Nagin (Female Serpent) is a 1976 Hindi-language horror film, produced and directed by Rajkumar Kohli. It stars Reena Roy in the titular role alongside an ensemble cast, including Sunil Dutt, Feroz Khan, Sanjay Khan, Rekha, Mumtaz, Vinod Mehra, Yogeeta Bali, Kabir Bedi, Anil Dhawan, and Jeetendra.
It’s about SIX FRIENDS in which one of the them is doing research on SNAKES, he. believes that after certain period of time they take HUMAN FORM. On a FULL MOON DAY all of them go for HUNTING and one of them accidentally kills the MALE COBRA which angers the FEMALE COBRA. All the SIX. FACES are captured in her “EYES” and she starts killing all of them one by one as REVENGE for her PARTNER, 5 of them die and only ONE survives. At the end the FEMALE SERPENT dies.
DID YOU KNOW? Sholay was ranked first in the British Film Institute’s 2002 poll of “Top 10 Indian Films” of all time. In 2005, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards named it the Best film of 50 years. The film follows two criminals, Veeru and Jai (played by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan), hired by a retired police officer (Sanjeev Kumar) to capture the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh(Amjad Khan). Hema Malini and Jaya Bhaduri also star, as Veeru and Jai’s love interests.
Rowan Atkinson was born in a middle-class family and suffered terribly as a child because of his stuttering. He was also teased and bullied at school because of his looks. His bullies thought he looked like an alien. He was soon marked a strange and became a very shy, withdrawn kid who didn’t have many friends, so he dived into science, one of his teachers said. There was nothing outstanding about him. I did not expect him to be a brilliant scientist, but he has proved everyone wrong. Admitted to Oxford University during his days, he started falling in love with acting but couldn’t perform due to his speaking disorder. he got his master’s degree in electrical engineering before appearing in any movie or TV show after getting his degree, he decided to pursue his dream and become an actor so he enrolled in a comedy group but again, his stammering got in the way.
A lot of TV shows rejected him, and he felt devastated but despite the many rejections. He never stopped believing in himself. He had a great passion for making people laugh and knew that he was very good at it. he started focusing more and more on his original comedy sketches and soon realized that he could speak fluently whenever he played some character. he found a way to overcome his stuttering and his also used there is an inspiration for his acting. While studying for his master’s Rowan Atkinson co-created the strange, surreal, and now speaking character known as Mr. Bean.
He had success with other shows, Mr. Bean made him globally famous and despite all the obstacles, he faced because of his looks and his speaking disorder, he proved that even without a heroic body or a Hollywood face, you can become one of the most loved and respected actors in the world. The motivational success story of Rowan Atkinson. It’s so inspiring because it teaches is that to be successful in life, the most important things are passion, hard work, dedication and never giving up, because without caring about our feelings and weaknesses.
Moral of the story: No one is born perfect. Don’t be afraid. People can accomplish amazing things every day in spite of their weaknesses and failures. So go and do the best you can with the one life you’ve got.
In 1959, an 18 year old Bruce Lee moved to San Francisco, California to live with his sister. A few months later Bruce Lee moved to Seattle to finish high school, and worked in a Chinese restaurant. After finishing high school Lee enrolled at the University of Washington in drama, while also studying philosophy, psychology, and other subjects. He met Linda, a fellow student at U. of W. and married in 1964.
During this period of 1959 to 1964 Bruce Lee also taught martial arts to various people. Bruce was essentially teaching his version of Kung Fu. You should be starting to understand who Bruce Lee was. Obviously, Bruce was a rebel, and did not conform to traditions. Bruce Lee made his own way in the world and shaped the martial arts to his vision. We are all enriched by this. Bruce Lee later created a martial arts style called, “Jeet Kun Do”, which he called a style without a style.
