Negligence is the worst bane of art in Africa. Many individuals and corporate bodies seem to be bothered with this situation and so profess to be embodiments of art propagation and culture promotion. But do they really recognise the place of art in the multi-faceted process of evolution of humanity? In Africa, 1991 saw the birth of an organisation that adopted the philosophy of the Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh: “ I have sure faith in art, a sure confidence that it is a powerful stream, which bears a man to harbour…” The famous artist did not fail to add that the man in the above premise “must do his bit too.”
Pan-African Circle of Artists (PACA), as the group is called, began to do “his bit” by clearly stating “his” paramount aspiration:
To create an art-friendly environment and veritable forum for promoting the rich art and cultural heritage of Africa in order to ensure social, political and economic revival by creating of a more integrating art scene through meaningful networking among Africa’s creative people.
The expedition kicked off with the Inaugural Exhibition of 1992. Between then and now, the members have organised about 30 exhibitions in different countries across the continent. These exhibitions have been woven together to reflect the social realities of present day Africa. For instance, the Songs of Gold of 1999 was a celebration of a landmark in the political history of Nigeria as democracy triumphed over militarism. Ozioma Onuzulike’s How Do We Cleanse our Land? raised the question of reconstructing the nation-state shattered by the gun psychology. Chimezie Chuta’s Pre- republic Politicians and Eva Obodo’s Aso Rock were a focus on power and the abuse of it. In 2006, a second edition of Songs of Gold was put up to revisit the 1999 victory. Similarly, Altars of Terror of 2004 Biennale sought to interrogate notions in leadership in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
In addition to politics, other global issues such as peace and security have been addressed, though such have attracted severe criticism from various persons. PACA Peace Exhibit of the same Biennale was made up of works dealing with the theme of peace from various but complementary standpoints. Peace as a phenomenon has caught the attention of people of all ages. Artists are no doubt among these people who have invested much of their creative force to continue to prick the conscience of the world and their local communities in this direction. The critics argue that artists should not gather for a subject as “trivial” as peace. In his “Peace and
the Artist,” Dr. Peter Ezeh adds that Artists may not force the world to install peace, but they can at least continue to remind it of the need to do so. Also, the PACA exhibitions have assessed issues which divide the views of artists and scholars: post-modernism, the traditional-contemporary dichotomy of African art, nudity as a subject matter in art, neo-colonialism and a host of other related matters.
Aside exhibitions, the aforementioned have been addressed through the PACA conferences. In 1994, a symposium organised during, Salute to the Withered Rose in honour of Late Chuka Amaefunah failed, and as a result, Obiora Udechukwu suggested turning it into a roundtable. This way, the organisation’s maiden roundtable was held. Since then, the group has held numerous roundtables and conferences in Nigeria and other African countries, which have pulled together artists and other professionals from different parts of the world, giving them opportunity to rub off on one another, on art and culture-related issues. They are certainly an avenue for “cross-currents of thoughts and ideas.”
Furthermore, in 1995, PACA perceived the importance of inviting celebrated scholars to deliver lectures on topics of serious concern. Accordingly, a number of issues clamouring for attention have been redressed through this initiative. On January 28, that year, the celebrated culture journalist, Dr. Peter Ezeh shed light on the role of the press in the propagation of art in Africa. In November 2002, Oumar Kamara, a Professor of Art History talked at the school of Humanities, University of Mali on “The Yesterday and Today of Visual Arts in Africa.” Among those who have delivered lectures under the auspices of Pan-African Circle of Artists are Professor Chike Aniakor, a celebrated art historian and Prof. John Picton of University of London.
PACA also believes in the inspirational power of travel and exposure. Hence, like Ulysses, the organisation says with determination: “I cannot rest from travel; I will follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought; for life piled on life were all too little.” This triggered the incorporation of study tour into the PACA activity chart. Nigerian painter Jerry Buhari sums up the benefits of the tours:
The idea of artist getting themselves together to travel across countries to meet with their counterparts, exhibit works, discuss and visit places of artistic interest, and eat together is a very powerful and effective way of taking a refreshing journey into the depth of the profession.
