Omooba Yemisi Shyllon, a prominent art collector and philanthropist, speaks with FUNSHO AROGUNDADE on what spurred him to donate a 17-feet sculpture to the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos as well as his proposed multi-billion naira museum to be sited at Pan Atlantic University
Why did you decided to finance the erection of this statue?
I was invited by the Dean, Faculty of Law of University of Lagos, Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe, to give a statue befitting my Alma Mata. I graduated from the Faculty in 1990. And I thought about the fact that I would like to make a difference. In whatever I do, I try to innovate. So, I innovated this concept of having the symbol of Justice that will represent the true Nigerian identity. A Nigerian Identity in terms of culture and symbols of justice. And like you would see on the lady’s hand is the Irukere which represents the authority of Oba in Yorubaland. The Eben on her right hand represents the authority and justice of Oba of Benin. The Udu on the legs of the lady represent the culture of the Igbos, particularly those of Onitsha. The beads she has on her neck also is of the Igbo stock. The Shuku on her head is a Yoruba hairdo and then she has the jigida around her waist, and she wears the Fura de nunu dress of the Fulani stock. Those symbols represent a Nigerian lady combining the Nigerian identity with the Greek philosophy of Justice that is universally accepted. So we have created a Nigerian identity of symbol of justice by this statue. It is about 17 feet high and is made of bronze, an everlasting metal that cannot be burnt. It was done by a very famous Nigerian artiste called Adeola Balogun, who has done very monumental works around the country, and also has his works in Sweden, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and also in the United Kingdom. He has done very significant works around the country.
Why creating another symbol of justice that only represents Nigerian culture when people believe that justice is universal?
If justice was global and universal, elements of cultural laws and customs will not be taken into consideration. The truth is that what is good in one country may not be good for others. For instance, in the case of Dawodu Vs Danmole, the Supreme Court of Nigeria said that it is wrong to import the monogamous culture of the British into the polygamous setting of Nigeria. This country has a culture, and that culture forms the basis of judging many elements of justice. For instance, in another case where a woman got married to a man, had children with him, then went to another man to have children without the new man paying her dowry, the court ruled based on the White man’s repugnancy doctrine that the children produced in the other man’s house still belong to the man who didn’t pay dowry. Whereas, under our own customary law and custom, it is wrong. So, justice in a country A may not necessarily be justice in country B. But this (statue) is something representing our own justice. And I want to propagate the fact that we need to believe in ourselves. We have an identity, we have a custom and material culture, and that is what we have done here. We want to remind every Nigerian that there is something in them that is not in the Chinese. There is something about you that is not in the British. There is something about you that is not in the American. What is about you is the Nigerian identity and we must represent it. We must celebrate it, sell it and propagate it to give ourselves the rights to claim a contribution to civilisation in the world.
How long did it take to produce the statue?
It took the artist four months.
The Dean of Faculty of Law hinted about a new faculty building. Would you be erecting another statue when that new building is completed?
I am willing to partner in anything that has to do with art because I have a goal in life and that is to leave a legacy behind. Because everything in life is empty. It is what you give that matters, not what you own. It is what you gave that people will remember you for and not what you had.
You also plan to build a privately-funded museum in Nigeria. Can you tell us about it?
There is a lacuna in Nigeria; there is no sitting gallery of art in Nigeria. There is no public space where the creativity and the production of Nigerian artists are exhibited for the world to see. People come to this country and there is nothing to see. That gap is what I would be trying to fill. My country does not have a sitting gallery of art. And even the museums that we have are museums of antiquities. So, what I am setting up in partnership with the Pan Atlantic University is a multi-billion naira one-stop museum that will represent both our ancient, traditional, modern, contemporary, conceptual sculpture, paintings and also photography. In fact, the beauty about the museum is that we are going to have photographs of Nigeria’s fast disappearing cultural festivals. I am sure many of today’s youth do not know what Igunnuko looks like. The Igunnuko, when I was a kid here in Yaba, was very popular because there was a place, Igbo Igunnu somewhere in Yaba. But the place is gone. Many of these cultures are gone, no thanks to urbanisation. Also because of increasing urbanisation and religiousity of people of Christian and Moslem faiths, our culture is fast disappearing. So, in the museum, we are going to have a photographic space where our cultural festivals would be displayed. It will be a one-stop museum that is non-existing anywhere in the country. That is what we are building. Of course, this will be the first time we are having a private individual funding a national edifice. This is what I am doing. It is going to be the first of its type in Africa, we have worked it out and signed agreement, funds have been exchanged and architects have started the design of the museum.
How would you get the materials to fill the museum? Are you likely to move some of your collections into it?
I have already brought out 1,200 of my works. They have been identified, listed, documented and valued. Those are the initial works that are going into the museum. I have also made provision in the agreement for other collectors to have galleries within the museum so that we can boast of a state gallery like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, National Portrait Gallery in England, the Philadelphia Museum and Newark Museum in New Jersey. My plan is to build something that we would all be proud of as a monument representing the culture, creativity, tradition and the art of our people.
It seems the younger generation are not really interested in the appreciation of arts. What are cultural activists like you doing to raise the awareness?
On my part, I sponsored children’s awareness. I sponsored schools’ competition among secondary schools. I have done it in Ife, Osun State and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. I have created a lot of awareness. I sponsor a workshop in University of Lagos every year in which artists and non-artists are invited to partake. Those are the things I do to create more interest in our arts and culture.
We learnt that you are also working on an online journal.
Yes, we are coming up with an online journal of art and it will debut by the end of July. It is anchored on my professorial chair in University of Port Harcourt. That is the only professorial chair in Nigeria on art. It is called the Yemisi Shyllon Professorial Chair in University of Port Harcourt. We are going to release from that chair a journal of art which is very universal. I will have about 20 professors from Nigeria, America, South Africa, Germany and England serving on that journal. The journal will enhance the appreciation and development of Nigerian arts and culture, putting us in the global art space. It will also give Nigerian art stakeholders something to be proud of.