Obi of Onitsha takes love for art to new heights with world-class museum

It is no longer news that the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnae­meka Alfred Achebe is end­lessly in love with the arts. So much is the love for art works that he has been seen at not a few exhibitions in the past, some of which he has supported or spon­sored. What is news, however, is that the revered monarch has commenced the process of build­ing a world-class museum in his domain mainly for the promotion of African art as a key develop­ment resource.

At the groundbreaking cere­mony of the project, performed recently in Onitsha by the Gov­ernor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, the influential royal fa­ther disclosed that the world-class museum will be named after his direct royal ancestor – Chimedie.
The Chimedie Museum in Onitsha is to serve as a centre of excellence for the development and promotion of African art and is also meant to help create a fu­ture in which African art achieves greater relevance and sustainabil­ity such that it will become a key development resource.
The monarch, who marked his 75th birthday and 14th anniversa­ry on the throne on the same day, said the museum is a private en­dowment by him but for the bene­fit of the public. Designed by Theo Lawson, the architect who respon­sible for the design of the Freedom Park, as the former colonial pris­on in Ikoyi, Lagos is now known, the museum will hold the mon­arch’s personal collection of mod­ern African artworks numbering over 1200 presently time, all his royal paraphernalia and those of his predecessors that may be avail­able including photographs, mu­sic and video recordings, appar­els, jewellery and ornaments as well as historic documents and research materials, including the digital copies of the entire aca­demic materials built up by Prof Richard and Dr. Mrs Helen Hen­derso, who devoted their entire ac­ademic life to the socio-anthropo­logical study of Onitsha.
Speaking at the launch, the Obi of Onitsha said the museum would make Onitsha and the en­tire Anambra State a destination of choice for business, tourism and leisure.
“It is our intent to build an edi­fice, which will become a reference centre for our history and culture, relating the past with the present for the benefit of the future. For instance, it is from the hundreds of museums around the world that we derive most of our knowledge about life in ancient Egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, China, India, and Nigeria, among the world’s great civilisations.
“The big difference with Ni­geria is that we have not cared to preserve our heritage, the best of which now reside in foreign mu­seums, where we and our future generations will painfully visit if we must know about our past. Today’s event is the beginning of a private journey to reverse that trend for Onitsha Ado N’Idu, An­ambra State and, to some extent, Nigeria.
“The museum that we are about to launch today is named af­ter Obi Chimedie, my direct roy­al ancestor. Chimedie was the son of Eze Aroli, who was the son of Obi Chimaevi, who was the son of Ezechima, the founding father of Onitsha Ado N’Idu. My more im­mediate ancestor, Orezeobi, was the first son of Chimedie,” he said
He noted that the Chime­die Museum Trust Foundation had been duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a not-for-profit independent trust with a board of trustees to be duly constituted soon.
He also said the land for the museum had been allocated in his name by the state government and he had executed an irrevocable Deed of Gift conveying the land to the Chimedie Museum Trust Foundation. He added that the museum will be a centre for edu­cation and enlightenment on the history and culture of Igboland.
“The museum will in due course be linked with one of our universities and become a Cen­tre for Onitsha and Igbo Studies. Our daughter and distinguished academic, Prof Nkiru Nzegwu, of the State University of New York in Binghamton, New York has painstakingly built up a bib­liography of over 500 sources of published materials on Onitsha and related subjects. The muse­um will equally acquire such ma­terials over time to become a re­search centre,” he said.
Governor Obiano, who per­formed the foundation-laying cer­emony, hailed the initiative, noting that the museum will help his ad­ministration in its bid to develop tourism in the state.
The new museum is the sec­ond of such being built by indi­viduals in Nigeria. Last year, the Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shy­llon Foundation, founded by fa­mous art patron and lover of art, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, donated 1,200 artworks and seed money worth over N2.2 billion to the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
Obi of Onitsha and others looking at the prototype of Chimedie Museum Rousing performance in Abuja brings global tour of Hear Word! to an end
After what is deemed a suc­cessful tour of locations in the United States and Europe, the episodic stage play, Hear Word! which highlights is­sues holding Nigerian women back from reaching their full po­tentials, recently held Abuja spell-bound.
The play’s command perfor­mance in Abuja was the climax of a thrilling three-continent tour which kicked off in April at Har­vard University, before perfor­mances at Torp Theatre - Central Connecticut State University also in the USA before moving to the Frascati Theatre in Amsterdam, Holland.
At the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Hear Word! attracted eminent guests led by the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo, chair­man of Etisalat Nigeria, Hakeem Belo-Osagie and his wife, Myma and patron of the Etisalat Prize for Literature, Dele Olojede. Oth­ers include Mrs. Gimbiya Yaku­bu Dogara; Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili and wives of service chiefs includ­ing Mrs. Omobolanle Olonisakin; Mrs. Theresa Ibass; Mrs. Sadique Abubakar, Mrs. Agharase Arase, among others.
Produced and directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa, Hear Word! fea­tures star figures like Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akinto­la, Omonor, Elvina Ibru, Ufuoma McDermott, Zara Udofia, Rita Ed­ward, Debbie Ohiri and Odenike, the stage drama features a collec­tion of 10 stories of real life ac­counts of inequality, discrimi­nation, abuse and violence, and other social, cultural, traditional, economic and political manifesta­tions and practices of the society which limit women from reaching their full potentials and becoming meaningful contributors to the de­velopment of the society.
It is an advocacy piece of per­formance that uses artistry, social commentary and humour to tell real life stories of issues affecting the lives of women across Nige­ria and also examines factors that limit their potential for independ­ence and leadership.
Speaking at the occasion, Etis­alat Nigeria’s Director, Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiemwanye, said Hear Word! captures in part the company’s vision of creating and supporting platforms that em­power people to discover them­selves and reach their full poten­tials.
“We are an innovative and ex­pressive company and are delight­ed to have pulled this through with the Hear Word! team. We share in the everyday experienc­es of our customers, and also seek for appropriate channels to create desirable experiences for them. We believe in providing peo­ple the opportunities to express themselves, be it in innovation, music, sports, literature, photog­raphy, theatre arts, education, en­trepreneurship and any other way we can contribute to the develop­ment of the society,” he said.