a statement by the member, representing Abia South in the upper chamber, Enyinaya Abaribe, at the end of their emergency meeting held in Abuja.

They did not only condemn the attack, which left over 50 persons dead and scores driven out of their homes, but also called for a summit of the South-East and South-South states on the issue.

They said governors, members of the National and state Houses of Assembly, socio-cultural associations, traditional rulers and major stakeholders should mandatorily be part of the proposed meeting.

According to the lawmakers, the emergency summit will review and evaluate the very scary situation and proffer a coordinated response that will ensure the security of lives and property of their people.

The caucus added, “We can no longer sit and watch while our people are daily slaughtered like fowls without even attracting the cursory routine condemnation by the Presidency.

“We are even more appalled that despite the alarm raised by the Ukpabi Nimbo community of an imminent attack by the Fulani herdsmen and the associated vague assurances by the chairman of Fulani community in Enugu that such attack would not happen, yet the security agencies failed to prevent the attack that happened two days after the alarm.

“It is disheartening what is happening, and somebody has to take responsibility. That somebody has to be the institution of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the Senate on Thursday set up an ad hoc committee to conduct comprehensive investigations into the attacks in Nimbo community and recommend ways of curtailing future attacks across the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North) at the plenary presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is also from Enugu State.

The senators, at the end of the debate, which lasted for about one hour and 30 minutes, also summoned the Service Chiefs to appear before them and brief them in a closed-door session.

They also urged the Nigeria Police Force to introduce stop-and-search of the herdsmen moving in the bush or on the main roads to detect those who could be carrying arms.

Source:Punch Newspapers.

People with albinism in Malawi face 'total extinction' - UN

Blantyre - A United Nations human rights expert has described Malawians living with albinism as "an endangered group facing a risk of systemic extinction over time if nothing is done".

"Persons with albinism, and parents of children with albinism, constantly live in fear of attack," said Ikponwosa Ero, the UN independent expert on the rights of persons with albinism, at the end of her visit to Malawi.

Ero, in a statement released on Friday, observed that many people living with albinism did not sleep peacefully and had deliberately restricted their movement to the minimum to avoid falling prey to the abductors and killers.

"The frequent involvement of close relatives in cases of attacks is highly disturbing, and persons with albinism are unable to trust even those who are supposed to care for and protect them. Consequently, persons with albinism in the current context of attacks are locked in a spiral of fear and poverty," she said.

Ero described the situation in Malawi as "an emergency and a crisis disturbing in its proportions".

Severe sentence

Police in Malawi have recorded 65 cases of albino abductions since late 2014. The number of people with albinism is around 10 000 out of the country’s estimated population of 17 million.

About 20 people living with albinism have been killed so far, the latest case being that of a girl whose uncle played a role in facilitating her abduction and eventual killing.

A court in Malawi’s rural district of Dowa on Thursday sentenced the uncle (Gerald Phiri) and his accomplice to 17 years imprisonment for aiding in the abduction of the 21-year-old Eneless Nkhata, who was later found murdered.

The sentence is a landmark as it is the most severe delivered so far in cases relating to albino abductions and killings that are haunting Malawi.

The stiff sentence comes after Association of People with Albinism in Malawi (Apam) protested a four-year jail term given by another court recently to two men who attempted to abduct and murder a 4-year-old child with albinism.

Ero said the fight should go beyond stiff punishments, as "addressing the root causes of attacks, in particular why they are happening, is indispensable to eradicating them. It is worrying to note that witchcraft beliefs and practices are widespread in Malawi, although often a taboo topic.”

Malawi Information Minister Patricia Kaliati has lambasted some witchdoctors for perpetrating the killings.

"Some witchdoctors are fuelling the atrocities. We will take the battle against the abductions and the killings to their doorstep, even if it means stopping some of them from practising their trade. That is our serious warning," she said.

