Nigeria Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow:

Cultural, Political, Economic and Innovative Resilience

Tunde Odunlade will appear this coming week at the Rayburn House Congressional Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on a panel that includes State Department Assistant Secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield, DC Office on African Affairs Executive Director Mamadou M. Samba, and – as moderator – Channels Television Correspondent Maria Byrd.

His contribution to the panel will be to discuss an ongoing theme in his work: “Art as a Tool for Nation Building.” What is the role of the artist-activist who sees his work as influential in the national affairs of his country?

A selection of Tunde’s artworks will be on display, comprised of Beaded Batik Quilt Tapestry (BBQT), Batik Quilt Tapestry (BQT), Batik on Paper, and Wood- and Linoleum-cut Prints. He will also use aPowerPoint to present selected works by various Nigerian artists to depict the historical path of the country over the past 100 years.

Additionally, the evening will feature the documentary “What’s Wrong With Nigeria?” produced by the Andrew Young Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia. This movie won in the documentary category at the National ZUMA Film Festival in Abuja, Nigeria in 2010. It is the most positive film ever made about Nigeria.

The program will include music by a trio of Nigerian musicians featuring the traditional “talking drum,” an instrument built of wood, goat skin, and leather straps whose sound is designed to mimic the tonal characteristics of the Yoruba language.

There will be an opportunity for Q&A.

Please R.S.V.P. to attend.