Face-off with a founding father: Brooklyn honours African art by placing it amidst its other collections

Founding fathers: An exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum pairs a Kuba mask from the Republic of Congo with a Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington
 Brooklyn Museum

 New exhibition seeks to “fill in the blanks that are still present in museums and art history books”

IMAGINE a Kuba mask crafted from rawhide, shells and monkey hair staring impassively at Gilbert Stuart’s stately 1796 painting of George Washington.

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTS AT STELLENBOSCH TRIENNIAL

See the works of African artists at the Stenllenbosch Triennial

Any possible futures for the African continent and the world?

Indigogo by Stacey Gillian Abe. Courtesy of Stellenbosch Triennale

Wura-Natasha Ogunji in performance, 2017. Photo Credit: Miria Sabina Maciagiewicz. Courtesy of Stellenbosch Triennale

The two friends

The two friends

Bura Folktales Legend (Nigeria)

There were two mice and they were true friends. One of the mice was a bush mouse whose name was Yizum. The other was a house mouse whose name was Nkinki. They were sweet friends.

One day the two mice met. Yizum said to Nkinki, "Friend, I want you to come and spend the day with me. Then they went to the bush and entered the house of Yizum which he had dug under a rock. Yizum showed his bed and his rest room to Nkinki and then hurried out to get food for his guest. He brought beans in the hull, the seeds of a tree, peanuts and many kinds of good food. He then sat down and said to Nkinki, Let us eat the food which I have brought." Nkinki gave a sigh of agreement and tasted the food, but it was not sweet to him like the food which he had at home. However, he was brave and ate, even though it was difficult, because if he refused to eat, his friend might say that it was just his mean-ness. 

When they had finished eating, Nkinki said to Yizum, "Friend, I am surprised (swallowed) how you live such a hard life in the bush like this. You have to eat common seeds of trees which are really not food at all. If I should have such a hard life as you have, better had my mother never given birth to me." He made fun of Yizum about his food. When it came time for Nkinki to go home, Yizum decided to go with him to see how he lived and to see the inside of his house. Nkinki said, "I will have to go home." Then Yizum said, "I want to go with you and see the inside of your house."

As they went along the road they talked. When they came into the village they went by a compound and saw a lot of good food just poured out on the ground. They saw mush and meat and bones and dry sprouted corn which it seemed people had thrown away. Because on that day a mourning had been completed for someone. They began to eat, and the food tasted very good to Yizum. He decided in his heart that if he could find a sweet place to live like Nkinki had he would like it, for there was no trouble about food. After a little, while they were eating, they heard a slight sound like something coming, and behold! a cat was creeping up behind them. Before they could turn, the cat was already onto them and about to catch them. They ran with all their might so that the cat would not catch them, but even then the cat almost caught them. Just in time, they saw a hole in the wall of a house and they put themselves in it. Both of them were trembling, because they were very much afraid. The cat had almost caught them. If they had not made their legs go so fast, the cat would have caught them easily.

As soon as Yizum could get his breath, he said, "Yah! Friend Nkinki, if your life is like this in the village, if your insides are like this every day, this place would not be sweet to me, not even for a little. I would rather live in the bush and eat the seeds of the trees. For me, I will go back and live in the bush and be happy." And he went out and ran off into the bush.

The elephant and his slaves

The elephant and his slaves

Bura Folktales Legend (Nigeria)

The elephant went for a walk and a hyena and a dog and a ram followed him because they wanted to become his slaves. The elephant said, "We shall go for six days without drinking water." They went on, and when they saw a pond the hyena said, "I am going to drink." The ram said, "We dare not drink until he tells us that it is time to drink." 

They went on and, after a little, they came to a large body of water with many fish in it. The elephant said, "Let us drink the water." First they said to the dog, "Go and drink." The dog went and drank. Then they said to the hyena, "Go and drink." The hyena went and drank. Then they said to the ram, "Go and drink." The ram went and drank. Then they said to the elephant, "Go and drink." The elephant went and drank. When the elephant realized that all of his slaves had drunk, he drank all of the large body of water. When he had drunk all of the water, there was nothing left but many fish.

