A group of young career artists at the Nsukka Art School has through performance art reawakened the public’s consciousness to the importance of reading.
The 10 for 10 Art Society, led by Ugonna Ibekwe, on 8 October 2021 organised a nomadic art exhibition themed “Akwukwo na-ato uto”, which covered strategic locations within the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
For the group, it was a means to draw attention to the dying reading culture in Nigeria, especially among the youth.
Costumed in green and white colours of the Nigerian flag and bearing a canvas with the inscription, “You Are What You Read”, the group began at the Achebe Court, located within the Faculty of Arts, and made stops at locations that included the George Marion Johnson Building that houses the School of General Studies, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s statue, the university library, among others.
At the different stops, the group rendered a number of poems, including JP Clark’s “Streamside Exchange”, Lenrie Peters’ “We have come home”, Birago Diop’s “Vanity”, and Christopher Okigbo’s “Idoto”.
Others include Wole Soyinka’s “I think it rains”, Kofi Awoonor’s “Songs of Sorrow”, JP Clark’s “Night rain”, and Kwesi Brew’s ”A plea for mercy”.
The 10 for 10 Art Society leader, Ibekwe said the group’s aim was to remind the youth that they are simply a product of what they take in.
“If the youth have decided to consistently take in unverified information and literature, then the emergence of a mob of uncivil and uneducated generation is not far away,” he said.
Artists who took part in the performance supervised by Dr. Chijioke Onuora are Joe Nnaemeka, Hadassah Amaefunah, Ifeanyi Okonkwo, August Tondo, Francis Ogbonna, Obinna Eze, Simon Lawrence, Green Otonyemiete, Nnabeze Goodness, while Emeka Ezekiel and Akuche Chimaobi took the shots.
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