A four-day national stone carving workshop organised by the International Stone League (Nigeria chapter) at the Aina Onabolu Studios, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, was rounded off with a lecture on Ori dance drama by Oba Gbenga Sonuga last Friday.

The inaugural workshop that opened last week Monday, December 12 through Saturday, December 17 on the theme: “Ori: African Portraiture” attracted about 13 participants, involved in studio work and lecture sessions facilitated by sculptors Oladapo Afolayan and Suleyman Taiwo, both of the Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State. 

Explaining the choice of the theme for the workshop, Afolayan said in African society, Ori  (head) is the centre of expression and it is one-third in proportion to the size of human body. He stated that though there are different types of Ori , it is not only crucial to the body but also the centre of the body. He added that the expression of Ori  shows whether one is happy or not, adding that there was hope to make the workshop an annual event if “we can have a shelter”. But he solicited for assistance from corporate bodies and individuals especially in the provision of equipment. “So far, equipment for the workshop is not enough. But we wish to take stone carving to greater heights, much better than that of Zimbabwe. What stone carving is to Zimbabwe is what it will be to Nigeria,” Afolayan said.

But recalling the concepts and experiences behind the stage performance of Ori, a dance drama during the Buhari/Idiagbon military administration, Oba Gbenga Sonuga explained that though satirical in nature, the play was essentially a clarion call on the leadership of the country to live above board and that “Nigeria’s head is a good one but great care must be taken in order not to destroy it”. Ace drummer, Tunji Oyelana, who led the band, was among the casts that thrilled the audience, which included top military brass in the Buhari administration.

According to him, from the age of three, a child’s propensity for a particular profession or trade always manifests in his attitudes, which is sometimes confirmed through the ifa divination. He stressed that the concept of Ori was not primarily to determine whether a child would be a rich or poor man. “It is simply to ascertain the dos and don’ts of that child in order for him to achieve his life desire,” he said.

In his remark, Dr. Paul Dike, director-general of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), main sponsor of the workshop, noted that if there was any lesson to be drawn from the talk on Ori, it was the symbolism of the head in Yoruba as well as African tradition. He also observed that the importance of the head was also illustrated in African history and arts, adding that most sculptors in Africa depict the head as the greatest and most important part of human body. The D-G, who however, described the modern principles of proportion and symmetry as not too essential elements in African art, canvassed for creation of some continuum from past to present in African art. To him, the Nok terracotta, Ife heads and Benin bronze share some similarities in this regard as exemplified by the position of the eyes. 

On the challenges before the young contemporary Nigerian artists, Dr. Dike urged the young professional artists to be proud of their profession while making efforts to go beyond the basics. “One of the challenges of young Nigerian artists is to question issues, semantics and themes of African arts. Ask how and what the European artists have done that African artists have not done? Then you must be proud of your profession. Let us reach for the heaven because we can be in heaven,” he told the audience comprising mainly participants at the recently concluded workshop.

The founder and President of African Refugee Foundation (ARF), Ambassador Segun Olusola, assured the organisers of his support by liaising with donor individuals, who have indicated interest in assisting the workshop organisers.

Among artists that participated in the workshop are Oladapo Afolayan, Suleyman Taiwo, Godwin Onobrakpeya, Christian Obadan, Andrew Onobrakpeya and Patrick Akpojoto. Others are Mike Omoighe, Titi Omoighe, Bunmi Afolayan, Bisi Fakeye and Gbenga Sonuga.

Source: Ozolua Uhakheme, Daily Independent - Nigeria