I’d like to dedicate this one to Facebook – where dope artists are found… 🙂
introduce yourself
Born in Nigeria, I made a name for myself while in primary school selling my own drawn comic books but had to give it all up because my dad who was strict on education had other plans for my future which included being a medical doctor. I’m happy to say it didn’t turn out that way because I can’t stand the sight of blood and pain. I also stumbled into poetry in my early teens and wrote a few chapters of books which sadly I never finished. While making choices for a university course I thought to study architecture which was the closest I could get to making use of my creative skills but had to forgo that as well due to parental pressure. It was only recently after doing away with education and settling in to a more stable career in IT that I decided to pursue my childhood love for design and graphic art. Currently I’m nursing a project to graphically represent black/African culture/images on the internet in witty forms never seen before.
fav lyric from a song
My favorite lyric from a song is Bob Marley’s “emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our mind” from the Redemption song. This holds true for me because you can never really be free unless you first free yourself.
inspiration
My inspiration comes from hip hop, poetry and afro beat. I also find my inspiration in comedy, the arts and my African values: Harambee, Ujamaa, Ubuntu. It is my goal to make see that the contributions of the black continent to arts, design and music are forever at the forefront of public recognition; so help me God. It also inspires me to see young black talented people doing great things for themselves and the community in spite of all the over-publicized negative stereotypes.
past/present icons
My list of role models goes as far as from the US to the Zambezi. It includes Fela Kuti, Mandela, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, Kanye West, Common, Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Shepard Fairey, Wole Soyinka…and it goes on…and on. All these people stood for something and made themselves forces to reckon with.
thenublack according to Sam Ojene
The Nublack to me would be the finding of self and rising above all negative stereotypes to be counted a force to reckon with whatever your chosen field. The Nublack also is“each one, teach one” and that is being a source of
inspiration/positive role model to young black kids with a view to improving self worth and confidence.