Unlike in recent past, this year’s Independence Day celebration in Abuja assumed a unique dimension as it demonstrated the power of culture and creativity uniting people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. From art exhibition of over 100 paintings, sculptures and mixed media from the famous Nike Art Gallery, to poetry performance, musical performance, Chinese and Nigerian chorale songs and dances, the feast was unprecedented.
The exhibition, which featured works of 22 artists from all over the country, collected by Nike Art Gallery, has as its theme: Tapestries of Life. It was a joint independence anniversary event of Nigeria and China, which held at Heritage Africa Village Square (HAvis), Plot 1633 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kado, Abuja. Interestingly, Nigeria and China share October 1 as their national days.
Some Chinese nationals, including the cultural counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, Dr Li Xuda, and two visiting guests from China, Judy Huang and Margie Huang, were at the event.
Nonetheless, the gathering was a highly engaging intellectual conversation on the theme; Nigeria and China: A Shared Legacy of Culture and Humanity.
HAvis CEO Mr. Moses Ayom recalled how the facility was birthed as a culture and creativity resort, saying that the Independence Day culture festival was a testament to the power of dreams. According to him, the cream of scholars, journalists, poets, performers and citizens, who thronged the place on the day to immerse themselves in culture and creativity, as a unique way of commemorating the national day of Nigeria and China was generating excitement across the culture spectrum, especially in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
“To my mind, therefore, this gathering is a manifestation of the many possibilities when a community decides to work with a common purpose to accomplish a set goal. In this case, the goal is to return creativity and culture to their rightful place in our lives. I must, therefore, pay tributes to the amazing men and women all over Nigeria, the continent of Africa and around the world, whose power of imagination and creativity has provided the basis for entrepreneurs to venture into the creativity and culture sector,” he said.
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Grace Gekpe, commended Ayom for the initiative, noting that as a place for the community of creativity and culture, the government will extend all the support within its powers to ensure that the project succeeds and is sustained for the glory of the industry.
Chinese Cultural counsellor, who is also the Director of Chinese Cultural Centre, Mr Li, said he was glad that the relationship between China and Nigeria was becoming more resourceful, especially through the intervention of culture workers. He offered the support of the embassy for a greater exchange of ideas, programmes and personnel between the embassy and HAvis. He proposed two programmes that could be of interest to the two organs: that HAvis could be engaged as a “Chinese Language Center” and that the Chinese Embassy would pay a formal visit to HAvis in the nearest future to explore areas of cooperation and collaboration.
Interestingly, HAvis in June signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, China, to commence a Chinese-Nigeria Cultural Research Centre, and at the University of Abuja. The objective is to explore how through studies of language and cultural resources, Nigeria and China can develop closer ties, especially in the youths’ training and manpower development. Chairman Advisory Board of HAvis and former Vice Chancellor Benue State University, Prof David Ker, who chaired the October 1 event, said the proposed relationship between HAvis and the Chinese Embassy will be of immense benefits to youths in the nation’s creative sector.
HAvis Governing Board Chairman Prof Duro Oni, who presented the keynote address, traced the rise of China in the global political space with the conclusion that the giant in the Asian continent had become so influential on the world stage that it was important to understand how it has been reaching out, using culture. Oni, a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, recalled that the Chinese adopted the thoughts of the ancient philosopher, Confucius, to shape the other dimensions of their national life, including economic planning and international relations.
He explained that there were hundreds of the Institute across the world, all having a respective dialogue with host communities to foster cooperation and interaction. He said out of the scores of those institutes across Africa, two are present in Nigeria, bringing to bear the unique nuggets of Chinese thought to their hosts without creating any sense of superiority in the interaction process. He mentioned how the institute has become a veritable instrument in fostering educational exchange between Nigeria and China, as would be seen in the courses on Chinese Culture being offered at the University of Lagos.
Prof. Oni also spoke on the indebtedness of many African countries, including Nigeria to China, noting that it was up to African leaders to engage and negotiate aid and borrowing terms, which would not plunge their countries into debt trap. He, however, stressed that countries like Nigeria and others on the African continent require massive investments in infrastructure to grow their economies.
This, he pointed out, is something the Chinese have because they have been able to develop their technology to the point that they can now put in place infrastructure of superb quality, which would greatly boost the economies of recipient countries. Prof Oni admonished that in analysing the Chinese aid or borrowing model, African governments and peoples must keep an eye on the big picture and not lose sight of the benefits, if the relationship is strategically aligned to needs and priorities.
In his contribution, Prof Ukertor Gabriel Moti of Department of Public Administration, University of Abuja, African leaders and administrators have a lot to learn from the way the Chinese have organised their system to be so efficient, effective and impactful on the lives of their over one billion people; massively cutting out waste and unbridled corruptions. Moti, a leading scholar on burgeoning Sino-African relationship, stressed that through cultural exchanges like HAvis is proposing, greater mutual advantages could be reaped in the cooperation of the two continents.
Prof Okpe Okpe of Nassarawa University, Keffi, corroborated ProfMoti, stressing that rather than lamenting what seemed for now a lopsided relationship, African countries and their leaders should focus on how to reap immense benefits from the handshake with the leading Asian nation. Reflecting on the possible fear from the West of the emerging dominance of the African economic landscape by China, Okpe said best approach is for African leaders to always approach the Chinese negotiation with the best of their intellectual resources and not just politicians, who are most times clueless about the implication of treaties and policies they signed.
Deputy Director, National Universities Commission (NUC), Dr. Esther Ogbonnaya-Orji, who represented NUC Executive Secretary, said HAvis indeed, has the potential to transform into a training institute for the creativity industry. She commended the network with the Chinese universityand promised the support of the commission.
Nike Art Gallery Chairman, Chief Reuben Okundaye, described arts and culture as means through which Africans should relate more profitably with China and the West. He said art is an area of comparative advantage that should not be neglected by African leaders in their relations with the Chinese.
On her part, Chief Mrs. Okundaye urged China Cultural counselor to work with experts to develop a programme around local production of dyes, which she said, has become too expensive to import, thus discouraging a lot of young people from venturing into production of adiire (tie & dye) fabrics, which are in high demands both locally and internationally. “If this is done, a lot of disadvantaged women and young people will be productively engaged, and find means livelihood,” she said.
Among groups and individuals that performed were poetry performance by Oluwaseun Adekoya and Israel Udechukwu as directed by Jerry Adesewo of Arojah Royal Theatre; The Silhouette; Benue, Enugu and Nassarawa states troupes; Capital Voices Abuja, (CVA); Cef Band and students of Maris School, Abuja. The show was put together by Heritage Africa team led by Jahman Anikulapo, assisted by Jerry Adesewo, HAvis Director of Productions.