For three days last week, arts and crafts producers, collectors and culture administrators from over 13 states and some countries’ embassies converged on the lush green garden of Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja, to sensitise entrepreneurs on the need to promote and invest in the creative sector while showcasing their rich and unique collection of arts and crafts to the globe. It was the 14th International Arts and Crafts (INAC) Expo organised by the National Council for Arts and Culture, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

Daily, the size of the select audience at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja’s Garden kept increasing. But, the essence of the gathering was not lost: time to invest in arts and crafts is now using networking platforms.

And the participants were unequivocal as speakers – Evelyn Edosomwan, and Akachukwu Emeka – at the Investment Forum led by former spokesperson of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati, submitted that except Nigeria became a centre of production, it would be difficult to overcome its challenges of overdependence on monoculture economy.

The theme of  the forum was: Diversification of Nigeria’s economy beyond oil beyond oil economy.  He stated: “The diversification of the economy is one of those subjects long-talked about, long in coming in terms of realisation – a perennial target of many talk sessions, and yet, not much has been done about this proverbial magic wand that is supposed to help reset the economy and provide a stronger footing for economic growth and development.’’

Abati, who was the keynote speaker, threw some posers: “Why has the discovery of oil in Olobiri in 1956 failed Nigeria? Why is Nigeria trapped in the equivalence of the Venezuela-like oil curse? Why has oil brought Nigeria more misery than joy? And where does the creative industry fit into all that? Can the creative economy save Nigeria, humanise Nigeria, or serve as a catalyst for further possibilities that can advance the goals of sustainable human development and economic prosperity?”

In sync with the theme of the forum, he drew a parallel between Nigeria and Venezuela’s tragic conditions, saying that Nigeria is like Venezuela with fantastic destinations, but, unfortunately, wrong politics and insecurity in both countries hardly encourage visitors to visit them. He, however, identified insecurity as a hindrance to the country’s tourism potential.

According to Abati, politics could sabotage the best policies, noting that leadership was critical in policy implementation. He cited Dubai as a lesson in leadership, thinking and moving beyond oil. He stressed that culture should be a vehicle for  growth in the face of the dwindling revenue from oil.

Abati identified music, movie and literature as areas Nigeria has made remarkable impact but called for adequate funding, which he described as the missing gap. Nigeria, he said, must provide opportunities that could produce more Soyinkas, Achebes, and Chimamandas.

From textile to leatherwork, calabash decoration, wood work, painting, sculpting, product packaging and cuisine, exhibitors at this year’s expo that opened last Wednesday presented practical demonstrations of production stages of some of their products. In line with this year’s theme Networking Nigerian crafts to the world, documentaries on cultural heritages from participating states and countries were also screened.

Leading the pack, the contingent from Ogun State, who emerged the overall best at the event, lived up to its billing as the state cultural troupe took guests through the processes of making adire fabric using dance and drama to highlight preparation of dye, tying the fabrics, submerging into the dye, spreading, ironing and packaging.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Arts, Olusegun Olaotan, said the presentation was to sensitise investors on the need to invest in the state as the Governor, Dapo Abiodun, was providing the enabling environment for growth of businesses in the state. He noted that over the years, adire has gone from iro and buba to various designs and it has become materials for export.

He said adire holds an important key to the  development of Ogun and Nigeria, which, he said, informed the state’s choice of INAC to market adire to the world. “Don’t forget that Governor Dapo Abiodun recently launched the adire.com for adire makers and buyers in Ogun State and Nigeria at large.

“The website was created to position the state’s adire merchants in a global market, thus, ensuring  economic viability and sustainability for their trade,” he said.

With adireOgun.com, Olaotan added that ‘anyone, anywhere could log on to the website, window shop and buy any adire material of choice. In other words, this will catalyse trading in adire globally. And, of course, by using the website, an interested user is guaranteed to buy original and top-of-the-class adire from the globally-acknowledged home of the product.’He disclosed that the state boasts of tourism attractions that investors can invest in while

Speaking glowingly of the Tongeji Island, which shares boundary with the Republic of Benin as a tourism destination that can compete with the best in the Caribbean, he said: “Tongeji Island is located in the Ipokia Local Council Area of Ogun State. An island that is five minutes to Port Novo in Benin Republic by boat and 50 minutes to Badagry in Lagos.”

