At Orisun Gallery, children creativity takes centrestage

Since Orisun Art Gallery opened to business last year, it has been a destination of choice to lovers of arts in the Federal Capital Territory.

Aside from its strategic location in the heart of the city – Central Business District – the pervading atmosphere in the gallery remains very suitable for art exhibitions and literary engagements.

Recently, Orisun Gallery played host to students and teachers of Redeemer School, Lugbe, Abuja. The event, which was the commemoration of Mother Language Day, brought together stakeholders in arts and culture, including chief executives of culture parastatals.

The outing was part of the gallery’s efforts to encourage the younger generations of Nigerians to take interest and pride in speaking indigenous languages.

The manager of the gallery, Mr. Femi Coker, while welcoming the guests, reiterated the vision, objectives and mandate of the gallery as a cultural centre.

According to him, one of the core objectives of the facility is to promote Nigerian culture through the creation of thematic activities and events.

While the younger ones are not discouraged from the use of the English Language, Coker tasked them not to jettison their mother tongue either, describing language as the hallmark of a people’s culture.

The Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Ado Bayero, commended Orisun for organising the commemorative event geared towards cultural promotion and sustainability.

The ES took out time to highlight the mandate of NICO towards encouraging the study of Nigerian languages in schools as well as creating platforms for Nigerian languages to be taught and studied in both physical and online spaces.

The National Gallery of Arts was represented by the Director, Special Duties, Magnus Ojeonu.

Speaking on behalf of the Director-General, Ojeonu took the students on the relevance of the day as well as the objectives of the United Nations in promoting world peace, security and economic growth through the instrumentality of culture.

He further explained the importance of Mother Language Day, multilingualism and the diversity of the human race.

Celina Okpu stood in for the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and she spoke on the importance of language as not only a vehicle of communication but also, its indispensability to the preservation of cultural values and heritage.

The Culture Officer, United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ifeanyi Ajaegbo, highlighted the activities of the organization in advancing the frontiers of knowledge and cultures.

Ajaegbo particularly mentioned a pilot program put in place by UNESCO to train teachers as better culture advocates. While hoping to extend the partnership to Redeemer School, the UNESCO representative also sought collaboration with Orisun Gallery on subsequent activities.

The elated Executive Director, Orisun Art Gallery, Dr. (Mrs.) Adebola Adetunmbi, enjoined the students of Redeemer School to stimulate keen interest in their mother tongue and be proud of their true identity.

She decried the fact that the majority of the younger generations no longer take pride in indigenous languages. She also tasked parents to assist in the effort towards saving mother tongues from extinction.

In another development, the Gallery in collaboration with Sterling Bank organized Valentine’s Day celebration. The event tagged, Sip & Paint and Pottery workshop brought together couples and singles under a fun-filled atmosphere as they engaged in painting and pottery making.