By Prisca Sam-Duru

What other way to celebrate Obiora Udechukwu, an artist and poet whose extraordinary artistic career spans over 5 decades with outstanding consistency, other than a monumental documentation of his works for posterity.

The scope of Udechukwu’s intellectual and creative engagements which are all evident in his works of over 50 years are chronicled and documented in a very big book by no other than one of his pupils, Chika Okeke-Agulu, who happened to also be a witness to the artist’s long decades of practising art.

The book  titled, Obiora Udechukwu: Line, Image, Text, was presented to the public at the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) headquaters, Victoria Island, Lagos, last Tuesday.

•R-L: Igwe Alfred Achebe, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Chief Abdulaziz Ude, and Prof. Ozioma Onazulike at the event.

Organised by AAF and sponsored by the Ford Foundation West Africa, the book presentation brought together collectors, arts and culture enthusiast, artists, friends and families of both the celebrator and the author who came all the way from the east. They include, Obi Of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Chief Abdulaziz Ude, Kolade Oshinowo, Ndidi Dike, Chellarams etc.

A look at Chika Okeke-Agulu’s book only proves that Udechukwu is truly a scholar and a renaissance with so much versatility that magnets viewers of his works or readers of his poems, into his artistic world.

In his well articulated review, Professor Ozioma Onazulike described  the book as a critical analysis of both the contexts of practice and the formal tactics of Obiora Udechukwu’s drawings in terms of the artist’s engagement with the three most defining elements characterising his work for over 5 decades.

The book he noted, places the full range of the core of Udechukwu’s eventful career in the public domain, stressing that “The author has succeeded in preparing the ground for further intellectual work by scholars, curators etc who are interested in post-colonial debates, histories and divergent forms of African art modernisms. Documenting Udechukwu’s works in colour,  black and white, reveal that a greater number of the artist’s works especially since 1975, follow the formal idiom of traditional uli.

The Guest of Honour, Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Agbogidi of Onitsha, commended the AAF for organising the book presentation and Ford Foundation, for their immense support towards preserving culture and history of Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

“I’m encouraging everyone to pick up the book” Igwe Achebe said, emphasising that “The book takes readers on a journey that never stops. Its poetry, philosophy and art. God endowed Obiora and the environment he grew in, nurtured him into continued excellence. Social conscience, moral courage and creativity are very important to his success. His legacy is not only in his body of works but also enduring influence on his contemporary and band of younger generation of artists.”

The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Abdulaziz Ude frowned at how a lot of things are taken for granted in Nigeria. “A lot of individuals and institutions who have contributed immensely towards the development of our country are not given due respect. Its interesting however, that in the last 2 or 3 decades, Nigeria has shown that in spite of government’s inability to grow the art, based on individual efforts, we can accomplish a lot. There’s been a lot of explosion of creativity in the arts. Now we can boast of Nollywood. Now there are so many talents of which Obiora Udechukwu remains one of them. Its a good thing that we have contemporary arts as opposed to primitive arts which are recognised all over the world.

We need monumental works to continue to celebrate our artists. There is no better investment than in the Nigerian art as prices of works appreciate.” Chief Ude commended the author for paying the highest tribute one can pay to his teacher and mentor.