The third edition of Memories of Grandma, a childhood memoir written by broadcaster and trainer, Anike-ade Funke Treasure is slated for a virtual release on November 16th, 2020. The book which was first released in 2013 was published and presented to the public in two Nigerian cities of Lagos and Ibadan, in 2015.
According to the author, this third edition is accompanied with a workbook and a soundtrack album. The workbook offers a platform for children and adults, to grasp the basic concepts in our indigenous culture including our belief system, proverbs, sayings and how to use them. There are teacher-pupil as well as parent-child interactions in the workbook, this is to ensure that the right conversations are being had around the book and about our identity as a people. Hopefully, this should foster interactions between the old and new generations in Yoruba land.
The soundtrack album contains folksongs and chants from the memoir. The author says the soundtrack to the book was conceived as ‘an exciting avenue for children to relive the folktales in the book and make the morals of the story stick with them. According to the author, “The folktales in the book can serve as bedtime stories for our children, they are rich in morals and filled with interesting characters”. I wanted to preserve the folkstories.
According to Prof Aderemi Raji – Oyelade, Prof of English Language, African Literatures & Creative Writing, at the University of Ibadan, “The narrative structure reads like a compendium of folktales, chants, praises and words that are representative of the pristine Yoruba indigenous society”. “It is exactly what I intended, a representation of Yoruba orature. The soundtrack album further seals the memory of the stories and their songs for the 21st century Nigerian child.”
Three tracks are being released along the book presently, while the full album will be out next year, 2021. The soundtrack to the book is performed by artistes who are renowned for their work as cultural ambassadors. They include performance poet, Akeem Lasisi famous for his Eleleture amongst other poetic renditions; Afrobeat musician and guitarist, Edaoto, the multi talented singer and guitarist, Kent Oxygen, one of Nigeria’s vocalists and rising songstresses, Kayefi. Other outstanding popular artistes in Nigeria and in the diaspora, who lent their voices to the soundtrack will be unveiled with the full album.
It is also to rekindle a revisiting of our values, beliefs, and heritage as an ethnic group. This is in line with the overall aim of the book which is to achieve a more nuanced understanding of Yoruba language by children and adults who have been alienated from their cultural identity. Hopefully, this should kindle a cultural renaissance that will enable the alienated to re-connect or connect at a deeper level with our culture and traditions.
“I have used this memoir to celebrate my Yoruba-ness and promote the Omoluwabi philosophy of the Yoruba people. I hope that it draws as many people as read it, nearer to their roots. I would be thrilled to see comprehensive projects come out from the Yoruba nation that will further concretise our world views in this century and age.”
The book aims remind and re-introduce both the old and new generations of speakers of Yoruba language of our rich Yoruba heritage through folktales, folksongs, proverbs, our food culture and belief system. The book is set in Nigeria of the 80s, in Ijebu ode, the author uses her personal stories to share the significance of socialising our children to our culture early in life.
Some of the dignitaries expected at the launch include the Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadan land and the Cultural Ambassador for the Yoruba Nation, Oloye Lekan Alabi; The Special Guests of Honour are Commissioner of Education, Lagos State, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo; Yoruba Thought leader and Cultural icon, Pa Jimmy Solanke; former Permanent Secretary, LTV, retired broadcaster and broadcast manager, Mr. Lekan Ogunbanwo and distinguished broadcaster, Poet and Columnist, Mrs Eugenia Abu.
Reviewers at the afternoon of Conversations and Book Release are Mr. Kunle Ajibade, the Executive Director, The News, respected Newspaper Columnist, Mr. Lekan Shote and Mrs. Mutiat Adebola Adeaga, Head Teacher, Carol School, Agidingbi, Ikeja. The audio and video expressions of the book are being handled by Yellow Bloom Productions.
The book had enjoyed raving reviews from various scholars and literary enthusiasts, some of these are mentioned below-
“It is a children’s book that will be found fascinating to child and adult readers, a literary appreciation . . . it is also language beautifully expressed . . . this is a well written child autobiography
– Prof Aderemi Raji – Oyelade, Prof of English Language, African Literatures & Creative Writing, University of Ibadan
“Be prepared to be so deeply engrossed in it that you won’t let go till you finish reading it.” – Emah Ekpo. Retired Broadcaster & Children Advocate
“With the workbook in this edition, Àníkẹ́-adé has introduced an element that should help teachers and parents to assess their pupils’, children’s, wards’ understanding of the themes. This is highly commendable.”
