by Eric Nwanso

When I first heard “Taruwa”, I thought it was a name of a beautiful girl from the North. Or a hangout with Northern themes and designs. Or a Northern stage play. I was in for the shock of my life when I got to the venue of Taruwa, (Bogobiri, Maitaima Sule Street, Ikoyi), and saw young and old, white and black, workers and students at the event, set to unwind and discuss issues that affect them and the country.

There was acting, comedy, music and poetry. Kemi Lala Akindoju, The Future Awards Actor of the Year 2010 presented a monologue  from the famed  Vagina Monologues in which she was part of the cast. It was a brilliant piece which wowed the crowd and got everyone laughing; there were musical performances from Tarey of Project Fame  and Chi Chi, Trex, who has exceptional talent, Dtones and many others.

The  evening was dedicated to a Taruwa regular who passed on, Femi Abolade. Emotional eulogies were given by his elder brother as well as the founder of Taruwa, Lydia Sobogun, and a close friend of his, who read a poem written in his honour. It was a moment of sober reflection for everyone, as immediately after came the time for the discussion of a topic of concern to youth and Nigerians – the killing of corpers in the northern part of Nigeria. Adebola Williams of The Future Awards spike to all guests about the Save The Corpers Campaign. He asked different people who had once been Youth Corps members for three things which they took away with them from service – meeting people, seeing poverty and learning about other cultures. Others countered that one can see poverty every where, learn different cultures and meet fantastic people without going for National Service. Still others narrated harrowing experiences of their youth service days. One lady spoke of how she got to her camp close to midnight and was humiliated by a camp commander who emptied all her belongings from her bag into a nearby river. So much for serving your country! Williams stated all the aims of the campaign, which can be seen on www.thefuturenigeria.com/savethecorpers, and urged all to append your signature to a petition which will be forwarded to the appropriate authority and acted upon. Afterwards was more display of talent and entertainment for those who could wait.

Taruwa is a gathering for all, where friendship, intellectual discussions and fun are shared. It holds every Tuesday at 6:30pm. Catch you there next week!

Photo credit: www.abisona.com

Oluwapelumi