The elephant sent his slaves to get wood, and they went and brought wood. There was not enough wood, however, to roast the fish, so the elephant went himself and pulled up a large tree. They roasted the fish, and then the elephant said to the dog, "Go and eat fish." The dog went and ate. He said to the hyena, "Go and eat." The hyena went and ate. He said to "Go and eat." The ram went and ate. Then the the elephant went and ate. The elephant ate all of the fish that were left.

The slaves thanked the elephant and said that they would now be going. After they had gone a little distance, the hyena said, "I will be your master. Let the dog and the ram be my slaves, and we will go three days without drinking water." They started off. When the hyena got hungry, he said to himself, "Look here, I am hungry and there is food back of me." Then they came to a place where they saw some water in a gourd with a few fish in it. The hyena said, "Go, dog, and drink." The dog began to drink, and the hyena said, "You, are you going to drink all of it?" The dog stopped drinking and came back. The hyena said to the ram, "Go and drink." When the ram had drunk but a very little, the hyena said sharply, "Do you want to finish this?" 

The ram stopped drinking. Then the master went and drank the rest of the water and took out the few fish. He said to the dog, "Go and get us wood and let us roast the fish with it." The dog went and got a lot of wood. The hyena said, "You have brought a lot of wood, what are you going to roast with it?" Then they roasted the fish, and the hyena said to his slaves, "Go and eat fish and leave some for me." They went and started to eat, and the hyena said, "Do you want to finish them all?" The dog and the ram stopped eating fish because they feared the hyena. The hyena went and finished the rest of the fish.

They started off again and they came to a place where some men had been eating honey. The ram had a little gourd which he put honey in. The dog found sandals, and he took them. As they went on, the hyena was ahead, the dog behind, and the ram was behind the dog. When they had gone a short distance, the hyena got hungry. He wanted to catch the dog, so he turned and said to the dog, "Why are you going so fast like this? Or do you want to run over me?" They went a little farther, and the hyena still wanted to catch either the dog or the ram, and eat him. When he' whirled to catch one of them, they ran and came to a tree. Behold! there was a lion lying under that tree. 

 The lion jumped up to catch them. They dipped a shoe into the honey and gave it to the lion, and he ate it. When he tasted the sweet, he said, "Give me some more," and they gave him more. But after a little, the honey was finished, and the lion said, "Where did you get a sweet thing like this?" The dog said, "From the hyena." The lion said to the hyena, "Give me some honey." The hyena gave the lion some honey, but it was not sweet. The dog said, "The sweet honey is still in the hyena's stomach." The lion jumped onto and hurt him so that he would give him some of the sweet honey. While the lion was arguing with the hyena, the ram and the dog slipped away and ran. Before the lion looked around, they were out of sight. In this way the dog and the ram were able to get away.

GERMANY'S 50 BILLION EURO FOR ARTISTS

SEE WHAT GERMANY IS DOING FOR SMALL SCALE BUSINESSES AND ARTISTS.

The German federal government is stepping in with a sweeping aid package for the country’s creative and cultural sectors. According to a press release shared by the ministry of culture and reports in the German press, a staggering €50 billion ($54 billion) in backing will be provided specifically to small businesses and freelancers, including those from the cultural, creative, and media sectors.

The news from the ministry comes less than two weeks after Germany first made its promise of support. “We know the hardships, we know the desperation,” said culture minister Monika Grütters in the statement. “The cultural sector in particular is characterized by a high proportion of self-employed people who now have problems with their livelihoods.” She said that the federal government is “wholly aware” of the importance of the creative industries, adding that “[h]elp is coming as quickly and with as little bureaucracy as possible!”

The three-part package, according to the ministry’s statement and a report in FAZ, includes up to €50 billion ($54 billion) in aid for individuals who are self-employed as well as for small businesses, and this will extend to artists and small cultural businesses. They state the funding will come in the form grants designed to help with overhead costs like venue rentals and artist studios. Loans will also be available within the package to help businesses bridge financial bottlenecks. In addition to arts-related individuals and organizations, the funding will support media enterprises, including newspapers.

