I’m
typing this with utmost sadness and regret. So many things have been going
wrong in a while but I try to turn the other way. Just last night, I got the
biggest heartbreak of 2016. More heartbreaking than the news of non-payment of
N5000 to unemployed Nigerian youths.
TRUE
ARTS IS DYING.
If
you’re in doubt, look around you. I was talking to an 11yr old girl yesterday
and she wanted to ask me some questions and she started running the names of
some of their literature books to me and I was like WHAT??? Are those
literature books or Blogposts?
For
crying out loud, even though I was a Science student, I loved the Arts. I may
not have studied Literature but I’m certain I’ve dabbled into more books than a
lot of Literature students. If you’re wondering why I didn’t study the Arts, you
can go ask my science loving dad.
I
know we grew up reading books like Bottled Leopard, Eze goes to School, Without A Sliver-spoon, Things
Fall Apart to mention a few African literary works and some foreign works like
Animal Farm (George Orwell) ,Oliver Twist, A tale of 2 cities (Charles
Dickens),Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare and for a few of us, Lord of the Flies.
(William Golding or Goldsmith or something like that) etc.
But
here I am asking a secondary school student what literature they read at school
and the only one she’s heard a little about is Oliver Twist (she didn’t even
know the author’s name). Can you imagine? No Animal Farm! She’s now asking me
if I’ve read “A Woman in her Prime.” I mean, what the hell is that? Sounds
like d title of a Blogpost or an article. She also called some other books that
I did well to forget their names as she reeled them off. Is that a Travesty or
what?
What
I can say is that Art is dying and technology has finally won. Now we can
barely flip books unless they have remote controls. We read everything now off
screens. computers and phone screens are the order and now we know folks don’t
read books anymore unless they’re in soft copy. Maybe this is the time to stop
printing books which ultimately means fewer trees would be cut down and that’s
good news for Leonardo di Caprio and his super group of ecological activists
and also means more food for herbivores and this includes those sanctimonious vegetarians.
It
is evident everywhere! Even in entertainment, who does artfully creative stuffs
anymore? They’re towing the paths of Dinosaurs. In movies, they’re more special
effects than Art and in music… Total write off. Just butts, breasts, beats and
beats and more Beats by Dre.
For
a lover of Art, I’m really miffed. That is how this world got to this point of
madness. You can’t just expect to do away with something as pure as true Art
and not get so much of this madness, do you? You just don’t!
Signing
out, Artfully yours!
Samuel