Source:News24

Prince Ehenden Installed the Edaiken N'Uselu

Several centuries of unalloyed tradition and custom of the ancient Benin Kingdom came to the fore to widespread accolade as the kingdom literally stood still for several hours on Saturday when Crown Prince, Eheneden Erediauwa was installed the Edaiken N’Uselu.

The installation comes a few weeks after the crown prince was initiated into the Royal Palace Chamber of Iwebo in conformity with the Benin custom.

It is expected that more initiations and ceremonies involving the crown prince would take place in the next few weeks.Before the installation which involved a long trek of about four kilometres from the palace, the prince visited some shrines inside the palace before taking his seat at a prepared space after some ceremonies where his wives and siblings came to pay obeisance.

The moderator of the ceremony announced in Benin dialect that the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolopolor, Oba Erediauwa had directed that the people of the kingdom be informed that his son and heir apparent was proceeding to Uselu to become the Edaiken N’Uselu.

The Guardian gathered that he would be in the traditional ground in Uselu for at least 90 days where he is expected to preside over activities with support from Uselu chiefs.

The traditional trek attracted eminent personalities across the state and the kingdom including palace chiefs, the state Governor Adams Oshiomhole, his deputy, Pius Odubu, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Godwin Obaseki, business mogul, Hosa Okunbor and several other personalities.

There were different traditional groups who escorted the prince to Uselu.The trek started from the palace to the Oba Market, Lagos Street to connect Iyaro and Urubi streets and then to Uselu and the Edaiken traditional ground where a mammoth crowd and dignitaries were already waiting.

Before the procession took off from the palace, Oshiomhole paid homage to the crown prince.There were hundreds of women and youth groups from across the kingdom who in their thousands escorted the crown prince to Uselu traditional grounds.

According to tradition, the procession heralds the beginning of a new dawn in the history of the ancient Benin Kingdom, the Edo State capital.

There was a large crowd of supporters who thronged the ancient palace to participate in the colourful ceremony, while shops, markets and other businesses were temporarily shut in honour for the crown prince.

All adjoining streets and major roads linking traditional shines and worship centres were cordoned off by security operatives deployed to ensure the peaceful exercise while men of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were on ground to control traffic.

Titled chiefs dressed in-red-and- white over flowing and half Ebuluku traditional attire added colour to the procession which ended at five junctions within the city.

Women groups adorned in Benin traditional attire, drummers and entertainers, youths, politicians and government officials led by Oshiomhole had defied the scorching sun to await the prince who arrived clad in a white and red traditional regalia.
He had on a pair of dark glasses which did not hide his smiles as he arrived in the company of first class Benin palace chiefs.

They first drove in a convoy alongside a team of security officials from his private residence in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) to the palace around 2:00 p.m. and had a brief consultation with palace chiefs before the trek began.

At the Iyaro moat before Five Junction where the Benin chiefs handed him over to chiefs from Uselu, some sacrifices were made before the crown prince continued his journey to the traditional ground.

In a brief interview with The Guardian, Okunbor said: “This is one kingdom that holds its original values till today. We are following the Edaiken of Uselu to his home in Uselu. It is a procession that all the sons and daughters of this town are proud of.

We are very proud to escort him to his residence at Uselu today. It is a beginning of what you will soon see unfold, I cannot go into details but we are escorting our crown prince to his Uselu residence.

“We will trek there and we will be proud to trek there and be with him. This is a heritage that I belong to and it is a heritage I am very proud of and most of us are very proud of this heritage that has retained its original values for over 700 years and it has not been adulterated. How I wish this country still had the same values we had when we were growing up that we would be so proud of.

Sadly, those values around which we were raised are no longer there and that is why we have problems. For me, I belong to an age-long heritage that has its original values and we are very proud to be part of it.”

Culled from The Guardian

The Oba of Benin has joined his ancestors

 The Oba of Benin Kingdom, Omo n’Oba Erediauwa Akpolokpolo I, is reportedly dead.
According to The Nation, the death of the late Oba was announced on Friday afternoon by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe.
The late Oba, has for the last year, been battling a yet to be disclosed illness.

