Founding Member Of Zaria Rebels, A Group That Shaped Modern Nigeria Art Dies At 89

Professor Oseloka Osadebe, one of the founding members of the Zaria Rebels, a group of Nigerian art students at then Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, has died at age 89.

A relative of Osadebe, Nnaemeka Maduegbuna confirmed that the painter, sculptor, theatre director, and educator, died on Wednesday, December 27, in his home in Jackson Mississippi, United States.
Osadebe’s death leaves only three of the Zaria Rebels – author and architect, Demas Nwoko, artist – Okechukwu Odita, and multi-artist – Bruce Onobrakpeya alive.

Born in 1934, Osadebe who showed himself a distinct draughtsman gained admission into the prestigious Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, where he joined group of dynamic students seeking to express a fresh perspective of the European Classical Art – one that embraced their rich African traditions. They were eventually known as the Zaria Rebels, and would go on to become the fathers of contemporary art movement in Nigeria.

Post his graduation from Zaria, specializing in Painting and Sculpture, he taught art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), for four years before moving to the United States to pursue a graduate study in Fine Arts. During those years at UNN, he featured prominently in the Nigerian art scene of that decade.

With the completion of his Masters in Fine Art at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1967, he went on to acquire a second Masters Degree in Scene Design, Lighting and Directing at the Goodman School of Drama, Chicago in 1973. He also completed a doctoral work in Western and African Theatre and Drama at the Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois in 1981, and spent some years after teaching theatre and set design at several universities in the US, including Spelman College, Jackson State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Tougaloo College and Central State University.

He retired from teaching in 2007 to spend the last sixteen years of his life on his passion (visual arts) at his studio in Jackson, Mississippi.

In 2018, Osadebe premiered the exhibition Inner Light at the National Museum, in Onikan, Lagos, his first one 53 years after the left shores of Nigeria. The exhibition was a retrospect of the rare works he created from 1960 to 2014.

As relatives, friends and the art circles mourn the multitalented artiste, Maduegbuna said the family will announce details of his funeral in due course. ate deputy governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe has said that diversity of culture in the region should be seen as strength and source of enrichment that has the power to propel Kaduna state and Nigeria towards a brighter and more prosperous future.

The Deputy Governor who declared the three-day festival open at the Kafanchan Township Stadium on Thursday, said the festival is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Southern Kaduna and promote intercultural exchange among the people of Southern Kaduna, and between Southern Kaduna and other cultural groups in Kaduna and Nigeria at large.

Represented by the Administrator of Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Mrs Phoebe Sukai Yayi, she said no community or region can exist in isolation, adding that presently, there are myriad factors that bind people across the globe with humanity serving as the ultimate common thread.
She said Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani believes that all lives matter adding that it will be their standpoint in Southern Kaduna.

“We must respect each other in the region and those outside of it, regardless of differences in backgrounds. In a world that often emphasizes our differences, events such as this provide us with an invaluable opportunity to recognize and celebrate our shared humanity. I would like to take this moment to encourage all participants, spectators, and stakeholders present to embrace the spirit of unity and respect for one another.
Earlier, the Chairman, Central Planning Committee of the festival, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (rtd) said the festival is a cornucopia of delightful experiences, beckoning on people to indulge in its irresistible splendor.