RAMADAN, 6 1429 A.H.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5 2008
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Visual artists converge on Abuja
More than 1,500 stakeholders in the creative arts from Africa are poised to converge on Abuja on Sunday to promote visual arts on the continent.
The seven-day First African Regional Summit and Exhibition on Visual Art (ARESUVA), is organised by the National Gallery of Arts (NGA), and will be attended by artists from 52 African countries.
The Director-General of NGA, Mr Joe Musa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in an interview in Abuja that the event would create an opportunity to discuss the key issues shaping the sector.
According to him, the event is designed to promote visual arts as a strategy for achieving rapid economic development as envisioned in the New Partnership for African Development.
``It is also to promote unity, peace, togetherness, economic development and the sustenance of the region's thriving democracy.
``It will identify development programmes that can be nurtured, institutionalised and promoted as models of partnership among African countries,'' he said.
He said that the event was designed to be two-fold, the Main and the Off exhibitions.
Musa said that artists had been invited to participate in the main exhibition while the off exhibitions would be organised by private galleries within and outside Abuja.
He said the main exhibition would hold at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, while the Off Exhibition would hold at the Cyprian Ekwensi Cultural Centre, Abuja.
Musa said that eight artists invited from each of the six geo-political zones were expected to bring along about 17 art works.
Twelve Nigerian artists in the Diaspora, including five painters, five sculptors, one performer and one for mix media.
