I had invited the multi- talented singer, actress and judge of the Nigerian Idol to come to Abuja and lend her support to the newly rolled out creative entrepreneurship workshop in Abuja titled The Creative Feast. She had accepted to come and we at The Eugenia Abu Media centre are excited at what this portends for participants of this unique workshop. Never one to be side-lined in generosity, Yinka invited me and my spouse to watch the much-celebrated Legends, a stage musical where she played Sango’s wife, Oya along with some of the finest to include the phenomenal singer, Waje.
Yinka’s role, although not a lead, was delivered in the true stage craft for which she is sought after all over the world. Presence, candour, craftsmanship, professionalism and fire. Ahead of the performance, she was in her usual way, pernickety about everyone’s comfort as the 7pm start time was shifted forward by 30 minutes. Courteous, exuberant, playful and warm, she greeted everyone who had come to see the performance and thanked us all for coming. The performance which was a thrill for all who came saw Yinka Davies larger than life, filling the stage with her voice and her personae. In these stressful times, everyone must go out and watch Legends when it comes to a location near you. Theatre, film, stage, small screen, music and dance have always been cathartic for anyone who understands the power of creativity and no one has embraced her many dimensional roles in this field more than the amazing Yinka Davies. Petite and unassuming, the royal Ms Yinka Davies never really leaves one’s consciousness as the multiply endowed total artiste. Thespian of stage and screen, singer, sculptor, dancer, choreographer and Judge of the reality show, the Nigerian Idol, Yinka more than qualifies as an expertise in talent spotting and is sought after in the many artistic fields she has conquered.
How does she do it, supercharged for all times, consistent and focused? It is, I believe, in the discipline of all her artistic gifts and her readiness to learn from the masters. It is against this background that The Eugenia Abu Media centre has invited her to Abuja to lead facilitate the creative workshop where this month’s theme would be “Managing your multiple talents” Ms Davies will also teach how to find funding for your dreams and self-motivation. Her bounce back from an accident that nearly crippled her career many years ago is a testimony to her resilience. She returned from that accident, bigger and better and re-invented herself as if to say, no matter how bad it gets, you must always find a window to fly.
When Yinka tells her story, it is expected that young persons will have a lot to learn from the woman who won the voice of the decade award in 2007. Her team spirit shines through when you see her list of collaborative efforts, writing songs for other stars and doing back-ups for many others before she belted her way to her critically acclaimed album Black Chiffon.
I have known Yinka for years and I have always been intrigued by her. In that famous smile, she packs a punch and continuously builds the resilience of only those who are truly blessed. In one person lies such an array of talents, all well-heeled, all amazingly efficient. How come she is not arrogant, rude or spoilt like some of our latter day stars whose only claim to fame is how many scandals they are involved in or how much attention they seek in spite of the fact that they are not so accomplished in their craft. These neophytes hugging the limelight live only for the lights while the lovely Ms Davies in an interview with a national newspaper describes her craft in such words that make us all want to be like her. Add that to her kindness when asked about the lack of meaningful lyrics found in new music. Yinka never fails to amaze with her modesty and her equanimity. There is room she says for everyone no matter the genre of music and everyone brings something to the table.
We have searched long and wide for who is better suited to address the June edition of this intervention to teach young persons delayed gratification, how to hone one’s skill in creative entrepreneurship as well as the essence of hard work and Ms Davies simply fits the bill.
Two months ago, the award winning actor and TV presenter, Segun Arinze was Lead Facilitator at the Creative Feast and it was a blast.
Abuja braces up for Yinka Davies on the 27th of June 2019 and she would definitely deliver,” my story, my journey”, with aplomb. I would be on hand to deal with issues of creative entrepreneurship and legacy and multiple streams of income.
It has become quite clear to many observers that some talented people believe talent is synonymous with waywardness and a complete lack of discipline. In addition to all of this, it has also been observed that many young people today are very much in a flux with anxiety, stress related depression, clinical depression and what is popularly described as “internal funk” which to the initiated means “confused and slightly off-focus.” A major distraction is social media where all is not really what it seems. In attempting to be someone else, it is easy to lose one’s self. Ms Yinka Davies’s authentic personality would help zero in on this aspect of creativity’s Achilles heel while I would deliver a talk on “Managing your social media footprints.” As a caregiver and guidance counsellor, I will also be offering as a bonus, 30 minutes counselling sessions to participants to run for two weeks after the master class.
Ms Davies’s towering presence would certainly set Abuja abuzz. Indeed, her story is one that must be told to inspire, motivate and awake and we are all the better for it. We at the centre wait with baited breath.
Eugenia Abu
