THE HOLY LAND: Follow The Steps of Jesus

 The Holy Land is a unique and beautiful land, rich with a variety of historical, archaeological, and religious sites. Visitors like my wife and I, are charmed by its sweeping vistas, hospitable citizens and inspirational images. Israel is an enchanting mixture of ancient and modern.

The biblical history that little land reveals lies buried beneath the millennial of settlers and citizens who have called it home. In many places you can simply open the Bible and read about the sights you see. In the Holy Land you can experience the special thrill of walking in the footsteps of Bible characters.
Abraham roamed these hills four thousand years ago. About three thousand years have gone by since King David reigned here. But for Christians, Follow the steps of Jesus in the Holy Land constitute its ultimate moment. Especially Via Dolorosa (The way of the cross), Golgotha (Calvary) etc.
In these regions Jesus, the Son of God, was born. Here he grew in wisdom and stature. Here he was crucified. Here God raised him from dead.
The link below will show you tips and share some of the experience the land of promise holds in this beautiful slideshow.
http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-07de-7ca6-bebd?lm

ART: INSTRUMENTS OF SOCIAL ENGINEERING(PART ONE)

 ART as been defined as human creative skill or its application; the expression of human creative talent, especially in a visual form, and has served various roles in the history of man.

The oldest pictures in the world are over 20,000 years old; they were discovered early in the twentieth century and are pictures of hunters and animals.

The early man ascribed magical powers to art, he believed that the painted pictures will attract the animals so that they can be killed and eaten.

Until a few hundred years ago, most art works were of religious subjects; they were used to interpret the world’s religions, find meaning for existence, express beliefs and ideals, and to relate mankind to his universe and his God.

Then, during the Greek, Roman and the Renaissance periods, there evolved a mature, civilized and classical art; so-called because, mystery was abhorred and the dignity of the gods minimized.

“All interests centered on man, his doings, his pleasures and his feats. For the first time in the history of Art, the thinking man controlled.”

According to Sheldon Cheney’s: A New World History of Art, “It was the first mass challenge to ‘blind’ nature, and the First wide use of logical thought to solve human problems.”

This trend continued in art through the ages under different characterizations and has challenged another school of thought which seeks to confine art mainly to the visual qualities at the expense of the message. Should art be made mainly to satisfy the aesthetic yearnings of the society? A tendency, which currently manifests in the revival of traditional art forms by artists, or should it serve as a tool of socio-political engineering?

"No, painting is not made to decorate apartments. It is an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy.” –Pablo Picasso

The primary function of art lies in its service to humanity. Its aesthetics or commercial value cannot really be said to be of equal importance with this primary function. What this means is that the artist owes society a duty. Through his art, society is defined, redefined and redirected. It is in this sense that artists are sometimes seen as the conscience of society.

Miro and Masson in Cahier d’Art (no.1-4), a Paris art magazine in 1939, also opined that:

“There are no more Ivory towers. Withdrawal and aloofness can no longer be indulged… “The only justification for a work of art lies in the extent to which it contributes to the enlargement of man, to the transformation of all values, to the denunciation of social, moral and religious hypocrisy and thereby to the denunciation of the dominant class.”

Also, Dele Jegede, an artist and art historian opined that: “A facile display of techniques in these harrowing times is an avoidable indulgence. For the Visual artist, mastery of techniques and materials cannot, and should not, be a substitute for message and thrust. Otherwise he is a rambler who refuses to advance a thought through his art, or shudders from passing comments, or aims at no substantial specifics but revels in slavish celebration of mere technical proficiency.”

The history of radicalism in World art could be traced to the Renaissance. But in later years, great names such as the realist Goya, the romantic Gericault, the humorist Daumier and the multi-ism Picasso readily come to mind. Goya, in Los Caprichos, (a series of etchings) made in 1796-98, produced a series of attack on manners, customs and abuses in the church. Gericault, in the Raft of medusa captured a shipwreck which was a political scandal of his time.

Daumier, worked as a cartoonist in La Caricature and was imprisoned in 1832 for representing King Louis Philippe as Gargantuan.

Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso is a powerful protest against war. Back home, artists such as Akinola Lasekan and Demas Nwoko were thorns in the flesh of Colonial masters. In the late 50’s a group of undergraduates in the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, termed Zaria rebels, because they advocated for change also “displayed a high level of socio-political awareness by making visual remarks on the inhumanity of colonialism.”

Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Afro beat Maestro lived a life devoted to protests against all imaginable societal ills using music as his medium, so also Adeolu Akinsanya, Alias Baba eto. Late Chinua Achebe, in 1979 had submitted that “Any African artist that tries to avoid the contemporary African problems ends up being irrelevant. “… He must be aware of the faintest nuances of injustice in human relations. The African writer (Artist) cannot therefore be unaware or indifferent to the monumental injustice which his people suffer.”

THE GREAT ART AUCTION: "Who'll Take The Son?"

The great artists, writers, music and poets became great because they acquire the habit of relying upon the ‘still, small voice’ ( instinct), that speaks from within, through the faculty of creative imagination. It is a fact well known to people who have keen imaginations that their best ideas come through so-called “hunches”. –Napoleon Hill

About the master piece “The Son” and the question “who’ll take the son”, let me tell you the story behind it:

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war.

He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.”

The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.

“Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel.  “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the biding? $100, $200?”

Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting… We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”

But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

“We have $10, who will bid $20?”

“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”

“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?”

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gravel. “Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”

A man sitting on the second row shouted. “Now let’s get on with the collection!”

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”

“What about the paintings?”

“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!”

God gave his son about 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?”

Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Benefits of Discovering and Fulfilling Purpose

This may sound stupid and impossible, but I tell you its true and possible. When you've discovered God's purpose for your life and you begin to walk in it with all your heart, mind, and soul; God becomes interested in you. You become His responsibility, and He gives you a listening ear any time you you call; this is because you are meeting His needs. Let me tell you a story:
A woman approached Sister DaVilla. It could be seen from the clothes she wore  that she was very poor. She walked without shoes, and her feet were very dirty. On her head she carried a bowl of warm, perfumed water.
 
 

  Slowly, without saying anything, she removed the Sister's sandals and very carefully began wrapping the Sister's feet with perfumed cloth. She continued working for about half an hour, as a crowd gathered in the courtyard of the slum where she lived. Indignant voices could be heard.
   "Why is she doing that?"
    "What a waste! The poorest among us
  caring for someone who should care for
  her instead!"
    "Is she crazy? What does she hope to
  accomplish?"
    "Sister DaVilla, don't you have
  anything to say?"
   
    The Sister raised her hand to hush the crowd. She was known and respected in the slum, and had dedicated her life to the poor who lived there.

            "Let her be," Sister DaVilla said.
  "What she is doing is beautiful. This woman may be the poorest among you, but she still has something to offer. She is giving me the very best of herself, and at the same time she is taking too.
  Do you think I dedicate my life to helping you without receiving anything in return? No one, not even the
  greatest saint, can keep pouring love down on people without someone bringing them water to fill their well from time to time.
   
...........................................
   
    If you keep spending on others without keeping count, do you think they will have much regard for your
  physical and spiritual health? Start by respecting yourself, and you will discover that others respect you more!
   
    Follow the example of Sister DaVilla.
  Accept the thanks you receive after serving others. It is necessary to renew your energy from time to time in
  order to keep giving the very best of yourself. You will never give your best if you ignore this simple bit of advice:
   
    You can't keep withdrawing money from
  your bank account if you never make deposits!

..........................................
   
  "We have to receive in the same
  spirit as we give."

To your success,
Seye Bankole

Going Back To My Roots

SEYE-JOEBANKS PRODUCTION is a creative outfit and the CEO is Seye Joseph Bankole; a naturally gifted visual artist, an author and a sociologist by training.
The Inspiration behind Seye-JoeBanks Production came from the fact that "a man without a culture is a man without a future".

 Through exhibitions, education, publications and productions, the mission is to:
-Increase the global perception and appreciation of modern African art.
-Create opportunities and encourage young and naturally talented individuals to take their skills to the next level.
-Encourage research into new forms of artistic expression while improving the livelihoods of artists in Africa.
-Explore how art and culture can shape and contribute positively to society through tourism.

Currently Seye-JoeBanks Production embarked on several projects which include publication of a motivational book "Power of Thought: A Radical Approach to Change" www.createspace.com/4339629
and the setting up of a modern Art Gallery in Ota, Nigeria, which is still in progress.

The great secret of success is that there are no secrets of success; only principles that have proven effective. "Divine secrets are open secrets". Power of Thought is a stream of fresh ideas and inspirations for change.

 The gallery is aim at:
-Developing creativity and exchange of ideas and techniques
-Encouraging partnerships to promote cultural exchange
-Forming new directions in art through exposure to new audiences and creative opportunities
-Linking students with mentors and role models. seyebankole@gmail.com

According to Martin Luther King Jr, "We must teach every Negro child that rejection of heritage means loss of cultural roots, and people that have no past have no future".

seyebankole@yahoo.com