Women Born In The 1960s

"The glow of delicioous tension coudn't be faked, not at any price. So when you leave, that's when you realise you've been living in a lie."

"How could you teach someone to survive? You pointed them in the right direction and hoped they'd swim, not sink. Waving, not drowning. There are more important things in life than individual happiness. It was an easy trap to fall into, mistaking a lack of self-direction for an expression of love."

"You have to find yourself. When you meet him again, you have to know who you are. He's finding out who he is."

"She would love it. Just as he loved her. He paused for a second, his fingers touching the door handle. He was in love. The realisation came to him quite suddenly."

"The dominant voice has historically been a singular, exclusive voice, whose reach and power ignores huge swathes of humanity — financially, creatively, conceptually — as though we have been listening and speaking in one tongue only."

"Guilt, Ameline discovered, was a terrible, unruly think, like toothache - dull nagging, persistent, never far from attention. Just when you got used to its rumbling, ruminating presence, it would lash out, stike you down, stio you dead in your tracks. The worst thing was, it was entirely unpredictable."

"Change is the one thing that everybody hollers for and longs for, but when it actually arrives, most people don't want it. It's a complex thing."

"Architects have the power to change the culture of how we build and how we think about resources."

"No job is worth one’s life."

"There’s something about the training of an architect that’s particularly suited to our time: it’s about bringing disparate pieces of information together in a framework. Architecture is about more than building buildings."

"Succession is something you make, by constructing opportunities."

"It is an opportunity to talk to the rest of the world about Africa, and also to talk to Africa from here (Venice). The ability to be several things at once — traditional and modern, African and global, colonized and independent — is a strong thread running through the continent and the Diaspora. We’re used to having to think about resources, about switching on a light with no guarantee of electricity. We’re able to grapple with change. That capacity to overcome, to negotiate, to navigate ones’ surroundings is going to take center stage."

"When you are African, you speak to a world that has an existing view of who and what you are. You walk with this kind of label. So for me, the Biennale was an opportunity to both talk about the label, to confront it in a way, but to also show underneath how similar we are."

"Africa's unique context, which is both richly challenging and richly creative, means it's a powerful place from which to examine the issues that will dominate the next century – climate change, societal change, demographic change, new forms of governance, explosive urbanity."

"I’ve always thought of ‘race’ as a powerfully creative category of exploration and expression. I was fed up trying to find a way to talk about identity, race and Africa in architecture that wasn’t only about poverty and ‘informality,’ a word I loathe."

"I think all cultural output is a form of narrative. Somebody once said that culture is the sum total of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. So, there's a very deep need to say something, to impart something. In these questions of colony, identity, territory, and history, there is a sense amongst many black practitioners that we've never had the space to tell our own stories, and part of the act of recuperating what has been lost is the desire to speak. In some senses, the Biennale has been a healing experience, a kind of closing over of a wound, of a void."

"I don't expect this exhibition to teach anybody anything, I don't think it's a didactic exhibition. That's not to say that people won't learn something from it. But I don't want any of the participants to be the ones dictating what the lesson is. It should be read from it. What they have done is put out an authentic, genuine, sometimes vulnerable story. What happens to that story is somehow beyond their control. What I hope that the audience takes from it is a kind of openness where previously, there might have been a closeness, or an unwillingness to engage with the other, not on our terms, but on their terms."

"All futures are uncertain. We do our best to anticipate the future."

"Cartographic expertise allows you to communicate geographic information clearly with maps. Amateur-looking maps can undermine your audience's ability to understand important information and weaken the presentation of a professional data investigation."

"When choosing map colors, you should not be overly concerned about which colors your audience likes. Everyone has an opinion about color aesthetics, and members of your audience undoubtedly have differing opinions based on their own preferences. There has been a substantial amount of loosely structured research on color preferences. Regardless of context, it seems that most people like blue and do not like yellow, but that is an overly simplistic guideline for multicolor contexts. People also like maps with many colors, so focus your attention on presenting your data clearly and not worry about whether you have picked everyone's favorite colors."

"People are born with skills but most sharpen them in professional schools."

"Art is my religion and my work is my praise. I know little else and I am aware of the lack of balance between my work and other aspects of life but I care little. Everything about me is art and I breathe art. I could be nothing but an artist. I am extremely passionate about what I do. The opportunity the Art industry gives is ceaseless."

"I want to raise questions around stories of human commodification and histories of exploitation and wealth generation in the Global North. My work explores the enduring colonial legacies of enslaved black bodies, the industrial complex of natural resources extraction, land and the issue of looted artefacts centuries ago from specific countries."

"I am an artist that is not defined by what medium I use, therefore it is irrelevant to me to find a core in any particular medium. It is tedious to deny myself the knowledge gained in experimentations. I do not know how many years of career practice I get in this life time so I want to absorb so much pleasurable experiences. I am centered on the philosophy of my art and whatever I require to relate this philosophy I will use."

