An address by the Director General of National Gallery of Art, Chief Joe Musa at the press conference on First African Regional Summit & Exhibition on Visual Arts (ARESUVA) at the Aina Onabolu Hall, Lagos.

The Director-General of National Gallery of Art, Chief Joe Musa, at the press conference on ARESUVA in Lagos.

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this press conference on the First African Regional Summit and Exhibition on Visual Arts.

The First African Regional Summit and Exhibition on visual Arts is designed towards the promotion of visual Arts as a strategy for achieving rapid economic development in the African region as envisioned in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPA) with the theme “PROMOTING THE VISUAL ARTS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA”.

The purpose of the African Regional Summit/Exhibition on the visual Arts is to bring together stakeholders, Dealers, Traders professionals in Art Business for the purpose of fueling individual and collective creativity in the visual Arts sub-sector in Africa

It is also to identify and highlight in practical terms effective development programmes that can be nurtured, institutionalized and promoted as models of partnerships among African countries, the organized private sector, International agencies Non-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organisations and the International Business communities.

We are doing these to be able to encourage the private and Public sectors develop partnerships to fund the Visual Arts sub-sector for it to be a major player in the economic life of the African region as it is in other advanced countries of the world.

This Summit that will address the various sectoral impediments to the development of the visual Arts in African region, will also provide a significant and lasting contribution to the global discussion on the future of visual Arts development and support of sustainable creative strategies for stakeholders and practitioners in Africa and the world over.

I am glad to let you know that our visionary  Honourable Minister, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) has inaugurated the Central Working Committee for the event. Membership was drawn from Government, the Private sector and the Artists community. This is a project we must all ensure its great success for this is the first of its kind in our Continent and it is a thing of joy that Nigeria is hosting such event.

I therefore implore you all particularly the media to go all the way to sensitize the psyche on this event. You have been very supportive and I will continue to count on your support as we all join hands together to move the Visual Arts sub-sector forward.

Thank you and God bless.