Olaolu Olusina
10 November 2009
Lagos — Activities marking the 49th year of Nigeria's independence may have been rounded off throughout the country and the lessons of the past 49 years of nationhood expected to guide both leaders and the ruled as the country trudges on in the quest of positive growth and national development.
But the countdown to the golden jubilee of the country's independence appears to have begun in earnest.
Interestingly, it is starting in the most unusual of all places: the United States of America. On Monday, November 9, in Washington D.C, an international art exhibition and conference organised by The Smithsonian Institution and the American National Museum of African Art, kick-started a series of activities marking the celebration. The fact that the Smithsonian Institution hosts the event is quite instructive. National Museum of African Art is America's only museum dedicated to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of traditional and contemporary African art. Located on 950 Independence Avenue S.W., near the Smithsonian Metro rail station on the Blue and Orange lines, the museum attracts about 25 million local and international visitors annually.
Flaunted as the largest and most ambitious undertaking in the museum's history, the two-year-long celebration, marking Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence, tagged "Nigeria: Then, Now and Forever", which kicked-off November 9 and continues through 2011, includes exhibitions, public programmes and special events showcasing the culture, arts and people of Nigeria.
Nigeria first lady, Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar' Adua and educator and philanthropist, Camille Cosby, are being expected at the event as co-chairs. Highlights of the celebration, according to the organisers, include a major mid-career retrospective by Nigerian-British artist, Yinka Shonibare; a Nollywood film festival; the premiere of a new dance by Washington Ballet dancer Andile Ndlovu; and a series of special events with U.S. and African leaders in the fields of art, entertainment, business and government.
"This exciting and meaningful celebration reminds many not only of Nigeria's road to independence, but of the many struggles for freedom and equality that exist across the African continent," director of the museum, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, said. "At the same time, it shines a light on the rich artistic contributions of Nigerian artists, both traditional and contemporary."
At the pre-event media briefing in Lagos jointly addressed by the Associate Director for External Affairs, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African Art, Anita Henri, and the Curator of the Smithsonian Museum, Karen E. Melbourne, the American institution justified the programme which is coming at a time the image of the country is in dire need of redemption, especially at the international level.
According to Henri, who disclosed that the programme is a partnership between the United States and Nigeria, "This kind of programme has never been done by Smithsonian for any country. This is the first time we are doing this for any country in the world." Underscoring the importance of the programme, the Museum curator, Melbourne, corroborated Henri's assertion. "Nigeria has made contributions that are part of the world's culture and we feel the world should know about these," she said, adding, "We can learn from Nigeria and Nigeria can learn from us. We consider this independence exhibition to be groundbreaking and we'll surely continue to celebrate this on a regular basis."
Henri further disclosed the importance to which The Smithsonian Institution attaches to the events." This exhibition is considered very important to Smithsonian. It is very rare for us to do this for a particular country, have 25 million visitors to Smithsonian museum every year, and for Smithsonian to have honoured Nigeria, it is a honour to you and your culture," she said.
Indeed, those who know The Smithsonian Institution museum would readily agree with Henri. Situated right in the heart of Washington DC and in the heart of the National Mall, the museum complex is considered as the largest in the world and could take a year to go round the massive facility. The programme, many therefore believe, could be used to tell the positive story about Nigeria to numerous visitors to the museum and could as well serve as a good platform to sell the Nigerian brand.
It is instructive to note that though the programme is not in any way related to the rebranding project of the Federal Government, though The Smithsonian Institution, said it would only boost the effort. The project, it affirmed, "is not part of the government's rebranding initiative," adding "The museum does not get involved with domestic or international policy initiatives of other country.
"We are staging this programme to showcase the art and culture of Nigeria. This includes the visual, performing and written arts of Nigeria. Nigeria is rich in traditional art and many of the new contemporary artists are from Nigeria. We want the world to know about Nigeria's rich artistic heritage and current contributions to the world of contemporary art. We also believe that the programme will further solidify the partnership between the National Museum of African Art and Nigerian art and cultural institutions.
"We hope to use this programme to educate people in the United States and international visitors to the museum about Nigerian art. We also wish to counter the negative images that are in the press with beautiful Nigerian traditional art, innovative Nigerian contemporary art, the intellectual capacity of Nigerian writers and the glory of Nigerian cinema," the museum said in a statement.
Emphasising that The Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of African Art have never dedicated a programme of this magnitude for any country, the statement affirmed: "We want this to be a true partnership and are seeking funding from the Nigerian and American companies. We are also seeking funds from international businesses with affiliations to Nigeria. We feel it is important to have Nigeria funding, so this does not appear to be a US only initiative," the statement further stated.
