In Nigeria, the significance of local cultures has been undermined by the massive reception of Western trends. Local artisans and craftspeople are thus torn between the struggle to promote the country’s cultural identities and surviving on local gigs that are at risk of extinction, BABATUNDE TITILOLA reports
It was October 1, a public holiday. By 10 am, Nelly Idagba had finished caring for her two children. But it was not a time to rest. As the sun prepared to start the day, Idagba was also preparing for an event she had facilitated.
Living the life of a mother of two, a painter, and a civil servant, an average day for her is a struggle to balance all the different sides of her life.
Combining all these has not been easy but Idagba is not giving herself the choice of giving up on any of them.
“I cannot leave arts,” Idagba told Saturday PUNCH. “I was born with a passion for arts. As our people will say; Na follow come. Growing up, I used to explore and draw different things. Several times in secondary school, university, and even law school, I was chased out of the class because I was drawing while others were learning.”
The path Idagba took was not welcomed by her immediate family or her group of friends. More than a few times, she was the subject of discussions at home and in school. When she informed her parents that she wanted to find a career in drawing, they thought she had run mad.
“I was in primary school then. My father was very furious. He said I would never be an artist. He even fervently prayed against it. He said I was a vocal person so I should be a lawyer. I wanted him to be happy, so I agreed,” she said.
Despite being pressured to study law, Idagba never left drawing. That made matters worse for her academics.
“The decision to study law always conflicted with who I really wanted to be. I struggled to manage it. Everything I did was very weird in the eyes of people close to me. They did not understand why I was studying law and drawing,” the lawyer narrated.
In 2010, after she completed her law school program, she decided to focus on building her skills in art. She believed she had satisfied her family and friends by studying law, and was ready to pursue her own happiness.
“African woman eyes are the window of the soul”
At first, the Abuja-based lawyer did not understand how the art market worked. With no support from her relatives, Idagba decided to prove everyone wrong all by herself.
She said, “I used to move around doing it for free for people. I would ask people if they wanted my drawing for free. I discovered that people really loved what I drew for them. Sometimes, when I did it, some would want to appreciate me financially.
“It was not about the money at first. I just wanted to do something I passionately love. But when some started appreciating me financially, I discovered that there is a business side to it. I started monetising it and that was when families and friends decided to join me in this journey too.”
Her paintings focuse on the identity of the African woman – a theme, judged by her experience as an African girl-child. According to Idagba, every tiny detail like the hair, tree, and others in her art identifies with African culture.
“Another detail I love in my paintings is the eyes. I believe the eyes are the window of the soul. I feel like women suppressed their emotions in Africa but you can always see these feelings through the eyes. If they are sad, excited, anxious, or caring, you will see it in their eyes.
“I try to pass a message of a resilient African traditional woman. You can see that irrespective of whatever it is; an African woman is beautiful, cultured, and bold,” she said.
Idagba is, however, faced with different challenges – as a mother and also as an artisan.
“I cannot explain how I manage mother’s duties with painting. But I always find a way because it is what I am passionate about. When the ‘spirit’ catches me, I find a way to push everything else aside, and the children understand.
“When they see me by the corner of my workplace, nobody comes to disturb me. Sometimes, I work when they are in school, sleeping, or anytime when I feel the urge. It (inspiration) has its time, and when it comes, I maximise it. And when it leaves, I look out for other things to do,” the mother of two said.
Beyond her personal life, Idagba fears art is not enough to sustain a family in Nigeria.
“My challenge is the excruciating struggle of sustaining myself in art. One has to do other side jobs to make ends meet. Art is not as recognised as it should be. There is a poor notice of arts identifying with our cultures. The only art that manages to thrive a bit is music.”
According to her, genres like pottery, weaving, painting and others are not recognised, unlike in developed countries where they prioritise art galleries.
“Artists are not being supported to explore. Art brings things to life. Nigerians and Africans are cultural people. But if you go for exhibitions in Nigeria, they treat artists like beggars,” she said, reflecting her disappointment.
Idagba is not the only Nigerian racing against modernisation to keep Nigeria’s cultural identities alive. There are many embracing arts like pottery, tie-and-dye, weaving, and local music.
Saturday PUNCH spoke with a number of people who abandoned careers in corporate practice to embrace local arts. Most of them chose to pursue their passion. But along the line, they were faced with the burden of surviving and sustaining the cultural identities associated with their crafts.
They reported low patronage, unappreciated efforts, and abandonment from the government and Nigeria’s Westernised societies. They expressed concerns about not being able to promote their cultural identities, leaving them no choice but to seek side jobs to survive.
