Jahman Anikulapo was 50 on January 16, 2013. This period also coincides with his exiting a long, stellar career at Guardian newspaper group as the Sunday Editor. In the last two decades or so, Jahman has pressed his talent, position and material means to service in aid of the development of the cultural sector in Nigeria.

It is in light of the foregoing that the friends of Jahman Anikulapo, under the aegis of Committee of the Friends Of Jahman @50, have planned a month-long programme of events to celebrate this cultural agent. The Committee has now released the timetable for the celebrations, with the overall theme: ‘3D-Jahman: The Three Dimensions of a Cultural Change Agent – Artist, Activist and Art Journalist.’

Full Details of Events and Activities:

jahman-dp1January 13, 2013: Arthouse Forum
Arthouse Forum For Jahman Anikulapo At 50: A panel conversation around how the Interplay between Art Advocacy, Art Journalism and Art Practice has shaped the evolution of cultural propagation in the last 25 years. This will be followed by two other events later that evening:
– Tributes and Readings For Jahman Anikulapo
– An evening of songs, theatre skits and performances

Time: From 4.pm.
Venues: Kongi’s Harvest Gallery (Second Floor), Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos.
RSVP: Ayodele Arigbabu (08033000499).

FRIDAY, 18th of January, 2013, 7PM
iREPRESENT INTERNATIONAL FILM DOCUMENTARY ( Friends of CORA) celebrates Jahman Anikulapo. Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos

RSVP: Sam Osaze 08036554119

January 20, 2013: Invitational Dinner
Jahman’s colleagues in the Guardian group of newspapers host him to an evening of dining and tributes.

RSVP: Andrew Iro Okungbowa (08023152195)

January 25, 2013: Stripped Bare: Jahman Anikulapo, Warts and All
The celebrant in an intimate conversation with a whistleblower about childhood, upbringing, between area-boyism and ajebotterhood, the promise of youth, the gap between expectations and middle age reality, hooliganism, the secrets of journalistic success, the challenges of advocacy, the hopes of culture advocacy, a peek into life after the Guardian.

Time: From 5pm.
Venue: Quintessence Book and Artshop, Falomo Shopping Centre
RSVP: Sam Osaze (08036554119).

It should be recalled that on December 30, 2012, Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) of which Jahman is Programme Chairman held a celebration for him at its annual year-end party in Festac Town, Lagos, at which there was a symbolic cutting of cake and a pouring of libation superintended by Mr. Benson Idonije, patriarch of Nigerian art critics.

Also, the artists Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo and Toni Kan have already launched call for submission into a poetry collection to be published in honour of Jahman Anikulapo, just as we understand that the call for contribution of papers into a festschrift for a similar purpose will be made in the next few days.

We look forward to your active participation in this season of celebrations.

Thank you.

Yours,

Deji Toye