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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Check out my photos on Facebook
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Welcome to the world of DADA
Hello, have you heard about or received emails from the Dream Arts & Design Agency before? Or is this the first time we’re bumping into you? Well, we thought we would start the New Year by letting our friends know a bit more about what we are all about. Hope you had a splendid Christmas, despite the global credit crunch and our own home grown problems, we reckon 2009 will not deny us our fair share of fun, so we are happy to welcome you into the new year and to let you in on what we’re all about and what we’ve got up our sleeves.
About Dream Arts & Design Agency
Dream Arts & Design Agency is a creative enterprise registered to transact business in film, publishing and other related media and to promote research and development in design and the arts. Registered in Nigeria as Design and Dream Arts Enterprises, and conceived to advance creative production along innovative lines, the company also seeks to bring more Nigerian artists and designers and their works to global reckoning, and to encourage productive exchange between the creative industries in different parts of the world.
Dream Arts & Design Agency offers products and services in Architecture, Set Design, Computer Graphics, Animation, Film, Marketing Communications and Book Publishing through its different divisions, a bit of a mouthful, yes, but there’s nothing better than a creative balanced diet don’t you agree?
The acronym DADA offers a slight nod at the 20th century avant-garde artistic and literary movement of the same name as a mark of the Dream Arts & Design Agency's mandate to push the creative frontiers while democratizing arts and design as viable components of popular culture.
Dream Arts & Design Agency is inspired by and operates out of cosmopolitan Lagos- the economic and cultural capital of Nigeria, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our first project for the year was in February 2008 with set designs for two concert scenes in the Tunde Kelani Film- Arugba for Mainframe Productions.
We started off our flagship magazine: Design Pages in September 2008 and followed up soon after with our book publishing imprint- DADA books. (Read more below).
Many would have encountered us first through our email updates and notifications on events and shows by the Crown Troupe of Africa. Our customized marketing communications campaign for this unique dance theatre company continues into 2009 with more jaw-dropping productions and the release of an exciting album that has been fermenting quietly behind the scenes.
The Design Sleuth on the prowl
Dream Arts & Agency was happy to have its Creative Director: Ayodele Arigbabu otherwise known as the Design Sleuth snoop around the Cape Town scene between April and June, picking up some clues on the animation hotbed Cape Town has grown into, tapping into the Cape Town Book fair and even creating his own yet unnamed character who most observers love to hate!
Berlin proved another pleasurable pit-stop in November with several architectural ‘greats’ to investigate, especially the Design Sleuth’s personal favourite: the House of World Cultures (formerly Kongresshalle) which hosted the workshop he was invited to facilitate.
Lagos on my mind
November was a particularly exciting month as we successfully initiated and ran our street art project- Lagos on my mind in partnership with the British Council and African Artists’ Foundation and support from the Committee For Relevant Art (CORA), Children And The Environment (CATE) and Revolution Media and facilitated by Karo Akpokiere and Chukwuma Ngene of The SeekProject, the hands-on workshop dovetailed into the 10th Lagos Book & Art Festival / 4th Lagos Comics &Cartoons Carnival between the 7th and 9th of November. The project involved a workshop on graffiti / mural painting for young people on the theme: ‘Lagos on My Mind’ and took the participants on a wall painting spree through four different cultural institutions in Lagos alongside seminars on pop-culture and art as bona fide vehicles for youthful expression. An exciting title sound track was produced of the same title and a short film to document the effort is still in the works.
Initial plans to bring in Cape Town based Faith47 and Manchester based Dreph had to be put on hold till 2009 due to sponsorship limitations.
DesignPages is a specialized magazine with a primary focus on the design scene in Nigeria, however global trends will be featured to make for a robust offering.
DesignPages is conceived to harness the creative energies of Africa’s most populous nation and divert global attention in its direction, first by identifying / stimulating a local design culture and exporting same. DesignPages seeks to be a rallying point for the widely dispersed design practitioners within Nigeria and in the Diaspora, engaging their works in a qualitative fashion and documenting their own commentary on how their works sit within global trends. The maiden edition of DesignPages was published in October 2008 and has fast gone out of stock. A sequel is in the works.
We have anticipated and celebrated the arrival of Farafina’s publication of this tome- The Architecture of Demas Nwoko by John Godwin and Gillian Hopwood, which we believe is an essential contribution to the discussion of design in Nigeria and we are thus partnering with Farafina in its marketing and distribution through different platforms available to us. Interested in The Architecture of Demas Nwoko? Drop us a line or give us a call and let’s talk.
DADA books is the publishing arm of the Dream Arts & Design Agency (operating as Design And Dream Arts Enterprises) with keen interests in breaking fresh talent on the scene and generating titles that will appeal to popular culture and build a large following.
The imprint is proud to present its first two authors: Jumoke Verissimo and Onyeka Nwelue whose first books- I am memory and The Abyssinian Boy (both published by DADA books) have been well anticipated and are enjoying an impressive following. Find out more about the authors and their books below:
Jumoke Verissimo
Some would know Jumoke for her engaging poetry deliveries at different literary events over the past decade, others will know her more for interviewing a growing list of writers for the Guardian since 2006. What most won’t know is that at age 7, her class teacher wrote on her mid-term report sheet, "Jumoke loves to write".
While that was just a teacher's observation, it is one revelation that has remained true. A 2004 graduate of the English Department at the Lagos State University, her love for words, have never taken her far from that revelation. She has worked as a printer's clerk, assistant sub-editor, editor, performance poet, and journalist. Now, working as a copywriter, she maintains a page in the Guardian Newspaper. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several magazines like Chimurenga, Bathtub Gin, Canopic Jar, Eclectica, Sentinel, African writing-online, Boyne Berries, Farafina, Kwani and several anthologies. ‘I am memory’ is her first book.
Links:
http://eyinjuodu.blogspot.com/2008/11/jumoke-verissimo-her-sweet-fart-at.html
http://www.african-writing.com/four/olajumokeverissimo.htm
www.canopicjar.com/Canopic18/j_verissimo.html
http://onyekanwelue.blogspot.com/2008/11/interview-with-jumoke-verissimo.html
Out Now from DADA books! http://www.booksng.com/search.asp?Searchfor=jumoke+verissimo&Searchcriteria=BkAuthor&Submit=Go+%21
Blurbs for I am memory
“Whether confronted on the page, or at your seat in a room where Jumoke is in one of her spellbinding performances, these poems are unrelentingly lively and lyrical. Hold them in your hands, in your heart, and let them be what she has created them to be: brilliant torchlight to guide you across previously unlit landscapes of memory, of murdered dreams, of desire, of guilt and of loss; territories from which you will not emerge untouched”
- Tolu Ogunlesi (Author, Listen to the Geckos Singing from a Balcony)
“I am Memory is a long awaited witty and courageous work that tackles both the bitter past and contemporary uncertainties head on. Its quality is both as nostalgic as a yam, and as refreshing as a kola nut.”
- Niq Mhlongo (Author, Dog eat Dog and After Tears)
“Jumoke Verissimo’s poetic voice is imbued with a consciousness of African history and an awareness of the socio-economic realities of modern Nigeria with its legacy of colonial plunder, its pathetic attempts at self-governance and the brutality of its military dictatorships. she balances the despair she sees all around her with a degree of stubborn hope and an enchanting lyricism which echoes the style of oral African poetry.”
- Funso Aiyejina (Critic, Poet and Professor of Comparative Literature)
“Confident, passionate, sensual...a gripping collection...a powerful debut. I was hooked from the first page to the last."
- Biyi Bandele (Author, Burma Boy)
“In this her first collection of poems, Jumoke Verissimo, remakes language beyond mere lyricism to uncover the roots of pain and the passion that will heal it. She addresses communal hurt as a personal fate that awaits an assured balm….This poet will travel."
- Odia Ofeimun (Poet and critic, author The Poet Lied)
Onyeka Nwelue
Born in 1988 in Nigeria, Onyeka Nwelue travelled extensively to Asia, particularly to India after graduating from High School. He has received a grant from the Institute for Research on African Women, Children and Culture (IRAWCC) and is a contributing reviewer of Farafina magazine. In 2004, he was described in the Guardian as a 'teenager with a steaming pen'. His writings have appeared in The Sun, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Kafla Inter-Continental and the Guardian. He's presently a student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Though The Abyssinian Boy is his first novel, Onyeka has already made a name for himself, particularly on the internet through his blog (www.onyekanwelue.blogspot.com) and other websites where he has posted his interviews with writers from different parts of the world. Now taking his time to work through his second novel while savouring the history surrounding the idyllic Nsukka campus, Onyeka will travel again in 2009 to attend different literary festivals around the world and to promote his first novel.
Links:
http://worldinurpocket.com/?p=163#comments
http://www.nathanielturner.com/onyekanweluetheabyssinianboy.htm
http://onyekanwelue.blogspot.com/2008/12/wedding-of-medina.html
Out Now from DADA books!
