The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • SNAPSONG 255

    SNAPSONG 255

    State-of-the-Nation Snaps (Part 4)

    Do you know how it feels

         To be and not to be

    To stand stark alone

         In the middle of a crowd

    Do you know how it feels

         To walk the streets without a face

    To be the missing link

         In the universal Chain of Being

    Do you know how it feels

         To be the absent name

    In the register of those who count

         The one whose story the world forgets

    Do you know how it feels

         To seek and not to find

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    To cry and not be heard

         To stand and not be seen

    Do you know how it feels

          To love and not be loved

    To be used then dumped

         Like a shoe without a sole

    Do you know how it feels

         To live in a country

    That neither cares nor counts

         Where the flag flutters like a ragged shroud?

  • When Artmiabo Festival celebrated young and old artists

    When Artmiabo Festival celebrated young and old artists

    Artmiabo International Arts Festival which took off on April 29 in Lagos came to an end on May 1. It was a rare moment to see both old and young artists showcasing brilliant art pieces that made the annual fiesta a show of all shows. Edozie Udeze reports.

    Artmiabo international festival has come a long way. This year’s edition was dedicated to artconomy, emphasizing the urgent need to encourage artists to utilize the opportunity of their practice to make money. Miabo Enyadike, Nigerian artist based in South Africa is committed to the promotion of arts and culture in Nigeria and beyond. Every year, in the past five years or so she has consistently kept this dream alive. This year the beauty of the show which took place at Admiralty conference centre, the dockyard of the Nigerian Naval base at Victoria Island, Lagos, was a beehive of activities. The opening ceremony saw the convergence of who is who in the art and culture sector in Nigeria. Miabo used the opportunity to show class and welcome people with unbridled enthusiasm.

    Beyond the classical opening of the show which saw the big names in the sector in attendance, Miabo brought her personal charisma to beautify the scene. Her classical touch to arts, her ever restless nature in ensuring that artists are given their due respect and honour in the order of things also came to the full. Excitement, inquisition and love for the art ruled the waves.         So, it was an opening that opened people’s eyes to the beauty of arts, ranging from the smallest to the biggest names in the sector.

    The likes of Nike Okundaye, world renowned artist, Adire expert and teacher of the arts, had their works on display. Nike is noted to have the largest and best equipped and stocked private art gallery in this part of the world. Her works at the festival spoke volumes about her quintessential poise and presentation as an artist of international reckoning. Give it to her. Nike’s works are usually exceptional wherever and whenever they are displayed. With the hall full of the signature of Yusuf Durodola, the expert curator of the exhibition Nike’s works complimented the arrangement in equal measure.

    Nike Okundaye came with works titled Homecoming and rare of strength respectively. There were other mouthwatering works which she came with that added more beauty to the outing. For Nike to have identified with Miabo Enyadike shows how resilient Miabo has become in her resolve to promote artconomy which is the theme of her celebration this year. The festival allows visual experiments in Nigeria and beyond to prosper. It is to give artists the leeway to gain from their toil. So with the collaboration of Nike, these two great female artists have indeed come to make visual offerings the basis of artconomy.

    Artists have to come out fully to join in this effort to make the sector blossom properly. Also, the works of Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya, the father of contemporary African arts, a member of the notable Zaria rebels, a textile art master, was an added impetus to the Artmiabo festival. It shows that the masters have come to testify that Miabo is an illuminator, who makes the light shine on arts whenever she has the opportunity. Onobrakpeya whose private home at Mushin in Lagos is a shrine of all sorts of art pieces has also turned his house into a tourist center. His work was on a large canvas that almost dwarfed other works on the wall. His was a textile work that embodied all that there is in the annals of Nigeria

    Onabrakpeya expresses his artistic feelings in a verbose form. Large canvases distinguish him from the crowd. He has equally come to see that Miabo’s efforts must be given a push by the masters. There was no doubt that his presence was an endorsement of what the festival has come to represent in the history of art celebrations and festivals in Nigeria.

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    The large work of Dr. Adeola Balogun titled Multi-tasking (acrylic) which welcomed everyone to the venue was placed symbolically at the entrance. The work explained the very essence of the presence of some of the masters. Multitasking is a huge work symbolizing a typist in form of a company secretary. The secretary was busy on her typewriting machine, welcoming visitors to the event. Her presence was almost imposing. It is indeed a huge effort by Balogun, a lecturer in the department of Fine Arts, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Balogun is a doctor of visual arts and one of those that has given a huge dimension to woodworks, sculpting, acrylic and more.

