It's an art landscape with street sculptures. Enugu has several alternative art places that coexist with mainstream galleries. These places are frequently run on tight budgets by young and ambitious curators, gallerists, and artists who aim to prove that grassroots art can never die.

With steady development of visual art, the city has generated a new repertoire of pictures similar to Onitsha Market Literature, but of a higher taste and calibre that is not a caricature of the genuine subject matter.

More than 100 artists from across the country showed their work in the Institute of Management and Technology's Conference Centre.

They used varied topics, messages, and motifs when young. They include works utilising contemporary art's signature materials.

Samson Ejiofor's submission, Cold mineral, cold pure water (an installation), topped 24 other finalists in the contest, which drew 270 entries from eight zones of the country. This is lower than the annual average of 400 owing to the ASUU strike. Universities and Polytechnics are the competition's birthplaces.

Ejiofor claimed his participation in the 2022 Dak'Art Biennale in Senegal, courtesy of LIMCAF, extended his artistic horizons.

"I can now explore and improve in my work," said the Enugu-based wood sculptor. It's the foundation." Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), a yearly celebration of creativity promoting emerging talents in Nigerian art, was registered as a Trusteeship in 2012. It contains visual art competition, photography contest, multimedia workshop, school children's, and art instructors' seminars.

This non-profit event fosters and empowers young Nigerian artists under 35.

His Royal Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe, OFR, Obi of Onitsha and Emeritus Professor El Anatsui are patrons. Rocana Nigeria Limited, Chief Robert Orji's advertising and printing firm, funded the festival's first four years.

Despite its problems, it has consistently empowered new Nigerian artists. Across the country, youth are empowered via arts, crafts, theatre, music, and photography. Several projects provide them a voice through workshops, exhibitions, and performing art. These projects improve living conditions and cultural manifestations.

Kevin Ejiofor and Dr. Ayo Adewunmi oversee the programme, which contributes to art education in the country through its yearly school children workshop. It offers great promise for Nigeria and its youth.

The project's founders say they want to promote art as a resource for national development through youth empowerment.

In the past 15 years, LIMCAF has empowered over 1500 young artists and promoted art pan-Nigeria through its yearly competition. Prizes total over N3 million annually.

“It has involved young people in a national interactive visual art fiesta in various centres across the country, allowing them to meaningfully express themselves on the state of their lived environment through their art and created a notable national and international art tournament destination in Enugu to complement other events and attractions in other parts of the country,” Adewunmi told The Guardian.

Adewunmi said, "We want to retain their passion in painting and fill the vacuum left by inadequate art teachers in high school."

He said, "With the prizes won, a number of young people have used the platform to launch themselves into the limelight, either by being helped to finish their education to graduate levels, establishing their own businesses, or being encouraged to aim higher to win recognition in Nigeria and beyond our shores."

It's a visual arts show that has increased social connection and economic revitalization.

The event was a response to how visual art may steer and affect the fortune of the younger generation in a period of economic instability. As a public space, it's helped community growth.

This art space has justified its potential as a location for contemporary art and artists through good programming and other events.

Youth must labour to be fruitful. The job market is bad. Worst. Since a while.

Employment is getting harder in Nigeria. The government's response to unemployment is delayed, weak, and lacklustre. Unemployment is a major national issue. Corruption, civil strife, military control, and incompetence have hampered economic growth.

Despite vast human and material resources, unemployment is 33% and underemployment is 23%. These numbers are 42% and 21% higher for youth (15-34 years, 50% of the workforce) than for any other age group.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria's unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2020 was 27.1%, or 21,764,614 people.

55.7 percent of Nigerians are unemployed or underemployed (28.6%). Total number of unemployed or underemployed Nigerians in 2020 Q2.

The NBS states that of Nigeria's 40 million eligible youth, 14.7 million are completely employed and 11.2 million are unemployed. A high youth unemployment rate is a ticking time bomb for greater instability and poverty.