Despite its challenges, local arts offer many Nigerians an escape route to satisfy their passion.
Untapped territory
According to its 2021 publication, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation said culture and creativity have untapped potential to deliver social, economic, and spatial benefits for cities and communities.
“Cultural and creative industries are key drivers of the creative economy and represent important sources of employment, economic growth, and innovation, thus contributing to city competitiveness and sustainability.
“Through their contribution to urban regeneration and sustainable urban development, cultural and creative industries make cities more attractive places for people to live in and for economic activity to develop,” the report stated.
UNESCO further said culture and creativity also contribute to social cohesion at the neighbourhood level by enabling creative networks to form and advance innovation and growth and creating opportunities for those often socially and economically excluded.
There is no accurate data on the number of Nigerians in arts. Findings, however, showed that they make up a very small part of the population. Many of them struggle to keep up with modern trends that have been making people turn away from local cultures.
A life of tie-dye
COVID-19 pandemic struck during Ifeoluwa Ojo’s national youth service in 2020. As a graduate of Dramatic Arts, the lockdown did not allow her to seek acting opportunities. Worried, she began to search online for remote jobs. That was when she discovered her likeness for dyed local fabrics.
“I saw beautiful Adire designs and decided to learn how to make them myself. That was how my journey started,” Ojo told Saturday PUNCH.
According to her, Adire represents creativity, ingenuity, and cultural identity, with potential job opportunities for many.
“However, the biggest threat to Adire is the mass production of cheap, bad-quality printed versions without credit, compensation, or recognition of their creators.
“The society does not project local cultures and traditional things in a very good way. They see them as uncivilised and even forbidden.”
Ojo faced different challenges at the beginning of her journey. Apart from finding original materials in the market, investing in a dwindling profession was a big concern. But after she tested the waters, there was no going back. She had invested her life in the newly-found passion.
“Adire Batik is an integral part of my identity,” she said. “I proudly wear it often, and that has inspired my community and online followers. My passion has impacted others and sparked interest in this beautiful fashion form.”
Merging cultures for survival
Ojo knew pitching her works against modern trends would be a risky thing to do. Instead, she found a balance between two different cultures while also maintaining the essence of her craft.
“Designs like Olókun, Ìbàdàn Dùn, Orimipe, and the likes are special patterns from the 20th century that inspire me. I reimagine these indigenous patterns into modern, stylish clothes.
“I merge them with other Nigerian fabrics like Ofi, as well as foreign materials like jeans, crepe, and punto. I push boundaries to showcase the versatility and timelessness of Adire fashion. But the biggest challenge is the mindset that Adire remains a traditional craft.
“There are many messages I communicate with my art pieces but the most profound one is that African Art is neither primitive nor obsolete. It is a creative fashion that everyone should be proud to associate with,” the artist explained with enthusiasm.
The Osun State indigene said every piece she creates has a story to tell. From the fabrics she selects to her colour palette, there is a deliberate attempt to blend local heritage with current trends.
Fear of extinction
Despite passion being a major drive for local craftsmanship, findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that artisans are faced with the daily fear that their craft is living on borrowed time.
This fear, according to many, often suppresses their creativity. Some go as far as splitting their time and resources between local crafts and other jobs to sustain themselves. A few who devote most of their lives to local arts are left battling with sustenance and recognition.
Ojo has her fear and is not new to all of these realities. She said, “I’ve witnessed its devastating impact, so we urgently need a solution to protect artisans and preserve originality. If unchecked, this problem may spell the end of high quality native Adire production and can completely erase our cultural identities and potential economic values.”
Like Ojo, another artist who feared that local arts might soon be history is Femi Ajayi.
At the age of seven, Ajayi had been exposed to a record player. Every morning around when the cock crowed, his father would play highlife and folklore songs. By 16, he already knew he was called to be an artist and could list several local artists who later became his mentors.
“The artistic influence has to do with what I grew up listening to. I used to listen to many genres but the choice of concentration was folklore and highlife. For instance, Victor Olaiya, Orlando Owo, Ambrose Campbell, Beautiful Nubia, Lagbaja, Blackman Kareem are all my mentors.”
By 2009, Ajayi started stage performances. But there was a challenge.
“It can be very slow when there is not much resources and support,” he said.
He believed highlife and folklore would exist no matter how unpopular modernity makes them and noted that traditional music has a way of bringing people together as one big community. With this belief, he tried to include different Yoruba communal concepts in his shows.
