The Relevance of Art and Culture, Prospects in Schools and Society

The Relevance of Art and Culture,

Prospects in Schools and Society

By Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, MFR

At Lagoon School

Lekki, Lagos.

I have to thank the management, teachers and pupils of Lagoon School, Lekki, for honouring me with an invitation to come and talk to the pupils on the subject of “The Relevance of Art and Culture in schools and society”. In this regard, I will be speaking from the perspective of the visual art, an area I have been practicing in for over six decades.

I’d like to inform you that coming here evokes a nostalgic feeling of my beginning as art teacher, first at Western Boys’ High School, Benin City, after then at Ondo Boys’ High School, Ondo and finally at St. Gregory’s College, Lagos, where I spent 17 years before retiring as a teacher. Beyond my career as a teacher, I still interact with pupils in their scores whenever the annual Harmattan Workshop I organize holds and when schools come with their pupils to visit me at work in my studio. One thing I have come to realize as an art teacher is that every child is born with a talent and has something to express and art is usually the primary medium through which they express it. The beauty of children’s art is that their simplicity, directness and innocence will make even great and experienced masters want to be able to repeat those attributes in their art. This was the case with me particularly in the 60s at St. Gregory’s when I sometimes copied pieces of my students. A specific one I can recall was the drawing of a strange animal which the student called a cow. Over the years I could not reconcile the name to the image until I named the animal Ubido, which is an Urhobo word for one of the animals in their folklore. I know some of you here are naturally talented in art. My advice to you is that some works of art produced by you now should be carefully kept and if you can, glazed. You will be amazed at the beauty and freshness when several years later you bring it out to view.

Art and culture can be described as two sides of a coin. One is incomplete without the other. Art and culture are innate to man. In other words, man did not have to go school to acquire the knowledge of art and culture even though education in those subjects is very important. The earliest men made drawings and images in one form or the other to communicate. We have the cave drawings discovered in caves around the world and some of these drawings scientists tell us are thousands of years old. Over the years, man has developed what he probably acquired by instinct. And this is where education is very important for it is through education that he can scientifically develop what was a natural talent.  The school environment helps the child to recognize particular innate talents and teaches him or her skills to develop them. So what is Art? One dictionary definition of art is “ human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature”. Another definition describes art as “ the conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium”. In the two definitions, the word Nature, Colours, Forms, Movement and beauty should be borne in mind especially with regard to visual art which is what we are concerned with.

Culture according to my dictionary's definition is “the arts, customs, and habits that characterize a particular society or nation”. It is also defined as the beliefs, values, behavior and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life. From the definitions of Art and Culture, you will notice that they both have been with us right from almost the beginning of age when civilization started. 

In contemporary times, Art and Culture permeate the entire spectrum of society. There is nothing you touch that does not imply the prevailing culture of the place and that object touched has art as an intrinsic part. As students, most of you have for example, a mobile phone. Mobile phone ownership is almost the culture of all modern city dwellers for it is something most people cannot do without.  Art comes into the equation when one considers that the phones which come in various shapes were designed by artists at the stage before they were manufactured Culture learning which truly begins with the mother tongue at home and continued at school becomes easier as we apply the principle of moving from the known to the unknown.  Art and culture education at home and in school is to help us realize who we are as a people thereby helping us fulfill not just cultural expectations but life expectations as well. 

To drive the argument for the relevance of art and culture in the school curriculum further, I’d like to state that visual art forms the basis of any educational discipline as it runs through all the subjects.  Art helps to train the eyes to observe, the hands to mold objects and give illustration to ideas. It helps the mind to imagine and project ideas.  There are inter dependencies and inter relationships among subjects taught in schools and to neglect or eliminate art and culture is to create an imbalance in knowledge that is imparted at schools.

Visual art studies lead to graduate and post graduate degrees in our educational system.  This opens up a vast array of professions from which one can choose a career from either in government or private setups. Two of my colleagues in the now defunct College of Arts and Technology, which later became Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are examples of people who went into art education and rose to the top.  Professors Adamu Baike and Solomon Wangboje became the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor respectively, of the University of Benin.

Another college colleague, Demas Nwoko who specialized in Painting while at the college and became one of the very few architects who have created buildings that can truly be termed African.  A great number of trained artists became professionals.  They are self - employed and produced art works in their studios. 

At this point I’d like to talk about the relevance of the visual arts in society.

