Adegboyega’s art against corruption

BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE

BAMIDELE Adegboyega’s Alternative Arts Friendly Initiative Network (AAFIN) has a role to play in the fight against corruption. Using the medium of art, he hopes to teach  young ones positive values.

  Adegboyega says the idea aims at eradicating corruption in the society.

    What has art got to do with corruption?

  “Quite a fundamental role,” he anwers. This much, he has expressed through shows such as My Nigeria, With or Without Corruption and Corruption: Its Breath, Its death.

    Organised in collaboration with Alliance Francaise, Ibadan, Oyo State, the show, he explains, interprets the character, nature of occurance and the evils of its spread.

One of the works from the workshop

   He warns: “In today’s world, corruption poses a problem to national development. It has eaten deep into the psyche of our educational system and undermines the original purpose of teaching-learning process in schools.”

   Adegboyega notes, “it’s important for the society to assess the value and achievement, and as well, encourage children to take part in ‘national baking’ rather than in ‘national sharing’ of cake.”

    The crusade of retracing the loss of value is imbedded in the idea of art as a drive towards equity. In March last year, the artist / teacher also organised a workshop with the theme, Corruption: Its breath, its death.

     And if you are  wondering how young ones understand what corruption is, and how they express such in art, Adegboyega says, “works on display were developed on observations, information gathered and imaginative manipulation, guided by practical thinking.”

  He says the unrestricted use of colours, forms and styles indicate the nature and character of children’s creativity.

  “The energy of rendition, if critically analysed, depicts innocence with considerable subtlety and confidence of expression. Expectedly, the use of colours is very objective and natural,” the artist breathes.

   

STRESSING young artists’ understanding of the focus of the project, Adegboyega notes this will help to encourage them to live a life of honour, dignity and integrity. “The varying titles and subject matters enable them to reflect on our social web and connect largely, bringing a total change to the society for a collective development,” he says.

   If the young ones must be protected from corruption as the normal everyday life, the need to expose them to anti-corruption crusade should be given attention. Thus, apart from workshops and shows, anti-corruption orientation programmes can be integrated in school curriculum such as social studies, history, religion, life skills, economics and ethics, he argues. 

BAMIDELE Adegboyega

   He notes, “adults often lay claim to commitment in reviving lost values and give their best to Nigeria, but their attitude is a far cry from reality. Unfortunately, corruption is the major hindrance to achieving the second millennium development goal of Comprehensive School Education for all children by 2015.”

   

ADEGBOYEGA is a painter and former secretary of Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA). He is also the author of a book titled, Understanding Your Teacher, The Corporate Teacher.

  Educated at The Polytechnic, Ibadan; Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State; and Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Adegboyega has been promoting art as an alternative drive towards change since 1988. His last show, My Nigeria, With or Without Corruption is the 4th edition of what he tagged “annual HeART4LIFE project.”