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Reflections

My time with Oliver Enwonwu

How do you price African art in a global market that often undervalues it? That’s one of the questions I discussed with Oliver Enwonwu, artist, curator, and son of the legendary Ben Enwonwu, at Omenka Gallery in March 2020. It was just days before Lagos ground to a halt.

It took many rerouted GPS directions, a close run-in with suspicious police officers, and Lagos traffic at its worst to get there on time. But by the time my team set up, Oliver was good to go.

We talked about art valuation, politics, and what it means to protect the legacy of African artists in a market that is hungry for stories and quality but reluctant to pay fair value. He also spoke on merchandising, how local artists can reclaim agency, and why cultural institutions must do more than showcase art.

It was insightful. You can listen to the interview here on wherever you listen to your podcasts (Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeartRadio).

I will be back with new interviews once I have transitioned to a safer recording schedule.

Be kind and stay safe.

Reflections

Otunba Dayo Adeneye

Hi,

First off, I hope you and your family are well and staying safe in these trying times. Life as we know it has changed and it is quite challenging. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, and salute to all the health professionals and experts doing their best to end this pandemic.

This episode was special for me. Otunba Dayo Adeneye, is a music executive, investor, politician, and entertainment consultant I grew up watching and listening to alongside Mr Kenny Ogungbe. Together they shaped Nigerian radio, TV, and helped move the music industry forward. Interviewing him was on my 2020 list.

In late January, I reached out to ask if he’d join me on my podcast. He was hesitant at first but agreed after a family friend, Mr Juwon Osibanjo, put in a good word for me. He was about to head to LA for the Grammys, so we planned to record when he got back.

That February was a bit of a slump for me, my birthday was coming and my energy was low. My mother kept trying to lift my mood, offering gifts and lunch plans. I told her all I wanted was to work.

When Otunba returned, we locked in the date: Tuesday, February 25th at 1pm. I left home early to get my makeup done and, ignoring my mum’s advice, trusted my GPS instead. Big mistake. Lagos traffic “over humbled: me for an hour and a half. I used the traffic to coordinate with my director and audio engineer, who were already at the location setting up.

Eventually, I arrived at the salon. Makeup got done, I quickly changed my outfit, and drove to his office. Thankfully, I made it at 12:59pm on the dot. We started at 1:10pm and the conversation was sooo worth every bit of the horrible Lagos traffic I endured.

When we were done with the interview, he gave me a tour. I saw many photos and awards, a lot of them still in boxes. It was tuly truly special.

You can listen to our conversation here: Audiomack, Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or iHeartRADIO. You can also watch the video version on Youtube. Simply search for ‘thesncpodcast’ [1 word]. You can follow the pod on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at the same name -> @thesncpodcast

Ps: My mother did get me a birthday gift after all. She got me a lovely birthday card and a small pink teddy bear. 🙂

Reflections

Chief [Dr.] Oladele Fajemirokun

Hello! I’m Folashade Anozie.

Late last year, I promised myself I’d give my podcast listeners a better glimpse of what really goes on behind the scenes. So, here goes.

So, here goes.

My first guest of 2020 was Chief Oladele Fajemirokun, a Nigerian venture capitalist, businessman, and angel investor. His investments span companies like AIICO Plc, Food Concepts Ltd, Kings Guards, and more.

In July 2019, he launched his book “The Making of Me: My Odyssey in Business.” I couldn’t attend the launch because I was living in the U.S. at the time. When I moved back to Nigeria, I went straight to a bookstore, bought the book, and after reading, I had the chance to visit Chief. I told him I’d love to interview him because there are lessons in his story, business principles and life philosophies, that I believe can apply to the Nigerian music industry and life in general. He agreed.

When I subsequently moved back to Nigeria, I went to a bookstore and purchased a copy of the book. I read a couple of pages and a couple of days later had the chance to visit Chief. I informed him that I would love to interview him because, in my opinion, there are lessons from his business principles, philosophies, and life experience that can be applied to the Nigerian music industry and life in general. However, I needed to finish reading the book. He agreed that when I was done reading the book, I should get in touch with him.