1.     Art history and civilization

Art is a measure of civilization.  The first thing that puts Nigeria on the map of the world is her art.  The Nok terra cottas, Igbo Ukwu figurines, Benin and Ife bronzes and other antique works produced in the past have classed us as part of world civilization.  The works of our modern pioneer artists like Aina Onabolu, Ben Enwonwu, Felix Idubor, Lamidi Fakeye, Ladi Kwali, and others are iconic and constitute very important legacy.

The post independence period of Nigeria produced a group of artists who were members of the Zaria Society to which I belong.  Their philosophy of synthesis (recourse to the roots and fertilization from abroad) created a revolution which is reputed to have forged a direction for contemporary and modern Nigerian art.  They are Yusuf Grillo, Simon Okeke, Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, Emmanuel Odita, Josephine Omigie, Nwagbara and Felix Ekeada.

One must mention that El Anatsui, a younger generation artist who has gained international reputation, although Ghanaian born, but matured in Nigeria.

2.     Art and Environment

Villages, cities and town squares, buildings and parks are beautified with art.  Historical monuments like soldier Idumota (now in Abuja), sculptural portraits of Dr Nnmadi Azikiwe in Onisha, Herbert Macaulay in Yaba and, Obafemi Awolowo in Ikeja, the prancing horses at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos make visits to these places memorable and interesting. Sculpture gardens both at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and at the Auchi Polytechnic are examples of parks that have been beautified with art.  These and vast indoor decorations of murals, stained glass and mosaic in many of our buildings, including places of worship are proofs of the relevance of visual art in the society.

3.     Art and Diplomacy

Because of the art shows they hold abroad and the good image of the country that the artists’ works project, our artists are regarded as “ambassadors.”  Also, Timothy Fasuyi while holding the post of Nigerian Federal Art Adviser was on the basis of art, at the United Nations Assembly in New York to present our cultural policy.

I have had numerous art exhibitions abroad and my art works have been used to fulfill diplomatic roles by the federal government.  In 1996 my art piece was given as a present by Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, the then minister of information to Saddam Hussein, the then Iraqi president. It earned me a travel grant to visit Iraq and experience their art and culture and only two years ago, my art work “Oracle” was acquired for our President Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan as a present to President Barack Obama of the United States of America.  So many of my friends tell me they see my paintings adorning the walls of Aso Rock when the President is holding the cabinet meeting with his ministers. They see them when watching the television.

4.     Art and Politics

Artists use their works to draw attention to what goes on around them.  An example is a body of work called “Totems of the Delta” which I created to draw attention to the environmental impact of oil exploration and extraction in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

During the Nigerian pre-independence political era, a Nigerian artist, Akinola Lasekan drew powerful cartoons in the pages of the West African Pilot, which became weapons in the political struggle championed by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and others for the emancipation of Nigeria from colonial rule. In the ongoing electoral campaigns, artists use their cartoons in funny ways to disseminate information on the pages of newspapers.

5.     Art and the Nigerian Economy

Art and craft is a renewable source of wealth for any nation.  In our country Nigeria, it employs a great number of people and alleviates poverty.  Traditional crafts men and women and those trained in schools and workshops create items which we use for dressing, furniture and ornaments.  These have huge local and foreign patronage which create immense wealth for the country.

6.     Art and Tourism

Our art and craft attract a large number of people, local and foreign to our markets, boutiques, art galleries and museums, carnivals and traditional festivals. Art supports tourism which is estimated to employ eighty per cent of labour force when we consider services that have to be provided by the hospitality and transport industries.  To reap its maximum benefits as alternative source of income to oil, we need more investments in infrastructure and security for the safety of lives and property.

7.     Secondary Art Market, Art Auctions and Super Prices

Relatively new developments on the Nigerian art scene include the appearance of secondary market in which one can resell art works and the institution of auction houses which sell art to the highest bidders.  Both artists and art collectors have experienced surprises as pieces fetch high or super prices.  Auctions become a gauge for measuring the importance of an artist or an artistic trend.  They help discover new artists particularly the younger ones. Older art works and works of more established artists tend to fetch more money in those markets.

It is important also to mention that collectors would rather buy works from artists who are faithful and enduring in their commitment to the practice of art, and in the process gain reputations which invariably add to the value of their pieces.  In case you have an art work to sell you can consult any of the following auction houses which organize consistently about two times in a year. They are The Art House Contemporary Limited and the Terra Kulture Ltd. Terra Kulture is in partnership with Mydrim Gallery, Nike Gallery and recently, the Signature gallery.

