TUE 07 DEC, 2021-theGBJournal- In reclamation of Falomo under bridge, a public space regenerated by a team of creatives including Polly Alakija, the founder of Five Cowries Art Education Initiative, the enterprise hosted the local community in an immersive art experience dubbed ‘Falomo Festival’.
Falomo underbridge which houses Polly Alakija’s famous #BringBackOurGirls mural has been, since its creation in 2017 a space for many outdoor events including five-aside football and other creative events.
On Saturday 4 December, Five Cowries Arts Education, staying true to its ethos of prioritising arts education invited children from the Obalende Ikoyi Youth Community to meet and engage with art and sports. At the same time, young creatives were guided by a team of mentors in the arts as they co-created work that was then performed at the live event. The dance group, “Future of Dance” wowed the crowd with their eclectic skills and an amazing live band serenaded the crowd. Young boys were taught nifty football tricks courtsey ‘Ball off’ whilst children created murals in the background. The entire scene was imaginative, evoking an expressive and innovative atmosphere. Recalling the need to enshrine sustainability into the youth, children were also engaged in creating art and musical instruments with recycled materials including plastic bottles.
Falomo Festival presents the opportunity for the Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative to showcase how a new arm of its operations, the Five Cowries Foundation will operate. The foundation established in 2021, will harness the limitless creative and productive talent and opportunities that Toni abound in Nigeria and Africa at large. The presence of mentors such as Ade Bantu, Kan, Ojoma Ochai and Maurice Chapot–to name a few provides an example of ways to empower the youth by creating opportunities and networks that can serve as launchpads for their careers.
Five Cowries Foundation is the next step after years of advocating for cultural based learning in classrooms, communities and homes as an effective way to develop the soft skills for young people. According to Polly Alakija, “In an environment where there is a dearth of supportive systems that our young talent needs, Five Cowries Foundation offers the guidance and opens up opportunities that will enable Nigerias creative youth to respond effectively to the UN vision of using the creative economies for sustainable development.”
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