Category: Arts & Life

Last Saturday, Dr Kunle Adeyemi and Dr Eghorevba Sukanthy Visagapperumal held a joint exhibition of paintings, prints and mixed technique tagged: Knowledge Across Boundaries. It reinforced the creative value of natural synthesis ideology of the Zaria Rebel that championed the pioneering modern art movement in the late 50s. The exhibition opened at the Lekki outlet of Quintessence Gallery, Lagos and it featured 11 works by each artist. The works range from paintings in water colour, acrylic to paintocast, parapax on board, metal foil, copper foil, collage and mixed media.

In tandem with the exhibition’s title, the artists’ works while addressing issues of cultural heritage and its preservation brought to the fore the principle of natural synthesis of artists such as Prof Uche Okeke, Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya and others at the then Nigerian College of Arts and Science, now Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Mrs Egharevba, a Sri-Lankan who grew up in Benue State, described synthesis as a man’s way of life, noting that many things affect an artist’s life such as culture, experiential background, inter-group influences and so on.

In a bid to appreciate the two different communities she grew up, (Tamil of Sri-Lanka and the Tiv of Nigeria), she decided to explore the very root of their art, styles, pictorial elements, similarities and differences and the eventual synthesis of these in her research work.

According to her, many variables impact the output of her work as an artist, which include culture, experiential background and sometimes inter-group influence. “For many artists who have had to grow up or engage in other socio- economic activities in two or more disparate environments, the issue of synthesis comes glaringly to the fore. Sometimes, this synthesis is given rise to by the similarities that exist in art forms and pictorial elements that exist in the diverse cultures. This is the case with the Tamil of Sri-Lanka and the Tiv of Nigeria,” she said.

She stated that her research is guided by the concept of natural synthesis propounded by Prof Uche Okeke on which the Zarianists based their creative revolution. Synthesis as a creative tendency, she said, holds the thought that modern artists should absorb and adapt any good art technique or style from any part of the world in creation of art in Nigeria.

“The influences of both Tiv and Tamil cultures naturally, resulted in a creative synthesis of forms and pictorial elements. The emphasis of natural synthesis focuses on what is good and adorable in art from anywhere. It does not matter the source because according to the Zarianists, art has a universal language especially in terms of technique. Therefore, the studio paintings produced from this exhibition are neither Tamil nor Tiv but, contemporary art forms, motifs and idioms by a Sri-Lankan- Nigerian painter,” she added.

Little wonder Dr. (Mrs) Egharevba is featuring artworks that appropriate from the cultural milieu of Sri-Lanka and Benue (Nigeria). The works which are mainly on human figure and environment include The burden we bear, Where they are and where we are, Pangs of womanhood, Sugar spice and everything nice, Adolescence. Others are My own world, The way we are, Seasons of fertility and Woman on the move.

She captures the respective cultures showing in most of the paintings the romantic life of Sri-Lanka women and their colourful silky dress as presented in Adolescence and My own world. She also highlights the Tiv women’s socio-economic life, especially the important role they play in running a family in Tiv. The common bond between mother and child is also depicted in paintings like The burden we bear, in which women who tie children on their back also carry loads on their heads hawking to earn a living.  

For Adeyemi, a lecturer at the School of Art, Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, his collection is a mix that interrogates socio-political issues of today especially political leadership and economic challenges. Yet, in the execution of his works, he integrates the spectator, almost as a co-author, into his creative process, with the understanding that a painterly representation ultimately foreshadows a three-dimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface. Interestingly, most of the 11 works being showcased at the joint exhibition reflect all these possibilities especially the theme and medium. In Razzmatazz of the kingmakers and It’s time to wind up, Adeyemi captures the need to embrace and accept the emerging change Nigerians are clamouring for as expressed at the last general elections. He indirectly reminds us of the unpopular sit-tight syndrome of African political leaders. Post oil boom- Reality stares us on the face is one timely mirror of the state of  the economy of Nigeria. He uses brown colour and scanty leaves as imageries to depict the economic hardship Nigerians must brace up to.

Political cross currents and Peace that greeted the telephone conversation are works that speak volume of the post elections fears and expectations, especially the prediction that Nigeria would cease to be a united country by 2015. Other works include Defiance to the boundaries, The persistence of a winner, and Female form.

However, each work is not created merely as object or thing, but also as organised and conquered space. He said: “It should be felt as a trapped mass, a low-layered building and a protrusion of this trapped energy. The cast reliefs and assemblages, in some cases, create a drama, elegance, humour; and in some send signals of nervousness, tranquility and graveness.

“My creative art and thought as a researcher, artist in recent years, particularly during my graduate programme at the Delta State University, Abraka witnessed freedom, innovativeness and experimentation as my visual perception and language begins to change philosophically. I choose to explore and communicate through some thematic works I called series. I found out that I cannot exhaust my ideas in a single sentence or in a few words that give full meaning or do justice to my theme. I therefore look at such subjects from multiple angles because it is difficult and too limitless for me to translate the varied moods and connotations on a lone canvas, paper and board.”