Let’s look at the state of martial arts in the United States in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Robert Trias brought his form of Okinawan karate to the U.S.A. in 1947, which he called Okinawan Shuri Ryu Karate. Robert Trias formed the first karate association, the United States Karate Association (USKA) in 1947. The American Karate Association (AKA) was formed in 1964. These styles were based more on the Okinawan/Japanese forms, but evolved into more of an Americanized style. Basically, you had servicemen who served in the World War II in the Pacific and brought what they learned in Okinawan and Japan, mixed it with boxing and judo, and gave it a new name. A good example is Ed Parker who grew up in Hawaii and learned boxing and judo. He later trained in Kenpo karate, and then created a style called “American Kenpo”. The traditional Kenpo form used very linear movements. Ed Parker added some more circular moves in his “American Kenpo” which is more in line with Chinese Kung Fu and some of the Okinawan forms. It was in the 1960’s when Tae Kwon Do was exported around the world and arrived in the U.S.A. This made for some interesting times, with so many different styles and an ongoing evolution of these styles. It is not surprising that one ongoing movie theme is to pit one martial style against another. Each school has to justify why its style is better than another.
It was in this creative and evolving stew of martial arts, that Bruce Lee arrived on the scene. Chinese Kung Fu forms were fairly unknown, and were greatly overshadowed by the various karate forms. Rather than conform to a rigid style system or forms, Bruce Lee focused on what technique worked. What is effective? What is efficient? How do you adapt to different fighters and fighting styles? It was this form, without form, that is the basis for Bruce Lee’s style – Jeet Kune Do.
Last week, news broke that an octogenarian-veteran Journalist by the name Dayo Duyile was to be formally conferred with a PhD at this week’s Unilag Convocation ceremonies.
Much was made of the age of the graduand, even if the newspapers couldn’t quite agree on how old he exactly was. Different reports put his age between 80 and 83.
The moment I saw the report, my mind went to the only Dayo Duyile I know. Even though I had not heard much about him for many years, as I think he was said to have left Nigeria years back, but I felt it would indeed be a long shot expecting a coincidence in names and profession at that level.
In spite of his rich pedigree in the profession, Chief Dayo Duyile was more renowned, I would suggest, for his position as Director of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) back then, and since none of the early reports indicated that, I simply kept wondering, not having the chance then to check up, even as the photograph reminded me of the man.
Given what I know about the man and the large number of people in Journalism who passed through NIJ, where he was Asst. Director/ Director for 10 years, I found it strange that none of the reports in the major newspapers properly backgrounded their stories with that information and even his rich run in the profession.
The focus was on the fact that he reported the foundation laying ceremony of the institution and is now graduating with a PhD as an octogenarian, which is a good lead, no doubt. But then, whatever happened to the man between the report in 1962 and 2023?
That question should ordinarily come to the mind of a ‘good’ reporter. If not him, those higher up the rung in the newsroom who I would expect to know Dayo Duyile. Well, perhaps those who know him have all moved out of active professional practice.
Sometimes, one can’t but wonder about the state of the profession, especially how professional hands have migrated away from the profession. A case of internal brain drain.
Good thing though, reporters started to dig days after. Premium Times, I think, was the first to reach out to him, to clarify his age which had earlier been incorrectly reported. Many of these papers also began to update their stories, linking him to NIJ. Sun Newspaper would even go further to secure an interview with Dr Duyile.
Indeed, if anyone had made the effort to dig, they might have found a detailed interview conducted by The Guardian’s Kabir Alabi Garba which is a comprehensive account of Dr Duyile’s professional history. In that interview, he even spoke that he was on the PhD programme at Unilag.
The report also confirms my claim that he was out of the country for some time, after leaving NIJ. But he has been back in Nigeria since 1999 and has made a tour of a few universities as a Lecturer since 2006. He is currently with Elizade university.
That he settled for life in academics is not a surprise to me. Even as Director of NIJ, he was never far away from the classroom. He taught us “Ethics of Journalism” in the PGD class back then.
Indeed, Dayo Duyile is not just another veteran Journalist whose résumé can or should be reduced to covering the foundation laying ceremony of Unilag in 1962 and coming back to bag a PhD in 2023.
Chief Duyile began his career in Journalism in 1960 with “Southern Nigeria Defender” before moving to Nigerian Tribune and then Daily Times, for which he covered the treason trial of Obafemi Awolowo and others in 1963. He would later work with Daily Sketch and then WNBS/WNTV, before serving as Editor of Drum magazine, returning to Daily Sketch as Editor and acting CEO. He joined Concord at inception as Training and Manpower Development Manager. He would later join NIJ in 1986.
The story of Dr Dayo Duyile is every bit inspiring. If he can do it at 82, what is holding us back from our dreams? He said the major challenge he had pursuing the PhD was having to travel to Lagos from Ondo twice a week at his age.
