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The Sahara Centre, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Nigeria has announced the launch of The Lantern Art and Space Fellowship Programme. This pioneering initiative aims to address the pressing need for dedicated spaces for art, culture, and freedom of expression in Lagos.
Executive Director of The Sahara Centre, Dr Adun Okupe, said: “Creating spaces for art, culture, and community expression is vital for the growth and evolution of Lagos. The Lantern Art and Space Fellowship Programme seek to explore how access to existing spaces can be negotiated, repurposed and utilised by communities. This endeavour aims to strengthen social cohesion and contribute to socio-cultural sustainability, a key pillar for long-term wellbeing and development.”
For this year 2024, 16 fellows have been shortlisted from a highly competitive selection process. This multidisciplinary cohort is purposefully diverse, encompassing artists, art administrators, researchers, architects, project managers, cultural producers, and creative entrepreneurs.
Director, Goethe-Institut Nigeria, Dr Nadine Siegert said: “There is an urgent need for artistic spaces that facilitate critical discourse in Lagos. Spaces for art that are not purely commercially oriented are becoming increasingly rare, and public funding is lacking, while urban spaces are becoming more restricted.”
She further said the Lantern Art Space Fellowship project addresses this need, examining how spaces for art, culture and freedom of expression can be part of the dynamic development of the Lagos art ecosystem.
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