Nigeria went into recession last year, with many groaning under its yoke. But the arts sector pulled through it. It churned out thrilling creative events nationwide, reports EVELYN OSAGIE.
FOR many sectors, 2016 was not a year to crow about. But not so for the art sector, which seemed not to have felt the economic recession.
Its players braved the odds, ensuring that the arts flourished. Besides upping their games, they found cost effective ways of doing what they have always done and it paid off.
Rather than reduce, patronage increased in the year – as if the sector held the economic elixir. Whether it was the theatre, cinema, exhibition, book presentation, literary or art festival, Nigerians thronged events in the sector en masse.
This trend, according to some critics, indicates that the sector has better prospects this year. They said there were lessons to be learnt from the resilience and resolve of players, while the positive outcome should interest any investor. More, they said, should be expected from the sector this year.
However, many wondered how artistes, writers, the theatre, filmmakers, gallery, and performers, kept afloat against all odds. What motivated them? How did they do it and what was the experience like?.
Operators had different stories to tell. They shared their stories, trade secrets and their projections for the year with The Nation.
Theatre/Performance
Banker turned founder of the Thespian Family Theatre and Productions established in 2003, Mrs Ayodele Jaiyesimi, said: “2016 was okay. Possibly not as buoyant as we would have loved it to be, but we still achieved our earmarked projects. We had to be a bit more strategic, making sure that we optimised the cost of production through collaborations, cheaper alternatives, acquiring in-house skills.
“Pricing was also moderate and we sought alternative sources of funding. I believe that this year will be a good one. Everyone has adjusted and in spite of the economy, people appreciate good entertainment programmes. I believe that it’s going to be a good year!”
Lawyer cum poet, Chukwumerije Dike-Ogu is the creative director/founder of NSWPoetry, organiser of the bi-annual spoken word show, Night of the Spoken Word (NSW).
He said: “2016 was a good year for NSWPoetry. We did our sixth and seventh editions of NSW in February and October, and in December at the eighth edition of NSW, we launched the maiden Poetry-for-Theatre Production, Made-in-Nigeria, with continued growth in audience numbers at each edition. 2016 was also a year we made our first incursion outside Abuja, with a successful showing of Made-in-Nigeria, which was our first attempt at a cohesive stage production, at the MUSON Centre, Lagos.
“Given that the need for inspiration tends to be highest in times of distress, there is something about art, and its capacity to inspire, that can defy recessions. This was a belief that allowed us to forge ahead and execute our planned projects in spite of the economic downturn. First, we kept our eyes firmly on the needs of people who attended our shows, because when people have less to spend you really need to justify every penny they spend. It was important that we designed shows that people left feeling like they had had value for money. Secondly, we kept a tough eye on our costs. It, sometimes, required innovative thinking to find ways to achieve spectacular results at lower costs. This year we are planning to take Made-in-Nigeria on the road and make NSW 2017 bigger and better. We are holding our first project this next month at Abuja.”
Unlike other sector players, sculptor/performance artist Jelili Atiku, who was arrested last year for expressing his art, described 2016 as being “difficult and confusing”.
He said: “In 2016, I felt the pains and agony of the fight by terrorists. Being arrested, detained and tried with five others in relation to my performance, Aragamago Will Rid This Land of Terrorism, makes it truly confusing. My performance, Recession No Be Mistake (Maanifesito III), featuring the black body, the black and white sculpture of fatty cow and the series of choreography movements speak volumes of my views on Nigeria’s so-called recession. It was first enacted at the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) fourth convention in Edo State in October, and Goethe Institut, Lagos in November.
“Nigeria’s recession is self-inflicted and I find it difficult to understand where the vocabulary comes from and why now? Nigeria has been declared poverty-stricken for a long time. For instance, the World Bank poverty index states that Nigeria’s Poverty headcount ratio is at $1.90 a day, and in 2003 the poverty level was 53.5 per cent while in 2009, it was 53.5 per cent. You can imagine the poverty level in 2016. So if recession connotes gloomy times, Nigeria has been in recession for ages.
