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On January 12, 2023, Ajuri Ngalale, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, announced the appointment of 11 new directors for the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy (FMACCE). These are their names and new roles.
Tola Akerele — Director-General, National Theatre
Tola Akerele has built successful businesses that have contributed to contemporary African art. She founded Bogobiri House, an Afrocentric and artistic hotel with an art gallery, restaurant and bar. Alongside being the curator at Soto Gallery, Tola also owns an interior design studio called iDesign by Tola Akelere. With a solid resume in arts, culture and creativity, it’s not hard to see why the direction of the national theatre has been entrusted with her.
Image source: Businessday NG
Husseini Shaibu — Director-General, National Films and Censors Board
The new director of the National Films and Censors Board is Husseini Shaibu, the deputy national director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, an editor at The Guardian newspaper and a film critic. He’s also been a member of the jury board of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee.
Image source: Starconnect Media
Obi Asika — Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture
Anyone who’s familiar with the Nigerian music industry must know Obi Asika is a major contributor to the sector. Not only did his Storm Records platform OG Afrobeats artists like Sasha P, Naeto C, Jazzman Olofin and Yung 6ix, becoming one of Nigeria’s biggest labels to date, but Obi’s ten-episode Afrobeats documentary, Journey of the Beats (2022) on Showmax, also visualised the genre’s history and global movement. He served as a Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan and was once part of the African Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in the U.S.
Image source: TheWill Downtown
Aisha Adamu Augie — Director-General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Culture
Aisha Adamu Augie is an Abuja-based award-winning photographer, filmmaker and mixed media artist. She won the Sisterhood Award for Photographer of the Year and the British Council’s “Through My Eyes” competition in 2014. The same year, Aisha hosted “Alternative Evil”, her first solo photography exhibition. When she’s not hosting the podcast, “I Love Your Work with Aisha Augie”, she’s performing governmental roles. She was a Special Adviser to Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, the former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, from 2019 to 2023.
Instagram: @aishaak49
Ekpolador-Ebi Koinyan — Chief Conservator, National War Museum
The National War Museum is the only museum that showcases military history in West Africa, and Ekpolador-Ebi Koinyan is its new chief conservator. Before his appointment, he headed the Bayelsa State Government’s e-Governance Project, and he’s a senior partner at Smart Alliance Consulting, examining the operations of professional service firms in emerging markets.
X.com: @ekpolador_ebi
Ahmed Sodangi — Director-General, National Gallery of Art
Ahmed Sodangi is an experienced expert in the import and export industry, and a project officer at the Bank of Industry Ltd. Although he’s an unfamiliar name, we’re investing a little faith in this president’s appointee.
Image source: LinkedIn
Chaliya Shagaya — Director-General, National Institute of Archeology and Museum Studies
Chaliya Shagaya is an entrepreneur, fashion consultant and ex-mode who’s consulted for respected designers like Deola Sagoe and Korto Momolu. Ms Shayaga served as the former head of new media at Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and head of government relations at the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX). We look forward to her contribution to preserving our artefacts and museums — and possibly, giving us our Afrobeats Museum?
Image source: THISDAYLIVE
Khaltume Bulama Gana — Artistic Director, National Troupe of Nigeria
Kaltume Bulama Gana is the curator of the National Gallery of Art, an artist who’s showcased her work at more than 45 group and solo exhibitions. She was an assistant director in the History and Culture Bureau in 1987, and before that, she was a TV presenter at Kano State Television from 1985 to 1986. She runs Herwa Heart of Art Initiative, an NGO focused on educating children, including young girls and women affected by Boko Haram’s insurgency. We hope she excels in her new role.
Image source: OpenBU
Biodun Ajiboye — Director-General, National Institute for Cultural Orientation
Biodun Ajiboye has worked in media, publicity and campaigns for the All Progressive Congress (APC) political party and in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. He owned the now defunct Nigerian Telecoms News and the Nigerian Telecoms Awards.
Image source: The Guardian Nigeria
Ali Nuhu — Managing Director, Nigerian Film Corporation
Ali Nuhu is among the most decorated actors in the Hausa film industry. With over 22 years in the film industry, he’s not a new face to lovers of Kannywood and Nollywood. If you want a problem solved, call on those with firsthand experience in it. We guess that’s what President Tinubu did with this appointment.
Image source: Daily Trust
Ramatu Abonbo Mohammed — Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments
Ramatu Mohammed Abonbo was Niger State’s former commissioner of commerce, industry and investment. Before her involvement in politics, Ramatu was Chief Marketing Executive at MicroAccess Ltd., a pioneer information and communication firm through which Nigeria’s first national website and the National Hospital’s first website were built. She was also the director of Hamble Group, London. Although her CV isn’t related, we look forward to see how her past successes in executive leadership transfers to her new role.
I fell in love with Editi Effiong’s Up North for many reasons, but what stood out the most was the visuals served on screen. It was mostly shot in Bauchi and would reshape some of the conservative views I held of northern Nigeria and its creative sector.
Fast forward to 2018, I met Fareeda, a Kaduna-state indigene who’d just completed NYSC in Lagos and was passing the time as a fashion designer till she got a 9-5. If Editi’s Up North changed my perception of the north, Fareeda gave me a complete reschooling. I was one of those Nigerians who mentally limited Nigeria’s art and fashion to places like Lagos and Abuja. Through her, I heard about the popping art and fashion scene in Kaduna that only seemed to evade mainstream.
It was the need to platform the young minds powering the northern region’s creative scene that inspired Ganiyah Sanni, a Kwara-born art curator and exhibition producer resident in Kaduna, to launch KAFART in 2019.
So, what’s KAFART about?
During a chat with Ganiyah, she told Zikoko how she created KAFART after noticing the creative atmosphere in the region, how young, talented artists creating amazing work got little to no recognition.
