Art Sector Seeks More Govt Recognition from New Regime

The Society of Nigerian Artists(the parent body of the Visual Arts Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Guild of Professional Fine Artists) has cried out to the incoming government of President-elect, General Muhamadu Buhari, to address the art and culture sector and establish for them a National Museum of Modern Art among others. GBUBEMI GOD’S COVENANT SNR reports.
Since Nigeria’s political pendulum swung into the camp of the strongest opposition party since the Second Republic, ushering in former military head of state, General Muhamadu Buhari, as President-elect, an avalanche of demands from every strata of the nation have been coming into the office of the new government taking off officially on May 29th, 2015.
The latest call demanding salvation, healing and restoration from the incoming administration is the arts sector, comprising theNigerian Society of Artists, the Visual Art Society of Nigeria (VASON) and the Guild of Professional Fine Artist, Nigeria.
Addressing journalists at his studios on Military Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, last Friday, one of the most notable artists in the contemporary Nigerian scene and one-time Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Arts (Lagos Chapter), Mr. Olu Ajayi,listed what the art sector expects from the government of General Muhamadu Buhari.
“We are expecting that the new government coming in on May 29th should address the art and culture sector, because you cannot have a vibrant economy without a vibrant culture —because that’s what drives the soul of a country.
“But if you neglect that aspect, you’ll run into trouble because you don’t really understand the people’s demand and their wishes.”
A basic infrastructure which significance past governments have failed to recognise and provide, the 52 years old art consultant, administrator and curator lamented, is a museum of modern arts. Hear him:
“It is a national question that the most populous black nation in the world does not have a proper museum of modern arts; which means, all we’ve been producing and contributing to global culture and advancement have nowhere to stay. That is very key.
“Secondly, a government cannot be talking about promoting tourism and attracting foreign investors when it does not know what it means for a country to have a proper museum of modern arts; what potential investors want to see is part of your culture.”
Stressing the dire need further, Ajayi wove a thread to link tourism, arts and culture. “Why do people go abroad? It’s not to see hotels; I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with building hotels, but hotels are not tourist attraction. To people who have ordinary delight, tourist attraction would mean going to Dubai, and similar places to see buildings that will astound and challenge their architectural imagination.
“See, you cannot talk about great countries of the world without talking about their arts; the Chinese, Indians, the Americans or the Greeks, etc they all have their culture vis-a-vis their arts intact, and they have museums where people go to see how far they have come and how far they are going.”
Asked how a government faced with myriads of problems (poor from power supply to insecurity) can think of arts, Ajayi responded:
“Art, to a large extent serves as a focal point. It will create employment, generate funds, and educate the public. For instance if I have paintings people consider to be marvelous and I place them in the Museum of Modern Art, people will want to see, they will go there every day; people will be trooping in, school children will get more educated about art and its effects, the museum will provide employment for people working there; it will also be a tourist destination and will generate more funds because the museum will now have the capacity to make publications for people to buy, and also have a café where people can mill around and have light refreshment.
“In Olu Ajayi studios, for example, somebody sells canvas to me; somebody sells the paints to me; somebody sells the glass, frames, etc and these businesses are kept open because I am here, working. The galleries are open because there are paintings that are going to be supplied to them to sell. And the person who buys the paintings has his money and he enjoys his purchase just as he enjoys music. He still has a store value because if he decides to sell the paintings, he still gets his money back. So art plays a very significant role; except that the uninitiated will not see it.
“They can also fund an average hub or community; if you go to other parts of the world, you can go to a whole district; all you see there are galleries and artists practicing their trade. So we need things like that. If we’re going to have a developed and robust art sector, all of these have to be in place.
“The other aspects we need especially has to do with giving artists willing to establish studios start-off grants. I am aware that in the past, some administrations gave some grants to fashion designers and eateries to start off their businesses. That can be extended to visual arts, where an artist wants to set up a studio.”
Reminded that lack of government interest may be due to the fact that artists are a formidable body, not a force to be reckoned with, the artist replied:
“I will not say artists are not together; I was Chairman of Nigerian Society of arts for six years; I am a member of the board of trustees of the Visual Arts Society of Nigeria and also a trustee of the Nigerian Guild of Professional fine artists; I have been practicing for over 36 years as an artist, so it’s improper to say there are too many factions in the arts. I think what government has failed to do is to recognise the parent body of the artists which is the Society of Nigerian Artists.
“In every association, we have various departments; people who are into to water colour, paints, canvas, etc but there is a main body, the oldest body, which is the Society of Nigerian Artists.
“I will tell you something; we have made presentations; there was a time we went to the National Assembly asking that there should be an empowerment, a grant to regulate the practice, like having an Artists Registration Council or something similar, but that matter got nowhere.”
“I think the real problem is lack of political will on the part of government, not seeing the positive aspect of art; not seeing that art is so relevant as national development. I will refrain from using the word naïve about the role of art. So the artists’ bodies are there and assuredly there is coordination.
“We have made presentations to government; we stood up and made statements when the crisis about selling the National Arts Theatre came up. So this notion that artists are not organised is not correct. Artists are not individualistic; there is cohesion; it’s people that are not seeing it where it’s happening. You might say they’re not as ‘noisy’ like the Nollywood.”
“I admit there’re more movies than there are art exhibitions in Nigeria, and the galleries are even few. Then information is not as many.
Also, there’s no scandal about any artist that will make you wonder what it’s all about. So I think that’s what is responsible for the situation you are seeing. But the bottomline is that all our legitimate proposals and presentations are in the archives; it’s lack of political will on the part of government that is the problem and we want the government of General Buhari to reverse that trend.”