“The methods I employed throughout last year were sincerity of purpose and self-assurance of success. In 2017, I will focus on series of projects, which include series of performances on the essences of feminine energies as pivotal element in healing of the world. I will do two major performances in this regards, including the performance in Ejigbo, Venice and Chicago etc. I will also go further on the performance, Maanifesito,” Atiku said.
Gallery/Art empowerment centre/visual art
On her art and charity, founder of Women and Youth Art Foundation, Dr Peju Layiwola, an Associate Professor of Art History at University of Lagos (UNILAG), said the arts became empowerment for many. She said: “The year 2016 was a wonderful one in many ways – in terms of my art practice and community projects. It provided my art more opportunities to explore, to visit with artists and view more exhibitions. It was also a good time to sow. Having done two major art projects in five years, it was a time to reflect on new ideas and hatch out a plan for subsequent years. We expanded our vision and the outreach of our community art projects. In this time of recession, art became succour to many who reached out for opportunities of acquiring more skills in order to have multiple streams of income. Indeed, art became a unifying force: we were able to establish better contacts and connections across various cultures.
“However, it wasn’t a time for making grandiose plans. It was a time for stretching the possibilities of little but meaningful projects. For me this worked out pretty well. Interestingly, in this time of recession I probably did better than in previous years. In 2017, I hope to build on the foundations of 2016: to see possibilities and not difficulties; to break new grounds and conquer new frontiers, and to explore teaching art to disadvantaged populations, such as public school pupils and in all things give thanks for the opportunity of a brighter tomorrow.”
African Art Resource Centre (AARC) Chairman, Oladele Olaopa, an artist, said experience was his greatest asset in 2016. “I would say 2016 was good for me. Having being in business and promoted the arts for over 25 years, my experience in managing such affairs came in handy. Art is a challenging industry in Nigeria, sometimes good, most times difficult. But business wasn’t bad for us in 2016, considering the recession. We were able to survive by keeping our customers; we cherished our relationships and they came in useful during difficult times. Our NGO had challenges of raising funds for its 25th anniversary, but this is not new, the culture of philanthropy is not well-grounded here. The only regret I had was not being able to give more artists cash prizes. I am optimistic about 2017. I intend to focus on mosaic murals which are my first love. I am also looking forward to fresh ideas for our 26th art show and our children’s creative camp. We hope the economy would improve so we can reach out to new and younger art collectors,” he said.
For the founder/CEO of GreenHouse Art Empowerment Centre (GHAEC), Princess Theresa Iyase-Odozi, recession is a dawn of reality that calls for serious adjustment in the attitudes. She said: “In 2016, our major challenge was the unmotorable roads at Olambe, an Ogun State suburb and unreliable power/electricity supply which has been constraining our programmes in the last few years. To reduce the cost of running our programmes and ensuring sustainability, we have had to cut cost in many areas, including our consumption of petrol and diesel. We have also begun looking inwards, in terms of local sourcing of materials in substitution for expensive and unaffordable imported materials.
“GHAEC programmes cover three areas yearly – empowerment initiatives involving community outreach project, ; art programmes that promotes art and artists along with discovering young talents; excursions where we hosts schools. Notwithstanding the odds and lack of financial support, our programmes went reasonably well in 2016. The most successful was the inter- school art essay competition which offered full scholarship awards for winners in junior and senior government secondary schools with consolation prizes.
“In 2017, our centre hopes to empower many more along with exploring the production of clay made household wares, tie and dye of fabrics, soap and cream from local ingredients and cashew nuts liquid as permanent inks for women make-up which would help most women towards restoring their natural African beauty and more. But it is important that key stakeholders identify and collaborate with genuine visual art empowerment centres to reach the grassroots towards achieving poverty alleviation. GHAEC believes in the value of working with the Govt. and complementing their efforts in ameliorating poverty in Nigeria.”
The literary wing of the sector is not left out in the avalanche of artistic projects across the country. Theirs were also a mixed grill.