“There were a lot of young and emerging, professional and self-taught artists and fashion designers doing amazing work. One thing felt missing. There wasn’t a major platform that could bring these people together to showcase under one roof. I felt like there would be more impact if these people came together for greater publicity.”
Essentially, KAFART is the centre stage for creative minds in northern Nigeria to show up, show off and get their deserved recognition. Previous editions have featured exhibitors from as far North as Senegal, Mali, Gambia and Côte D’Ivoire.
The fourth edition, themed “Into the Art of Making”, seeks to “celebrate and highlight traditional African craftsmanship as it intersects contemporary art and fashion,” Sanni said.
There’ll be fashion
It’s the best place to witness the hottest fashion up north? Many young designers debut on the KAFART runway every year.
Two documentaries screenings
Kofar Mata Dye Pit by Niyi Olagunju explores the history of the Kano dye pits said to be the oldest in Africa and the last of their kind. Bogolan Textile by Madame Mariko explores the making of Mali’s handmade cotton textile.
Nok Terracotta artefacts in augmented reality
Source: Think Africa
This is your chance to learn more about the Nok terracotta sculptures popular for being some of the oldest artworks in the world and stolen by the British.
An exhibition from the Kaduna Museum
If you’re interested in learning more about Nigerian history, particularly Kaduna’s, the Kaduna Museum will showcase works and artefacts with rich stories behind them.
Panel discussions
According to convener, Ganiyah, “There’ll be panel discussions that will focus on thought-provoking topics.”
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And workshops too
Considering the theme, KAFART will come through with a bunch of on-site classes. Pottery and tie-dye, beading techniques and blacksmithing are just some of the sought-after skills attendees will learn about.
Navigating life as a woman in the world today is interesting. From Nigeria to Timbuktu, it’ll amaze you how similar all our experiences are. Every Wednesday, women the world over will share their experiences on everything from sex to politics right here.This is Zikoko’s What She Said.
This week’s #ZikokoWhatSheSaid subject is Nanya Alily, a 25-year-old Nigerian woman. She talks about working with her family to tell African stories through comic books, becoming more conscious of being Nigerian after moving to South Africa and how it has influenced her art and music.
You have so many things going for you at 25. What’s that like?
I see myself as a multimedia creative. That’s the easiest English term to explain how I’m a music artist, comic book illustrator and social entrepreneur all at the same time. And those are just the three highlights of my life amongst the million other things I do like content creation, commercial modelling and poetry.
How did drawing comic books start?
My family has a passion for drawing, so when I was very young, my parents put that into Vanimax Comix, where we illustrate stories about powerful African characters. My dad, brother, sister and I draw. So everyone except my mum — the mumager overseeing everything.
So, a family business?
Yeah, I became a part of it at 16. But my dad had been working on comics before I was born. Macmillan actually published his first comic, Mark of the Cobra, in 1981. My mum was always aware of his talent. So when she saw her kids had the same interest, she nudged my dad to put the company together in 2010.
Wow
Yeah. And every character tells a story that reflects who we are as individuals. We have Jack Ebony, a Nigerian super spy (created and illustrated by my Father); Super South Africa, Africa’s finest hero (created and illustrated by my brother); Moonlight (created and illustrated by my sister).
That sounds so cool. What’s your story?
The Amina Angels. They’re four Nigerian female superheroes from different tribes; Ifeoma Anyawu who’s Igbo, Nsse Henshaw from Calabar, Yewande Ajayi who’s Yoruba and Halima Danjuma who’s Hausa. I know there are a lot more tribes, but I was interested in bringing these four together for a start.
What influenced the creation of these characters?
My background. Growing up, it didn’t seem cool to be African. I couldn’t relate to some of the characters I watched in cartoons because none of them looked like me. And when I drew, my own characters were always people who didn’t look like me. The consciousness didn’t happen until I was 16.
What changed?
We moved to South Africa, and my dad started to share stories about his life with my siblings and me; our Igbo heritage, experiencing the civil war as a young boy — essentially, what it meant to be Nigerian. And I felt disconnected from it because the media I consumed never showed it. Becoming aware of this through my dad made me want to tell those stories.
Your dad opening up about his life was really sweet
It was. Those conversations made me think about the Amina Angels, which I started illustrating at 15. It changed the way I drew features, like the characters’ hair. And the questions I got in high school also piqued my interest in culture. A lot of my classmates asked about my Nigerian language and background. I had few answers, but they could tell me more about what it meant to be Zulu or Xhosa. Thankfully, my Dad shared his stories.
Since you didn’t entirely understand the culture, how did you tell your stories?
My family travelled a lot because my dad did. I was born in Lagos. We moved to Ghana and back to Lagos before we settled in Owerri, where both my parents are originally from. At some point, we moved to Benin before finally relocating to South Africa when I was 13.
All before 13? That’s pretty cool
Yeah. Although I spent most of my pre-teen years in Nigeria, travelling made it difficult to learn my culture and be rooted in it. But I don’t regret the experience. I got to see the diversity in Nigeria and Africa, and that’s what inspires my stories.
So how did you progress into music?
That’s the thing. Everything kind of happened simultaneously. I’d been singing since I was six and started rapping in Grade 10. In Nigeria, I’d follow my friends from class to a community music centre, and we’d write and record songs. Then, I got into quality music production when I joined my local church’s choir. That was the trajectory to becoming an independent artist.
You don’t make music with your family?
Not exactly. It’s the one thing I do alone, but my family still has some influence. My dad is my biggest fan and invests in my music.
When did you release your first song?
My official releases were in 2018 and 2019. Before then, I only uploaded my songs on Soundcloud. I felt ready to put some money behind marketing Flex (2018) and I Sabi Who I Be (2019)because I wanted people other than my family to enjoy my music. I also wanted to move on from the amateurish phase of being a musician. Now, I’ve just finished recording my first EP, Isimbu, which means “the first one” in Igbo.