Blurbs for The Abyssinian Boy
"Unique style... very interesting imagery"
-Clare Dudman, author of Edge of Danger and Wegener's Jigsaw
" A young writer with immense imagination and vision... an authentic narrative that will grip the reader. He has not only dared to dream, but also focused inexorably on the complexities of modern family and its history in an uncompromising, fast changing world"
- Uche Peter Umez, author of Sam and the Wallet
"Onyeka has written an ambitious novel which blurs not only geographical lines but other lines too. It reminds us (or ought to) that what unites us, our humanity, is much more than those that seek to divide us"
-Chika Unigwe, author of The Phoenix
"The Abyssinian Boy not only treats a universal theme; even the characterisation of the novel is universal. Excellent!"
-Lanre Ari'Ajia, author of Women at Crossroads
"Onyeka Nwelue is an interesting new voice. For one so young, he shows rare insights into the lives and sensibilities of people faced with racial intergration; a concern as relevant today as ever before"
- Jude Dibia, author of Walking with Shadows and Unbridled
The characters in Mr. Nwelue’s delightful world move between concepts and continents with a gentle humor, compassion and sensibility that will readily appeal to all citizens of the global village at large.
- Arun Krishnan, author, The Loudest Firecracker
Get your DADA books now!
DADA books are available through www.booksng.com, at TerraKulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island Lagos and at 1st Floor, 95 Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos.
For more information, please call: 01-7451990 or mail: dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
Coming soon from DADA books!
A fistful of tales by Ayodele Arigbabu
Ayo’s muscular, playful language is assured, versatile, and stuffed to the gills with energy and joie-de-vivre....his subjects and voices range over a wide field – but never lose their grip, or their power to entertain.
A Fistful of Tales is a small collection but it packs a mighty punch. Ayodele Arigbabu is a writer to watch.
- Liz Jensen (author, The Paper Eater).
Thanks for your time and for quietly enduring our creative exuberance thus far, what to expect from the Dream Arts & Design Agency in 2009? Well, while not trying to limit ourselves, we will publish more titles through DADA books, crank up our interrogation of the design space through DesignPages, keep you informed on the Crown Troupe of Africa, engage in more design adventures through architecture and production design and we shall establish a web portal to streamline our marketing communications efforts for our activities and those of our partners on a unique platform, and to augment our blog (www.designpages.blogspot.com). We will also be cranking up the film department with a couple of crazy short films…do stay tuned!
Special thanks go to our partners and supporters and associates, especially in the past year, who sometimes without knowing have added to our momentum:
Ojoma Ochai + Olamipo Bello / British Council
Segun Adefila / Crown Troupe of Africa
Committee For Relevant Art (CORA)
Sola Alamutu / Children And The Environment (CATE)
Toni Kan / Visafone
Mr. Taiwo Odutola / Fitting Finishes
Toyin Akinosho / Africa Oil & Gas Report
Mr. Greg Bolujo / Caleb Prints & Packaging
Ayoola Sadare / Studio 868
Sewedo Nupowaku / Revolution Media
Inner Core Publishing
Azu Nwagbogu / African Artists’ Foundation
Manali Shah + Nike Fagade / Give Network
Jumoke Verissimo
James George
Aderemi Adegbite
Onyeka Nwelue
Fitzgerald Umah
Jahman Anikulapo / The Guardian Life
Honourable Sam C. Nwelue
Jude Dibia
Deji Toye /
Muhthar Bakare / Farafina
Tunde Kelani / Mainframe Productions
Yohanna Bako
Agatha Osewa
Femi Olowoyeye / Quest Global
Prof. Arigbabu / Salas Group
Deji Bamidele / Image Studios / Animation for Africa
Aibe Elukpo
Kyra Lee Steyn
Theo Lawson + Yemi Odeinde / The Lawson + Odeinde Partnership
Kunle Siwoku
Ayodeji Arigbabu
Tokunbo Esho / Laminated Calendars Ltd.
Constanze Fischbeck & Daniel Kotter
Peter Winkels + Carolin Berendts / The House of World Cultures
The SeekProject
David Orimolade
Boma Nnaji
Jummai Ekele
Alexander Akaahs
Debola Omololu / Debonair Book Company
Particular thanks go to our special volunteers who made things happen in many ways:
Yinka Coker, Nike Fagade and Fola Kareem.
And Thanks to Shylle Shonoiki / Extreme Creations Media for the wizardry that has made this newsletter fly and will make the web portal explode in a few weeks time…
Till then, ta-da! And do have the best of 2009…keep it DADA!
Contact DADA:
Satellite Station: 1st floor, 95 Bode Thomas Street,
Surulere, Lagos.
Telephone: 234-1-7451990
Mobile: 234-8033000-499
email: dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
blog: www.designpages.blogspot.com
About Dream Arts & Design Agency
Dream Arts & Design Agency is a creative enterprise registered to transact business in film, publishing and other related media and to promote research and development in design and the arts. Registered in Nigeria as Design and Dream Arts Enterprises, and conceived to advance creative production along innovative lines, the company also seeks to bring more Nigerian artists and designers and their works to global reckoning, and to encourage productive exchange between the creative industries in different parts of the world.
Dream Arts & Design Agency offers products and services in Architecture, Set Design, Computer Graphics, Animation, Film, Marketing Communications and Book Publishing through its different divisions, a bit of a mouthful, yes, but there’s nothing better than a creative balanced diet don’t you agree?
The acronym DADA offers a slight nod at the 20th century avant-garde artistic and literary movement of the same name as a mark of the Dream Arts & Design Agency's mandate to push the creative frontiers while democratizing arts and design as viable components of popular culture.
Dream Arts & Design Agency is inspired by and operates out of cosmopolitan Lagos- the economic and cultural capital of Nigeria, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our first project for the year was in February 2008 with set designs for two concert scenes in the Tunde Kelani Film- Arugba for Mainframe Productions.
We started off our flagship magazine: Design Pages in September 2008 and followed up soon after with our book publishing imprint- DADA books. (Read more below).
Many would have encountered us first through our email updates and notifications on events and shows by the Crown Troupe of Africa. Our customized marketing communications campaign for this unique dance theatre company continues into 2009 with more jaw-dropping productions and the release of an exciting album that has been fermenting quietly behind the scenes.
The Design Sleuth on the prowl
Dream Arts & Agency was happy to have its Creative Director: Ayodele Arigbabu otherwise known as the Design Sleuth snoop around the Cape Town scene between April and June, picking up some clues on the animation hotbed Cape Town has grown into, tapping into the Cape Town Book fair and even creating his own yet unnamed character who most observers love to hate!
Berlin proved another pleasurable pit-stop in November with several architectural ‘greats’ to investigate, especially the Design Sleuth’s personal favourite: the House of World Cultures (formerly Kongresshalle) which hosted the workshop he was invited to facilitate.
Lagos on my mind
November was a particularly exciting month as we successfully initiated and ran our street art project- Lagos on my mind in partnership with the British Council and African Artists’ Foundation and support from the Committee For Relevant Art (CORA), Children And The Environment (CATE) and Revolution Media and facilitated by Karo Akpokiere and Chukwuma Ngene of The SeekProject, the hands-on workshop dovetailed into the 10th Lagos Book & Art Festival / 4th Lagos Comics &Cartoons Carnival between the 7th and 9th of November. The project involved a workshop on graffiti / mural painting for young people on the theme: ‘Lagos on My Mind’ and took the participants on a wall painting spree through four different cultural institutions in Lagos alongside seminars on pop-culture and art as bona fide vehicles for youthful expression. An exciting title sound track was produced of the same title and a short film to document the effort is still in the works.
Initial plans to bring in Cape Town based Faith47 and Manchester based Dreph had to be put on hold till 2009 due to sponsorship limitations.
DesignPages is a specialized magazine with a primary focus on the design scene in Nigeria, however global trends will be featured to make for a robust offering.
DesignPages is conceived to harness the creative energies of Africa’s most populous nation and divert global attention in its direction, first by identifying / stimulating a local design culture and exporting same. DesignPages seeks to be a rallying point for the widely dispersed design practitioners within Nigeria and in the Diaspora, engaging their works in a qualitative fashion and documenting their own commentary on how their works sit within global trends. The maiden edition of DesignPages was published in October 2008 and has fast gone out of stock. A sequel is in the works.
We have anticipated and celebrated the arrival of Farafina’s publication of this tome- The Architecture of Demas Nwoko by John Godwin and Gillian Hopwood, which we believe is an essential contribution to the discussion of design in Nigeria and we are thus partnering with Farafina in its marketing and distribution through different platforms available to us. Interested in The Architecture of Demas Nwoko? Drop us a line or give us a call and let’s talk.
DADA books is the publishing arm of the Dream Arts & Design Agency (operating as Design And Dream Arts Enterprises) with keen interests in breaking fresh talent on the scene and generating titles that will appeal to popular culture and build a large following.
