Ecobank Reaffirms Support for African Creatives with "The Convergence" Exhibition

Ecobank, in partnership with AD Consulting, has opened "The Convergence" exhibition in Lagos, reaffirming its commitment to supporting African creative talent and platforms that celebrate the continent's culture, heritage and intellectual capital.

Speaking at the opening on Thursday night, Mr Austen Osokpor, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Ecobank Nigeria, said the exhibition brings together art and architecture to tell the African story and create greater visibility for creative talents.

The wider exhibition will run from Oct. 2 to Oct. 7, giving a broader audience the chance to experience the works and engage with the ideas underpinning The Convergence.

Osokpor said Ecobank's support for the creative sector stems from its belief that Africa's wealth extends beyond financial capital to include culture, creativity, intellectual capital and heritage. "Ecobank is ready and Ecobank will support talents across different categories, whether it be arts, photography or music. We believe this is the only way we can tell the African story in a proper way for others to understand and take it from us," he said.

He described the partnership with AD Consulting as an effort to use art and architecture to present a different dimension of the African story, aligning with Ecobank's Pan-African vision of supporting African culture and contributing to the continent's development. He added that the exhibition would help bring the work of African talents to a wider audience.

"These are wonderful African works that have been done by talents that represent the continent. Most of these things would have been somewhere that you wouldn't even know they exist, but today we are bringing them out to the public for everybody to see," he said.

In her remarks, Ms Olajumoke Adenowo, architect and founder of AD Consulting, said The Convergence was inspired by her "New Heritage" philosophy, which seeks to deepen conversations around architecture, art and African heritage. She said architecture and art are closely connected, as both can combine functionality, aesthetics and emotional expression, and explained that the New Heritage concept draws on the ideas and problem-solving approaches of African ancestors to address contemporary challenges — arguing that African heritage can offer lessons for modern design, sustainability and city planning.

Adenowo also challenged collectors and wealthy individuals to move beyond simply acquiring artworks or commissioning buildings to becoming patrons who invest in ideas and creative talent capable of building lasting legacies. "Collectors acquire paintings, clients commission architects, but patrons curate a legacy," she said, citing Ecobank's earlier support for her architectural work as an example of institutional patronage that shows investment in creative ideas can generate value beyond immediate commercial returns. She said the exhibition was designed to encourage greater confidence in identifying and supporting creative ideas capable of shaping the future.

One of the exhibiting artists, Mr Emmanuel Oyeleke, a photographer, said the exhibition offered an opportunity to document Nigerian architecture and communicate the ideas behind the New Heritage movement. He said he spent about a year travelling across Nigeria to photograph architectural works and buildings for the project, adding that the exhibition demonstrates how indigenous and local challenges can be addressed through solutions rooted in African experience and knowledge.

Another exhibiting artist, Mr Joshua Nmesirionye, said his work, "Beneath the Watchful Moon," was inspired by his experience of Lagos traffic at night, describing art as a means of documenting everyday experiences while offering emotional and aesthetic value to viewers.

Participating artist Mr Duke Asidere said he used his work to draw attention to insecurity in Nigeria, reflecting his concerns about attacks on farmers, travellers and other Nigerians, and calling for stronger protection of lives and property.