What’s it like being a Nigerian artist in South Africa?
I think my music is well received in South Africa because it’s different from what they’re used to. My sound isn’t tagged to any particular group of people. Nobody fixates on it being Nigerian music even with the mix of pidgin or Igbo. It’s just good music.
So you’re an illustrator and musician, and a social entrepreneur, at 25? What’s going to happen at 50, please?
LOL. I have no idea. But I started the initiative (The Queen’s Goals) for girls when I was 20. It started out as talking to girls at a local high school in Johannesburg. I didn’t want it to be a one-off thing, so I got my sister, friends and a few women from the church involved, and we’ve kept up with it since 2017.
If you had to pick one version of your life to stick to, what would you choose?
I don’t think I can choose. Discovering new facets of my talent is what makes my life interesting. It feels like there’s no cap. I wake up one day, inspired to put a vision together and I do it.
Well, since you can’t pick one, what has been the highlight for you?
In a creative family, it’s harder to find your voice, so finding my own voice and identity is something I’ve loved, and translating all of that into art and music has been amazing.
How does it feel to share that with your family practically all the time?
We have our collective love for drawing, writing and telling stories. But everyone has their own baby they personally nurture. For me, that’s music. My sister wants to be a model, my brother loves animation and my dad is focused on writing and publishing. My mum is the “let’s go get the bag” woman; she’s a professional motivator and truly inspires us all.
LOL. She knows what’s up
LOL. And I guess what we have is a blessing. It works well for the business and our personal lives. Everything I get to do is a reflection of my background as a Nigerian Igbo woman. I want other women to see themselves represented in my work.
If you’d like to be my next subject on #WhatSheSaid, click here to tell me why
What does it mean to be a man? Surely, it’s not one thing. It’s a series of little moments that add up. Man Like is a weekly Zikoko series documenting these moments to see how it adds up. It’s a series for men by men, talking about men’s issues. We try to understand what it means to “be a man” from the perspective of the subject of the week.
While you may not recognise Etubi Onucheyo‘s name or face, you’ve probably seen his visual art at some point. The reclusive artist is behind some the cover of our favourite albums, from Show Dem Camp’s “Clone Wars Vol. 5: The Algorhythm” to The Cavemen’s “Love and Highlife”. With a portfolio like this, I’m surprised when Etubi tells me there was a time he didn’t rate himself as an artist. So what changed?
In this episode of Man Like, he talks about what his dad did that forced him to move out, how SAPA made him man up, the one time he questioned his masculinity and how he’s turned his imposter syndrome into “conman syndrome”.
Let’s talk about your tattoos. Which one is your favourite, and why?
The most significant tattoo I have has to be a compilation of icons down my spine. These tattoos represent who I am. There’s a paper plane because I’m a dreamer, an upside-down crown showing that I’m a misunderstood king, a straw hat and robot monkey from my favourite Anime, One Piece. The last tattoo on my spine is a Latin phrase from another anime fave, Little Witch Academia, which says, “You get what you work for, not what you dream of”.
I was trying to be deep.
I’m dead. So with all these tattoos, who is Etubi?
A misunderstood dreamer trying to create dope art and do something great with his life.
How did your upbringing influence who you are today?
My childhood was complicated for a lot of reasons. My mum had been married a couple of times before, so I had a lot of half-siblings. Because of the age difference between my half brothers and me, I remember my dad did his best to shield me from them. I think he didn’t want them to influence me negatively, but it didn’t work. We didn’t care that we had different dads; we all loved each other. My siblings supported me over the years and came through for me when I least expected it. Having that kind of love in such a complicated mix has deeply impacted my life and work.
What’s the deal with your dad?
Right now, my dad and I are trying to rebuild a relationship that had deteriorated over the years. I hadn’t spoken to him in a long time, but then, this year, a friend of mine gingered me to reach out, so I did. My dad and I used to have a lot of back-and-forth arguments because he wanted me to be someone I wasn’t. He wanted me to be a teacher at some point, but it wasn’t for me.
Another thing that got to me was how he spoke about women, my mum in particular after they separated. He spent a lot of time talking about how evil women were, refusing to acknowledge that for their relationship not to have worked, he must’ve played a part in it, no matter how small. He was hurt, and instead of addressing his pain, he took it out on the people around him.
By 2017, I’d had enough, so I moved out.
Wait, what happened?
My dad lost his mum, and my immediate elder brother moved out of the country, leaving him with me at home. In retrospect, maybe I should’ve tried to see things from his point of view since we were going through all these things simultaneously. But all I felt at the time was this man was trying to frustrate and oppress me.
The final argument that eventually made me move out was the day he went into my room in my absence, and threw some of my things out.
Ah. Why?
My dad is big on going to church, and he expected me to always go with him for the first service by 7 a.m. no less. The church thing was a lot for me, so I’d go to my friend’s place on Fridays and come back home on Monday evenings to avoid church. One time, because there was a public holiday, I left my house on Thursday and didn’t return until the following Wednesday.
He didn’t say anything when I returned, but I noticed later that most of my beaded bracelets were missing. I asked him about them, and he admitted that he’d thrown them out, but not before asking if I was a cultist. Then, he started to drag my mum into the conversation. That’s when I realised maybe I wasn’t the son he wanted and I needed to give him space.
I moved out that month. My dad and I weren’t really speaking and he saw when I was leaving with my big ass box and knew it was because of the fight. I’m sure he thought I’d eventually come back. But I never did.
Even though my dad and I are back on speaking terms, we haven’t seen each other since I moved out or had an actual conversation to unpack what happened between us. It will happen in time, but I can imagine my dad’s face when he sees all my tattoos. He might have a mini-stroke. He’ll be fine las las sha.
