PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Are Black People Worshipping a Retired God?

Bay Shore, NY: July 1, 2006: Could the bane of Black people across the globe be that they are worshipping a retired God?

In “Children of A Retired God” published today by Iroko Productions LLC, Bay Shore based author, Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo used contemporary stories of the Black world published in his newspaper columns to dramatize this haunting question.

Okonkwo, an African exile, who once lived in Europe, lamented on the lack of reflection, the repetition of errors and the absence of accountability in the lives of Blacks from Brixton to Bronx, and from Lagos to Cairo. He pondered if emphasis in Black lives were being channeled toward the wrong direction.

“It is a tragicomic observation of the Black life at home and in the Diaspora by an African exile,” said Ekene Awuzie, the publisher of Iroko Productions LLC. “Even for those readers far removed from the news that inspired each column, Okonkwo succeeded in bringing to life the story behind the news in a succinct and funny way that demystified the often beleaguering stories emerging from Africa and the rest of the Black world.”

In the book, Okonkwo dramatized complex situations with piercing caricatures of characters that have towered above Africa, some building and some ruining the lives of millions. He took readers to the gates of hell to observe the arrival of Idi Amin Dada of Uganda. He took readers to the streets of heaven to visualize a conversation between Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Angel Gabriel.

Okonkwo, a former journalist and currently a syndicated columnist, tapped into the lives of prominent African American leaders like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., and Sojourner Truth to illustrate the lessons that those aspiring to make a change need to be aware of.

“At Iroko Productions,” the Publisher said, “we try to bring the world together, one branch at a time. We hope to create that space where continental Africans will meet Africans in the Diaspora and together they will affirm their place in humanity.”

According to Ehimen Edokpa, Senior Vice president Marketing for Iroko Productions LLC, “this is not your typical bashing of Black people. Okonkwo painted a picture that is of substance and grace while asking provocative questions that needed to be asked. He dared to put his binoculars on the operatives, the audience and the reporters.”

Okonkwo, an immigrant from Nigeria, used stories, some personal and some about his home country, to demonstrate the reluctance of the Black race to confront the central challenge facing them. He chided the tendency of Black people to rather escape into a worship of a retired God.

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If you will like more information about this press release or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo at 617-697-1733 or email rudolfokonkwo@aol.com

To order the book, visit Amazon.com, or irokoproductions.com. You can also order Children of A Retired God at any bookstore near you.