Connect with us

Interview

Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon: A Preserver, Promoter, And Pathfinder

Published

on

Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon

THE TOYIN FALOLA INTERVIEWS
A CONVERSATION WITH PRINCE YEMISI SHYLLON, 2023
By Toyin Falola

On such occasions that I have had the opportunity to visit Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon, where he took me and my company of people on a tour of his residences or museum — whichever one it was that we were visiting on each occasion — I always left marveling at the depth and vastness of our host in African arts and artists. To listen to him speak is to understand that, for him, collecting art goes beyond a personal hobby or a sport. It is a culture, a way of life whose profoundness forms a foundation for happiness and fulfillment for Prince Shyllon. You have to listen to him talk about his acquisitions and discoveries to understand the depth of his love for and appreciation of arts — and its varied forms, from sculpture to paintings to drawings.

In pre-colonial Yoruba history, the Egba, from where the Prince comes from, had several categories of leaders, each with designated duties and responsibilities. There were the Oba, the Parakoyi, the Ogboni, the warriors, and the tax people. Of all these people, the Ogboni had the blessed responsibility of upholding and preserving the cultural and traditional heritages of the city state. Theirs was a sacredly ordained society of elite people that not only contributed to bringing law, order, and justice to the people but also ensured that the empire did not — at any point in time — stray away from its cultural and traditional roots.

READ  ALSO: Yemisi Shyllon Museum Of Art: The Beauties That Represent Our Enigmatic Continent

To understand the vitality of the work the Ogboni did, we must first consider the interconnectedness of culture, society, traditional heritages, and development. A truly civilized society has and can uphold and preserve its long history of cultural heritage and traditions.

Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon: A Preserver, Promoter, And Pathfinder If there were no conscious efforts to preserve these by the Ogboni, there would have been weakened transmission of value and cultural assets from one generation to another, a phenomenon that would have adversely affected the evolution, development, and even continued existence of the people. For, if a people are disconnected from their history, they are likewise lost from their identity, and to not have an identity is to not know your society’s place in the world; it is to not know what your ancestors before you had achieved and how that influences how you live in the present day and what purpose to aspire to.

Although the evolution of ethnic societies within the geopolitical entity now called Nigeria has led to a gross erosion of traditional structures, societies and responsibilities, there is no denying that there exist individuals who have taken it upon themselves to commit personal resources for the greater good. Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon is the quintessential example of such people. He stands distinctly in the category of people who have been preserving and promoting Nigerian and African arts of various forms through commissioning, collecting, and introducing several initiatives.

While we may not have the traditional Ogboni society today to preserve, uphold, and promote the beautiful artistic creations that old and contemporary Nigerians and Africans have worked on or are still working on, we can revel in the peace of mind and assurance that comes with having the likes of Prince Yemisi Shyllon around, people who have adopted a generous approach to the work they do in the world of art and culture. Prince Shyllon has collected and done impactful work that transcends generations.

READ ALSO: Elevating Africa: The Collections In the Yemisi Shyllon Museum Of Art

Shall we talk about his support for art and art creators? Or do we speak of how he commits resources into sourcing and identifying real talent and commissioning such talents to give them the foundation and exposure they need to take upon the world? Many an artist got their first big break when Prince Shyllon commissioned them to work on a project. That is the promoter aspect of the tri-dimensional impact this man and his life and work for and in African art and culture have had.

Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon: A Preserver, Promoter, And Pathfinder

There are also the numerous initiatives he has launched, the continued expansion of his collection and the resources he puts into maintaining his museums. Beyond that, Prince Shyllon commits time to serve on the boards of serval art-focused initiatives and organizations. If anything, we all know that time is the most important asset to humans, and to dedicate so much time to serve without expectations of remunerations on such boards is yet another testament to the depth of his lifelong commitment to the promotion of Africa through art and culture.

