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Nigeria’s film
industry is enjoying a good moment, going by the number of
international collaborations and world class movie premieres it has
witnessed lately. Film and music producer, Lonzo Nzekwe, joins the
growing number of producers tapping into the vibrant movie sector with
his ‘Anchor Baby’.

Though set in the
United States, the movie was shot in Brampton and Hamilton, Canada,
where Nzekwe is based; and features an international cast including
Nigeria’s Omoni Oboli and Ghanaian born Sam Sarpong.

The movie explores
issues of migration in the US and other developed countries as typified
by a Nigerian couple living in the US. He shares his story with NEXT.

I hear you are a self-taught filmmaker

I started buying
books and watching a lot of DVDs on making movies. That’s how I learned
how to direct and produce films. As an editor, it allowed me to see the
final film in my head prior to shooting it. After my training and
studying on my own, I wrote, directed and produced my first feature
film, ‘Anchor Baby’. I am currently shopping it for distribution. You
will be amazed at the wealth of information one can get from watching
those. I read a lot of books on how to make independent films and also
bought the 2 Day Film School DVD by Dov Simmens. I studied those
religiously until I felt I was ready. I am a very creative person, so I
guess it helped in the process.

I watched a lot of
films; both the good and bad ones just to know what to do and what not
to do. I also watch the “making of films” which is always at the end of
most original movie DVDs.

What prompted the decision to leave Nigeria for Canada?

I left Nigeria
when I was about 22 years old and back then I was a basketball player,
playing for the Imo State basketball team on the national level. Back
then, the only thing I wanted to do was to obtain a university
scholarship in the US and go play college basketball. I wanted to make
it to the NBA by all means. I got a few schools interested in me but
for some reason, things weren’t falling into the right places. I got
frustrated and moved out of Nigeria. I lived in the UK and US prior to
moving to Canada. I guess I went to Canada because of the great
opportunities there. Recently, I started developing a very strong
passion for making movies and that’s how ‘Anchor Baby’ started.

IJE, which
premiered recently, touched on migration issues, so does your movie,
‘Anchor Baby’. Is this borne out of personal experience?

No ,it’s not a
personal story and it’s not based on any particular anyone’s
experience. The things which happened to the characters the movie is
totally insane so I will be shocked to find anyone who passed through
the same experience.

‘Anchor Baby’ is a
term used mostly for babies born by illegal immigrants and other non-
citizens in the United State. The movie is a highly emotional story of
a Nigerian illegal immigrant couple on a daring journey to achieve the
American Dream for their unborn child. A lot of times, people forget
that these illegal immigrants are humans who want the same good things
in life, just like everyone else. This movie, I know helps put a human
face to the migrants’ struggle and what they go through as well as the
drastic steps they take to achieve their set goals .

It also paints a
vivid picture of the kids, who are the actual victims under these
circumstances. Hopefully, it will raise discussions to address the main
reasons why a person will leave his or her home country and then go
through that struggle.

Why did you cast Omoni Oboli as the lead actress?

When I wrote the
script, I wanted someone who could transform the script and bring it to
life. I hired a professional casting director to audition all the
actors I used in the movie. I sat through all the auditions and
handpicked every character in the movie. When I watched a few of
Omoni’s movies, I was convinced that she possessed the ability to
transform the script. I also carried out a brief background check on
her and spoke to her extensively on the phone to find out more about
her. That was when I decided she was the one. Though, a few of my
production crew were against me flying her all the way from Nigeria but
I told them that there was something I saw in her which they did not.
Afterwards, I realised they were waiting to see what she was going to
bring to the table. So, from the first day Omoni got on the set, I took
her aside and told her that ‘Anchor Baby’ was her movie. Right away,
she took over the show and set a standard on the set which every other
actor had to follow. That decision was one the best decision I made in
the earlier stages of production.

Is this a big budget movie?

Well, depending on
the standard you are looking at it from; it is a low budget film if you
compare it to the American standard. I say that because even one
million dollars is considered a low budget film in North America. But
as a Nollywood film, it is a very huge budget film. I cannot even give
you a figure because we are still in post production and promoting the
movie as we speak. All these are expenses that are going to be
calculated into the budget. Financing the movie was a major challenge
because I do not have any track record to show any financier, so I had
to use personal funds and also got some help from close family members.
Another big challenge was bringing the two lead acts (Omoni Oboli and
Sam Sarpong) from Nigeria and the USA to Canada for the movie. Due to
delays in travel arrangements, Omoni and Sam came in just a few days
before we started principal photography.

