Obi Of Onitsha Tasks Nigerians On Preservation Of Heritage

The Obi of Onitsha Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe has urged Nigerians to place value on the nation’s cultural

heritage and be ready to defend its rich history as no one will write the country’s stories more than its people.

The monarch who unveiled a 588-page book titled ‘A King’s Passion: A 21st Century Patron of African Art’ at the Access Bank headquarters in Lagos, noted that he had been an arts collector for decades adding that the launch is a product of passion mixed with hard work and industry.

“Our arts, cultural heritage must be appreciated and valued because this is a reflection of our past, present and future.

Having been an arts collector and a lover of the arts for decades, this book, ‘A King”s Passion: A 21st Century Patron of African Art,’ is a product of forty years, passion, intellectual curiosity and intuition which has inspired me to collect more than 4000 artworks, of which over 300 are featured in the book,” says the Obi of Onitsha.

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The publication, which was sponsored by Access Bank and the Ford Foundation, is a comprehensive exploration of the exceptional masterpieces of modern and contemporary African art in the collection of His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha.

“We are delighted to sponsor A King’s Passion: A 21st Century Patron of African Art, which strategically shows how art can contribute to developing our continent and telling a fresh story with ancient roots,” said Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, who hosted the event.

Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the book’s editor and Founder & Artistic Director of SMO Contemporary Art, noted that book reflects under-reported stories of how African collectors and especially African royalty, dating back to the Ife and Benin kingdoms, have nurtured artists and projected African creativity to a global audience for hundreds of years.