I am glad that Chief Duyile, in achieving this feat, is receiving the attention due to him. I am happy that our General Taiwo One (TO) was able to mobilise some Journalism greats to host Dr Duyile to a reception in celebration of this accomplishment.
Dr Duyile says his life-long dream is to become a Professor. He is ramping up with more publications to enable him achieve that. I wish him well as he works to make this dream come true.
•Secret police now investigating apex bank’s boss over 12 more allegations
•Probes CBN Gov, Finance Minister over undeclared $3.7bn COVID-19 palliative funds from IMF, forex allocations since 2017
•Alleges apex bank running separate foreign reserve account without FG’s knowledge
•claims ‘CBN operating 527 other private accounts govt not aware of’
There is no respite yet for the embattled Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in his battle of wits against the Department of State Services as the Agency on Thursday submitted more damning evidence against the apex bank’s boss, over series of fresh allegations, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The “cast iron”, evidence against Emefiele, First News gathered, is contained in a security report the DSS Director General, Yusuf Bichi, handed over to President Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa earlier on Thursday. The submission of the security report, First News gathered, necessitated Emefiele’s visit for the second time on Thursday to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. The CBN Gov, it was learnt, was summoned by President Buhari following his receipt of the DSS security report on the fresh allegations and “overwhelming evidence” against the apex bank’s boss.
Emefiele had earlier on Thursday visited the Presidential Villa as part of the delegation of the Arab Bank for Economic Development led by its Director General, Dr Sidi Ould Tah. Emefiele’s second meeting with President Buhari was, however, held behind closed doors, where it was learnt the CBN Gov was confronted with the fresh allegations leveled against him by the DSS. At the end of his closed door meeting with President Buhari, Emefiele declined to comment on the issues discussed when approached by State House correspondents. This was just as Emefiele, on Wednesday night, directed all the DSS operatives detailed to provide security for him to withdraw and “return to base.”
Emefiele’s disengagement of the DSS operatives followed the deployment of heavily armed soldiers and military intelligence operatives allegedly by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor to take over the security of the apex bank governor and his family members. Irabor, it was alleged got close to N1bn largesse from the CBN Gov for securing him with military police and intelligence personnel from the Defence Headquarters, to prevent his arrest by the DSS. Also on Wednesday night, Emefiele through a Civil Society Organisation, Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, obtained a fresh court injunction from a Federal Capital Territory High Court barring the DSS from questioning officials of the CBN and chief executives of 27 commercial banks on Foreign Exchange Allocations from 2017 to date. First News obtained a copy of the court order granted by the Presiding Judge, Justice S.B Belgore. The judge adjourned hearing of the motion on notice on the matter till January 25. Recall that the DSS had recently accused Emefiele of allegedly aiding and abetting terrorism, insisting that the CBN Gov must be prosecuted for the alleged crimes. According to the DSS, preliminary investigations revealed Emefiele’s involvement in various acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension. But the embattled CBN boss has continued to employ all means to escape arrest and interrogation by the DSS. He recently delayed his return to Nigeria after a trip abroad. He was also said to have engaged some close associates of President Buhari to help him prevail on the DSS to let him off the hook. The CBN governor is also alleged to have been employing propaganda through organised public protests and demonstrations by CSOs, all in a bid to stop his investigations by the DSS. A nephew and close confidant of President Buhari, Mamman Daura and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai are said to be the arrowheads of the highly influential and powerful politicians pressuring the DSS DG, Yusuf Bichi to let go of Emefiele, resulting in the inability of the secret police to interrogate the apex bank boss on the allegations leveled against him.