"My philosophy is more significant to me than the differences in genres of the Arts."

"I make people see, this is my philosophy. I make people see through my own eyes and experiences. I am like a piece of glass that enhances the onlooker’s view; like looking through colored glass or concave/ convex lens or a window."

"Art is an avenue to make thoughts into tangibles and ideas into realities. I close my eyes and I dream things that art help me birth. My desire is to make beautiful things that often times channel discussions and art most definitely helps me achieve this."

"All children are precious and should be taken care of. No child should be left to roam the streets."

"No woman should be made to feel guilty or inadequate on account of the choice she made."

"Live and let live.The world would be a better place if we lived by these truths."

"Don't overthink.Don't procrastinate.Be like Nike Sport.Just do it.Start small if you don't have all the necessary means."

"They (up and coming actors) should just be themselves. Believe in what they are doing and can do. One day they will get good roles and if they play them properly, they will be made."

"You don’t need to go to the village to see village people anymore. Village people are now in the industry. If you have a tested and trusted friend, keep them, hold them tight and don’t you ever let them go! The world is crueler than you can ever imagine!"

"They (up and coming actors) should work on their God given talent first and then try and train to understand the business, they should also remain focused. It is much easier to make it in Nigeria as an actor or actress; of course they should go to the right places and hang out with the right crowd. Hard work is also part of the game, they shouldn't get tired of auditions even if they are not landing the parts, they should try harder, and eventually the producers and financiers will take notice."

"I have seen it all in the film industry. You don’t want to know how depressed many upcoming and established Nigerian actors are. The average Nigerian actor is under immense pressure to live the good life and meet up with expected standards. In the process, there is no love for one another anymore. It is all pretence, and anyone can be sly and manipulative for the selfish glory. The culture is very individualistic now, and I can confidently say that things may be getting worse."

"Let me share with you a short story about STRETCHING FURTHER. I have always been an ardent lover of knowledge since childhood. I have always wanted to acquire enough knowledge as I could not not because I saw them as a means to getting the best life opportunities, but because I wanted to unravel developments as much as possible in various fields of human endeavours. I have always wanted to know something about everything."

"I have an unending problem with ladies who expose their bodies online in an attempt to ‘slay’ and be ‘trendy’. Hey, girl! Keep that body to yourself! You really think that man will accept you for being nude online forever? You can’t have your cake and eat it."

"You may think it's too late but it isn't. Time is such a natural referee. It blows the whistle of motion for you at the right moment. You only have a job when this referee (time) blows the whistle. MOVE. Then, you move."

"Dear young ladies, maybe men are more sensitive in this age. You want that ‘good’, calm, sweet, honest and responsible guy for a life time yet your appearance speaks of ‘nudity’, ‘wordly’, ‘nonchalance’, and ‘irresponsibility’. ARE YOU A MAGICIAN? Wake up! You don’t usually get a second impression from a wise man after the first."

"daughter wants to marry at a young age, I would first have the necessary conversations with her and if i know this is what she needs, i will allow her. I won’t allow premarital sex in my house."

"My religion has a great influence on my lifestyle and definitely my work. Coming from a very Islamic background, I see and take the Islamic point of view all the time. I let the Qur’an and Sunnah guide my actions and decisions always."

"I think they must tackle three important sectors: power, refineries and diversify our economy. Then, a systematic eradication of corruption must kick start these three."

"People’s experiences define how they view life. A man who has been through it all, he might want to resort to the village, it’s not so much of a bad idea to catch them young. When you pick a poor girl,a girl from her back ground knowing that her expectations fall in line with what you want.Men who successfully marry from the village, know all she wants and her definition of success will be to give birth and take care of their children"

""women should not be in such violent relationships. Marriage is for better for worse but not when there is a threat to one’s life.""

""I also worked in a voluntary capacity with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in Paris, France, on Project Frimousse. I am so happy to be part of that project because the money realised from it was used to buy vaccines and medication for underprivileged children""

"This intervention will go a long way in complementing the efforts of the state towards women empowerment and economic emancipation."

""When they (the fans) listened to some of my old songs, they will write me as if they are talking to their girlfriend. There was a music label in London (England) that wanted to remix one of my songs that I recorded on DECCA base on that.""

""Reggae is a genre of music that always has messages for the people. Reggae music is loved in the ghetto and highbrow areas. It can be used to fight against injustice and for equal rights. It is also for peace and love. Right now, Nigerian youths are fighting for justice, so reggae music is the answer.”""

"The centre will serve as a hub that provides opportunity for female politicians to access information and knowledge products, electronic equipment, internet facilities, counselling and contacts that would enhance female productivity for effective participation in politics."

"It is no news that Women’s representation in Nigerian politics has been on a downward slide since 2011, and extremely low in Borno State."