Director of Culture, Nasarawa State Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Glory Ashikeni, described the expo as a marriage between local and foreign producers of arts and crafts, which provides healthy competition for participants.

She noted that unlike Kenya and South Africa, where tourism thrives, some Nigerian producers of arts and crafts were not meticulous enough in their finishing.

“One recurring challenge in the creative industry these days is that some of the younger ones are not showing interest in the business because they do not see it as money spinner. In fact, they are in a hurry to make it,” she said.

According to her, Nasarawa State has over 10 variants of hand woven fabrics that are very popular among the people in the region.

Head of Gallery and Exhibition, Federal Capital Territory Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Ewenyi Abdul, said what Nigerians were looking for in foreign countries could be produced and consumed locally.

“We need to invest more in our cultural products. If Nigeria invests more in arts and craft, it will generate more revenue, create job opportunities and encourage Nigerian creatives to do more,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Oladusi Komolafe, said Nigeria was blessed with talents in arts and crafts that should be translating to financial gains for the artists and the country.

He commended the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) for the successful hosting of the 14th INAC by creating a veritable platform for marketing Nigerian crafts. He called on Nigerians to take the opportunity to appreciate their crafts to benefit from it.

Executive Secretary, Jigawa State History and Cultural Bureau, Mr. Yusuf Ahmed-k-Jarma, said Jigawa State, which exhibited leather, metal works and ceramics at the expo, had enjoyed more patronage from the international community in attendance than Nigerians. “Since the expo opened, we have only seen the international visitors come to buy our arts, but Nigerians have shown little interest in buying.

“This is the time to wake up and promote our local products for wealth creation,” he added.

Director-General, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, praised Abiodun for his determination  to create a cultural tourism economy for Ogun.

“What we saw at the Ogun State night is a clear reflection of a governor and leader who is determined to leave the state better than he met it. And through the local adire fabric economy, jobs are created and industry sustained. Governor Abiodun has even brought in the culinary offerings, a perfect hold for the Ogun people noted for its unique Ofada rice variant, very healthy and good for export,” Runsewe added.

Runsewe, who doubles as president, Africa Region, World Craft Council (WCC), reiterated the urgent need for governors to wake up to the reality of the power of culture in transforming dormant economies, adding that oil business was no longer in vogue but the networking and marketing of culture which the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria have in abundant diversity.

He commended the 12 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which despite the COVID-19 pandemic showcased their cultural tourism endowments to the world.

Ogun State, beside being the overall winner, also won the second position for best ornament decoration, first position for best exhibitor in e-marketing for creating an online website to market the state’s local fabric, adire.

It also emerged the best in Special Day participation, took first position in best designed pavillon and best product design in textile.

Katsina State got the second position for overall winner, best exhibitor in networking strategy, first in product design for leather works and second position in textile designs.

Lagos State won the third position, bagged first position in best product design in fashion and wood work, best designed interior pavilion and first in most-innovative product packaging. The FCT bagged the overall fourth position along with Kebbi State, second position in most- innovative product packaging, new invention, waste to wealth, first in product design in pottery work.

Bayelsa bagged the fifth overall winner, first position for ornament decoration, second in rafia painting.

Other states like Kebbi got second position for best exhibitor in e-marketing and first in new invention for waste to wealth, while Ondo emerged first in best product design in metal works and in rafia painting. Yobe bagged first position in best product design in rafia calabash decoration.

Nasarawa State got second position in product design, rafia calabash decoration. Zamfara State emerged first in product design in embroidery while Jigawa State bagged second position in product design, leather works.

For Kelechi Iheanacho Patriotism Award, Moses Love Boniface got the first position and went home with N300,000, Ayoola Ijasakin won the second position and a  prize of N200,000 and Cliff Abbah the third position and N100,000.

The expo was not all about speeches and exhibition as guests were thrilled by scintillating performances from Ejiro and Friends, Emma Sax, Ogun Cultural Troupe, Afri Theatre, which featured female drummers as top artistes of the group.

At the event were members of the diplomatic community from China, Venezuela, Cuba, India, Iran, Thailand, Poland, Korea, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, Syria, Bangladesh, Spain, Bulgaria, among others.

