{"id":3871,"date":"2019-06-03T14:50:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T14:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/?p=3871"},"modified":"2019-07-30T15:04:49","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T15:04:49","slug":"best-of-both-worlds-corporate-professional-by-day-art-connoisseur-by-night-napoleon-esemudje-opens-up-about-his-undercover-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/2019\/06\/best-of-both-worlds-corporate-professional-by-day-art-connoisseur-by-night-napoleon-esemudje-opens-up-about-his-undercover-life","title":{"rendered":"Best of Both Worlds\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Corporate Professional by Day, Art Connoisseur by Night: Napoleon Esemudje opens up about his undercover life.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nknow you as the many-hatted, activity juggling head of resource at Transcorp.\n But beneath the layers of your corporate profile, tell us who is Napoleon\nEsemudje?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nborrow your words, I could say that I remain the many-hatted, interests-juggling\nindividual or to paraphrase the popular term, a learning man of many parts. You\ncould describe me by my varied interests because these are what you would\ntypically find me engaged in when I\u2019m not busy with official and family duties.\nI tend to spend a considerable amount of my free time (and spare change) on\nthem \u2013 reading, watching and learning. So perhaps, I should spell out a few of\nmy interests and you would solve the puzzle of who is Napoleon Esemudje.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nstart with and let\u2019s just get it out of the way, I\u2019ve got an interesting first\nname. I\u2019ve also got a fair idea why my dad gave me the name, but I can\u2019t say if\nit influenced my keen interest in world history (particularly military history.\nI\u2019ve got volumes on WWI and WWII and my wife still can\u2019t get her head around\nthis). My interests also extend to astronomy, technology and all things Sci-Fi.\nIt\u2019s likely a persistent hangover from my childhood obsession with a comic\nseries \u201c2000AD\u201d (laughs) but it is also underlined by a potent curiosity I have\nabout the future. I think about the future a lot and about Africa\u2019s place in\nit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m\nalso actively keen on nature-themed photography – a hobby I took up in 2006. It\nseems I\u2019ve got an eye for lights, but I still need to make additional\ninvestments there. I know a couple of people who think I\u2019ve made enough\ninvestments already (laughs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also a bit of a sports fan (I say a bit because I used to be fanatical about football, but that\u2019s another story) but I\u2019m not an active player in any physical sport \u2013 indeed something happened the last time I played football (LOL).  But I\u2019m quite proficient in Chess though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally \u2013 trying to keep this short – I write. I\u2019ve been writing for as long as I can remember and continue to dabble in multiple genres of writing \u2013 short stories, poetry, drama playlets, original thoughts, articles and a little more etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bordering\nall these, I tend to be quite contemplative, often philosophical and curious\nabout the facts and meaning of life and ways I could make a difference. When I\nhave the time, these manifests in motivational talks but mostly I just write. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nlittle bird told us you are an art\/culture enthusiast\u2013 how did you discover\nyour love for these?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, a younger colleague was rather bemused to find me rocking to electro-pop. Perhaps people can\u2019t picture me rocking (laughs) or more likely, many people apparently (supposedly in my age bracket) enjoy a limited range of music types. But I enjoy all genre of music – the good ones. My collections range from Afrobeats to Classical music; from Gregorian chants to the quintessential Rap songs of the nineties; from Reggae to Rock and Roll; from Afropop to R&B and from Jazz to authentic Highlife and the so-called Fuji music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\nmusic to paintings and sculptures, I\u2019m instinctively drawn to works of arts,\nhistory and culture. I try to stop by a museum in the cities I visit in my\ntravels. One of the first things I did years ago when I first came to Lagos, was\nto visit the National Museum at Onikan. Since then, I\u2019ve been fortunate enough\nto visit many more across the world \u2013 from the Smithsonian National Air and\nSpace Museum in Washington DC to the Natural History Museum in London. Last\nyear I had the distinct privilege of visiting the National Museum of Unity in\nEnugu, the magnificent ruins of ancient Rome and the Louvre in Paris. These\nwere all amazing lifelong experiences and my odyssey is by no means over.