Festival
By Taiye Baiyerohi
Lagos, May 28, 2018 (NAN) A renowned visual artist, Kolade Oshinowo, on Monday urged the Lagos State Government (LASG) to organise a biennial arts’ festival that would attract local and international tourists.
Oshinowo is a member of the Board of the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the biennial festival should be planned such that it could be included in the international calendar for cultural activities.
He said that it would give room for proper marketing and exhibition of Nigerian artists’ works as tourists and visitors from all over the world would be opportune to share ideas.
According to him, this will make the state to achieve its aim of being listed among the best five tourism hubs worldwide.
“It is quite necessary to take the arts industry to the next level by organising a Lagos Biennial, it can also be replicated in other states of the federation.
“ We need this festival to boost the state’s economy and minimise the rate at which tourists had been travelling to other countries and spend their monies to see there what we have in the country,” he said.
He said that Nigerian paintings, drawings, sculptures, textiles, beads, batik, tie-and-dye “adire’’ and all forms of crafts would be exhibited there as well as exhibitions from performing artists.
“It is just unfortunate that Nigerians take their monies to foreign countries thus helping them to develop their economies at our own detriment.
“We have intelligent and creative artists who can deliver art products capable of attracting local and foreign tourists,” he said.
Oshinowo said art festival had become a tradition in South Africa, Greece, Senegal, and the United States of America and in some other developed countries.
He said that most developed and developing countries had improved their economies by hosting art festivals and grooming the creative industry.
He said that other local festivals such as “Eyo’’ and “Ojude Oba’’ festivals should be modernised to allay such superstitious beliefs that they had some elements of fetish practices in them.
“Some Nigerians see some aspects of our culture as fetish but it is not true, it is only the negative effect of colonisation.
“When we see our culture as being fetish, what impression should foreigners have about our culture?” he said. (NAN)
PTB/PAD
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Edited by Peter Dada