Google Arts & Culture has announced the launch of Eko for Show, an initiative to showcase and celebrate Lagos, one of the world’s most vibrant cities for youth, creativity, and technology. Profiling over 100 creatives across the spectrum of music, art, photography, fashion, musicals, literature, and food, the online exhibition will shine a light on the city’s thriving creative communities and aims to inspire the next generation of creatives.
In partnership with seven of Lagos’s top cultural institutions, the Eko for Show online exhibition will enable audiences to virtually “meet” some of the city’s music makers, visual artists, trendsetters, storytellers, and foodies. The seven cultural institutions include the African Artists Foundation, Homecoming, Lagos Fashion Week, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Rele Arts Foundation, Terra Kulture, and the Centenary Project. The partners have shared over 8000 photographs, 80 online stories, 3 Street View experiences, and 175 videos, which are presented in one unified online experience.
Eko for Show can be explored via g.co/ekoforshow and by downloading the free Google Arts & Culture app. Highlights include essays by ten women writers who share their personal reflections on Lagos, including Mọlará Wood and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn. Watch behind-the-scenes interviews with Afrobeats stars Teni the Entertainer, Kizz Daniel, and Reekado Banks. Explore an exhibition by artist Victor Ehikamenor and step inside the galleries at the African Artists Foundation, Rele Arts Foundation, and Terra Kulture with Street View. Let paintings of Lagos lagoon take your breath away with the Art Camera, and learn more about the thriving arts scene with curator Azu Nwagbogu, artist Nike Davies-Okundaye, and creative director Bolanle Austen-Peters. Learn more about Nigerian culture through its musicals, movies, Alté sounds, and Homecoming festival with Grace Ladoja.
“Google Arts & Culture’s mission is to preserve and promote the world’s art and culture online to everyone, anywhere in the world. With Eko for Show, we celebrate the creative industry of Lagos and share the buzz, even if virtually, through the works and stories of its incredible youth and culture” says Amit Sood, Director, Google Arts & Culture.
Lagos is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities and a major financial hub on the continent, boasting the fourth-highest GDP. In the past, it has garnered international attention for being a hub for creativity, thanks to the more than 25 million people who comprise this community of talent and excellence.
“The coronavirus regrettably resulted in the cancellation of many creative events in Lagos State, which is why I am so excited about the Eko for Show project, a continuation of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation’s partnership with Google Arts & Culture. It highlights the impressive body of creative talent to which Lagos is home, spreading the news across the world,” says Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State.
Folorunsho Coker, Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, adds: “The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation is committed to fuelling Nigeria’s economy by supporting creativity, youth, and entrepreneurs. Since 2020, we have collaborated with Google Arts & Culture on a programme to shine a light on Nigeria’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, spectacular nature, bustling cities, and our welcoming spirit.
“Our partnership with Google Arts & Culture has a crucial role to play in seeing us achieve our mission of accelerating growth of domestic tourism, and fostering economic development in Nigeria,” Coker says.
Juliet Ehimuan, Google Director West Africa, credited the Taste of Nigeria project, announced in 2019, for giving people across the world the chance to experience Nigerian arts and culture. “The launch of Eko for Show further reinforces Google’s commitment to Nigeria’s art and creative industry, and its support for the recovery and growth of Nigeria’s tourism sector,” she says.
Nigeria’s fast-growing tech, music, film, and fashion sectors have become strong exporters of culture, with music sales revenues estimated to reach $88 million by 2019. The creative industry in Nigeria is teeming with the potential for economic growth, and the Eko for Show project is focused on spotlighting Lagos as home to some of Africa’s most brilliant creatives.
Eko for Show is available free online via g.co/ekoforshow. Google Arts & Culture is available free to everyone on the web or via the Arts & Culture App on iOS and Android. Google Arts & Culture is a new way to experience art, history, culture, and world wonders from over 1000 organisations worldwide.