Stomping into 2024 with Big Dreams 

Expectations are high for the arts scene in 2024 as the whirlwind of culture is blowing across cities, Yinka Olatunbosun reports

Owing to the various milestones reached in the creative arts sector last year, expectations are high this year as to the developments that would unfold. Kicking off this year in global music, the next Grammy Awards in the US would be a ground-breaking one for the Nigerian music scene. It is the first time that African music would be recognised with three categories simultaneously namely Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance, Best African Music Performance. Eight Nigerian artists are on the nomination list for the most prestigious award in global music. 

Burna Boy received nominations for “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” for Best Melodic Rap Performance, “I Told Them…” for Best Global Music Album, “Alone” for Best Global Music Performance, and “City Boys” for Best African Music Performance. A  first time nominee, Davido bagged three nominations for Best Global Album for his comeback album, “Timeless”, Best African Performance for his global hit song “Unavailable,” and Best Global Music Performance for his song “Feel.”

The indigenous rapper and music entrepreneur, Olamide and his protégée Asake received their first-ever Grammy nominations for their collaboration “Amapiano” in the category of Best African Music Performance.

Ayra Starr was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category for the worldwide hit “Rush” becoming the third female Nigerian musician to be so honoured. Fireboy DML earned a nomination in the Album of the Year category for his contributions to Jon Batiste’s “World Music Radio.” This category is one of the most coveted at the Grammys.

The ‘Love Nwantiti’ hit-maker, CKay earned a Grammy nomination for his work on Janelle Monáe’s “The Age of Pleasure,” which was nominated for Album of the Year and Tems’ nomination came from her contribution to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”

Rema will return to stage after his brief hiatus from the stage late 2023 on health grounds. He missed the Grammy nominations by the whiskers having made it big in 2023, topping charts and making the most internationally successful Afrobeats song, “Calm Down” which was further propelled by the remix featuring Selena Gomez.

This year is expected to see a return of cultural staples like the 7-day posthumous concert, Felabration done annually in celebrating the music legacy of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti as well as to give a platform for budding artists to showcase their talents. This is usually held in October to coincide with Fela’s birthday.

Also, the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) will return with great offerings in terms of high-quality movies that boast of great cinematography and editing. Young filmmakers will be given the voice to project African stories. More film projects will emerge from the collaboration of the streaming platform Netflix and famed filmmakers.

In the first quarter of the year, iREP International Documentary Film Festival will have the theme “Righting the Future: Celebration Edition of Wole Soyinka @90.” The festival will be one of the first in the series of cultural events that would celebrate the legacies of the essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and indeed Africa’s first Nobel Prize winner for Literature.

It will be recalled that in 1967, during the Nigerian Civil War, Soyinka was arrested by the Nigerian government led by the Head of State General Yakubu Gowon and put in solitary confinement for two years, for volunteering to be a non-government mediating actor.

Prior to that time, his work A Dance of The Forest, a biting criticism of Nigeria’s political elites, won a contest that year as the official play for Nigerian Independence Day. On  October 1, 1960, it premiered in Lagos as Nigeria celebrated its independence from British colonial rule. Also in 1960, Soyinka established the “Nineteen-Sixty Masks”, an amateur acting ensemble. He wrote the first full-length play produced on Nigerian television titled My Father’s Burden. It was directed by Segun Olusola, the play was featured on the Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) on  August 6, 1960.  

Soyinka is one of the few surviving literary giants of his generation. Hence, the celebration of his 90th birthday will be global and diversified. Academic institutions, research organisations, galleries, literary festivals and the cultural community across borders will resonate with the celebration.

New art galleries are expected to open in Lagos especially on the island where there is a huge population of young collectors. More innovation will be seen in the sale and distribution of artworks.  In 2023,  VBank and ARTSPLIT’s collaborative effort birthed an art trading technology company, which unveiled a new art-based loan offering that promises to unlock liquidity for millions of art collectors and artists. This year, there will be more innovation in visual art as it seems to be the last of the creative art sectors to experience a revolution in marketing. It has been reported that there has been a surge in cryptocurrency and emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) making artists scale new heights online.

A decline in theatre culture will be inevitable. The proliferation of video streaming sites as well as its less cost on transportation would make it more appealing to the younger generation of fun seekers in Nigeria. Still, Soyinka@90 will revive conversations on keeping the theatre culture alive.

Certainly, 2024 looks like a good year for arts and culture in Nigeria if you can dim the light and close the curtain on other distractions like inflation and high cost of living.