 

1851 Agidingbi Game app, Nigeria’s first indigenous variant of the chess game, based on historical events in Lagos, will be launched on October 16 at Red Door Gallery, Lagos.

The app is named after the year 1851 because of its historical milestone- the year Lagos was invaded by the infamous HMS Bloodhound from England.

The app comes in a single and multi-player mode and is also available as a board game. The chess-style game is a contemporary-styled medium of exporting Lagos to the rest of the world via the digital landscape. It is created to teach aspects of Lagos history while improving the IQ, mental awareness, risk analysis, leadership skills and more.

Like the features of chess board, the game has the checkered board design with the six pieces such as Erelu- Kuti of Lagos as the Queen Mother, Oba of Lagos as The King, Adamu Eyo as The Rook, Omo Ogun Eko as The Pawn, Eletu- Odibo as The Bishop and Abagbon as The Knight.

While using the 1851 Agidingbi game, users can play on either side as the Eko Defenders or the British Invaders. Before venturing into playing the game, the gamers need to understand the simple story of the Lagos invasion segmented as the feud, the envy, the greed and the invasion. The feud started as a battle between Oba Kosoko and his uncle, Oba Akitoye.

Read Also: Preserving visual art education trajectories in Nigeria

The Creator of the 1851 Agidingbi game board and app, Oludamola Adebowale said the project was transported from just a dream to a reality.

“The 1851 Agidingbi game is a very personal project. It is not just with the game but with the narrative around it. The history of Lagos as regards that British invasion has never been explored before. It actually started like an experiment from an exhibition that I had in 2017 at the Lagos Book and Art Festival.

I did something around Lagos history and we had over 20 art illustrations that were displayed. The game board that gave birth to this app was actually on display. I saw the way people interacted with it and it was beautiful. At that moment, I saw an opportunity and I saw a product. I have worked towards it. People won’t invest in an idea unless if it is a product,’’ he said.

The lockdown at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic created some free time for Adebowale to work on the app which he described as his “pandemic experiment.’’

“I worked on the design as well as the legal component of the project. In years to come, I will be doing quite a number of pro ject where I will be infusing history culture and technology to form an educational or innovative tool to boost the economy, socio-cultural part of our lives and to promote and preserve history,’’ he said.

Like an old wine, waxing stronger in age, Ikoyi Club 1938 is 83. It was with pomp and pageantry that the high-profile sport-cum recreation club rolled out the drums to celebrate its rich heritage. Riding on the wings of its glorious past and bracing the present, the club is set to forge a new future targeted at the young. EVELYN OSAGIE reports.

Born from the union of the old European Club and the Lagos Golf Club on the eve of World War II, Ikoyi Club 1938 can be likened to a “sturdy oak”, majestic in carriage and in the spread of its luxuriant origins.

From the food to the architecture and sporting facilities, the club is an iconic social edifice.

Bearing the scars of its rich antiquity, like an octogenarian, who is full of experience, wise, and accomplished, the club has many history lessons in harmony to teach. From a pre-colonial past to the forging of interracial alliance through sport and recreation, it is positioned to remain a reference point for the phrase, “unity in diversity”.

In short, the above phrase was the central theme of the whole celebrations. And on the arms of its motto: “Global harmony through recreation”, the club went all out to mark its 83rd anniversary with diverse activities such as lectures, charity walk and parties, which drew dignitaries from all walks of life.

For the club’s chairman, Mr. Ademola Lawal Mumuney, it was more than a celebration. “I was here as a young man and knew how it was then and what it is now, began Mumuney as he recounted club rich trajectory. “The club has come a long way from 1938, when members were predominantly foreigners to the present when it has quite a number of Nigerians.  The motto the club is “Global harmony through recreation”.  Our membership is gender-sensitive and our members come from various nationalities, ethnicities, and professional disciplines. The global aspect of it is the coming together of all nationalities as one – we eat as one, sport and discuss as one. We have a rich history that is worth protecting. The club has been a great place for food. We had the best club sandwich which we are trying to bring back some of those things and a world-class chapman emanated from here.  And the future is bright; we are bringing up what will benefit the present members and the young ones will grow into. We are re-engineering to make it attractive to young minds and correct the notion that it was meant for old people or retirees.

