THE NEXUS BETWEEN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM BENIN CITY AND THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM

“I hope there’s nothing wrong” she asked in concern from the other end of the line.

“Should there be?” I enquired in half bemusement as I silently pleaded with the female guide with my eyes for patience. 

Continuing, I responded, “Everything’s fine. I just decided it was high time I visited because it’s something I’ve been wanting to do”.

My sister let out a chuckle from the other end of the phone and went on to explain, 

“This one wey you dey visit there na im make me ask because I know say person no just dey wake up visit museum for Nigeria!”

Aha! Imagine that! A huge grin slowly enveloped my face as the realization of the cause of her question hit me.

“You know it’s the same thing I wondered” quipped the museum guide who must have gotten the gist of our conversation by the time I had exchanged pleasantries and hung up the phone. 

“Usually, most of our Nigerian visitors are those based outside the country, usually in the company of their children who are curious about their heritage”, she went on to add. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for belonging to what it seems is a league of extraordinary home-based Nigerians. (Insert smug face)!  

BENIN KINGDOM'S MOST SYMBOLIC TREASURE- The Queen Idia Mask

Idia Mask - British Museum
Source: Wikimedia

" Know whence you came, if you know from whence you came, there are absolute no limitations to where you can go"

This James Baldwin quote resonated deeply with me from when it was first encountered as it not only bolstered my pride in my rich Benin heritage, but it further strengthened an inner resolve to continually fan the embers of that heritage with special emphasis on its art and architecture. As children, we were deliberately exposed to various aspects of the Benin culture by our father in the form of related art and books. Till date, the Idia mask occupies pride of place in the living room of my childhood home.

There are so many aspects of the Benin heritage to celebrate notably its arts especially masterpieces such as the Benin bronzes and the Idia mask which has an interesting history surrounding its creation.

ARCHITECTURE AS A COUNTRY'S VERITABLE PR TOOL

Ghana Freedom Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennial

The seamless integration of architecture and art, soulmates as it were, ensured that Ghana’s entrance into the biggest event in the art world created a huge buzz. The Ghana Pavilion at their first outing at the Venice Biennial draws inspiration from the Gurunsi earth houses. The Gurunsi huts are renowned for their elaborate decorations with hand painted designs and murals. The Gurunsi tribe inhabit the northern region of Ghana as well the southern part of Burkina Faso. In Ghana, their estimated population is 976, 311 while in Burkina Faso, they are up to  1,000,0000.

HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS FROM YOUR UNMADE BED!!

'My Bed'

Hold it! Stop I said!! You may want to think twice before you make that bed of yours or tidy up your room! Yes you heard right. That unmade bed and untidy room can make you famous and make you very rich, and I am talking in millions of foreign currency here.  

You think I’m joking? Okay let's confirm from Tracey Emin, the British artist whose messy (dirty)bed/room installation sold for a record £ 2.5 million in 2015. The installation is currently on loan for public viewing for the next decade at the Tate Modern Museum, London.

FOOD ART AND WORLD JOLLOF RICE DAY!

One of my favourite channels on cable television - DSTV is the Food Network channel. I usually get teased endlessly about putting into practical use what I have learnt. You especially need to see my concentration and admiration when short segments are shown of the food artist Nathan Wyburn making portraits of Food Network’s celebrity chefs such as Siba, Bobby Flay and a host of others using everyday cooking ingredients.

So naturally, my excitement went through the roof when I came across the food art created by the multi-talented Nigerian blogger and creator of the Hijarbie (the hijab-wearing and fully clothed Barbie doll which was an Instagram sensation), Hanefaah Adam.

TOO CREATIVE TO EAT.

Brace yourself passengers on board! Up! Up! Up and Away!

Cakes are scrumptious treats to be devoured, right? Wrong! Certain cakes fall into the category of being too creative to eat. Call them works of art if you will. With the painstaking attention to details and life like resemblance to cartoon characters or creatures, it would seem a great injustice if these marvels 'disguised' as cakes were to serve their real purpose- for consumption! See if you agree.

3D-PRINTING AND THE FUTURE OF 'ASO-EBI'

It’s a Thursday evening in the year 2036. In Lagos, Ehiwenma has a society wedding to attend on Saturday. To be frank, she has thought of little else for several weeks now. Unless you lived under a rock somewhere in Mars, EVERYONE knew that “ain’t no party like a Lagos party”. Her major preoccupation is how to make a resounding fashion statement and make the occasion’s best dressed list. Her appearance in ‘AsoEbi Bella’ is already a foregone conclusion! Lagos babes certainly take no prisoners with their overall appearance at these functions. Some even do pass the bride sef!

An interesting angle to her grand fashion take-over-plan is that a key element, her dress, is not ready but she is not losing any bit of sleep over that. Smiling to herself she remembers a little over a decade ago when this would have been a prime ingredient for a major meltdown and high blood pressure to boot. Ah! Designers and tailors alike ‘showed her pepper’! But all that had been relegated to a very distant past.

Ehiwenma is in receipt of the digital file of the wedding fabric for guests (popularly known as Aso-ebi) which had been distributed to those who subscribed. She would use the design from House of Deola’s latest collection which, come to think of it, is reminiscent of their ‘Komole Kandids’ collection that was the entire rave in 2016. Fashion indeed does come full circle. Phew! Had that digital download cost a fortune or what? It was worth every single naira. As they say,“soup wey sweet, na money kill am”! According to her plans, printing of the aso-ebi outfit to her exact fit commences on Saturday evening. The embellishments to be attached to the bodice of the dress were printed a week earlier, same for the shoes and other accessories