Do you think Anchor Baby will be a success in Nigeria?

Oh, for sure. I
know a lot of Nigerians will easily connect to the story. I mean how
many Nigerians come to the US to have their babies? Almost everyone has
a friend or relative who was born in the US or Europe. These babies are
what the US term as ‘Anchor Babies’. Most Nigerian parents regardless
of their economic background will like to see their child succeed by
providing a better opportunity for the child [from birth]; and that’s
exactly what I tried to portray in the movie. Though sometimes, the
struggle might not be the right thing to do and could be detrimental to
everyone involved.

I have a great
passion in making films and I want to win than the next man. I come
from a sports background and I’m very competitive. That alone has
gotten me this far in the game. I had almost 40 actors with speaking
roles and about 60 extras in this movie. I had Caucasian, Hispanic,
Asian and African characters playing major roles in the movie. That
alone attracts people of other nationalities to ‘Anchor Baby’ right
away. As a matter of fact, if I was a Hispanic writer and director,
Omoni and Sam’s characters would have been Hispanic characters and the
story would not change.

Piracy is a big issue here in Nigeria, how do you intend to manage that?

That is a tough
one because it is a major problem all over the world. The government
should set up a strong body to tackle the problem. We should also
support the cinema culture which is making a big comeback in Nollywood.
That way, the producer can recoup most of his money and be able to make
another film. My intention is to release ‘Anchor Baby’ in the theatres
in Nigeria before [going] into DVD.I do not think the problem can be
completely eradicated, but I believe it can be controlled to a certain
level. That is the more reason why Nigerians, and Africans as a whole,
should support the cinema industry. If a producer can screen a movie in
the theatre prior to the DVD release, chances are that he will recoup
some, before going for DVD release.

‘Anchor Baby’ premieres in Nigerian Cinemas on December 10.

Poem for the month

So, the other day,
I had surgery done. It was no big deal, really. There was this needy
benign growth on my left shoulder that, well, kept growing. I called it
the monkey on my shoulder. My family hated it. They called it names,
awful names. They wanted it gone. It became a conversation piece in our
household. My family came together around my monkey, it had to go, even
though my doctor had decreed that it was not a problem. My wife
overruled our doctor. It had to go. You do what your wife tells you.
Your doctor does what your wife wants.

Before the doctor
slices into you, they take you to a private room for “prep” work, in
which you are handed over from one medical busybody to the other. They
ask you things, you mostly lie to protect your dignity. Sample stupid
question: “Would you consider yourself a light, moderate, or a heavy
drinker?” Heh! They wanted to know if I was allergic to any medicine. I
said quinine, hoping to be quarantined; I needed the rest from work and
home. The nurses googled quinine on their laptops (yes, they didn’t
know) and huddled anxiously when they saw the word “malaria.”

The nurses were
smart, pretty, and sweet, almost shy. One brunette seemed to take a
liking to me, the way a cheerleader takes a liking to a bespectacled
nerd. “He is so sweet,” she enthused breathlessly to anybody who would
listen. She fussed over me, paid every attention to me. I was
flattered. I overheard her teaching several other nurses how to mangle
my name.

Brunette Nurse
went and found a Nigerian nurse to say hello to me, I don’t know why.
She was Ndiigbo, we grinned sheepishly at each other as we struggled to
humour this white sister trying to forge a kinship. We did not
understand the rejection; why, culturally we were each closer to her
than we were to each other. Through contrived accents, we happily
rejected each other and Ndiigbo fled into the mess of rooms and broken
patients. I missed my wife and I asked for her to be with me. Brunette
Nurse went and got my wife. My wife sat with me and nobody came again
to fuss with me. Then some stalwarts came to wheel me away for the
operation. They would not let my wife come with me. Brunette Nurse
wished me luck.

Going to the
operating table is interesting. There is a strange finality to being
wheeled away. It feels like going to one’s execution. In the operating
room, I am strapped to a gurney by pretty chatty people, babbling nice
things. They are trained to be affirming, encouraging me even when I am
not following directions. The surgeon is chatty, but indifferent to
knowledge outside of his profession.

