Sandra Mbanefo Obiago was already busy mounting some art works in Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, when I arrived for our scheduled meeting.
“Hi! Agozino?”
“Hi! I replied.
The tall, fair-skinned beautiful lady that could be mistaken for an African-American, with a bit of American diction, offered her hand in a handshake and nudges me take my seats inside the highbrow hotel where she had been waiting for me.
Sandra is a scion of the popular Mbanefo dynasty, (not Odu Arthur Mbanefo) from Onitsha, Anambra State.
With the beautiful ambiance, surrounded by large screen plasma television, the soft-spoken amazon regaled me with stories of her initiation into the curatorial world of art and film. Although born and bred in the United States of America, where she also had her early education, Sandra, who is, equally, married to popular art patron, Joe Obiago, had produced and directed many films, apart from being a passionate art enthusiast, who believes that art can actually become Nigeria’s gold mine, if the government could give more priority attention to the sector.
“I am proud to be associated with Nigerian art and artists”, Sandra says with a smile.
“I am an independent art curator and I am, at present, holding an exhibition at the Wheatbaker Hotel. The first part of my career was doing educational television and film, which focused on environment and developmental issues. I established the Communicating for Change (CFC) which I ran for 16 years. During this time, we did works ranging from girl-child empowerment to campaign against female genital mutilation, all aimed at empowering young people to tell their stories. But I think my first artistic endeavor was film, ’’ she said.
Sandra spent 16 years running a non-profit organisation making documentary films for developmental goals such as health and community activism. The initiative was called Communicating for Change (CFC) The last popular film she produced was a five-part documentary series on 17 Nigerian artists called Red Hot. The film showed the vibrancy, creativity and range of the world class talents that can be found in Nigeria.
Is Nigerian art, actually, doing well and should government give more support to the sector?
She answers, “The international art world is beginning to look at Nigeria with very keen interest. When it comes to music and film, Nigeria is already seen as number one. Nollywood has put on the map in terms of the largest film industry in the world. In the visual arts, there are a lot that are taking place and there is an increasing interest in Nigerian contemporary art.’’
She had also held many exhibitions for young artists, sponsoring solo and group exhibitions. The two of these were the beginning of what Sandra called Collectors’ Series, including the on-going one at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi. Each exhibition is designed to showcase one or a group of artists for the public. What she is doing now, according to her is using hotel and public places to showcase the best of Nigerian art, since many people find it difficult to go to the gallery or museum.
“We had an exhibition last year that included photography and dance. Because many Nigerians don’t go to the museum, that is why we are using hotels as a platform to showcase the arts,” she said.
On what inspires her, Sandra, with a chuckle said, “Everything about arts and creativity inspires me. I am an artist. I write poetry, I do photography. So, over the years, I found that there is a huge gap in the industry; you see artists trying to promote themselves that are very frustrating, because it takes them away from creative focus to commercial.
So, there is a need for experienced and professional curators to come into the industry. And for me, I love it, because it allows me to merge my experience with film, poetry and writings to write about the Art and push incredible talents to new heights. We need to also encourage people to invest in arts. Though, some people think it is all about money, but it is not so.’’
“Art gives hope. It helps us to appreciate our own identity. Beyond providing employment and creating wealth, it has also created an understanding within a society of their significance to the world.
Recently, interest in Nigeria art is growing worldwide. Recently, the last art auction at Africa Now sale in Bonhams, London saw Ben Enweonwu’s sculpture, ‘Anyanwu’ fetch a staggering £74,500. His Africa Dances painting sold for £68,500.
It was not unusual for Enweonwu’s pieces to receive such attractive bids; nor those of Yusuf Grillo, who, equally, dominated the auction. iles Peppiatt, Director of African Art at Bonhams, said after the sale, “Once more, records fell in our Africa Now sale. The strength of demand from buyers for this newly appreciated art is growing steadily”.
Sandra is a development communications specialist and documentary film producer. Her primary focus is on developing Nigeria’s creative industry, organising conferences, workshops, and symposia for Nigeria’s growing art and film industry.
She received a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, Canada and a Master of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University, USA. She is a Fellow of the Second Class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-West Africa and a Member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
source-->Dailytimes.com.ng