8. Art and Investment

Art works now enjoy investment value in Nigeria.  Like gold, landed property, stocks and shares, one can invest in art and expect good returns.  Also, art works are now being accepted by the banks as collaterals for loans.  This development calls for a new line of study which can be called “art valuation”

9.     Art and Religion

This talk on the relevance of visual art in the society will not be complete if I do not mention the role which art plays in religion in the present Nigerian society.  First, I’d like to say that the use of art for religion is growing.  The murals and sculptures including my works in St. Pauls Catholic Church, Ebute Metta, Lagos, until recently before they were removed from the walls are an eloquent example of the use of art in religion.  Stained glass works by Yusuf Grillo and David Dale are visible in many of our churches in Lagos.  Many of the churches are replete with carvings and paintings which help convey the essence of Christianity.  However there is a kind of negative attitude which is working against the use images in holy places particularly when local figures, motifs and symbols are employed.  The issues become serious as the trend extends to decorations and art works in our city squares and public places.  A beautiful and imposing Ikenga sculpture was pulled down in one of the south eastern states of Nigeria.

Similarly, actions have been taken against sculptural monuments at the Warri round about in Delta state and on the campus of University of Ibadan, Oyo state. 

We know that visual art which is part of culture is not static but dynamic, and accept that no one should impose any idea through art on any community or society.  However, the world is now a global village, and through technological advancements, a lot of people can easily be assimilated into other cultures, thereby losing the sense of who they are.  Artists should be commended for being an important agent in the transfer of our timeless values from one generation to another.

I thank Lagoon School for the honour and privilege to talk about a subject which has given me fulfillment and recognition.  Whether one is in or outside the school, art and culture are very important.  I hope this presentation will always generate healthy discussions in and around the classroom. 

Thank you boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. 

Bruce Onobrakpeya

Ulli Beier's Art Legacy: Creator of the Osogbo School

Bruce Onobrakpeya a Nigerian artist, pays glowing tribute to the work of Ulli Beier in Nigeria. He has described  Ulli  as one of the founders of modern Nigerian art, and ascribes the success of the now famous Annual Harmattan Workshop Series, now in its 13th edition, to the fact that, the Harmattan Workshop Experience was  closely modeled after Ulli Beier's workshops in  the 60's and 70's.


By Bruce Onobrakpeya

Ulli Beier was one of the few expatriates involved inthe pre- and post- independence ferment in art that crytallised into what we can today describe as the contemporary and modern Nigeria Art. The workshop series which he started, created a revolution that gave birth to what is now known all over the art world today as Osogbo School. As a great teacher, mentor and role model, he helped develop artistic freedom, drew our attention to Nigerian values by recourse to our past and traditions as well as to look beyond our immediate environment for inspiration. His passion for and invovlement in many areas of the arts has within his lifetime changed the town of Oshogbo into a Mecca for lovers of art.

Ulli Beier had several attributes, but in this brief tribute I will pay attention to his role as a great art teacher and a role model in the development of the arts and also as a vital instrument in the upgrading of a community - the Oshogbo community - into a tourism centre of world renown. The workshops he organised in Ibadan, Oshogbo and Ile -Ife, not only realigned my area of specialisation as an artist but also inspired me towards the development of an informal educational art outfit, which is the Harmattan workshop series of Agbarha-Otor in, Delta State, Nigeria.

I attended three of the art workshops he initiated and organised in the 60s and 70s. The first was at Adamasingba quarters, Ibadan in 1961. It was held at Mbari Artists and Writers club. Julian Bainet stood in for Amancia Guerdes, the South African Architect who could not travel to Nigeria. In that workshop there was a printmaking session but the main thrust was to develop our freedom in the use of found materials: metals, cement, building wire, etc.

But what I later realised to be my greatest benefit at the workshop was working with artists of different stages of development on the same project in the same classrooom. In the workshop was Akinola Lasekan who even then was already very well known as an accomplished artist. Also, I met Roland Abiodun who would later become a great scholar.

The second Ulli Beier workshop I attended came three years later in 1964 at Osogbo. It was on printmaking for which Professor Ru Van Rossen, a renowned printmaker from Tilburg University in Holland, was director. The class was not a big one. It included Jimoh Akolo and Irein Wangboje who were colleagues in the art school at Zaria. Other participants in that workshop included Twin Seven-Seven, Jimoh Buraimoh, Muraina Oyelami, Rufus Ogundele and a few others who had attended earlier Oshogbo workshops under Georgina Beier, Ulli's wife.

Through Ru Van Rossen's teaching and demonstrations and the examples of his prints that I saw, I realised that printmaking was a major area of art specialisation. That changed my direction from painting to which I was lured through peer pressure at the Art School in Zaria. Following that exposure, and equipped with materials given to me by Ulli, I launched into printmaking experiments with feverish passion and great determination which later on resulted in innovations and breakthroughs for me.