I like him. He is
in his forties, but he is still wearing the spirit of a boy. He tells
me that his parents bought this house in this great neighborhood in the
60s; he doesn’t know what the house is worth today. He has trouble
converting the past to the present value. I help him. He grows quiet.

Except for a
colonoscopy, I have never really done anything this invasive. As I lay
there shivering on the operating gurney, I remember my uncle Elephant
in my ancestral land; poet, griot and herbalist. He believes that
witches and wizards are responsible for the fate of the living. All
ailments, including apparently cancer, were treated by an enema which
he gleefully administered to the unwilling. He made some of the most
awful-tasting concoctions out of plants that grew around our compound.
I have not so fond memories of trying to swallow his creations in the
sixties during the Nigerian civil war. At those times, the war didn’t
seem too far away.

The doctor starts
snipping away at my monkey with a studied nonchalance. I loudly marvel
at the invasive techniques of Western medicine. He asks me: “What do
you mean?” I think to myself, this man is an idiot. How did his
ancestors get to the moon? I survive the idiot’s knife. I actually like
him. He is not an idiot. He is a professional who has little patience
for the undisciplined flourishes of my literary mind.

Surgery over, my
wife retrieves me and takes me home. It has been a long day; my wife
wants a sandwich. We get one from a bakery. I don’t like sandwiches,
something about meat between slices of bread I find merely fascinating.
I want to go home to comfort food; my wife’s white rice and goat meat
stew.

I reach into the
hospital bag that houses my belongings and my friend’s avatar waits
patiently for me in my iPhone. My friend’s question lurks anxiously on
yahoo chat, “How did it go?” I type back, “nbd, I am still here,
everything is as it should be, lol.” The response returns, dripping
with relief and exasperation: “You!”

I am still here. And the beat goes on.

“Let’s do that
again!” is a familiar refrain on the set of Tunde Kelani’s new film,
Ma’ami, starring Funke Akindele in the title role. Over the past month
of shooting in Lagos and Abeokuta, Ma’ami cast and crew have witnessed
a meticulous Kelani on a quest for perfection, his directions
methodically punctuated by the clapping of the slate as it records the
increasing number of takes per scene.

Kelani belongs to a
new set of Nigerian directors who combine well-trained professionals
with the latest technology to produce high quality films that adhere to
international standards. These rising directors–among them Kunle
Afolayan of ‘The Figurine’ and Andy Amadi Okoroafor of the upcoming
‘Relentless’–thus challenge the stereotype of Nollywood production as
a haphazard exercise in guerilla filmmaking. Kelani has distinguished
himself as the most experienced of the group, as evidenced by his 1978
diploma in filmmaking from the London Film School and by his work in
the 1980s as a celluloid cinematographer for Nigerian television and
film productions. Since establishing Mainframe Productions in Oshodi,
Lagos in 1992, Kelani has consistently released films like
‘Thunderbolt’ and ‘Saworoide’, which have become favourites in Yoruba
households across Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Mobile cinema

Kelani, however,
has not yet seen the monetary rewards that such popularity promises.
Pirates cut into his profits by making and selling illegal copies of
his movies, often within as few as three days after each film’s release
into the market. “We lost everything because of the piracy,” Kelani
sighed, while lamenting the financial damages suffered after the
release of ‘Arugbá’, his most recently completed work. Piracy is a
common method of infringement upon the intellectual property of the
entire industry, but Kelani is ahead of many of his peers in finding a
solution to this problem. He has refused to release Ma’ami on VCD or
DVD—a surprising move, given Nollywood’s distinction as a video film
industry and given the focus of its distribution networks on home
entertainment consumption. Kelani instead plans to solicit government
and private sector sponsorship to fund a series of free mobile cinema
screenings throughout Lagos State.

Kelani has already
tested the logistics of this model by petitioning Lagos State
Government to fund free screenings of ‘Arugbá’ from February to May
2009 at informal open-air venues in 57 local government and local
council development areas. These events reached over 2,500 viewers.
Public service announcements from the Lagos State Government were
inserted at the beginning and in the middle of the film, educating
viewers about environmental sanitation, tax payment, and land
speculation. Kelani is not motivated by large profits; he only wants
enough money to cover production expenses. His primary goal is to reach
“the critical mass, the audience that I have at home.”