In addition to the stimulus money, it states that social security (including unemployment insurance) will be made available to freelancers for a period of six months. With this, expenses for housing will be recognized to ensure that “everyone can stay in their own home.” To this end, the government is injecting another €10 billion ($11 billion) of support. The legislation also allows tenants to be protected from eviction should they be unable to pay rent. Loans may also be deferred, and individuals are permitted to ask the tax bureau for a reduction in their payments or an advance on their tax refunds. [Two artists have told Artnet News that the application is actually “highly bureaucratic” with several forms and over 60 pages of small print.]

Today, England’s art council announced a package of $190 million in support to the arts. In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is calling on the government to give US museums a $4 billion bailout.

The emergency legislation will have important implications for publicly funded institutions and museums. The government says that reclamations of funding are to be avoided in the event that projects cannot be implemented. Instead, the government will try to tailor existing budgets and adapt funded programs to suit the current needs.

“Our democratic society needs its unique and diverse cultural and media landscape in this historical situation, which was unimaginable until recently,” said Grütters. “The creative courage of creative people can help to overcome the crisis. We should seize every opportunity to create good things for the future. That is why the following applies: artists are not only indispensable, but also vital, especially now.”

Update March 26: An earlier version of this article misstated that the applications for loans for small businesses were already open for submissions. The article has been updated to include complaints about the application process.

Update March 27: The government has clarified a point of confusion in its press release and previous reports in the media, stating that the aid package for small businesses and freelancers in culture, art, and media will come from a larger package for solo self-employed people and small businesses that totals €50 billion
(c)news.artnet.com

Coronavirus in Nigeria

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shared the news on their Twitter on Tuesday.  March 24, 2020

There are Now 42 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria

One of those cases in from Lagos, bring the total in Lagos to 29, and the other in Ogun, with a total of 3 in the south-western state.

NCDC reports that one of the cases is a returning traveller, while the other a contact of a previously confirmed case.

CORONA UPDATE IN NIGERIA

UPDATE FROM BELLANAIJA.COM...

With new cases of the infected increasing on a daily basis, on Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded the first coronavirus death in Nigeria.

Amid this outbreak, more states in Nigeria have taken the outbreak seriously, from shutting down schools to ordering civil servants to stay home for 14 days. Here’s all that has happened.

Kogi State orders Civil Servants to stay home

Following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kogi State Government has ordered civil servants in the state’s workforce to stay off workplaces for 14 days, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to the Nigerian Tribune, the press statement issued, on Monday, by Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, states that:

Civil servants from GL 1 to 13 are directed to stay off workplaces for 14 days which is subject to review after the first week starting from Monday 23rd March 2020. Only workers from GL 1 to 13 are affected by the directive to stay at home while GL 14 and above are to report at their Offices.

Those rendering essential services are to continue to go to their workplaces as they are not affected by the “Work from Home” directive. The Governor of the State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has approved the “Work from Home” approach to ensure the virus doesn’t spread through contacts at Government offices across the state.

The Kogi State Government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the virus doesn’t find its way to the state and in the unfortunate scenario it does, Government is prepared to control and manage the cases. No case of the virus has been reported in Kogi State yet and it is hoped that Government’s efforts at staving the virus off the State will prove productive.

We urge Kogites to ensure adherence to health instructions from the State Ministry of Health on how to prevent the disease as well as ensure personal hygiene.

Here’s how Kaduna State is taking preventive measures to curb to the spread of the virus

According to Daily Trust, the state Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarebe, said that herself and “the state Ministry of Health met with development partners and have started a series of activities aimed at protecting the people of the state from the disease”.