I use the word experiments because Ru made us understand from the workshop that printmaking can be very scientific and adventrous, involving the use of chemicals, tools and heavy equipment, as obtained in factories.

After attending the two workshops, Ulli watched my progress with satisfaction and as a way of motivation, he invited me to assist Ru in the Ori Olokun wokshop held at Ile-Ife around 1973. By this time Ulli had moved from Osogbo to Ife as the Director of the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ife, now the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile -Ife. In that capacity, Ulli offered me the post of Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute, Unfortunately I could not take it because my movement to Ife would retard the building up of an artistic audience which I already started in Lagos.

Ulli drew our attention to materials and themes around us - in beadworks, beaten metal, wood, clay, folklore, stones, traditional motifs, etc. These became the foundation for the great art pieces by Twin Seven-Seven, Jimoh Buraimoh, Asiru Olatunde, Nike Okundaiye, Rufus Ogundele, Muraina Oyelami and my metal foil plastograph.

Ulli did not stop with organising workshops. He monitored the progress of the artists in order to encourage them further. He would sometimes buy some of the art works produced at the workshops or at the artists' studios and exhibit them in Nigeria or abroad, accompanying the pieces with literature which would introduce the artists and explain the pieces. The Goethe Institute, the cultural arm of the Germany embassy in Lagos, cooperated with Ulli Beier, who was a German, to showcase our art regularly.

Next, Ulli encouraged his friends and art patrons to establish galleries to help sell artworks, particularly those produced by the workshop alumni. First amongst them was the Mbari Artists and Writer's Club of which he was a co-founder, followed by the Mbari Mbayo at Oshogbo. Next was Mbari Art Gallery, opened by Tayo Aiyegbusi on the ground floor of his studio at Jibowu near Ikorodu Road, Lagos.

Jean Kennedy and her husband Dick Wolford who worked for USAID, were themselves artists and friends to Ulli. They turned their sitting room in McEwen Road, Ikoyi to an art gallery where they marketed products of the Osogbo artists. We called the gallery the ‘Thursday Show' because it took place once a week for only two hours every Thursday.

My works naturally were included but the gallery also exhibited works of other Lagos-based artists like David Dale who were never part of the workshops. The Thursday Show gave me a financial breakthrough and a great impetus to continue my practice as an artist. This gave me the confidence to continue in my practice and I never looked back. Other expatriate families, one after the other, carried on the tradition after the Wolfords left Nigeria.

Ulli's promotion did not end with Ibadan, Osogbo, Ife and Lagos. He inspired the Mbari Club which was set up by Uche Okeke in Enugu. Also, he encouraged Ovia Idah to open a gallery in his house on the moat at beginning of Ekewan Road, near the Oba's market in Benin City. Ulli carried the crusade to Germany, the Iwalewa Haus Centre, which he set up there, did a lot to propagate Osogbo and other Nigerian artworks.

Ulli was totally committed to the development of arts. He cooperated with his wife Georgina in the workshops and with Susanne Wenger for the development of Osun shrines; also with Duro Ladipo for theatre, and was involved with various publications about African artists and culture in Black Orpheus. All these experiences prepared me for other workshops, residences and exhibitions abroad in Canada, India, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

And so, when I started the Harmattan Worshop at Agbarha-Otor, Delta State in 1998, all the credit went to Ulli as one who inspired me to start it. It is his legacy that I am now propagating. The 13th edition of the Harmattan Workshop will end in August 2011 and like the previous workshops we organised, during the induction ceremonies for participants, the name Ulli Beier always comes up as the inspiration behind the project. This has been the practice since inception.

Following the example of Ulli's workshops, the Harmattan Workshop has proved to be a forum where Nigerian, African as well as artists from other parts of the world gather in many sessions every year to hone their skills, share ideas and network among themselves. The workshop has had participants from Canada, France, U.S.A, Benin Republic, Togo and Belgium. The works from the workshops, like Ulli workshops, have been exhibited widely within the country and have featured in the landmark events like the Nigerian Golden Jubilee exhibition at Abuja. Plans are underway to exhibit works from Harmattan Workshop at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. All these artistic activities are gradually helping to upgrade the status of the quiet, sleepy town of Agbarha-Otor where the workshop is situated. We hope it will be like Osogbo someday.

Ulli Beier gave a people - the Oshogbo people, nay, the people of Nigeria, pride in their cultural heritage. He came and awakened us to artistic and cultural consciousness. He laid the foundation that earned Oshogbo the World Heritage status it enjoys today.