Kelani’s long-term
plan for combating piracy will focus on revitalising cinema-going
culture in Lagos. This is an imposing challenge on two fronts. Most
functioning cinemas in the city are located on the Island, while the
majority of Kelani’s audience lives on the Mainland. In light of Lagos’
atrocious traffic congestion, these theatres are therefore inaccessible
to most would-be viewers. The high price of cinema tickets
(N1,000–N1,500 per adult) compared to the relatively low price of a VCD
(N100–N250 at Idumota Market on Lagos Island) makes cinema-going costs
additionally prohibitive to most Lagosians.

Lagos City Cinema Project

But Kelani is
optimistic. In September, he launched the Lagos City Cinema Project by
submitting proposals to build small cinema houses in 10 local
government areas, with the ultimate goal of building one in each of the
57 local government areas. Citing viewers’ favourable responses to the
government messages inserted in the Arugbá mobile cinema screenings,
Kelani markets his project as “a tool for community development” and
“an easy and effective instrument of mass mobilisation at local
government-level.” One local government area–Onigbongbo–has responded
to the request by offering Kelani the use of its four existing viewing
centers, informal screening rooms that seat 50 people each. Kelani is
excited to integrate these centers into his model, and he hopes that
the absence of new construction costs will enable him to lower ticket
prices at this site. He even plans to create jobs by engaging area
youth to work at the viewing centers.

Tunde Kelani’s
efforts to reinvent the Nollywood distribution model have the capacity
to effect wider economic development. In August 2010, the first job
summit organised by the National Economic Management Team and sponsored
by the World Bank acknowledged that the creative industries are among
the most vibrant sectors in world trade and that Nigeria has not yet
reached its full potential for development and export in these areas.
The summit also agreed that only a comprehensive strategy could tackle
the major challenges that are confronting the industry, such as piracy,
low quality of production standards, as well as marketing and
distribution linkages. Kelani’s progressive innovations may therefore
set the standard for the rest of Nollywood and propel Nigeria toward a
new role on the world economic stage.

Bic Leu is a US
Fulbright Fellow researching the social impact of Nollywood at the
University of Lagos. She regularly records her observations at
www.findingnollywood.com.

*NEXT’s interview with Tunde Kelani will be published next Sunday.

This year’s Garden
City Literary Festival will witness a historic meeting of two Nobel
Laureates, Nigeria’s Wole Soyinka and the Frenchman, J.M.G Le Clezio,
when the two hold a highly anticipated public conversation in Port
Harcourt, later this week. Soyinka and Le Clezio are Special Guest
Writers at the third annual festival, holding in the Rivers State
capital from December 8 to 11.

Le Clezio will be
making a welcome return to Nigeria, the country to which he travelled
by ship circa 1947; his novel, ‘Onitsha’ is based on his childhood
experiences in Ogoja.

“Nigeria holds a
special place in his heart. So, we can claim him in a way,” said
Rainbow Book Club founder and festival organiser, Koko Kalango.

Getting Le Clezio

She first reached
out to Le Clezio soon after his win two years ago, after getting his
postal address in a roundabout fashion via the Nobel Foundation and his
publishers.

“I wrote a letter
and mailed it and just thought it would be one of those things that
would get lost,” she recalled. Then one day, “a most gracious” letter
arrived by snail-mail from Le Clezio, accepting Kalango’s invitation to
the Garden City Literary Festival (GCLF). He was scheduled to come in
2009, and had wanted to visit the place of his childhood, Ogoja, where
he was expected to help launch a library campaign. In preparation,
Former Rivers State military governor, Anthony Ukpo, funded the
renovation of a library in the oldest primary school in Ogoja, but Le
Clezio’s travel plans fell through.

This year, however,
he is definitely expected to headline the third annual festival
alongside Soyinka, in an interactive session which will hold at the
University of Port Harcourt. The French laureate will also meet with
French scholars, students, and readers during another session at the
Alliance Francaise in Port Harcourt; and he might get to make his
return to Ogoja, after all.