So far, the state government has:

• Sent a medical team to the airport, train stations and motor parks to test passengers who were coming into Kaduna.
• The team generally took the passengers’ body temperature at the airport and looked out for early symptoms of coronavirus disease.
• At the motor parks and trains, our teams gave out fliers and handbills, detailing symptoms of the disease and what to do to prevent the spread of coronavirus
• Health officials have been embarking on sensitization campaign in the media, advising residents to strictly adhere to simple hygiene washing their hands regularly with soap and running water or with hand sanitizers.
• Sensitizing people to cough or sneeze in a tissue paper or handkerchiefs and dispose of them properly after use and those who don’t have handkerchiefs or tissues should sneeze or cough into a sleeve of a bent elbow.
• The Infectious Disease Control Centre, DCC, and public hospitals in Kaduna have been stocked with drugs and medical consumables.
• Doctors and health workers have been fully briefed on what to do in case of an emergency.

Kwara State has also ordered civil servants to work from home

The Kwara State Government has also ordered civil servants to work from home.

In a statement released by the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq stated that civil servants apart from the Ministry of Health and essential workers, are to work from the home beginning on Monday until further notice.
The statement reads:

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq@RealAARahman

Statement by His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State on COVID-19 pandemic

Dear Kwarans:

The welfare, security and well-being of all Kwarans are of utmost importance to our administration and, as such

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6:38 PM - Mar 22, 2020

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As individuals, we are all responsible for the general well-being of fellow Kwarans and should work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by:

1) washing our hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as much as possible daily;
2)avoiding touching our eyes, mouths, and noses;
3) covering our mouths and noses with our bent elbow or tissue when we cough or sneeze;
4) staying more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick and coughing, and wearing a mask if you are ill (especially if coughing) or looking after someone who is ill and coughing;
5) abstaining from handshaking until the threat of this COVID-19 is zero; and
6) avoiding crowded area and minimising any gathering to a maximum of 25.

As a community, we must do everything possible to prevent any transmission of COVID-19 by embracing the concept of social distancing and self-isolation. These measures are to prevent anyone that may be infected with COVID-19 from spreading the disease to others.

An exponential spread of COVID-19 in our community might be catastrophic because we could have thousands of our citizens sick at the same time.
Given the aforementioned and the global health emergency situation, our administration has taken the following difficult but important decisions to protect Kwarans:

1) Closure of all public and private nurseries, primary, secondary and state-owned Tertiary institutions.
2) Aside from Ministry of health and essential workers, all civil servants are to work from home.
3) All gatherings of more than 25 people are hereby discouraged until further notice.

We need to encourage all Kwarans to get involved in this fight against COVID-19. We believe we will achieve desired results only if and when our people are properly sensitised on how to protect our communities from the virus.
We are determined to continue to make the necessary investments in healthcare to safeguard the lives of our people. A 20-bed high-quality isolation centre has been completed and equipped at Sobi Specialist Hospital and plans are underway to build additional and well-equipped 12-bed intensive care unit at the General Hospital, Ilorin.

We have put in place a “COVID-19 Technical Committee” comprising healthcare professionals and officials whose primary responsibility is to assist our administration in combating COVID-19 in Kwara State. This committee is headed by the Deputy Governor.

In addition to the above measures, including the emergency telephone lines already given by the Ministry of Health, you will be receiving regular briefings and bulletins from us on the development.
Finally, l wish to reassure all Kwarans of the determination of our administration to prevent, contain, and limit the impact of the pandemic on our people.

God bless Kwara State! God bless Nigeria.

Niger State

The SSA, Abdullberqy U. Ebbo announced on Twitter that, “as from Wednesday, March 25, 2020, Niger State will observe a daily curfew from 8 AM to 8 PM till further notice”.

He further added that, “The traditional leaders should ensure all Almajiri schools in their communities are closed down. All forms of street hawking and begging are banned. All public offices including Ministries, Departments and Agencies must provide hand washing items at the entrance of their facilities. Meanwhile, all civil servants on grade level 1-12 are to stay at home, except those on essential services.

Breaking News- ACASA POSTPONED

Due to Corona virus-19 pandemic, ACASA 2020 has been postponed till 2021

True Friendship

True friendship

Bura Folktales Legend (Nigeria)

One day a pregnant woman went into the bush to gather firewood. While there, her time came and she was not able to return to the house. She found a cave in the rock and gave birth to a little boy.