Between job interviews, podcast edits, and life, weeks flew by. By the week before Christmas, I was ready to record, but life happened and we rescheduled for early January. The stars finally aligned and Chief made out time for me in the middle of his busy January.

On Friday, January 17, my team and I got to Chief’s home an hour early. A friend Niyi Faleyimu helped find the best spot to record and we settled on Chief’s office. We set up the mics and did our sound checks.

Normally, I use the Rode pod mic for myself and my guests, but because Chief is older and I wanted him comfortable, I switched to the Sony ECM-55B for him. During the sound test, the mic kept cutting out when Niyi spoke. I adjusted it, tested it again, and thought we were good.

At 1 pm, Chief walked into his office. I tested the levels, thanked him, and hit record. A minute in, the mic started cutting out again. I stopped him, asked him to speak up. Two minutes in, I repositioned the mic higher on his scarf but same issue. My mind was racing: Should I set up my spare Rode mic? But that would eat into his time and possibly make him uncomfortable. I decided to keep going and pray I could fix it later and do my best not to get stressed. As a podcast listener, I am keenly aware that bad audio makes the listener experience truly dissatisfying.

Thirty minutes later, we wrapped. I thanked Chief for his time. On the drive home, I was annoyed with myself for having another audio issue. Working as the host, producer, editor, and audio engineer requires that I juggle numerous balls. And sometimes it can be challenging to balance all well. So, if you’re reading this and you are, or you know any great person who might be interested in interning with me, do let know.

Despite the challenges, I’m glad I made this interview happen. Chief was generous with his insights and time. My team was rock solid. And I learned, again, that sometimes you just truly have to roll with the punches, especially for a Type A like me.

If you listened, audio hiccups and all, thank you. I hope you took away something about persistence, business, and life. If you haven’t listened yet, you can do so on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Audiomack. Simply search for ‘thesncpodcast‘ [which is all 1 word]. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at the same name -> @thesncpodcast.

I appreciate every single person who continues to support me and the podcast. I am eternally grateful. 2020 is definitely the year that I make things right!

Reflections

I lost one of my heroes

My spirit is broken.

Yesterday, I lost one of my heroes, Kobe Bean Bryant.

I was in my mum’s room putting the final touches on my first interview of 2020 when my phone pinged. It was a message on Instagram from my secondary school classmate, Odunayo Balogun. Her message read, “Shade, is it true what happened to Kobe?” I was confused. What could have happened to Kobe? Maybe he’d said something in the media, I thought. For a split second I almost ignored it, but I decided to check Twitter. Death was truly the last thing on my mind.

I typed Kobe into the search bar and the first thing that I saw was “Kobe Bryant killed in a helicopter crash.” I dropped my phone, screamed, and began to cry. My mum asked what happened and I told her. A couple of minutes later, my father called to tell me and I just sobbed like a baby and have not stopped. People who know me well know that Kobe Bryant was one of my heroes. Whenever I feel low or discouraged, I always ask myself, “what would Kobe do?” Besides my parents, he taught me so much about life, intensity, having a killer instinct, persistence, curiosity, focus, and excellence. Kobe taught millions of people like myself, about the Mamba Mentality and the importance of living your life to the best of your ability.

I barely slept last night. Today has just been a daze. Not sure what tomorrow or the rest of the year (or years) will feel like.

I am struggling to place Kobe Bryant in past tense. It simply does not make any sense to me that the amazing Black Mamba is gone. Worse is that his daughter Gianna and 7 other amazing individuals also died in the crash. I hate death! I hate how the world keeps turning after good people go, famous or not. Life just goes on. It sucks even more that those left behind must find a way to keep on going with only memories to hold.

I am so sad and heartbroken. There are no words.

May the souls of all the departed rest in peace (Kobe Bryant, Gianna Byrant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan). May God wrap his precious arms around their loved ones and comfort them.

Thank you for an inspiring life Kobe Bean Bryant! Thank you for pushing me to be and live the best version of myself everyday. I’ll do my best to make you proud.

Black Mamba forever!