Vincent Kolo, Nigerian artist, wins $50,000 Nefertiti prize for African creativity

Vincent Kolo, a Nigerian, has won the $50,000 Nefertiti grand prize for creativity at the maiden edition of Africa Integration Day.

In a statement by organisers of the event, Kolo won the prize with his artwork ‘The Cords of Yesterday’.

“The grand prize was awarded for work that passionately highlights the contemporary quest for Africa to learn from its past, take charge of its present and build its own unique vision of a united, prosperous, future,” the statement read.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo presented the cash award to the winner at a virtual ceremony that held on Tuesday to mark the end of the inaugural edition of Boma of Africa Festival.  

The event was jointly organised by the African Union Commission and the AfroChampions Initiative, while the grand prize was sponsored by Afreximbank and Commercial International Bank.

Edem Adzogenu, chairman of AfroChampions executive committee, commended winners in major categories of the event.

“We would like to sincerely congratulate all the winners on their fantastic achievements, and for creating artworks that speak to Africa’s unity and future,” Adzogenu said.

“It has been wonderful seeing government and the private sector come together from across the continent for the first Boma of Africa Festival to celebrate integration and the passion and creativity that will bring it to us.”

Albert Muchanga, AU’s trade and industry commissioner, said the first-ever Africa Integration Day was made possible through collaborative efforts.

Other categories won by participants at the event include $15,000 prize for social justice, $10,000 prize for African renaissance and $5,000 prize for literary excellence.

The Africa Integration Day was initiated in 2019 during AU’s summit on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) “to popularise economic integration across the continent as a lever of inclusive sustainable development.”

Featured image: The Cords of Yesterday artwork