“The goal of the club is to keep “documenting our history, protecting our heritage, and addressing the future The club has great facilities in golf, swimming, tennis, squash, snooker and billiards, table tennis, badminton, and other sports. Indeed, the other sports section groups as many as eight indoor sports ranging from aerobics to darts, five-a-side football, basketball, ayo, card games, and taekwondo,” he said.

The highpoint of the celebrations was its anniversary lecture which had Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the keynote speaker. Indeed, the club boasts of the crème de la crème as members – one of which is the governor of Lagos State.

Speaking on the theme: “Ikoyi Club 1938: Past, Present and Future”, Sanwo-Olu highlighted the value of the study of history, Sanwo-Olu said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Study the past, if you would define the future: the best way to predict the future is to create it. Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. Understand your past, live this moment, and dream your future.”

Praising the club’s contributions and its legacy, he urged Nigerians to borrow a leaf from its interracial quality of peaceful co-existence

“Let’s for a moment put the spotlight on Ikoyi Club and briefly examine its relation to past, present and future. It has been 83 years of being one of the most-important social institutions in Lagos and Nigeria. The past was not always something to be proud about, as we all know the battle that Nigerians fought to be seen as equals in this club.”

According to him, the current challenges in the country, including political and leadership tussle are not unique to Nigeria alone.

“My point is that most countries of the world face deep-seated questions about ethnic and racial and religious diversity, and that Nigeria’s seemingly intractable past and present challenges are not unique to us. What is important is that we must constantly summon the energy and political will to face our problems head- on and address them squarely. We cannot continue to throw our hands up in despair or retreat into the tempting ghettoes of sectionalism and ethnic and religious bigotry.

“Indeed, almost sixty years ago Nigeria fought a bloody Civil War, but so did the United States and the United Kingdom and Spain, to cite just three examples. The only difference is that their wars happened centuries or decades before ours. Even the independence/secessionist impulses that have been rearing their heads in Nigeria in recent decades can be found elsewhere in the world, from Spain to Belgium to the UK and Italy. Similar rumblings can be seen from time to time in a state like Texas in the United States. That is yet another important link between past, present and future; the ability to assess deeply, and learn, and adapt behaviour in light of that learning,” he added.

The governor’s thought-provoking lecture was preceded by a documentary on the club’s 83-year-old journey in which Mr. Lanre Idowu, who produced the documentary, took guests through the trajectory of the club.

He described the club as “a reminder of what was rich about the past, what is good about the present, and what is promising about the future”, urging Nigerians to embrace peaceful coexistence.

He said: “Our club highlights our side that needs more work and brings into focus our capacity to make it stronger by deepening those ties that bind us and discarding those things that threaten to shackle us. Our club is a good example of unity in diversity.  We are united in the regenerative power of recreation to transform us and energise us for greater productivity. We can boast of a more stable governance structure than that of the country. Perhaps, if we had more of our members making their services available in the political arena, Nigeria would have benefitted from their experiences to understand better.

“As an institution, our club is older than Nigeria as a country. To have existed for 83 years in a land where the average lifespan is placed at sixty is no mean feat. In human terms, an 83-year old is an octogenarian, who, everything being equal, is experienced, wise, and accomplished. Such a person has survived World War II, witnessed Nigeria’s struggle for, and attainment of political independence. Such a person has lived through the Nigerian Civil War and eight military administrations, (Aguiyi Ironsi, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, and Abdulsalami Abubakar). Such a person has also witnessed seven civilian administrations (Tafawa Balewa/Nnamdi Azikiwe, Shehu Shagari, Ernest Sonekan, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari).”   Some members recounted their experiences, but

Mrs. Yemisi Jaiyeola was truly inspiring.  “My husband brought me into the club 33 years ago. It is great to be part of a great family club of ours. I brought in pregnancies into Ikoyi Club – pregnancies of children that have grown to become young adults. Unfortunately, I lost one of them recently at the age of 30.

“They had such lovely memories here. We’ve all shared lovely memories in this club. So, what can we do to bring them (our children) back. We would want the new executives, with the help of the chairman, to look into more programmes to interest junior members and encourage them to become full members in their own rights,” she recalled.

Research Professor of African Art, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Ohioma Ifounu Pogoson, has decried the gross misrepresentation and alleged theft of many African historical and contemporary artworks  in Europe and other parts of the world.

