BANKING
ON KENYAN ART
By
Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted November 29, 2017)
Guaranty
Trust Bank has only been in Kenya for the last four years. And Ibukun Obegaike
has only been Managing Director of GTB in Kenya for the past two and a half
years.
But
that didn’t stop the Nigeria-born MD from putting into practice one of her
bank’s top Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies which is promotion of
African arts both locally and internationally.
“From
the very beginning, our bank has been supportive of the arts,” said Ms
Odegbaike in an exclusive interview with BD. She recalls that when GTB’s head
office in Lagos was initially opened in 1991, one of its attractions was the
huge painting by a leading Nigerian artist that dazzled the clients as they
walked in the front door.
Art,
she says, is one of those intangible items that contributes to a more
people-friendly atmosphere in the bank. It also promotes greater awareness of
the visual arts.
To
illustrate how much her bank appreciates African art, not only in Nigeria but also
in Kenya, GTB (Kenya) Ltd. sponsored an evening exhibition of contemporary East
African art at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel yesterday.
Curated
by William Ndwega’s Little Art Gallery, there were twelve artists whose works
were on display last night.
They
included Michael Soi, Patrick Kinuthia, Peter Elungat, Anne Mwiti, Michael
Musyoka, Yassir Ali, Emily Odongo, Haji Chilonga, Joshua Mainga, Douglas
Musyoke, Coster Ojwang and Jjuuko Hoods.
The
exhibition was only for one night, but Ms. Odegbaike says the Kempinski show is
simply the first step in GTB’s support of the arts in Kenya.
“Remember
that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” she said,
implying there were more steps the bank intended to take with local artists.
The
second step is likely to be the introduction of Kenyan artists to GTB’s online
African art platform.
The
‘Art 635’ virtual gallery was only launched in October 2017. But already it’s
enabling mainly Nigerian artists to access online audiences and markets.
“We have
another online market hub which will enable artists to sell their work more
easily,” she added.
What’s
remarkable about the Nigerian-born bank is that it not only has a solid
commitment to creating a service-oriented culture in its banking system. It also
sees the arts as playing an integral role in advancing that
service-orientation.
What’s
equally encouraging is that Art 635 invites all African artists to join the
online gallery. So that “first step” taken last night could very well lead to greater
regional cooperation and appreciation of East African art.
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