"We have strong backing from the Nigerian government. The First Lady of Nigeria has agreed to co-chair the event and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture and Tourism have issued letters and statements of support," the statement stressed. A private investment advisory firm with global operations, Nex Rubica, in its statement, said it was proud to be part of the programme and proud to play a major role in supporting the Nigerian government and the Smithsonian Institution in making the celebration a successful one.
In a goodwill message read on his behalf, Director of Culture, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Nkata George Ufot, also declared support for the project. "I am particularly delighted to associate with this event which has recognised and brought to fore, the fundamental nature and potentiality of Nigerian culture as a major ingredient in international exchanges and dialogue among civilisations.
"I am particularly pleased that the two-year-long event will feature several cultural presentations in different genre, starting with the exhibition of Yinka Shonibare, a multi-media artist who has distinguished himself in the international arena with several awards, followed by the exhibition of the photographs of Chief Solomon Osaige Alonge, an accomplished Nigerian photographer with international status.
"The Ministry of Culture is committed to putting Nigerian culture in its rightful position through an all embracing programme involving both the public and the private sector of the country's economy. We believe this goal would be achieved through the active involvement and cooperation of our international friends and partners. In this direction, therefore, we seize this platform to once again appreciate the Smithsonian National Museums of African Art for its initiative and invite all stakeholders in the culture sector to support this wonderful plan," Ufot said in the statement.
On what informed the decision to focus on the works of Shonibare, The Smithsonian Institution said: "The museum has showcased and will continue to showcase different Nigerian artists. Shonibare is one of the well known contemporary artists in the world. He was born in Nigeria, but lives in London. His involvement in the programme will garner international appeal," adding "We believe that Nigerian art and culture play a positive role in shaping the image of Nigeria."
According to The Smithsonian Institute, "Nigeria: Then, Now and Forever" opens with a major mid-career survey of work by Shonibare, the most celebrated Nigerian artist of his generation. "Shonibare," which opens Nov. 10 and continues through March 7, 2010, includes paintings and sculptural tableaux (staged scenes made of richly costumed headless mannequins) featuring the artist's trademark use of "Dutch resist wax" fabrics, dramatic photographic series and recent explorations in film. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia organises the exhibition. Shonibare will participate in events at the National Museum of African Art in Washington."
The celebration, according to the organisers, continues in 2011 with two more exhibitions. The much-anticipated exhibit, "The Arts of the Benue River Valley," features outstanding yet little understood works of art from the complex, inter-related people living along the lower, middle, and upper Benue River of Nigeria. The exhibition is organised by the Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in association with the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris.
"In addition, the museum will celebrate the history of Nigerian photography with a special focus on the collection of Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge, one of Nigeria's premiere photographers. As an official photographer for the Royal Court of the Benin Kingdom, Alonge documented the rituals, pageantry and regalia of the court for over a half-century. The exhibition will also highlight works of art from Benin in the museum's permanent collection and rare collections of Nigerian photography in the museum's Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives," Smithsonian also disclosed.
The public programmes expected to be held include symposia, lectures, films and performances. The highlights include an artist lecture and book signing by featured artist Shonibare and an event with artist, writer and filmmaker, Renée Green, who works with textiles to create compelling and fanciful works of art that interrogate post-colonial identities.
Others include proposed lectures and book signings by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, critically acclaimed author of "Half of a Yellow Sun" and the 2009 collection of short stories, "The Thing Around Your Neck;" and Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka. Also being proposed is "Africa in Reel Time," a Nollywood film festival featuring screenings of short and feature films as well as panel discussions with film directors. Also, there will be an international symposium on indigenous modern photography that considers the century-long contributions of Nigeria's photographers and their place within the history of photography worldwide.
In addition to a broad range of public programmes, the museum will also offer receptions, behind-the-scenes tours and other special events for its educators, corporate partners and friends of the National Museum of African Art. The programme, without doubt, has been received with mixed reactions. While a section of the Nigerian population sees it as a laudable project capable of helping the rebranding effort of the Federal Government, considering the fact that the American museum receives about 25 million visitors every year, others are however questioning the wisdom in celebrating Nigeria outside Nigeria.
They are asking why the exhibitions cannot hold in the country, saying charity must begin at home. The Smithsonian Institution, nonetheless, said "the idea behind having the exhibition outside Nigeria was to bring the beauty and richness of Nigeria art to those that would not normally experience it. The National Museum of African Art has visitors from around the United States and around the world.
This high profile event will allow the visitors to experience Nigeria. On the other hand, we are working to webcast many of the events to Nigeria and examining the possibility for future exhibitions in Nigeria."
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