How did your siblings react to you moving out?
Everybody kind of knew my dad and I had a rocky relationship, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise. They asked if it was what I wanted and reminded me to be safe. My brothers and sister actually asked me to come live with them. They’d always been supportive, but as a man, I wanted to try things out on my own.
What was life like after you left?
Omo, bills! But luckily for me, I moved in with a friend, so I wasn’t shouldering rent and other bills alone. I also had a small stream of income from the art I was making, so I wasn’t dying. One thing I learnt about moving out of my dad’s house though was that I enjoy my personal space.
Because I lived in a central area in Abuja, it was easy for everyone to visit me. The visits became so much that people would stop by my place to wait out traffic after work. These were my friends, but I needed time to myself and to not have unexpected visitors all the time. It eventually piled up in my mind until I lashed out at a friend who visited me unexpectedly. It affected that friendship, and I regret it. But now, I’m better at saying things as I feel them, so it doesn’t pile up in my mind.
In all of this, I’m curious about when you got your “I’m a man now” moment
My first Christmas out of my dad’s house, when I was so broke I couldn’t even afford to kill a chicken for the holidays, mehn.
Scrim
At that time, I made comics, and I’d done two graphic novels that year. I worked Mondays to Sundays. Despite all of that, I was still broke. I had to confront my imposter syndrome to realise that I’d been undervaluing myself and my work. I was working hard, but I was suffering because I wasn’t charging good money. I didn’t think I was good enough or “there” yet. Deciding to change this notion and value myself as a person, a man and creative, was a turning point for me.
My friends also helped me realise I didn’t appreciate my work. They were making big moves and working with the best brands, but they still took the time to tell me my work was good. I just had to believe it too. They saw me as an equal, and I knew I couldn’t let them down. I didn’t want to be left behind.
Why do you think you struggled with imposter syndrome?
I didn’t feel like my work was where it needed to be. I was also hungry and broke at the time, so I was taking whatever I was offered and overworking myself. We’re in Nigeria, and life is crazy, so walking away from projects because I wasn’t offered good money felt like such a huge risk. Now that I know I’m the shit, I even get to increase my rates every three months.
I’ve moved from having imposter syndrome to what I call the “conman syndrome”. So instead of thinking I’m an imposter, I tell myself I’m a conman and everybody believes I’m this great artist who deserves a ton of money. So until they catch me, this 419 will continue.
Etubi, abeg. How did you even get into making art?
Surprisingly, it was through my dad. I had plans to study economics, but he gave me the gist that economics was like maths, with a lot of “find x” and “differentiate y”, so I changed my mind sharply. He was the one who suggested art and promised to support me. I remember many of my classmates who studied fine arts, getting cut off by their parents because it was against their wishes, but my dad supported me. It’s ironic that he wanted me to have a 9-to-5 life later on. LOL.
Considering all your experiences, I’d like to know your definition of being a man
Standing on my own two feet and being free. Society is constantly telling us who we should be as men, but omo, I just want to do my own thing. Also, we’re learning new things about how men can be dustbins sometimes, so I think being a man should just mean being a good human to other people.
Has anything ever threatened your masculinity?
I remember once, I went to this party, and because I’m a playful person, some girls there started tickling me. This was in 2019, and I noticed a group of guys kept looking at me and trying to allude that I was gay. I started acting strange because I was also conscious of that label, but thinking about it now, I don’t care. Bro, it’s just tickling. We need to free ourselves from all these rules. Why would anyone be so uptight about a man getting tickled by a woman? Don’t you want a woman to tickle you? LOL.
Fair enough. So what would you say are the necessary things to lead a happy life?
Accepting that you’re not perfect. Everybody get the thing wey dey do them. It’s been great accepting my madness and knowing it’s okay. I’m not that different from everyone else.
What does it mean to be a man? Surely, it’s not one thing. It’s a series of little moments that add up. Man Like is a weekly Zikoko series documenting these moments to see how it adds up. It’s a series for men by men, talking about men’s issues. We try to understand what it means to “be a man” from the perspective of the subject of the week.
In 2020, Anthony Azekwoh’s life changed forever when his painting, The Red Man, became a viral sensation taking over social media and capturing the attention of the global art community. At 21 years old, Anthony has established himself as one of the biggest digital artists on the continent, selling out copies of his work worldwide and leading the conversation surrounding African art on the global NFT space. But with this success comes a lot of pressure, doubt and fear of being a “one-hit wonder”.
[newsletter]
In this episode of Man Like, he talks about dropping out of university despite his parents’ disapproval, surviving his first heartbreak, and how he tried but failed to recreate the magic of his most popular painting, The Red Man.
Tell me about what it was like growing up?
I’d say I had a very quiet and uneventful childhood. I’m the eldest of three kids, we lived in Surulere, my school was on the same street as my house and we had a lot of family living around. It was a contained experience.
The only highlight I can think of was the time I got hit by a motorcycle when I was eight.
Omo, what happened?
So, there are two versions of this story. My version is that I was coming back from school with my mum and younger sister, and then this motorcycle came out of nowhere and hit me. The second version is from an uncle who lived on our street. He claims I ran towards the motorcycle, which I believe may have been possible, but I don’t want to believe it. LOL. I was rushed to the hospital, and they patched me up. After that, life continued and I’m here today.
I’m sorry, man. You talk about your university experiences on your blog. How did your time in Covenant University influence you?
CU was hell. That place tested my physical and mental health. The rules were endless. From simple things like banning phones and jeans to using chapel attendance as a substitute for class attendance, they deliberately made life difficult when it didn’t need to be so. The hardest part was knowing all they were putting us through was unnecessary and not being able to do anything about it.