Adeyemi is very concerned on the need to revamp the studio practice cum culture through creative techniques, genre synthesis and hands-on-skills in order to improve studio practice in visual arts. This study, he said, facilitates innovations and explores synergy in studio practice within the ambience of critical visual thinking and synthesis in painting, printmaking, sculpture and construction. According to him, the resultant effect of this synergy is the creation of new complex and intricate creative possibilities- Paintograph and Paintocast- in studio art making.

Former Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (Lagos State Chapter), Mufu Onifade writes on the life and times of the Village Headmaster, late Femi Robinson, who died in Lagos last week. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 wasn’t the best of days for the culture sector and its many buffs. Another member of the first generation of pathfinders of contemporary English-speaking theatre in Nigeria suddenly succumbed to curtain call. Chief Fredrick Femi Robinson, in the lifelessness of a massive elephant, slept like a mountain, never to rise up again. And the man died with his many dreams of entrenching a culture of community theatre in our neighbourhoods.

Femi Robinson became famous after appearing as the very first Village Headmaster in Nigeria’s longest running television drama series to date, ‘The Village Headmaster’ created by the cultural diplomat himself, Segun Olusola and parading the best actors, actresses, scriptwriters and various other professionals who were committed to the profession. It wasn’t the era of get-rich-quick kind of industry that we run today. It was the era of getting things done properly, professionally, perfectly and with a high sense of integrity and accountability. It wasn’t the era of man-know-man as has become our lot today. It was the era of getting the job because you were good on the job. So, Femi Robinson’s choice as Headmaster underscores his competences as an actor with a fine diction, audibility and impressive stage presence.

As a television personalityand  broadcaster, language and correct pronunciations with impeccable diction were all part of the training and the modus operandi to drive both the practice and the profession. Be it in broadcasting, television acting or film medium, Femi Robinson’s diction compared only with many of his professional colleagues whose competences defined the industry: Dejumo Lewis, Justus Esiri, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Layode, Funsho Adeolu and many others.

After calling it quits with television, not many people knew what Femi Robinson was into until Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999 when he strutted in the underground scenes as an active card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was so engrossed in party activities until, according to him, he got his fingers burnt. He found himself grappling with party ideologies that did not favour culture. In one of our numerous interactions, he opened up that Nigerian politicians were not interested in culture because it didn’t bring naira rain on their heads; neither were they willing to allow those who believed in the development of our culture to steer the wheel.  He knew better; after all he dined with them. As at 2006, he was home and dry; willing to pull out of PDP. He did.

Unlike many of his colleagues who have completely abandoned theatre for the obvious reason that it’s a thankless and less-rewarding profession, Femi Robinson came back very strongly sometime in 2007 with an ideology of rejuvenating our culture through theatre. He knew he did not have the kind of money required to achieve such a tall dream as an individual (he held the belief that only government could afford such huge resources), yet he was willing and ready to provide a platform for young and budding artistes to ply their trade in theatre. He re-established a theatre outfit called Mahogany Productions and began to generate plays with young theatre artists – many of them young theatre graduates and others, gifted but informally trained. They hit the road creating the kind of steam that rekindled live theatre at the time many were busy lamenting that live theatre was dead and buried in Nigeria.

In 2010, three groups were granted funds by the Lagos State Government to put up productions that were strong and remarkable enough to celebrate Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary. While the Lagos State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) joined forces with the Mainframe Film and Television Production as one group to stage Femi Osofisan’s ‘Yeepa! Solaarin Nbo!!’ as a commemorative live theatre production, Ikhane Akhigbe’s theatre outfit, Aboriginal Productions presented Oluronbi. Femi Robinson’s Mahogany Productions staged a folkloric theatre experiment titled: Aja-n’-ta nla, which many mispronounced as Ajantala. While NANTAP-Lagos/Mainframe employed core professionals to execute their project, Aboriginal productions depended on professional dancers and young actors, many of whom were drafted from the artists village at the National Theatre Annex. It was an opportunity for practitioners to celebrate with active performances.  Mahogany Productions’ team, however, comprised young and budding artistes. This was based on Femi Robinson’s ideology to groom budding talents as a way of reenergising the theatre subsector and creating a platform for budding artistes to begin a process of pure professional baptism. His belief was hinged on the fact that, when properly trained, they could also take over effectively at the appropriate time; although his approach was criticised by members of the industry who did not share that ideology. The disagreement, notwithstanding, it was a robust theatre festival totally funded by the Lagos State Government with special performances at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos and public/command performances at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

Shortly after the successful celebration of Nigeria’s independence via theatre productions, Chief Femi Robinson did not go to sleep. He returned to his ideology of community theatre for cultural development. He was of the opinion that theatre must strive in every community. Performances must be witnessed from time to time in every community; and through this, our indigenous culture, which has been largely abandoned could be reawakened. He soon realised that the project was too massive for an individual to handle; so, he turned it into a people’s project. To get the project a-running, he organised an award ceremony where he created different categories of awards in recognition of different individuals who have consistently promoted our culture in various fields and ways. He did not ask for money from recipients. He only asked them to go on their various communities to begin the process of cultural dissemination and sensitisation that would change people’s perceptions and mentalities. Whether the recipients yielded to preaching the gospel of culture for which they received awards or not, is a different ball game.

Whatever happens now or later, Chief Femi Robinson will be fondly remembered for his cultural radicalism and for having contributed immensely to Nigerian theatre – nay cultural – development.