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A Third Of Artworks In Bayreuth Museums Are From Africa

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A Third Of Artworks In Bayreuth Museums Are From Africa


Passionate about art, Dr. Ulf Vierke, Director, Iwalewahaus, Germany, is committed to making sure that artworks are properly preserved for posterity. Despite his tight schedules, the Iwalewahaus boss made out time to be at the unveiling of Ulli Beier Archives and Duro Ladipo Museum both situated in the premises of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, Osun State.
The two facilities are not only important landmarks for Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, Osun State, but are the nexus of happening in Iwalewahaus Germany. Thrilled by the proficiency of Nigerian artists, Vierke said Nigerian art is not only powerful, but also intelligent. He added that it is a unique combination of the structured and sophisticated thoughts of Nsukka School of modern art rooted in the Igbo culture and the Osogbo School rooted in the Yoruba culture.
According to the curator, Nigerian art is a source of inspiration and energy for art movement, and art culture across the globe, saying Nigerian art is going to be one of the big players in the global scene. He observed that this is going to be influenced by two factors – the existing art tradition and the modern art, which dates back to over 60 years.
According to him, there is this rich history of classical art like the Ife and Benin arts, which exist alongside the emerging art scene from the 1960 to date. “When it comes to the arts, Nigeria is like a continent. There is a vibrant group of young and educated artists in the country that is the strength. Some of them do not have the prerequisite academic background, but they know what they are doing,” he said.
Convinced that Nigerians have the ability to preserve their works despite the nation’s poor technology, the art and culture maven who also visited some of the traditional rulers in the state and saw the locals’ raw art, observed that before modern technology was introduced, a lot of artworks were already preserved in the palaces. Taking a mental calculation of some of the artworks he saw in the palaces of some of the traditional rulers, he said some of them date back to hundreds of years. According to him, some of the artworks include the beaded crown, statues, carvings, the architecture, among others, which have been preserved for the present generation to see. Regretting that most of these artworks are in the hands of families and individuals, Vierke noted that the vital point is the value that is drawn to these works, saying it is the value that gives art its strength when it comes to the surface.
He stressed that preserving an art piece is not about museum techniques, but the respect and understanding of the item. According to him, technology helps, but it comes to play more on the side of the editing and making the artworks accessible in different format. As part of his contribution to the development of the Nigerian arts and culture, and the two facilities in CBCIU, Vierke partnered other German African art lovers to put over 20,000 photographs taken by Ulli Beier while in Osogbo in film format.
Commenting on the project, he disclosed that Ulli Beier founded the Iwalewahaus (Iwalewa House) in 1981. The institute, which today is a part of the University of Bayreuth, embraced some of the ethos of Ulli Beier aside engaging in research, exhibition, teaching, collecting and taking care of archive, providing residencies for artists as well as presenting, recent developments in contemporary African and Diaspora culture in refined form. “Iwalewahaus has become part of German culture. The idea came from Osogbo and it continues to Germany. The focus of the House is on visual arts, everyday culture, the media and music,” he said. Revealing that the House would in 2021 celebrate its 40th anniversary, the director noted any artist that wants to know more about some of the collections in the facility would have to come to Nigeria to see what their teachers did.

According to him, such people will have to know where the ideas they are fascinate about came from, adding that there is quite a number of Nigerian artworks from the 1960s to 1980s there. He disclosed that the works might not be the extreme artworks, saying they are mostly in sketches, drawings and paper works that tell Nigerian art history. Comparing the quantity of artworks in the CBCIU to that in Iwalewahaus, the director reveled that Iwalewahaus has more works because the ideas behind the two establishments are different. He said: “The idea behind the establishment of CBCIU is broader and art and culture-based, while Iwalewahaus is only trying to narrow the idea down to modern art. So, we are complementing CBCIU.”

Vierke said he was not only in Osogbo for the unveiling of the two facilities, but to also exhibit in digital format, the over 20,000 photographs Beier took when he was around. He disclosed that despite the over 60 years period the pictures were taken, they still look good and wonderful to behold. According to the Iwalewahaus director,”there are over 20,000 of the pictures, which have been made into small and middle size formats. We have only digitised about 98 per cent of the photo collection and have brought them to Osogbo, but we believe CBCIU can use this project to tell the history of Osogbo’s arts and culture to the people. The collection also dealt on a number of artists or individuals that have been active in Osogbo art; so, it gives faces to the ideas behind art history in Osogbo. It is wonderfully illustrated and gives depth to what we are.