Ulli Beier affected my life and a host of other artists whose talents would have remained dormant. He gave us wealth and international recognition. His life and passion for the arts did not only develop the art profession and raised the status of Osogbo, it also proved that the arts in its total application is a potential tool for the growth of any nation. May Ulli Beier's contributions and legacies which he bequeathed long endure.

Master printmaker, Bruce Onobrakpeya, delivered this paper at the celebration of Ulli Beier's life and works, held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, Osun State, on July 2

Comments on the 13th Harmattan workshop

Mr. Sam Ovraiti

 The recently ended 13th Annual Harmattan Series, has continued to receive high praise and accolades from several observers of the arts. The first came from Chief Wanda Ibru, a local community leader and supporter of the Annual Harmarttan festival of the arts. She spoke on the choice of Mr. Sam Ovraiti as this year’s artistic director as excellent, based on his track record as an artist, teacher and administrator. Also, the noted collector of West African Contemporary art Mr. Fred Spinnler said in commenting on this year’s workshop that “It is also great that Sam Ovraiti has the director ship, since I know him as a serious hardworking artist who has visions for steps forward in the Nigerian Contemporary Art, and the representatives from Ghana, Benin etc. will also add value in the frame of the West African Art Development” The Ghanaian artist, Kofi Dawson a first time participant at the workshop, commended the workshop as being “lofty, noble and life transforming because it brings in artists from all over the world to share their experiences in an atmosphere of brotherhood and camaraderie”.


The Annual Workshop Series is unique in the sense that it is the only institution of it's kind in Africa that has consistently sought to bridge the gap between the formal and informal trained artist annually, to enable shared and accelerated learning between these two groups. This year’s workshop had over 100 participants in attendance from Belgium, Canada, Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo and Nigeria.


The Chairman of the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya MFR, in making a case for the need for the Annual Harmattan Workshops to continue, stated that the workshop is in the business of producing tomorrow’s great artists, today. This is done through cross fertilization of ideas, interaction, inspiration, team building and a great and conducive learning environment in the countryside for participants. Despite dwindling funding, support has continued to come from credible corporations with a high sense of social responsibility to the West African sub region.

Service Beyond Self by Bruce Onobrakpeya

By Bruce Onobrakpeya
Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation

Bruce Onobrakpeya is amongst the founding members of the now famous Zaria Art School popularly Known as the Zaria Revolutionaries. He was also a member of the Mbari Mbayo Art Society in the Early sixties. In 1964 he became a founding member of the Society of Nigerian Artist. Since 1998, he has attempted to give back to Society through the Annual Workshop Series now in its 13th edition, which in part is geared at producing a new generation of art thinkers and practitioners through mentoring.He is also a trustee of the Western Niger Delta University in Nigeria.

Excerpts of Speech first delivered to the Rotary Club in Nigeria in 2006

Service beyond self must be viewed in terms of paying our tribute to people, who regardless of their stations in life, have through their deeds, clearly demonstrated actions, which oftentimes have been called leadership. They go over and above their regular call of duty, by placing themselves in the line of fire, at the risk of personal loss of fortune, reputation, incarceration etc and even loss of life in very extreme circumstances. They abound in our midst, and are those who are seen standing tall and even leaning forward on principles, which impact society positively. These servants have no thoughts whatsoever about personal gain, grandeur or deification. They tower above very many people of their generation as beacons of light, towering above turbulence, and showing the way to safe harbours. Service beyond self must therefore be seen as a rallying cry for good men to stand up in Nigeria to assuage the looming eclipse and crises that threaten to envelop the future of our development as Nigerians.

I will like to start with corporate bodies, NGO’s and associations made up of individuals who are providing services above themselves. We should pay tribute first to the individual who initiates the concepts and then those who tirelessly carry out the aims. I commend the Rotary International for their work in all parts of the world. Organizations like yours are what we need today to assist in meeting the needs of our various communities. Your support within the health sector is most commendable especially in the eradication of polio campaign. it is indeed a testimony to your commitment to selfless service to society.

We pay tribute to the organizers of SOS Motherless Babies Home, to Stella Obasanjo the founder of an establishment which educate physically disadvantaged children.
Also to Kano Nwankwo for the creation of Heart Foundation which cares for children with heart disease and numerous other groups which care for the visually impaired, AID sufferers, the blind, the widows, old people and the mentally ill who roam our streets etc. We must also commend Mrs. Akiuruli for her leadership of NAFDAC. This is a very sensitive position which is a constant fight against those who fake or import drugs that are dangerous to our lives. However, there is still a very big yawning gap to be covered in the health sector. What are we doing about the high cost of medicine, which has now gone beyond the reach of the ordinary person or the lepers that populate our highways? This is a call for more people to direct their resources and energies to saving our people from health problems and to rehabilitate the homeless in our society.