The project has helped the members of the organisation to experience the multitude of problems facing the African continent. The mud and thatched houses by the roadsides, the hungry faces of the teaming hawkers and beggars that flood the roads against the very few pot-bellied bourgeoisie and their skyscrapers are all a mirror reflecting the failure of post-independence African leaders. Corruption pervades all the sectors of the national life. Even at the borders, the conducts of the police and immigration officials are living evidence of materialism and fraud. This situation shatters the dream of African Union and ECOWAS.
This is where the central goal of PACA and it tours comes to mind -- integration of Africans through art. This has helped the organisation to pursue its dream of African integration, which has for years remained elusive. Meanwhile, the issue of integration has also been achieved through PACA publications which include catalogues that are no mere photo albums, study tour reports, and edited books whose contributors are drawn from various parts of the world.
Then, when the world became IT-driven, PACA reacted to Carla van Beers’ essay in the Changing Attitudes and designed for itself the website, www.panafricanartists.org. It is on this site that the objectives, philosophy, membership and administrative structure of the organisation are clearly stated. Most of the organisation’s publications and programmes are published on the website too. It is indeed a veritable avenue for showcasing the art of Africa.
The organisation also appreciates the efforts of artists, enthusiasts, curators, collectors, promoters and all those who are committed to excellence in the art circle. So, in 1999, the PACA Awards were initiated. The idea was greeted especially because creativity and excellence are hardly rewarded in Africa where money is the major incentive for noble ventures.
Flapping more intensively through the pages of PACA’s history, it is evident that
the ingenuity with which it has explored the various possibilities of perpetuating humanity alludes to a biblical proverb, which states that “the path of righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” In this context, the brightening light is both spiritual and artistic. A close study of the group’s experience conjures up the picture of flames of creative sensitivity of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe: ambitious and innovative, knowing what to devise for solving his problems at a particular point in time and of course how to do it.
Afrika Heritage organised biennially is one of the initiatives underlining this fact. It is well conceived to be able to realise the goals of networking via exhibitions, conferences, roundtables, lectures, tours, as well as printed and electronic documentation and dissemination of art. It was initiated in 1995 and to paraphrase Dr. Peter Eze, it is an adventure into the uncharted intellectual territory. In 1997, it included a commemorative lecture on “ The African Artist and the Politics of International Market,” which congregated the masters of modern art in Africa: El Anatsui, Chike Aniakor, Bruce Onobrakpeya, among others.
Further, 2000 startled the world with its social-political psychology of “existential conflicts and contradictions. “Woven around this atmosphere, the Biennale of that year was tagged Crossroads: Africa in the Twilight. It incorporated roundtable, lecture and commemorative conference. To crown it all, a book that took on the theme of the event was published and the articles were contributions of various scholars from across the globe. Then in 2002, the Beinnale featured roundtable, award, performance and publication. Besides, in continuation of the grand event, PACA took the exhibition further to Mali and later showcased it on the Internet (www. africancolours.com). That way, the Changing Attitude was a worldwide affair. In the 2004 Biennale, the group organised five exhibition: The Grand Exhibition, PACA Peace Exhibit, The Nude Figure Never Sleeps 2, Altars of Terror and Tayo Adenaike: A Foremost African Watercolourist. The event was documented in CDs.
