THE PEN TRUST - MAGAZINE

About Nasir Elrufai:                                                            "I recognized his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue for long, but only to Nasir El - Rufai".                           "I have heard of how he viciously savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who was like his foster father".                                                               "Character wise, Nasir has not much going for him".                                        ...

By: Muhsin Ibrahim Lawan Whenever I write on a topic related to learning English, I receive a torrent of questions under the post and via direct message (DM). The usual question is: how do I learn English? So I want to address this question briefly today. 1. I am still learning English myself. I used to teach the little I knew years ago. Today, there are several private English learning centres, some of which offer virtual classes. No one can say they don't know any of those schools. I once expressed my concern about their "proliferation" because they are many. 2. Learning English, like learning almost everything, is a gradual process. Most of us whose writing style some of you admire have been reading and writing in English for a decade(s). We also (used to) mostly read excellent writers — or well-edited content. Unfortunately, that is significantly lacking today. 3. I bought novels with my first salary in 1999. After that, I used to save money to buy the Wee...

Mundari tribe: Cow urine bathing To largely keep themselves clean, Mundari men will squat under streams of cow urine, which they see as a natural antiseptic to fight infection. The act will also tinge their hair orange. ... This serves as an antiseptic and protects them from the scorching heat. The cows are among the world's most pampered. South Sudan 🇸🇸

She is 101 years old and he is 102. Their love story has lasted 80 years. This is to celebrate the affection, strength, tolerance and patience of a generation that has seen it all, war, lpain, fear. 🖤  Credits - maxvadukul 

ABU scholar wins ASR prize for ‘Best Africa-Based Doctoral Dissertation’ Dr. Nadir A. Nasidi’s dissertation, ‘A Contextual Analysis of Sufi Saint Paintings in Kano, Nigeria’, has won the 2022 African Studies Review (ASR) Prize for the ‘Best Africa-Based Doctoral Dissertation’.  The scholar teaches at Department of History, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. His PhD thesis in Art History at ABU’s Department of Fine Art, which he defended on 18th August, 2021, was selected for the award for its novel contribution to scholarship and originality.  Editor-in-Chief, African Studies Review, Banjamin N. Lawrence, wrote Nadir in a letter dated 11th November, 2022 informing him of the prize won by the doctoral dissertation.  The ASR had, in 2019, created ‘Best Africa-Based Doctoral Dissertation’ award to recognize an Africa-based scholar, who successfully defends a dissertation or doctoral thesis on any aspect of African studies at an African institution of higher educatio...

The picture below is a 16th century painting showing the skinning alive of a corrupt judge, Sisamnes, in the year 500BC. Sisamnes was a corrupt royal judge at the time of Cambyses ll in Persia.  It was discovered that he took a bribe in court and passed an unfair judgement. As a consequence the king ordered that he be arrested for his corruption and ordered that he be skinned alive. Before passing judgement the king asked Sisamnes who he wished to nominate as his successor.  Sisamnes, in his greed, chose his son, Otanes. The king agreed and appointed Otanes  to replace his father. He subsequently passed judgement and ordered that Sisamnes removed skin should be used to upholster the seat on which the new judge would sit in court to remind him of the potential consequences of corruption.  Otanes, in his deliberations, was forced to always remember that he was always sitting on the skin of his executed father. This helped to ensure fairness and equity in al...