Nigeria Content Online

Thirteen year old
John Cross Omeke sat quietly on the panel addressing the press at the
head office of Access Bank PLC in Victoria Island on June 2, 2010. As
his prize for emerging winner in ‘Mirror the Master’, a corporate
social responsibility initiative of the bank, he had just returned from
a six-day trip to Britain; and had during this time visited Buckingham
Palace and presented portraits to the Queen.

As his entry for
the competition, Omeke had produced a portrait of the Idia Mask, a
masterpiece which was used as the symbol for FESTAC 77, and his
portrait had won the regional competition in Nsukka as well as the
Lagos finals against entries from other regions, namely: Zaria,
Oshogbo, and Benin.

‘Mirror the
Master’, which was facilitated by Kambini Arts, is centered on
developing art training in schools. The competition’s just concluded
maiden edition spanned two years, and was modeled on the works of the
late artist, Ben Enwonwu. During the selection process, hundreds of
entries were received from the four regions, despite the fact that it
had been restricted to students between ages 9 and 16.

Present at the
press briefing, Chima Ezeilo, Director of Kambini Arts, revealed that
it was not an easy task deciding the winning entry as judges such as
Artist Nike Davies-Okundaye; Collector, Rasheed Gbadamosi; Oliver
Enwonwu, (director, Ben Enwonwu Foundation); Ken Okoli of Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria; and Jimoh Buraimoh, among others, embarked on an
intense debate lasting almost an hour to discuss their decisions before
announcing the winner.

To inspire and motivate

Bolanle Babatunde,
Head, Corporate Social Responsibility for Access Bank PLC, expatiated
on the rationale behind the competition, saying, “The initiative was
designed to celebrate the established masters, and to inspire and
motivate the younger generation of artists, helping them recognise
their potentials and channel their skills appropriately.”

Ezeilo, who had
been a chaperone of sorts to Omeke during his UK trip, said, “John was
given celebrity status in the UK; he has done Nigeria, Access Bank PLC,
and Kambini Arts proud. He did two portraits, which he presented to the
Queen, and we were told that they’ll be framed and kept in the Queen’s
collection of about 7000 works, each of which is worth millions of
pounds.”

Omeke, accompanied
by his mother, narrated his experiences on his trip to the UK. In his
words, he “went to London to visit the Queen and some galleries such as
the British Museum, Tate Modern, and Brunei Gallery.” The best part of
his visit, however, was making friends with C.J., the three year-old
son of Ezeilo, and going to the cinemas to see the movie, ‘Prince of
Persia’. Omeke’s tour was not complete without a visit to the Nigeria
High Commission, and a meeting with the High Commissioner and the
Nigerian Ambassador to London.

A change of art

Victoria Omeke, who
had hitherto not supported her son’s art, remarked emphatically that
now she has “had a change of heart”. According to her, “John started
painting when he was very young. And I used to quarrel with him and ask
that he concentrate on his school work instead.” On the day of the
competition in Nsukka, Victoria was invited to the school but she
declined because she had other things to do. On hearing her refusal to
go with him for the event, John said to his mother, “The winner of the
competition is going to go to London. If you don’t go with me now, will
you want to go with me to London?”

Though Victoria did
not eventually accompany her son on the London trip, she was very proud
of his accomplishment and was full of thanks to the organisers and
facilitators of the programme. “I did not know that art can be a means
of livelihood. Now that I know my son can succeed in the arts, I will
support whatever decision he makes to pursue it professionally.”

And just as his
mother anticipates, John is determined to study Fine Art in university
and pursue the discipline professionally. He was greatly inspired by
Ben Enwonwu’s sculpture of the queen, which he saw in Buckingham
palace; and is hopeful that he would be able to produce works of such
brilliance in the future. When asked how he started painting, he said
simply “My father taught me.” His mother explained further, saying his
dad practised painting as a hobby but he never did it professionally,
which was why she did not think it could be a source of income.

Winning work

Austin Edoja
Peters, Head, Corporate Communications, Access Bank PLC, however,
seemed to have had an eye for discerning winning artworks, as before
John Omeke had been announced winner, he had chosen the
thirteen-year-old’s work as a cover for the ‘Mirror the Master’
brochure. According to him, Omeke’s work possessed “character,
precision and a maturity in execution.” Continuing, he said, “I also
thought the winning work should ‘mirror the master’ literally, and
seeing John’s detailed production of a masterpiece did it for me. The
judges’ decision only confirmed my opinions.”

In closing the
conference, Public Relations Consultant for Access Bank PLC, Prince
Obidike, revealed that 100 of the best paintings received during the
competition will be framed and distributed across the bank’s branches,
as a way of showing support and appreciation for the efforts of
Nigeria’s young generation of artists. He stressed that Access Bank PLC
will continue to partner with schools on the ‘Mirror the Master’
initiative in order to discover new, young talents nationwide and
beyond.

Before Omeke departed the conference, this reporter requested an
autograph from him; shyly, he penned his signature – the mark of a
‘Master’ in his own right.