Nigeria has a long tradition of art and cultural heritage. It is renowned for its fine sculptures in stone, wood, and bronze, as well as in leather and metal works, weaving, and pottery, each with unique traditional techniques, styles, forms, and aesthetics.
Despite its great artistic achievements in the past, there was a sharp decline in production during the colonial era. This was largely due to the impact of missionaries, who branded all indigenous arts as part of heathen and primitive cultures, which they aimed to destroy. They not only destroyed sculptures used in traditional religious rituals but also suppressed ceremonies labelled as ‘fetish.’ Consequently, colonialists and their alien religion made attempts to stultify local arts and effectively annihilate the survival of indigenous religions.
However, sacred sculptures of Nok, Igbo-Ukwu, Ife, and Benin are remnants of precolonial Nigerian art crafts that survived the influence of foreign missionaries. Today, Nigerian art and craft have been influenced by both traditional and Western techniques. Contemporary Nigerian artists, aided by Western art styles, have been able to blend these influences into traditional art forms, resulting in unique and innovative styles.
A Change in Traditional Art in the 20th Century
In contemporary Nigerian art, there has been a notable emergence of creative works influenced by Western forms. Traditional forms are now modified to incorporate modern motifs. For example, cement is extensively used in relief decorations in hotel buildings, mosques, etc.
Ladi Kwali, a local potter from Abuja, employed somewhat modern techniques using wood-fired kilns. Calabash decorators and leather designers now use a mixture of local and modern motifs, such as ornately carved Oyo calabashes featuring geometric and zoomorphic patterns.
In the North, mural paintings of lorries, aeroplanes, cars, bikes, etc., are common.
The Western Influence
Although Western education began as early as the 1840s in Nigeria, art was not initially taught in schools. The introduction of art into the Nigerian school curriculum was a result of the efforts of Chief Aina Onabolu, the first Nigerian contemporary artist. Trained in drawing, painting, and design in England and France (1920-2), Onabolu believed that he could emulate Europeans in the realm of fine art.
Onabolu played a crucial role in inviting many expatriate art teachers to Nigeria’s institutions of learning. As a result, a generation of Nigerian artists, including Ibrahim Uthman, C. C. Ibeto, D. L. K. Nnachy, J. D. Akeredolu, Udo Ema, Akinloloa Lasekan, Esto Ugbadaga-Ngu, Ben Enwonwu, Erbober Emokpae, Tayo Aiyegbusi, and Festus Idehen, received training. Similarly, modern artists who graduated from the former Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, later known as A.B.U. Zaria, were influenced by Western styles.
Encouragement of Workshops
In Nigeria, some individuals have been encouraged to work in workshops despite lacking formal education. One such ‘workshop school’ is located in Oshogbo, Western Nigeria. These artists have been inspired by the work of both Western-trained artists and Nigerian artists. Their intuitive art, heavily influenced by the works of expatriates like Suzanne Wenger and Georgina Beier, commands wide international fame and markets.
Self-Taught Artists
Another group of artists in Nigeria are self-taught, developing their talents through personal interests and efforts. They often paint objects in their local surroundings, adapting their motifs to modern forms.
Musa Yola, for example, is known for his quick and energetic wall paintings around Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano, depicting local life with great impudence and using vibrant colours.
Extract from the archives of Chief Akpallah Okenyodo’s research on art history.
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