The imprint is proud to present its first two authors: Jumoke Verissimo and Onyeka Nwelue whose first books- I am memory and The Abyssinian Boy (both published by DADA books) have been well anticipated and are enjoying an impressive following. Find out more about the authors and their books below:
Jumoke Verissimo
Some would know Jumoke for her engaging poetry deliveries at different literary events over the past decade, others will know her more for interviewing a growing list of writers for the Guardian since 2006. What most won’t know is that at age 7, her class teacher wrote on her mid-term report sheet, "Jumoke loves to write".
While that was just a teacher's observation, it is one revelation that has remained true. A 2004 graduate of the English Department at the Lagos State University, her love for words, have never taken her far from that revelation. She has worked as a printer's clerk, assistant sub-editor, editor, performance poet, and journalist. Now, working as a copywriter, she maintains a page in the Guardian Newspaper. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several magazines like Chimurenga, Bathtub Gin, Canopic Jar, Eclectica, Sentinel, African writing-online, Boyne Berries, Farafina, Kwani and several anthologies. ‘I am memory’ is her first book.
Links:
http://eyinjuodu.blogspot.com/2008/11/jumoke-verissimo-her-sweet-fart-at.html
http://www.african-writing.com/four/olajumokeverissimo.htm
www.canopicjar.com/Canopic18/j_verissimo.html
http://onyekanwelue.blogspot.com/2008/11/interview-with-jumoke-verissimo.html
Out Now from DADA books! http://www.booksng.com/search.asp?Searchfor=jumoke+verissimo&Searchcriteria=BkAuthor&Submit=Go+%21
Blurbs for I am memory
“Whether confronted on the page, or at your seat in a room where Jumoke is in one of her spellbinding performances, these poems are unrelentingly lively and lyrical. Hold them in your hands, in your heart, and let them be what she has created them to be: brilliant torchlight to guide you across previously unlit landscapes of memory, of murdered dreams, of desire, of guilt and of loss; territories from which you will not emerge untouched”
- Tolu Ogunlesi (Author, Listen to the Geckos Singing from a Balcony)
“I am Memory is a long awaited witty and courageous work that tackles both the bitter past and contemporary uncertainties head on. Its quality is both as nostalgic as a yam, and as refreshing as a kola nut.”
- Niq Mhlongo (Author, Dog eat Dog and After Tears)
“Jumoke Verissimo’s poetic voice is imbued with a consciousness of African history and an awareness of the socio-economic realities of modern Nigeria with its legacy of colonial plunder, its pathetic attempts at self-governance and the brutality of its military dictatorships. she balances the despair she sees all around her with a degree of stubborn hope and an enchanting lyricism which echoes the style of oral African poetry.”
- Funso Aiyejina (Critic, Poet and Professor of Comparative Literature)
“Confident, passionate, sensual...a gripping collection...a powerful debut. I was hooked from the first page to the last."
- Biyi Bandele (Author, Burma Boy)
“In this her first collection of poems, Jumoke Verissimo, remakes language beyond mere lyricism to uncover the roots of pain and the passion that will heal it. She addresses communal hurt as a personal fate that awaits an assured balm….This poet will travel."
- Odia Ofeimun (Poet and critic, author The Poet Lied)
Onyeka Nwelue
Born in 1988 in Nigeria, Onyeka Nwelue travelled extensively to Asia, particularly to India after graduating from High School. He has received a grant from the Institute for Research on African Women, Children and Culture (IRAWCC) and is a contributing reviewer of Farafina magazine. In 2004, he was described in the Guardian as a 'teenager with a steaming pen'. His writings have appeared in The Sun, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Kafla Inter-Continental and the Guardian. He's presently a student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Though The Abyssinian Boy is his first novel, Onyeka has already made a name for himself, particularly on the internet through his blog (www.onyekanwelue.blogspot.com) and other websites where he has posted his interviews with writers from different parts of the world. Now taking his time to work through his second novel while savouring the history surrounding the idyllic Nsukka campus, Onyeka will travel again in 2009 to attend different literary festivals around the world and to promote his first novel.
Links:
http://worldinurpocket.com/?p=163#comments
http://www.nathanielturner.com/onyekanweluetheabyssinianboy.htm
http://onyekanwelue.blogspot.com/2008/12/wedding-of-medina.html
Out Now from DADA books!
Blurbs for The Abyssinian Boy
"Unique style... very interesting imagery"
-Clare Dudman, author of Edge of Danger and Wegener's Jigsaw
" A young writer with immense imagination and vision... an authentic narrative that will grip the reader. He has not only dared to dream, but also focused inexorably on the complexities of modern family and its history in an uncompromising, fast changing world"
- Uche Peter Umez, author of Sam and the Wallet
"Onyeka has written an ambitious novel which blurs not only geographical lines but other lines too. It reminds us (or ought to) that what unites us, our humanity, is much more than those that seek to divide us"
-Chika Unigwe, author of The Phoenix
"The Abyssinian Boy not only treats a universal theme; even the characterisation of the novel is universal. Excellent!"
-Lanre Ari'Ajia, author of Women at Crossroads
"Onyeka Nwelue is an interesting new voice. For one so young, he shows rare insights into the lives and sensibilities of people faced with racial intergration; a concern as relevant today as ever before"
- Jude Dibia, author of Walking with Shadows and Unbridled
The characters in Mr. Nwelue’s delightful world move between concepts and continents with a gentle humor, compassion and sensibility that will readily appeal to all citizens of the global village at large.
- Arun Krishnan, author, The Loudest Firecracker
Get your DADA books now!
DADA books are available through www.booksng.com, at TerraKulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island Lagos and at 1st Floor, 95 Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos.
For more information, please call: 01-7451990 or mail: dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
Coming soon from DADA books!
A fistful of tales by Ayodele Arigbabu
Ayo’s muscular, playful language is assured, versatile, and stuffed to the gills with energy and joie-de-vivre....his subjects and voices range over a wide field – but never lose their grip, or their power to entertain.
A Fistful of Tales is a small collection but it packs a mighty punch. Ayodele Arigbabu is a writer to watch.
- Liz Jensen (author, The Paper Eater).
Thanks for your time and for quietly enduring our creative exuberance thus far, what to expect from the Dream Arts & Design Agency in 2009? Well, while not trying to limit ourselves, we will publish more titles through DADA books, crank up our interrogation of the design space through DesignPages, keep you informed on the Crown Troupe of Africa, engage in more design adventures through architecture and production design and we shall establish a web portal to streamline our marketing communications efforts for our activities and those of our partners on a unique platform, and to augment our blog (www.designpages.blogspot.com). We will also be cranking up the film department with a couple of crazy short films…do stay tuned!
Special thanks go to our partners and supporters and associates, especially in the past year, who sometimes without knowing have added to our momentum:
Ojoma Ochai + Olamipo Bello / British Council
Segun Adefila / Crown Troupe of Africa
Committee For Relevant Art (CORA)
Sola Alamutu / Children And The Environment (CATE)
Toni Kan / Visafone
Mr. Taiwo Odutola / Fitting Finishes
Toyin Akinosho / Africa Oil & Gas Report
Mr. Greg Bolujo / Caleb Prints & Packaging
Ayoola Sadare / Studio 868
Sewedo Nupowaku / Revolution Media
Inner Core Publishing
Azu Nwagbogu / African Artists’ Foundation
Manali Shah + Nike Fagade / Give Network
Jumoke Verissimo
James George
Aderemi Adegbite
Onyeka Nwelue
Fitzgerald Umah
Jahman Anikulapo / The Guardian Life
Honourable Sam C. Nwelue
Jude Dibia
Deji Toye /
Muhthar Bakare / Farafina
Tunde Kelani / Mainframe Productions
Yohanna Bako
Agatha Osewa
Femi Olowoyeye / Quest Global
Prof. Arigbabu / Salas Group
Deji Bamidele / Image Studios / Animation for Africa
Aibe Elukpo
Kyra Lee Steyn
Theo Lawson + Yemi Odeinde / The Lawson + Odeinde Partnership
Kunle Siwoku
Ayodeji Arigbabu
Tokunbo Esho / Laminated Calendars Ltd.
Constanze Fischbeck & Daniel Kotter
Peter Winkels + Carolin Berendts / The House of World Cultures
The SeekProject
David Orimolade
Boma Nnaji
Jummai Ekele
Alexander Akaahs
Debola Omololu / Debonair Book Company
Particular thanks go to our special volunteers who made things happen in many ways:
Yinka Coker, Nike Fagade and Fola Kareem.
And Thanks to Shylle Shonoiki / Extreme Creations Media for the wizardry that has made this newsletter fly and will make the web portal explode in a few weeks time…
Till then, ta-da! And do have the best of 2009…keep it DADA!