I am aware of an association of Lawyers, Legal Aid Council, who provide free legal services to those who cannot afford the fees. Besides there is the ‘Sunday Sunday medicine’ a NTA network programme on News line made famous by Frank Olise and Abike Dabiri which expose human rights issues and help the poor and oppressed people, including children get justice. Still on corporate group, I like to commend the efforts of the Nigerian conservation Society who are engaged in saving our forests along with the trees, and animals as well as providing parks where the people recreate by wandering through natures paradise. Apart from ecological balance, the forests provide tourist attraction which have high economic potentials.

The mention of tourism immediately brings to our mind Governor Donald Duke of Cross River whom we should commend for creating tourist havens. The Obudu Ranch and the Tinapa projects should serve as inspiration to other states of our beloved country.

We are highly indebted to individuals or groups who are involved in promoting Nigerian culture. To mention a few, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Smithcline Beecham have all helped to develop visual art and literature, through exhibitions, art and literary competitions

Many Nigerian languages are at present under utilized and they stand the risk of dying out thereby losing the history, culture and wisdom of the people who speak them. However, visionaries like Architect Majoro have floated the Urhobo Foundation to arrest the loss. They run summer language schools in the country and abroad to teach the children the various languages. These people deserve our commendation.

I will now talk about some individual who are role modes in providing services above self.

Suzanne Wenger Popularly called Adunni Olorisha is now 90 years old. This Austrian born woman who has for 55 years lived and worked in Nigeria using her art to develop the spiritual tradition of the Yoruba, deserves our tribute as one who has rendered service above self. The sacred Oshun groves of Oshogbo with her architecture and monumental sculptures now stand under the protection of the Nigerian government and Unesco having been recently declared a world heritage. The Oshun grove become the center of attraction during yearly festivals which bring in many tourists from Nigeria and abroad to the ancient city of Oshogbo.

Next on my list is Lt. Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi displayed a high sense of courage and selflessness and qualifies to be high on the list of Nigerians who’s service was above self.

In July 1966 when the counter coup d’ etat that ended the first military regime in Nigeria took place, Fajuyi was the military governor of the Western Region, while Major General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi was the Head of State. Ironsi was on an official visit the Western Region. It is on record that on learning about the coup, Fajuyi did not treasure his own personal safety over that of his commander in chief. When the hour came, he put his life on the line for Ironsi. According to Sen. Adesanya “the various nationalities in Nigeria could pick a lesson or two from the selflessness or heroes like Fajuyi by putting the common good of all above narrow, parochial and selfish interests.”

Another role model that devoted his life to serving his country selflessly was Dr. Tai Solarin. He was famous as a social critic and an educator, however, his greatest contributions to society was his relentless criticism of the Nigerian Military rule, as well as of corruption in the government and church. This inevitably got him in trouble with the authorities. Tai was often jailed for his public remarks. He established the Mayflower school on the 27th January 1956 as a model of an institution “for all children discriminating against none.” He chose the name “Mayflower” after the name of the ship sailed by the pilgrims in 1620, from Europe to America. It therefore evoked images of escaping persecution for a new life of freedom.

He believed that education must include technical skills in order for the nation to be truly industrialized. He made agricultural science a compulsory aspect of Mayflower education. The students once built their own dormitories and they also continue to learn to make cocoa from homegrown beans. They also breed their own pigs as well as plant and harvest their own corn. Affectionately know as “Uncle Tai” by his admirers, he was usually found wearing sneakers, shorts and a khaki hunting cap, leading some to remark that he looked more like a “village eccentric” than a great intellectual.

My next role model is a Scottish lady who at a very young age dedicated her life to bringing Christianity to the people old Calabar. Popularly called Mma Slessor, Mary worked with the communities along the Calabar River in what is now Cross River State of Nigeria in the 19th century. This was before the colonial period. She worked specifically in Duke Town and environs. What is however significant about her work is the fact that she took up a challenge to go to a land that was virtually unknown to the outside world. She did not consider the discomfort to her person, neither was she deterred by the inclement terrain she had to traverse to achieve her goal. According to her official biography, she constantly had to battle with her health as she was often hit by various tropical diseases “…there were many times when it seemed as though she were about to die, but she pulled through. It was a real temptation to forsake this unhealthy area and return to the mists of Scotland.” But Mary did not yield to those temptations. Rather she chose to intensify her drive to bring Christianity to the peoples along the Calabar River. In the process she also helped to bring peace and eradicate some of the unwholesome practices that were prevalent at the time. Other missionaries had come to work on the Calabar River before her, but she was the only one that made the effort to learn the language in order to build the confidence of the people she was anxious to evangelize.