Soyinka returns

It is also a return
of sorts for Soyinka, who will be making his second appearance at the
festival, after gracing the first edition two years ago. The two
arrowheads of the festival, Kalango and Rivers State governor, Chibuike
Amaechi, still talk about the impact of the Nigerian laureate’s 2008
visit to the University of Port Harcourt.

“I saw the crowd
Wole Soyinka pulled to the hall in the University of Port Harcourt –
people were happy to see him,” said the governor, who hopes young local
writers are inspired by the calibre of authors attending the festival.

“Soyinka’s
appearance at UNIPORT 2 years ago just caused such a stir,” recalled
Kalango. According to her, Soyinka’s commitment went beyond the
duration of the festival, going on to mentor a young participant from
his GCLF masterclass, even nominating him for an international
Commonwealth development programme. When the young man could not raise
the money for his travel to Canada for the programme, Soyinka sent him
to his son in Abuja to get the required funds. The beneficiary later
told Kalango of the Nobel laureate’s largesse.

Also on the programme

Such successes, she
insists, underscore the importance of the festival. Among the other
writers participating this year are Caine Prize winner, Helon Habila
(author of ‘Oil on Water’); Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (‘I Do Not Come To
You By Chance’); Zainabu Jallo (‘Onions Make Us Cry’); and Myne Whitman
(‘A Heart To Mend). Newspaper columnist, Reuben Abati, will facilitate
a workshop on Non-Fiction Writing.

Other features of
the festival, will include a book fair, a photo exhibition, a
literature conference, to be convened in collaboration with the
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), art and writing workshops,
masterclasses, seminars, role models reading to children, and organised
visits by schools to the book fair. 50 writers will also be honoured
for their contribution to the growth of literature in Nigeria.

There is a special
focus on children, tying in with longstanding work by Kalango and the
Rainbow Book Club (RBC) in the ‘Get Nigeria Reading Again’ campaign.
She once took Governor Amaechi to read to pupils in her old primary
school, an event where books were also presented to the children. One
of the recipients, a young boy, later contacted the book’s author to
inform that his life had been impacted by the work.

“I can imagine what
effect that sort of encounter would have had on me when I was growing
up, so that’s the kind of sort of thing I’m hoping to pass on to these
children,” Kalango reflected. “Children are a very important part of
the festival and that’s important to me as a mother,” she added.

On the festival

Explaining the
thinking behind the festival, Governor Amaechi said, “It was to create
an environment for [debate], for more creativity, and to see where it
will take us.”

He is concerned
that books like Achebe’s ‘A Man of the People’, Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s
‘Petals of Blood’, and Ousmane Sembene’s ‘God’s Bits of Wood’ are no
longer being written, while also lamenting the waning influence of
critics in Nigeria’s cultural space.

Waxing nostalgic
about the intellectual exploits of the likes of Yemi Ogunbiyi, Molara
Ogundipe, and Chidi Amuta, the governor noted that, “We used to
celebrate critics at literature conferences. We’re not seeing that now,
we’re not seeing that quality. I’ve gone to several literature
conferences; I don’t see critics being celebrated anymore.”

He hopes the GCLF
will serve as a forum for young writers to find expression and gain
notice. Asked what he thought the legacy of the festival will be,
Amaechi replied that, “The greatest achievement will be a move from the
culture of certificate – just reading because you want to pass exam –
to the culture of absorption of ideas, because you’re seeking
knowledge. That will be the greatest achievement.”

Revival

To the governor’s
original festival idea, Koko Kalango has added a few of her own,
notably the children focus and the drive for mass appeal. One of the
non-literary writers at last year’s edition was the motivational
speaker, Fela Durotoye. There are plans to institute a prize under the
auspices of the festival.

Drama is also
becoming a significant feature of the GCLF, especially after the
successful staging of J.P Clark’s play, ‘The Wives’ Revolt’ last year.
Kalango is in discussion with sponsors, with a view to spearheading a
stage revival in Port Harcourt, which once had a vibrant theatre-going
culture.

“When I was growing
up in Port Harcourt, there was a theatre in an area we call Town; and
my father used to take me there to watch… Ken Saro-Wiwa perform.
There’s a lot of people who grew up in that culture like I did here,
and we’re crying for that. So, we’re hoping that, at the festival, we
can bring that back,” Kalango said.