That evening, a lioness came to the entrance of the cave and gave birth to a son. The frightened woman saw the lioness, but the lioness did not know that the woman was there. Her first thought was to cry out, and maybe she could thus frighten the lioness away. But on further thought she decided to patiently wait and see what would happen. She watched her chance, and when the mother lion went away for food, she would rush out and get food, and then rush back to her little one.

Many days went by, and the babies grew. One day when both mothers were away, the little cub went into the cave and found the little boy, and they played together. When the little lion knew that it was about time for the mothers to return, he went back to his nest and pretended to be fast asleep. Day after day they had happy times together. In these play-times the son of a lion learned the language of the son of a woman.

One day the little cub said, "My friend, I surely like you. You are sweeter to me than my own mother. Tell your mother to be very careful, because my mother is very mean. I fear that the day they meet my mother will kill and eat your mother." The little boy appreciated his little friend ever so much, but he was always in fear for his mother's life. One evening as he loved her, he told his mother about the danger and the warning. She was always very careful, but the sad day came when the lioness caught her and brought part of her mangled body home to her cub. The little cub seemed very sick and would not touch it because he was so sad. He could not think of anything but the sorrows of his little friend. His anger toward his mother was deep and bitter. When his mother went out again, he ran to his little friend and said, "My friend, a great loss has come to us. My mother has killed your mother. But now it is finished. I beg of you, tie your heart, and do not let it become bitter toward me, please. About your food, I will see after that. When I have food, you will have food, and when I have no food, only then will you be without food. You shall have your share of everything. I vow that when I am grown I will kill my mother because she has done this wicked deed. Then the two of us can live in peace."

Months went by, but never did the cub forget his friend. Whenever the lioness would bring home meat, the cub would always put back part of it. After several years had gone by, the young lion felt that he was strong enough and big enough to kill his mother, and save his friend. That very day he killed her and freed his friend.

"Now we are free to walk where we will, and I am young and strong and able to catch plenty of food for both of us.

Then one day they came near a village and the boy heard other boys talking about being circumcised. He wanted to be circumcised, too, but he had no father to help him, so he was sad. "What is wrong?" said the lion. "Why do you have nothing to say?" "I hear that all the boys are being circumcised. If I had a father he would help me, and I could be circumcised, too," sobbed the boy. "Dry your tears, and do not let anything like this disturb you again, for I am able to take the place of your father," urged the strong lion. "You tell me what you want, and I will get it for you."

The boy suggested that he needed money with which to buy food during the time of the circumcision. Immediately the lion was off. Before he had gone far, he met a man on the way to market, from whom he frightened plenty of money. When the boy had his money, he went to be circumcised. When asked where he would get food, he replied, "God will give me food." Usually, he would buy food with the money which his friend the lion had given him. At times, be would meet his friend out away from the village and receive meat from him.

Years went by, and one day the young man saw a young woman he loved. "If I could only have had a father like other young men," he sighed. The lion was quick to recognize the young man's mood and urged that he could be a real father to him. "Well, I want a wife, and I need a father to help me," he pleaded. "All right," said the lion, "select your wife, and I will help you take her." "I have selected my wife. She is the daughter of the chief. Many men have asked to take her, but her father will not give her up." The strong lion stretched himself up and boasted, "I can get her for you easily. You go into the village. I will watch the chief's farm. When she goes to plant, I will catch her. Then the whole village will come out to take her away from me, but I will not give her up. You be brave and come after her. Even though I try to catch you, do not be afraid."

The young man was delighted. He said, "I will go into the village at once." And away the lion went for the farm. That afternoon, when the villagers were beginning to come from their farms, there was a cry from the river, "Lion! Lion!" The whole village rushed out to frighten away the lion, but, to their dismay, he had caught the daughter of the chief and he was not afraid of the noise and the dogs. The young braves were afraid to try to rescue the daughter of the chief. The chief saw that she was lost, and he shouted, "Whoever rescues her shall have her for his wife. I will also give him half of my kingdom." When the men heard this they made desperate attempts to rescue her, but the fear of the lion kept them back.

