Artists at Risk (AR) has a developing network presence in Nigeria through safe house residencies and partnerships with local arts and cultural organizations.
Toyin Oguns Art and Cultural Centre in Benin City and Lagos is an active hosting partner within the AR-Network. It is a vibrant hub dedicated to fostering creativity, dialogue, and activism at the intersection of culture, environment, and community. It promotes arts and culture in both rural and urban spaces, emphasizing the importance of care, vulnerability, and inclusivity. By facilitating collaborative projects and cross-cultural exchanges, the Centre seeks to amplify marginalized voices and foster a deeper understanding of the intricate relationships between human beings, nature, and heritage.
Through workshops, exhibitions, and community engagement initiatives, the Toyin Oguns Art and Cultural Centre aspires to inspire new narratives and collective action, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and equitable futures for the communities it serves.
Vibes Unchained Africa (UVA) in Lagos is a cultural organization and social enterprise developing arts and culture projects geared towards social causes. Its mission is to leverage the power of the arts for civic education and promotion of good governance, human rights, cultural diversity, and the spirit of solidarity in Africa. The organization produces works of art that address social, political, economic and environmental issues in Africa, using music, drama, visual arts, spoken word poetry and comedy.
The organization’s flagship program is called Freedom Vibes which is dedicated to promoting and defending artists’ freedom of expression, the use of art for civic engagements. Through Freedom Vibes, the organization coordinates campaigns to secure freedom for artists persecuted for their works and provides emergency assistance for artists at risk including arranging legal representation, medical treatment and trial observation.
Between November 2020 and December 2023, Unchained Vibes had provided emergency assistance to 20 artists at risk. This included relocation of 3 artists within Nigeria (from the north to the south) and 2 artists from Burkina Faso and Nigeria to safe environments in the Republic of Benin and Zambia, facilitated by AfricanDefenders Network and Artists at Risk (AR) respectively.
Find their website at this link.
AR-Nigeria continues to expand, with an additional residency currently under development in Lagos. Through these partnerships and ongoing activities, AR remains active in strengthening safe spaces, solidarity networks, and opportunities for artists at risk in Nigeria and the wider region.
