Google showcase Lagos’s creative genius to the world in Eko for Show

Lagos To Produce 1,480 Creative Professionals In The One Year
Google Arts & Culture has announced the launch of Eko for Show, an initiative to showcase and celebrate Lagos, one of the world’s most vibrant cities for youth, creativity and technology. Profiling over 100 creatives across the spectrum of music, art, photography, fashion, musicals, literature and food, the online exhibition shines a light on the city’s thriving creative communities and aims to inspire the next generation of creatives.

Nigeria’s fast-growing tech, music, film and fashion sectors have become strong exporters of culture, with music sales revenues estimated to reach $88 million by 2019. The creative industry in Nigeria is teeming with the potential for economic growth and the Eko for Show project is focused on spotlighting Lagos as home to some of Africa’s most brilliant creatives.

In partnership with seven of Lagos’s top cultural institutions, the show enabled audiences to virtually meet some of the city’s music makers, visual artists, trendsetters, storytellers and foodies. The seven cultural institutions include the African Artists Foundation, Homecoming, Lagos Fashion Week, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Rele Arts Foundation, Terra Kulture and the Centenary Project. The partners have shared over 8000 photographs, 80 online stories, three Street View experiences and 175 videos, which are presented in one unified online experience.
Eko for Show can be explored via g.co/ekoforshow and by downloading the free Google Arts & Culture app. Highlights include essays by ten women writers who share their personal reflections on Lagos, including Mọlará Wood and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn.

Speaking on the show, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said; “Lagos is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities and a major financial hub on the continent, boasting the fourth-highest GDP. In the past, it has garnered international attention for being a hub for creativity, thanks to the more than 25 million people who comprise this community of talent and excellence.

“The coronavirus regrettably resulted in the cancellation of many creative events in Lagos State, which is why I am so excited about the Eko for Show project, a continuation of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation’s partnership with Google Arts & Culture. It highlights the impressive body of creative talent to which Lagos is home, spreading the news across the world,” says Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzama Akinbile Yusuf, said; “it gives me great joy that Google recognises Lagos as one of the vibrant cities for youths, creativity and technology. Lagos State does not only have dedicated ministries that oversee youth activities, technology, creativity and innovation, the present administration places premium on the use of technology. Lagos is a land of opportunities for the creative minds being the home for music, home movies, culture and everything that has to do with the creative sector.

“Everything we do in the Art and Culture Ministry revolves around creativity, we regulate artefacts, home movies, music industry, performing art, among others; I am glad that this event is happening just a few days after the commemoration of the World Creativity And Innovation Day. Apart from regulating the activities of the creative industry, we are also investing in the industry through capacity enhancement and exposure of young creative talent and our plan is to produce 1,480 creative professionals in film making, film production, directing, scriptwriting, cinematography, among others in the next one-year. We are not only doing this as a response to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic but as an enduring legacy that will redirect the future of the creative industry on the right path. We are currently making effort to focus on the development of domestic tourism with the aim of stimulating the interest of local tourists to appreciate what the Lagos State has, while also attracting foreign tourist to our various tourism sites.

Director, Google Arts & Culture, Amit Sood, said; “Google Arts & Culture’s mission is to preserve and promote the world’s art and culture online to everyone, anywhere in the world. With Eko for Show, we celebrate the creative industry of Lagos and share the buzz, even if virtually, through the works and stories of its incredible youth and culture”.

Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Folorunsho Coker, adds: “the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation is committed to fuelling Nigeria’s economy by supporting creativity, youth and entrepreneurs. Since 2020, we have collaborated with Google Arts & Culture on a programme to shine a light on Nigeria’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, spectacular nature, bustling cities and our welcoming spirit.

“Our partnership with Google Arts & Culture has a crucial role to play in seeing us achieve our mission of accelerating the growth of domestic tourism and fostering economic development in Nigeria,” Coker says.

Google Director West Africa, “Juliet Ehimuan, credited the Taste of Nigeria project, announced in 2019, giving people across the world the chance to experience Nigerian arts and culture. “The launch of Eko for Show further reinforces Google’s commitment to Nigeria’s art and creative industry, and its support for the recovery and growth of Nigeria’s tourism sector,”.