LIMCAF Art Director Adewunmi told The Guardian that the turnout of "members of the public is a signal that one of the festival's objectives, which is to grow art appreciation and collection, empowering the young artists and growing art as a tool for socio-economic development, is being achieved."

LIMCAF returned in 2021 after the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic forced many museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions to close in 2020. However, it had to switch to an online event.

"We hope they consider this as part of the festival's enormous sacrifice to help them and others, whose works may win other prizes or be sold, further their careers as artists," said Adewunmi.

He believed LIMCAF would help them launch a successful career.

LIMCAF teamed with HITCH in 2021 to inspire young artists and expand arts education in Nigeria. HITCH is a Nigerian-Canadian educational portal for practical learning in Africa. It delivers a library of world-class educational videos for students and teachers across disciplines and grades, connected to local curriculums, textbooks, and tests.

LIMCAF's purpose is to inspire youth through art. LIMCAF will encourage and promote art education through its relationship with HITCH, increasing exposure for the young artists it wishes to empower.

HITCH Cofounder and CEO Uche Onuora said, "This partnership is driven by our mission to use technology to address education inequality."

In 2021, 10 artists from the top 100 applications received up to N250,000.

The selected artists' artworks will be presented in a digital video library and educational resources.

“While STEM topics have an incredible range of universally-applicable content, a wide and generally neglected gulf exists in the Creative Arts, with little to no content covering the history, culture, and development of past or contemporary Art in Nigeria,” stated Onuora.

Adewunmi said there used to be 9-11 regional centres, but the Trustees believe COVID-19 in 2020 and the ASUU strike account for fewer than the typical 400-500 entries each year. This year's entrance and regional display centres were reduced to eight.

The Trustees are impressed by the quality and eclectic range of works by young, skilled Nigerian artists, including sculpture, terracotta, mixed media, paintings, charcoal drawings, photography, ceramics, textiles, and clay.

Elder Kalu U. Kalu, former chairman of Union Bank, said LIMCAF has given young Nigerian musicians a chance to shine.

Elder U K Eke, former Group Managing Director of First Bank Holdings, asked festival organisers to continue giving youthful talents a voice, since the festival may be needed to replace ancient creative masters.

He's been attending the festival for 12 years to observe young Nigerians' talents. "LIMCAF creates a platform for youths to express themselves and discuss reality. This festival reminds me of El Anatsui, Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, and Prof Ben Enwonwu. Collecting their works will motivate them. He continued, "You're all winners."

According to him, LIMCAF organisers aim to incorporate rural youngsters in school workshops to demonstrate their talents. "We condemn our youth too quickly." Our teens are world-class. They'll learn if they see a teacher. We'll do everything we can," he replied.

Ejiofor complained that no public secondary school in Enugu State had participated in the festival since it began in 2007.

He blamed a lack of art teachers in public schools, saying they haven't shown interest.

Since we started, we've tried to get Enugu public schools to participate. Nothing happens when we write and visit. That's artlessness. No teachers are available. Private schools have always participated strongly, Ejiofor said.

Kpodo Michael, an artist and zonal coordinator, has followed some of the winners because they come to Senegal. I've seen that they are doing well, so there is prospect for every artist who wins or participates in the competition, even for those who didn't win, because by coming alone, it exposes them to how they should paint and approach their art, so there is big prospect.”

He praised the organisation, saying, "It's an organised system, and both the organisation and the artists benefit from it."

Kent Onah, a zonal coordinator and instructor at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, said LIMCAF will help children's studio practise.

As soon as they arrive, they see something new and go back to imitate it, forming new collaborations. By continuing the trend, studio practise will increase, said Onah.

Onah stated the only thing inhibiting this programme is funding, so many organisations are attempting to rebrand it in their name. A bank would have bought LIMCAF years ago, diluted it, and killed it. The state was also intrigued.

(Source: guardian.ng)