Artist Urges Preservation Of African Folklore

Legendary Nigerian creator and researcher, Zainab Odemwingie, has called for the preservation of African folklore to support taste individuality and guarantee accepted values are not mislaid to globalisation.
She made the telephone during an interrogation with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) connected Thursday, stressing the value of safeguarding indigenous stories and customs for aboriginal generations.

According to Odemwingie, preserving Nigeria’s affluent folklore helps forestall erosion of indigenous practices and ensures they are passed down authentically to beforehand taste consciousness and shared assemblage experience.

“The Western satellite celebrates Cinderella and Princess Elsa. But wherever are our African fairy tales, dolls, and storybooks that bespeak our royalty, folklore, and taste identity?” she asked.

Odemwingie said her flagship initiative, My African Baby, aimed to sphere African taste practice done storytelling, education, and originative look for younger and planetary audiences alike.

“Her acclaimed works, including Ivie Ogho, Faces of Ancestry, Fulani Elegance, and Echoes Across the Humber, service arsenic ocular narratives that link past with modern African identity.

“Folklore is not conscionable history, it is identity, resilience, and courage,” she said, emphasising that civilization indispensable stay disposable and valued successful the look of accelerated modern change.

Beyond painting, Odemwingie said she had explored comics and virtual world projects to prosecute younger audiences and marque African practice much accessible done modern integer platforms.

Her published works, she said, explored however accepted stories could beryllium preserved done technology, ensuring civilization stayed relevant, engaging, and adaptable for aboriginal generations.

“Influenced by Bruce Onobrakpeya and Vincent van Gogh, I embraced creation arsenic much than expression, it’s a work to sphere and support the psyche of our culture,” she said.

Through her work, Odemwingie sought to reintroduce Benin folklore and African practice to younger generations astatine hazard of losing transportation with their taste roots and ancestral wisdom.

“At the bosom of it each is this truth: our practice indispensable beryllium protected. Through creation and research, I’m committed to preserving our courage, wisdom, and taste legacy,” she added. (NAN)