Aworakan Partners With Friends of Azerbaijan on Art, Cultural Exchange

Yinka  Olatunbosun

The online African marketplace for arts and advisory Aworanka is partnering with Friends of Azerbaijan, a non-profit organisation in Nigeria to promote social and cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and African, with special emphasis on Nigerian art.

The agreement was signed on March 25 in Lagos by Ana Acha, founder of Aworanka, and Billura Bayramova-Bernard, founder and president of Friends of Azerbaijan. The MoU is focused on promoting four different types of cultural exchanges that can stimulate intercultural dialogue. 

These four pillars include the exchange of specialists, the organisation of art exhibitions, cooperation in terms of art media coverage, and the promotion of artistic events that can contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.

“International art exchanges increase creativity and contribute to creating a genuine and diverse environment where artists can collaborate,” Acha, Founder/CEO of Aworanka said. “Our objective is to offer opportunities that create responsible citizenry and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.”

Bayramova also said: “Communities that collaborate artistically breed positive social interaction and innovation.”

Friends of Azerbaijan is a social network of real friends of Azerbaijan in Nigeria involved in interactions, dialogues and debates that promote the exchange of ideas and cultures in an environment that encourages interfaith religious harmony. This MoU will further expand their involvement in the art fields, especially painting, sculpture, drawing and design.

Aworanka is an online marketplace to not only acquire African art but also a platform that cultivates knowledge by giving universal access to African art information that before was segregated and was arduous to find. In terms of exhibitions, Aworanka had her debut show in October 2021 with an exhibition titled Framing Her, which featured 83 artworks from 19 different artists. 

The sophomore art exhibition of February 2022, EVE, featured 77 works by 15 women artists from five different countries. The MoU signed with Friends of Azerbaijan will further facilitate the diversity of artists in Aworanka’s future exhibitions.

Meanwhile, the exhibition, holding at the GAIA House in Victoria Island, Lagos, ends this month.