It was, however, learnt that unknown to the CBN Gov, while he was out of the country, the DSS had interrogated and obtained documentary evidence from his deputies at the apex bank, external auditors to the bank and managing directors of the 27 commercial banks regarding the monumental allegations of corruption and fraud being levelled against him by the secret police regarding forex allocations and other corruption allegations. It was in the course of these widened investigations that the DSS unearthed 12 fresh allegations against the CBN Gov, First News learnt from reliable sources. It was gathered that during interrogation, the CBN external auditors, who have been working for the apex bank in the past six years, “gave evidence under caution” and provided documents to back their claim that Emefiele paid them to prepare “doctored audit reports” which the Federal Government has inadvertently been relying upon. It was also learnt that during investigations, the DSS discovered that the controversial Ways and Means approval requested by the Finance Minister was actually in the region of N23.7trillion as against the N7.3trn presented to the National Assembly. Some of the new allegations Emefiele is being investigated for by the DSS include the N3.6bn COVID-19 palliative funds given Nigeria by the IMF two years ago to cushion the effects of the pandemic. Emefiele, it was learnt did not inform the Federal Government about the IMF palliative but only allegedly diverted the money into a private account in China. The demand for acknowledgement letter by the IMF from the Finance Minister let the cat out of Emefiele’s bag. The CBN Gov was however said to have told the Finance Minister that he invested the money for the country. The Finance Minister on her part, was said to have demanded for about $700m out of the IMF palliative to enable her Ministry to “offset staff salary.” The remaining $3billion, it was gathered, is still being kept in a bank in China without the Federal Government being aware of this development.
CBN under Emefiele is also alleged to be running no fewer than 527 private bank accounts with public monies running to several billions stashed in them without the Federal Government being in the know. The much-vaunted Single Treasury Account (TSA), it was learnt, has been discovered by the DSS to be a phantom device by Emefiele to deceive the Federal Government and all Nigerians. “There’s nothing like TSA account. Only Emefiele knows what he means by this,” a source said. The CBN Gov is also alleged to have masterminded the creation of two foreign reserve accounts for Nigeria with the second one the Federal Government is not aware of having about $47billion. The DSS, it was further gathered, while grilling bank chief executives, also unearthed an allegation that the CBN boss directed all commercial banks’ managing directors to give him N30bn each every year as his own “pocket money.” Only a newly established bank (names withheld) allegedly paid Emefiele the least sum of N5bn. The bank MDs involved, it was learnt, have already written statements and provided the DSS with documentary evidence. Only on Wednesday night, Emefiele through a CSO, approached an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Belgore to obtain an interim injunction to restrain the DSS from obtaining information from the CBN and the commercial banks regarding forex allocations in the past six years. But unknown to Emefiele, the DSS, it was learnt, had already obtained a comprehensive list of all those involved in the forex distribution deal, including some highly placed Presidency officials and this is now said to be included in the security report on the CBN boss submitted to President Buhari.
In ancient Greece, women were forbidden to study medicine for several years until someone broke the law. Born in 300 BCE, Agnodice cut her hair and entered Alexandria medical school dressed as a man. While walking the streets of Athens after completing her medical education, she heard the cries of a woman in labour. However, the woman did not want Agnodice to touch her although she was in severe pain, because she thought Agnodice was a man. Agnodice proved that she was a woman by removing her clothes without anyone seeing and helped the woman deliver her baby. The story would soon spread among the women and all the women who were sick began to go to Agnodice. The male doctors grew envious and accused Agnodice, whom they thought was male, of seducing female patients. At her trial, Agnodice, stood before the court and proved that she was a woman but this time, she was sentenced to death for studying medicine and practicing medicine as a woman. Women revolted at the sentence, especially the wives of the judges who had given the death penalty. Some said that if Agnodice was killed, they would go to their deaths with her. Unable to withstand the pressures of their wives and other women, the judges lifted Agnodice’s sentence, and from then on, women were allowed to practice medicine, provided they only looked after women. Thus, Agnodice made her mark in history as the first Greek female doctor, physician and gynecologist. This plaque depicting Agnodice at work was excavated at Ostia, Italy.
Written by WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY.
For so many years, women have been fighting for equality among men, fighting for a chance to be heard and become whom God has destined them to be. Some were not as lucky as Agnodice so they were k.i.l.l.e.d just for having the temerity to have the same dream or passion as men.
When I see women making jest of feminism, it irks me because we are all enjoying the sweat, pain, sacrifices and b.l.o.o.d of many women who had gone ahead of us to pave ways and water the green pastures we’re enjoying in the world today.
Women who fought so hard in a world of men, they had to rebel against their fathers, brothers and husbands to achieve their age long dream. Imagine what could have happened if they all sat comfortably without speaking or rebeling against the subjugation of women, we won’t be enjoying all these luxury we’re enjoying today.
Everything women do that you see as normal were absurd to be done by women years back, the ones we speak against today will be enjoyed by our daughters.