Going there, I realised the only person I could trust with my life choices is me. I shouldn’t have attended the school or studied the course I did. Parents and authority figures are great, but they can be wrong sometimes. You need to stand up for yourself when necessary; Nigerian elders should be checked once in a while.
I’m dead. Have you ever had to stand up to an older person?
I do that all the time — I did it with my school. I wrote and published essays about my experience, and they didn’t take it lightly. They ended up suspending me twice. I did the same with my parents. I sat them down to have an important talk about letting me live my life. It was scary, but necessary.
This question is for millenials: tell us how this conversation with your parents went.
They were hellbent on me becoming a chemical engineer, but I had been struggling with the course for five years and was over it. They didn’t listen. This same course had given me high blood pressure. I couldn’t eat or sleep, and I had tremors in both of my hands. I finally sat them down and told them I was leaving for my sanity.
How did they react?
Mehn. I ended up running away and staying with a friend for a while until my mum came to pick me up for a meeting with my dad. They still maintained their stance, so I moved again. This time, I stayed in a hotel for about five weeks.
That time was hectic. I had other family members roasting me left, right and centre. Then I had to deal with a heartbreak and plan an exhibition around the same time as well. It was a tough time I won’t lie, but it was necessary for me and my family so we could eventually find a way to evolve our relationship.
We later got to the point where we all just calmed down, and my parents were like, “Okay, we don’t understand what you’re doing, but if this is what it has to be, then fine.” I think we just had to finally communicate effectively to move forward.
Whew! So you mentioned a heartbreak situation earlier, what was that about?
Well…
I can sense the drama.
Over the years, I’d always said I couldn’t afford love or relationships because of work, school and just being busy. But the truth is, I was scared of being vulnerable. Anyway, I made the mistake of falling in love with someone I was in a situationship with.
Oh no.
Very big oh no. There are some things I never want to hear again, especially lines like, “Let’s see where it goes”.
It didn’t end the way I wanted because I don’t think they were on the same page as me. I also didn’t see the situation as clearly as I should have because I was deep in love.
Aww. How did this heartbreak affect your outlook on love and relationships?
My eyes opened and I became anti-everything love. With everything I was going through, the heartbreak took the longest, and I’ll say it hurt the most. It felt like someone punched me. I could’ve sworn it would be both of us to the end. Funny thing is, Omah Lay’s Understand became my jam because that was my life. I didn’t know I could care that much. To get over it, I spent time with my friends and by myself. It was important to reevaluate my self-worth.
But now, I know it’s part of life. Sometimes, things don’t work out, but I can’t let that stop me. Waking up every day is a risk, yet we do it. Accepting heartbreak doesn’t mean I failed at love or a relationship. For the future of my romantic relationships, I’m letting life take the wheel.
Love that. In Nigeria, education is how people measure chance for success. Did you have doubts or fears about dropping out?
I weighed my options. The fear of living a miserable life doing a job I hated in a field I hated was bigger than any other fear. I know how easy it is to let the years pass because I had done that in university, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake again. To be fair, I had started to slowly establish myself as an artist and was making some money at the time. A part of me felt like If I didn’t take that step, I wouldn’t even have a future to begin with. I had to bet on myself and make it work.
Talking about things that worked out, your work, The Red Man, became this viral moment in 2020, how did that happen?
It’s crazy because I was just fucking around with this art thing and then one day I became an artist. The Red Man was one of those rare moments where I decided to work on something for myself, away from all the works that influenced me. I wasn’t trying to be like any of my art idols; it was something fun for me. I posted it online the next day, and the pain became this huge thing.
I wasn’t even looking at art as a career path. I had done smaller commissioned work and album covers, but I didn’t look at it as a potential primary source of income.
Mad. How did the love for The Red Man move from verbal appreciation to people wanting to buy copies?
It happened the same week. I was very blessed because most times people appreciate your work on Twitter and that’s it. But this time, I had people asking me for print copies. I fucked around, made some, and they sold out over and over. I then had to make my website and make everything a serious business.
Mad. This NFT thing you’re doing, tell us about it.
The NFT thing also happened at the end of 2020. I remember this white man DMed me on Instagram asking if I was interested in exploring NFTs, and I was a bit hesitant because I felt something shady was about to happen.
I was wrong. He worked with an NFT platform and talked to me about crypto and NFTs. As I said, this was 2020, so in my head, I was like, “Omo, I don’t have money for crypto”. But I went with it and ended up planning my first NFT drop for 2021.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I just went with the flow. I didn’t want to waste an opportunity placed in front of me. Ten minutes into the NFT drop, someone messaged me on Twitter saying, “Congrats for selling out”. My first thought was maybe he was referring to print copies of my art, but apparently, we had sold out our NFTs. Everything worked out.
Funds! I’m curious to know, what does it feel like to have accomplished so much at 21?
I’d be lying if I said it was fun. A lot has happened and it’s all been back to back. Imagine you wake up in 2020 and you have all these papers to sign and shipments to coordinate and you just turned 20. Then 2021 came with its headaches. I dropped out of university and had to organise three events. As a human being, it’s a lot to go through at once. People look at me and expect that after all of this, my life would be solid and so I find it difficult to admit that it’s stressful. It’s just… there’s always something.
That sounds so tough. I hope it gets better. How are your parents reacting to all of this?
This came out of the blues for me and I was the one it happened to, so you can imagine how confused they must be right now. In 2020 they saw me bringing all these paintings and then watched everything blow up. They both came for my exhibition, and I know it’s been interesting for them to watch in real-time.
What was the first thing you bought when you hammered?
Bro, I went to the supermarket and bought barbeque sauce and some groceries. LOL. In my house, my mum is the community manager, and we can’t just take or use anything anyhow, so for me, it was mad just getting to buy my own groceries. I look at my siblings like, “You guys have to use the family barbeque sauce? Eyah”.