    His consistent presence has always been felt at Artmiabo shows. Over the years he has come to ensure that his works and his approval of the festival is a huge contribution to the growth of visual representations in Nigeria. Miabo expressed her gratitude to those who chose to participate in the festival. “Having concentrated on artconomy this year, it is our hope that what we have done for three days will impact exceedingly and meaningfully on the fortunes of art in Nigeria”, she said. For her the inclusion of music which played soothingly and non-stop in the background was to show that all aspects of the art and culture complement one another.

    Yet she said that turning waste to wealth which has been her starting point can never be erased in her professional practice. “I am an apostle of waste to wealth. Most of the artists here have equally turned waste to wealth. It is a huge sector full of untapped resourced. Based in South Africa, Miabo has brought more foreign artist to Nigeria in the last five years than any collective efforts have ever done. Some who could not come physically, keyed in online and or through zoom. The glow of the works coming in different styles, experiments, forms, expressions and so on were to show how artists have added value to what Miabo has chosen to do, to explore and promote the fortunes of art in Nigeria and beyond.

    Yusuf Rilwan came with crusader, Victor Ogundeji presented terracotta (ori ire). So also, Olatunde Asun who came with polished terracotta. Lemi Ghariokwu, Fela’s label designer came with one of his latest offerings titled discography 2024. Incidentally it is also acrylic on canvas, a symbol of the uniqueness of what defined his works while he works for Fela Anikulapo Kuti for many years. His works was a big plus to the festival as guests stood to admire the special aura of discography, Vintage Ghariokwu.

    They were works on fabric collage on canvas, works on digital presentation, works on pen on paper, works on acrylic on paper, works on ball on paper, works on landscapes, images and figures. Interestingly students from some higher institutions whose works have begun to represent plausible ideas were also in attendance. One of them was Anthonia Ogunsanya, a student of Yaba College of Technology whose miniature painting dominated attention. She was full of joy and excitement. She said in an interview that she was glad to be part of the show and looked forward to more participation in the future.

    Durodola, the iconoclastic curator summed it up this way: “I had to make sure that the parameters were put in place to ensure that all the works here are accommodated. If you look at the size of the hall, intimidating in all respect, you won’t be able to do the curating very well. But that did not discourage or deter me. I added class to it all and today we have one of the best outings ever”.

    The show ended on a bright note, signaling the fact that Miabo Enyadike is a great art impresario indeed. She has always come, seen and conquered. By the time the show ended every participating artists and her workers went home smiling and jollificating.

  • Oworo people celebrate tradition and culture in a special way

    Oworo people celebrate tradition and culture in a special way

    Denja Abdullahi writes on the importance of Oluwo festival celebrated by the people of oworo in Agbaja local Government of Kogi State. The annual festival is an avenue to bring the people of the area together to celebrate the culture and tradition of the people. This year’s edition was marked by remarkable events and people came home from all over the world for the celebration.

    Asking why a festival should be celebrated or having to explain to a people why they should celebrate their own festival suggests that something fundamental has gone wrong somewhere. And when you talk about reviving a thing, it means that thing has gone nearly extinct, if not already extinct. When you add the strident or muffled call for unity within a homogenous ethnic group such as the Oworos to the two other concerns mentioned above, then there is a course for real concern.   The inference one can draw from all these without even waiting for any deep analysis is that the culture of the Oworos is seriously misunderstood by the people themselves, may be endangered and the people are disunited. Let me say here that it is not out of place to use a festival, like the Oluwo festival, to create understanding, salvage cultural endangerment and forge a unity of purpose.

    The Raison De’tre for the Celebration of Festivals in Africa

    Any observant person that have been scouring the social media in the last few weeks would have observed that we seem to be in the festivals belt, particularly in  what is called the Middle Belt or North Central Nigeria. In the last few days or weeks, Nze Mada Festival of the Mada people of Nasarawa State, Tuk Ham Festival of the Ham or Jaba people of Kaduna State, the Nze Berom Festival of the Berom people , the Pusdung Festival of the Ngas people, the Ilum O’Tarok of the Tarok people , all of Plateau State  and the Ovia Osese Festival of the Ogori People of Kogi State and many more have been celebrated with  lots of  colourful cultural extravaganza and fanfare. Africans  host or stage festivals either after the farming harvest season or just before the onset of the farming season. Festivals are celebrated when people have a lot of leisure time on their hands, away from farm  work or any kind of dedicated work. After harvest to the time just before the onset of the planting season are period of celebration either to thank God for a bountiful harvest or pray for a hitch –free farming season ahead. Festivals thus have both a functional and a spiritual essence.