He said, “Whenever we host performances, we try to incorporate other cultural identities. We will have vendors on one side marketing their local fabrics like Adire. Palm wine sellers too are present. Local games are also brought to make the show a memorable and unified one. Of course, this has an economic advantage too.
“The recognition is growing but not as fast as it should. There should be larger communities. It would make so much sense if the government came on board. It can be a source of income for the government while also fostering our cultural identities.”
Okun, a local piano at Wole Soyinka Arts Theatre
Sometime in 2010, Ajayi visited the Department of African Studies at the University of Ibadan. He stumbled on an article about how a composer who lived in the 1970s built many of the musical instruments he used. This inspired Ajayi to build his own instrument.
“I started working on a set of seven tonal small drums that could be tuned to a desired sound,” the folklore singer told Saturday PUNCH.
On October 30, 2011, the instrument was launched during a music rendition. But Ajayi said the size of the instrument did not impress him, leading to its destruction.
Okun, a local piano
He said, “My friends called it the coffin of Adelabu. I decided to dissemble it and come up with a smaller and possibly, handy version. For years, I lost the motivation to do anything about it until 2022 when I finally had the drive.”
The final piece was exhibited on December 11, 2022, at the Wole Soyinka Arts Theatre – a breakthrough for Ajayi and all local artists.
“Okun means sea in Yoruba language. I named the instrument after all the troubles I went through to build it. I believe as infinite as the sea is, so is knowledge. I hope this device comes in handy for stage performers across the globe,” Ajayi said.
“Politicians, religious leaders at fault”
An art critic, Kehinde Oluwole, said the abandonment of cultural arts is not new. He explained that the concept called ‘Neo-Stigma’ existed before the formation of Nigeria, adding that it was the deliberate elimination of cultural elements perceived as a threat by those who reject the cultural space.
“These individuals are often religious leaders and politicians,” he said. “This trend poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s cultural art and practices. Nigeria is a continually evolving society due to its cultural diversity, and the assimilation of modern cultural elements inevitably influences our indigenous art practices.”
Oluwole noted that traditional artisans are increasingly incorporating foreign symbols and iconography into their creations, leading to a shift in what is considered traditional artwork. This, he said, has led to Nigeria’s struggles to communicate and appeal to a broader global audience.
“Embracing our indigenous culture is crucial, even amid religious shifts towards Christianity and Islam. Not holding a biased mindset towards indigenous practices will help us build the nation we all desire. For example, we admire the advancements of China and Dubai in business and tourism, but we must remember that they would not be recognised if they didn’t uphold their cultural heritage,” he added.
According to Oluwole, the government, especially the Ministry of Education, must reintroduce subjects focused on arts, culture, and history into secondary school curricula to serve as the foundational building blocks of a child’s education.
“Understanding these subjects can combat ethnic biases, which have long hindered national progress. If taken seriously, these steps will help raise future leaders who will promote, protect, and preserve our culture amidst modernisation.
“For instance, the movie, Black Panther, offers a vision of what an African state could be. The panther itself is a totemic figure among the Yoruba of Nigeria and Benin. Our history, art, and culture are rich with creative potential that can inspire advancements in art, science, technology, and governance if only we turn away from limiting modern ideologies and look inward,” he explained.
A public policy analyst, Dr Anthony Amedu, also agreed that the government should be blamed for the decadence in the country’s cultural values.
Amedu said, “We can put most blame on globalisation which has led to cultural homogenisation. We now see the Western culture influencing our own culture. But to some extent, the government should be blamed too. If the government had taken certain steps, maybe things may have improved.
“Look at what we wear, the accessories, and other things we use. There is the idea that Nigeria-made products are not good enough. In many cases, some products produced in Nigeria are renamed as though they were produced outside the country to sell. People see our local products as inferior.”
The analyst believed it would be impossible to eradicate Western cultures and stated that Nigeria’s cultures could co-exist with external trends.
“Our music industry is a perfect example. Our music has put Nigeria on the global scene culturally. If that can be achieved in music, it is also possible in other genres,” Amedu said.
Asked if there is a way out for Nigeria’s cultural identities amid Western influence, Amedu said the National Orientation Agency should play a crucial role in that aspect.
He explained that when people understand the significance of promoting their cultures and how it would benefit the country, they would passionately do it.
“There should first be deeper sensitisation. Our orientation about Nigeria is quite poor. And this should be one of the duties of the National Orientation Agency. They seem not to be working. There is a need for serious enlightenment, especially about our cultural identities.
“Also, Nigerians need to patronise local crafts. And I believe sensitisation will achieve that. Many Nigerians try to maintain their cultural identities by retaining their local names but there is a need for more orientation,” he added.