Contact DADA:
Satellite Station: 1st floor, 95 Bode Thomas Street,
Surulere, Lagos.
Telephone: 234-1-7451990
Mobile: 234-8033000-499
email: dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
blog: www.designpages.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Design doesn't need an enabling environment. - Patrick Koshoni.
Patrick-Waheed had run their design firm for a year already from the 10th floor address on Boyle Street in Lagos Island, yet the space remained as uncluttered as if they had just moved in. A tell tale sign of hard core modernists if you needed any and as Patrick Koshoni admits, they're not apologetic about it. Their portfolio bears him witness. Koshoni had run a thriving business as an interior designer prior to the formation of Patrick-Waheed, however, the new partnership with its broadened scope encompassing architecture and property development was an opportunity to break new grounds. The design sleuthe tracked Mr. Koshoni down to Boyle Street to investigate. Nike Fagade joined in on the questioning.
From law to design, there’s got to be a story behind that shift...why interior design?
Before law, there was a passion. And the passion came out as a hobby or likeness. The likeness was for making interiors interesting. I never knew anything about the fact that what I called interest or passion was actually a whole service industry because there were no similar industries that I was aware of at that point in my life which was post- secondary school. In secondary school, I thoroughly enjoyed technical drawing and fine arts.
Your design training did not follow a traditional trajectory; however, short courses are gradually becoming the norm, especially for the creative industries. How well would you say your training has prepared you for practice and what tips would you give anyone desirous of following that route?
I haven’t had any formal training in interiors. What training does is to define a process but it doesn’t give you competence. Competence for me is more or less a natural ability which I believe I have. If I have to give anybody advice about design, I will advocate they go through a formal training but if they haven’t got the passion, they will never be able to get the competence. Apart from the fact that I have the passion, I’m self taught. I read loads of books on design and did a lot of practical experimentation. More importantly, I gave up every other opportunity of income in the confidence that I had what it takes to earn more income from my passion.
Will you say this decision to focus on your passion has paid off?
It has, really, it has given me a source of income, an opportunity to be productive using my inate skills.
After 12 years in the UK, you came back to set up shop in Nigeria. From your experience, would you say Nigeria, with the recent swell in the economy and general air of optimism- is ripe for a truly vibrant design industry?
Yes it is. Design doesn’t need an enabling environment. Design is using what you have to get what you need in a simple, functional and aesthetic way. Those three things are important, for example, to make a smarter looking, more effective motar and pestle. That could be redesigned. You don’t need a certain enabling environment to make more use of rafia and cane while working hand-in-hand with local artisans. All these are on an elementary level.
It’s not usual to find an interior designer collaborating with an architect to run a practice in these parts. How well would you say this model has worked for Patrick- Waheed?
It has worked very well for Patrick- Waheed because regardless of the differences in our skills, there is a similarity in purpose and focus and more importantly, what we term good design. Interior design is more or less a recently used term in Nigeria. What you have more in Nigeria are interior decorators. Interior design isn’t part of our national curriculum at any level neither is interior architecture. That would be one of the reasons why there doesn’t seem to be any collaboration between interior designers and architects because there’s no educational forum for them to meet.
Talking about interior designers and interior decorators, could you explain the difference in their roles?
An interior designer will handle technicalities of interiors with regards to things like space planning, the type of floor to use, the type of lighting system to use, how the space would be divided to meet functional and aesthetic requirements. An interior decorator on the other hand, will deal with details in terms of decoration. You might talk about the colour of carpets, the color of rugs, types of furniture and all in an advisory role. The interior designer will execute the configuration of an internal space to meet safety, aesthetic and economic considerations.
Design has more or less remained berthed in the modernist idiom for the past couple of decades, despite attempts to forge new directions with high tech and green architecture e.t.c. however, front liners like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry amongst others have taken Mie’s straight line modernism into the dormain of expressionism. As a relatively new firm, where does Patrick- Waheed place itself in this global context?
We stick to simple, minimalist, workable design. I would say we have a bias for contemporary and modern design, taking into account requirements and limitations of executing such designs in Nigeria. We are anti- traditional in terms of design.
What have been your most embarrassing and triumphant moments as a designer?
I can design...and I design. But I’m technically not an interior designer because I haven’t gone through a formal training to obtain the qualifications that would allow me to be referred to as an interior designer. That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the provision of design services. I have done architectural design, interior design, graphic design and I have even dabbled into product design. My best moment is yet to come and thankfully, there has not been any embarrassing moment.
Where do you see design and architecture in Nigeria in the next 20 years?
If I knew where I was going to be in the next 20 years, I would probably have become very rich before that time. In less than 20 years... about a quarter of that time, design as a holistic skill, whether architectural, fashion, graphic e.t.c. will become a singularly most valued requirement for commercial success.
And Patrick Koshoni? What will you be up to in the next couple of decades?
I should be resting and enjoying design at my leisure.
-Ayodele Arigbabu.
dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
From law to design, there’s got to be a story behind that shift...why interior design?
Before law, there was a passion. And the passion came out as a hobby or likeness. The likeness was for making interiors interesting. I never knew anything about the fact that what I called interest or passion was actually a whole service industry because there were no similar industries that I was aware of at that point in my life which was post- secondary school. In secondary school, I thoroughly enjoyed technical drawing and fine arts.
Your design training did not follow a traditional trajectory; however, short courses are gradually becoming the norm, especially for the creative industries. How well would you say your training has prepared you for practice and what tips would you give anyone desirous of following that route?
I haven’t had any formal training in interiors. What training does is to define a process but it doesn’t give you competence. Competence for me is more or less a natural ability which I believe I have. If I have to give anybody advice about design, I will advocate they go through a formal training but if they haven’t got the passion, they will never be able to get the competence. Apart from the fact that I have the passion, I’m self taught. I read loads of books on design and did a lot of practical experimentation. More importantly, I gave up every other opportunity of income in the confidence that I had what it takes to earn more income from my passion.
Will you say this decision to focus on your passion has paid off?
It has, really, it has given me a source of income, an opportunity to be productive using my inate skills.
After 12 years in the UK, you came back to set up shop in Nigeria. From your experience, would you say Nigeria, with the recent swell in the economy and general air of optimism- is ripe for a truly vibrant design industry?
Yes it is. Design doesn’t need an enabling environment. Design is using what you have to get what you need in a simple, functional and aesthetic way. Those three things are important, for example, to make a smarter looking, more effective motar and pestle. That could be redesigned. You don’t need a certain enabling environment to make more use of rafia and cane while working hand-in-hand with local artisans. All these are on an elementary level.
It’s not usual to find an interior designer collaborating with an architect to run a practice in these parts. How well would you say this model has worked for Patrick- Waheed?
It has worked very well for Patrick- Waheed because regardless of the differences in our skills, there is a similarity in purpose and focus and more importantly, what we term good design. Interior design is more or less a recently used term in Nigeria. What you have more in Nigeria are interior decorators. Interior design isn’t part of our national curriculum at any level neither is interior architecture. That would be one of the reasons why there doesn’t seem to be any collaboration between interior designers and architects because there’s no educational forum for them to meet.
Talking about interior designers and interior decorators, could you explain the difference in their roles?
An interior designer will handle technicalities of interiors with regards to things like space planning, the type of floor to use, the type of lighting system to use, how the space would be divided to meet functional and aesthetic requirements. An interior decorator on the other hand, will deal with details in terms of decoration. You might talk about the colour of carpets, the color of rugs, types of furniture and all in an advisory role. The interior designer will execute the configuration of an internal space to meet safety, aesthetic and economic considerations.
Design has more or less remained berthed in the modernist idiom for the past couple of decades, despite attempts to forge new directions with high tech and green architecture e.t.c. however, front liners like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry amongst others have taken Mie’s straight line modernism into the dormain of expressionism. As a relatively new firm, where does Patrick- Waheed place itself in this global context?
We stick to simple, minimalist, workable design. I would say we have a bias for contemporary and modern design, taking into account requirements and limitations of executing such designs in Nigeria. We are anti- traditional in terms of design.
What have been your most embarrassing and triumphant moments as a designer?
I can design...and I design. But I’m technically not an interior designer because I haven’t gone through a formal training to obtain the qualifications that would allow me to be referred to as an interior designer. That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the provision of design services. I have done architectural design, interior design, graphic design and I have even dabbled into product design. My best moment is yet to come and thankfully, there has not been any embarrassing moment.
Where do you see design and architecture in Nigeria in the next 20 years?
If I knew where I was going to be in the next 20 years, I would probably have become very rich before that time. In less than 20 years... about a quarter of that time, design as a holistic skill, whether architectural, fashion, graphic e.t.c. will become a singularly most valued requirement for commercial success.
And Patrick Koshoni? What will you be up to in the next couple of decades?
I should be resting and enjoying design at my leisure.
