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The Famished Road
''The Famished Road'' is a novel by Nigerian author Ben Okri, the first book in a trilogy that continues with ''Songs of Enchantment'' (1993) and ''Infinite Riches'' (1998). Published in London in 1991 by Jonathan Cape, the story of ''The Famished Road'' follows Azaro, an ''abiku'' or spirit child, living in an unnamed African, most likely Nigerian, city. The novel employs a unique narrative style incorporating the spirit world with the "real" world in what some have classified as animist realism. Others have labelled the book African traditional religion realism, while still others choose simply to call the novel fantasy literature. The book exploits the belief in the coexistence of the spiritual and material worlds that is a defining aspect of traditional African life. ''The Famished Road'' was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for 1991, making Okri the youngest ever winner of the prize at the age of 32. Background Okri has spoken of writing the novel during the three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WikiProject Novels
A WikiProject, or Wikiproject, is a Wikimedia movement affinity group for contributors with shared goals. WikiProjects are prevalent within the largest wiki, Wikipedia, and exist to varying degrees within sister projects such as Wiktionary, Wikiquote, Wikidata, and Wikisource. They also exist in different languages, and translation of articles is a form of their collaboration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CBS News noted the role of Wikipedia's WikiProject Medicine in maintaining the accuracy of articles related to the disease. Another WikiProject that has drawn attention is WikiProject Women Scientists, which was profiled by '' Smithsonian'' for its efforts to improve coverage of women scientists which the profile noted had "helped increase the number of female scientists on Wikipedia from around 1,600 to over 5,000". On Wikipedia Some Wikipedia WikiProjects are substantial enough to engage in cooperative activities with outside organizations relevant to the field at issue. For e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. Since 2018, the paper's main news ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azadirachta Indica
''Azadirachta indica'', commonly known as neem, nimtree or Indian lilac, is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus ''Azadirachta'', and is native to the Indian subcontinent and most of the countries in Africa. It is typically grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Neem trees also grow on islands in southern Iran. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil. Description Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of , and rarely . It is deciduous, shedding many of its leaves during the dry winter months. The branches are wide and spreading. The fairly dense crown is roundish and may reach a diameter of . The neem tree is similar in appearance to its relative, the chinaberry (''Melia azedarach''). The opposite, pinnate leaves are long, with 20 to 30 medium to dark green leaflets about long. The terminal leaflet often is missing. The Petiole (botany), petioles are short. White and fragrant flowers are arranged in more-or- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigerian Pound
The pound was the currency of Nigeria between 1907 and 1973. Until 1958, Nigeria used the British West African pound, after which it issued its own currency. The pound was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence. The Nigerian pound (which was at parity with the pound sterling with free convertibility) was replaced with the introduction in 1973 of the decimal ''naira'' at a rate of £1 = ₦2. This made Nigeria the last country to abandon the £sd currency system. Coins Coins were issued in 1959 in denominations of , 1, 3 and 6 pence, 1 and 2 shillings. The d and 1d coins were holed and struck in bronze. The 3d coin, minted in nickel-brass, was a smaller version of the distinctive twelve-sided threepenny bits that were used in the UK, Fiji and Jersey. The higher denominations were struck in cupro-nickel. Banknotes In 1918, emergency issues were made by the government in denominations of 1/–, 10/– and 20/–. In 1959, [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triplochiton Scleroxylon
''Triplochiton scleroxylon'' is a tree of the genus ''Triplochiton'' of the family ''Malvaceae''. The timber is known by the common names African whitewood, abachi, obeche (in Nigeria), wawa (in Ghana), ayous (in Cameroon) and sambawawa (in Ivory Coast). The tree is the official state tree of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Description The species is distributed over the tropical areas of West Africa and Central Africa. Uses The timber yielded is typically pale yellow and is moderately soft and light for a hardwood. The timber is used in the manufacture of veneer, furniture, picture frames and mouldings. It is also used by guitar makers. Gibson and Fender Japan have used the wood to produce limited edition guitars. The tree is a host of the African silk moth, ''Anaphe venata'', whose caterpillars feed on the leaves and spin cocoons which are then used to make silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is compo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egungun