Quote of the day

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them"
    -James A. Baldwin

Urhobo Traditional Marriage Picture

Urhobo Tradtional Marriage Picture. Lovely!

1st 3 Story Building in Lagos, Nigeria

Ebun House(85 Odunfa St.) owned by a Sierra Leonean immigrant, was the 1st 3-story building built in Lagos in 1913



Source:SeeMeSeeNigeria

Patrick Vieira- Arsenal Great!

Another relative unknown arrived at Highbury in late 1996 alongside Arsène Wenger. His name was Patrick Vieira and, together with his new manager, the midfielder went on to reshape the complexion of the Club, embarking on a journey to two domestic Doubles and an historic unbeaten Premier League campaign.

Vieira with the FA Cup-2004

The rigours of England’s top flight were never going to be an issue for the 6ft 4ins Vieira and his physical stature was as imposing as his powerhouse performances in the heart of Gunners midfield. Under the tutelage of his compatriot Wenger, Vieira blossomed into one of the world’s finest in his position, a remarkable athlete who could both win the ball and distribute it effectively

oreign players often plead for time to settle and, in the Wenger era alone, the likes of Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars, Robert Pires, Alex Hleb, Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Adebayor all needed the luxury of weeks or months before finding somewhere near top gear. Vieira broke the mould. Almost instantly the towering Frenchman stamped his authority on the Premier League and, alongside Emmanuel Petit, swept the Gunners to Double glory in his first full season.

But what made Vieira special was that his graft came hand in hand with craft. The composure and quality of his passing meant that, as well as quelling the threat of the opposition, Patrick became a vital cog in Wenger's forward-thrusting machine. There were few more graceful sights in football than Vieira holding off an opponent in a congested midfield before flicking the ball over his head and racing away downfield to spark another Arsenal attack. He was simply a class act.

Goals weren’t frequent but when they did arrive they were invariably spectacular or crucial. There are the long-range net-busters against Newcastle and Manchester United which showcased Vieira’s power, but then the dinked finish to conclude a sweeping move against Liverpool which illustrated an astute football mind. Later in his Arsenal career the Frenchman slipped home a third-minute opener as Wenger’s side clinched the title at White Hart Lane, and he netted the decisive goal to conclude the ‘Invincible’ season, against Leicester City at Highbury.
As the years progressed Vieira’s influence grew and, after Tony Adams bought the curtain down on his own fabulous career, Patrick was named Club captain in summer 2002. And with authority came maturity. The ill-discipline that had sometimes marred the Frenchman’s performance was phased out. Needless to say his bite and enthusiasm remained and those infamous battles with Manchester United captain Roy Keane raged as fiercely as ever.

Vieira’s absence through injury in the closing months of the 2002/03 campaign was partly responsible for Arsenal’s failure to secure back-to-back. But he bounced back and was a formidable force in the following season’s success, and again as the Gunners clinched their third FA Cup of the decade with defeat of Manchester United on penalties. Few imagined his decisive spot-kick would be Vieira’s final act in an Arsenal shirt but it was fitting to end on a high note.

Source:arsenal.com

The Igbo Farm Village in Virginia, USA

The Igbo Farm Village: built in Virginia,USA by the DC USA chapter of Anambra State to preserve the Igbos’ heritage

Serena Williams in Peoples Magazine. Her fans are upset

A heavily photo shopped Serena Williams photo on the cover of People magazine upset her fans.



The real Serena Williams.

Photo Speak- Chief Festus Okotie Oboh

Chief Festus Sam Okotie-Eboh(1919-1966) was a prominent and flamboyant Nigerian politician and minister of finance during the administration of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Bob Marley: Ten Things You Never Knew About Him

Ten Things You Never Knew About Bob Marley

Worshiped by millions, Rastafarian reggae superstar Bob Marley captivated audiences worldwide. We delved deep to find some hidden truths about the Jamaican legend.

