By Anino Aganbi

MEDINA Dugger works for the African Artist Foundation as a chief curator and organizer. The initiative is meant to empower the youths with art and we want to teach artistic skills, life skills, just give them tools to empower themselves in life. We bring in guest facilitators, to come and speak and also we have daily classes.

Her concept on people thinking art is feminine for a male was a stereotype which she was not really aware of. She was more aware of the stereotype that you can’t really produce a living by being an artist. She says that she does not agree with that. It’s actually very important that people understand the true story that Nigeria portrays both here and abroad.

Media represents this in a holistic way. You hear about the bad things happening but nothing about the good things that is happening. Art is a medium that is trying to tell these stories to the world. We have had many exhibitions here but we try to take many of our works abroad so people can understand the good things that are happening here. Hopefully, people will see the positive things coming from art.

She went further to state that the programme is just for secondary school for the moment and they chose students from SS1 and SS 2.

Guest facilitator

As Vanguard media held an interview with the guest facilitator; she sheds more light into her life as an artist.

How long have you been into art?

I have been into art pretty much all my life in many different ways. But I have been into arts professionally for about 6 years.

What intrigued you about Art as a child?

I think I was really born with a sense of curiosity and I loved to create and to communicate, I think those ingredients make an artist. You are curious about the world around you, you want to communicate your observations and also want to create things which depict what it is you observed. I have just been intrigued by life since I was a child and that molded me into expressing myself through art.

What have been your accomplishments so far?

Winning the national arts competition last year, starting out Africa heritage group, starting up an investment plan which promotes Africa and my books as well.  I am very passionate about what it is I do. I use every means available to tell stories about what I think is not told enough and these are stories about our culture, our history, our ancestor and essentially who we are. So I use whatever means at my disposal to tell their stories and am very passionate about that.

How well have you enjoyed working with the students in this class?

I love these children. It is very clichéd to say that children are the future but interacting with these children, seeing that hope in their eyes, seeing the expectation of receiving wisdom has really inspired me. And I am inspired to do more to engage young people, to express themselves, to dream more, to believe in themselves and to understand more about who they are, where they are coming from, their heritage. Working with them has been fantastic.

Do you think there is hope for Nigeria?

I think that yes, there really is hope for Nigeria. My lesson today was about the amalgamation of Nigeria. I was teaching them about history. A lot of them had no idea about history. A country that does not know where it’s coming from, I think that one of the way to galvanize Nigerians feature paradoxically is to look at our past and to tell stories about our past.

That’s when our traditions and our culture, the things which bind us would really come forth. Speaking to them now, they are so receptive right now. The student have come from not knowing anything, they are actually creating a story which tells something about what they think  their ancestors were through different points of views.. Our ancestors were ancestors were great people and we should stop glorifying other people’s ancestors and forgetting our own.

Do you have a word of advice for youths out there?

For children, I basically think they should believe in themselves, don’t let anything, any circumstance or any one make you think you cant be what you have to be. You have to be focused, determined and work hard.