I’ve always wondered if you’ve ever felt pressure to top or recreate The Red Man?
Do you know the deathless collection?
No. I don’t think so.
Exactly. LOL. I tried to get it back and trace my steps, but the more I tried, the more I failed. It’s like making art from a place of pride or trying to please everyone else; you just end up failing. I kept failing, and then one day I removed everyone from my mental workspace. I said fuck everyone! I needed to do something for myself and so I decided to paint a guy from a story I had read about: the African Samurai, Yasuke. When it dropped,it went viral again.
Step 1 to success: Fuck everyone. Got it
LOL. It felt good to know I wasn’t a one painting wonder, but after that, I started thinking: “Maybe these are the only two paintings that would blow.”
My life is a constant circle of good things happening and me wondering if it’d be the last time.
This question is for the fans: why do your paintings always look upset?
I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’m upset. LOL. But these are questions I’m going to have to ask my therapist in the future. I think people look interesting when they’re not smiling. I won’t say they’re upset; I’ll just say they’re in-between emotions. They could be happy or distraught, who knows? But now that you’ve pointed it out, I’ll have to look into it.
This question is for fellow creatives: the whole hobby becoming a work thing, how does it work for you?
I’m trying to get back to a place where I did this for fun, but the deeper you go into this business, the harder it gets. My mum is the best cook I know, and I remember asking why she didn’t consider opening a restaurant and she said, “When money and work gets involved, it complicates everything.” I didn’t get it when I was younger, but now that it’s happened to me, I understand what she was saying. Something I did for the love of it has become the thing that provides food on my table.I’m constantly thinking about how to brand ideas and profitably communicate them.
I feel you. Looking forward to anything this 2022?
I have a couple of work projects lined up, but the most important thing for me this year is to take a break. I do this thing where I say I’m taking a break, then somehow I get dragged back in. This time, I’m going to walk away from everything for a substantial amount of time. I have said and done enough, and it’s time to relax before I burnout.
There are few things that compare to our beloved Jollof rice in this life, and one of them is being a digital artist. *Pauses to inhale the scent of artistry* Before you try to argue, go through the 5 reasons we’ve listed out below. займ безработным
1. More room for self-expression
With digital art, there’s ample room for you to fully express your creativity without being overly cautious of irrevocable mistakes. Unless the mistake looks like this sha.
2. Wider reach, which can attract more clients…
…and more clients equals more coins. It’s possible for millions of people to come across amazing art on the streets of Twitter, Dribble, Pinterest, or Behance while seated in their rooms compared to a physical showroom (except you’re Da Vinci). Yay technology.
Portrait happy man exults pumping fists ecstatic celebrates success screaming under money rain falling down dollar bills banknotes isolated gray background with copy space. Financial freedom concept
3. Cool tools and softwares
Unlike traditional art where physical paint and brushes are like bread and butter, digital artists have a wide variety of digital tools to aid their creative process. Little wonder their art turns out fabulous.
4. Saves money
Gadgets can be bought once, but you see paint, brushes and canvas? You will keep buying till Jesus comes. Wahala for who no be digital artist o.
5. A means to drive social change
Creating art is more than an action, it can also spark a movement for the good of all. Digital artists are no strangers to this fact.
For the love of art!
If you are a digital artist between ages 18 – 30 who loves good vibes and seeks to drive positive social change through art, then The Absolut Creator Competition will interest you. It’s a perfect opportunity to share your aspirations for a better Nigeria through your digital art works.
Follow these steps to participate:
Find the Absolut bottle outline and brand logo tagline here and incorporate them in your design.
Create your vision of a better Nigeria using Absolut Nigeria’s theme: “Everyone should be free to express themselves” and incorporate the Absolut bottle outline.
The area now known as Nigeria is home to over 350 different tribes. Many of these tribes, some of which date back several centuries before colonization, boasted of several artefacts and monument. Sadly, colonization meant the loss of many of these artefacts, which were flung all over the world. For example, the British conquest of the Benin kingdom led to the looting of over 4000 artefacts.
Here are a few of these artefacts currently being held abroad, despite being established to have been stolen duringconquests.
1. Benin Mask (Queen Mother)
The Queen Mother mask is one of Nigeria’s most popular artefacts. You’ve probably seen it somewhere before. It is miniature sculptural portrait in ivory, depicting the powerful Queen Mother Idia, who lived in the 16th Century Benin Empire.
The mask is currently in the British Museum after it was pillaged during the British Benin Expedition of 1897. Other at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Linden Museum in Germany were also looted during the expedition.
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2. The Nok Terracottas
The Nok Terracottas were looted from the Bauchi plateau, where the Nok people are said to have occupied from 1000BC to 500AD. The Noks were iron smelters and is best know for its Nok Terracota which depicts humans and animals with jewellery and elaborate hair. The Nok Terracottas are presently in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
3. The Sideblown horn of Congo
This Sideblow Horn of Congo was looted from the Mangbetu people of today’s Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ivory trumpet symbolises royal power, carved for use by the royal house. They are often decorated with skins and intricate carvings.
4. The Congolese Chokwe mask
The Chokwe masks originated the Congo are scared masks used during crowning stories and sacrifices to the ancestors. The piece currently sits in the National Museum of African Art, Washington.
All Nigerians have a hate-love relationship with Danfo buses. On one hand, they get you to where you need to be and you are most likely to meet the most hilarious characters. On the other hand, you can be going somewhere early in the morning in your finest shirt now and Danfo will just help you tear it, or one conductor will conveniently forget to give you your 900 naira change.
Hate them or love them, Danfos are a cultural phenomenon in Lagos. If you close your eyes and try to conjure a picture of Lagos it’ll be impossible to imagine Lagos without the vibrant black and yellow of Danfo buses.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Danfos is how much of a unique and artistic expression it is of its owner’s tastes.