He said the exportation of many great historical and contemporary African arts to Europe, America and the Caribbean has led to misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the arts and their exhibitions.

Prof. Pogoson, who spoke at the 502nd inaugural lecture They speak: African art as historical evidence, he delivered at the university, penultimate Thursday, noted that foreign artists and critics tend to critique and interpret artefacts from Africa from a narrowly academic viewpoint that distorts the authenticity, originality, quality and characterisation of the works themselves.

“The point being made here is that the blanket reference to all material culture from Africa is faulty. Western construct of art is grossly inaccurate when applied to African material culture as a descriptive concept. As a reference, it is even pejorative to label an object as an African art just simply because it came from Africa, considering that Africa is a continent with a multiplicity of ethnic nationalities,” he said.

He observed that the reason for the gross misinterpretation stemmed from the facts that most European and American artists turned blind eye to the origin and creators of the art in their interpretation, and apply a broad scientific analysis to every work from Africa.

“The salience of my claim is born out of the insistence that most Western critics and commentators attached so much value to art and they describe it as art for art sake. Many of the works that reached Europe have been completely decontextualized because they have been unsystematically removed from their producers’ culture. African art is basically art produced in Africa. Beyond this, other art that bear sensibility from Africa including productions of Africans in diaspora and emigrants are also taken as African art.  Therefore, African art is an art that serves the spirit and the essence of its makers, its community and its patrons. An art that draws essence from the philosophy, religion and the vital force of their makers.”

Prof. Pogoson described the invasion of Benin and Ashanti Kingdoms by the British as a period when European art and artists were vulnerable because its artists had started to react to the drudgery and monotony of naturalistic representations that began during the Renaissance period, six centuries earlier.

“This, in addition to the invention of the camera, threatened the very essence and purpose of the European artist. Often referred to as a revolution, the artists turned to African art for succour, empathy, and inspiration. They recognized African art as ‘true art’ free of the guiding conventions that compelled, limited, and curtailed their creativity to imitating and copying from nature…

“So, Western artists wanted to be free, as free as the African artists that did not have to represent naturalistically and were allowed the freedom to express themselves (even though this wasn’t quite true). This was how modern European art took its origins and drew inspiration from African art.1 It freely borrowed ideas from African art, sculpture in wood in particular, and other three-dimensional works from Africa that had then just reached Europe. These works were being actively circulated and consumed by artists, anthropologists, and the curious in European societies. The European artists’ interactions and experiences with African arts thus catalyzed a new art in Europe. It needs to be said that at that particular time, Paris, France, was ostensibly the art capital of the world. Artists came to it from all over Europe and elsewhere in the world to prove their mettle, in search of fame and rewards, and the city was bustling with life,” he said.

He wondered how European museum directors, art critics, and patrons who sang the praises of the new Africa-inspired art movement to high heavens and christened it ‘modern art’ refused to see the African art that catalysed the neo-European art movement as anything but primitive art.

On the research he undertook in northern part of Edo State, Prof. Pogoson recalled his findings: “During my work in Germany, I visited the famous art historian the late Prof Frank Willet in Glasgow. It was he who first advised that I look away from the larger well-studied people in Nigeria and focus on smaller groups. This idea sounded refreshing to me because the other fields are already saturated. For a few years later, I was opportune to join with Prof Ron Schaefer and Francis Egbokhare that have formed the Northern Edo working group to carry out large scale study of northern Edo land. This was the start of my work from Northern Edo land. It is well known that manifestation of ancient northern Edo land of the Benin type was unavailable in the northern Edo land.

Read Also: Preserving visual art education trajectories in Nigeria

“For me, this was baffling. I started to raise hypothesis about the larger question why, in spite of the homogeneity of peoples in the Edo area, cultural and artistic manifestation of art similar to those in Benin were scant in northern Edo land? For three years, we undertook seasonal field work in northern Edo land. It was by this route I got to know about the huge collection of common everyday materials and objects and over 900 photographs from northern Edo land in the museum of anthropology in Cambridge in United Kingdom.”

He highlighted some of the challenges that hindered further and broader investigation and undertaking of his research study in northern Edo land and they included insecurities, lack of funding as well as the absence of a large body of literatures in most museum catalogues.

