The cheering crowd in southwestern Nigeria is thousands strong but when the performer on stage in a yellow catsuit and glittering cape beats out eerie rhythms on a steel drum, they hush. Then as Helen Epega begins to sing, her powerful voice filling the air at the outdoor auditorium, the crowd roars. The musical genre may be unusual in this part of the world but people understand it -- Epega is singing what she and organisers of the festival in which she is participating say is the world's first opera in Pidgin. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation, with many ethnic groups and hundreds of languages. But Nigerian Pidgin -- a lingua franca sometimes referred to as "Broken English" -- is understood by almost all. "The reaction has been overwhelming," said 37-year old Epega, who performs under the stage name The Venus Bushfires and comes from the southern Nigerian city of Benin. "People are really excited about it," she told AFP. "Perhaps it is because they feel they haven't had a … [Read more...] about Groundbreaking Pidgin opera mixes music for cultural harmony
Culture
Bright young musicians to perform at this Culture Awards
Sharing the bill with Paul Smith at this year’s Culture Awards will be some of the region’s up-and-coming musical talent. Making an impact around the region and beyond is Vandebilt, a band formed last January by Jordan Miller and signed soon afterwards by Tipping Point Records, which is run by Generator, the region’s music development agency. Jordan was previously in another well-known North East band called Lilliput but as he puts it: “I jumped ship to do my own thing. “I wanted to write electronic dancy funk. I wrote an album’s worth of tracks and what started as a solo project turned into a fully functioning band.” Compared with Lilliput’s struggle for early recognition, Vandebilt’s arrival on the scene, he says, was “a bit of a joke”. He revealed: “We produced a home-made video in my studio in Sunderland , put it online and it just kicked off. “We sold out the Cluny (in Newcastle) with 300 people … [Read more...] about Bright young musicians to perform at this Culture Awards
Glass act provides trophies for Culture Awards
Winners at this month’s Culture Awards will be rewarded with a highly desirable piece of art to take home and treasure – courtesy of rising star Jade Tapson. The glass artist has won a clutch of awards since graduating from the University of Sunderland and has now been commissioned to make a batch of 16 awards herself. They will be presented at Middlesbrough Town Hall on May 23 to the winners in various Culture Awards categories, including Newcomer of the Year – for which Jade herself is shortlisted. Originally from Wallsend, Jade recently moved to Seaham to be nearer to the National Glass Centre in Sunderland , where she works part-time and has a studio. The 28-year-old has already made an impact in the competitive world of glass art – a fact proudly acknowledged by her old university, which has been keen to harness her experience to inspire current students. Jade graduated from Sunderland’s BA course in glass and ceramics in 2014 and then immediately … [Read more...] about Glass act provides trophies for Culture Awards
How businesses can grow a culture of safety
Following World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2019 on 28 April, it is worth reflecting briefly on the UK health and safety statistics and what steps can be taken to ensure that the steady improvement in workplace safety continues. Statistics show a downwards trend for the number of workplace injuries and an 85% reduction in fatal injuries since 1974. Incidents nowadays tend not to arise from defective equipment or lack of written procedures, but more from human error or a failure to follow procedures due to either complacency or a failure to adequately train and supervise employee; hence the reduction in the speed of decrease in workplace injuries and the plateauing in relation to fatalities at work. Businesses are therefore approaching health and safety improvements not so much from physical changes to the workplace, although that is still important and relevant, but from the human perspective of encouraging employee buy-in to safety by creating and maintaining a safety culture … [Read more...] about How businesses can grow a culture of safety
‘A very cultured player’
Northampton Town have confirmed the signing of Chris Lines on a two-year contract. As exclusively revealed by Bristol Live yesterday, Lines has joined the League Two side after being released by Bristol Rovers. Lines came through the youth system at the Gas and made over 300 league appearances for his boyhood club across two spells. Yet he was not regularly involved in the first-team after Graham Coughlan replaced Darrell Clarke as manager - although he brought up his 500th senior appearance in the last game of the season, a 2-1 victory over Barnsley. The decision to release Lines caused a stir among many Rovers fans, but Coughlan said it was a case of needing to freshen the midfield up. Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol about his reasons for letting Lines go, Coughlan said: "I just wanted to freshen things up. Linesy's not always been available and I thought it was important that we give him the send-off and that he reached the milestone [500 games] on Saturday. "I just wanted to … [Read more...] about ‘A very cultured player’