Going by these, success story of the 2006 Afrika Heritage has been the expectation of all. Indeed, PACA does “his bit,” but just as noted by Van Gogh quoted at the outset, “ great difficulties” and “ gloomy days” are inevitable. The organisation does not escape the problems that come with commitment to excellence in this part of the world. The political state of the continent is unstable. The economy is chaotic. Values are topsy-turvy. Poverty, crime and indiscipline are on the increase. The resolve with which PACA has grappled with art professionalisation in spite of these problems reflects the sense of dedication, which every African should imitate for the promotion, and preservation of our art-cultural heritage for wholesome social development.Negligence is the worst bane of art in Africa. Many individuals and corporate bodies seem to be bothered with this situation and so profess to be embodiments of art propagation and culture promotion. But do they really recognise the place of art in the multi-faceted process of evolution of humanity? In Africa, 1991 saw the birth of an organisation that adopted the philosophy of the Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh: “ I have sure faith in art, a sure confidence that it is a powerful stream, which bears a man to harbour…” The famous artist did not fail to add that the man in the above premise “must do his bit too.”
Pan-African Circle of Artists (PACA), as the group is called, began to do “his bit” by clearly stating “his” paramount aspiration:
To create an art-friendly environment and veritable forum for promoting the rich art and cultural heritage of Africa in order to ensure social, political and economic revival by creating of a more integrating art scene through meaningful networking among Africa’s creative people.
The expedition kicked off with the Inaugural Exhibition of 1992. Between then and now, the members have organised about 30 exhibitions in different countries across the continent. These exhibitions have been woven together to reflect the social realities of present day Africa. For instance, the Songs of Gold of 1999 was a celebration of a landmark in the political history of Nigeria as democracy triumphed over militarism. Ozioma Onuzulike’s How Do We Cleanse our Land? raised the question of reconstructing the nation-state shattered by the gun psychology. Chimezie Chuta’s Pre- republic Politicians and Eva Obodo’s Aso Rock were a focus on power and the abuse of it. In 2006, a second edition of Songs of Gold was put up to revisit the 1999 victory. Similarly, Altars of Terror of 2004 Biennale sought to interrogate notions in leadership in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
In addition to politics, other global issues such as peace and security have been addressed, though such have attracted severe criticism from various persons. PACA Peace Exhibit of the same Biennale was made up of works dealing with the theme of peace from various but complementary standpoints. Peace as a phenomenon has caught the attention of people of all ages. Artists are no doubt among these people who have invested much of their creative force to continue to prick the conscience of the world and their local communities in this direction. The critics argue that artists should not gather for a subject as “trivial” as peace. In his “Peace and the Artist,” Dr. Peter Ezeh adds that Artists may not force the world to install peace, but they can at least continue to remind it of the need to do so. Also, the PACA exhibitions have assessed issues which divide the views of artists and scholars: post-modernism, the traditional-contemporary dichotomy of African art, nudity as a subject matter in art, neo-colonialism and a host of other related matters.
Aside exhibitions, the aforementioned have been addressed through the PACA conferences. In 1994, a symposium organised during, Salute to the Withered Rose in honour of Late Chuka Amaefunah failed, and as a result, Obiora Udechukwu suggested turning it into a roundtable. This way, the organisation’s maiden roundtable was held. Since then, the group has held numerous roundtables and conferences in Nigeria and other African countries, which have pulled together artists and other professionals from different parts of the world, giving them opportunity to rub off on one another, on art and culture-related issues. They are certainly an avenue for “cross-currents of thoughts and ideas.”
Furthermore, in 1995, PACA perceived the importance of inviting celebrated scholars to deliver lectures on topics of serious concern. Accordingly, a number of issues clamouring for attention have been redressed through this initiative. On January 28, that year, the celebrated culture journalist, Dr. Peter Ezeh shed light on the role of the press in the propagation of art in Africa. In November 2002, Oumar Kamara, a Professor of Art History talked at the school of Humanities, University of Mali on “The Yesterday and Today of Visual Arts in Africa.” Among those who have delivered lectures under the auspices of Pan-African Circle of Artists are Professor Chike Aniakor, a celebrated art historian and Prof. John Picton of University of London.