With a rush, this young man went for the lion, shouting, "I will rescue her." When he was about to strike the lion a blow, the lion dropped her and ran away in the tall grass. She became his wife. He received a part of her father's kingdom. They lived happily with their friend the lion, ever after.

Fred Martins Releases New Illustration Series

Fred Martins Releases New Illustration Series "Aba Women Riot" in Celebration of Black History Month

Fred Martins, “Aba Women Riot” series, 2019. Courtesy of the artist

Fred Martins, “Aba Women Riot” series, 2019. Courtesy of the artist

 Early this month, illustration artist from Nigeria—Fred Martins, announced his new art series titled “Aba Women Riot”.

 This body of work, based on a notable period in Nigerian history, was released in celebration of the Black History Month as a reference point for women fighting against oppression in Africa.

ACASA TRI20 UPDATE

Nathaniel and Mary Ogunyale

My ACASA conference paper to be jointly presented with my wife will focus on "Laspotech" Murals for the past decade.

Watch out for updates here as we begin the countdown.

Largest Outdoor Sculpture Displayed in Bahrain

 Victor Ekpuk, The Face, 2019, painted stainless steel, 14ft x 17ft. Courtesy Victor Ekpuk

Victor Ekpuk’s large-scale sculpture, The Face, is unveiled in Bahrain.

The unveiling  at the The Arab Bank Corporation world corporate headquarters of  the Victor Ekpuk’s The Face, a 17-feet high painted stainless steel sculpture took place in Bahrain.

Currently the largest outdoor sculpture in Bahrain, the work was commissioned by the bank. 

Bahrain is a country known for its cosmopolitanism and ethnically diverse culture.

 

BREAKING NEWS: ACASA TRI20

Nathaniel Olaolu Ogunyale has been selected to co-chair a panel at the forthcoming Acasa Tri20 conference in Chicago.

The theme of the panel is "Contemporary Art of Nigeria in retrospective perspective",  co-chaired by Afam Augustine Okwudili and Nathaniel Olaolu Ogunyale.

Apart from co-chairing the panel, the duo will also present separate papers at the conference.

Nathaniel Ogunyale and Mary Ogunyale are joint presenters at the conference. 

The topic of the paper is : "Contemporary Mural Paintings in "Laspotech": An Evaluation of Works of Graduating Students between year 2009 and 2019".

Details about the conference here.

KNOW MORE ABOUT ACASA

ACASA!  ACASA!!  ACASA!!!

ACASA is the Arts Council Of African Studies Association.
Set up to promote greater understanding of African material and expressive culture in all its many forms, and to encourage contact and collaboration with African and diaspora artists and scholars.

Details coming...

ACASA TRIENNIAL 2020

ACASA! ACASA!! ACASA!!!
ARTS COUNCIL OP THE AFRICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION (ACASA)
is organising her 2020 Triennial Conference in Chicago, United States.

The conference named TRI20 will take place at De Paul University, Chicago from the 16th  to 20th of June, 2020.

Conference delegates are expected from allover the world.

Nathaniel Ogunyale is one of the participant and a co-chair of a panel at the event.

The countdown has started.

ART NEWS

Brighter Future, 4ft x 3ft, Oil on Canvas by Nathaniel Ogunyale

Arthouse is organizing the fifth edition of the annual Affordable Art Auction at the Kia Showroom in Lagos. This event will come up in March.

The aim of this show is to  boost the interest of young and new collectors by presenting works at accessible prices, under one million Nigerian naira. Art buyers, connoisseurs and art lovers can be looking forward to the show. More details will be provided  here later.

In Memoriam: Prof. Sidney Littlefield Kasfir.

Sidney Littlefield Kasfir

On the 29th of December 2019, the African arts community lost one of its most committed and brilliant scholars, Prof. Sidney Littlefield Kasfir. 

 Sidney occupied a crucial place in the lives and careers of many scholars of her and the following generations.

She was seen last at the Triennial in Ghana in 2017 where ACASA formally recognized her distinguished contributions to the field of global African art as a scholar, teacher, and mentor.

 She will be remembered for her pioneering work on contemporary African art as well as her research among Idoma and related peoples of the Niger/Benue confluence.