    Festivals and their Typologies

    Festivals can be further defined as “ a fundamental aspect of a people’s culture. They are special events organized by communities to celebrate specific aspects of their collective life” (Tume, 2021). Festival are often ceremonial, featuring surfeit of events derived from the tangible and intangible heritages of a people and are put up to mark a cycle in the life of a people or occurrences .of symbolic and special importance to the people (Duruaku, 2010). Festivals can be grouped into various types, which for the purpose of this talk, we shall be adopting the British Council festival survey classifications ( British Council,2016.) We thus have the government festivals usually created, curated and  organized by federal or state governments such as the National Festival of Arts and Culture(NAFEST) and States Festivals of Arts and Culture; traditional festivals organized by local communities  such as the Oluwo Festival and independent arts festivals set up  by independent bodies to propagate  or popularize a targeted art form such as literary, books and arts festivals, film festivals, music festival ,drums festival ,poetry  festivals, dance festivals and many others.

    Cultural Festivals as Agents of Unity

    Traditionally, in most communities, when the farms have been harvested and the next planting season is been expected, then it is time to commune with history, tangible and intangible heritages with the staging of festivals that underpin the people’s existence. Nigeria can thus be described as a rainbow land of festivals. There are as many festivals as the number of ethnic groups and distinct cultures we have in Nigeria. They are so many and can be further classified “into the famous and not so famous”( Awofeso,2013 ) depending on the popularity of such festivals or the lack of it in the people’s imagination, the size, cultural tenacity and industry of the ethnic groups where such festivals are held.

    Festivals have some innate characteristics which make them to be considered as veritable tools for settling differences, blurring dividing lines and creating harmony and understanding. The qualities are as follows:

    They involve a mass of people in a participatory, festive and entertaining shared atmosphere thereby building friendship and forging new relationship

    They are organized in a consultative and consensual manner across a broad spectrum of stakeholders and participants.

    They promote a sense of identity and general socio-cultural and spiritual  well-being  within an ethnic group

    They create opportunity for neighbouring communities to a particular ethnic group celebrating a festival to participate and identify in shared cultural similarities

    A festival being celebrated is often a sign that all is well with the celebrating community and a festival not being celebrated denotes communal misalignment and discordance.

    Festivals are often social construct of peace, truce from extant conflicts and seals for enduring understanding.

    Tonic for Promoting Unity and Safeguarding a People’s Cultural heritage: The Example of the Oluwo Festival of the Oworos

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    Though the  Oluwo festival, from orally transmitted and recorded history from ancient time was celebrated by the people of Agbaja every three years to appeal to the god of the earth for bountiful harvest before the commencement of every planting season, it has evolved to involve all the towns and villages of the Oworo people ,who operated a kind of confederacy from the pre-colonial period till the present time. Each community or village in Oworo has its own festival which may either be Iboko(after the harvest season festival) or Ije(before the planting season festival) but the Oluwo festival at a point in time in the history of the Oworo became a festival that sought to culturally solidify the unity of the ethnic group. It became a rallying point for the Oworo people spread across the eastern and western banks and flanks of the confluence of the Niger and the Benue to stage their culture harmoniously in a single festival arena at the administrative and spiritual capital of the ethnic group , Agbaja. We cannot thus talk today that the previous Oluwo festivals over the ages that were celebrated with all sorts of cultural fanfare and theatrics by all Oworos did not contribute tremendously to harmony and a sense of general cultural well-being   of the Oworos.

    We also know that the many years the festival went uncelebrated denoted the lack of unity among the people and many things went downhill with that economically, politically and culturally. A recent research conducted by Alhaji Hamid Taju and my humble self across Oworo land in the last three years came out with the finding that the larger part of the culture of the Oworo people have gone extinct except for two features which have soldiered on in spite of manifest decay: the art of masquerading and the Oworo language . The marriage system, child rearing system, songs and dances such as the Owe, Okura songs, Akuba,  Ihanle, Agbelege, Gbogbolo and many other associated ritual and cultural practices have all gone comatose.  To know the details of those practices that have gone extinct , why they went extinct , the possibility of reviving them and why the two surviving, though seriously threatened features have remained with us, you need to read our book Sacred Places, Festivals, Rituals and Taboos:  Evolution of Traditional Cultural Practices in Oworo when we eventually release it in the near future.

