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| Prince Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko, Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Lagos State Chapter speaking during the opening of October Rain International Arts Festival' 2026. |
OVER the years, October Rain has provided an important platform for artists to exhibit their works, exchange ideas, engage audiences, and contribute to the development of visual arts in Lagos State and Nigeria. We acknowledge and celebrate all those who have sustained this valuable tradition.
However, every enduring institution must continually renew its vision and explore new possibilities.
We therefore asked ourselves: Can October Rain become more than an annual exhibition? Can it connect artists with other creative professionals, attract international participation, stimulate cultural tourism, create employment, encourage investment, and open new markets for Nigerian creativity?
Our answer is yes!
That conviction has inspired the transformation of October Rain into the October Rain International Arts Festival, ORIA-FEST 2026.
This is not merely a change of name; it is an expansion of vision and a commitment to greater possibilities. Our vision is to establish a sustainable cultural platform where artistic excellence is celebrated, cultural heritage is preserved, creative talents are recognised, and artists are connected with opportunities in Nigeria and around the world.
Our mission is to bring creative minds together, promote cultural exchange, encourage collaboration across generations and disciplines, support professional development, and connect artistic creativity with the wider creative economy.
We are moving beyond the traditional boundaries of an exhibition to embrace visual arts, music, literature, theatre, dance, photography, film, fashion, digital creativity, and other expressions of human imagination.
We want our artists to discover new opportunities, our cultural institutions to attract greater recognition, and our creative community to contribute more meaningfully to economic and social development.
This is the direction in which we are moving, and this is the future we are working to build.
3. HONOURING OUR FOREBEARS AND CELEBRATING OUR LIVING LEGENDS
Ladies and gentlemen, as we look towards the future, we must never forget those whose sacrifices made our present possible.
The history of the Society of Nigerian Artists is a story of courage, dedication, resilience, and a shared belief in the importance of art to national development. Since the establishment of the Society in 1963 and the subsequent formation of the Lagos State Chapter in 1982, generations of artists have contributed to building the professional community we celebrate today.
We remember with profound respect our departed heroes, particularly Pa Emmanuel Alabi Bojerenu, Prince C. S. Akran, and Dr. Olu Ajayi, among other distinguished forebears whose leadership and contributions helped shape our Chapter.
Although they are no longer physically with us, their legacies remain alive in their artworks, their students, their institutions, their ideas, and the memories they have left behind.
To their families and representatives present today, we express our heartfelt gratitude. Your presence reminds us that behind every great leader are families who share in the sacrifices and responsibilities of service. We honour you and thank you for joining us in celebrating their enduring contributions.
However, our responsibility must not end with remembering those who have passed on. We must also celebrate our living legends while they are still with us.
We must honour our masters, appreciate our art educators and researchers, recognise our cultural advocates, and celebrate those who have devoted their lives to developing artistic skills, mentoring younger practitioners, preserving cultural traditions, and expanding the boundaries of creative expression.
We must also recognise our emerging artists, students, young creatives, and members who are steadily discovering their voices and contributing to the development of the arts.
Recognition must not be restricted by age, gender, social status, popularity, or professional connections. Our women artists must be celebrated, our senior members respected, our young artists encouraged, and those who work quietly behind the scenes acknowledged.
Let us build a culture in which we celebrate one another, appreciate excellence, recognise service, and preserve the knowledge of our masters for future generations.
At October Rain International Arts Festival, we are not here merely to display artworks. We are here to celebrate the people behind the art, honour the past, recognise the present, and inspire the future.
4. CONNECTING ART TO THE CREATIVE ECONOMY AND CULTURAL TOURISM
Distinguished guests, one of the principal objectives of this transformation is to connect the arts more meaningfully with the creative economy.
The contribution of artists extends far beyond the studio and gallery. Art connects with tourism, hospitality, architecture, interior design, fashion, film, advertising, publishing, digital technology, education, entertainment, heritage management, and cultural diplomacy.
A painting can become a cultural attraction. A sculpture can transform a public space. A poem can inspire a film, while a festival can generate opportunities for hotels, restaurants, transport operators, vendors, photographers, designers, and other creative entrepreneurs.
