Osinbajo urges Nigerians to support arts
Osinbajo made the call in Lagos while speaking at the cultural and arts exhibition organised by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
the exhibition is a celebration of cultural diversity through various
forms of arts that included music, visual arts, short films and dance.
The exhibition is also aimed at promoting
cultural ties between UAE and Nigeria while creating opportunities for
the exchange of information and ideas between artistes and the relevant
stakeholders.
According to Osinbajo, the relationship between UAE and Nigeria is deep, fruitful and growing at a very promising rate.
He said that a relationship of such depth was very necessary and expressed optimism about collaborations in the arts sector.
“Nigerians make up some of the most frequent visitors to Dubai, many of whom visit for the cause of tourism in particular.
“I’m sure that in years to come, we will be visiting both countries for arts and culture in particular,” Osinbajo said.
He said that the creative industry in Nigeria
had seen collaborations with the UAE and cited the case of Nollywood
blockbuster: The Wedding Party, which was set in Dubai and became
Nigeria’s highest grossing movie.
“The success of the movie was as a result
of the partnership between both countries and we are excited that such
collaborations had yielded not just money , but other cultural links
between our people,” he said.
Osinbajo further said that the arts sector was in the most innovative moment in history.
“The artiste today uses various medium.
“It is no longer arts as we used to know it as there are many innovations now.
“The line up we see today is an impeccable
mix of Emirati and Nigerian artistes who use their works to tell
stories about identity, language and contemporary contexts.
“I am excited about how the artistes chose
to open a dialogue with us through their works and equally excited
about how this event will open a dialogue with the UAE at the
interactive person to person level,” he said.
He expressed his fascination with all that
artistes could say through their works and said they helped humans to
connect with one another.
“In painting, we see that the love of an Arab
mother for her children and family is as deep as that of the African
mother for her children and family.
“It helps us see that our hopes and fears
are the same and shows us how flimsy racial discrimination can be when
diversities are created by God to be celebrated and enjoyed,” he said.
He added that the UAE had been supportive of
Nigeria in many ways, especially, in the area of terrorism and aiding in
the recovery of stolen funds.
He also commended the personal commitment shown by Ambassador Fahad AlTaffaq in deepening the bonds between Nigeria and the UAE.
Osinbajo urges Nigerians to support arts
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