Stella Awoh Mofunaya is an artist, designer, textile producer and lecturer at Yaba College of Technology. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about how she overcame widowhood by going back to school to earn a PhD. She is currently getting, set for a solo exhibition tagged New Dawn
YOU are having an exhibition titled a New Dawn. What inspired this?
It’s been eight since I had an exhibition. I took a break. That was where I had my first solo exhibition called Hibernation and Rejuvenation. It was a few years after I lost the father of my children, now because I have remarried. Then I had a lot of challenges and I went into hibernation but by HIS grace I have rejuvenated. I wrote a book titled, ‘From Grave to Grace’ barely a year after we lost him. Thereafter, I had another solo exhibition titled ‘Funeral rites of married men’. After that, I had Hepzibah and Beulah 1 and 2.
At what point did you get into working on ginger?
I went back to the University of Benin for my PhD and I was challenged by my supervisor who said he didn’t want the usual project. I was challenged by my supervisor; he said he didn’t want the usual project, particular artists. He said that I should research on foods and arts. That was quite challenging, and I said what food has got to do with arts? I had to go back to God; I took it to God and began to ask questions. I am not doing catering, not doing hotel management. So, why was he telling me to go and research on food and use it for art?
I went back to God and lo and behold, one of the nights, the Holy Spirit took me back to when I was a little girl. My mom had always used ginger, garlic and our local spices; she is from Delta. I noticed that there was always a white substance at the end because I did the pounding as the last born in the family. Sometimes, she leaves it overnight or for days and I noticed and was inquisitive about the white substance, why don’t I go and find out. I went back to my supervisor and told him that I was going to use ginger for my research. He said what about ginger and I told him that my mom had me at almost 47 years and she died at 91 years. Even dying at 91 was because of the carelessness of the maid they got for her.
So that was the genesis of my research on ginger. He asked me to go and do my research and I went to FIIRO. Interestingly, it was not easy to be accepted as an artist because there they were also wondering what has art, fashion and ginger, what are you going to do with them? I told them that I had prayed and that was what the Holy Spirit asked me to do and my school has asked me to go and find out more about it and I am here. I started with analysing the moisture content in ginger.
While I was doing this, I stumbled on turmeric again. I discovered that ginger has anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and I can go on and on. In addition, there is starch in ginger which most people don’t know. I have my ginger starch and I did the first research on my own and dried it. I bake as well; I am multi talented. So, I dried it in the oven and I took it to them in UNIBEN and I was challenged. How did you arrive at this?
So, what did you do at this point?
They sent me back and I went back again and I was attached to a department where they extract oils, different types of oils like coconut oil, palm kernel oil, black seed oil and it wasn’t just producing starch and I had to analyse the moisture content and consumption of ginger too. I then discovered that most of the ginger that we take is the imported ones, they have added sweeteners. I also researched on honey along the line. I have the powdered ginger; there is no way you can dry honey and have it dry like this.
Why were you interested in working with ginger?
You discover that a lot of our artists are coming down with illness. About twelve years ago when I went to Agbarato, our town workshop, Professor Bruce Onobrakpeaya drew my attention to the health hazard of the paints that we use and he told me about a friend in the US that ended up sick. Most times, we inhale the chemicals and our skin also absorbs it. So, I was looking at how to save artists, textile designers from the health hazards of the chemicals they use. They all use chemicals, even our mothers that do the local dying at Osogbo, most of them end up with lung problems and in Nigeria nobody is telling us the truth. What you hear is that ‘it is attack, no it is not attack.’ Unfortunately, lots of artists are keeping quiet. Some have done surgeries and they are managing their health, yet they are not telling the truth.
Fortunately, I got two of them that opened up to me. One of them has something passed through his spine and can no longer stand for a long time to paint. So, there is a lot of health hazard in painting, ceramics, sculpture and others. If they add ginger to their life and studio, it would decrease the toxins that they inhale because they must inhale it. Ginger would therefore go a lot way to help them and of course, if people take it for a long while they won’t have inflammation. That is why you see the Chinese looking rugged and the Indians also take garlic. I am the first Nigerian fine artist to come out with that research on ginger. Another thing that I have done after my ginger is working with turmeric. I have worked on fabrics with turmeric, instead of using the imported dye, I use turmeric. The research took me outside the country. Another thing I discovered is that in South Africa, London, US their ginger is very big like potatoes but it is not as potent as our own.
Our ginger here is rugged, more potent that all the gingers and the Chinese come in here to export our ginger. They go back there and refine it, put some things in it and then export it here. Also I grew up using coconut oil and everyone is going for it. Sadly, a lot of people are taking in poison. Most of them use flavouring, they get oils like the olive oils or vegetable oil that we use and add flavouring. So, it is flat, nothing there. I also have my ginger powder with cinnamon. Cinnamon has anti oxidants and when you take it you won’t have problems with liver. We have cinnamon in Nigeria, yet out people import cinnamon. Another thing I discovered during my research is that anyone taking ginger should avoid taking aspirin or any strong analgesic. If you mix the ginger with your paint, it reduces the toxins in the chemicals. It depends on individuals, the can brew it and drink it like tea with honey. They can use to cook it. You can also inhale the steam.
Tell us about some of the memorable moments you had while doing the research and productions
When I was able to produce my ginger starch in FIIRO, you remember that I was excited and we had to go through a moisture and analysing machine and to know the quantity of ginger that would give me five tablespoons of ginger starch. People come in for cassava starch, maize and other starch, not ginger. You can use it for so many things; it is very light and healthy. Currently, I have a Nigerian inventor in Canada and we are working together on something. Currently, my last daughter is producing soaps, body cream and organic products with my products.
What is your assessment of the made in Nigeria products campaign?
Yes, the government is serious but it is about you and I. This is depicted in a group of work that I have titled Enough is enough. Enough of brainwashing us, importing coconut oil when in America they do not have coconut trees. Our indigenous fabrics are our akweete, akpocha, aso-oke, adire and batik, not ankara. That is why I respect the Ghanaians; you find them wearing it at every function, even in the house of assembly. Even if it is just a strip of the kente, you find them using it. In Nigeria, they are not encouraging us. It is cheaper to import these things from China. Remember that the ankara started from Netherland, Hollandis and they are using us to create the designs. In some of my works, you see me using African signs and symbols to produce our fabrics. But if you produce it, how many Nigerians are willing to buy, would they pay for it? Then I apply my ginger starch for the chemicals and the finishing.
What are you presenting this time around?
I have metaphor, paintings, mix media, fabrics that I produced over five years ago and my research on aso oke. We all know that our aso-oke is no longer plain, we have embellished our aso oke and I am still working on it. I have in all 30 works and would be exhibiting at Didi Museum, where I started off. Uncle Newton Jibunoh really assisted me when I had my first solo, he gave me advice and I keyed into his advice. He told me then that the typical young Nigerian artist usually out price themselves and at the end a lot of works end up not being sold. And within the three days that I had my exhibition there, all my works were sold.