PACA also believes in the inspirational power of travel and exposure. Hence, like Ulysses, the organisation says with determination: “I cannot rest from travel; I will follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought; for life piled on life were all too little.” This triggered the incorporation of study tour into the PACA activity chart. Nigerian painter Jerry Buhari sums up the benefits of the tours:
The idea of artist getting themselves together to travel across countries to meet with their counterparts, exhibit works, discuss and visit places of artistic interest, and eat together is a very powerful and effective way of taking a refreshing journey into the depth of the profession.
The project has helped the members of the organisation to experience the multitude of problems facing the African continent. The mud and thatched houses by the roadsides, the hungry faces of the teaming hawkers and beggars that flood the roads against the very few pot-bellied bourgeoisie and their skyscrapers are all a mirror reflecting the failure of post-independence African leaders. Corruption pervades all the sectors of the national life. Even at the borders, the conducts of the police and immigration officials are living evidence of materialism and fraud. This situation shatters the dream of African Union and ECOWAS.
This is where the central goal of PACA and it tours comes to mind -- integration of Africans through art. This has helped the organisation to pursue its dream of African integration, which has for years remained elusive. Meanwhile, the issue of integration has also been achieved through PACA publications which include catalogues that are no mere photo albums, study tour reports, and edited books whose contributors are drawn from various parts of the world.
Then, when the world became IT-driven, PACA reacted to Carla van Beers’ essay in the Changing Attitudes and designed for itself the website, www.panafricanartists.org. It is on this site that the objectives, philosophy, membership and administrative structure of the organisation are clearly stated. Most of the organisation’s publications and programmes are published on the website too. It is indeed a veritable avenue for showcasing the art of Africa.
The organisation also appreciates the efforts of artists, enthusiasts, curators, collectors, promoters and all those who are committed to excellence in the art circle. So, in 1999, the PACA Awards were initiated. The idea was greeted especially because creativity and excellence are hardly rewarded in Africa where money is the major incentive for noble ventures.
Flapping more intensively through the pages of PACA’s history, it is evident that
the ingenuity with which it has explored the various possibilities of perpetuating humanity alludes to a biblical proverb, which states that “the path of righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” In this context, the brightening light is both spiritual and artistic. A close study of the group’s experience conjures up the picture of flames of creative sensitivity of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe: ambitious and innovative, knowing what to devise for solving his problems at a particular point in time and of course how to do it.
Afrika Heritage organised biennially is one of the initiatives underlining this fact. It is well conceived to be able to realise the goals of networking via exhibitions, conferences, roundtables, lectures, tours, as well as printed and electronic documentation and dissemination of art. It was initiated in 1995 and to paraphrase Dr. Peter Eze, it is an adventure into the uncharted intellectual territory. In 1997, it included a commemorative lecture on “ The African Artist and the Politics of International Market,” which congregated the masters of modern art in Africa: El Anatsui, Chike Aniakor, Bruce Onobrakpeya, among others.
Further, 2000 startled the world with its social-political psychology of “existential conflicts and contradictions. “Woven around this atmosphere, the Biennale of that year was tagged Crossroads: Africa in the Twilight. It incorporated roundtable, lecture and commemorative conference. To crown it all, a book that took on the theme of the event was published and the articles were contributions of various scholars from across the globe. Then in 2002, the Beinnale featured roundtable, award, performance and publication. Besides, in continuation of the grand event, PACA took the exhibition further to Mali and later showcased it on the Internet (www. africancolours.com). That way, the Changing Attitude was a worldwide affair. In the 2004 Biennale, the group organised five exhibition: The Grand Exhibition, PACA Peace Exhibit, The Nude Figure Never Sleeps 2, Altars of Terror and Tayo Adenaike: A Foremost African Watercolourist. The event was documented in CDs.
Going by these, success story of the 2006 Afrika Heritage has been the expectation of all. Indeed, PACA does “his bit,” but just as noted by Van Gogh quoted at the outset, “ great difficulties” and “ gloomy days” are inevitable. The organisation does not escape the problems that come with commitment to excellence in this part of the world. The political state of the continent is unstable. The economy is chaotic. Values are topsy-turvy. Poverty, crime and indiscipline are on the increase. The resolve with which PACA has grappled with art professionalisation in spite of these problems reflects the sense of dedication, which every African should imitate for the promotion, and preservation of our art-cultural heritage for wholesome social development.