1. Bob Marley’s original name was Nesta Robert Marley but his middle and first name were swapped around to preserve his masculinity after a comment was made that Nesta was seen as a girl’s name. This was not the only thing which was noticeably different from his birth certificate. After Bob was born on 6th February 1945, it took his mother a while to finally get him officially registered, meaning the date on his birth certificate was incorrect, stating he was born on 6th April.

2. From the age of four it was discovered Bob Marley could read palms. When Cedella (Bob’s mother) first heard of this from relatives and neighbours she took it as a joke. These palm readings invariably came true, which left his mother quite shaken. When Bob was a lot older and returned to Kingston, a woman asked him to read her palm - he replied: “I’m not reading no more hand: I’m singing now.”

3. In Kingston Bob Marley was known by the natives as a “white boy”. This was due to his mixed raced origins being clearly visible in his facial skin. This made Bob feel very alienated although was a huge aid in helping him build up his confidence and self-esteem, turning him into the man he was.

4. When Bob was at school his best subject was mathematics. He didn’t stay in school for long though, and left at a young age when he managed to secure himself as an apprentice welder. After a dangerous injury in which a piece of metal flew into his eye, he decided to leave, ultimately for the whole world’s benefit.

5. After being arrested for possession of marijuana, the singer spent a month in prison, during which time he met many prisoners that he formed strong relationships with. These prisoners motivated him to write songs with a more political message.

6. The record label Tuff Gong was set up by Bob. It was named after his self-made nickname. This record label now boasts one of the largest audio recording facilities in the Caribbean.

7. Bob was well known for being a bit of a ladies man. Throughout his life he had an involvement in many different women’s lives. Several of these women bore him children - he had one main chat-up line: “Yuh wan have ma baby?” Apparently he used this a little bit too much. 

8. Once he’d found success Marley became extremely generous with this money. Having grown up in a poor family in Jamaica he knew how difficult it was to get by. He decided to put his goodwill into practice by buying houses for friends and supported many of the poor in Jamaica.

9. A 1977 football injury led doctors to discover a malignant melanoma in Marley’s toe. They recommended amputation, but he refused for religious reasons. The tumour then spread, which ultimately caused his death.

10. When Bob was terminally ill he wanted to end his days in Jamaica, but unfortunately, on the Germany to Jamaica journey, didn’t make it past Miami. Ever the romantic, he was buried on home turf along with a soccer ball, his Gibson Les Paul guitar, and a bud of marijuana. 

Words by Jess Longstaff

Thought Of The Day

"Don't wait until a friend cries for help to be of service. A good friend anticipates and gives you a life jacket before you're drowning". -Peabo Bryson

Mohammad Ali, The Greatest!

He boasted he was "The Greatest," and in the prime of his charismatic career, many agreed. But as brilliant as Muhammad Ali was in the ring, perhaps his true greatness was outside it when he fought the United States government. His refusal to accept induction into the armed forces on religious grounds cost him millions and his heavyweight title, but in the end Ali came up victorious in the most significant battle of his life.

	In his second fight against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali celebrated his recent name change by knocking out the former champ in the first round.