    At this point, we must commend the many villages and entities in Oworo land which kept the Iboko and the Ije festivals alive all these years of near cultural annihilation. The entire Oworo must commend their tenacity in the face of the rampaging influence of modern religion and western civilization that are the greatest threat to the survival of our cultural heritage. We must also at this point commend all those that are striving to bring back Oluwo Festival on sure footing to be celebrated without break henceforth for their herculean task of building upon the work of our patriotic forefathers and mothers to keep the Oworo ethnic group culturally united and thriving. The Oluwo Festival is to the Oworo ethnic group what the National Festival for Arts and Culture is to Nigeria ; it is pure and simply a festival in which we must continue to use to deepen our unity and forge better understanding in our grappling with the challenges of the evolving times.

    I mentioned some ethnic groups earlier who have just celebrated their festivals. Those ethnic groups in their historical evolution and traditional social-political structures have a lot of similarities with the Oworos ,including fine differences within the same ethnic groups with regards to spatial locations and individual beliefs; but that has not prevented them from rallying round to celebrate their common heritages with a vigorous commitment to project and sustain their unique identities as a people.  Oworo case should not be different. If we continue to forage for the differences that are not there or whip up unnecessary hegemonic and anti-hegemonic feelings among ourselves, we will be self-destructing ourselves and it is our culture and our people that will suffer the consequences. There will be loss of collective resolve, problem of identity and we will end up not been able to negotiate development in the larger nation state. 

    At this point , I must foreground another important function of a traditional festival like the Oluwo festival. Traditional festival celebration of old was never complete without the invitation and active participation of neighbouring or even far-flung communities. This has been the African home-grown way of exercising cultural diplomacy, blurring differences, building peace and maintaining a harmonious existence. People attend festivals for various reasons, which includes enjoying cultural spectacles, engaging in trading, feeding taste buds with exotic foods and drinks and finding lifelong partners. All of us gathered here today fall into one category or the other. The Oworo ethnic group is surrounded by the Bunus, Owes, Kakandas, Bassas , Bassanges, Basakoms, Kupas, Hausas, Fulanis, Nupes, Ebira kotos, Ebira Okene, Igalas, Ogoris etc .Let us begin to imagine a situation where every ethnic group in Kogi State actively celebrates its own unique festival and make it a duty to invite all other ethnic groups to participate.  We can only imagine how much that will contribute to sustaining unity and peace among the people of Kogi State. This can be furthered by the State initiating a Kogi State Festival of Arts and Culture involving all the ethnic groups in a tapestry of cultural activities.

  • Nigerian teens lead global environmental innovation at 2025 Slingshot Challenge

    Nigerian teens lead global environmental innovation at 2025 Slingshot Challenge

    A new generation of Nigerian environmental changemakers has earned global recognition for their groundbreaking ideas to tackle climate and conservation challenges. From pioneering AI-driven forest monitoring to turning household waste into community resources, Nigerian youth stood out at the 2025 Slingshot Challenge, a global competition presented by the National Geographic Society and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

    Now in its third year, the Slingshot Challenge called on youth between the ages of 13 and 18 to submit one-minute videos proposing solutions to environmental issues affecting their communities. Out of 2,700 submissions from over 5,700 participants across 96 countries, 15 winners were selected, including three teams from Nigeria, highlighting the country’s rising profile in youth-led environmental innovation.

    Nigeria’s standout project, Reforest AI, developed by Bright Attai, Blessed Pepple, and Lesley John Jumbo, received one of the Top Honors Awards — the highest recognition in the competition — along with a $10,000 grant. Their initiative uses artificial intelligence to detect illegal logging and monitor forest health, offering a scalable, tech-based solution to Nigeria’s deforestation crisis.

    Their success puts Nigeria on the map alongside young innovators from the United States, Ecuador, and Bahrain who also received Top Honors for projects tackling wildfires, e-waste, and biodiversity loss.

    Other Nigerian teams also made waves in the Distinguished Achievement and Significant Achievement categories:

    • Faruk Salisu, Abdullahi Ibn-Ishaq, and Faisal Sa’id received a Distinguished Achievement Award and $5,000 for Fueling Trees Using Biogas. The trio created a working prototype of a biogas digester using affordable, locally sourced materials to provide clean energy while promoting tree planting. Their goal: reduce firewood dependency in their community and raise awareness about biogas as a sustainable alternative.

    • Naomi Inwe, from Ajegunle, Lagos, was honoured with a Significant Achievement Award and $1,000 for her project Trash to Treasure. Naomi’s initiative equips youth with upcycling skills through workshops and community clean-ups, helping tackle plastic pollution while creating eco-conscious livelihoods.

    These Nigerian projects not only addressed urgent environmental challenges but also offered replicable models for other communities across the continent.

    Organisers say the Slingshot Challenge aims to empower young people with the mindset and skills to become lifelong environmental problem-solvers.