Another person with a similar spirit was Mother Teresa, a nun of Albanian parentage. At the age of eighteen she left her parental home to be a missionary. She joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. After a few months training in Dublin, she was sent to India, where on May 24, 1931 she took her vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948 she taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls made an impression on her, causing her to request permission to leave the convent and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Without any funds, she started an open-air school for the children of the slums. Voluntary helpers and financial support later came her way. Her work with these children became the bedrock on which the “Missionaries of Charity” was formed. This has since grown into an international organization. The significance of the life of Mother Teresa lies in the fact that she did not wait until she had the financial wherewithal before embarking on a project like this. The impact of her efforts is that even after she has gone, the work that she started is still going on.

In the same vein, Albert Schweitzer who was the son of a Lutheran pastor became aware of the desperate need for medical care in Africa. Born in Alsace, which is now part of France, Schweitzer graduated from medical school at the age of 37. as a medical doctor, he decided with his wife to open a hospital in Lambarene, Gabon, then a province of French Equatorial Africa. He there after devoted most of his life to providing healthcare universal principle of ethics. By stressing the interdependence and unity of life, he became a forerunner of the environmental and animal welfare movements. In 1953, at the age of 78 Albert Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

One can see how the work of one man can actually influence a people, a society, or even a nation, when one considers the life of Mohan K. Gandhi. He is perhaps one of the most remarkable leaders of the 20th century. Gandhi to the people of India is the Mahatma, that is the father of the nation. He earned this title because of his dogged fight to liberate India from political and economic oppression. He however never sought for any personal gain, except perhaps the freedom to live in peace with his fellow man. His concern was more for the emancipation of the Indian people. This he was able to achieve by persuasion rather than force. When Gandhi died, his home country India was a free nation, the disinherited had recovered their heritage and millions had found their voice. The disarmed had won a great battle and in the process a moral force had evolved that compelled attention and to some degree, the admiration, of the world.

Although Gandhi live, suffered and died for Indians, being an Indian himself, it is significant to note that he was essentially a moral force, whose appeal is the conscience of man and therefore universal. He was the servant and friend of man no matter the nation, religion or race. His genius was an infinite capacity for taking pains in fulfillment of a restless moral urge. His life was a continuous striving and relentless search for truth.

In paying tribute to the Mahatma, Albert Einstein wrote ”Generations to come, it maybe, will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.” The importance of Gandhi’s contribution to humanity lies in the fact that he went beyond the call of duty to fight for the freedom of the Indian peoples in South Africa and in his native India. His Spartan existence in which he denied himself of any luxuries – his simple loin clothe, steel-rimmed glasses, rough sandals and toothless smile were his only possessions. He was an exemple of humility. More importantly however he advocated non-violent resistance. He was indeed a man with a strong sense of restraint and discipline. It is his courage to resist oppression in the face of adversity that has earned him the title of the Mahatma which translates to Great Soul.


In America it is said that you don’t change a winning team. That is probably why the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. adopted the principles enunciated by the Mahatma. He saw how it worked in India and so sought to apply the same principles in the United States. King was noted for his insistence on a non-violent approach to civil disobedience, even in the height of the civil rights movement in America, where others like Malcolm X, were more intent on taking “an eye for an eye.” In championing his cause he submitted himself to arrests, and personal abuse. His home was even bombed. This did not however deter him. Martin Luther King Jr. played such a significant role in the civil rights struggle that he rose to become a member of the executive working committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the leading organization of its kind in the United States of America

Between 1957 and 1968 King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action. He wrote five books as well as numerous articles. He led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the whole world. He also directed the peaceful march on Washington D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “I have a Dream.” In all this time, he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times. More significantly the work he did to gain equal rights for the minorities in the US are now beginning to bare fruits.

Coming closer home, we look at the life of one of Africa’s greatest patriarchs whose “long walk to freedom” personifies selfless service. Dr. Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa remains a shining example of one who sacrificed his personal freedom, his private life and his youth, for his people.


Nelson Mandela who was born in 1918 was born in Qunu South Africa, and as a young man after qualifing as a lawyer, was accused of opposing the Apartheid regime which had become institutionalized in South Africa. As an active member of ANC, he revolted against apartheid with extra-ordinary vigour and resilience. In 1962 he was to spend 27 in jail in Robben Island, after he was charged with treason and sabotage against the government., in the process sacrificing his private life and youth for his people.

