Since the summer of 2015 the British Council has been running UK / Nigeria 2015-16, ‘a major season of arts work in Nigeria aimed at building new audiences, creating new collaborations and strengthening relationships.’

As 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Lagos State, celebrations will highlight the cultural, social and political advancements that have taken place in Nigeria’s economic capital.

As creatives look forward to the 2017 festivities, members of the community, enthusiastically look into the future with the aim to share visions and ambitions that will strengthen creative industries.

The August 2016 symposium, to be held at the Africa Centre, in London, will examine the sustainable models that can be developed in Lagos in order to enable creative practices to effectively prosper for the next 50 years.

The creative industries are increasingly being recognised as essentials that foster development and stimulate Lagos’ economy. However, are there existing models that support the creative community’s rights at grassroots level and allow sustainable practices? An example of a solution would be the rapid expansion of creative spaces, popping up across Lagos, and leading to the emergence of new models of sustainably creative economies. This snowballing cultural force is exerted through the art, entertainment and innovation sectors, and generates substantial economic value while stimulating the emergence of ideas, technologies, and processes of transformative change.

Undeniably, cultural and creative industries positively impact on the local economies. Yet, in the absence of responsive policies and a lack of public funding that boosts the potential of the creative sector, significant challenges remain regarding raising awareness around the importance of cultural development. As in many cities around the world the creative sector is still undervalued or underestimated by many.

How do we therefore value the impact of the creative businesses in national economic development? How do we build sustainable creative models? What sort of alliances can we forge and what challenges must be addressed in order to ensure a sustainable future for the creative industries?

The 2016 symposium, building on the relationships and outcomes from the British Council’s UK / Nigeria 2015-16 season, will feature a series of talks and bring together influential speakers from across Africa and the UK to debate on sustainable creative practices. The event will be followed by a strategy-focused workshop, to be held at AW-CA in Lagos, which aims to launch a collective call to action and canvass a road map for the next 50 years.

August 2016 Symposium
Sharing ideas from across the UK and Nigeria to help sustain creative practice into the future.

Date: Thursday 11th August
Time: 1pm – 6pm
Location: The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk street, SE1 0BL London

Partners: Pidgin Perfect, A Whitespace Creative Agency, The Africa Centre
In affiliation with British Council UK / NG Season 2015/16

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