LIVE UPDATES
The National Museum Benin has partnered with the Goethe Institut Nigeria, to host the 2024 cultural forum on Benin arts.
The collaborative move would aid the promotion of cultural heritage via the cultural forum initiative.
The program which came to a climax on Thursday, July 25, 2024 with 10 selected cohorts had as its theme: Preserving Indigenous Arts.
The 10 cohorts made up of both undergraduates and graduates showcased their works of art in an exhibition at the Museum.
Some of the side attractions were exhibitions on paintings, sculpture and poetry.
The cultural forum which specifically focuses on the Benin art, provides a quality platform for participants to deliberate on culture and its impact and influence on the Nigeria society as well as its preservation with reference to Edo State.
Curator, Benin Museum, Mr Mark Olaitan, said the program was necessary to bring culture to the fore in Edo state.
He added that “The collaborative effort between the national museum, Benin and the Goethe Institut is meant to promote the Benin Cultural heritage.”
Also speaking during the event, Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Dr Uyi Oduwa-Malaka, expressed delight that the state under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, was already setting a new pace for cultural integration and projection in the state.
A Fellow of the Institut, Toluwanimi Owolan, who spoke on Promoting Indigenous Art in Benin: Strategies for Preservation and Innovation, emphasised the need for digital preservation of indigenous art in Benin.
