From Kano to Abuja: The British Council’s Creative Hub for Nigerians

The British Council held yet another set of creative events, all centred around promoting art and driving relevant conversations in the creative space. This time, the organisation held an array of events between Kano and Abuja, two large cities with thriving creative scenes. The British Council’s decision to focus on these cities highlights just how […]

The British Council held yet another set of creative events, all centred around promoting art and driving relevant conversations in the creative space. This time, the organisation held an array of events between Kano and Abuja, two large cities with thriving creative scenes. The British Council’s decision to focus on these cities highlights just how invested they are in supporting local talent, helping them grow and flourish.

The event in Abuja, which took place over two days, focused mainly on the entertainment, poetry, and dance of a broad range of creatives who were brought together for their love of art in its diverse forms. Afterwards, there were panel discussions where readers and writers discussed various subjects, providing different lenses and perspectives through which pertinent topics could be viewed.

In Kano, on the other hand, the British Council organised back-to-back events between the 28th and 29th of January. The first event touched on the need for collaboration in creative spaces, while building trust and fostering healthy competition. The second was designed to promote food, art, and culture, all designed to showcase Kano’s rich culture and heritage.

Creating comes with its own unique set of challenges. Whether it is a creative block, turning the creations into profit, or simply finding somewhere to put together work peacefully, every creator knows the challenges creators face. These challenges were further amplified by the COVID pandemic, a time when many artists and creators were affected, with creatives and artists still feeling the effects to this day.

In a bid to lighten this burden, the British Council has decided to give back to the creative community as a part of the Creative Economy Showcase Programme. The British Council has always been about fostering communities of creatives and helping these communities in any way it can. Through this initiative, they will be empowering creatives in Abuja and Kano, providing them with the spaces they need to create, connect, and ultimately contribute to the development of their careers and, by extension, the creative communities in these locations.

The Creative Economy Showcase Programme is part of the British Council’s effort to support the creative community, and we might be witnessing more of these initiatives in more places as time goes on. Creatives will certainly take advantage of free access to facilities in a supportive environment where they can showcase their talents and meet like minds.

About British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
www.britishcouncil.org