Africa

A tale of two foreign ministers. This week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a trip to West Africa. It’s the secretary’s fourth trip to the continent and part of a larger Biden effort to push back on China and Russia’s increasing engagement and influence in the region. Blinken traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde…, Nigeria, and Angola. Meanwhile, Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock headed to Djibouti, Kenya, and South Sudan this week...

– Interruptrr Weekly, “Symbols”, January 26, 2024 by Elmira Bayrasli

Symbols

January 26, 2024 – Autocrats love sacred symbols. Why do their followers? 

Nike Davies-Okundaye, the famous Nigerian artist who owns Nike Art Gallery in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, last week, accepted to receive Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his official visit to Nigeria at her art gallery in Lagos. View the posts at: https://www.instagram.com/nikeartgallery/?hl=en or https://www.facebook.com/nikeartgallery/

The Secretary of State and his official entourage found the time to travel to Lagos (seat of government is Abuja, distance 720 km) to join Madame Nike and various Nigerian elites, who were then accompanied by dancers and drummers to view the art of Nigerian and African artists. (Okay so far?) Artists usually welcome publicity from any sector to promote their art but when art of another culture is used as exploitation for government policy to influence the region, a line is crossed! Nike’s art and all the Nigerian artists that she represents in her Lagos gallery are people whose art preserves and celebrates Nigerian culture, tradition and heritage. Nigeria often points to the evil of the colonist era (1882-1960) as a time of occupation, apartheid, and theft of their cultural and art objects.  To this day, the finger is often pointed to British colonialism as a root of the problem with identity and social issues. Therefore, it is disturbing that Madame Nike, who upholds the Nigerian and African art to the highest standards, succumbed to the pressure or the pride to be used in promoting Biden/Blinken policy of colonialism, occupation, and genocide.