Renowned artist and curator, Chief Nike Okundaye, recently marked her birthday by having fun with the less-privileged in the society. Although May 23 was her birthday, instead of celebrating it elaborately, her foundation, Nike Art Foundation, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, organised a one-week workshop targeted at extending love to humanity and change the life of the less-privileged in the society. The workshop, with the theme: “Reviving Indigo, Adire Textile Processing Culture”, attracted over 180 participants, comprising women, less-privileged ones and youths, who were taught on modelling and simple marketing techniques, among others. It held in Kogi State.
During the event, participants were encouraged to design different “adire” patterns, using natural vegetable indigo for dyeing different fabrics, and they were exposed to the use of natural alkaline in preparing ashes of cocoa pods. They were also taught to prepare cassava paste, which is the main medium of designing Adire patterns, using chicken feathers, among others.
Speaking at the workshop, Okundaye said each participant would have earned some money realised from sale of the end product, adding that since they have been taught how to set up their own adire workshops, it will be easy for them to do so.
She also said: “With that, they can produce the fabric for sale and earn multiple streams of income from what they do. We are thereby economically empowering our rural people in the targeted communities, creating more jobs for the youths in the society, while taking their minds off white collar jobs.”
The curator expressed appreciation to supporters of this year’s edition, such as Global Travel Learning Fund Organisation and other artistes. She used the occasion to thank all those involved in making the workshop in Kogi State a success. She, however, promised to extend the training workshop to other states.
Okundaye, who appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support her initiative, advised government to give creative industry utmost priority, adding that there is so much Nigeria can do through creative industry if only government can put more efforts in developing the industry.
“We are also running recycling programmes for the unemployed boys. We have more than three different programmes for the boys this year. My fifty years’ experience in business has been a great journey and it can only be possible by God. This year’s Ogidi festival would give opportunity for the people to showcase their works. We will exclusively focus on showcasing the workshop attendants’ works; thereafter, the people will come to Lagos for the same purpose,” Okundaye said
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