Pan-African Circle of Artists (PACA), as the group is called, began to do “his bit” by clearly stating “his” paramount aspiration:
To create an art-friendly environment and veritable forum for promoting the rich art and cultural heritage of Africa in order to ensure social, political and economic revival by creating of a more integrating art scene through meaningful networking among Africa’s creative people.
The expedition kicked off with the Inaugural Exhibition of 1992. Between then and now, the members have organised about 30 exhibitions in different countries across the continent. These exhibitions have been woven together to reflect the social realities of present day Africa. For instance, the Songs of Gold of 1999 was a celebration of a landmark in the political history of Nigeria as democracy triumphed over militarism. Ozioma Onuzulike’s How Do We Cleanse our Land? raised the question of reconstructing the nation-state shattered by the gun psychology. Chimezie Chuta’s Pre- republic Politicians and Eva Obodo’s Aso Rock were a focus on power and the abuse of it. In 2006, a second edition of Songs of Gold was put up to revisit the 1999 victory. Similarly, Altars of Terror of 2004 Biennale sought to interrogate notions in leadership in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
In addition to politics, other global issues such as peace and security have been addressed, though such have attracted severe criticism from various persons. PACA Peace Exhibit of the same Biennale was made up of works dealing with the theme of peace from various but complementary standpoints. Peace as a phenomenon has caught the attention of people of all ages. Artists are no doubt among these people who have invested much of their creative force to continue to prick the conscience of the world and their local communities in this direction. The critics argue that artists should not gather for a subject as “trivial” as peace. In his “Peace and
the Artist,” Dr. Peter Ezeh adds that Artists may not force the world to install peace, but they can at least continue to remind it of the need to do so. Also, the PACA exhibitions have assessed issues which divide the views of artists and scholars: post-modernism, the traditional-contemporary dichotomy of African art, nudity as a subject matter in art, neo-colonialism and a host of other related matters.Aside exhibitions, the aforementioned have been addressed through the PACA conferences. In 1994, a symposium organised during, Salute to the Withered Rose in honour of Late Chuka Amaefunah failed, and as a result, Obiora Udechukwu suggested turning it into a roundtable. This way, the organisation’s maiden roundtable was held. Since then, the group has held numerous roundtables and conferences in Nigeria and other African countries, which have pulled together artists and other professionals from different parts of the world, giving them opportunity to rub off on one another, on art and culture-related issues. They are certainly an avenue for “cross-currents of thoughts and ideas.”
Furthermore, in 1995, PACA perceived the importance of inviting celebrated scholars to deliver lectures on topics of serious concern. Accordingly, a number of issues clamouring for attention have been redressed through this initiative. On January 28, that year, the celebrated culture journalist, Dr. Peter Ezeh shed light on the role of the press in the propagation of art in Africa. In November 2002, Oumar Kamara, a Professor of Art History talked at the school of Humanities, University of Mali on “The Yesterday and Today of Visual Arts in Africa.” Among those who have delivered lectures under the auspices of Pan-African Circle of Artists are Professor Chike Aniakor, a celebrated art historian and Prof. John Picton of University of London.
PACA also believes in the inspirational power of travel and exposure. Hence, like Ulysses, the organisation says with determination: “I cannot rest from travel; I will follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought; for life piled on life were all too little.” This triggered the incorporation of study tour into the PACA activity chart. Nigerian painter Jerry Buhari sums up the benefits of the tours:
The idea of artist getting themselves together to travel across countries to meet with their counterparts, exhibit works, discuss and visit places of artistic interest, and eat together is a very powerful and effective way of taking a refreshing journey into the depth of the profession.