You are most likely to find catchphrases, stickers or illustrations which express the owner’s preferences and beliefs. You are bound to see phrases like ‘God is in control’ or ‘Wabillahi Taofeek’ if the owner is religious. If the owner has a sense of humor then you are bound to see a punchline or two.
You can even tell what their taste in music is, by which artists they chose to advertise with stickers on their windows. We can bet you’d never see a sticker of Osupa and Pasuma on the same bus.
The only thing we might love more than the catchphrases and illustrations themselves would be the unique and creative designs in which they are usually created. Designer studio, Dá Design Studio, inspired by this decided to create a font design, aptly named Danfo STD and we couldn’t love it more.
Left to us we’d print everything in this. Imagine a t-shirt with the catchphrase ‘I can’t come and die’ written in this font?
What we are most excited about, however, is the fact that they are people out there who not only recognize the cultural importance of Danfos to Lagos *side eye to Ambo* but also decided to create something awesome out of it.
Not everytime talk about how Wizkid is taking over Africa. Many times, Nigerian artists have smashed records and proved that Nigerians sabi the work.
In November 2016, outstanding artist and daughter to the late iconic Dora Akunyili, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, set a new auction record for her intimate art, ‘Drown’ which sold for $1,092,500-which is over 3 times the initial high estimate.
In the record-breaking ‘Drown’, Njideka created a stunning self-portrait of her husband, Justin.
The painting, which is basically an acrylic, colored pencil and solvent transfer on paper sold for over $1M (N400 million) at Sotheby’s in New York.
She has shown that greatness truly runs in her blood and we couldn’t be more proud of her!
When Brazilian photographer, Vinicius Terra Nova, decided to do a photo series he named, ‘Flores Raras’ (translated as Rare Flowers) with these three sisters, magic was the only expected result.
The twins, Lara and Mara who have albinism slayed this shoot with their elder sister, Sheila.
It’s hard to get over how beautiful they look.
Look at how the twin’s creamy skins glow beautifully against Sheila’s popping dark skin.
They’re giving serious hair goals.
Se them serving artsy vibes in this upside-down shot.
To view more amazing pictures from this shoot, check out Vinicius’ website here.
Featured image credit: Vinicius Terranova
Two weeks ago, a 17 year old Instagram user, Autumn Massaquoi, recreated her self portrait using different different cartoon characters.
This awesomeness lead to the birth of a really brilliant artsy trend across Instagram and Twitter. Here are some of the most awesome pictures from the style challenge hashtag.
1. This blue-haired cartoon character.
2. The Disney version is really cute though.
3. This picture is giving us serious afro goals.
4. See this hijabi slay.
5. All the faces of the beautiful Ariana Grande
6. And Rihanna’s bantu knots.
7. Even Aliyah made the challenge.
8. This person that recreated his portrait using the style of legendary artists.
9. When an original cartoon gets recreated.
10. Another hijabi joined the challenge.
11. When a cartoon character has a really buff afro.
12. And finally, this one is proof that Beyonce can never be ugly in any art form that exists.
That’s what Brooklyn-based Nigerian artist, Olalekan Jeyifous, aimed to achieve with his creative photo series, Shanty Megastructures.
Using a series of 3D visuals, he created a realistic architectural view of Lagos in 2050, with massive tin towers spread across all the popular parts of the city.
According to him, the slums of Lagos are usually left out of developmental projects and are mostly targeted for demolition. By doing this, whatever development that happens in the state mostly favours the rich.
In Shanty Megastructures, he creates an idea where even the famous Makoko canal isn’t left out of the Sci-Fi age.
Although his idea isn’t perfect…
He however partnered with NLE Architects and Zoohaus/Inteligencias Colectivas to create a pollution-free and well-planned Lagos, in a previous project he called Uneven Growth.
More pictures from Olalekan’s project can be viewed here.
When artsy people try to tell you to find the beauty in everything including a one year old child’s doodling.
When there’s an oil stain on your shirt and your artsy friend says it highlights your skin tone.
We can only imagine the thoughts running through the mind of the photographer who captured the image and how he would caption the picture on Instagram.
1. Abba T. Makama is mostly known as a filmmaker and founder of Osiris; a creative group that creates magical ideas for digital and traditional media.
But personally he considers himself an artist and prefers the label ‘creator’. Born and raised in Jos Plateau State. He went to Hillcrest School Jos and St. Joseph’s College before graduating from SUNY Fredonia N.Y. He also studied film at N.Y.U. Ventures Africa listed him as one of the 15 African creatives to watch for in 2016.
2. While growing up in Jos he attend Hillcrest school and was classmates with Tejumola Komolafe (NaijaBoyz).
They were both the best art students in their class and also best friends. Teju left Nigeria in the early 90’s. The two reconnected in 2006 via Myspace and discovered they both where on the path to becoming filmmakers.
3. His company Osiris has worked with numerous brands.
Directing commercials, digital marketing skits and documentaries for companies like Google, Blackberry, Gtbank Nigerian Breweries etc.
4. In 2010, he and friend/colleague Bolaji Kekere Ekun ( 37th State) created AMEBO at FOUR.
5. In 2010 he wrote, produced and directed the comedy satire on the Nigerian film industry called Direc-toh.
Direc-toh screened at Eko International Film Festival 2010 and won Best Actor at InShort Film Festival 2010.
6. In 2012 he collaborated with fashion designer and close friend Niyi Okuboyejo, to create Party of Minister.
Party of Minister is a satire short film about corrupt African dictators. It screened at the 2016 Black Star Film Festival in Philadelphia.
That same year he also directed a fashion film for acclaimed fashion designer Maki Oh.