The sports world is filled with showmen and great athletes, but perhaps never were they better combined than in the young man who began life as Cassius Clay and became a worldwide phenomenon as Muhammad Ali. The man who bragged about his ability to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" went from being a curious oddity in the early 1960s to a national villain to an international hero. And now, his body limited by Parkinson's disease, he reigns as one of the most beloved men on the planet.
He was born Jan. 18, 1942, in Louisville, Ky. Clay, who started fighting at the age of 12, won two national Golden Gloves middleweight championships and an AAU national light-heavyweight title. Soon after graduating from high school, Clay won the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
In his early pro bouts, Clay showed unbelievable hand and foot speed for someone 6-foot-3 and about 190 pounds. As he developed, he showed a stinging jab and an improving right hand. He held his hands low and avoided punches to the head by bobbing out of the way.
The brash youngster was a terrific self-promoter, mugging for the camera and boasting that not only was he the greatest fighter, he also was the prettiest. He predicted in rhyme, with unerring accuracy, the round in which he would knock out his opponent ("They all fall/in the round I call"). In a period when interest in boxing had waned, Clay revitalized the sport.
While he had brought life to the sport, the boxing press was not convinced Clay was ready to dethrone heavyweight champ Sonny Liston. Before the Feb. 25, 1964 fight in Miami Beach, 43 of 46 writers predicted a Liston victory. A 7-1 underdog, Clay scored a stunning upset when Liston didn't come out for the seventh round, claiming a shoulder injury.
The next morning he confirms he had joined the Nation of Islam. On March 6, the sect's leader, Elijah Muhammad, gave a radio address which he declared the name Cassius Clay lacked a "divine meaning." He gave him the muslim name "Muhammad Ali." Muhammad meant one worthy of praise, and Ali was the name of a cousin of the prophets.
The popular opinion was that the heavyweight champ shouldn't be preaching what was considered a "hate religion." Ali's popularity nose-dived.
Promoters shied away from his rematch with Liston, and it was held in front of only a few thousand fans in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965. Liston never made it past the first round, Ali scoring a knockout with what some claim was a "phantom punch." Six months later, Ali unmercifully punished former champ Floyd Patterson before the fight was stopped in the 12th round.
Ali successfully defended his title seven more times through March 22, 1967. But his TKO of Zora Folley was his last fight in the ring for 3½ years. Now, Ali's opponent was Uncle Sam. When the military attempted to draft him, Ali said he was a conscientious objector. "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong," he had said in 1966.

ZONE

Appearing for his scheduled induction on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more Ali refused to budge when his name was called.
That day, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit.
At the trial two months later, the jury, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, found Ali guilty. The judge imposed the maximum sentence. After a court of appeals upheld the conviction, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. During this time, people turned against the war, and support for Ali grew.
Eight months before the Supreme Court ruled, Ali returned to the ring. There was no state commission in Georgia, and on Oct. 26, 1970, Ali scored a third-round TKO over Jerry Quarry in Atlanta. Six weeks later, he registered a 15th-round TKO over Oscar Bonavena in New York.
Two undefeated heavyweights stepped into the ring in Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971 in what was billed as "The Fight of the Century." Joe Frazier and Ali each received then-record purses of $2.5 million. Remarkably, the fight lived up to the hype. The two punched at a furious pace, with Frazier applying unrelenting pressure and Ali answering with rapid combinations. A sweeping left hook by Frazier decked Ali in the 15th round. While Frazier left with a battered face, he also exited with the unanimous decision and his title.
Ali, however, claimed victory in a bigger decision three months later when the Supreme Court ruled in his favor.
After following the Frazier loss with 10 victorious fights, Ali dropped a 12-round decision to Ken Norton, who broke Ali's jaw. Ali reversed that decision later in 1973.
The second Ali-Frazier fight, on Jan. 28, 1974, didn't live up to the standards set by the first, but it still was a good one. Ali gained a unanimous decision, setting up a match with George Foreman, who had knocked out Frazier for the title.
"You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned?" Ali said. "Wait till I whup George Foreman's behind."
The Rumble in the Jungle was fought in the pre-dawn hours in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali, a 7-1 underdog, introduced the Rope-a-Dope, where he stood flatfooted against the ropes and covered up as Foreman flailed away. By the eighth round, the unbeaten champion was exhausted, and Ali knocked him out. He had become the second heavyweight (Patterson was the first) to regain the title.
Ali had become America's champion. The most vilified athlete of the '60s had become the most heroic of the '70s. A man denounced as anti-America in 1967 was invited to the White House in 1974.
Eleven months after whupping Foreman came the Thrilla in Manila. Ali took the early rounds before Frazier hammered away in the middle rounds. But Ali showed the heart of the champion in the late rounds. He staggered Frazier in the 13th and, with the challenger's eye swollen shut, pummeled him in the 14th. When the bell rang for Round 15, Eddie Futch, Frazier's trainer, threw in the towel.
An overconfident Ali lost his title on Feb. 15, 1978 when Leon Spinks, a 1976 Olympic gold medalist who had only seven fights as a pro, took a split decision. Ali regained the title from Spinks seven months later, winning a unanimous decision. He had become the first three-time heavyweight champion. It would be his last victory.
The following June, Ali announced his retirement. But money brought him back, and Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick beat him in his last two fights. Ali, with a 56-5 record, retired for good.
Unfortunately, all the punches he suffered had taken an effect. In 1984, Ali learned he had Parkinson's disease, a neurological syndrome characterized by tremors, rigidity of muscles and slowness of speech and movement. While the disease has left him a shadow of his former self, he still attempts to spread good will. Only now he does it with smiling eyes rather than his Louisville Lip.



