concert on the night of the opening event.
Rare enough, this very special event was topped by a live painting action by Nigerian artist, Native Maqari who combines the traditions of mural-painting with comic and street art styles.
His roots in Yoruba music and Soul music can be considered a major influence on his sound. His shows are legendary for his distinctive guitar-playing styles and for playing his gigs most times with bare torso.
Performed by Sunday Israel Akpan, ARALAMO was inspired by the Black Heritage Festival, which brought together roots of African ancestral history and Africa’s traditional background.
It was dedicated to Etim Emmanuel, Virginia Okereku, Professor Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, one time vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos, victims of the last Dana Airline crash and to all who lost their lives at the different bomb blasts.
Caught in short and touching scenes, backed by pumping drum rhythms, Crown Troupe of Africa performs right in your face and brings up stories of personal responsibility and political engagement.
Jelili Atiku’s Porongodo was an intervention performance in public space that referenced the hysterical contents of human history and attempted to show memorials of sacrifice, pains, sufferings and callousness.
It set in motion the interaction of organic and inorganic matters through a construction of human abode and the presence of human body in the space. Here, bones stood as a metaphorical statement of destruction and degeneration.
It is noteworthy that Nigeria’s vibrant digital video film industry, also known as Nollywood, has been increasingly referenced with regards to making films about or from the African continent. The vibrant film stories, being told by Nollywood, embody the prevalent happenings that interface the Lagos landscape.
VAN Lagos remains proud to pioneer the exploration of video art both formally and conceptually in Nigeria.