-Ayodele Arigbabu.
dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
Friday, June 13, 2008
Graffiti City
Nigerian-German School, Apapa
The Cape Town Journal 2
For someone whose interest in graffiti (or graphiti if you like) had been long undernourished by the few pieces encountered in Lagos like that long wall you see at Igbosere while riding from CMS to Obalende (is it still there?) and the hidden wall bordering the football field at the Nigerian - German School at Beach Land Estate in Apapa, ariving at Cape Town to see a city richly embazoned in tags (stylised signatures), pieces (large colourful images with 3D effects), throwups (large tags with outline and fill colours), top-to-bottoms (pieces that cover the entire height of railway cars), bombs (paintings that cover many surfaces), burners (large and elaborate pieces) and insides (tags or bombs done inside trains, or buses) was like hitting a state of nirvana, where street walls, factory buildings, trains and fences bore testament to the creative energies of young people. But when excited enquiries as to how to engage some of the proponents of the street art are met with embarassed -are you serious?- sort of stares, you drop from cloud nine and confront the vandalism component of the art form which makes most of its audience wince with discomfort- train stations, railway / street signs and the trains especially are tagged and bombed illegally, and often times, maliciously.
can2 (courtesy www.hiphop.co.za)
Graphiti grew into contemporary consciousness, according to Wikipedia as the fourth component of the hip hop (youth) culture, the other three being rap music, break dancing and disk jockeying. But the act of scratching inscriptions and illustrations on walls has been traced as far back as ancient Rome and even the Egyptian hieroglyphics that adorned ancient Egyptian temples and palaces can be deemed as precursors to the modern and diverse forms of graphiti which are now widespread. Being a youthful preoccupation with vandalism rooted in its history has helped taint the art form as yet another manifestation of juvenile delinquency, what with individual property owners, private enterprises and government agencies expending huge sums to repeatedly remove offending tags, pieces and other exotic species of graphiti that continuosly deface the public space.
However, thankfully, like rap music, graphiti is not just about juvenile delinquency. There is a strong art content and an even stronger social consciousness running between the lines that delineate the textual and illustrative motiffs within its make up. While design has evolved a trend called critical design that puts more demand on designers to be sociopolitically relevant and the boundary between designers and artists is getting thinner with more design pieces approaching terrains traditionally and thematically reserved for the visual arts and vice versa (in the esoteric realm of art installations), graffiti has for the past few decades been at the forefront of that meeting of the two immense frontiers of art and design and had begun finding acceptance in mainstream art circles especially in the United States and in Europe since the late 1980s. An artist like the UK based Banksy for example has assumed a legendary status for his socio-political satires (a mural depicting a hole through the Isreali-Palestinian wall with a tropical paradise on the other side), witty remarks about pulp fiction (literaly, his mural of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson holding banana pistols) and subversive art interventions (creating witty mock-up of well known art works and sneaking them into museums to mount beside originals) fueled further by his hidden identity even as he publishes books and holds exhibitions on his works. The genre has spawned off competitions, exhibitions, workshops and other events and its exponents have continuosly courted and won the support (in some cases) of government agencies and private enterprises in using the art form as a tool for positively engaging the youth by giving them a (legal) platform through organised events and competitions for expressing their joys, pains frustrations and general world views.
sky1, seesmo & weels (courtesy www.hiphop.co.za)
While South Africa struggles to live down the embarrasing throw up (no pun intended) of xenophobic violence that has swept through some of the nation's townships in a complicated reaction to built up political and socio-economic pressures, traces of the frustrations being felt by the nation's young population can be gleaned off the ubiquitous presence of graphiti, especially in cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, though it is yet unclear whether the black youth engage in graphiti as much as their white and coloured mates. Names like Faith47 (Cape Town), Mak1one, Falko, Cade (Durban), Rasty and Dekor are not pet names for luxury yatchs, rather, these are monikers by which the leading proponents of graphiti in South Africa are known. These folks have taken their art to and represented their country in different parts of the world and thus have the priviledge of being able to stay 'legit' with their passion.
However, for the majority of young South Africans (like their mates across the globe) bitten by the graphiti bug, their canvas is stretched across the streets and their work hours fall within the periods of darkness when they can scurry to the underside of bridges, facades of abandoned buildings, parked railway cars, and other areas in the public realm with potentials for lots of human traffic to ply their trade away from prying and disapproving eyes.
-Ayodele Arigbabu.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The definition of RUDE
With an acronym that could be easily misconstrued to promote a subversive youth culture while in reality standing for Reveal Ur Determination and Energy, Peter Uwaifo's Rude Clothing Company has creatively hatched out a niche for itself in the ever growing Nigerian streetwear design genre. There are massive potentials for street wear labels in Nigeria, given the large youth population, the expanding music and film industries that have built a following across the globe and the patriotic zest that has coined a generic and much touted 'Naija' brand. Peter's Rude Corp has tapped into these dimensions by bringing a unique design essence to streetwear using strong graphical motiffs right since his undergraduate days at the Covenant University and now as a postgraduate student of architecture at the University of Lagos, he seems set to take his clothing label to higher grounds. Meet Peter Uwaifo as he chats with Nike Fagade on Rude Corp and more.
-Ayodele Arigbabu
-Ayodele Arigbabu
WHO IS PETER UWAIFO?
I am from Edo State, born in the UK and lived there till I was 8 years old. I am a 24 year old graduate of Architecture from Convenant University. I am working on my Masters Degree at the University of Lagos.
HOW AND WHEN DID RUDE START?
RUDE started in 2003. It started as just play, I wasn’t thinking of making a profession out of it then.
RUDE started in 2003. It started as just play, I wasn’t thinking of making a profession out of it then.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TRAINING IN GRAPHIC DESIGNS?
No. I taught myself Corel Draw and a bit of Photo Shop. My Architectural background also contributed to my design skills. Everything graphics is related to architecture.
DO YOU THINK NIGERIAN DESIGNERS CAN COMPETE INTERNATIONALLY?
Nigerians have a particular trend in style. We sure can stand up to international standards though in our own style. Like myself, I try to portray Nigeria in my work while at the same time keeping it internationally accepted.
DO YOU DO DESIGNS LIKE OTHER PEOPLE SUCH AS CUSTOMIZING NAMES?
RUDE is a brand, it is a branded clothing name. I’m not into customizing people’s names on T- shirts. A lot of people like EFFIZY, NACK, ABBETON e.t.c. have their own unique style. I have mine and I use vector designs for geometric shapes and forms.
SO WITH YOUR TALENT AND ALL, DO YOU PLAN TO MOVE ABROAD LIKE MOST YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD?
I don’t have such plans. I don’t plan to ever live in the UK, Nigeria is my home.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR ARCHITECTURAL CAREER?
My plan is to go into both architecture and T. shirt designs.
My plan is to go into both architecture and T. shirt designs.
ARE YOU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ANY BODY?
I’m into partnership with a couple of people who market my brand. I like to refer to myself as creative. The sales are handled by a couple of friends because I’m not a very good sales person.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES LIKE?
People don’t pay- up. Tailors don’t keep up to time. Another major challenge is that of getting tailors to give quality that matches with international standards.
People don’t pay- up. Tailors don’t keep up to time. Another major challenge is that of getting tailors to give quality that matches with international standards.
TRIUMPHANT MOMENTS?
There’re always new concepts. You see things on television and try to match it with T- shirt design. One can get inspiration from a whole lot of places such as magazines, TV, internet e.t.c.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS FROM NOW?
I plan to develop RUDE Corp. as a media company that entails clothing, graphic arts, web designing, advertising and production.
I plan to develop RUDE Corp. as a media company that entails clothing, graphic arts, web designing, advertising and production.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE DESIGN SCENE IN NIGERIA 10 YEARS FROM NOW?
I always know that change is the only constant thing. The design of today might not be versatile by then. We should improve on what we have, we should never remain stagnant. There will also be other designers involved from all over,
I always know that change is the only constant thing. The design of today might not be versatile by then. We should improve on what we have, we should never remain stagnant. There will also be other designers involved from all over,
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Architects benefit from an organized society- Ben Eboh
Ben EbohTime it was when it was thoroughly unfashionable for arcitects to attend monthly meetings of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIALSC), often enough, there was so much despondency going round at the J.K. Randle Hall venue of the meetings, you'd rather spend more time chasing your next big break. Nowadays, there's still despondency in the air (why are architects so melancholic anyway?) but there's been a bit more energy, zest and encouragement from the center (the executives) to pull all practitioners up by their bootstraps to march on to the zenith of their calling. Two personalities stood out in that effort: Arc Ben Eboh, the outgoing Chairman and Arc Bimbo Ajayi, erstwhile Secretary to the association, who takes over from him as Chairperson. Ben Eboh's go-getting spirit in tackling the state government on collapsed buildings and town planning issues while challenging his peers on professional practice stand him in good stead, while many an architect will associate Abimbola Ajayi's name to those breezy and informative emails that kept you abreast of affairs, from the professional (meetings and conferences) to the social (funerals and birthday parties) engagements that mattered.
