Bolaji Alonge on Art and Music in Freethought Nigeria
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/08/10
Bolaji Alonge is a Nigerian artist, photographer, actor, and journalist from Lagos. He isalso known as Eyes of a Lagos Boy. He has more than two decades of experience documenting history, looking for beauty where it is least expected. Alonge’svisual language speaks of the wonders of nature and human exchange, as well as urban culture, and searches for historical continuity in a world that is sometimes heavily fractured. His lens exposes contrast and conflict while offering an alternative vision of oneness, orderin chaos. He is also a globetrotter who has travelled the world, documenting exotic culture and history.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: This is a connection through Dr. Leo Igwe, a wonderfully active free thinker and humanist from Nigeria. He travels constantly and is alert, aware, and energetic about many humanist movements. An area of gap or lack has been the development of art for the humanistic community. I know about some people who do that, but that’s an issue regarding a broad-based movement around it. ConcerningNigeria, a music and art festival that focuses on freethought, humanism, and its various manifestations in Nigerian culture is currently being planned. What is the importance of that?
Bolaji Alonge: Currently we can note an African Renaissance from the art and cultural point of view. Much attention is paid to our music, arts, Nigeria, and everything about us. It’s the time to show the world who we are beyond the prejudices people have about Nigerians.
However, in Nigeria today, we find ourselves in a society where people claim to be religious. If something does not work out, people start going from one church to another, looking for help and salvation. So, people are in this constant search of God. In the last year, the economic situation in the country has been challenging. People are at the point where they begin to question their lives. When humans are pushed to this point, you start to see that prayers don’t work. It is an admission that is difficult for many to accept. But for humanists in Nigeria, it’s not so common to come across people who tell you they don’t believe in the concept of God or the idea of a religion.
In Nigeria, the world has always been about survival and tradition. Challenging the status quo and improving the quality of life of the majority is what liberated Europe. When people started paying attention to the environment and the beauty around them, they saw that whatever they thought was spiritual had a cause and logic.
As an artist I aim to pay attention to the people around me, andpay more attention to the beauty around us. I try to do this with my art, especially my Eyes of a Lagos Boy project,that is alsoabout showing my society in a beautiful light. If we pay more attention; it may become a better place to live. What I try to do with my art, my photography and writings is pushing people to believe more in themselves.
When you achieve some of these dreams, it’s just the beginning of another journey. If we pay more attention to our environment, which is what the arts do, it brings you to the now; it brings you to the present. We think a lot beyond the present, while beingtrapped in the past. Then, in addition there is religion. As a result the psyche is clouded, mixed with the history of slavery colonialism. It’s a lot to unpack but we’re beginning to get to the point where we have to accept that we must believe in ourselves.
Jacobsen: What about the difference between visual art and music in expressing that sentiment or those sentiments?
Alonge: Music is instantaneous. Once you hear a fantastic rhythm, you don’t have to understand the language. So music is more impactful, especially if you’re from my part of the world. Our language is music. Many messages and lessons can be packed in music. Visual arts require another type of engagement and leaves more space of personal interpretation. Another aspect is that a lot of visual art remains less accessible to many people. For instance, visiting museums or galleries is a huge hurdle for many and some view it as an elitist form of art. On the other hand – street art could be just outside your house.
In my view we need more street art – we have a lot of bridgesthat are all blank. Nothing is sprayed on them. Graffiti is something we associate with Western societies, where youth have been able to colonize open spaces. We do see a movement for public art emerging that is slowly gaining momentum. A group of Nigerian graffiti artists are planning a big festival in Lagos this year. We need to encourage young artists to beautify their space because when you have all these colors around you and all these expressions around you, it has a way of building the mind.
Jacobsen: Are any of these musical and visual art forms for a freethought audience in any way mimicking the stuff that you see in traditional religious settings?
Alonge: Not so much, in a society with less than 2% of non-believers, progressive messaging in music and arts is often more subtle. The mere fact of not calling god can be interpreted as a sign of rebellion, just as ditching the habit of praying before and after meetings. Free thought and progressive ideals have to go hand in hand. This means that the choice of topics for visual arts and messaging should reflect the orientation of the artists in this sense.
Jacobsen: Do you know the Kenyan artist Ayub Ogada and Ablaye Cissoko from Senegal?They both play traditional music instruments – what about Nigerian music styles?
Alonge: Our style of music is Afrobeat, and it can be incorporated into anything. Are you aware of Fela Kuti. He died in 1997. Fela started talking about religion in the early 1970s, questioning suffering. There’s a song called “Suffering and Smiling.” You could Google it. He questioned how the pope is the richest, how the bishop is the richest, how the imams enjoy it, how the people are suffering, and how they keep supporting and sustaining their lifestyle. Apart from Fela, we’ve had a few other artists with similar messages. Afrobeat is being listened to all over the world at the moment. But at the same time, gospel music in Africa is the number one streaming genre on all the streaming platforms. So that tells you where the mind of many people is.
Jacobsen: Many artists and artistic and musical groups form organizations, like the Association of this or the organization of that. Are there any for freethinkers?
Alonge: No. Actually there is a huge need to make atheism more socially acceptable – it remains a taboo for many. In fact, often meetings of humanists are coded and not open to the public.
Jacobsen: Which Afrobeat or gospel African musicians and singers, bands, or groups impress you in terms of their use of commentary critical of religion, political hypocrisy, and other things that would interest freethinkers and humanists?
Alonge: I will name three people: Fela Kuti, his son Femi Kuti, and his other son Seun Kuti. These three artists have tried to liberate people’s minds from societal constructs. Sothese artistsare bold enough, living in Nigeria, to address these issues. Many other artists may talk about some of these things; they touch on them, maybe indirectly, but often, it’s all about thanking God for giving you the next Lamborghini.
Jacobsen: Do you have any upcoming projects you want to plug in?
Alonge: I’m working on a project in some rural areas east of Lagos. We are calling the government’s attention to the lives of indigenous people living there, supporting with job creation programmes, improved healthcare and collaboration with the local schools. One aspect is supplying text books for the school kids. We aim to include some materials on critical thinking. We must let our young ones understand that they have to believe more in themselves, not anything outside them.
Jacobsen: How can people get involved, support your work, or contact you?
Alonge: My website is Eyes of a Lagos Boy and that is also my handle on social media where people can get in touch with me directly.
Jacobsen:It was very nice to meet you. Thank you very much for your time today.
Alonge:Thank you, Scott. Nice talking to you. Good night.
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