Amebo- The Exhibition Radio Show.

If you have listened to the radio show and you are now here, I hope you were left with a few thoughts. The sounds and songs featured on the radio show tell a narrative story that begins with an invitation to be an "Amebo". For a bit of context Amebo (Ah-meh-boh) is Nigerian pidgin for basically "eavesdropping". It often involves listening in on a conversation and often relaying to others. It originated from the first Nigerian drama television series released post-independence. Titled "The village headmaster", originally released as a radio show prior to Nigeria gaining her independence and later adapted into the longest-running television soap opera shown on NTA from 1968 to 1988. The series explored the tension between traditional African culture and Western modernity in a newly independent Nigeria. The headmaster returns from the capital city, Lagos and is determined to bring adult education to his hometown.

It is quite ironic that this same education system has succeeded in eradicating history and sugar coating it in digestible layers that do not disrupt the status quo. Unfortunately, this exhibition is all about disrupting. The host of Amebo station discusses the realities of Nigeria's past and the revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for a future. A significant figure that played a part in this and is depicted in the crowd of women in the painting was Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. A mother of nations to say the least, advocating for women and ultimately for every voice. She is difficult to summarise into a few words. Most importantly, she engaged with anti-imperialist ideologies. Each track is dignified and reveals the very next one; they all point to aspects of our memories and may feel familiar. The offset in rhythms is intentional and echoes the wider world and the chaos that exists. Although our current reality may sometimes appear to push us further away from one another, I feel it is important now to find these moments where we can find common ground. Leave a comment if you would like to see this radio show updated : )