At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ali again stood alone in the spotlight. With the world watching, he steadied his trembling hands to light the flaming cauldron and signal the start of the Games. Tears were shed by many, as the man whose beliefs had once divided a nation was now a unifying -- and beloved -- force.

By Larry Schwartz
ESPN.

Prince Left No will

Prince died without a will, six siblings likely to share fortune

Music superstar Prince left no known will when he died last week, his sister said in court documents on Tuesday listing his six siblings or half-siblings as heirs to a legacy estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

The sister, Tyka Nelson, asked that a special administrator be appointed to handle Prince's affairs and that she be appointed to probate his estate.

In documents filed in a state court in Carver County, Minnesota, Nelson listed herself and five other siblings or half-siblings as Prince's heirs but gave no value of his assets or debts.

Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, was married and divorced twice. Under Minnesota law, Prince's assets are likely to be split evenly between the siblings, according to attorney Stephen Hopkins.

The value of his music catalog alone has been estimated at over $500 million, according to Prince's first manager, Owen Husney. That included potential licensing rights for film, TV, commercials and videogames that Prince rarely exploited, Husney said last week.

The influential singer, musician and songwriter behind hits like "Purple Rain" was found dead at age 57 on Thursday in an elevator at his Paisley Park Studios compound in a Minneapolis suburb. The cause of death was not yet known.

Michael Kosnitzky, a New York- and Miami-based attorney who advises the extremely wealthy, said he was surprised Prince had died without a will, given the artist's tendency to control his image, likeness, name and recordings.

"... That he would put himself in a position that he would lose control of those things at death I found very surprising," Kosnitzky said.

"What is to stop someone who controls his estate from saying that they’re going to promote purple Skittles?" he said, referring to Prince's signature color and the popular candy, adding that he did not think Prince would approve.

In her court filings, Nelson said she did not know of the existence of a will and had "no reason to believe that the Decedent executed testamentary documents in any form."

She proposed the Bremer Bank in Minnesota as special administrator, saying it had done business for years with Prince.

Since his death, sales of his albums have soared; more than 2.3 million songs and some 580,000 albums have sold since Thursday, according to Nielsen Music. [nL2N17S1QA}

Aside from royalties from his more than 30 albums, Prince regained ownership of his master recordings after a dispute with his Warner Bros. (TWX.N) music label.

He was also said to have a cache of unheard recordings, including an album cut with late jazz trumpet great Miles Davis.

Hopkins, the Minnesota attorney, predicted a long, drawn-out case over Prince's assets, probably lasting years.

Source: Reuters 

Ever Wonder What Happens to Your Body When You Sleep?

What happens to your body while you're asleep

We spend about one-third of our lives asleep. But far from being wasted time, from the moment we slide into unconsciousness, a whole raft of functions takes place to make sure that we get optimal benefit from our nightly rest.

Sleep is the time the body can undergo repair and detoxification. Poor sleep patterns are linked to poor health - and those who sleep less than six hours a night have a shorter life expectancy than those who sleep for longer. So sleep has a profound effect on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Here, Daily Mail writer Angela Epstein explains how the body works on when we drift off.

