Akwa Ibom In The Perspective Of Arts Business

By UbongAbasi Ise

“There is no industrialization without arts because when talking about design, it has to do with conceptualization and bringing of ideas into tactile form, and so when one is looking at the visual art from that perspective, one finds that it is very needful in the development of industries” – Clement Ekong

Works of art are not just objects representing the cultural heritage of any given society or creating aesthetic appeal to the beholders, they are articles of value, commodities of trade and income-generating items. Handicraft industry, all over the world, has its roots deep in antiquity, which help in linking the past to present. The industry nourishes the contemporary experience of the world cultures while serving as source of livelihood to many.  From the beginning of time in the geo-political area now called Akwa Ibom State, arts has been the integral part of societal and people’s lives. Interacting with our correspondent recently, Dr. Clement Ekong, the Head of Department, Fine and Industrial Arts in the University of Uyo, said that in traditional Akwa Ibom society, arts is viewed as technology. Reason to this, he maintained that technology in the local language means Usoh, and Usoh in Ibibio/Annang language means arts as well as technology. According to Dr. Ekong, a typical traditional technologist before the coming of Europeans and before the present times happened to be someone that makes hoes, spears, bows, machetes, plates, pots, bowls as these were the technology of the times. However, as the arts industry changes in context and composition with time, Dr. Ekong asserted that arts cuts across the values, and the values cuts across education, communication, cultures, relationships and every aspect of human endeavours.

 If art is as that encompassing as noted by Ekong, then business opportunity must be abound too, but only if one is creative, because arts is all about creativity. Mr, Sunday Umana, who is a gifted artist and the President of Akwa Ibom State Artists Association, ACCA, as well as the managing director of One-Day World Concept, told The Sensor that art is one profession that cannot be done without as almost everybody in the society is involved in it one way or the other. But given this background, is arts profession in Akwa Ibom a lucrative venture? To what extend has handicraft industry been configured to impact on the economic development of the state?

THE AKWA IBOM ARTS BUSINESS TERRAIN AND THE CHALLENGE

Mr. Sunday Umana, ACCA President

Mr. Akanimo Edet Okon, a.k.a. Madhuz, is a young talented, passionate artist who has made his mark in the art sector of Akwa Ibom State and beyond. He holds a B.A. in Fine and Industrial Arts, and he is currently pursuing M.A. in the same discipline. Akanimo is one of the artists that worked at Ibibio Unity Museum. He sculpted a breastfeeding mother at Women Development Centre in Anambra State; designed a mosaic at the former Vice Chancellor office in the University of Uyo; he did Ibom Unity Torch at Ibom Hall and several other works. Speaking with The Sensor, Mr. Akanimo Okon said that there are many wonderful, hardworking artists in Akwa Ibom State but the patronage by the public is very low. He placed the public’s patronage of artworks in the state at 4 in the scale of one to ten, stressing how some people coming to the gallery would offer a ridiculous price for a valuable artwork. Also speaking on the issue, Mr. Iboro Bassey, an artist who owns Intaglio (Perfect) Arts Printing Services in Uyo, also bemoaned lack of patronage by the people. According to him, low patronage is a major setback, and this stands to discourage young people from coming to acquire skills in arts. Joining the fray, a veteran artist in Uyo, Mr. Vindo Peter Nkanga of VinPeters Natural Styles said he feels concerned about the way young artists are coping these days as they complain of lack of customers owing to technological innovations in the area of printing. As it stands, most people go for flex printing instead of traditional printing done with stencil.

            But Dr. Clement Ekong said that there are periods of challenges for every profession because if the setbacks are not there then the world is no longer in existence. According to him, when people say technology is taking over, it is the matter of the time changing. In his advice, the Head of Fine and Industrial Arts Department  said that what the artist needs to do is to change with the technology, and get involved with the technology of the times because after all the arts they do is technology. According to him, “when the world has entered the computer, you cannot go and live in the past, and you don’t have to let the world to leave you behind because we are in the computer age.”

                       

Negligence By Government

The artists who spoke with our correspondent said government has not given arts sector in the state the needed priority, and so the sector is thriving to succeed on its own.  According to Mr. Umana, the ACCA President, his association has been making concerted effort to win the attention of government but to no avail, but hoped that one day they would be given listening ears. Similarly, Mr. Akanimo Okon decried how the state government would snub the indigenous artists and hire those outside the state. But has this augur well for the health of this potential sector as the state government is thinking industrialization?

