Lemi’s Afro Beat Art

Watch an exclusive video with Lemi talking about his early career, meeting Fela Kuti and his recent work by clicking the link below
Lemi Ghariokwu: Afro Art Beat from Damien Priest on Vimeo.

Upcoming Nigeria50 events

To take it statistically, one out of four Africans is Nigerian. Also, Nigeria is the 8th most populous country in the world. And when it comes to its inhabitants, it might be interesting to know that more than 20 % of the total Black population lives in Nigeria, which makes it one of the most representative countries for African culture.
Where there’s man (and there are 148 million souls in Nigeria! ), there’s a place to find art, as it is a marker of man’s presence. Thus, Nigeria, comprising almost 250 ethnical groups with their own languages and customs, of which the largest are Fulani/Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo, offers us a space to explore artistic and cultural diversity in its utmost richness, exotism and irresistible attraction to ‘roots’ culture. By the predictions of the United Nations, Nigeria will be one of the countries that will account for most of the world’s population increase by 2050, so Nigeria 50 is a project which offers you the opportunity to delve into the creative spirit and mentality of a quickly expanding and developing nation. Nigeria 50 is a cultural event, bringing the best of Nigerian culture – passionate, political, shocking and sexy – to fresh and eager audiences worldwide.

For the very first time the fruits of five decades of music, art, fashion, writing and style from Africa’s most exciting nation will be on tour together with twenty venues are already confirmed, in cities all across the UK and also in international locations as diverse as New York, Tokyo, Paris, Cape Town and of course Lagos, where it all began. Nigeria 50 is modelled on Fela Kuti’s super groups, Africa 70 and Egypt 80, that gave birth to the Afrobeat phenomenon, featuring performances and tributes by many of the greatest international legends in Afrobeat history. These will include Dele Sosismi, Tony Allen and Wunmi. This unique tour of superstars will be accompanied the smash hit exhibition of Nigerian album images – “Art’s Own Kind” by Lemi Ghariokwu.

For more information check out the Punch website !

Edge09 Panel Discussion on Afrobeat footage

So here is the Art’s Own Kind footage from the Panel discussion entitled Afrobeat: A Culture , with Lemi Ghariokwu, Tony Allen, Dele Sosimi, Wunmi and Rich Medina, moderated by Paul Bradshaw at Rich Mix. Enjoy!

Click here for part 2/8 and then scroll down for the rest of the videos.