Femi Osofisan’s
adaptation of a Shakespeare play, ‘Love’s Unlike Lading’ will be staged
by UNIPORT theatre students at this year’s festival; Odia Ofeimun’s
dance-drama, ‘A Feast of Return’ is also on the programme.

“People are
writing and they just want to be guided, they want to be helped. There
is a hunger for creativity, so we’re hoping that this sort of platform
can help encourage that creativity,” Kalango said of the festival.

The Garden City Literary Festival holds at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, from December 8 to 11.

Though a lawyer,
Donald Duke might have missed his real calling. The former governor of
Cross River State blessed with the gift of the garb, had the audience
hanging on his words for the over one hour as he spoke at the 7th Ben
Enwonwu annual lecture on Tuesday, November 23.

Duke, guest
lecturer at the event held at the Nigerian Institute of International
Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, dazzled the guests with his story
telling skills in discussing the theme, ‘The Role of Art and Tourism in
National Development’.

A matter of necessity

He began with a
caveat that his presentation was not going to be a formal lecture, but
“sharing of experience, of the way I see art”, and expressed hope “that
it would suffice.” It indeed sufficed, judging from the reaction and
lively discussion that attended his unique delivery. Duke conveyed his
ideas on how tourism and art can contribute to national development
with hitherto untold stories of events that transpired during his
administration.

Calabar, the state
capital, has now become a popular destination for Nigerian and foreign
tourists, but not many people know how the state attained that status.
This was one of the first secrets Duke revealed, after reiterating the
timelessness of art and the place of tourism in the human life. The
former governor, who highlighted types of tourism, including health,
financial, sports, recreational, and eco tourism, disclosed that
necessity and the ‘politics of oil’ made his administration embrace
tourism.

After Cross River,
which he described as “one of the best pieces of real estate anywhere
in the world” lost its oil revenue, he decided to make the state a
tourist hub where her rich neighbours will spend their oil money.

Duke told of how
the relationship dynamics between him and former governor of Akwa Ibom
State, Victor Attah, changed when Cross River lost all its oil wells
and the Bakassi peninsula. He also related the distinction between the
core and peripheral Niger Delta states, and how Lucky Igbinedion,
former governor of Edo State, and himself were subtly sidetracked
because their states have little oil. Duke recalled the genesis of the
onshore/offshore dichotomy and the long-drawn resource control legal
battle and their effects on Cross River.

He disclosed the
idea behind the introduction of the now popular Calabar Carnival,
Tinapa, and the Obudu Cattle Ranch, conceived to promote tourism in the
state. The former governor also offered insights into Charles Taylor’s
sojourn in the state, and how the US tried to arm-twist Olusegun
Obasanjo, the former president, into handing him over for trial at the
United Nations.

Prerequisites for tourism

“Look at Chief
Opral Benson; she’s listening with rapt attention,” Duke noted with a
smile at a point in his narration, adding that storytelling is also
part of tourism.

He further
underscored the importance of art and tourism by disclosing that he
visited Tunisia recently to see the ruins of Carthage. Noting the money
the country makes from tourism, Duke said there are some prerequisites
for tourism to thrive in any country.

“For tourism to
thrive, you must have the infrastructures to support it. There must be
good healthcare delivery … You must have law and order. You can’t
have tourism in a society where law and order do not exist; it is more
than having the police. It includes a judicial system that will
administer justice fairly and equitably… Whether it’s an industry or
commerce, we have to create a network that will eventually put feet to
the ground. And tourism, perhaps, plays the number one role in that.
It’s the biggest earner in the world today. Far more than oil, far more
than any other industry that exists… There is absolutely no other
industry that touches as many people as that of culture.”

A way of life

Duke said he was
pleased to note that the Enwonwu family was not selling off the works
of the iconic artist, “because they will refer to a part of our
history.” Cheekily, he suggested that Enwonwu’s Sango sculpture, in
front of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria office on the Marina,
Lagos Island, should be moved elsewhere “because there is no power
going on there.”

Duke’s exit line
was as interesting as the “If in the course of etching a living, we
fail to create beauty around us, then the barbarian has already won,”
he started the lecture with.

Art, he noted, “is
not just carvings and paintings, but its mannerisms and a culture. Art
is a way of life; it’s so intrinsic; it embellishes the stability of a
people. A people without art, a people without that intrinsic quality
can best be described as barbaric.”