The brain

Sleep may seem to be a passive and dormant state, but even though activity in the cortex - the surface of the brain - drops by about 40 per cent while we are in the first phases of sleep, the brain remains highly active during later stages of the night.

A typical night's sleep comprises five different sleep cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes. The first four stages of each cycle are regarded as quiet sleep or non-rapid eye move-ment (NREM). The final stage is denoted by rapid eye movement (REM).

During the first stage of sleep, brain waves are small undulations. During stage two these intersperse with electrical signals called sleep spindles - small bursts of activity lasting a couple of seconds which keep us in a state of quiet readiness.

As stage two merges into stage three, the brain waves continue to deepen into large slow waves. The larger and slower the brain wave, the deeper the sleep. Stage four is reached when 50 per cent of the waves are slow.

At this point, we are not taxed mentally and 40 per cent of the usual blood flow to the brain is diverted to the muscles to restore energy. However, during the REM that follows there is a high level of brain activity.

This is the stage associated with dreaming and is triggered by the pons - the part of the brain stem that relays nerve impulses between the spinal cord and the brain - and neighbouring structures.

The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. It also sends signals to turn off motor neurons in the spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis and so preventing us from acting upon our dreams.

REM sleep is thought to help consolidate memory and emotion, as at this point in sleep blood flow rises sharply in several brain areas linked to processing memories and emotional experiences. In areas involving complex reasoning and language, blood flow declines.

The eyes

Though covered by lids, the movement of the eyes denotes the different stages of sleep.

On first falling into semi-consciousness, the eyes roll. But as we move into deeper sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) occurs when the eyes twitch and dart about.

This REM occurs within about 90 minutes of falling asleep and recurs about every 90 minutes throughout the night. It denotes a time when most dreaming is done.

Although brain activity is high at this point, the muscles of the body are relaxed to a point of virtual paralysis. Some experts suggest that this is a device to allow the mind to explore the realms of subconscious without acting upon events occurring in dreams.

Hormones

During our waking hours, the body burns oxygen and food to provide energy. This is known as a catabolic state, in which more energy is spent than conserved, using up the body's resources.

This state is dominated by the work of stimulating hormones such as adrenaline and natural cortisteroids. However, when we sleep we move into an anabolic state - in which energy conservation, repair and growth take over. Levels of adrenaline and corticosteroids drop and the body starts to produce human growth hormone (HGH).

A protein hormone, HGH promotes the growth, maintenance and repair of muscles and bones by facilitating the use of amino acids (the essential building blocks of protein). Every tissue in the body is renewed faster during sleep than at any time when awake.

Melatonin is another hormone produced to help us sleep. Secreted by the pineal gland deep in the brain, it helps control body rhythms and sleep-wake cycles.

Levels of melatonin rise as the body temperature falls, to encourage feelings of sleepiness. The opposite occurs to wake us up.

It is mostly during sleep that the sex hormone testosterone and the fertility hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone and leuteinising hormone, are secreted.

Immune system

Research suggests that sleeping more when fighting infectious illness aids recovery.

This may be due to the immune system's increased production of certain proteins during sleep, as the levels of certain agents which fight disease rise during sleep and drop when we are awake.

Getting enough sleep can also help resist infection, as some studies of healthy young adults have shown that moderate amounts of sleep deprivation reduce the levels of white blood cells which form part of the body's defence system.

A cancer killer called TNF - tumour necrosis factor - also pumps through our veins when we are asleep. Research has shown that people who stayed up until 3am had one-third fewer cells containing TNF the next day, and that the effectiveness of those remaining was greatly reduced. JUST as the world is governed by light and dark, human beings also have an inbuilt body clock called the circadian rhythm.

Housed in the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, it causes 24 hour fluctuations in many bodily activities. It also governs the body's daily alternation between sleep and wakefulness, and works on a 24-hour cycle to let the body 'know' when sleep is coming.

The circadian rhythm regulates all the processes of the body, from digestion to cell renewal. All these body rhythms are triggered by an action of a network of chemical messengers and nerves which are controlled by the circadian clock.

