Wednesday, June 19, 2024

There is no great or small culture: Because every culture creates

 

There is no great or small culture.

 

The maxims, proverbs, adages, and colorful statements of the ancestors were meant to teach lessons, and this is part of the ingenuity of the ancients via cultural and traditional interactions. In Igbo culture, for example, there are unwritten etiquettes about hospitality, thriftiness, general courtesy, meticulousness, etc. The way these were formulated and incorporated into people’s culture and handed down from one generation to another from the first century and till date is the 8th wonder of the world. This is why every people’s culture and tradition should be respected. No great and small culture exists – Okechukwu Okugo, author and publisher.

 


Tuesday, June 18, 2024

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Saturday, June 15, 2024

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Friday, June 14, 2024

Taking Care Of Important Things By Assigning Them To Professionals Will Give You Time To Create

 


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Friday, June 7, 2024

Creativity Can Also Entail Employing Traditional Wisdom





A folktale of the ram as the symbol of wisdom and discernment:

Once upon a time, a mother ruminant had three children: the ram, the he-goat, and the sheep. Observing how dangerous navigating and surviving the jungle has become, she first decided to test their IQ to know if they were developing the requisite wisdom and survival instincts of their ever-difficult terrain. She then summoned all her offspring and tested them out, asking:
“How many times will something befall you for you to learn a lesson from that particular event?”
The goat said he could only learn after encountering the same situation a hundred times. And the sheep said he would pass through the same problem fifty times before he could ever learn from the experience. And when it reached the turn of the ram, he retorted to his mama proudly, “I will not allow any situation I saw people passing through before me come to me. I will endeavor to learn from what others are facing that I observe around me.”
The mother ruminant nodded in satisfaction, knowing that at least one of her offspring had shown the necessary natural wisdom for survival. She didn't dwell on the misguided answers from her other two children but was content that at least one of her offspring had proven they could adapt to changing times.
In Igbo folklore, experience is not the best teacher. Learning from other people's difficulties is the preferred method. Are you developing the necessary skills to solve unique, recurring, or potential problems you may be facing? In our folktale, the ram is the wise animal known as “Nwaebule ako,” meaning the “wise ram.”
As told by Okechukwu Okugo
For book editing and publishing problems, contact Okechukwu Okugo at okechukwuokugo@gmail.com or call +1 (347) 741-3446.
#storyteller #igbostories #igbofolktale #ookugo


Sunday, May 26, 2024

How you can apply your traditional wisdom in your writings: Use them as chefs use spices!

 

A person asking, “Where did I get it wrong?” can rephrase, “Where did I get it right, and then things suddenly start declining?” This is why, in my culture, we have a proverb that says, “Onye na amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro mawa ya agaghi ama ka o ga esi egbochi ya.” This Igbo proverb is translated to mean in English: you have to deal with problems from the source or the starting point. In my books, African proverbs or traditional wisdom bring imagination to life, activating it subtly or indirectly. – Okechukwu Okugo
For help editing or publishing your book, contact Okechukwu Okugo at +1 (347) 741-3446 or email okechukwuokugo@gmail.com








Saturday, May 25, 2024

Short story: A folktale of how the tortoise got the patches on its shell

 


Short story:

