Art and the Canker-Worm Years in Nigeria, 1980-2006; the Implications for Modern Nigerian Art, Its History and Documentation

Abstract

The imagery of the Cankerworm is used as metaphor and analogy to indicate
a period of increasing authoritarianism in Nigerian government, official
mismanagement, as well as sloppiness in government policies. This paper
examines the consequences of the historical trend on modern Nigerian art as
well as its history and documentation. Modern art in Nigeria and indeed the
whole of Africa is not exactly along the lines of western experiences and this
is because it is a derivative of specific historical background different in
context, content and types from those of Europe and the United States In
spite of the unfortunate postcolonial trend in Africa, modern Nigerian art has
been an anomaly of the deplorable tendencies because of its transmutation
through identifiable developmental stages, which is, the colonial and the
postcolonial.

Key Words: Cankerworm, Marxist art historical approach, Kitsch, Art
contracting, Hybridization, African Authenticity