    “The creativity and passion we’ve seen from this year’s Slingshot Challenge participants is nothing short of inspiring,” said Deborah Grayson, the Society’s chief education officer. “These young innovators are not only identifying urgent environmental issues in their own communities, but they’re also developing tangible, thoughtful solutions to address them. The Slingshot Challenge is about enabling the next generation of changemakers, and this year’s awardees give us great hope for the future of conservation.”

    According to a post-event survey, participants reported a 25% increase in belief that they can make a difference, and a 15% increase in taking action on environmental issues — proof that the challenge is sparking real-world change.

    Awardees, including the Nigerian winners, will be celebrated at the upcoming National Geographic Explorers Festival in June, where they will connect with scientists, storytellers, and other changemakers. Two additional awards — the Explorer Connection Award and the People’s Choice Award — will also be announced at the event. The latter is open to public voting until May 31, 2025.

    Nigeria’s strong performance at this year’s Slingshot Challenge sends a powerful message: the country’s youth are ready to lead on climate action. With rising environmental pressures — from deforestation to pollution — these young innovators are not waiting for change. They are creating it.

  • ÀJỌJẸ celebrates first anniversary

    ÀJỌJẸ celebrates first anniversary

    In a quiet corner of Lekki, Lagos, where the bustle of the city fades into candlelight and conversation, ÀJỌJẸ has marked its first anniversary.

    Rooted in the Yoruba word meaning “a shared meal,” ÀJỌJẸ has become a symbol of a deeper culinary renaissance—one that fuses memory, identity, and innovation at a single, shared table.

    Founded by Nigerian-British chef Feyikewa Animashaun, ÀJỌJẸ offers a rare experience: one table, one group, one night. No walk-ins. No rush. Just food, storytelling, and the sacred act of sharing. Over the past year, this single-table concept has attracted both Lagos locals and international travellers eager to taste Nigerian cuisine through an entirely new lens.

    “This isn’t nostalgia,” Chef Feyikewa explains. “It’s reinvention.” Drawing from indigenous ingredients—egusi, ata rodo, iru, gbegiri—the menu at ÀJỌJẸ reads like a map of memory. Courses unfold like chapters, where each bite retells family stories, ancestral recipes, and culinary histories long overlooked. One guest described the experience as “eating something I’ve always known, for the first time.”

    What began as a bold vision by a chef who left law school in Kent and trained at Le Cordon Bleu has evolved into a movement. Animashaun’s approach is minimalist yet profound. Every handwritten menu, every piece of curated art, every quiet moment between courses is intentional—designed to make guests feel not like customers, but participants in a ritual.

    Chef Animashaun shared her journey with journalists who were present as guests at the anniversary, she said, “I started Àjọjẹ to celebrate the beauty of community and meaningful conversations. Growing up, food was the language of love in my family, passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and now to me.

    “It’s how we expressed care, built connections, and created lasting memories. Àjọjẹ is my way of sharing that legacy with you.

    “I’ve blended their legacy with my own journey from growing up in London, travelling through Southeast Asia and simultaneously embracing my Nigerian roots.”

    Describing the meals contained in the night’s menu, she said, “Tonight’s menu is a reflection of that journey, showcasing Nigerian contemporary cuisine. It reimagines traditional flavours and ingredients, presenting them in new and exciting ways while honouring their origins. Each plate tells a story, with an intentional focus on togetherness.”

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    ÀJỌJẸ’s success signals something larger: a growing appetite for “quiet luxury” in African food spaces, where depth, meaning, and intimacy matter more than glitz or scale. It’s a response to fast food and faster living. In ÀJỌJẸ, slowness becomes its own kind of elegance.

    As the anniversary was quietly celebrated with longtime supporters, Animashaun shared her broader dream: to create a global network of ÀJỌJẸ spaces across Africa and the diaspora—from Accra to Johannesburg, London to New York. Each would honour local food histories while contributing to a continental conversation about identity, storytelling, and the politics of taste.

    “African food is not a trend,” she says. “It’s a language. ÀJỌJẸ is my way of making sure it’s spoken clearly, with pride.”

    With features in Financial Times and Condé Nast Traveller, and whispers of collaborations with African chefs around the world, ÀJỌJẸ’s influence is already stretching beyond Lagos. Yet its heart remains firmly at the single table where it all began.

    In a world that often rushes past meaning, ÀJỌJẸ reminds us: to eat together is to remember who we are. And in Lagos, thanks to Chef Feyikewa, that memory has never tasted more powerful.