-Taiwo Obe. Journalist & Multimedia Trainer.
“. . . a trove of childhood memories that testify to the interconnection between the past and present as signposts to the future…The account is told with fascinating candour.” – Lanre Idowu. Publisher & Author.
“. . . It read to my inner child and took me places in the heart I had forgotten about.” – Ikhide R. Ikheloa. Literary Critic & Columnist.
“A treasure trove … every page contains surprises, new vistas.”
– Maxim Uzoatu. Poet & Art Critic.
“…The curiosity of a child navigating the forest of raw traditional terrain with modern tools and lenses cannot be missed.”
– Kole Odutola. Senior Lecturer, University of Florida, USA.
“As a grandma’s pet, this book resonates with me so much … Simply unputdownable!
– Dr. Tunde Akanni, Lagos State University, Nigeria
“I did not want the wonderful stories of Grandma to end.”
– Princess Carol Ayo Durodola. Author – USA.
The author, Anike -Ade Funke Treasure is a broadcast journalist, certified media trainer, mentor, speech and leadership coach and an event compere. She is also a certified speaker, trainer and facilitator with the global John Maxwell Team.
Funke Treasure is an advocate for women and the girl child, a well sought after panelist and moderator for conferences on women. She is the first female journalist to manage an all news radio station in the Radio Nigeria Network and indeed the Nigerian broadcast industry. She is one of the leading women in the media in Nigeria especially in radio broadcasting, where she has worked tirelessly for more than two decades.
She is an advocate for inclusion of women in the newsroom, she broke the ceiling as a female news anchor of her generation on the Network Service of the FRCN in 2003; paving the way for younger women to be considered as news readers on the radio network. She has trained more than a thousand media professionals in Nigeria.
An advocate for the girl child, in 2008, she inaugurated the Funke Treasure Table Tennis Championship (F3TC), a competition targeted at the girl child from low income families and public schools. In January, 2019, she started a media campaign for free sanitary pads for school aged girls in Nigeria.
A multiple award winner, especially in reporting and programme production, her news feature report on female condoms at the Seme border made the category finalist listof The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa as part of the 2007 CNN/Multi Choice Africa Journalism Awards. In 2010, she covered and reported the Beijing Review Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York for Radio Nigeria, funded
She worked with the United Nations IRIN Radio as a Country Producer-Trainer and WANAD/ALCO as Country Focal Point on the World Bank funded Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project on HIV/AIDS. She worked with UNICEF and a child based NGOas producer/trainer to train 30 street children in telling their stories in a series about life on the streets. The production won double awards.
Funke Treasureis a regular resource person for media training for women journalists. She is Guest Faculty with The Journalism Clinic; a resource person with the International Press Centre, Nigeria, the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations, Lagos (NASPRI) amongst others; and was an Adjunct Lecturer with Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
In 2013, and as General Manager, Radio One,103.5FM, she created a distinct identity for the station. She restructured and introduced interesting programmes that transformed itfrom a general interest into an all-news format in six months; accelerating Radio One into one of the listener’s favourite stations in Lagos and beyond.
Funke Treasure runs the Media Mentoring Initiative(MMi), a social enterprise, which she birthed in 2010, to empower aspiring and young professionals with broadcast skills. Under the scheme, she has coached and mentored scores of radio journalists, producers and presenters
She was the pioneer Controller, Corporate Development, FRCN Lagos Operations, with the responsibility of enhancing the perception and visibility of Radio Nigeria in Lagos. A well respected media professional in Nigeria across media forms – radio, television, print and literature, Funke Treasure is a credible leader, she led the alumni group of Pan Atlantic University ‘s School of Communication as an elected Vic President who stepped in as Acting President to birth programmes and create a foundation that has endured the test of time.
The graduate of English/Education obtained a certificate in International Broadcast Journalism from Thomson Foundation, UK; and the Radio Netherlands Training Centre for the Training the Trainer Course. She has a Masters in Journalism & Media Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa. She is an alumnus of the Poynter Institute, Florida, USA; and Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
