Exhibition and lectures on the "Notion of Heritage" at Adebisi House

On 30 April, IFRA-Nigeria and the National Museum of Unity of Ibadan organized a mix exhibition and lecture event as part of the French Embassy Fund project "Nigerian Alternative Heritages". As a celebration of International Monument Day, this event explored the "Notion of Heritage", and took place in one of Ibadan's oldest buildings, the Adebisi House, which exceptionally opened its doors to the Museum staff, pupils, Polytechnic students and other members of the public interested in the arts and heritage studies.

Built in 1929 in the Idikan district of Ibadan, it belonged to Sanusi Adebisi Giwa, a merchant who made a fortune trading textiles and cacao. He is fondly remembered in Ibadan for his charitable act of paying the colonial taxes of all those who couldn't afford it. The National Museum of Unity exhibited in the house loaned objects from the Antiquity Rescuer Association and some that belonged to Sanusi Adebisi Giwa: a carved wooden wardrobe, original clothing, attire for his horses as well as original records of his business transactions. The house itself is an impressive building, designed by Scottish architect Robert Taffy Jones, who created many of Ibadan's historical landmarks from the colonial period. However, the Adebisi house has not benefited from a continued conservation effort, and as a result was damaged by time. Hosting an event in such a place is crucial, as it brings light to the existing architectural heritage of Ibadan. Moreover, an offsite exhibition also allows for the democratisation of the material objects of heritage by bringing the Museum to people outside its walls.

After the opening speeches ofthe Museum's curator, Mrs. Oriyomi Pamela Otuka, and IFRA-Nigeria's director, Barbara Morovich, and a tour of the exhibition organized for the pupils and the students, we listened to the communication oftwo lecturers about  "The Notion of Heritage". First to speak was Hon. Zainab Popoola, IFRA fellow and archeologist. She worked on the Ife-Sungbo archaeological project and also conducted research on a Ile-Ife bead making site. Her presentation "Preserving heritage in a changing world: sustainable management of selected heritage sites in Ibadan" detailed how diverse in nature and form heritage can be, before delving more specifically in a few selected sites in Ibadan: Bowers tower, Mapo Hall, Irefin Palace and the Adebisi Mansion. All those sites, she noted, are holders of a local heritage and face risks in the face of economic underfunding, the loss of local knowledge and climate change.

The second speaker, Dr Kolawole Adebayo Lawal, head of the Department of Tourism Management Technology at Polytechnic Ibadan and chairman at the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN). Drawing on his experience in tourism, he spoke on "Resilient heritage: adaptation strategies for protection and recovery". He mentioned the challenges facing heritage conservation, among which lack of funding plays no small part. He stressed the importance of public awareness of their heritage and the risks it faces, offering some options for better management of the sites.

The event concluded with a Q&A session mediated by Delphine Manetta, IFRA-Nigeria's deputy director, which touched on questioning the different and complex influences of heritage, and how the idea of heritage itself can be a political tool or a way to affirm one's own identity.

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