  • Tinubu appoints Holloway to lead National Theatre revival

    Tinubu appoints Holloway to lead National Theatre revival

    After years of restoration and a N68 billion investment by the Bankers’ Committee, the National Theatre in Lagos, now renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, finally has a new manager.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr. Disun Holloway as Chairman of Theatre Partners, the body responsible for overseeing the operations and long-term management of the iconic facility.

    Holloway, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, will now steer efforts to activate the full potential of the refurbished landmark as a hub for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and creative enterprise.

    Widely regarded as a staunch advocate for the arts, he has long been known for supporting initiatives that connect Nigeria’s cultural heritage with economic progress and innovation.

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    His appointment comes at a crucial juncture for the National Theatre, which has undergone a massive transformation following years of decline.

    The restoration, led by the Bankers’ Committee and coordinated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), involved a N68 billion investment aimed at bringing the facility up to global standards and positioning it as a central pillar of Nigeria’s creative infrastructure.

    Originally projected to take nine months, the renovation project extended to six years. This delay was attributed to a misjudgment of the extensive structural and operational repairs required, compounded by disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Despite these setbacks, the National Theatre has emerged as a revitalised space equipped to host performances, exhibitions, festivals, and conferences, serving not only as a platform for artistic expression but also as a catalyst for job creation and tourism.

    As the new Chairman of Theatre Partners, Holloway will oversee the post-renovation phase of the National Theatre’s development. His mandate includes establishing systems for the sustainable management of the facility, building collaborative networks with federal and state institutions, and engaging stakeholders across Nigeria’s dynamic creative industry.

    The goal is to ensure that the Centre becomes an engine of economic development, cultural diplomacy, and youth empowerment.

    Holloway’s leadership is expected to be instrumental in operationalising the vision behind the renaming of the venue after Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, a symbol of Nigeria’s enduring contributions to global arts and literature.

    Under his stewardship, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts is anticipated to evolve into a regional cultural landmark, supporting film, music, dance, theatre, design, and technology-driven creativity.

  • 202 Gallery hosts Amazon’s Daughters with wings

    202 Gallery hosts Amazon’s Daughters with wings

    A group exhibition tagged Daughters With Wings featuring seven Nigerian female artists opened last Saturday at 202 Gallery, 11B Murtala Muhammed Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    Curated by Ijeoma Umebinyuo, the show, which marks Umebinyuo’s curatorial debut, brings together seven Nigerian women artists living and working in Nigeria. They are Adaoma Nnabeze, Chinaza Nkemka, Titilola Fagbemi, Hannatu Ageni-Yusuf, Victoria Makinde, Ashiata Shaibu, and Goodness Nnabeze.

    Daughters With Wings will run till July 26.

    Rooted in Umebinyuo’s lifelong advocacy and intellectual practice, Daughters With Wings continues the dialogue she began in her widely acclaimed TEDx talk, Dismantling the Culture of Silence and her seminal poetry collection Questions for Ada. Known for her contributions to womanist literature and praised by National NOW as an important voice in global feminist discourse, Umebinyuo now turns to visual art as a medium of resistance and reflection.

    The exhibition centres on the radical act of bearing witness through art. In a landscape where the creative voices of West African women are often marginalised or overlooked, Daughters With Wings celebrates their work with the visibility and reverence it deserves. Through painting, drawings, and mixed media installations, the featured artists navigate personal and collective histories, confronting systems of patriarchy while asserting agency and voice.

    Daughters With Wings asks vital questions: How are women in Nigeria resisting through their art? How is their work being supported, seen, and sustained? What does it mean to be a daughter—of—lineage, of culture, of resistance—and how does that shape creative expression today?

    For Hannatu Ageni-Yusuf, her works for the exhibition were inspired by her experiences with foreign friends while in school in Europe. According to her, some of her friends were wowed by her natural hair look, which depicts the natural African woman’s hair.  But Chinaza Nkemka, a History graduate of Imo State University, shares her passion for swimming with viewers while flaunting some of her paintings by the poolside. Nkemka’s painting titled In the Hurricane of Doubts is about self-actualisation, while experiencing vulnerability. It also symbolises a time of fear and all the challenges that come with it.

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    She presented it as a reference from when she was learning how to swim with her friend. She recalled: “He would say that we’re not going to go to the pool, but to the beach to swim. To me, swimming in the pool was already challenging, and so I was too scared to do that. But it also shows I am moving past those challenges.”