“First, they are inconclusive because since 2014, it has been quite dangerous to embark on any serious fieldwork in that area owing to the activities of kidnappers and robbers. What has now become a full-blown, well-talked-about issue with cattle herders had been known in that region for a long time. What is clear to me is that a lot more work, especially archaeological work, still needs to be done in the area.

“Second, there are no funds to pursue the work even if access were to be immediately granted. Third, my work is diverse because what I have been able to do is largely limited to a set of compartmentalised publications drawn from studies of aspect of the material culture objects in the area in Cambridge. These publications are yet to be sentisize to advice clear pronouncement on the nature of the relationships between the northern Edo and Benin. It is my hope that soon this work will be concluded,” he said.

According to him, funding for cultural research in African art is very scant and limited, which sadly is from outside. He therefore called for an urgent need for our local art collectors and institutions to fund research. “This will remove the constraints often encountered in relation to the Greek gifts that many outside grants offer. Then the rural communities, the field as it were, is fast losing inhabitants to migration; informants with the deep knowledge of the arts, culture, and language are becoming scant and at times unavailable. This stagnates investigative efforts,” he added.

Prof Pogoson has worked in various national and international museums and art centres in Nigeria, Senegal, United Kingdom, United States of America and Germany. He has carried out various comparative studies on museum, exhibitions and interrogations of many African and contemporary art. As an art enthusiast himself, Pogoson has collected over two hundred vintage and contemporary art and fountain pens.

In attendance at the inaugural lecture, which was hybrid were dignitaries from the varsity community were the acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, Provost of the Postgraduate College, Prof. J.O. Babalola, Provost College of Medicine, Prof Olayinka Omigbodun, various deans of faculties, students as well as arts enthusiasts.

A non-profit organisation in Lagos, Art Alliance 51, has advocated the integration of Visual Arts into Nigeria education curriculum.

It made this call at the just-concluded 2021 Art Arising Festival of Arts.

According to the group, Nigeria’s education system should formulate policy documents to protect the Visual Arts profession.

“Government funded art agencies and the Society of Nigerian Artists should put up purposeful and workable regulations to regulate Visual Arts practices, while educating leaders and office holders from the federal; states and local governments on the importance of Art Education in Social Development. Awarenesses should be created to let people who want to study Visual Arts get it right from the beginning.

“Bureaucracy about the requirements involved in the study of Visual Arts in Nigeria’s higher institutions of learning should be flexible to accommodate Art or Science student provided he/she has 5 credit.Arts should be withdrawn from the culture of our education that was based on administrative structure to a very pragmatic, technologically and ICT one,” according to Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, who was the coordinator and moderator.

He urged artists in all spheres of our economy to focus their attention on problem solving issues.

According to Dr. Adenle, a lecturer at UNILAG, “adaptation of African culture into our visual art practices will go a long way to project our potential as Africans.”

Read Also: UNILAG students rue unusual school year

He also said: “Artists should take the responsibility of developing their careers by being part of policy makers.”

Mr. Pam Leye Makanju, a chief lecturer with Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, said artists should focus attention on problem solving. He made reference to the role played by pioneer artists, right from the early men to the Renaissance and to the ancient African artists.

Artists should be more visible in the public space by putting up meaningful and problem-solving art shows and programmes on TVs and other media to allow Visual Arts to get to a larger audience,he said.

Other panelists that spoke at the event were Dr. Ademola Azeez (provost, FCET, Akoka, Yaba – chairman and contributor to the discussion session); Dr. Timothy Olusola Ogunfuwa (lecturer, UNILAG); Mr. Olojo Kosoko (chairman, SNA, Lagos State Chapter); Dr. Bolaji Ogunwo (lecturer, UNILAG); Mrs. Favour Akatapo (dean, School of Vocational Studies, FCET, Akoka); Mr. Olu Ajayi (artist-panelist), Dr. Odun Orimolade (lecturer, YABATECH); and Juliet Ezenwa Maja Pearce (general coordinator of Art Alliance 51 Group).

Book review

Title: Don’t mess with their flowers

Author: Bukoladeremi Ladigbolu

Reviewer: Victoria Amadi

Publisher: Diamond Publications Ltd

Pagination: Pages: 51 

The human society is faced with a lot of mishaps, which have affected almost all sectors including the emotional stability of its human inhabitants.