According to history, the creation of the title of Aare Ona Kakanfo was the direct consequence of the ideas of a former ruler of Old Oyo Empire, Alaafin Ajagbo, who reigned in the 1600s. His predecessors, from Ajaka, who succeeded Sango (the god of thunder), to Aganju, Kori, Oluaso, Onigbogi, Eguguojo, and Orompoto to Abipa and Obalokun, all suffered incessant attacks by neighbouring states.
Aare-Ona-Kakanfo Ajagbo we gathered had a twin brother, Ajampati, and like the Biblical Jacob and Esau, Ajagbo was an outdoorsman, while Ajampati preferred the comforts of the royal court. As a result, Ajagbo, as a prince was part of many military expeditions to fend off invaders, and grew up a warrior, all the while nurturing ideas on how best to deal with military aggression against his kingdom-state. One of the direct results of his ideas when he became Alaafin was the creation of the office and title of Aare Ona Kakanfo, meaning Field Marshal, or Generalissimo of the Yoruba armies.
After creating the Kakanfo title, he invested the holder the command of all his forces, outside Oyo town. For the defence of the Alaafin and Yoruba land, Ajagbo is said to have created a metropolitan force which he placed under the command of the Bashorun.
The installation rites of the Aare Ona Kakanfo are tedious and frightening. The procedures and conventions instituted by Ajagbo and nurtured by succeeding Alaafins were said to be partly responsible for the mystiques surrounding the office and title.
We learnt that during installation, the major rite that must be performed is the administering of two hundred and one (201) incisions on the Kakanfo-designate. The incision is called gbere, in Yoruba, chiefly tiny cuts made with a razor, from the forehead backwards to the waist. Each of the 201 incisions is rubbed with 201 different herbal preparations expected to take the courage and bravery of the Kakanfo to super-human levels. After the incisions, the Kakanfo is “crowned” with a specially-made head-dress, that only him wears as a King of Worriors. It is, in Yoruba, called the Ojijiko. After installation, the Kakanfo leaves Oyo, the Alaafin’s city for his own domain; it is forbidden that the Kakanfo and the Alaafin live together in the same town. It’s a taboo for Aare Ona Kakanfo to prostrate for any obas.
A check list of the past holders of the title are- 1. Kokoro Gangan of Iwoye 2. Oyapote of Iwoye 3. Oyabi of Ajase 4. Adeta of Jabata 5. Oku of Jabata 6. Afonja of Ilorin 7. Toyeje of Ogbomoso 8. Edun of Gbogun 9. Amepo of Abemo 10. Kurunmi of Ijaye 11.Ojo Aburumaku of Ogbomoso 12. Obadoke Latoosa of Ibadan 13.Ladoke Akintola of Ogbomoso 14. Moshood Abiola of Abeokuta.
The Myth About Are Kakanfo Indeed, the title of the Aare Kakanfo has been engulfed in the age long Myth that holders end up being consumed by the office most times in mysterious ways. Of the 14 holders of the title previously before Gani Adams, the first 12, from Kokoro Gangan of Iwoye to Momodu Obadoke Latoosa of Ibadan, were reportedly military commanders. Of these, three had waged wars in the interest of the Yoruba people . These were Kurunmi of Ijaye, Afonja of Ilorin, and Obadoke Latoosa of Ibadan. The succeeding two, Samuel Ladoke Akintola and Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola were civilians.
Whereas the 12 died during war, Akintola was assassinated in a coup in 1966, while Abiola died in mysterious circumstance in the course of his June 12 mandate struggle.
However, with the installation of Adams as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo, the people are already setting agenda for him. Archbishop Emeritus Ayo Ladigbolu wants Adams to tackle the issues of peaceful co-existence among diverse etnic nationalities, religious tolerance, national re-orientation, South-West re-orientation and the re-invigoration of the pride of place of Yoruba language and culture.
He stressed that the modern day Kakanfo does not need bows and arrows, guns and daggers, but requires courage, boldness, bravery, focus, application of native intelligence to national and international issues and the brilliance and adaptability to respond to the myriad challenges facing the nation and the world currently.
Let’s respect our tradition. Aare Ona Kakanfo is not a chief but King on his own. His crown name called Ojijiko with Staff of office
In 1992, the Legendary Nigerian FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI and the Legendary Jamaican SHABA RANKS had a ☘️Weed Smoking Contest at the Kalakuta Shrine.
Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world.
Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist.
He is regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat.
In 1992, Jamaica’s Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon, a.k.a. Shabba Ranks came to Nigeria to perform at a concert but decided to visit Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti at his Kalakuta Shrine early in the day.
Of course he was very blunt about the purpose of his visit. Out of youthful exuberance, he promptly told Abami Eda that he’d heard about his smoking legacy and that he’d come to collect his bragging right of being the guy who out smoked Fela.
Well, there is a saying that “It is not wise to go on a drinking or smoking challenge with another man if you do not understand your own system”. Baba 70 as he’s also known, accepted the challenge and the Ganja Kings drew and puffed their smokes away while exchanging banters.
Turns out each successive wraps of blunt got bigger and bigger until Shaba Ranks passed out and fell asleep. It seems he was beaten black and blue because when he woke up he was informed he has missed his concert last night.
In 1579, a tall African man now known by the name of Yasuke arrived in Japan.
His height was roughly 6 feet, 2 inches and he had skin like charcoal historians said. The average height of a Japanese man in 1900 was 5 feet 2, so Yasuke would have towered over most Japanese people in the 16th century.
In 1579, his arrival in Kyoto, the capital at the time, caused such a sensation that people climbed over one another to get a glimpse of him with some being crushed to death, according to historian Lawrence Winkler.
In 1581, the Bantu man alongside Alessandro Valignano set foot in Japan’s capital and booming metropolis, also serving as headquarters of the then daimiyo, Oda Nobunaga. It was here that accounts describe multitudes of people from far and wide coming to witness the tall, strong dark-skinned man.
So strange was this man, that natives likened him to a deity and once broke down the gates of a missionary church to catch a glimpse of him. Oda Nobunaga upon seeing this wonder of a man himself ordered that he strip down and wash off the dark ink from his skin convinced that he might have been a missionary playing a joke. Much to his surprise, no ink came off nor did the skin tone change in the slightest.
Genuinely intrigued by this enigma of a man, Nobunaga quickly took an appreciation for his integrity, but of more significance perhaps, his physical prowess even openly stating that he possessed the strength of ten men! It was with this royal decree that he entered into Nobunaga’s service effectively becoming a samurai. The mysterious Bantu man was even accorded a name, Yasuke!
Other than a piece of land and a house upon it, Yasuke like other samurai was afforded two blades. A long sword- (katana) and another short ceremonial sword. In addition to this, logic dictated that Yasuke learnt how to not only fight but carry himself honourably and diligently as thousands of samurai did before him.
Through the ranks, he rose quickly and soon enough, Yasuke was Oda Nobunaga’s closest companion. He even had the rare privilege of dining with the warlord, a fete even native allies were yet to achieve.
It is recorded, Yasuke rode with Oda Nobunaga into battle and unleashed his ferocity and raw strength, laying waste to all who stood up to the tower of a man relative to the native’s short build. More to this, it was customary for Yasuke to ride alongside his master Oda Nobunaga as he surveyed newly conquered lands. A position of envy to many of Oda’s subordinates. Worse still, occupied by a foreigner. This was not going to last long, however.
In 1582, on their way back from conquest, Nobunaga famously split his army and sent them forward to scour the area for new lands to conquer while he rested in a temple nearby. A surprise attack was launched and Nobunaga’s remaining forces were quickly overpowered. To avoid capture, Nobunaga was forced to commit ritualistic suicide (sepeku).
In the midst of the chaos, Yasuke saw the futility of the fight and rode ahead to secure Nobunaga’s heir, Oda Nobutada. Despite waging a defence fit for the history books and Yaskue’s best efforts, the young prince’s armies were overwhelmed and he too was forced to commit sepeku.
In the same breath, Yasuke was captured and was quickly banished owing to him not being native Japanese. He was sent back to the Jesuit Missionary Church where he was met with his former master Alessandro Valignano who sang and rejoiced upon his safe return.
Much about him remains a mystery: it’s unconfirmed which country in Africa he hailed from, and there is no verifiable record of his life after 1582. But Yasuke was a real-life Black samurai who served under Oda Nobunaga, one of the most important feudal lords in Japanese history and a unifier of the country. Yasuke is now the subject of two films and a Netflix Anime series.
drbiggie 