Little wonder then that the chapter's 2008 Biennial General meeting that held at the Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Center on Thursday the 24th of April, where Abimbola Ajayi was elected as Chairman, had an unprecedented attendance.
Little wonder then that the chapter's 2008 Biennial General meeting that held at the Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Center on Thursday the 24th of April, where Abimbola Ajayi was elected as Chairman, had an unprecedented attendance.
Bimbo Ajayi
The subsequent dinner / inauguration / awards night that held on the 25th of April at the Sheraton which almost doubled as a 'starchitects' parade saw the award of Best Architectural Expression in Bank Branch Development going to Guaranty Trust Bank (when will other banks get the message?). The Lagos State Ministry of Housing nabbed an award for Corporate Professional Best Practices in Housing Deliver (huhn?) and the University of Lagos got an award for Best Exhibition of Students Works amongst the exhibited works by students of the three schools of architecture in Lagos State (up school!).
With a smooth execution of a change in guard, the NIALSC seems set to face the challenges of inspiring, guiding and promoting the practice of Architecture in the fastest growing megalopolis on the continent. In the coming months, Bimbo Ajayi will have to prove her mettle in standing up to that onerous challenge, meanwhile, NIKE FAGADE sat Arc Ben Eboh down for questioning on his career and life after the NIA, he gave a good account of himself and is hereby summarily discharged and acquited!
-Ayodele Arigbabu
dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
WHO IS BEN EBOH?
I am an architect and up until a few days ago, was the chairman of NIA, Lagos State Chapter. I run my own practice and I am married with kids.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
I am a pioneer student of Command Secondary School, Kaduna. I moved on to The Polytechnic, Calabar and graduated with a distinction in Architecture- HND level. I did my professional exams with the Nigeria Institute of Architects and obtained a Masters Degree in Project Management from the University of Lagos. I have attended a couple of conferences abroad. I was at one by the Royal Canadian Institute of Architects, Toronto in 2007, in South Africa for another conference in 2006, and Ghana. All these under the hospices of my being the chairman of the NIA, so within that period, I was privileged to be in the delegation of the institution at a lot of these conferences.
WHY ARCHITECTURE?
Architecture is one of those professions where you tend to know if you have the flare for it or not. In terms of the fact that it is a combination of the arts and the sciences. So in as much as you may be a brilliant student and you score high marks in chemistry, mathematics and all that, you must also have a creative mind and that's what stand architects out from the crowd. You know, not just the intelligence. Early in life, I was able to discover that I have the potential and I knew I’ld do well in architecture because I thought I had a creative mind. It has paid off.
HOW DO ACHITECTS IN NIGERIA COMPARE WITH THEIR INTERNATIONAL COUNTERPARTS?
As Nigerian Architects, we have lots of potential but they hardly materialize due to very hostile operating environment that we are in. Creativity requires a great deal, you must have sacrificed a great deal of your basic needs for you to think properly and bring out the best in you. But that is not to say the Nigerian architects cannot compete in a gathering of other architects. Like i said, the operating environment and secondly, the way we practice architecture in these parts make it difficult for us to go far. For instance, most of our firms are not large enough to be able to handle the kind of job that will give us the satisfaction we require as architects. It is the same as what we had in the banking sector a few years ago. People were satisfied with just having their small banks and doing their small business until their eyes were opened to the fact that if you were a bigger bank, you could do bigger business. In most of our architectural firms in Nigeria today, I can confidently say that more than 70% of them have not more than two or three key people- that's a collection of two or three principal people between sole proprietorships and partnerships. Whereas abroad, you have firms that have as many as 70 architects in one office, with several offices across the world. So in terms of capacity, such firms are able to handle much bigger jobs than a firm that has just one or two people. Maybe it's social or... I don't know, but we seem to have a problem of trust. Even when we have partnerships, they don't last, we have one person who feels he's doing all the work and the other one is 'eating' all the money and attending all the parties and before you know it, they break up. Even the younger ones don't like working in architectural firms because they don''t see a future there for them. If I'm working for an architect, I'll be asking myself that- 'where do I want to be in the next five years?' Chances are that that architect I'm working for is already grooming his son to study architecture so that when he dies, his son becomes the CEO of the firm. And I wouldn't want to watch a kid that I saw when he was born, several years after come and become boss over me. In bigger firms, especially abroad, you can rise to the position of partner and you even retire and you still collect royalties for your works or other benefits while the younger ones take over the business and run it. That’s why our growth seems to be stunted because we haven’t explored our full potentials.
FOR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS?
I have been a registered architect since 1994 as a full member of NIA and even before then, I had been an active member. Looking back, it’s been 15 years now.
UP UNTIL NOW, YOU WERE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LAGOS STATE CHAPTER OF THE NIA FOR TWO TERMS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
It was really challenging. Before then, I was the secretary. And while I was the secretary, I performed so well that I didn’t have to contest with anybody for the post of chairman because it was as if there wasn’t anybody else that could fit in better than I could. The Lagos State Chapter of the NIA has the largest number of architects and the best architects are here in Lagos. And for one to be chosen amongst these people was a challenge because I thought from amongst my peers, I didn’t think I was the most suitable. And I wasn’t even from the South-West. For this, I took it upon myself that I had to prove myself and shouldn’t disappoint people's trust. And now, looking back at those years, I can beat my chest and say that I did so well.
HOW HAS IT BEEN DEALING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY?
Architects have had cordial relationships with allied professionals in the field such as the town planners, quantity surveyors, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, estate surveyors and all. Although we have areas of disagreement once in a while, we have ways of resolving them because we believe that everyone have a role to play. We have mutual respect for one another, it’s just like in human relationships, you must respect yourself as an adult for others to respect you, especially the younger ones.
YOU RUN YOUR OWN PRACTICE, ARE YOU INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH ANYBODY?
I am, with my wife- she’s also an architect. I do cheat her a lot, though she understands (laughing).
MOST EMBARASSING MOMENT?
I won’t call it an embarrassing moment. Life is always a testimony to the fact that whatever you set your mind to do, you’ll do it and do it well. I recall my days in the Polytechnic- HND, it downed on me that the system in Nigeria makes it difficult for people with HND qualification to aspire to the top of their career. I was then a Polytechnic graduate with distinction and I knew I was above average and so, I told myself that I was going to rise. Unlike other professions, the starting level is a Masters degree to be called an architect. With HND like I had then, one will have to move on to get a Masters or spend longer getting the professional exams. When I started the professional exams, I was somehow embarrassed as I wasn’t sure of whether I’ll pass or how long it was going to take me to finish. During my final exams, I prepared so well and not only did I pass, I also won an award for two out of three papers in those times. I was about 26 years old then and after passing the exams, I was challenged to have done so well in the exams and thought of proving myself. I was in Calabar and so, I thought of relocating to where it was happening and then moved to Lagos. I wanted to work with the biggest firm but I wasn’t computer literate so I enrolled in a computer school. I was so focused on learning that within a short period, I became so good that my boss them gave me more work to do than some of the others. By then I was working so I wasn’t thinking of the money I was getting paid, rather I saw it as an investment in myself. They were 'using' me there but I wasn’t that bothered. I remember one of the guys I worked with then saying to our boss ‘why is it that you take work from the people who run from work and give to those of us who work very hard?’
Then it became my philosophy in life that you do unto others what you want them to do unto you and the way you do others' work, so shall others do yours.
TRIUMPHANT MOMENTS?
What motivates me is the thought that I could be the best in whatever I want do. Even when I see obstacles, I look beyond them. After my OND where I had an upper credit, I told myself that I wanted a distinction in my HND. It was like a joke but in my first semester (HND), I almost had 4.0 but for a course in which I had a credit. I moved on and I graduated as the best all round in my final year.
Also during my final one of NIA, I had never seen anyone who passed at one sitting. There were people much older than I was then, who come back to do such exams and all that. But at the end, I came out as the best all round in the last exams to become an architect. That was a really joyous and triumphant moment. Another is when I was elected as the secretary of NIALSC. I contested against someone who had more going for him than I had and was incubent. He schooled here (South-West) and had more friend here than I did. I don’t know what I said or did but I won the contest. And after that, I was encouraged to go on for the post of the chairman and no one felt it necessary to compete with me because people knew of my record and thought no one could match me. Then again, I was encouraged to go for the 2nd term. People even thought I should move on to a third term but I thought I’d done enough.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF NIALSC- ARC. ABIMBOLA AJAYI?
She had been my secretary for two years and she is one of the reasons I went this far. She’s extremely hardworking and every member of NIA would attest to this especially to the fact that when it comes to doing the right thing at the right time, she’s one to reckon with. She’s also great when it comes to managing people and now, she’s in the forefront, no longer at the back. The point I know of her, she’s someone who motivates those around her. She’s compassionate and caring, otherwise, I wouldn’t have encouraged her to move on to her present post.