There is a category of people with the financial wherewithal to give, support, and help, and do so for the recognition and appreciation they would receive from such endeavors. I do not in any way criticize these people — the resources are theirs, and they are entitled to the non-monetary gains they expect from committing their resources to whatever endeavor they commit them to. However, when one considers that for Prince Shyllon, the driving force in doing all he does for art, culture, Nigeria, and Africa is not an expectation for recognition, the vastness of his contributions and impact will leave one in awe. There have been recognitions, no doubt — recently, Pan Atlantic University conferred on him an honorary doctorate to appreciate his work and contributions to art. However, if you have had a close engagement with Prince Shyllon or have read about his contributions, you can tell that the driving force for this spectacular man is not in any way the recognition that may — and in this case, has — come. On January 15, 2023, Prince Dr. Yemisi Shyllon will be the first guest on the 2023 series of the Toyin Falola Interviews.

The decision to invite Prince Shyllon lies primarily on the need to document the insights and perceptions, experiences, views, and comments of people like him on African arts and culture. He has been in the field and committed his life and resources to identifying, promoting, preserving, and upholding African art and artists. There has to be a new generation of promoters and upholders that will tap into the generous vision of people like Prince Shyllon. And to prepare that new generation, there is the need to document the work and comments of the present generation.

The questions we will ask on Sunday the 15th, and the answers Prince Dr. Shyllon will serve as vital information to help sustain the promotion and preservation of one of the vital things that make us African — our art and craft; representations of our beliefs and perceptions as different peoples of a united continent.
Please join us:
Sunday, January 15, 2023
5:00 PM Nigeria
4:00 PM GMT
10:00 AM Austin CST

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/yemisi-shyllon

Join via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89163554170

Watch on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tfinterviews/live

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UC2lvX7A2iVndiCq0NfFcb0w/live

Falola is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. He is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

 

Read more authentic news on our social media platforms

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Interview

Don’t Rule Out Possibility Of Military Coups In Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, Others – Panelists Warn

Published

on

Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon
Prof. Toyin Falola

Want Medicines, Food Blockage In Niger Lifted 

African governments have been warned of the possibility of being upset by military coups similar to the ones that have taken place in some countries on the continent.

The warning came from some panelists at a session of the Toyin Falola Interviews entitled “Coups in Africa: Geo-Politics, Legitimacies, and Resource Management” which was held on Sunday.

At the virtual session which was organised by Prof. Toyin Falola, the panelists spoke on the problems of governance in Africa and how to stop military coups from occurring in African countries that are not already being ruled by military coupists.

The panelists included King/Prof. Fuankem Achankeng, Col. (Rtd) Festus Aboagye, Dr. Omotola Ilesanmi, Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, and Prof. Biodun Ogundayo.

They warned that it is an illusion to think that the recent military coups in Niger, Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso and Guinea will be the last ones in Africa.

The panelists raised the alarm that as long as the practices of democracy in Africa are plagued by Western influences and corruption that results in the impoverishment of the citizens, the military will always find excuses to make incursions into governance.

They also warned that countries where their leaders arbitrarily change their constitutions so that they can have third or fourth terms instead of two terms are prone to military takeovers.

The panelists also expressed the need to exercise caution in unleashing sanctions on Niger Republic because of the military coup.

They urged that regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) , the African Union (AU) and political leaders in Africa should have a common template for defining coups.

According to them, there are military coups just as there are civilian coups. Thus, to them, if military coups are sanctioned, civilian coups which are fomented through the rigging of electoral processes should also be sanctioned.

They urged that ECOWAS, AU and political leaders in Africa should have a better way of sanctioning military coupists and their governments. They urged that the blockage of medicines and food in Niger Republic  should be lifted since it is the masses and vulnerable people who are the worst hit by such a sanction.

Continue Reading

Interview

Coups In Africa: Historical Antecedents, Root Causes, And The Systemic Way Out

Published

on

Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon
Prof. Toyin Falola

By Toyin Falola

Military coup — and its sister-act, usurpation — have existed for centuries. Seventeenth-century England had its fair share of attempted and successful military coups. Eighteenth-century France suffered military coups. Even the eighteenth-century Oyo Empire, despite the ingenious move of having the war generals — Are — lived in a city far away from Oyo-Ile to avoid usurpations, still suffered deposition and military coups at the hands of Basorun Gaa. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, several countries of the world faced at least one attempted or successful military coup, from Asia to Europe to Africa. However, military coups have either fully become non-existent or significantly subsided worldwide, except in Africa, where there has been a fresh batch of military takeovers.

