Soul of Nations Foundation Receives Grant from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria for an International Cultural Exchange
The Soul of Nations Foundation (SONF) has received a grant from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria for the Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project (GAP). The U.S. Consulate General Lagos is the Mission’s representative to the Nigerian people in the southern region. The Consulate is headed by Consul General Claire Pierangelo and welcomes Nigeria’s government, business, and academic communities. The Public Affairs Section (PAS) strives to enhance mutual understanding among the people of the United States and Nigeria.
In partnership with the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria the Soul of Nations Foundation is excited to further expand the art engagement facet of our mission through the Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project. Indigenous International is the umbrella program created through the Soul of Nations Foundation’s Indigenous Arts Expansion Initiative which is aimed to help connect Indigenous youth from the Americas and Africa with boundary-pushing cultural and artistic experiences around the world. The Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project coincides with the U.S. Consulate General Lagos Public Affairs Section’s program priority to strengthen human capital to promote inclusive economic growth and development via entrepreneurship, STEM education, women’s empowerment, youth engagement, and cultural exchange. The project also falls in alignment with the U.S. Consulate General Lagos’ mission to strengthen relations between the American and Nigerian peoples.
The Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project presents the opportunity for three young Native American women artists/ architects from the southwestern region of the United States to connect with up to 10 young Nigerian women artists/ architects living in Lagos state through a nine-month cultural exchange that has virtual and in-person components, and a two-week artist residency that will result in one collaborative exhibition to be open to the public in Lagos for four months and be made accessible online.
Participants will explore the culture, history, politics, and contemporary experience of Indigenous communities in America and African communities in Nigeria. This exploration will help the young women to conceptualize how their cultures intersect within the framework of a number of issues pertaining to the access to affordable housing, urban planning, environmental policy, and traditional architectural representation.
Traditional forms of Indigenous and African art and architecture have often been misrepresented in mainstream media and academia. The majority of Indigenous and African communities reside in rural areas where they often build and live in structures constructed with materials that have been obtained locally and are considered “green.” These structures are created through the use of architectural techniques that have been utilized for generations. Unfortunately, a myth exists that Indigenous American vernacular architecture is substandard, temporary, and for the impoverished. Indigenous and African communities are continuously striving for environmental stability.
Applications for the Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project in Lagos will be available online in February 2021. For questions specific to the program please contact gap@soulofnations.org.
U.S. Consulate General Lagos, Public Affair Section
Email: LagosPASGrants@state.gov
Social media: @USinNigeria
Green Architecture Project Team gap@soulofnations.org
Soul of Nations Foundation Nigeria Office ng@soulofnations.org
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Email: info@soulofnations.org
Phone: +1 202.643.2164
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