An exhibition may generate sales, but a well-developed festival can also create employment, professional networks, partnerships, and access to new markets.
Our creativity must not only enrich the soul; it must also create sustainable opportunities for those who possess it.
We must work towards an environment where artists can earn sustainable incomes, creative entrepreneurs can build viable businesses, and young people can discover meaningful careers in the arts.
Our theme, Beyond Borders: Celebrating Our Heritage, Honouring Our Forebears, and Inspiring the Future, reminds us that culture connects humanity.
Nigeria possesses extraordinary cultural wealth, historical experiences, artistic traditions, and creative talent. We must preserve this heritage while sharing it with audiences across the world through exhibitions, performances, research, collaborations, and international cultural exchanges.
Imagine a Lagos where visitors explore our historical landmarks, engage with our artists, appreciate our contemporary art, and discover the stories that have shaped our identity.
These possibilities require cooperation among artists, government institutions, traditional authorities, educational establishments, tourism professionals, private-sector partners, and the wider public.
Culture is not a luxury. It is part of who we are, what distinguishes us, and a valuable resource for national development.
Through ORIA-FEST, we seek to build a platform where heritage meets innovation, creativity meets enterprise, and Nigerian artists connect with the wider world.
5. APPRECIATION TO OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM AND FESTIVAL PARTNERS
At this point, I wish to acknowledge the people whose commitment has helped sustain our journey since 2021.
Leadership may be visible in the person standing at the podium, but its achievements are rarely the work of one individual.
To my Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, publicity team, welfare team, social secretaries, and every executive member who has served at different times during our 2021–2027 administration, I express my profound appreciation.
Thank you for your time, ideas, sacrifices, constructive criticism, and unwavering commitment. Thank you for standing with me through challenges, uncertainties, disappointments, and moments of achievement.
We may not have accomplished everything we envisioned, but we have continued to work towards strengthening our Society and creating better opportunities for our members.
As our administration approaches the end of its tenure, I want every executive member to know that your contributions have not gone unnoticed.
History will not be written by one person alone; it will be written through our collective efforts.
I also extend special appreciation to Prince Saheed Adelakun and his entire organising team for their dedication to bringing this year's festival to reality. Organising an event of this nature requires patience, coordination, sacrifice, and teamwork. To every committee member, volunteer, and individual who has contributed behind the scenes, thank you.
I equally recognise all past chairmen of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, and the committees that organised and sustained October Rain from its earlier editions to the present. Each administration contributed to preserving this tradition and creating the foundation upon which we are building today.
Our sincere appreciation also goes to Mr. Qudus Onikeku, Director of the J. Randle Centre, and the entire management team for making the Centre available to us on exceptionally generous terms. Your support demonstrates the importance of partnerships between cultural institutions and artistic communities.
On behalf of the Society, I say a very big thank you for providing a welcoming environment for our artists and supporting this important cultural initiative.
To our donors, sponsors, collaborators, art patrons, media partners, and friends of the arts, we are deeply grateful. Whether you contributed financial resources, materials, professional services, publicity, logistics, advice, encouragement, or goodwill, your support has helped bring this vision closer to reality.
We invite more individuals, businesses, and institutions to partner with us in developing October Rain into a sustainable cultural platform.
Together, we can accomplish much more than we can achieve individually.
6. THE DREAM IS BIGGER THAN THE DRUMMER
Distinguished guests, permit me to share a thought that captures the spirit of this occasion:
The dream is bigger than the drummer.
It is bigger than any individual, any office, any administration, or any organisation. It is bigger than October Rain as we have known it and extends beyond the Society of Nigerian Artists, even though our Society provides the platform from which this initiative is taking flight.
This dream belongs to every artist seeking a better future for the creative profession, every young person searching for an opportunity to express a talent, every master whose knowledge deserves preservation, and every creative entrepreneur seeking a sustainable livelihood.
One person may conceive a dream, but many hands must build it. One administration may initiate the journey, but succeeding generations must sustain it.
I may stand here today to speak about this vision, but I cannot bring it to life alone. Neither can the executive committee.
We need you!
We need government support, private-sector investment, institutional partnerships, the commitment of our members, the guidance of our masters, and the participation of our younger artists.
