Xchange Faces, Cultural centre celebrate women in art, fashion

As part of events marking the International Women’s Day, the Chinese Cultural Centre in Nigeria and Exchange Faces, a private body that promotes Nigerian dress culture, organised the China/Nigeria Fashion Culture Show and Exhibition. Creative Director, Xchange Faces, Oghome Emembo, showcased her colourful designs which were modelled by both men and women. Emembo who is […]

As part of events marking the International Women’s Day, the Chinese Cultural Centre in Nigeria and Exchange Faces, a private body that promotes Nigerian dress culture, organised the China/Nigeria Fashion Culture Show and Exhibition.
Creative Director, Xchange Faces, Oghome Emembo, showcased her colourful designs which were modelled by both men and women.
Emembo who is also a makeup artist and specialist in headgear tying, said the activities lined up for the evening were aimed at celebrating women and to project them as promoters of culture. “The collaboration has equally explored the daily artistry as a unique part of Nigerian culture.
“The message we are sending out is the need for friendly relationship between Nigeria and China. Through this collaboration, we have been able to showcase the Chinese dress culture and the similarities it shared with those of Nigeria,” she said.
Director, Chinese Cultural Centre, Yan Xiangdong, stated that the motivation to sponsor the programme was based on the Centre’s love for Nigerian culture.
He said: “It is part of the ways of deepening cultural exchange between Nigeria and China. We have brought our culture to show here and by replicating Chinese culture in Nigeria, we make our people feel at home.
“Chinese celebrate women in special way because we preach equality between men and women and this day is significant for the high status of Chinese women because they can be pilots or do any other thing that men can do,” Xiangdong said.
The event was graced by the parastatals of the Ministry of Information and Culture, including the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Director of Culture, Mr. George Ufot as well as the Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo.  Ufot said he was impressed by the individual efforts at promoting the works of art.
He said: “The good thing about the evening was the fact that it was not at the government but individual and association levels.
“The fact that there was a cultural exchange between Nigeria and China is encouraging. The Chinese government through their cultural centres have tried to reach out to us, we are getting so much out of them and for us, it has been like one way traffic in terms of capacity building and other benefits we derive from the Centre. We only hope that we would be able to reciprocate their gestures in future,” he added.
Commending Emembo’s efforts, Mbanefo said the display showed the need to empower women as a means of creating more jobs.
Part of the event was the gele art exhibition mounted by Chike Emembo, inspired by the artistry involved in tying headgears.
Artworks from charcoal drawings to mixed media done with gele, according to the artist, increases the value chain of gele headgear as it transcends from fashion to interior decoration. With titles of African Queens like Queen Aminu of Zauzau and Nefetiti of Egypt, he said: “As we celebrate the International Women’s Day, we are bringing maximum attention to and diversifying the use of the geles as a part of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.”