The project has helped the members of the organisation to experience the multitude of problems facing the African continent. The mud and thatched houses by the roadsides, the hungry faces of the teaming hawkers and beggars that flood the roads against the very few pot-bellied bourgeoisie and their skyscrapers are all a mirror reflecting the failure of post-independence African leaders. Corruption pervades all the sectors of the national life. Even at the borders, the conducts of the police and immigration officials are living evidence of materialism and fraud. This situation shatters the dream of African Union and ECOWAS.
This is where the central goal of PACA and it tours comes to mind -- integration of Africans through art. This has helped the organisation to pursue its dream of African integration, which has for years remained elusive. Meanwhile, the issue of integration has also been achieved through PACA publications which include catalogues that are no mere photo albums, study tour reports, and edited books whose contributors are drawn from various parts of the world.
Then, when the world became IT-driven, PACA reacted to Carla van Beers’ essay in the Changing Attitudes and designed for itself the website, www.panafricanartists.org. It is on this site that the objectives, philosophy, membership and administrative structure of the organisation are clearly stated. Most of the organisation’s publications and programmes are published on the website too. It is indeed a veritable avenue for showcasing the art of Africa.
The organisation also appreciates the efforts of artists, enthusiasts, curators, collectors, promoters and all those who are committed to excellence in the art circle. So, in 1999, the PACA Awards were initiated. The idea was greeted especially because creativity and excellence are hardly rewarded in Africa where money is the major incentive for noble ventures.
Flapping more intensively through the pages of PACA’s history, it is evident that
the ingenuity with which it has explored the various possibilities of perpetuating humanity alludes to a biblical proverb, which states that “the path of righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” In this context, the brightening light is both spiritual and artistic. A close study of the group’s experience conjures up the picture of flames of creative sensitivity of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe: ambitious and innovative, knowing what to devise for solving his problems at a particular point in time and of course how to do it.
Afrika Heritage organised biennially is one of the initiatives underlining this fact. It is well conceived to be able to realise the goals of networking via exhibitions, conferences, roundtables, lectures, tours, as well as printed and electronic documentation and dissemination of art. It was initiated in 1995 and to paraphrase Dr. Peter Eze, it is an adventure into the uncharted intellectual territory. In 1997, it included a commemorative lecture on “ The African Artist and the Politics of International Market,” which congregated the masters of modern art in Africa: El Anatsui, Chike Aniakor, Bruce Onobrakpeya, among others.
Further, 2000 startled the world with its social-political psychology of “existential conflicts and contradictions. “Woven around this atmosphere, the Biennale of that year was tagged Crossroads: Africa in the Twilight. It incorporated roundtable, lecture and commemorative conference. To crown it all, a book that took on the theme of the event was published and the articles were contributions of various scholars from across the globe. Then in 2002, the Beinnale featured roundtable, award, performance and publication. Besides, in continuation of the grand event, PACA took the exhibition further to Mali and later showcased it on the Internet (www. africancolours.com). That way, the Changing Attitude was a worldwide affair. In the 2004 Biennale, the group organised five exhibition: The Grand Exhibition, PACA Peace Exhibit, The Nude Figure Never Sleeps 2, Altars of Terror and Tayo Adenaike: A Foremost African Watercolourist. The event was documented in CDs.
Going by these, success story of the 2006 Afrika Heritage has been the expectation of all. Indeed, PACA does “his bit,” but just as noted by Van Gogh quoted at the outset, “ great difficulties” and “ gloomy days” are inevitable. The organisation does not escape the problems that come with commitment to excellence in this part of the world. The political state of the continent is unstable. The economy is chaotic. Values are topsy-turvy. Poverty, crime and indiscipline are on the increase. The resolve with which PACA has grappled with art professionalisation in spite of these problems reflects the sense of dedication, which every African should imitate for the promotion, and preservation of our art-cultural heritage for wholesome social development.Negligence is the worst bane of art in Africa. Many individuals and corporate bodies seem to be bothered with this situation and so profess to be embodiments of art propagation and culture promotion. But do they really recognise the place of art in the multi-faceted process of evolution of humanity? In Africa, 1991 saw the birth of an organisation that adopted the philosophy of the Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh: “ I have sure faith in art, a sure confidence that it is a powerful stream, which bears a man to harbour…” The famous artist did not fail to add that the man in the above premise “must do his bit too.”