Truly, military coups have historically served several purposes. First, they have been an integral part of the growth and evolution of several countries of the world. Humans, by design, are curious experimenters. Therefore, it is only expected that several countries would have attempted military coups and the subsequent military rule that resulted from such coups as an alternative to the type of government they were practicing. 

At its basest form, the motivating factor for military coups is a simple attempt to try something new, to see if there is a better alternative to how the country is being run. For this, military coups have served as the beginning of a learning curve for several countries, many of which have adjusted to find a system that works for them and will help them thrive — China finding solace in a communist dictatorship, the United Kingdom has opted for a constitutional monarchy, and for France, it is a semi-presidential government. These countries have gone through the proverbial fire of military disruptions and rules to become what they are today. 

Furthermore, military coups result from a failing or failed system of government. Historically, military coups happen in countries experiencing turbulence — whether the turbulence results from a leader clenching on to power at the country’s detriment or widespread corruption running aground. We have also seen cases of coups due to the high-handedness and excesses of those in power. For every country that has experienced a coup, there is a backstory of oppression, corruption, dictatorship, stagnancy, and the suffering of citizens.

Africa is not the only place in the world where coups have happened. But Africa is currently home to the highest number of countries with recent military coups and takeovers. When the rest of the world aims for advancement and development, Africa is battling recurrent news of military coups and takeovers. There is something fundamentally wrong on the continent. While it is not out of place to blame the role colonization — and its resultant mambo-jumbling of people of differing races, cultures, and approaches — played in the disruption of the continent, it is important to note that Africa is not the only home of former colonies. India has never for once experienced a military coup. That is not to say India is perfect, but India is growing, evolving and learning.

Military coups have registered themselves as the transitional bridge in African politics. The poor leadership, country-wrecking corruption, mass abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law, constitution, and citizens contribute massively to the military’s self-justification of military coups in these African countries. Ironically, the military that has often positioned itself as the restorer of law and order and the savior of the people is also notorious for committing the same or far worse offenses and abuse of power during their regimes. In West Africa, countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo experienced their first military coup less than 10 years after their independence. That speaks more to a fundamental problem or mentality that transcends political failure. 

In Africa — especially with the recent military coups — there is more to it than military intervention. These coups and usurpation of power are beginning to look like the countries’ way of taking a stance devoid of the perceived cowardice of the deposed democratic leaders. There is a pattern to the military coups that have happened recently in Africa, as they have mostly been in countries that are former colonies of France. 

Although it is being said that the days of colonization are far behind, there are indications of not-so-subtle neocolonialism by France within its former colonies, often aided by the French-state-backed elected leaders of those former colonies. In exchange for the pleasures of the French soil — akin to the resultant effect of the notorious model of assimilation and association — the leaders of these Francophone African states curry for the grace and favor of the French state, at the detriment of their countries and citizens. 

There is also the hefty price for independence tied to the ridiculous agreements the French state has reached with its former colonies, including the enormous amount remitted to France annually for the use of the Francs CFA, the widespread exploitation of Nigeriens through mining done by French-state-backed Orano’s Somair, and the over-dependence of resources-rich Francophone African states on France are some reasons for these patterned military takeovers that have happened recently.

There is no denying that when the people are pushed to the wall, they would be left with no choice but to push back. This has been the case in Gabon, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. At this point, there is the need for introspection: are the African states that never experienced a coup better off? What systems of government do those states practice? Do they have a history of colonization? Are they multi-ethnic countries? How big are they by population? When we juxtapose the troubled countries with the ones that never had any coup using these metrics, we will then begin to see a clear path toward understanding the biggest root causes of military coups in Africa and whether they have been beneficial, and perhaps understanding the best way out. 