HOW DO YOU SEE ARCHITECTURE IN NIGERIA IN THE NEXT 20YRS?
There are a lot of clauses tied to the fortune of Nigeria's economy. If the economy is to be resuscitated, one of the barometers of any economy is the construction industry. If the construction industry is bad, then the economy is bad. Architects see themselves more as professionals than business men. They need to break the jinx and see it as business. They should look and invest their money in the stock exchange, real estate and so on. Once they are involved in other things which can bring them money, they can stay afloat. Another thing is that once the environment is re-organized and things are done rightly, professionals generally and not just architects, will benefit from the order in the society.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 20YRS FROM NOW?
By then, I’ll be about 60 years old and I shouldn’t be working. So, I’ll say 10 years from now will be one of consolidation for me. I’ll pay more attention to business and lay a good foundation for my retirement and have money work for me, not otherwise. I’ll have reached the peak of my career and have made a name for the things I’ve achieved. I can’t rule out a stint in politics. I’ll look for avenues for self fulfillment, not financially. I’ll look at the hierachy of needs in sociology that says –once an individual has achieved basic needs, he will dabble into others.
With a smooth execution of a change in guard, the NIALSC seems set to face the challenges of inspiring, guiding and promoting the practice of Architecture in the fastest growing megalopolis on the continent. In the coming months, Bimbo Ajayi will have to prove her mettle in standing up to that onerous challenge, meanwhile, NIKE FAGADE sat Arc Ben Eboh down for questioning on his career and life after the NIA, he gave a good account of himself and is hereby summarily discharged and acquited!
-Ayodele Arigbabu
dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
WHO IS BEN EBOH?
I am an architect and up until a few days ago, was the chairman of NIA, Lagos State Chapter. I run my own practice and I am married with kids.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
I am a pioneer student of Command Secondary School, Kaduna. I moved on to The Polytechnic, Calabar and graduated with a distinction in Architecture- HND level. I did my professional exams with the Nigeria Institute of Architects and obtained a Masters Degree in Project Management from the University of Lagos. I have attended a couple of conferences abroad. I was at one by the Royal Canadian Institute of Architects, Toronto in 2007, in South Africa for another conference in 2006, and Ghana. All these under the hospices of my being the chairman of the NIA, so within that period, I was privileged to be in the delegation of the institution at a lot of these conferences.
WHY ARCHITECTURE?
Architecture is one of those professions where you tend to know if you have the flare for it or not. In terms of the fact that it is a combination of the arts and the sciences. So in as much as you may be a brilliant student and you score high marks in chemistry, mathematics and all that, you must also have a creative mind and that's what stand architects out from the crowd. You know, not just the intelligence. Early in life, I was able to discover that I have the potential and I knew I’ld do well in architecture because I thought I had a creative mind. It has paid off.
HOW DO ACHITECTS IN NIGERIA COMPARE WITH THEIR INTERNATIONAL COUNTERPARTS?
As Nigerian Architects, we have lots of potential but they hardly materialize due to very hostile operating environment that we are in. Creativity requires a great deal, you must have sacrificed a great deal of your basic needs for you to think properly and bring out the best in you. But that is not to say the Nigerian architects cannot compete in a gathering of other architects. Like i said, the operating environment and secondly, the way we practice architecture in these parts make it difficult for us to go far. For instance, most of our firms are not large enough to be able to handle the kind of job that will give us the satisfaction we require as architects. It is the same as what we had in the banking sector a few years ago. People were satisfied with just having their small banks and doing their small business until their eyes were opened to the fact that if you were a bigger bank, you could do bigger business. In most of our architectural firms in Nigeria today, I can confidently say that more than 70% of them have not more than two or three key people- that's a collection of two or three principal people between sole proprietorships and partnerships. Whereas abroad, you have firms that have as many as 70 architects in one office, with several offices across the world. So in terms of capacity, such firms are able to handle much bigger jobs than a firm that has just one or two people. Maybe it's social or... I don't know, but we seem to have a problem of trust. Even when we have partnerships, they don't last, we have one person who feels he's doing all the work and the other one is 'eating' all the money and attending all the parties and before you know it, they break up. Even the younger ones don't like working in architectural firms because they don''t see a future there for them. If I'm working for an architect, I'll be asking myself that- 'where do I want to be in the next five years?' Chances are that that architect I'm working for is already grooming his son to study architecture so that when he dies, his son becomes the CEO of the firm. And I wouldn't want to watch a kid that I saw when he was born, several years after come and become boss over me. In bigger firms, especially abroad, you can rise to the position of partner and you even retire and you still collect royalties for your works or other benefits while the younger ones take over the business and run it. That’s why our growth seems to be stunted because we haven’t explored our full potentials.
FOR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS?
I have been a registered architect since 1994 as a full member of NIA and even before then, I had been an active member. Looking back, it’s been 15 years now.
UP UNTIL NOW, YOU WERE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LAGOS STATE CHAPTER OF THE NIA FOR TWO TERMS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
It was really challenging. Before then, I was the secretary. And while I was the secretary, I performed so well that I didn’t have to contest with anybody for the post of chairman because it was as if there wasn’t anybody else that could fit in better than I could. The Lagos State Chapter of the NIA has the largest number of architects and the best architects are here in Lagos. And for one to be chosen amongst these people was a challenge because I thought from amongst my peers, I didn’t think I was the most suitable. And I wasn’t even from the South-West. For this, I took it upon myself that I had to prove myself and shouldn’t disappoint people's trust. And now, looking back at those years, I can beat my chest and say that I did so well.
HOW HAS IT BEEN DEALING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY?
Architects have had cordial relationships with allied professionals in the field such as the town planners, quantity surveyors, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, estate surveyors and all. Although we have areas of disagreement once in a while, we have ways of resolving them because we believe that everyone have a role to play. We have mutual respect for one another, it’s just like in human relationships, you must respect yourself as an adult for others to respect you, especially the younger ones.
YOU RUN YOUR OWN PRACTICE, ARE YOU INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH ANYBODY?
I am, with my wife- she’s also an architect. I do cheat her a lot, though she understands (laughing).
MOST EMBARASSING MOMENT?
I won’t call it an embarrassing moment. Life is always a testimony to the fact that whatever you set your mind to do, you’ll do it and do it well. I recall my days in the Polytechnic- HND, it downed on me that the system in Nigeria makes it difficult for people with HND qualification to aspire to the top of their career. I was then a Polytechnic graduate with distinction and I knew I was above average and so, I told myself that I was going to rise. Unlike other professions, the starting level is a Masters degree to be called an architect. With HND like I had then, one will have to move on to get a Masters or spend longer getting the professional exams. When I started the professional exams, I was somehow embarrassed as I wasn’t sure of whether I’ll pass or how long it was going to take me to finish. During my final exams, I prepared so well and not only did I pass, I also won an award for two out of three papers in those times. I was about 26 years old then and after passing the exams, I was challenged to have done so well in the exams and thought of proving myself. I was in Calabar and so, I thought of relocating to where it was happening and then moved to Lagos. I wanted to work with the biggest firm but I wasn’t computer literate so I enrolled in a computer school. I was so focused on learning that within a short period, I became so good that my boss them gave me more work to do than some of the others. By then I was working so I wasn’t thinking of the money I was getting paid, rather I saw it as an investment in myself. They were 'using' me there but I wasn’t that bothered. I remember one of the guys I worked with then saying to our boss ‘why is it that you take work from the people who run from work and give to those of us who work very hard?’
Then it became my philosophy in life that you do unto others what you want them to do unto you and the way you do others' work, so shall others do yours.
TRIUMPHANT MOMENTS?
What motivates me is the thought that I could be the best in whatever I want do. Even when I see obstacles, I look beyond them. After my OND where I had an upper credit, I told myself that I wanted a distinction in my HND. It was like a joke but in my first semester (HND), I almost had 4.0 but for a course in which I had a credit. I moved on and I graduated as the best all round in my final year.
Also during my final one of NIA, I had never seen anyone who passed at one sitting. There were people much older than I was then, who come back to do such exams and all that. But at the end, I came out as the best all round in the last exams to become an architect. That was a really joyous and triumphant moment. Another is when I was elected as the secretary of NIALSC. I contested against someone who had more going for him than I had and was incubent. He schooled here (South-West) and had more friend here than I did. I don’t know what I said or did but I won the contest. And after that, I was encouraged to go on for the post of the chairman and no one felt it necessary to compete with me because people knew of my record and thought no one could match me. Then again, I was encouraged to go for the 2nd term. People even thought I should move on to a third term but I thought I’d done enough.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF NIALSC- ARC. ABIMBOLA AJAYI?
