Zaria in the North of Nigeria was the final stop for the Mirror the Master children’s art tour in Nigeria. After then, 3 winners from each zone would exhibit in Lagos for the chance to win the grand prize of a trip to London and Buckingham Palace.
Zaria is the major art hub of the north of Nigeria, and it showed. Jerry Buhari, world renowned artist was the main host. The exhibition took place in the idyllic Drama Village, within the University of Zaria. This was a serene traditionalist venue comprised of clay huts grouped around a central courtyard.
On the first day we were due to meet the Emir of Zaria but he had to deal with emergency matters at the time of our scheduled visit. We then took a tour to Arewa House and the National Museum, Kaduna. It proved an exhilarating experience, children breaking into spontaneous song the entire hour’s journey – there and back. We hadn’t witnessed anything like it.
Arewa House provided an insight into the life and death of Ahmadu Bello. The museum visit unearthed the historic significance of a host of priceless artefacts.
Workshops at the Drama Village were most fun. On the first day the team was ambushed by a drama group with an impromptu performance. This set the upbeat tone for the event – 2 days of passion and creativity. It’s worth adding that the food in Zaria was by far the best of the tour, no question.
The final days awards were also memorable. There was a drama performance, followed by an ecstatic emotion packed ceremony with 3 artists emerging who would then take part in the final exhibition in Lagos.
