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Design Week Lagos (DWL), Africa’s premier design festival, kicked off with a bang on October 22nd at the LiveSpot Entertarium, Lekki, Lagos, with a VIP opening that set the tone for an unforgettable week of design, innovation, and creativity.
At the five-day event, there were keynote sessions, and panel discussions that buttressed the point that it is time for African and Nigerian designs to position themselves as the next frontier for global innovation.
Speaking on the role designs play in shaping Africa and Nigeria’s future, not just to redefine esthetics but to solve practical challenges in the areas of urban planning, technology and education, Founder of Design Week Lagos, Titi Ogufere explained that the African continent is blessed with millions of creative talents that needs a visible platform for the world to see.
“Many of us are not aware of the kind of great talents that come from Africa that have been doing amazing things that many cannot connect to us. Africans and Nigerians are a creative race but because we did not understand the power of education early enough, most of these creatives are struggling on their own. Design Week Lagos is a platform, a design showcase festival to connect these creative minds for a collaboration that can project these talents to the world.
Ogufere, who is often referred to as a trailblazer and Amazon who created many platforms for design showcasing, further stated, “We want to tell our creatives that you do not have to wait to work as an architect alone. You can design other things that are needed in our environment. As an artist, you can design while a carpenter brings your design to life. Create those practical works that fit our environment,” she said.
HRH Olori Atuwatse III of Warri Kingdom and founder of Elevate Africa, in her speech, stated that African designs are the next frontier which is happening already.
“What we need to do is to amplify what is already on ground, our cultural heritage and God-given resources and project them to the world. We need space where we can showcase what our creatives can do to the world. We also need partnerships and collaborations to amplify what our creatives can do. These collaborations will help get these designers from stage one which is ideal to stage where the idea becomes a reality and gets to an audience who demands it,” she said
On day one of the Design Week Lagos there was a message of hope from the Vice President, delivered by Fegho John Umunubo, which emphasized the significance of design in Nigeria’s economic evolution.
The Commissioner of Tourism, Lagos State, Mrs Toke Benson highlighted the importance of design in promoting tourism and economic growth with the tour.
Also present to witness the epic exhibition were, the CEO of Nike Art Gallery, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Benedict Radcliffe, Dapo Akintunde, Prof Ayo Teriba, Olusegun Zaccheus, Architect James Brendan Udom and the Honourable Minister Hannatu Musawa, mention few.
Design Week Lagos is an annual design week that provides a platform for architecture, interior design, furniture design, product design & technology, visual & media, and design thinking. Its mission is to promote design as a tool for economic evolution and social change.
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