Washington, DC
May 17, 2013
Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C., will lead a delegation to Abuja and Lagos Nigeria May 20-29. The purpose of her visit is to raise awareness for a new exhibition “Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria” which opens at the National Museum of African Art in September 2014. A press conference announcing the exhibition will take place Thursday, May 23 at ThisDAY offices in Abuja.
A VIP dinner will be held in Abuja on Sunday, May 26 to raise awareness. The dinner will be co-chaired by HRH Crown Prince Edaiken of the Benin Kingdom, The Nigerian Minister of Culture and Nduka Obaigbena, President of ThisDAY and ARISE Magazine, Gregory Ibe, Chancellor of Gregory University and Elizabeth Jibunoh, founder of the Didi Museum. The evening will be hosted by Television personality Soni Irabor.
About the Exhibition
The Chief S.O. Alonge exhibition is the collection of historic photographs that were captured on Kodak glass- plate negatives and large format film by Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge, one of Nigeria’s premier photographers during the 20th century. As the first indigenous photographer of the Royal Court of Benin, Alonge’s photographs reveal an insider’s view of the pageantry, ritual and regalia of the Benin Kingdom spanning several decades, which includes historic visits to Benin by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip (1956), foreign dignitaries, traditional rulers, political leaders and celebrities. This collection preserves an important historical record of Benin art and culture during the periods of British colonial rule and Nigerian independence in the 20th century. The exhibition will showcase Benin royal arts and the role of photography in documenting cultural and historical traditions.
As Nigerians celebrate 100 years as a united country (1914–2014), this exhibition celebrates the role Nigerian photographers have played in addressing issues of identity, nationhood, and historical memory. As part of the fundraising, sponsorship funds will also be used to produce and send a copy of the exhibition photographs, texts (in electronic format) and graphic panels to Nigeria so that they are available to the National Commission of Museums and Monuments in Lagos and Benin.
About the National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is the nation’s premiere museum dedicated exclusively to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of Africa’s traditional and contemporary arts. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Dec. 25. Admission is free. The museum is located at 950 Independence Avenue S.W., near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines.
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