A folktale of how the tortoise got the patches on its shell

Once upon a land called Iduu na Oba, time land animals scheduled a meeting with animals that fly, and the tortoise was appointed as a chief to represent all the land animals at the conference on Ososo Hills. The tortoise had no wings and had to rely on the goodwill of the flying animals to get to the mountaintop. When they arrived, the lord of the high plain, a mountain goat that convened the meeting to adjudicate the melee between the land and flying animals, welcomed them.
But at the bottom of the hill, before they got to the top, the tortoise, knowing the usual modus operandi of the goat and its signature entertainment of large hosts, assumed a new name among the animals. He declared that he should now be called "Unu dum," a local jargon that means "For y'all."
Now, they gathered in a circle, and the wine came. The tortoise in a loud voice enquired while the goat went to the kitchen to bring the food and asked the host, "Who are these wines for?"
The goat answered, "For y'all."
Tortoise turned to the flying animals and told them that the host gave it to only him because he knew his new name. That was what the tortoise did when the food, a sweet breadfruit meal, came. He ate and drank all by himself and never considered others.
The meeting ended, and it was time to go. The disgruntled flying animals had a payback plan for the tortoise for his greed, selfishness, lack of consideration, and mistreatment. Now, his dependence on the animals to get down the hill was more imperative.
They carried the tortoise far higher than expected, making the fall more remarkable. While the tortoise was enjoying the flying voyage and euphoria of seeing farther than he had ever seen, right above the mountain and a little beneath the cloud, at the peak, they threw the tortoise down, and his crash was significant.
But the benevolent land animal snail gathered the pieces and glued the tortoiseshell with its slime. The tortoise survived, but broken marks and glued parts are still on the shell today.
The story's moral is: Do not take advantage of people, especially those who help you accomplish things. Do not be greedy. Be considerate. Do not be a schemer or overly clever to show you are cannier than others. People are watching, and it may not augur well with you when they withdraw that exceptional help they lend you.
- © Told by Okechukwu Okugo
Contact Okechukwu Okugo for your book editing and publishing at okechukwuokugo@gmail.com or call +1 (347) 741-3446.
#storyteller #igbostories #OOkugo #shorteststoriestold

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Diamonds Are Not Forever By Jacqueline Spencer

 FOREWORD

When pains are unleashed, they can be endured better. Venting is good. Unloading your emotions is good. Breathe work helps release negative emotions, and writing can help one exercise their mindset to free their thoughts.

    This is what Jacqueline did in her works. She unloaded, and that made her feel good. The mastery and artistry she displays in her works reveal the undying hopes she reflects here and there, showing that one cannot give way to despair. It doesn’t matter how dark the night gets—there must be dawn. The birds must chirp, and the bees must pollinate. So, life must continue, and one has to be alive with hope to be in it.
    The title of this book, inspired by poem thirty, Diamonds Are Not Forever, from my point of view, came as a result of one loving something precious and wishing to get hold of that for a very long time in this world, but it surely doesn’t last, and may be lost when someone needs it most. Jacqueline writes what she feels and is so accessible that she doesn’t hold back her emotions, which are reflected strongly in her writing. She is not afraid to be judged by others as weak. This is a show of strength. It is not easy to muster up such courage. Many people will bottle up their emotions and die in silence or show a pseudo-power that doesn’t exist – a false one that doesn’t stand the slightest tensile test. This reminds me of a force called Van der Waals, which is regarded as the weakest force but is so powerful that it enables the wall gecko to run upside down on walls. Even the mighty crocodile cannot do it.
    Some of the works in this poem may seem to have themes and motifs that revolve around this sense. Still, one should not see this work as a lamentation or song of agony but instead see that thin lining like icing on a cake, the tinge of hope and courage encoded in the poems that show that one can find the power to rise above all travails, especially when they know how to tap into the power from above.
      A diamond cutter requires intensive training to start cutting and polishing a diamond. Much more than talent is needed in specialized crafts like diamond cutting; it requires paying careful attention to detail, so understanding poetry requires reading the meaning of every fine line. As a poet, I can decipher quality poems that deliver meanings like a hard thump. Take it from me when I assure you of utmost satisfaction, reading Jacqueline’s poetry collection like a master wine taster savoring a rare Domaine de la RomanĂ©e-Conti Grand Cru 1945. And please don’t see my claim as that of blowing a vuvuzela – after all, an old, experienced dancer never ages in a longstanding dance step she has been familiar with all her life.
     Love resonates in Jacqueline’s poems, as do heartbreak and heartaches.
      One more thing of note is that Jacqueline is proud to declare faith in this world where many are embarrassed to do so. And I cannot pronounce this as odd because we all live by showing some form of faith every day, without which we can never get by each day. For example, it takes faith to book a flight and board the plane with a pilot you never knew if that was his first flight, his biography, whether he was trained well or faked his certificate, where he got his flight training or qualifications, or the evidence of all his successful flights since they started flying planes. Yet, you believe they will take you successfully to your destination on the risky journey high up in the sky. And who would doubt that a complicated life force must have a source? Enjoy reading.

 

               – Okechukwu Okugo                                                                                                                                             The Founding Editor and Publisher at
Heartmenders Magazine Media Inc., New York

 

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This book was edited, produced, and published by Okechukwu Okugo's Heartmenders Magazine Media Inc., New York.
Call, text, or WhatsApp for more details or help with your own book: +1 (347) 741-3446