\nIndeed as a few of my co-travelers tend to lament about (laughs), I could\nliterally, if possible, spend days trawling through the artifacts and\ncollections in museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m\nnot sure if I discovered art or whether the arts discovered me because I can\u2019t\nrecall a time that I wasn\u2019t keen about some form of artwork. Somehow, I\u2019m able\nto see and make out patterns and profiles even out of blank and chaotic\nspaces.  Maybe, I\u2019m just artistically\nbent and the arts in all its many shades, patterns and forms resonate with me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seldom\ndo people make connections between a \u201crigid\u201d corporate life and love for\narts\/culture? How do you manage the two?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First,\nI would say that if you really love something, particularly something that\ncomes naturally to you, it tends to filter into whatever you do including your\nwork life and those you relate with at work. Secondly, and understandably, it\nalso depends on the art form you\u2019re engaged in and your level of professional\nengagement. Some art forms require a very high level of fidelity particularly\nif you\u2019re seeking professional outcomes. At the moment, my love and expressions\nof the arts are driven by recreational interest and work always comes first.\nFinally, on this point, (and at the risk of being misconstrued), I should note\nthat there is possibly a false narrative regarding the ease of connections\nbetween our rigid corporate life and the love for arts\/culture. Many successful\ncorporate titans have a keen interest and engagement with the arts. I\u2019ve never\nasked him, but I\u2019ve seen enough to tell that the Chairman for instance has a\nstrong affinity for the arts. Having said that (and not to argue this fine\npoint), I agree that for an active practitioner of the arts, (as different from\na collector) it can be a challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell\nus about some of your favourite works and why they speak to you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is tough.\nI\u2019ve written hundreds of literary pieces and taken perhaps over a thousand\npictures. While I\u2019m certain that there are quite a few good ones amongst these,\nit is tough to pick favourites. Still, there are a couple of pieces I wrote\ntitled \u201cStreet Champion\u201d and another \u201cNight Sights\u201d that I really like. They\nare indicative of my writings and the pictures that I take of nature and the\nproduct of man\u2019s interaction with nature. For literary pieces, I often focus on\nthe seemingly mundane existence of nondescript individuals and try to convey\nwith descriptive verses, the complexities and intensity of their lives. The\nStreet Champion and \u201cNight Sights\u201d follow this same narrative and speak to my\ncontemplative enquiry into the struggles and meaning of life.  A few my favourite pictures are already on my\nInstagram page and fits into this narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, I\nwas fortunate to have had access to an extensive library and read very widely.\nI read many of the classics by Charles Dickens, Sir, H. Haggards, Arthur Doyles\nand Shakespeare amongst many others. But in my early days of writing, I was\nhugely influenced by the literary works of Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Cyprian\nEkwensi, Chinwe Achebe and Leopold Senghor. I started out trying to write in\ntheir style and why I feel that I\u2019ve developed a unique style that I\u2019m\ncomfortable with, their influence remains strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou could summarise your life in a literary quote, what would it be?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the\nworld\u2019s a stage. And all the men and women merely players; They have their\nexits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts\nbeing seven ages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find this\nquote by William Shakespeare (As you Like It, Act II Scene VII) to be quite\ninstructive and true. It applies to me and to everybody with acts of seven ages\n(laughs!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think having an\nartistic side fuels productivity at work \u2013 how so?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely.\nIn my opinion, art is the foremost expression of creativity and levels of human\ncivilization. There is also the bit about how a piece of artwork forces you to\npause, to reflect and to ponder. You\u2019re looking at the work of art (whether it\na book, a painting, a sculpture or even an interesting picture) and you do find\nyourself wondering about the meaning, identity and relative historical and\ncultural context. And as you process these thoughts, your sense of imagination\nexpands, and cognitive awareness is deepened. There\u2019s this small but\nelectrifying book by Ellen Thorpe (\u201cLadder of Bones\u201d) for instance. It provides\na data-rich (from historical archives) narrative of the early beginnings of the\nColony of Lagos since 1853. Learning how the streets of Lagos Island got their\nnames including the proclivities of the actual individuals the streets were\nnamed after; how \u201cBar Beach\u201d got its name and the moment of \u201ccontact\u201d between\nthe first European settlers and how they fared (poorly) was enlightening.