Pan-African Circle of Artists (PACA), as the group is called, began to do “his bit” by clearly stating “his” paramount aspiration:
To create an art-friendly environment and veritable forum for promoting the rich art and cultural heritage of Africa in order to ensure social, political and economic revival by creating of a more integrating art scene through meaningful networking among Africa’s creative people.
The expedition kicked off with the Inaugural Exhibition of 1992. Between then and now, the members have organised about 30 exhibitions in different countries across the continent. These exhibitions have been woven together to reflect the social realities of present day Africa. For instance, the Songs of Gold of 1999 was a celebration of a landmark in the political history of Nigeria as democracy triumphed over militarism. Ozioma Onuzulike’s How Do We Cleanse our Land? raised the question of reconstructing the nation-state shattered by the gun psychology. Chimezie Chuta’s Pre- republic Politicians and Eva Obodo’s Aso Rock were a focus on power and the abuse of it. In 2006, a second edition of Songs of Gold was put up to revisit the 1999 victory. Similarly, Altars of Terror of 2004 Biennale sought to interrogate notions in leadership in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
In addition to politics, other global issues such as peace and security have been addressed, though such have attracted severe criticism from various persons. PACA Peace Exhibit of the same Biennale was made up of works dealing with the theme of peace from various but complementary standpoints. Peace as a phenomenon has caught the attention of people of all ages. Artists are no doubt among these people who have invested much of their creative force to continue to prick the conscience of the world and their local communities in this direction. The critics argue that artists should not gather for a subject as “trivial” as peace. In his “Peace and the Artist,” Dr. Peter Ezeh adds that Artists may not force the world to install peace, but they can at least continue to remind it of the need to do so. Also, the PACA exhibitions have assessed issues which divide the views of artists and scholars: post-modernism, the traditional-contemporary dichotomy of African art, nudity as a subject matter in art, neo-colonialism and a host of other related matters.
Aside exhibitions, the aforementioned have been addressed through the PACA conferences. In 1994, a symposium organised during, Salute to the Withered Rose in honour of Late Chuka Amaefunah failed, and as a result, Obiora Udechukwu suggested turning it into a roundtable. This way, the organisation’s maiden roundtable was held. Since then, the group has held numerous roundtables and conferences in Nigeria and other African countries, which have pulled together artists and other professionals from different parts of the world, giving them opportunity to rub off on one another, on art and culture-related issues. They are certainly an avenue for “cross-currents of thoughts and ideas.”
Furthermore, in 1995, PACA perceived the importance of inviting celebrated scholars to deliver lectures on topics of serious concern. Accordingly, a number of issues clamouring for attention have been redressed through this initiative. On January 28, that year, the celebrated culture journalist, Dr. Peter Ezeh shed light on the role of the press in the propagation of art in Africa. In November 2002, Oumar Kamara, a Professor of Art History talked at the school of Humanities, University of Mali on “The Yesterday and Today of Visual Arts in Africa.” Among those who have delivered lectures under the auspices of Pan-African Circle of Artists are Professor Chike Aniakor, a celebrated art historian and Prof. John Picton of University of London.
PACA also believes in the inspirational power of travel and exposure. Hence, like Ulysses, the organisation says with determination: “I cannot rest from travel; I will follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought; for life piled on life were all too little.” This triggered the incorporation of study tour into the PACA activity chart. Nigerian painter Jerry Buhari sums up the benefits of the tours:
The idea of artist getting themselves together to travel across countries to meet with their counterparts, exhibit works, discuss and visit places of artistic interest, and eat together is a very powerful and effective way of taking a refreshing journey into the depth of the profession.