Since the recent coups, there have been grand attempts by regional blocs like ECOWAS to resolve the issue, including opting to use a strong tone and attempting to strong-arm the putschists in Niger into returning power to the usurped president of the country. However, if historical antecedents are anything to go by, strong-arming the putschists is not the way to go, and opting for a full-blown-war or military operation can only result in a victory with two downsides: the emergence of rebels in the state or civilians becoming the victims in a case where the military intervention blows out of proportion. In both cases, the result does not spell good for the average citizen of the countries where the governments have been overthrown. What then needs to be addressed?

There is a need to address the root causes of these military coups, rechristened as interventions in African states. There is a need for holistic approaches that will result in proactive measures to mitigate the issues and usher Africa into a new era of evolution and growth that will banish military coups and regimes as relics of history. 

At the Toyin Falola Interviews, our next panel session will focus on coups in Africa, drawing on the expertise of analysts invited from African states. King/Prof. Fuankem Achankeng, Col. (Rtd) Festus Aboagye, Dr. Omotola Ilesanmi, Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, and Prof. Biodun Ogundayo will be sharing insights and expanding on the root causes of coups in Africa, how the coups tie back to geopolitics, the legitimacies of these coups, and resource management at a time like this. Furthermore, there will be a focus on discussing the true and systemic way out of the myriad of coup-inciting problems within countries on the African continent. Join us on Sunday, September 24, as our panelists discuss this time-sensitive and vital topic.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Mauritius and Seychelles Time (UTC/GMT+4): 8 PM

East Africa Time (UTC/GMT+3): 7 PM

Central Africa Time (UTC/GMT+2): 6 PM

West Africa Time (UTC/GMT+1): 5 PM

Greenwich Mean Time (UTC/GMT): 4 PM

Cape Verde Time (UTC-1): 3 PM

Austin, Texas (CST): 11 AM

 

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/coups-in-africa 

 

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87006925926 

 

Watch on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tfinterviews/live

 

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@tfinterviews/live 

 

Continue Reading

Interview

How To Stop Military Coups In Africa – Bolaji Akinyemi

Published

on

Prof.Bolaji Akinyemi

A former External Affairs Minister , Prof.Bolaji Akinyemi , has proffered an antidote to the rising spate of military coups in Africa.

Prof. Akinyemi who was a minister in the government of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida spoke against the background of a military coup that has removed a democratic government in Niger Republic.

Military coups which were a regular occurrence in Africa in the decades after independence have become resurgent recently.

The takeover in Niger, led by soldiers belonging to the presidential guard, is just the latest in a string of coups that have taken place in recent years.

There were two in Burkina Faso in 2022 as well as failed coup attempts in Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe.

In 2021, there were six coup attempts in Africa, four of them successful.

Akinyemi said during a session of the Prof.Toyin Falola Interviews on Sunday that there should be a charter on democracy that would be binding on members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He said that such a charter should be endorsed by the African Union and even the United Nations.

Akinyemi said that such a charter had become necessary because democracies are not only truncated in Africa by military coups. According to him, democracies are also truncated through civilian coups. This entails elected presidents changing their nations’ constitutions in order to get more tenures beyond the terms as stipulated in their constitutions.

He explained that ECOWAS leaders are opposed to the military coup in Niger as a way of protecting their own democracies.

But he condemned a development that he referred to as the ethnicisation of foreign policy. He referred to the opposition by a region of Nigeria to the plan of President Bola Tinubu to deploy the military in Niger in order to return to democracy. He said such ethnic and religious considerations in deciding foreign policies were non-existent in the past. He said this was why he supported the then Nigerian government’s decisions as regards military interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The interviewers who included Prof. Jide Osuntokun, Bishop Matthew Kukah, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Ambassador Jaiyeola Joseph Lewu and Prof.Richard Joseph asked Prof.Akinyemi questions about his family background, the university system, his career and national and international developments.

Continue Reading

Top Stories