The first Academic Cartoon Exhibition in Nigeria was recently held in Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) Art Museum with unrelenting support from Ford Foundation.
The exhibition, tagged “Yaba Cartoon Nation, 20 alumni of YABATECH showcased work to encourage younger artists. The presentation showcased the works of 20 alumni of the institution who are established cartoonists.
The exhibition was a retrospect of editorial cartoons by alumni of Yaba Art School from the 50’s till date. The works of the artists have embodied commentary and protest on development and social justice through the decades of the existence of the school.
The artists project reiterations of the pulse of the people or direct reactions to the social environment. The role of Nigerian editorial cartoons in the documenting, critiquing, and reflective social and political issues cannot be over emphasized. The creation of cartoons in this context works through a melding of non-institutionalized history collection and activism through subject engagement on national issues that affect individually and collectively.
Mike Asukwo, an editorial cartoonist with ThisDAY newspaper and alumnus of the college, who was one of the many cartoonists present at the exhibition, has been effectively using cartoon for social change.
According to him, “This is a very good opportunity for the young ones; there are people who are actually surviving on this. I graduated from this school in 1996, and I have been surviving solely on art, and the huge part of it is cartoon. Students must know that there is a future in cartoon. The cartoons show the form of art in effecting a change in the society.
“We are communication artists. We use our talents to communicate, and the exhibition is, therefore, a genuine appreciation of what we are doing. I want to enjoin the students to embrace this profession, I have discovered that with our talent we speak to power, we are touching the sensibility of some sections in the society, but the profession is not well celebrated and appreciated. The cartoon profession is very powerful, interesting, exciting and profitable; it makes you more diverse and impactful to your society. I will advise the lecturers to let the students take the advantage of what they see here today, and build on it.”
The curator of Yaba Art Museum, Dr. Odun Orimolade, disclosed that the exhibition showed the impact of what the alumni have done in advocating social justice and change in this nation. He said the theme of this maiden exhibition is based on issues relating to social justice for youth development, and regular advocacy against sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
Head of Department Fine Art Department, Dr. Adeola Ademola, hinted that the 20 Artists that featured in the exhibition have addressed critical issues in a comical relief way, it is not about proffering solution, but they have been able to pinpoint where there are issues to be addressed in the society and they have been able to do it very well.
Dean, School of Art, Design and Printing, Dr. Pius Egiolamhen, said that the school is looking into how to improve, and create a platform for artists and art lovers to come to Yaba Art Museum and use it as a center of research for their work.
The Rector of YABATECH, Obafemi Omokungbe, an engineer, stated in his opening remarks that government alone cannot fund education, he appealed to the alumni to give back to the College, in reciprocation of the huge knowledge they acquired from the college. He thanked the Ford Foundation for their magnanimous act of its continuous support and sponsoring the laudable project.
The cartoons exhibition of this magnitude are expected to inspire the younger artists into using cartoon as a tool for social change.