As Akwa Ibom State under the leadership of Mr. Udom Emmanuel is seeking to industrialize the state, it may be necessary to involve the arts sector in the mission. Dr. Clement Ekong averred that there is no industrialization without arts because when talking about design, it has to do with conceptualization and bringing of ideas into tactile form, and so when one is looking at the visual art from that perspective, one finds that it is very needful in the development of industries. 

Square Peg In A Round Hole

In the observation of Mr. Akanimo Okon, most of the leaders appointed by the government to man arts ministries and agencies are not artists, and so it becomes a major setback to the sector. He said, “Imagine bringing someone to be head of culture and tourism in the state who does not know arts at all. Can this happen in the Nigerian Society of Engineers, medical profession and so on? You cannot bring somebody who is not vested in the profession to come and do that. In Nigerian Bar Association, you cannot bring somebody who is not a barrister to come and head them. But in arts, anything goes which is very wrong. Arts has gone beyond the level where people would toy with because it is the way of life of the particular people.” Mr. Umana, who also spoke on the issue, suggested that the concept of bringing someone who is not in the field of arts to serve as a head should be discouraged.

Lack Of Teachers

Mr. Imo Bassey expressed worries over the future of arts in the state as there are few tutors today that are teaching arts subject in the secondary schools. He held that this could badly affect education in the state as subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, and geography that involve intensive sketching and drawing. Bassey called on the state government to employ arts graduates into the secondary schools so as to help restore the performance and the future of arts in Akwa Ibom State.

THE ICONS OF ARTS

Dr. Clement Ekong, HOD Fine and Industrial Arts, Uniuyo

We must have been familiar with key figures in history whose works of arts had contributed immensely in energizing Renaissance, a major epoch in the world history. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), a great painter who left behind an immortal painting, Mona Lisa; Michelangelo (1474-1565), a sculptor and painter whose work include Statue of David and Sistine Chapel paintings;  Raphael (1483-1520), an Italian painter and a dignified member of Renaissance cult known for perfection whose works still speaks at Vatican; and Donatello (1386-1466),  a painter and sculptor who was the key figure in early Renaissance in Florence, Italy. His major works include St. Mark and the Feast of Herod and Virgin and Child with four angels.

But in Akwa Ibom, our compendium is also rich with icons that have shaped our world of arts. As listed by Dr. Clement Ekong, they include late Adam J. Udoema, one of the earliest front-line artists in the country; late Effiong Inyang; Prof. Stella Idiong, the mother of the present Akwa Ibom State First lady, Martha Emmanuel. Those still alive include Prof. Ben Ekanem, whose work is the sculpture representing Late Nyong Essien at Oron Road junction by Nwaniba in Uyo. Others are Dr. Enoidem, a ceramist and the Dean of Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Uyo; Sunny Ekwere; Dr. Anselem Nyah; Dr. Ekwere Bassey; Ime Ukim; Imo Udosen; Dr. Clement Ekong and wife, Itoro U. Ekong. The list can be endless.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST

First requisites are passion, creativity and patience. A talent for creating eye-catching, innovative and interesting craft items is one major advantage for any artist. With this, one can transform his passion for creativity into an income-generating venture, and be making earnings. Akanimo popularly called Madhuz, said “I sleep arts; I dream arts; I eat arts, and it is just my passion; I love doing it.” That is the spirit; that is the passion needed to excel as an artist.

LAST WORDS

The Head of Department of Fine and Industrial Arts, Dr. Clement Ekong, during a roundtable discourse in honour of Dr. Enoidem Udoh at 65^th birthday anniversary which was recently organized by his department called on all artists to give priority to the protection their works.

Mr. Akanimo 'Madhuz' Okon

“If you believe in arts, and you believe in what you are doing as an artist, the issue of protecting your works, the issue of copyrighting your works, and the issue of patenting your works must always be fresh and new to your ears, and that is the only way we can get our works protected,” said the department head.

Delivering a lecture at the roundtable discourse, Uyo Office’s Head of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. Charles Amudipe, advised the University of Uyo arts community not to let out their works without proper documentation done at the present of a lawyer.

Works of arts are not just individual or collective properties; they are essential element of culture. In the words of Dr. Clement Ekong, “arts is first of all a career of culture, a stabilizer of culture, and a documentator of culture. If there is no art, there is no culture because both of them are intertwined. In our clime, arts should not be seen as a piece of fetish object, instead as an object of beauty.”

To reinvent arts industry in the state, most of the roundabouts in Akwa Ibom cities and towns should be dotted with artworks. Public buildings should also be made to have art designs at the exterior as this would encourage arts in the state.

 Source: The Sensor Newspaper's Business Discourse