Earlier, chair, Ben Enwonwu Foundation, Aina Oni-Okpaku, represented by Olasehinde Odimayo, had justified the series.

“The distinguished
Ben Enwonwu Lecture Series has not only become a major forum for
healthy debate on key issues and development in contemporary African
art, but a major gathering for the rich diversity of the contemporary
Nigerian society, male and female, professionals and students.”

Finest art icon

Chair of the
occasion, David Aradeon, had also lauded the late Enwonwu, who was
honoured by the Queen of England with the Member of British Empire
(MBE) award, for his brilliance. He noted that family and associates
had always converged since 2004 to celebrate the “times and life of
Enwonwu, one of our finest art icons, because his works and ideas
continue to inspire us in many ways.”

The retired professor of Architecture also touched on the importance of tourism and the conditions for it to thrive.

Winners of the 2010
Ben Enwonwu Foundation Young Artist Award – Animasaun Sesan, Bankole
Olabode, and Adetola Victor, who came first, second, and third
respectively in the competition, were given their prizes at the
lecture.

Enwonwu’s widow, Caroline, artists, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke,
Kolado Oshinowo, collectors, Sammie Olagbaju, Yemisi Shyllon, and Dotun
Sulaiman, were among those at the occasion. Others were Joop Berkhout,
Sandra Obiago, and Erelu Abiola Dosunmu.

Why Art?

When I was in
primary school, my teacher used to send me to draw pictures on the
blackboard and friends with whom I went to school usually said: Midy,
you have the talent. I will say I had it inside me and it came out when
the time came. I was not forced; it is a pleasure for me to do Art.

Training

I got my training
with a senior artist in Cotonou. After that, I went to College of Art,
University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, to further my
training. I also came to Agbarha Otor, the annual workshops organised
by Bruce Onobrakpeya. I got to learn things that I added to my work
there. I have been to the Agbarha Otor workshops five times now and I
enjoy it because I see friends there.

Medium

I use acrylic and I
also use coffee. I experimented with coffee and the result was okay so
I continued. Coffee is good for giving a painting an old effect. To get
the old effect, you mix it with acrylic. You just pour hot water on it
and mix it with acrylic. I learnt it from one of the senior artists in
Benin but I also experimented to get my own result. The way I use
coffee to work is different from the way I learned to use it.

Influences

I don’t like to go
through books, I want to be myself. I go to exhibitions to see
paintings but I love to be myself, to create things belonging to me.
You have people whom you appreciate what they are doing; when I went to
Agbarha Otor, Bruce Onobrakpeya influenced me. I was doing some things
before but I discovered from him another way of doing those things. I
was also influenced by most of the senior artists in Ivory Coast.

Inspiration

Ordinary life. What is happening around me inspires me. If I want to summarise everything, I will say God inspires me.

Best work so far

It is in my house,
I’m not selling it. It’s a painting but I want to protect it. Everybody
coming into my studio wants to buy that artwork so I decided two months
ago not to show it again. I placed it inside my bedroom, nobody will
see it again.

Least satisfying work

I like everything.
If I don’t like it today, I can keep it somewhere. Years or months
after, I will work on it again to give it another aspect. Some of the
works, I don’t feel them so I just keep them aside but years later, I
can have a contact with the work, I’ll go back to it. Most of my works,
I used to do them like that.

Career high point

When I went to
Dak’Art Biennale in 2006. I wanted to go in 2002 and 2004 but was
afraid because of the finance. I have a collector; I just went to see
him, to tell him that I’ll like to go to Dakar Biennale. The first
answer he gave me was I will buy you a ticket so I was so happy. I went
to see what was happening, that people had always told me about.

Favourite artist living or dead

I have to thank
Agbelusi Abiodun, he is the one who asked me to come to Nigeria to show
my work. He started asking me in 2002 but I was scared until I decided
to come in 2005. People like him are rare, most people like to keep
things to themselves but I don’t like such people. There is also
Romuald Hazoume, one of the senior artists in Benin. He also made me
like what I’m doing.

Ambitions

I’ll like to have a
centre that I will call Midy Art Centre where I will teach people what
I’m doing because when God has given you something, you have to give
back to others. I want to share what I know with other people. That
will be my satisfaction.