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‘The world and his
wife’ were heading to Abuja on Wednesday September 15. Getting a flight
to the Federal Capital Territory from Lagos was extremely difficult,
with all airlines fully booked. Those who eventually made it to Abuja,
discovered that hotels were similarly filled to capacity. And so it was
that several of us going to the opening ceremony of the massive
National Cultural/Historical Exhibition, arrived at the venue of the
Velodrome, National Stadium, Abuja, to find the event was over.

It was D-Day in
Abuja; former head of state, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, declared his
2011 presidential ambition at Eagle Square – the reason, many surmised,
for the full flights and hotels. The Babangida effect was compounded by
the fact that the ruling PDP held its National Executive Council
meeting on the same day in the same city. Given the significant
political diversions, therefore, it was a testament to the pulling
power of the exhibition that over 2000 people attended its opening
event.

However, the
president, Goodluck Jonathan, who was due to open the exhibition,
stayed away. Preoccupied perhaps with the political colourations of the
momentous day, he declared his own intention to run for the Presidency
in 2011, on Facebook. Jonathan was represented at the Velodrome by the
Minister for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Abubakar Sadiq
Mohammed. Joining him were: Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed; and Minister for the Federal Capital
Territory, Bala Mohammed. At least 20 ambassadors attended in person.

In a speech
delivered on his behalf by the Culture Minister, President Jonathan
called the exhibition “a milestone” in the life of the Nigerian nation,
noting that it showcases a “splendid kaleidoscope of images that mirror
the state of our progress and achievement.” He added that Nigeria “has
been in the forefront of cultural renaissance and social regenerations
which gained momentum several decades ago when we hosted… FESTAC
’77.” He thanked all the artists and organisations that made the
exhibition possible, and said the works on display, spanning two
millennia of art production in Nigeria, would inspire stock-taking and
self-evaluation of where the country is, 50 years after independence
from the British.

The Velodrome

Though the opening
event crowds had gone home on the evening of September 15, the
Velodrome was beautifully lit up within Abuja’s National Stadium
complex, appropriately so, for a venue hosting the largest exhibition
ever held in Nigeria. Organisers hope young and old will come in their
thousands to see the exhibition. Also known as ‘The Journey Of Our
Independence’, the exhibition aims to tell the story of Nigeria through
the visual arts.

Visible from the
surrounding highways, the Velodrome is an easily located venue, but
better signage within the stadium complex could help visitors locate
the exhibition more easily. Once inside, however, the show is spacious
and easily navigable. Laid out for the appreciation of the viewer are
the very best of Nigerian arts. Waiting for us inside were the
exhibitions’ curators: artist Jerry Buhari of Ahmadu Bello University;
Uwa Usen (National President, Society of Nigerian Artists) and Director
of Museums, Nat Mayo Adediran. Chair of the Exhibition sub-committee
for Nigeria at 50, George Nkanta Ufot, praised the curators’ efforts in
bringing about the landmark show. “They have been tireless, they’ve
been wonderful, they haven’t slept. They were the think-tank of this
exhibition. They brought in an architect who [transformed the venue].
The Velodrome has been converted into a world class exhibition centre.”

Among the memorable
pieces on display are Cyril Nwokoli’s monumental ‘Okonkwo’, a wooden
sculpture of the tragic hero of Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’.
The 15 feet tall statue is an arresting piece, standing alone. Nearby
are more than a dozen wooden warriors by Nwokoli, a genial artist who
cracked jokes with us, making it hard to believe stories of his
self-sequestration in the bushes around Enugu, carving armies of wooden
figures.

All the greats are
here, including: Ben Osawe, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Nike Davies-Okundaiye
and Kolade Oshinowo. In a centre enclosure called ‘The Museum’,
Nigeria’s antiquities from artistic traditions like the Igbo Ukwu, the
Nok, Benin and Ife – are on display. That the museum is locked during
our somewhat ‘out of hours’ visit, shows the extra care taken with
these priceless pieces of Nigerian artistic heritage.

Queen Elizabeth in bronze

The statue of Queen
Elizabeth II, sculpted from sittings done for Ben Enwonwu by the British
monarch in 1957, promises to be one of the major talking points of the
exhibition. The bronze sculpture, which made Enwonwu the first African
to be commissioned to create an artistic likeness of the queen, has
been away from public view for decades. It was last exhibited in
Nigeria around 1957 and 1958, in the then Houses of Parliament in
Lagos; and has been shrouded in mystery during the intervening years.

Standing next to
the historic piece, Uwa Usen said, “This is only the second time this
work is being exhibited in Nigeria. In fact, there is a lot of mystery
and controversy [surrounding it]. The day we discussed the work, we did
not know we had a visitor who was listening – and we said: we’re
bringing this work. The person was running around saying: this work is
missing, is in England.

“This work has been
in the custody of the National Museum (Lagos) under lock and key –
tight. You need to see how this work was brought (to Abuja), under
heavy security; and they used codes to bring it. So, this is very
significant to us,” said Usen. He praised the Ben Enwonwu Foundation
for supporting the sculpture’s display at the Velodrome with photos and
British press clippings from the 50s, to provide historical context.

Melting pot

Usen said the show
is significant: “Because it is celebrating Nigeria at 50, we need to
ask questions, we need to probe into where we’re coming from, where
we’re going and where we think we are. We need to challenge ourselves
and [ask]: where has art taken us? We need to review these things.” The
exhibition, in his view, does all these, and more. He also spoke on the
challenges faced by the curators in the weeks running up to the
exhibition’s opening. “The challenge to me was converting this
Velodrome into an exhibition hall. It’s the biggest challenge I’ve ever
had,” he said, disclosing that the preparations started on June 5.

The layout of the
displays requires viewers to go straight to ‘Nigeria of Old’, to view
the antiquities in The Museum. From there, to the time around
independence as represented by Enwonwu’s Queen Elizabeth in Bronze, to
contemporary pieces by the likes of Ndidi Dike and Dennis Okon. Pieces
were sourced not from individuals or artists but institutions. These
included government parastatals: the National Gallery of Art, the
National Council for Arts and Culture; professional bodies like the
Society of Nigerian Artists; and educational institutions like the
Departments of Fine Arts at the University of Uyo and Ahmadu Bello
University. In all, up to 13 universities were involved in procuring
pieces for the mega show. Usen described the resulting exhibition as “a
melting pot”, adding that, “We looked at the history, the culture, the
various media, various styles, anything you want to see is here.

“Viewers should
note that Nigeria at 50 has been celebrated by Nigerians, locally. We
charged ourselves to try and get to the international standard, without
any assistance [from outside]. We have carefully chosen our venue,
which most people will never believe would have served as a venue – and
you know this is very apt – we have branded the whole venue in Nigerian
colours and it works for us. So, people should know that Nigerians can
do things for themselves. We are ripe. In my own mind I think we have
at least rang a bell to say: we are here. We are on board,” declared
Usen.

The SNA president
dismissed any suggestion of elitism, insisting that the show is for
everybody, including the disabled (wheelchair ramps are been
incorporated into the venue’s design).

As for George Ufot,
Director of Culture at the Federal Ministry, “This is the biggest
exhibition ever hosted in Nigeria. Even FESTAC was not as big as this.”
Asked how he moved Nwokoli’s giant sculpture of Okonkwo across states
to the Abuja Velodrome, Ufot replied cryptically, “By spending
government money wisely.”

The National/Cultural Historical Exhibition is at the Velodrome, National Stadium, Abuja, until October 31.