Egungun, (''egúngún'' with Yorùbá language tone marks) in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ancestors themselves as a collective force. ''Eégún'' is the reduced form (abbreviation through assimilation) of the word ''egúngún'' and has the same meaning. There is a misconception that Egun or Eegun (eégún with Yorùbá tone marks) is the singular form, or that it represents the ancestors while egúngún is the masquerade or the plural form. This misconception is common in the Americas by Orisa devotees that do not speak Yorùbá language as a vernacular. Egungun is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance, celebration, and blessings. Classification of Egungun types The classification of Egun or Egungun types, might appear to be a fairly straightforward task, but in fact it is ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highlife
Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and western jazz melodies. It uses the melodic and main rhythmic structures of traditional Akan people, Akan music, Kpanlogo Music of the Ga people, but is typically played with Western instruments. Highlife is characterized by jazzy Horn section, horns and multiple guitars which lead the band and its use of the two-finger plucking Guitar picking, guitar style that is typical of African music. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound. Highlife gained popularity in the genre "Native Blues" prior to World War II before production was shut down. After the war its popularity came back within the Igbo people of Nigeria, taking their own traditional guitar riffs and the influence of the Ghanaian highlife performi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garri
In West Africa, ''garri (also known as gari, galli'', or ''gali)'' is the flour of the fresh starchy cassava root. In the Hausa language, ''garri'' can also refer to the flour of guinea corn, maize, rice, yam, plantain and millet. For example, ''garin dawa'' is processed from guinea corn, ''garin masara'' and ''garin alkama'' originate from maize and wheat respectively, while ''garin magani'' is a powdery medicine. Starchy flours mixed with cold or boiled water form a major part of the diet in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon and Liberia. Cassava, the root from which ''garri'' is produced, is rich in fiber, copper and magnesium. Garri is similar to farofa of Brazil, used in many food preparations and recipes, particularly in the state of Bahia. Preparation To make ''garri'' flour, cassava tubers are peeled, washed and grated or crushed to produce a mash. The mash can be mixed with palm oil and placed in a porous bag, which is then placed in an adjustab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harmattan
The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. The name is related to the word in the Twi language. The temperature is cold in most places, but can also be hot in certain places, depending on local circumstances. The Harmattan blows during the dry season, which occurs during the months with the lowest sun. In this season the subtropical ridge of high pressure stays over the central Sahara and the low-pressure Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) stays over the Gulf of Guinea. On its passage over the Sahara, the Harmattan picks up fine dust and sand particles (between 0.5 and 10 microns). It is also known as the "doctor wind", because of its invigorating dryness compared with humid tropical air. Effects This season differs from winter, because it is characterized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in over 120. Sales in 2011 amounted to . In spite of declining consumption since 2001, it is the best-selling alcoholic drink in Ireland where Guinness & Co. Brewery makes almost €2 billion worth of beer annually. The Guinness Storehouse is a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since opening in 2000, it has received over 20 million visitors. Guinness's flavour derives from malted barley and roasted unmalted barley, a relatively modern development, not becoming part of the grist until the mid-20th century. For many years, a portion of aged brew was blended with freshly brewed beer to give a sharp lactic acid flavour. Although Guinness's palate still features a characteristic "tang", the company has refused to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
"Street Spirit (Fade Out)" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. It is the final track on their second studio album, '' The Bends'' (1995). It was released as a single on 22 January 1996 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, Radiohead's highest position up to that point. It has been covered by acts including Peter Gabriel and the Darkness. Composition Songwriter Thom Yorke said "Street Spirit" was inspired by the American band R.E.M. and the 1991 novel ''The Famished Road'' by Ben Okri. It features a guitar arpeggio written by Yorke and played by Ed O'Brien. In 2018, ''Pitchfork'' wrote that the song "channels a sense of capitalist dread that even class-conscious Britpop artists repressed". Music video The music video for "Street Spirit" was filmed over two nights in a desert outside Los Angeles. It was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who described it as a "turning point" for his work. He felt that Radiohead had "found their own voices as an artist" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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