Manthia Diawara
28 September 2008
Manthia Diawara is the chairman of the Africana Studies Department at New York University. A native of Mali, Professor Diawara received his education in France and later traveled to the United States for his university studies. He is interested in the material conditions of Black people in the Americas in order not to replicate the British formulations.
What did you think of ARESUVA when you heard about it?
When I got the general idea that it is about gathering people to talk about arts through seminars and artistic displays in every available form in Africa with a regional perspective with the list of guests that were also attending, feeling was - this is about time, I asked why did it not happen 20 or 30 years ago? Africa falls with Nigeria and rises with her too. Having ARESUVA in Nigeria to me means that democracy is thriving; arts is thriving and economies too. It made me feel very happy. That was my first thinking beyond my academic discipline or anything else. If Nigeria organises an arts festival, everybody in Africa would want to come, this means that things are getting better.
Were you looking forward to anything in particular at the ARESUVA?
In my line of work you go and see arts and talk about it as well as exchange views. This was what I honestly looked forward to. If am pleased, I would have a good time interacting and making my presentation and this would definitely make me want to come back because I would have developed a likening for the country. I have been here before and have an impression of what Nigeria is and capable of in this regard.
How would you evaluate the event?
Based on my own experience by talking to some very powerful people both in arts in Nigeria and ARESUVA, I am positively impressed that they really want to do this to develop tourism in Nigeria, showcase Nigerian and African art, because frankly, after the economic development if you do not have arts you have no image outside of Nigeria. This is the reason they want to do this. That is very satisfying when you consider the significance of Nigerian arts and intellectual, the wealth of Nigeria and her human resources, then Nigeria's willingness to do this inside Nigeria is very satisfying. Again, coming from Mali, my basic point is, we rise with Nigeria and fall with Nigeria because it is the biggest and richest country in the area. People talk about the basic infrastructure of things - plane tickets or visas. Yes, they are important but those are things that we learn as we go. My criticism is not that I have more expectations than criticism. I want the politicians, art workers and organic intellectuals to work together to make this a success.
Being a guru in the area of film making, do you think it is possible to have films incorporated as a part of other editions of the ARESUVA?
I do not think you can have a successful biennale anywhere in the world without incorporating videos and photography. If you have a biennale based solely on paintings, drawings, installations and sculptures, you are completely limited. I think in fact, that all these artistic elements should come in equally and be judged by their quality. Getting a very reputable curator is the issue. Joe Musa needs to get a curator with international or standard experience, Nigerian or non Nigerian. He has to give this curator the green light to bring in the best works of arts in Nigeria which could be evaluated by a jury and give him the freedom of vision with a mandate that - we want regional integration, Nigerian arts, African art to be the real showcase and then Western and Asian arts to come in the long run to converse with these. This in my opinion will make Nigeria the centre of attraction for African arts.
Some people are of the opinion that Nigeria should have sponsored the event but let it take place somewhere else like Senegal which is better known for arts. This way it would have turned out better than it did here.
In the West African region, when you are from a smaller country you can acquire the identity of the larger countries around you. Being from Mali, I have the same identity with the North of Nigeria with Islam, agriculture, culture, farming, dressing and so on. I have the same identity with Senegal. I speak the languages in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast and all these places. To tell you the- I can understand some people saying that Nigeria should fund this and have it take place in a place like Senegal with a history. But I want to be frank with you because happen to have advised in Senegal, to have met with the President of Senegal to talk about art in Africa who is also a strong supporter of what is called First Man which is a replay of the first festival of negro art in 1966 and later on in 1971 in Algeria then Festac '77 in 1977 in Nigeria. In those days they wanted to do that model. There is a big problem now. I repeat again, even though Abdullahi Wahd is a big supporter of art, in the continent, Nigeria is beginning to support art. First of all, I do not think politically it could happen in Senegal because, I know the realities. The Senegalese want to be able to completely control the Dakar Biennale as a window to Senegalese culture, as a vehicle to tourism in Senegal and also to make visible the President's imprint on art in Senegal. We have the Francophone tradition- every president becomes the president of France since Napoleon, wants to create something artistic as his stamp in Paris. This is the French tradition and the Francophone inherited that. So President Wahd wants to have his stamp on art after Senghor. Wahd is not competing with Chouf who is a small person to him. He is competing with Senghor.
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