7. In 2013 he released QUACKS a sequel to Party of Ministers.
Party of Minister and Quacks were selected for the first Iroko TV online short film festival.
8. In 2014 he was commissioned by Al Jazeera to direct a documentary on the Nigeria Film Industry.
It aired in July 2015 on Al Jazeera world and was well received by key figures in the industry.
9. In 2015 he released a comedy reality TV show, CITY BISHOP, about a journalist from the village of Isoko who explores Lagos city life.
Season 1 aired on SilverBird TV.
10. 2016 will be the release of his first feature length film ‘Green White Green’.
Green White Green is a comedy satire and coming of age story about 3 young boys from the 3 major ethnic group on an adventure to shoot a short film inspired by Nigeria’s history.
11. Abba Makama the painter.
His first solo art exhibition is on February 28th 2016 at the IAMSIGO showroom. Waking hallucinations and sleep paralysis are the inspiration behind the art show.
Not everytime complain about the struggles of Lagos, sometimes find beauty in everything around and show it to the world.
25 year old Oshomah Abubakar chose to portray different sides to Lagos from a creative, yet hilarious angle.
He draws his inspiration from the hustle that Lagos brings and also the constant drive to always be better than yesterday.
Lagos Traffic
The struggles of boarding a Lagos Danfo.
The National Theatre reimagined as a head gear.
The Ikeja bridge boys.
And this face everybody makes when NEPA strikes.
The brand manager-in-training at Minimie noodles and Computer Science graduate from Ajayi Crowther University is a also a photographer and writer on other days.
Other pieces from him can be viewed via his social media pages.
One of the things that has accompanied Nigeria’s vast cultural diversity is stereotypes.
Naturally, stereotypes aren’t necessarily true and can draw lines of division. Sometimes they are hilarious and this artist brought the hilarious side of some of these common stereotypes into his art.
The 22 year old graduate of Geophysics from Covenant University uses the Japanese animation, Chibi art style, to create his art pieces.
The Chibi art style originated from the appearance of the Japanese anime characters and has been used to create several other graphic art.
Ajoku David Uchenna shares tribal bonds from the Igbo and Yoruba tribes of Nigeria and got inspired by the common cultural stereotypes on Nigerian Twitter.
He aspires to create more art in preparation of a comic series similar to Archie and Juggle head, done Naija style, of course.
Bayo, The Yoruba Demon.
Emeka, The Igbo demon.
All his characters bear tails because he believes that demons aren’t necessarily Yoruba and that Nigerians generally love to live the baby boy/girl lifestyle, wearing nice trad and turning up at Owambe parties.
.. And this one for Owambe lovers.
David also doubles as a photographer and works at a Nigerian NGO ACSI when he isn’t creating art.
If you have been itching to see how foreign artists will look in African wear, today is your lucky day
Yass!
Ghanaian graphic designer, artist and fashion designer, Dennis Owusu-Ansah brought his awesome skills into recreating photos of these artists in African attire.
Art connects us to one another. It’s a way to express ourselves and show how we view the world.
Michael Sio is doing such with his art.
The art works of the Nairobi based artist gives satirical commentary on contemporary social, economic and political trends in Kenya.
Soi touches on ‘taboo’ issues that are controversial in Kenyan society such as commercial sex work and corruption.
In 2012 and 2013, he created a series of satirical China Loves Africapaintings to question the intentions of China in Africa.
The paintings explores China-Africa partnership as that of neo-colonialism. His work views the relationship as a “love affair” profiting one side. China is hungry for raw materials from Africa and Africa is poor and desperate.With African leaders are looking trade partners who will not ask questions, he likens China to a sugar daddy,
In 2015, he created more paintings titled The Shame of Venice to offer his take on persons who lack the capacity to represent Kenya’s contemporary art to the international arena, posturing to the world as the Kenyan Pavilion.
Asides from bringing attention to happenings in Kenyan society, Soi is making a visual diary of Kenya so that those not yet born can get to see what the country looked like.
Soi’s paintings aren’t restricted to the heavy stuff. He also has beautifully drawn painting printed on tote bags, such as these one:
Seeing as we’re in the Digital Age, it is no surprise that more artists are embracing digital tools to explore their creative process. That is not to say the tradtional medium doesn’t still bang.
On that note, if you’re a digital artist, we can bet our five fingers that you will identify with more than one of the things below.
1. People coming to you for free art
They see how awesome your art is, and want something similar for themselves but expect you to work for free. When you protest, they offer you publicity or whine about your fees being exorbitant and how they know someone who can do it cheaper. Ehn go and meet them nau.
2. Creative ideas swimming in your head
Call it the creative’s curse or blessing depending on how you look at it. There’s always one new creative concept or the other, some so urgent that they wake you up at odd hours.
3. Obsession with digital tools and softwares
Since your work is largely dependent digital tools, there is a likelihood for you to get obsessed with the next cool thing. After all, it’s for the sake of efficiency. Your room would probably look like this.
4. The fulfillment that comes from your completed work
Nothing beats that feeling of working on a particular art project for hours, days, or even weeks and seeing how lit the end result is. It even slaps more when other people genuinely give you feedback like “You sabi work” and “burst brain”.
5. You see the big picture – even when others don’t
There are some big ideas or concepts whose end results which you can envision in your mind’s eye, but others might not relate. Some will laugh or call you crazy, don’t mind them jare. Carry on.
(Preferred image will be here)
Follow these steps to participate:
No matter where we are from, we are all human
Everyone should be free to express themselves
All genders are equal
Everyone deserves to feel safe
Everyone deserves an opportunity to
Choose one of Abolut’s 5 brand beliefs listed above
Download the Absolut bottle outline and brand logo tagline here (link here)
Create your vision of a better Nigeria using your selected brand belief and incorporate the Absolut bottle outline.