“Our idea with CBCIU is to exchange programmes and exhibitions in future. So, I would love to see the art collection of the centre grow in the next five years,” he noted. Vierke disclosed that art and culture is a huge business and called on artists, art collectors and even governments to take advantage of the global market and reposition themselves to invest in the sector. He observed that investment in arts and culture is the best investment anyone can think of because it deals on a nation’s or groups identity, aside highlighting events and enticing people to embark on tours.
“Art connects one to culture, history and the future. It gives you the idea of what the future would be like. We need art to push our boundaries of thought. The art and artist could come inform of authors, poets, playwrights, design and designers, among others. Art and artists are important in the society,” he said. On returning some of the African arts taken from Africa during the colonial period to Africa, Vierke disclosed that one-third of the artworks in Bayreuth museums are not from Poland or Germany or any other country in Europe, saying such works might have come from Nigeria, Kenya or any country in Africa. He stressed that the issue with returning the works is the case of which African country to artiste of take them to because they do no have specific country of origin, even though some of them will be really good to be in African museums.

A graduate of African Studies, Vierke, the fifth director of Iwalewahaus, developed interest in museums because of his love for artworks. According to him, handling different artworks has exposed him to different cultures and people. He said: “I am not an artist, I cannot create, but can only appreciate. The museums give me the space to see different artworks, appreciate them and come closer to other people’s culture. And working in a museum as a director, I come in contact with different artworks; I see and feel them with my hands. I can feel their weights, smell them and turn them around. They bring me closer to real artworks. And another thing you have to do with the works is to encounter and dialogue with works. Sitting and taking stock of artworks is boring; so, taking photo of art works, measuring it and turning it around 100 times you build a relationship around it. This on its own gives one a different level of understanding the artwork,” he said.

Culled from: Guardian Newspaper

Photograph : CBCIU

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RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND INTER-FAITH RELATIONS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA, CBCIU OSOGBO

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RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND INTER-FAITH RELATIONS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA, CBCIU OSOGBO

One of the cardinal objectives of CBCIU is to “give greater recognition to cultural diversity and to intellectual dialogue including its interreligious component in order to reinforce social cohesion in Nigeria’s pluralistic society and beyond.” South-west Nigeria has well-established Muslim and Christian communities as well as traditional religious culture which continues to be of international interest. Despite this religious diversity, and unlike other parts of the country, the Yoruba-speaking communities of Nigeria have experienced only low levels of religious conflict.

The workshop is a collaboration between the Knowing Each Other Project (Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA) University of Birmingham, UK, Osun State University) and Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding Osogbo.

The workshop will discuss the findings of the first large-scale survey on religious identification in Yorubaland since 1963, carried out by the Knowing Each Other Project, with religious stakeholders, traditional rulers, and general public. The discussion of our survey findings will serve several purposes, including

  • Encouraging the mutual engagement and debate between cutting edge research and important stakeholders in south-west Nigeria’s religious economy.
  • Providing a forum for research-focused debate between representatives of different religious and their stakeholders.
  • Recognising and affirming the importance of Osogbo, as a centre of cultural and religious.

Venue : Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding , Osogbo , Nigeria
Date: Thursday, 29thh September, 2016

R.S.V.P
Prof. Insa Nolte, University of Birmingham
+44 121 247 4431

Prof. Olukoya Ogen, Osun State University
+234 805 742 0702

Mr. David Shaba, CBCIU, Osogbo
+234 809 956 8253

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STAKEHOLDERS MAKE CASE FOR PRESERVATION OF HERITAGE AT CBCIU LECTURE

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STAKEHOLDERS MAKE CASE FOR PRESERVATION OF HERITAGE AT CBCIU LECTURE

Players in the culture sector underscore why Nigeria and Africa’s heritage needs to be preserved at this year’s Distinguished Lecture of the Centre for Black and Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU).The Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, Osun State was sent agog, February 3 for its 2018 Distinguished Lecture. The event also used to mark the 67th birthday of the Centre’s Board of Trustees chairman, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, signposted another step in its ongoing revival.

The Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, Osun State was sent agog, February 3 for its 2018 Distinguished Lecture. The event also used to mark the 67th birthday of the Centre’s Board of Trustees chairman, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, signposted another step in its ongoing revival.

The ex-governor, who highlighted how Nigeria would have lost the Osun Grove, one of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, to activities including deforestation, hunting, religious conversion, fishing, felling of trees and hunting, but for the intervention of the late Adunni Olorisha (Suzanne Wenger), stressed that the protection and projection of all the country’s national heritage is a job for all. It is, therefore, important to ensure that we collectively help to protect these treasures to keep our memories of the past alive. While we try as much as we can to carry this out as a collective duty, we must also ensure that we project the heritages around us,he said. In his lecture entitled Reflections on the need for the promotion of Nigeria’s cultural heritage, Babawale, a professor of Political Economy and International Relations at the University of Lagos, defined culture and stated its importance. For him, culture is fundamental to humans; it is mankind’s defining characteristic, apart from physical presence, that differentiates humans from the lower animals. Its attributes, he further noted, included dynamism, sensitivity and being non-hereditary.

The former Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), further explained that cultural heritage was one of the indices of the civilisation of a people but that the cultural heritage of the Nigerian peoples as manifested in their music, performances, costumes, body adornment, languages, religions, indigenous knowledge, laws, medicine, hospitality, values, cuisine recreational games, art and crafts, rites of passage, architecture, etc. have come under the corrosive impact of foreign cultural values as a result of modernism, urbanisation and globalisation.

He expressed regret that the orientation and focus of Nigerians have been altered drastically in all areas of life, namely; language, religion, mode of dressing, beliefs, value systems, politics, economy, etc. leading to the disappearance of virtues such as hard work, perseverance, honesty, transparency, accountability and above all, the omoluabi qualities which was the ultimate and a necessary requirement for good citizenry and true development.

The professor noted the neglect of indigenous genres, including Juju, Sakara, Highlife, Afrobeats and Akwete laden with wisdom and philosophy for modern music that has now become a medium, not for the promotion of societal values but an avenue for undermining moral values, ridiculing feminity, encouraging criminality and materialism.

He also touched on the abandonment of cultural costumes for Western ones; how it has become fashionable for Nigerian children to speak English and French fluently but be unable to speak our own indigenous language and the wholesale adoption of foreign religion and architecture.

For the lecturer, the factors militating against the preservation of cultural heritage include diffidence, both on the part of successive governments and the people; poor government attitude to the teaching and funding of the arts and culture sector and lack of vision to harness the gains derivable from cultural heritage and brands. Others are discrimination against practices and icons of cultural heritage and indiscriminate adoption of foreign models and the inability to adapt these models to serve local needs.

Though the situation appears bleak, Babawale held that all was not lost if certain remedial actions were promptly taken. These include improved funding of the cultural sector and appointments of real culture professionals by governments; putting culture first in all we do and ensuring that indigenous cultural practices and languages are taught in schools and used as mediums of instruction.

�Cultural products such as festivals, artifacts, heritage centers, monuments, costumes, knowledge, values, farm produce, and so on should be packaged as alternatives to crude oil in revenue generation,� Babawale submitted to a standing ovation.

Commendably, the event, which also featured the cutting of a birthday cake by Prince Oyinlola and his wife, Omolola, had its fair share of performances. The Osun State Cultural Troupe, Elewele Group, and chanter, Sulaiman Ayilara (Ajobiewe), added colour to the occasion attended by royalty, academics, artists, and people who served in Oyinlola�s administration, including his then spokesperson, Dr Lasisi Olagunju.

