Stretched Terrains Molue mobile museum departs Nigeria for Dak’Art

Stretched Terrains Molue mobile museum departs Nigeria for Dak’Art
 By Prisca Sam-Duru 
The Goethe Institute Nigeria Mobile residency set to take artists to Dak’Art in Dakar, Senegal, commenced their journey on Monday April 9, from Lagos, Nigeria. Stretched Terrains Molue mobile museum departs Nigeria for Dak’Art.







 The Molue Mobile Museum of Contemporary Arts, MMMoCA project titled “Stretched Terrains” according to Goethe-Institute Nigeria Director, Friederike Moschel,  involves a group of young artists from Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Germany. Moschel who spoke during a press conference in Lagos, said the bus which has been changed into a mobile museum would go from Lagos via Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali and arrive Senegal right at the opening of the 13th International Biennial DaK’Art in May. “Stretched Terrains” is an intensive Mobile artist residency project in a bus which has been transformed into a rolling art space. It examines diverse public spaces as communication zones of social, economic and political interaction as it travels the approximately 10,000 kilometers road trip via some west African countries to the 13th edition of Dakar Biennale in Senegal. From Lagos, Joining Berlin-based Nigeria artist, Emeka Udemba, who is the curator of the project are Monsuru Alashe and Gabriel Goller (Germany), who is also in Lagos. The other artists will be picked up on the way as the journey progresses.   Moschel hinted that during the trip, artistic ideas will be developed while finished projects will be presented on the return journey at the Goethe-Institute offices along the way. Moschel further said that everything has been done to make the trip as comfortable for the artists as possible. Goethe-Institute insisted that each of the artists travelling has health insurance, food has been provided and a mechanic for the vehicle, as well. She however said that it is an adventure and the artists travelling would expectedly meet some challenges. They, will, for instance, be expected to cook their own food. Indeed, Alashe, who made the first trip, said they had met with some challenges but he said that from all indications, this would definitely be a much better trip. Presenting an overview of the project, Udemba, said MMMoCA stands for Molue Mobile Museum of Contemporary Arts and came to being in 2004. He said the concept of the museum is to interrogate the idea of having a space within the Lagos metropolis that is not restricted to a certain part of the city but creating a platform where contemporary art can be seen and enjoyed everywhere in the city. He disclosed that two years ago, it was decided that the MMMoCA would be used as a platform to connect artists along the West African coast. The first trip, he said, was successful with artists connecting across West Africa. Gabriel Goller from Germany, who was at the press conference, will be travelling from Lagos. Also on the bus from Lagos will be Willie Schumann, a film-maker and freelance journalist, Ray Claver Agbo, Souleymane Konate and Dame Diongue. 

Tales from 2018 Lagos theatre festival

Tales from 2018 Lagos theatre festival
By Prisca Sam-Duru

Although the 2018  edition of Lagos Theatre Festival, LTF which began on February 27, ended   Sunday, March 4, the memory it created in the hearts of theatre lovers will linger for long. Being 5th in the series, the weeklong festival took place at 12 different venues across the Island, Mainland and other remote parts of Lagos State. It recorded over 100 shows in both the curated and fringe sections  featuring both local and international creatives. Organised by the British Council Nigeria, this year’s edition was  themed, “Theatre in Unconventional Spaces”. It featured genres such as drama, dance, family, spoken word, cabaret and variety shows. As it is customary with the festival, there were also capacity building workshops facilitated by experts in different aspects of theatre. Bringing the stage alive during the opening was Mara the storyteller. Her folktales spoke loudly about freedom and change which are both vital to the growth of any society. Mara’s assignment continued with an interactive storytelling workshop which touched on the importance of story in modern society. The curated section featured six productions with over 20 shows, while the fringe section had over 80 shows to the delight of theatre audience. The festival also had workshops and training sections in acting, scriptwriting and development inaddition to other theatre-related topics. Also on display were other art forms music, variety shows and visual arts, etc. ‘Women in the Arts’ forum workshop featured  women professionals in diverse genres of arts who deliberated on how to promote women works in the ecosystem in addition to assisting them overcome challenges that undermine their living out their full potentials. It had sub-theme, ‘Pressing for Change: Women who Disrupt Creatively.’ Telling a tale that all societies can relate to, the Kininso Productions group’s performance, titled Tori-Tori was highly entertaining as well as educating. “Tori-Tori is a social realistic play, which covers social, political, economic and cultural issued.  It lampoons every system that embraces misappropriation and sheds light on the need for a common future that is all inclusive. Renowned American performance artist and comedian, Kristina Wong, was also on ground to entertain guests during the festival. Wong’s participation was supported by the United States Consulate General Lagos. On Friday March 2nd, Wong conducted master classes for performing arts students, faculty, and theatrical directors at the University of Lagos. Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts and PEFTI Film Institute also benefited from her wealth of experience on February 28th and March 1st respectively. Wong who is notable for her works focusing on women and economic empowerment finally, entertained audience with her critically acclaimed Wong Street Journal show, hosted by United States Consul General, Mr.  F. John Bray, at Terra Kulture Arts and Cultural Centre, Lagos.