In 1994 he was released from jail after tremendous pressure from the international community. He became President of S. Africa, where he remains South African in which he was released and the society benefit immensely from a new government policy of racial equality, not only that, after becoming president in South Africa for a couple of years he succeeded in handing power to Thabo Mbeki, a new generation leader. Today he is celebrated as a cultural icon the world over and a compelling example of the power of unflinching faith in extreme situations and forgiveness.

Ken Saro Wiwa
10 years after Ken was put to death by hanging, his name still inspires hope and a spasm of vigour not only in Nigerian youths but, a teeming number of people around the world who clearly identify with his stance on indigence of an area controlling mineral resources produced in these areas.

Conclusion
Service beyond leadership is a clarion call for people to step up to the play in our society and by extension, put themselves on the line of fire, but more importantly inhabit the eye of the turbulent storms of our time.

In some cases there may be physical demise of the hero, but oftentimes the standard and principle which they stood for, and which was tested was never compromised, as they remained in the memory and psyche of the society in they impacted. They bestowed on society new standards in all cases of conduct, of awareness and consciousness which very often stood them out as enduring historical figures in our landscapes.

7th Harmattan Workshop Catalogue

The book Agbarha-Otor 2005, edited by John Agberia and Pat Oyelola, is a documentation of lectures, seminars, artworks, and other noteworthy activities that emerged from the 7th Harmattan workshop held between February 24 and March 23, 2005, at Agbarha-Otor in Delta State, Nigeria. Primarily, it is an exhibition catalogue of all the artworks produced in the various sections of the workshop. The exhibition of artworks takes place in the same year usually towards the end of the year.
Book will be formally Launched on 2nd Oct. 2010 at the Harmattan Gallery.

Ibiebe Idieograms and Writings

DETAILS
ISBN: 978-2509-49-3
Binding: Hard Cover
First published: 2006
Price:$10.00
Publisher: Ovuomaroro Studio Press
Subject: African Studies
STATUS: Available
Contact: Bofound.ng@gmail.com


Ibiebe is a concise package of most of the signs and symbols found in Onobrakpeya's paintings, prints and drawings. The ideograms, numbered over 100, are put together in a handy catalogue in the 48-page publication, encapsulating explanations of the veteran artist’s cryptic signs and coded abstract patterns are offered.
The collection comes with two introductory essays on the artist and his works. In the first review, Dr. Richard Singletary, author of an Onobrakpeya biography, noted that 1983 through 1984, the artist took some time out of his very active full-time art career to "think, and draw", inspirations from his earlier works.
"One thing that came out of that period was a series of doodles. From nowhere he got designs of drawings from which some of them are like animal forms, some in abstract forms. He didn't do much about them. But it was later that he realised that they were some kind of forms that meanings could be attached. He started to redraw them and ascribe meaning, which reflect concepts in Urhobo philosophy.
Thus evolved a complete set of forms which he now calls Ibebe or Ideograms which helps to bring a kind of symbols or thought in Urhobo treated in a decorated way," Singletary observed this in his piece entitled Ibebe Alphabets and Ideograms.
The other essay, Signs of the Times by Dr. Pat Oyelola, sees Onobrakpeya's signs as akin of the some other remarkable forms of cryptic art expressions from the African continent, such as Uli, nsibidi, adinkra among others.
According to Pat Oyelola, in her essay, she states that Onobrakpeya started the experimentation he developed in Ibiebe when he was artist-in-residence at the University of Ibadan. Through the researcher, it was learnt that the globally popular painter and print maker has used his Ibebe to evolve "ideograms for the desiderata of the Urhobo culture, Ufuoma (peace), Idolo, (wealth), Otovwe (longevity) and Omakpokpo (health)." She observed that every "viewer will bring their own imagination to bear on the interpretation of these symbols."
The catalogue is described thus "This is perhaps a tribute and indeed a triumph of the capacity of artforms to weld, bridge and enhance the understanding of different ethnic groups or cultures. It also shows demonstrable evidence that art works can offer strategic access and bridges of friendship into various cultures, thereby fostering understanding of people and their values. Players and entities who profess community knowledge and social responsibility, will do well to understand the instructive nature, subtle dynamics and the translation a book like this provides...
This catalogue is not a definitive work on the universe of expressions by the Urhobo. However, like other very recently published books, such as The Urhobo Language Primer, it is hoped that it will serve as a catalyst to challenge other artists and writers drawing from the same pool of inspiration of values of the Urhobo, to produce further ideas that express in a fresh manner the lore's and customs of their people.