She had been my secretary for two years and she is one of the reasons I went this far. She’s extremely hardworking and every member of NIA would attest to this especially to the fact that when it comes to doing the right thing at the right time, she’s one to reckon with. She’s also great when it comes to managing people and now, she’s in the forefront, no longer at the back. The point I know of her, she’s someone who motivates those around her. She’s compassionate and caring, otherwise, I wouldn’t have encouraged her to move on to her present post.
HOW DO YOU SEE ARCHITECTURE IN NIGERIA IN THE NEXT 20YRS?
There are a lot of clauses tied to the fortune of Nigeria's economy. If the economy is to be resuscitated, one of the barometers of any economy is the construction industry. If the construction industry is bad, then the economy is bad. Architects see themselves more as professionals than business men. They need to break the jinx and see it as business. They should look and invest their money in the stock exchange, real estate and so on. Once they are involved in other things which can bring them money, they can stay afloat. Another thing is that once the environment is re-organized and things are done rightly, professionals generally and not just architects, will benefit from the order in the society.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 20YRS FROM NOW?
By then, I’ll be about 60 years old and I shouldn’t be working. So, I’ll say 10 years from now will be one of consolidation for me. I’ll pay more attention to business and lay a good foundation for my retirement and have money work for me, not otherwise. I’ll have reached the peak of my career and have made a name for the things I’ve achieved. I can’t rule out a stint in politics. I’ll look for avenues for self fulfillment, not financially. I’ll look at the hierachy of needs in sociology that says –once an individual has achieved basic needs, he will dabble into others.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Cape Town Journal
Episode 1.You fall prey to the fellow with the pathfinder international stickers at Muritala Mohammed International Airport who wonders why you say you are going for a short course when your visa says you are on a visit...and then adds ruefully that you might want to put something in the envelope he's handed you to make your journey through passport control easier. The Custom officers in turn put on the squeeze, your JJC status must reek all over you like a skunk's spray because the police in Jo'burg do the same. You will not be fazed on your next trip.
You lose close to five thousand Naira with panache at the Jo'burg airport due to your naievety about the exchange rate and the going price for a sim pack. You vow not to cry over spilt milk, but remain close to tears...your Naija blood hates being upended in a bargain, foreign soil or not!
Johannesburg looks bejewelled from the night sky at 27,000 feet, the streets glow as if they are paved with gold and the buildings glitter like diamonds. Very apt you would say considering South Africa's history with precious stones and the fact that the inflight magazine you browsed through at the beginning of the flight kept talking about design as if the word was limited to the cutting and shaping of diamonds. The imagery of a jewel splattered landscape wouldnt have come up however if the design sleuthe wasnt such a third worlder...nay, a beleagured Nigerian who cant fathom how an entire city can run with all its lights blazing at night. ALL its lights, including street lights (hence the golden streets)! But this is not about J'oburg which was only experienced through one long and cold walk by a weary traveller from the arrival terminal of the O. R. Tambo International Airport to the departure lounge of the domestic wing. This is the Cape Town Journal.
Cape Town feels claustrophobic from 30,000 feet. Sequestered between an endlessly rolling rocky terrain and the Atlantic Ocean, it looks like you would have nowhere to run if something major happens to the city. You remember the missing plane that's still not been found in the Cross River mountains and wonder how long it will take rescue choppers to find this plane if it decides to find nest between one of the mean looking rocks below....perish the thought.
Cape Town's exceptional blend of mountain range and extensive waterfront makes it a choice spot for tourists from all over the world. Its location on African soil nonetheless,Cape Town is a veritable firstworld city with its city center being served by a plethora of coastal towns like Muizenberg, Simonstown, Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay at the southerly end of the city. Cape Point, the very tip of South Africa that juts into the Atlantic Ocean, is the southernmost tip of the continent and is renowned for........... The city offers game reserves, boating and surfing....about the surfing, most of these coastal towns have surfing as the major attraction for their largely white resident and tourist population. Sharks are said to attack surfers at the beach every once in a while, but the dedication of the white folks to surfing is nearly religious, they keep walking with their surf boards headed to the beach as if for prayers. They have shark watchers posted on the rocks to watch out for sharks with binoculars but the sharks still find prey occasionally, the bathers only leave for a while and come right back the same day. The city center is a 45 minute train ride from Muizenberg where the design sleuthe has set up a mission control center. The surprise is not the fact that it is a beautiful city from the suburbs straight through the city center, but that the beauty is sustained over a great stretch, on and on without signs of strain in the system. Even the graphiti that the street kids do all over the place and is considered an act of vandalism looks beautiful (another story for another day), telling of a latent creativity that explains why our adverts and now our music videos are being done in South Africa.
Johannesburg looks bejewelled from the night sky at 27,000 feet, the streets glow as if they are paved with gold and the buildings glitter like diamonds. Very apt you would say considering South Africa's history with precious stones and the fact that the inflight magazine you browsed through at the beginning of the flight kept talking about design as if the word was limited to the cutting and shaping of diamonds. The imagery of a jewel splattered landscape wouldnt have come up however if the design sleuthe wasnt such a third worlder...nay, a beleagured Nigerian who cant fathom how an entire city can run with all its lights blazing at night. ALL its lights, including street lights (hence the golden streets)! But this is not about J'oburg which was only experienced through one long and cold walk by a weary traveller from the arrival terminal of the O. R. Tambo International Airport to the departure lounge of the domestic wing. This is the Cape Town Journal.
Cape Town feels claustrophobic from 30,000 feet. Sequestered between an endlessly rolling rocky terrain and the Atlantic Ocean, it looks like you would have nowhere to run if something major happens to the city. You remember the missing plane that's still not been found in the Cross River mountains and wonder how long it will take rescue choppers to find this plane if it decides to find nest between one of the mean looking rocks below....perish the thought.Cape Town's exceptional blend of mountain range and extensive waterfront makes it a choice spot for tourists from all over the world. Its location on African soil nonetheless,Cape Town is a veritable firstworld city with its city center being served by a plethora of coastal towns like Muizenberg, Simonstown, Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay at the southerly end of the city. Cape Point, the very tip of South Africa that juts into the Atlantic Ocean, is the southernmost tip of the continent and is renowned for........... The city offers game reserves, boating and surfing....about the surfing, most of these coastal towns have surfing as the major attraction for their largely white resident and tourist population. Sharks are said to attack surfers at the beach every once in a while, but the dedication of the white folks to surfing is nearly religious, they keep walking with their surf boards headed to the beach as if for prayers. They have shark watchers posted on the rocks to watch out for sharks with binoculars but the sharks still find prey occasionally, the bathers only leave for a while and come right back the same day. The city center is a 45 minute train ride from Muizenberg where the design sleuthe has set up a mission control center. The surprise is not the fact that it is a beautiful city from the suburbs straight through the city center, but that the beauty is sustained over a great stretch, on and on without signs of strain in the system. Even the graphiti that the street kids do all over the place and is considered an act of vandalism looks beautiful (another story for another day), telling of a latent creativity that explains why our adverts and now our music videos are being done in South Africa.
So it's not just about beauty, it's ultimately about sustainability. One actually feels sorry for the Lagos State Government, watching LAMATA paint and repaint the curbs on Ikorodu Road only for them to turn from white to brown to black within a few weeks. The amount of dust that swirls around the atmosphere in Lagos is amazing, how do you keep things pretty with all that dust? Here, where most surfaces are either tarred, paved or grassed, you do not see large expanses of exposed earth, except its a construction site, or a nature reserve and of course- the beach and even those have things well sorted out. There is also a certain quality to the atmosphere and the weather that seems to have a preservatory effect, making the design sleuthe muse that ff houses are organisms in which we live, then putting them up in a cold climate should be like keeping a kilo of meat in the fridge (or freezer as the case may be)- it doesnt rot as fast and thus gets to last longer. Little wonder that the buildings, no matter how old still look pristine, even the run down ones still stand with some dignity, tucked between more 'advantaged' neighbours and well ordered landscapes as they are. The Fashola Government seems to have caught on to this though, with the rate at which the Ministry of Environment is deploying landscaping initiatives across the state. One lingering memory of Lagos is that of a market woman in a bus on Oshodi bridge, looking upon the stretch of land below the bridge where a section of the market had been demolished by government.She sighed and intoned: "Now they will come and plant flowers here"- her sympathies obviously with the traders whose livelihoods had been destroyed by the Urban renewal drive. Urban Renewal is never an easy task and should not be about whether landscaping / beauty and the therapeutic benefits / tourism it brings to residents and visitors alike is more important than the livelihood of the inhabitants who will be displaced or otherwise adversely affected by the change or vice-versa.
The shanty towns on Cape Town's city precincts have tarred roads and electricity and are better ordered than some of our middle class neighbourhoods (yet another story for another day) all because the government found it a matter of duty to intervene...Urban Renewal should be about mutual trade-offs and the good of all, which with deep soul searching, is not so impossible.
-Ayodele Arigbabu
dreamarts.designagency@gmail.com
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