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Honour for art ambassadors at ‘Connecting Lagos’

By Ijeoma Thoma-Odia
31 December 2017   |   2:04 am
It was an evening of awards, dancing, wining and dining as art enthusiasts, collectors and guests gathered at the Nike Art Gallery to celebrate the impact of arts, culture and music on the growth of Lagos.

Honorary Consul of Belgium, Lagos, Chief Mrs. Paulete Vantrier (left); Founder, Nike Arts Gallery, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Davies Okundaye; Chairman, GAC Motors, Chief Diana Chan; Convener, Our Lagos, Your Lagos and Executive Director, Connecting Lagos, Aregbe Idris, and President, Female Artist Association of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Ngozi Akande, at the event… in Lagos

It was an evening of awards, dancing, wining and dining as art enthusiasts, collectors and guests gathered at the Nike Art Gallery to celebrate the impact of arts, culture and music on the growth of Lagos. With the theme, ‘Our Lagos, Your Lagos (OLYL),’ the event had 15 illustrious art collectors honoured for their appreciation of arts and contribution to the growth of Lagos.

According to the conveyer of OLYL and Executive Director of Connecting Lagos, Aregbe Idris, “This is about unity and prosperity; we believe Lagos belongs to everybody in as much as you want to add to the progress of Lagos, if you have true passion for Lagos, you’ve got the zeal to make Lagos work. This is a state that accommodates everyone and with this in mind, we came up with the concept, OLYL, which is targeted at connecting Lagos to the world. We are looking at connecting Lagos through arts, culture, tourism, and investments among other sectors. This is about connecting people, generations and possibilities to move us all forward.”

Aregbe added that the event, which is beyond the awards, would raise ambassadors and people, who believe in connecting Lagos.Founder of Nike Art Gallery, Mrs. Nike Okundaye said, “We are connecting Lagos with culture. The cultures in Nigeria are huge and so we have decided to celebrate and promote Lagos culture. There are numerous festivals in Lagos; we have the fishing festival, Badagry coconut, Olokun and Egungun festivals among so many others. We want young people to connect to their culture so they don’t loose it. We want our children to always relate to tradition by spoken words and activities around them.”

Deputy director, National Council for Arts and Culture, Abuja, and president female artists association of Nigeria (FEAAN), Mrs. Ngozi Akande, stressed that the project initiated by the Lagos State Government is in appreciation of those who have contributed to the development and sustainability of arts in Nigeria.

She noted, “I have been practicing arts for over three decades and I can say that over the years, arts has become very vibrant and enterprising. All over the world, Nigerian arts is selling hot.”

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