We need partners who will not merely applaud the dream but contribute meaningfully to its realisation.
Let us move from criticism to contribution, from isolated efforts to collective action, and from good intentions to practical results.
The question is no longer simply whether this dream is possible. The question is: What role will each of us play in making it possible?
To our members, let us own this vision together. Let us strengthen our professional relationships, support one another, nurture emerging talents, and build a Society where members grow, knowledge is shared, and collective achievements are celebrated.
To our young artists, your ideas, energy, courage, and innovations are needed today. To our senior artists and masters, continue to guide us and share the wisdom of your experience. To our women in the arts and practitioners across all creative disciplines, your voices, talents, and leadership are indispensable.
To our prospective sponsors and partners, we invite you to invest in a vision that connects culture with education, tourism, enterprise, international relations, and sustainable development.
Let us work together to ensure that this festival creates value long after the exhibitions have closed and the performances have ended.
7. A FAREWELL OF GRATITUDE AND A CALL TO THE FUTURE
Ladies and gentlemen, as the 2021–2027 administration of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, gradually winds down, I wish to speak from the heart.
Every opportunity to serve is a privilege, and every leadership responsibility is a trust.
To the entire membership of our great Association, thank you for the confidence you placed in us, your patience, constructive criticism, encouragement, and contributions to our collective progress.
To every member of the executive team, our past chairmen, senior members, younger artists, partners, and friends of the creative community, I remain profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside you.
We have faced challenges, encountered limitations, celebrated achievements, and learnt valuable lessons. Through it all, we have remained committed to advancing the interests of our artistic community.
Leadership is not about occupying an office indefinitely. It is about accepting responsibility, serving with commitment, contributing what one can, and leaving foundations upon which others can build.
As we prepare to hand over the responsibility of leadership to the next generation, my prayer is that the Society will continue to grow in unity, professionalism, relevance, and impact.
May those who follow build upon our achievements, learn from our experiences, and take the Society to even greater heights.
Our service may approach its conclusion, but our commitment to the advancement of art and culture must never end.
The future of the Society is greater than the tenure of any chairman, and its possibilities remain open to every generation willing to contribute to its growth.
8. CONCLUSION: TOGETHER, LET US MOVE BEYOND BORDERS
Distinguished guests, the true success of this inaugural festival will not be determined by today's ceremony alone, but by the opportunities we create, the partnerships we establish, the artists we support, and the legacy we leave for future generations.
With collective commitment, sound planning, sustained support, and a willingness to collaborate, October Rain International Arts Festival can grow into a recognised cultural platform that promotes Nigerian creativity and connects our artists with the wider world.
Let us build it with courage, sustain it with commitment, protect its integrity with responsibility, and expand its possibilities through collaboration.
The rain has always symbolised renewal, nourishment, and new beginnings. In that spirit, may October Rain bring fresh opportunities to our artists, renewed appreciation for our heritage, and lasting inspiration to our creative community.
May it nourish the dreams of emerging artists, honour the legacies of our departed heroes, celebrate our living legends and masters, unite creative disciplines, open doors to international cultural exchange, stimulate cultural tourism, and contribute to a future in which Nigerian creativity is celebrated at home and respected around the world.
The dream is bigger than the drummer. The vision is bigger than any one of us. The responsibility belongs to all of us.
Let us wake up to this dream. Let us connect with this vision. Let us join hands to make it a reality.
Together, let us move beyond borders.
Together, let us celebrate our heritage.
Together, let us honour our forebears and celebrate our living legends.
And together, let us inspire the future.
On this note, it gives me immense pleasure, as Chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, and Chairman and Host of this historic gathering, to welcome you to the inaugural October Rain International Arts Festival 2026.
May this festival mark the beginning of a remarkable journey for our artists, our members, Lagos State, Nigeria, and the global creative community.
-Excerpts from 'Beyond Borders: Celebrating Our Heritage, Honouring Our Forebears, and Inspiring the Future," delivered by Prince Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko, Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists, (SNA), Lagos State Chapter, during the opening of 'October Rain International Arts Festival' 2026, on October 18, at J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture & History, Onikan, Lagos.
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