Fine Arts And The Acts: Celebrating Nigeria’s Creative Talents On Banking Turf

AS part of its annual Standard Bank West Africa Investors’ Conference, Stanbic IBTC recently hosted an event tagged Fine Arts and The Acts. Held at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, the show brought to the fore the belief that art – a true reflection of a people’s cultural heritage, not oil, gold or any other natural resource, is a nation’s most precious heritage.

At the event, guests from all walks of life were treated to the impressive works of two prominent Nigerians, Mr. Adedotun Suleiman and Mr. Fola Adeola, who highlighted the social value of arts, the cultural realisation it elicits and the historical recognition it bestows. In addition, the art works of two prominent Nigerian artists, Professor Bruce Onabrakpeya and Victor Ehikhamenor, were also showcased at the event. These helped to situate the context of ancient and contemporary arts, and a fusion of both.

At the exhibition, art lovers had the opportunity of appreciating the beauty of creativity against a backdrop of camaraderie, business and pleasure. Meanwhile, renowned entertainers such as Nigeria’s Basketmouth, South Africa based Ndumiso Lindi and Patrick Idringi a.k.a Salvado, Uganda’s foremost humour merchant joined by a rich parade of artistes, including fast rising music act The GirlZ Rule Band and renowned instrumentalists The String Quartet took centre stage to entertain the audience with command performances. To many, it was a journey back in time and a sneak peek into the future.

Addressing the gathering, CEO of the bank Sola David-Borha informed that The Fine Art and the Acts is a platform for the celebration of arts and culture, adding that the bank’s involvement with arts is driven by a goal to nurture and promote the development of the various art strands in Africa.

“For us at Standard Bank, trading in Nigeria as Stanbic IBTC, we care deeply about the cultural development of our society because we recognised a long time ago that business and the arts are compatible. Standard Bank Group as an African institution has, in over 152 years of its existence, adopted the African way of life. This is no surprise as Africa is our home,” he said.

According to David-Borha, the bank’s support and collaboration with the arts community is designed to achieve several outcomes, notable among which are to inspire creativity and innovation; drive economic development; and create the background for the existence of a diverse group of people whose skills and expertise are instrumental in moving society forward.

“A vibrant arts community needs business to flourish; while arts are also good for business. For us, arts provide a canvass for both business engagement and social interaction. This belief underlines the co-option of an evening of fine arts and exhibition into the 2015 Standard Bank West Africa Investors Conference. This eclectic mix is reflective of our history. Here again lies the correlation between Standard Bank and fine art; we desire to offer peerless service to every customer segment, guided by a careful consideration of the finer details,” he said.

On the choice of Mr. Adedotun Suleiman and Mr. Fola Adeola as exhibitors, he noted that, “our intentions are to highlight the social value of arts, the cultural realisation it elicits and the historical recognition it bestows. In addition to this, the art works of two prominent Nigerian artists namely, Victor Ehikhamenor and Professor Bruce Onabrakpeya will help to situate the context of ancient and contemporary arts, or even a fusion of both. It is time for art lovers to admire the beauty of creativity against a backdrop of camaraderie, business and pleasure,” he said.

It would be recalled that Standard Bank recently renewed its commitment to jazz in South Africa, by signing a new three-year sponsorship agreement with Africa’s premier jazz festival, Joy of Jazz, thereby extending its 16-year relationship with the festival.

In addition, the bank has partnered with Johannesburg’s leading live jazz venue, The Orbit, to present bi-monthly live concerts, which will be curated by the venue.

Completing its live jazz sponsorship portfolio is the longstanding Standard Bank Jazz at Grahamstown Festival, part of the National Arts Festival. The bank’s support of jazz extends into education, through the National Youth Jazz Festival and the National Youth Jazz Band; as well as career development with the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards, which for over 30 years have played a role in establishing and enhancing the careers of young artists.

Hazel Chimhandamba, Head of Group Sponsorships at Standard Bank, explained the renewed commitment:

“We are privileged to have been able to forge a close relationship with such an exciting and progressive genre of music – jazz. It’s inspiring to watch the incredible progress of musicians as they move from small stages through to massive concert venues and win the accolades of their peers. We hope the fingerprint we are leaving on jazz will continue to drive the genre.”

It is, therefore, the hope of the Nigerian art community that the bank will replicate its commitment to the South African art in Nigeria, having set the tone with Fine Arts and The Acts.