\nLiving in present day Lagos and being transported back to 19th<\/sup>\ncentury Lagos was incredible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nhas been a recent argument about the west returning stolen art. Do you think\nthis is a good move?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve\nfollowed this argument. Understandably, there is a legitimate yearning for the\nreturn of stolen and lost arts. These artifacts are part of our history after\nall and what better way for our people, young and old, to connect with some of\nour artistic and cultural achievements. So, the moral case for their return is\nfair and reasonable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nwe do have to match our moral indignation and \u201cnationalist\u201d fervor with the\nenabling conditions and investments to care for these art works. Most of our\nlocal museums are in extremely poor shape with significant funding, management\nand administrative challenges. We lack a well ordered, integrated and effective\ntourism industry to drive the active engagement of local and international\nvisitors in a way that can provide a degree of long-term financial capacity and\nsustainable relevance for our museums. Thus, even with the best of intentions;\nthese artifacts if returned would likely suffer from poor care and the risk of\nbeing stolen or severely damaged. At best, they may simply be kept in storage\nor be seen by few people. Every time I visit a museum in Nigeria for instance,\nI\u2019m either the only visitor with the curator or one of a few. In other parts of\nthe world, you sometimes have to book your visit in advance because of the huge\nnumber of visitors and the very long queues to get in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think\nabout it, when was the last time you saw an ad from any of our local museums\npromoting our national art collections and treasures? Now compare this with how\nother countries from Peru to Egypt promote their historic and cultural\nartifacts. Indeed, the latter\u2019s case is instructive because in terms of stolen\narts, few countries have suffered such loss as much as Egypt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nshould also remember that while these arts works may have originated from\nNigeria, they also represent a collection of the world\u2019s cultural heritage.\nLike the case of the biblical twins before King Solomon, I\u2019d rather see our art\ncollections kept in prime condition and well managed for a global audience in\nEurope, than have same hidden, damaged or buried somewhere in Nigeria. We will\nand can certainly make a stronger case for the return of these artifacts when\nwe walk our talk and prepare to effectively manage our stolen arts. In this\nregard, the Egyptians have made a more legitimate case than we have.\nNevertheless, we could, in the interim, explore an exchange programme involving\nthe rotation of select art works between the countries were they\u2019re currently\ndomiciled and the countries of origin. For this, we should involve private\ngalleries which tend to be better managed and can help establish our\ncredibility as effective managers able to care for and project our national art\ntreasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\ndo we need to do to get people interested more in art, nature, or the outdoors?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a group as\nlarge as ours, its more than likely that there are many people with keen\ninterests in the arts and outdoor pursuits. One way to get others more\ninterested is to showcase those that are already engaged in the artistic and\noutdoor activities. This publication is a good platform for this. We could\nstretch this even further with dedicated pages or sections for the arts and\noutdoors activities where pictures, short write-ups etc from team members can\nbe showcased. Periodic competitions and related contests can further energise\nthe process. We can also build an online community of HH Arts and Culture etc.\nI recall a plan was set in motion more than a year ago for such a community\nwith a book club being one of several options. We can revisit these and ensure\nthat they take-off. I concede that it can be tough juggling such engagements\nwith our official duties, except of course, this becomes part of these official\nduties. If we can formalise these structures while keeping it fun and exciting,\nwe would do more than get more people interested in the arts or the outdoors,\nwe would unbundle a mass of creative spirit and enthusiasm within the HH group.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Corporate Professional by Day, Art Connoisseur by Night: Napoleon Esemudje opens up about his undercover life. . We know you as the many-hatted, activity juggling head of resource at Transcorp.  But beneath the layers of your corporate profile, tell us who is Napoleon Esemudje? To borrow your words, I could say that I remain the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3871"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4086,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3871\/revisions\/4086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}