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Posted March 15, 2023 in Arts and Culture

212 – PATRON SAINT* 

Over the course of a few days, I jumped on a bunch of Zoom chats with a number of creatives for our lead feature. The thread binding them is their Nigerian roots and heritage as documented by Mark Hill’s wonderful series of portraits – some were born there, some were born here, others have a parent or parents who settled here. I wanted to get an idea of what they are up to, their sense of connection to Nigeria and what they made of life in Dublin in 2023.

One thing in particular which resonated with me is their sense of getting out there and doing their thing as they carve out their own thrilling career paths here and beyond. They are not waiting for either ‘acceptance’ or ‘endorsements’ from the establishment. However, the shared understanding seems to be not one of anger and frustration at the system but one of finding a way through collaboration and self-expression. “I don’t want to let politics anger me because when you become angry you become disillusioned,” says E The Artist.

Ironically, many of them also have every reason to be angry given the rental market which has increased 68 per cent between 2010 and 2021, making it the third fastest rate across the EU-27. “It’s quite infantilising to be still at home,” says Lauryn Creamer Nwadike. She uses her savings from doing so to spend the summer abroad, travelling to Berlin last year where she saw what it could and should be like. Needless to say, many of them see their potential futures lying elsewhere.

* St Patrick is patron saint of Nigeria

Also in this issue

  • The first of a series by photographer Nick West, Hiberna Moderna has him returning to a city he finds both “unrecognisable and exhilarating”.
  • A chat with Osman Bari who founded Chutney Magazine, an independent magazine of everyday stories on culture and identity told by marginalised voices.
  • A discussion with Greg Osborne about DesignOpp, a not-for-profit initiative championing diversity in Irish design.
  • Making dough with Bread Man Walking in Digested Digest.
  • Ezra Williams (FKA Smoothboi) chats about all their accomplishments whilst still being in college.
  • A lead cinema review of Andrew Legge’s “plucky and imaginative” debut feature Lola with illustration by Danielle Byrne.
  • Conor Stevens does a double take at Space Jaru & Fayrouz.
  • The Clock Winds Down, Brian Maguire’s new show in the Kerlin is considered by Tom Lordan.

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