The book, Don’t Mess With Their Flowers is written by Bukoladeremi Ladigbolu. It is a book that has encompassed into writing, the reality of the society. It brings to the doorposts of the readers, the sad reality of rape and its effects on the victims in a bid to enlighten the readers and to curb the outrage of rape (which has increased in statistics in the present day).

The book is divided into sub-sections; The Reality, Supporting Victims, The Punch of Rape, Statistics and Advisory. The autobiographical book, through the eye of the author reveals the ordeals of rape victims. Indeed they are sad experiences.

The forward of the book was done by Olori Janet Afolabi, an award winning journalist.

The author, who had his first published article titled: Tackling Little Foxes in Speaking Well, begins with an eye-opening strategy in Chapter One by introducing the concept of rape. Rape, according to Bukoladeremi, is ‘the use of force to take something, seizure, and imposition of an aggressor’s will on the victim.’ He further explains it as ‘the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the force, by a sex organ, other body parts, or foreign object without the consent of the victim.’

Read Also: Group inaugurates Runsewe’s statue at Igboukwu

This book looks at different types of rape. These include: Date rape; this is when a person is raped by someone familiar like a boyfriend, acquaintance rape; this is committed by someone who knows the victim, gang rape; …when a group of people rape a single victim, spousal rape; carried out by one’s marital spouse, rape of children;   this is rape committed on a child by a fellow child. Others include: Prison rape, payback rape, war rape and custodial rape and lot more.

In as much as the act of rape is unjustifiable, there are several reasons why people indulge in such disdainful act. Some are peer pressure, pitiful and emotional unsupportive childhood experiences like family violence, lawlessness in the society, seduction, rape culture and exposure to pornography. It is therefore, pertinent to note that most perpetrators of sexual assault are male, while the majority of sexual assault victims are women, and girls. However many males are sexually assaulted too. Rape can take place in the victim’s unconscious state, as form of sexual intercourse, forced oral sex.

Of a truth, rape increases in number every day, and it can be avoided. Other avoidance strategies include: keeping one’s door locked at all times, walking in groups at night, do not be dependent on an opposite sex for financial assistance, do not visit the opposite sex alone, do not send your nude to the opposite sex, do not accept rides from an opposite sex, keep your sensitive body parts away from strangers and the opposite sex, be conscious of your environment, file a report if threatened, be careful with offers like drink. The top-notch of the avoidance strategies is to stay safe. When faced with rape sceneries, the victim is advised to yell to attract attention, talk his way out of it, use any available weapon for defense.

The book, Don’t Mess With Their Flowers is more like an autobiographical experience of the author. This must have propelled him to pen down such rape experience with an intending employer. Fortunately for her, she fought back. The book is also a biography of some rape victims who explain their rape experience. All of them, point to the fact that rape is evil to the mental health of its victims.

Rape has not stopped. Rape is still with us. With the recent outrage in 2017, 2018, 2021 till present, it is crystals clear that the Society frowns at it.

No one prays to be raped, but if raped, be observant in other to identify the attacker, do not change clothes or bathe in order to capture the physical evidence of the rapist, report your rape case, get tested for pregnancy or any STI, talk to a professional or trustworthy family members. Parents are also advised to look out to certain behavioural changes in their children like change in their sleeping habit, withdrawal from hobbies, depression, helplessness and loss of concentration. Parents of rape victims should be accommodating and supportive and not being judgmental.

Rape is a universal case. Exclusively all the countries of the world record rape incidences. Statistics have it that Zambia in 2017, recorded a total of 1,466 defilement cases. Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007, recorded about 3,436 rape cases. In Ghana, approximately 1,862 rape cases were recorded in 2015. India records rape incidence in every 15 minutes. Nigeria is no left out of the statistics. The increasing cases of rape have become bothersome to concerned citizens.

All rape case is punishable by law.  An instance is a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja which led to the sentence of a University of Lagos lecturer, Afeez   Baruwa to 21 years imprisonment on 20th February 2020 for the rape of an 18th year-old girl who sought admission into the higher institution. A lot more punishments are on record.

The book ends with an advisory notes to mothers, parents, rapists. Rape has never done any good to human. The act is dehumanising so is the aftermaths. Hence, shun rape. Report rape. And avoid rape in all ways possible!