On December 15th, Ricardo Reboredo & Elisa Gambino wrote that Africa’s ports race is hyped as ‘development’ but also creates pathways for plunder. This key information was expressed in my painting with images of the past and present managing directors of the Nigerian ports authority as at December 2022.
Stating, African countries have long relied on primary commodity exports. This system, which began during the colonial period, largely continues today. The majority of African economies are still set up around two production systems: the export of oil and minerals, or the export of tropical agricultural products (there are a few exceptions, including Morocco).
The ports race is symptomatic of a new pattern in national development.
African politicians are aiming to use the export of unprocessed resources and commodities to develop pockets of domestic value-addition in certain strategic industries. This strategy has become ubiquitous under the umbrella of “resource-led development”. Yet it creates the conditions for the continued plunder of African resources and for hugely environmentally or socially damaging processes.
These paintings of mine are intended to preserve African and mostly Nigerian stories of the present which will play a useful part of the future by using newspapers for collages in my works.
To preserve culture, we must continue to create it.