You can also read more about the 2018 CBCIU Public Lecture on The Guardian Newspaper and Tribune Newspaper

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CONFERENCE ON POETRY AND PERFORMANCE IN THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE

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CONFERENCE ON POETRY AND PERFORMANCE IN THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE

The Theme of the conference was: Poetry Performance in Nigeria. It was held 12th to 15th Dec 2012 at CBCIU Conference Hall in Osogbo, Osun State.Karin Barber, the keynote speaker, stayed throughout the duration of the conference; so did notable Nigerian poets like Niyi Osundare, Femi Osofisan, Odia Ofeimun, Remi Raji and Lanrewaju Adepoju. Notable indigenous (folk) performers included a Hausa poet from Sokoto, Ifayemi Eleburuibon, Alabi Ogundepo, Jaigbade Alao (a dadakuada muisican) from Ilorin, Sango of Africa, Gbonka Ebiri and a troupe from Ghana. Paper presenters came from all over Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS & OBSERVERS

Professor Karin Barber, Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom was the Chair of the conference and more than thirty academics from different Nigerian Universities. Most notable among whom were Femi Osofisan (academic and foremost Nigerian playwright), Niyi Osundare (academic and formost Nigerian poet), Odia Ofeimun (foremost Nigerian poet and social critic).

AREAS OF DISCUSSIONS:

• The Significance of Cultural Space in Urhobo Oral Poetry Performance

• Playing Migrants and Performing Ownership: The Politics of Space in Ojaide’s Labyrinths of the Delta.

• Ija G’Ampene: Performing Playground Poetry in Agatuland.

• A Reflection on the Ife Poetry Festival

• What the images whisper to the words: The video performance poetry of Chuma Nwokolo

• Content and Performance of Traditional Yoruba Chants.

• Aesthetics of Performance: The Case of Okinba Launko’s Commemorations.

• Drum Speaks, Man Chants: An Aesthetic Evaluation of Selected Yoruba Poetry Performances.

• Aspects of Poetry in the Invocatory Segment of Efe Performance.

• Coded Communication in Ede Masquerade Performance in Oka Akoko, Southwestern Nigeria.

• Reinventing Poetry for its Survival: The Poetry of Akeem Lasisi

• Poetifact: Typology, Context, and Aesthetics of Poetry Performance in Nigerian Theatre.

• Creation and Recreation Processes in Yoruba Oral Poetry Performances.

• From Village Square to Digital Space: performance Poetry in Akeem Lasisi’s Wonderland.

OTHER STAGE PERFORMANCES INCLUDED:

• Perfomance by Ifayemi Elebuibon

• Performance in Ibibio Poetry: The Case of Uto.

• The Bride in Marketplace: Performance in Ilugbedjo Bridal Chants.

• Content, Context, and Performance in Ekute Songs of the Remo People of Ogun State.

• The Gospel According to Omokaro: Performance and Topicality in the Poetry of Emen Omokaro.

• Court Poetry Tradition and Performance in Oyo Kingdom of South Western Nigeria.

• Neo-Performance, Second Orality and African Poetics

• Poetifact: Typology, Context and Aesthetics of Poetry Performance in Nigerian Theatre

• Old Bride, new Tears: Progress Report on Revitalisation Efforts on the Yoruba Bridal Poetry, Ekun Iyawo

• “Thematic Dynamics in a Per formative Tradition: Idoma Alekwu Oral Poetry”

• Against Reading: A Performance Analysis of Remi Raji’s Lovesong”.

• Rotimi Omoyele Fasan, Osun State University, “The AlterNative Songs of Odamolugbe”

• Jendele Hungbo, University of the Witswaterstrand, “Poetic Vision and a New Episteme in Yedenou Adjahoui’s “Nusisi”

• Functions of Ogu Gospel Songs

• In Praise of the Oral Poetic Word : Negotiating the Intertextual Dialogue Between Tiv Swange and Recent Nigerian Poetic Performance

• Nine over Seven :Preliminary Comments Toward a Typology of Gu Oral Praise Poetry

Events, News

GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF BLACK NATIONALTIES

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GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF BLACK NATIONALTIES

In line with UNESCO’s belief in and sponsorship of intellectual exchange and dialogue among cultures as the best prospects for peace, the 1st Global Conference of Black Nationalities is a clarion call for global peace and international understanding of the Black Race, through Culture and Heritage. Therefore, the conference was an invitation to the participants – black intelligentsia, non-black academics, as well as, the global vanguard of culture to “Come BACK HOME” to re-examine the PAST, evaluate the PRESENT and strategically look into the FUTURE of a RICH HERITAGE – the Black Heritage.

