THE AGBOGIDI SHOWS THE WAY.

By Nii B. Andrews.

Vibrant and progressive traditional African leadership spans millennia.

 It includes powerful personalities across the length and breadth of the mother continent and even beyond.

Names such as Khufu, Hatshepsut, Ramses, Hannibal, Sumanguru Kante , Nzigha, Mohammed V, Shaka, Moshesh, Cetawayo remain emblazoned in gold.

But since the colonial encounter traditional African leadership has struggled to find a meaningful role on a continent with a teeming population of rapidly urbanizing youth amidst a plethora of natural resources managed by a largely mediocre or consistently under performing political and professional classes and the constantly predatory western governments with their allied and shamelessly enabling international institutions.

****Royal Portrait of HM Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, CFR, nmi, Obi of Onitsha by Iké Udé*****

This is the geopolitical and social context that His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe OFR, the Obi of Onitsha has navigated with ingenuity and prowess since he took the throne in 2002 after a distinguished professional career of directorships in Shell.

The massive and superlatively impressive tome of 580 pages titled A KING’S PASSION  – A 21^st CENTURY PATRON OF AFRICAN ART documents the Igwe or Agbogidi’s forty year odyssey as a passionate collector of contemporary African Art (CAA).

The handsomely packaged and exquisitely photographed volume with its seminal essays and interviews is an unabashed documentation of African excellence.

It is prelude to the soon to be opened Chimede Museum a landmark institution that will cement the place of the ancient city of Onitsha as a destination for those genuinely interested in experiencing, studying and enjoying African culture shorn of the  generalities and essentialism of lazy anecdote and petty voyeurism.

*****GEORGE AFEDZI-HUGHES, Tow Away, 47 x 74 ins, mixed media, 1998. Private collection.*******

From Agbogidi’s collection of 4000 items, a coterie of Africanist scholars has chosen and brilliantly and lavishly photographed over 300 of them then furthermore provided deep insight into the aesthetic reach of the collection through scholarly essays.

The book is exciting, just wonderful, totally refreshing.

It records the role of an African Art patron thereby demolishing the negative shrill stereotypes often touted by the prominent smug talking heads in the world media space.

The passionate indigenous African Art patrons were there long before the rising prominence of CAA in the global space of blue chip galleries and auction houses of the “metropole”.

But Agbogidi remains humble and self-effacing about his effort: “While I have endeavored to be eclectic regarding the artists whose work I collect, my collection still suffers a glaring absence of the works of many great Nigerian and African artists. That gap speaks volumes to the rising quantity and quality of contemporary visual art coming from Africa”, he states.

He continues by describing his collection as  “modest”(!!??!!).

Whew…….you gotta admire the Agbogidi!

His is indeed a Herculean effort – all the greats are in there and hidden gems from lesser known and emerging artists thus providing incontrovertible evidence of his superb connoisseurship.

As an authentic traditional  African leader, his passion has almost singlehandedly  “protected and projected our histories and artworks while nurturing our creative soul for generations to come”.

******SMO Contemporary Art, 2023

Publisher: Five Continents Editions.

ISBN: 9791254600498

Dimensions: 28.5 x 28.5 cm

Pages: 580*******

We look forward to the day the Chimede Museum will open its doors in Onitsha in memory of the 9^th Obi, a direct ancestor of Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe.

The book is a monumental work of art and scholarship.

It is dedicated to the late Innocent Chukwuma, a celebrated social justice activist and former Ford Foundation Representative of West Africa.

The editing and art direction are impeccable: so is the design and layout; the research and writing top shelf and the photography bang on.

The visionary sponsorship of Access Holdings and the Ford Foundation have ably assisted Igwe produce what is in itself a powerful work of art and a glowing tribute to the human spirit.

Damali and I shall remain eternally grateful to our dear friend, the renowned artist –  George Afedzi-Hughes who so graciously sent us a copy. 

We shall always cherish it and accord it pride of place in our library.