Nigeria60

Nigeria60 focuses on collections, memories, words, music and images to both celebrate the global impact of Nigerian creativity, and offer a time to pause, reflect and plan for change.

The seed for this project was sown three years ago through a conversation between two friends, colleagues and women; one Nigerian (designer and artist, Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman) and the other British/Swedish (Horniman Deputy Keeper of Anthropology, Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp).

Their conversation was held around the meeting of three collections:

the Horniman’s collection from 1960s Nigeria, including textiles, homeware, clothing and an extensive archive of photographs.

Alafuro’s collection of objects that have become iconic of the Independence period in Nigeria, represented in her work Private Atlas: Nigeria 1960.

the collection of a British family who lived in Nigeria in the 1960s and recently offered clothing and objects from their home in Ibadan to the Horniman.

Nigeria60 recognises periods of shared Nigerian and British pasts, and their imprints in the present, whilst also imagining a different future. 

As a designer, I knew it was important to show what the essence of Nigeria feels like. For me, Nigeria evokes excitement, vibrancy, and confidence. There is never a dull moment! I designed the wallpaper and mural to conjure the resilience, optimism and passion for life that Nigerians possess.