    Interestingly, the exhibition features two sisters, Adaoma Nnabeze and Goodness Nnabeze, who are both Fine Art graduates of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Both sisters seem to embrace conceptual works around Uli and thread. While Goodness presents paintings that celebrate the values of female clothes used as wrappers in African society, particularly in the Eastern part of Nigeria, Adaoma creates installations using threads as a metaphor for the thought process and its impact on the life of man. This timely exhibition stands as a cultural timestamp and a space for contemplation, offering art not as a plea for validation but as a firm declaration of presence, resilience, and transformation. Each work contributes to the dismantling of silence, building a chorus that is both intimate and global in its resonance. With this all-female exhibition, Gallery Manager, Majid Biggar, is excited to host collectors, artists, and enthusiasts for a change.

  • When it’s my time it’ll be undeniable – Ziro Kingin

    When it’s my time it’ll be undeniable – Ziro Kingin

    Sodiq Badmus Ishola, ZIRO KINGIN is an indigenous rapper whose blend of both Yoruba and English languages in his music highlights his authenticity as a distinct player. He is not your average rapper as he is a street-bred storyteller with a lyrical instinct and an uncompromising sense of integrity.

    But his journey hasn’t come without his own challenges but regardless of what comes his way he continues to forge ahead as a true and resilient musical genius. Stepping back from music in 2022 to focus on family saw him emerge with a new purpose and drive. He reminisces that, “It was necessary. Music will always be there, but your family needs your presence. Becoming a father gave me a new kind of purpose. It matured me. It made me write differently and less about flexing, more about legacy. That break helped me come back stronger, with clearer vision.”

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    On what have been some of his hardest lessons in the industry he disclosed that, “Talent is not enough. The industry is about timing, management, politics, and loyalty or the lack of it. I’ve shot videos that never got released. I’ve had tracks buried because of label issues. But I’ve also stayed grounded. I refuse to play dirty or chase clout. That’s why people respect me, even in silence.”

    Moving ahead he proudly attests that his journey my different, “I’m not in a rush to be viral. I’m building something solid and something that will outlive trends. I believe when it’s my time, it’ll be undeniable.”

    With a new project coming which is raw, reflective, and street-approved he is set to let everyone know that he is indeed back. He also defines himself as not just a rapper but a documentarian of hustle, pain, and survival and his return may just be the renaissance the streets have been waiting for.

  • House of Naira reimagines Nigeria’s identity at Terra Kulture

    House of Naira reimagines Nigeria’s identity at Terra Kulture

    After a few years of delay, a new voice has emerged from the African theatrical landscape, with House of Naira, a stunning original musical from Nigerian playwright and creator Kehinde Oretimehin, reimagining Nigeria’s identity at Terra Kulture, on Victoria Island on Saturday.

    Created by Kehinde Oretimehin, an acclaimed Nigerian musician, director, and composer whose works explore the intersections of culture, identity, and justice, the 6-man musical is directed by Tosin Adeyemi.

    In a chat with Arts Writers in Lagos at the weekend, Oretimehin said that the growth of the creative industry lies in collaborations between different key players. He noted that given the huge capital involvement in production of quality work of arts, partnership between stakeholders will reduce the burden.   

    House of Naira is a powerful and thought-provoking musical that tells the story of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and its complex but beautiful geopolitical landscape, languages, tribes/cultures, and ways of life. The play features a talented cast of six (Triple-Threat) actors with extraordinary singing voices and stylised dancing feet, who are very famous on the Nigerian theatre stage and will bring to life the vibrant characters and stories that shape Nigeria’s identity.

    The musical features a dynamic blend of beautiful and enchanting original traditional Nigerian songs in different languages, tonality, colours, tessituras, rhythms, timbres, dynamics, articulations, and harmonic structures. It includes some western Broadway and West End standards in delivery blended with the Nigerian Highlife, Afro-Pop, Afrobeat, and contemporary styles, showcasing the country’s rich musical heritage. The cast will perform expressive and mesmerising dance routines, heartwarming body movements, and poignant spoken word pieces, ensuring an engaging and immersive experience for the audience.

    With its rich symbolism, electrifying music, and a cast of acclaimed global actors, the production tells a provocative yet ultimately redemptive story about unity, power, and the cost of division— all set in the metaphorical house of Nigeria.

    The musical centres on a patriarch who, influenced by his mother’s traditionalist beliefs, marries four women, each from one of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and South-South. As love turns to rivalry, the household becomes a battlefield of competing identities, grievances, and emotional warfare. The man, symbolic of Nigeria itself, appears to succumb to the weight of it all, dying amid the chaos his home has become.

    But House of Naira refuses to end in tragedy. In a dramatic final act, the man is revealed to be alive — his staged death an elaborate intervention designed to jolt his wives into confronting their differences. Faced with the possibility of losing their shared future — their inheritance, their legacy, their identity — the women come to a powerful realisation that unity is their only path forward.

