By
Tajudeen Sowole
Remember
the keke (tricycle) used as a canvas
in a painting at Wheatbaker about two years ago? Yes, it's one of the works of
Polly Alakija, from her last solo exhibition titled Here and There. But the artist, few days ago returned for a similar
work as she hit Lagos streets in a larger format of a commercial bus Molue, on which she painted dancers and
strings of native gangan (talking
drum).
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The Molue as a canvas by Polly Alakija |
On
Sunday, the Molue bus as a canvas was driven across Lagos Island –
restricted routes by Lagos State Government for the commercial buses - through
the mainland with some unusual passengers. Alakija's Molue project was in collaboration with We Love Lagos, a non-governmental organisation helping in raising
funds for two social empowerment groups. The not-for-profits beneficiaries are Eruobodo House, a home for disabled children, based in Ijebu Ode, Ogun
State, maintained by Quintessence and requires expansion to serve the community
better; and Parkhood Dancers, a
community dance troupe established by Sina Ipaye at Freedom Park, Lagos Island,
to develop the talents of young persons.
Few days ahead of the formal presentation, a
911 bus, parked at Quintessence Gallery, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos has just
lost its yellow colour and black stripes identity of Lagos commercial vehicles
to the realism figures from Alakija's brush strokes. Though still in its yellow
dominance, Alakija's Molue attracts
attention more for the figures, painted in brown. It appears ready to go. For Aakija,
the Molue canvas of murals extends
her Artist-in-Residence idea she has been doing across the country, taking art
into the streets. "This is to create awareness for the fundraising for
Eruobodo and Parkhood Dancrs," Alakija confirms shortly after taking a
break from the painting for a chat with one inquisitive visitor. But she
relishes the passion in using the fundraising to take art appreciation to the
streets, particularly using an iconic name like Molue.
"People ask me: why molue?" It's
"iconic," she notes. "And it's disappearing.” She recalls the
popularity of molue bus on Lagos
roads in the 1970s, and draws coincidence with the rising fame of Fela whose
music, coincidentally preaches freedom from the shackles of government. The
common narrative for the Molue project in fund raising, she explains "is
freedom," which connects the dancers at Freedom Park with the inmates at
Eruobobo Home.
Included in the exhibition were prints of
paintings by Alakija as parts of the source for the fund raising. Also from the
Molue object, "a numbered collector prints will be made and sold"
from which "a percentage of the proceeds of the sales will go to support
Eruobodo and Parkland Dancers."
Part of the contents of the print, Alakija
discloses, are texts extracted from a book Possessed" by Olasupo Shasore. Alakija
describes the book “as a fascinating look at
Colonial Lagos, fromw hich I have drawn inspiration about The Drumming Question, which tells the story of the Governor of
Lagos who tried to " restrict " drumming in Lagos.”
Alakija's previous Artist-in-Residence included
a projects at Ibadan International School with the support of Skretting Nigeria
when she painted on a 1970s Bedford truck still in use for transporting timber
in Oyo state. Also, in Kaduna, she painted a 1960 Stern Water Tanker in
acrylic, depicting a scene from the Kangimi fishing village. From the painting
of the water tanker, “a limited edition of 50 archival quality injet diptych
prints were created and will soon be on sale."
![]() |
Artist, Polly Alakija painting Molue at Quintessence Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos. |
While the timber carrier and water tanker
still move around Ibadan and Kaduna with Alakija's paintings, the Molue in Lagos would not be as lucky:
the iconic bus is barred from the Lagos and Victoria Islands by the Lagos State
Government. But for the purpose of the project, "permission has been
granted" to drive the bus within the city. Beyond the project, what
becomes the fate of the mural look Molue? "The molue is rented and will be
returned to the owner," Alakija says, almost lamenting. In a country that
has no museum for modern and contemporary antiquities, molue may never be seen by young people in the generations to come.
In fact, Alakija’s choice of Molue
for the project "is driven by apprehension" that the bus may go into
extinction without adequate documentation.
The bus was driven from the Island across the
Mainland to National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos with select passengers.
“The background for this stunning visual aide
memoire to another time will be Freedom Park, the iconic heritage park located
on Lagos Island itself the Broad Street site of the former colonial prison. It
is now the venue for able bodied people to enjoy the freedom of their own good
health and vitality. The depiction of the members of Parkhood Dancers, the
young group of dancers that practice daily in Freedom Park will serve to
illustrate the stark contrast in the lack of freedom with which the disabled
children at Eruobodo House contend.”
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