The project has helped the members of the organisation to experience the multitude of problems facing the African continent. The mud and thatched houses by the roadsides, the hungry faces of the teaming hawkers and beggars that flood the roads against the very few pot-bellied bourgeoisie and their skyscrapers are all a mirror reflecting the failure of post-independence African leaders. Corruption pervades all the sectors of the national life. Even at the borders, the conducts of the police and immigration officials are living evidence of materialism and fraud. This situation shatters the dream of African Union and ECOWAS.
This is where the central goal of PACA and it tours comes to mind -- integration of Africans through art. This has helped the organisation to pursue its dream of African integration, which has for years remained elusive. Meanwhile, the issue of integration has also been achieved through PACA publications which include catalogues that are no mere photo albums, study tour reports, and edited books whose contributors are drawn from various parts of the world.
Then, when the world became IT-driven, PACA reacted to Carla van Beers’ essay in the Changing Attitudes and designed for itself the website, www.panafricanartists.org. It is on this site that the objectives, philosophy, membership and administrative structure of the organisation are clearly stated. Most of the organisation’s publications and programmes are published on the website too. It is indeed a veritable avenue for showcasing the art of Africa.
The organisation also appreciates the efforts of artists, enthusiasts, curators, collectors, promoters and all those who are committed to excellence in the art circle. So, in 1999, the PACA Awards were initiated. The idea was greeted especially because creativity and excellence are hardly rewarded in Africa where money is the major incentive for noble ventures.
Flapping more intensively through the pages of PACA’s history, it is evident that
the ingenuity with which it has explored the various possibilities of perpetuating humanity alludes to a biblical proverb, which states that “the path of righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” In this context, the brightening light is both spiritual and artistic. A close study of the group’s experience conjures up the picture of flames of creative sensitivity of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe: ambitious and innovative, knowing what to devise for solving his problems at a particular point in time and of course how to do it.
Afrika Heritage organised biennially is one of the initiatives underlining this fact. It is well conceived to be able to realise the goals of networking via exhibitions, conferences, roundtables, lectures, tours, as well as printed and electronic documentation and dissemination of art. It was initiated in 1995 and to paraphrase Dr. Peter Eze, it is an adventure into the uncharted intellectual territory. In 1997, it included a commemorative lecture on “ The African Artist and the Politics of International Market,” which congregated the masters of modern art in Africa: El Anatsui, Chike Aniakor, Bruce Onobrakpeya, among others.
Further, 2000 startled the world with its social-political psychology of “existential conflicts and contradictions. “Woven around this atmosphere, the Biennale of that year was tagged Crossroads: Africa in the Twilight. It incorporated roundtable, lecture and commemorative conference. To crown it all, a book that took on the theme of the event was published and the articles were contributions of various scholars from across the globe. Then in 2002, the Beinnale featured roundtable, award, performance and publication. Besides, in continuation of the grand event, PACA took the exhibition further to Mali and later showcased it on the Internet (www. africancolours.com). That way, the Changing Attitude was a worldwide affair. In the 2004 Biennale, the group organised five exhibition: The Grand Exhibition, PACA Peace Exhibit, The Nude Figure Never Sleeps 2, Altars of Terror and Tayo Adenaike: A Foremost African Watercolourist. The event was documented in CDs.
Going by these, success story of the 2006 Afrika Heritage has been the expectation of all. Indeed, PACA does “his bit,” but just as noted by Van Gogh quoted at the outset, “ great difficulties” and “ gloomy days” are inevitable. The organisation does not escape the problems that come with commitment to excellence in this part of the world. The political state of the continent is unstable. The economy is chaotic. Values are topsy-turvy. Poverty, crime and indiscipline are on the increase. The resolve with which PACA has grappled with art professionalisation in spite of these problems reflects the sense of dedication, which every African should imitate for the promotion, and preservation of our art-cultural heritage for wholesome social development.