    What follows is a moment of transformation. The wives, once divided by language, pride, and pain, pledge to work together in tolerance and solidarity. It is a hopeful, poetic resolution that mirrors the dream of a truly united Nigeria, forged not by force but by understanding and interdependence.

    “This story is Nigeria,” said Oretimehin. “It’s raw, painful, beautiful — but also resilient. It asks what happens when we finally see beyond our own tribe, our own struggle, and realise we’re stronger together. It’s not just about one nation. It’s about any society wrestling with its identity,” he added.

    The music of House of Naira is as diverse and resonant as the story itself, blending Afrobeat, Highlife, tribal percussion, choral traditions, and contemporary theatre scores. Audiences will be moved by its emotional depth, cultural richness, and moments of sheer theatrical spectacle — all guided by a world-class production team.

    Elevating the show further is its extraordinary ensemble cast — international stage and screen veterans with over two decades of experience performing across Nigeria, the UK, the US, and South Africa. Their commanding performances bring authenticity, gravitas, and global relevance to a deeply local story.

    Following its premiere at Terra Kulture on Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18, House of Nairais set for an international tour, with engagements in London, New York, and Johannesburg under negotiation. Plans for a film adaptation and global streaming partnership are also underway.

    This is not just a show — it’s a movement. Investors and global partners are invited to support what promises to be a defining work of African theatre, one that bridges continents while holding a mirror to the world’s oldest conflicts — and boldest hopes.

    The musical is a powerful new musical that explores the soul of Nigeria through a deeply symbolic family drama. When a wealthy man, pressured by his traditional mother, marries four women from Nigeria’s major ethnic groups, his home becomes a battlefield of rivalry, culture, and identity. As tensions rise, the man appears to die under the weight of the conflict, only to reveal he staged his death to unite his wives. Faced with losing their shared future, the women pledge unity, tolerance, and collective strength. Blending Afrobeat, traditional rhythms, and contemporary theatre, House of Naira is a stirring allegory of a divided nation seeking reconciliation. Featuring a world-class cast of international stage and screen actors, this production is not just a story, it’s a statement of hope, healing, and rebirth.

  • Nigeria, U.S. museums partner on capacity

    Nigeria, U.S. museums partner on capacity

    In a move that sets a precedent for international cultural collaboration, the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) in Nigeria and the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) in the U.S. have announced a partnership aimed at promoting Modern and Contemporary African Art and enhancing capacity through knowledge exchange.

    Formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed in November, 2024, the partnership will see both museums – nonprofit, educational institutions with a shared mission of service and impact through art – collaborate on programmes including a training and development exchange, joint curatorial initiatives, and travelling exhibitions from YSMA’s collection to the U.S.

    This collaboration marks YSMA’s first major international partnership and is a bold step in amplifying its reach and influence on the global stage, particularly in deepening U.S.–Nigeria cultural relations through the lens of art and heritage. Recently named the 2025 Best Art Museum in the USA TODAY10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, TMA is an institution renowned for its history and reputation in museum management, curatorial excellence, and public engagement

    Reflecting on the value of the joint initiative, Jess Castellote, Director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, said:

    Read Also: ‘Museums not mere repositories of artefacts’

    “This partnership is a major milestone in our journey to bring Nigerian art to a broader audience. At the YSMA, we believe in the transformative power of cultural exchange. By working with an esteemed institution like the TMA,we are not only building professional capacity but also affirming the place of African art in the global narrative of creativity, innovation, and heritage.”

    The collaboration will also offer American audiences the opportunity to experience YSMA’s great collection, which spans centuries of African creativity and expression, ranging from ancient cultural artifacts to modern and contemporary works through travelling exhibitions.

    Highlighting the significance of the collaboration, Adam Levine, Director and CEO of TMA said: “At the Toledo Museum of Art, we are proud to engage in a partnership that fosters mutual learning, inclusivity, and global dialogue. This collaboration with YSMA not only enriches our understanding of African art traditions but also deepens our ability to integrate art into the lives of people — both locally and globally. By working together, we strengthen the institutional ties and cultural connections that inspire, educate, and promote access to the

    transformative power of art.”

    Both museums see this collaboration as a model for future cultural diplomacy efforts – one that uses art to bridge continents, enrich communities, and celebrate shared humanity. At a time when global understanding and cross-cultural dialogue are more important than ever, this partnership demonstrates how institutions with shared values can come together to advance mutual learning, preserve cultural heritage, and inspire new generations. By creating platforms for exchange – of ideas, art, and expertise – YSMA and TMA are laying the foundation for deeper, more sustained connections between Nigeria and the United States through the transformative power of art.