Ensuring regular periods of sleep at night lets the bodyclock regulate hormone production, so that you feel wakeful and alert during the day and ready to enjoy restorative sleep at night.

Body temperature

In the evening, body temperature, along with levels of wakeful hormones such as adrenaline, start to drop. Some sweating may occur, as the body is immobile and tries to combat losing heat.

Body temperature continues to fall throughout the night. By about 5am it has dropped to about one degree centigrade below the temperature it was in the evening.

At the same time, our metabolic rate drops too. This is the time of day when you would feel most tired, as the low temperature coincides with adrenaline at its lowest level.

Low body temperatures increase your likelihood of sleeping deeply and so give the body chance to rest and rebuild. As body temperature starts to rise, it remains more difficult to stay in a deep sleep.

The skin

The top layer of the skin is made of closely packed dead cells which are constantly shed during day. During deep sleep, the skin's metabolic rate speeds up and many of the body's cells show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins.

Since proteins are the building blocks needed for cell growth and for the repair of damage from factors like ultraviolet rays, deep sleep may indeed be beauty sleep.

Daytime sleep will not compensate for loss of nightly 'beauty sleep' as the energy needed for tissue repair is not available during daylight because it is being used elsewhere.

Breathing

When we fall asleep, throat muscles relax so that the throat gets narrower each time we inhale.

Snoring occurs when the throat is narrowed to a slit and parts of the airway vibrate because of a resistance to breathing. Air is forced through the narrow air passage, causing the soft palate and uvula to vibrate.

Those who snore are more likely to have poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, which allows the tongue to fall backwards into the airways. Being overweight or having large tonsils and adenoids also contribute to snoring.

However, impaired breathing during sleep can cause a condition called sleep apnoea.

Often caused by fat build-up, poor muscle tone or ageing, sleep apnoea causes the windpipe to collapse when the muscles relax during sleep. This blocks the air flow for from ten seconds to a minute while the sleeping person struggles for breath.

When the person's blood oxygen level falls, the brain responds by making the person tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. This will result in a snort or gasp before snoring is resumed.

The mouth

Saliva is needed to lubricate the mouth and for eating, but during sleep salivary flow is reduced, so causing a dry mouth in the morning.

However, the mouth can be very active during sleep, as one in 20 adults unconsciously grinds their teeth at night.

This is known as bruxism and occurs mainly during stages one and two of sleep. It is caused by poor alignment of the teeth within the jaw but is also thought to be nocturnal relief for daytime stresses.

Muscles

Though a person can change their sleeping position about 35 times a night, the muscles of the body remain relaxed. This gives the chance for tissues to be repaired and restored.

However, studies indicate that muscles might receive just as much relaxation and repair during simple rest periods and that a state of unconsciousness is not needed for this to take place.

Blood

The heart rate goes down by between 10 and 30 beats per minute when we sleep. This produces a decline in blood pressure, which occurs in restful sleep.

During rest, blood flows from the brain, distends arteries and makes the limbs bigger.

Some scientists believe that fatigue-induced sleep may be a mild form of blood detoxification.

This is because during the day debris from broken down tissues is thrown into the bloodstream. In the waking state, most of this waste will be eliminated through the lungs, kidneys, bowels and skin.

But there could be a saturation point. So nature warns us to reduce these waste products to replenish lost energy, and that causes us to get tired and sleep.

During sleep, the cells and tissues that break down to produce toxic waste then become less active. This gives the chance for broken-down tissue to be rebuilt.

Digestive system

The body requires a regular supply of energy and its key source is glucose. This is constantly burned up to release energy for muscle contraction, nerve impulses and regulating body temperature.

When we sleep, our need for these energy reserves is marginal so the digestive system slows down to a sluggish pace. The immobility of our bodies promotes this.

For this reason, eating late at night is not recommended as our inactive state will prevent enzymes and stomach acids from converting it to energy. This causes that telltale bloated feeling.

Culled from Daily Mail UK, article by Angela Esptein