As a result, participants were exposed to and will had an equally fulfilling opportunity of knowing more about the black race while appreciating cultural differences among the various peoples of the world with a view to promoting global understanding.

The Conference of Black Nationalities was held a time that Africa, African descendants, black people from across the globe were being encouraged to achieve more and to take a grasp of their fate and future. The 1st Global Conference of Black Nationalities took a cultural and mutual understanding perspective to help accomplish its major objective through inter-cultural and religious dialogues. The Conference reinforced UNESCO’s role and efforts to promote and encourage reciprocal knowledge of culture, ethnicity, language and religion as a means for sustainable development and the proffering of plausible solutions.

MODALITIES: The 1st Global Conference of Black Nationalities took a critical look at the positive potentials of open discussions to understand the culture and heritage of Africa as a means to understanding and embracing the Black Race. It is aimed at promoting a dialogue on the African Diaspora: Identification and Mobilization towards a common agenda of elevating the Black Race and Africa. By so doing, it will serve as a major contribution to UNESCO’s events and programmes for 2010 and beyond, as they impact the Black Race/Africa, particularly:

• The celebration of the United Nations International Year for Rapprochement of Cultures – 2010, the objectives of which are similar to those of the Conference.

• UNESCO’s International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. By starting the Conference on August 23rd, 2010 with its attendant opening ceremonies/speeches, the conference contributed to the objectives of the annual international day fixed for August 23rd.

• It enlightened the world about the Osun-Osogbo Festival – a UNESCO classified World Heritage site – and its cultural ceremonies as a tourist attraction. Participants at the conference had a first hand experience as they participated in the year 2010 edition of the festival.

AREAS OF DISCUSSIONS:

• Governance and Leadership.

• The Leadership Role of Black Women in the society

• Tourism Development: Cultural Tourism and Ecological Tourism.

• Slavery: History, Challenges, Opportunities and the Future.

• The history and impact and influence of Black Culture in modern societies

• The African Diaspora: Identification and Mobilization towards a common agenda.

• Sustainable Development

OTHER KEY EVENTS INCLUDED:

• Access to and/or Participation in the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival

• Access to and/or Participation in an Exhibition of Black Arts and Culture from across the globe

• Performances by different Black/African performers and cultural troupes, including film shows

• Visits to different ancient monuments in Ile-Ife, as well as, visits to historic and sacred groves/monuments that make Osun State the cradle of the Black Race

• Interactions and Press access to representatives of the African Traditional Institutions.

• Interaction with visiting dignitaries from several nations and corporate leaders for investment and economic development.

• Tours of other tourist attractions in adjoining locations to Osun State

• Special reception by His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade (the Spiritual Head of the Yoruba Race) at the Royal Palace.

OUTCOMES AND CONTRIBUTION:

The outcomes and contributions of the Conference include the following:

• Contribute to the global soul-searching given globalization and the “new” expectations of the Black Race for more prominent contributions.

• Development of a database of participants and resources to be shared and used to galvanize and stimulate peace through collaboration, networking and resource sharing

• Encourage efforts towards the re-evaluation of the heritage of the black race

• Stimulate actions towards the reduction of the digital divide that impacts the black race

• Development of a Youth Agenda for the preservation of a Rich Heritage

• Development of a Women Agenda for Leadership, Governance and Sustainability

• Development of Africa’s Tourism Sector: Attraction of foreign participants for Economic and Infrastructure development and implementation

RESULTS, FOLLOW-UP STRATEGIES AND SUSTAINABILITY:

The conference discussed modalities for effecting changes in perception of African culture by associating its positive influence with home grown development. It also inspired a renewed consciousness for Africans and Africans in the Diaspora to seize opportunities in their cultural endowments for development. To arrive at these, the organizers are following up on outcomes by:

• Arranging for sustaining the Conference to continually evoke intellectual discussions and themes around the subject among nations. This would develop Culture-Tourism in Osun State and eventually in Africa and continue to nourish a socio-economic agenda to elevate the Black Race and Africa.

• Partnership and technical assistance are being sought from UNESCO to engage and consult with government on applicability; as well as global Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) towards the sustainability of its contributions to the conference and other activities of CBCIU

• Creation of an interactive web-site (with blog), based on the conference outcomes, to encourage communications amongst alumni.