Culture communicator Jahman Anikulapo bags UNESCO Defender of Cultural Rights Award 2024

By Editor

ACCOLADES have continued to pour in for culture advocate and communicator, founder of Culture Caucus Advocate (CAC) and Programme Chairman of Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), organiser of 26-year old Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF), Mr. Jahman Anikulapo for winning the prestigious UNESCO Defender of Cultural Rights Award 2024 in faraway Argentina. This recognition is a testament to his unwavering commitment to cultural advocacy, his immense leadership in nurturing a vibrant, purposeful creative industry in Nigeria and Africa and promoting to the global community.

Anikulapo’s dedication to uplifting African culture, both locally and globally, is wavering, just as his impact in fostering literary communities, empowering creatives, and advocating for the preservation and promotion of Africa’s cultural heritage has been nothing short of transformative. This award is not only a well-deserved honour for Anikulapo, but also a significant boost for Nigeria and Africa’s cultural landscape on the global stage. It highlights the importance of cultural rights and the pivotal role the continent plays in the global cultural landscape. The continent is incredibly proud of Anikulapo, as this achievement is a powerful reminder that in championing cultural narratives the entire African story is elevated globally.

Last year Anikulapo also won the Lagos Studies Association’s (LSA) Distinguished Personality Award also conferred to individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of Lagos and Nigerian studies. Anikulapo joined a distinguished list of past honourees, including the late Adekunle Alli, Nike Okundaye, Olasupo Shasore, Aduke Gomez, and Femi Odugbemi, all of whom have left indelible marks on Nigerian culture and academia.

In an official communication, Saheed Aderinto of the LSA expressed the association’s pleasure in announcing Mr. Anikulapo’s win, highlighting the importance of his work and dedication to the study of Lagos and Nigeria. The Lagos Studies Association, based at Florida International University, US continues to promote and recognise excellence in African and African Diaspora studies through awards, research and academic events.

Jahman Anikulapo

In a recorded message to the august body in Argentina where the award were given, Mr. Anikulapo emphasized his lifelong mission of using cultural advocacy to create a better world for the human family, noting that the award is an added impetus for him to continue in his work of deploying culture to elevate mankind.

“I’m honoured to be conferred with the CIPDH UNESCO Recognition for Cultural Rights Defenders Award,” he told his global audience. “Arts liberates. Culture elevates. Humanity is divine. Arts and culture are the two special vehicles I have relied on and deployed for my advocacy for the promotion and preservation of human values and principles in my over four decades of endeavours as a literary and performing artist, journalist and advocate. I’m ever convinced that the sanity, dignity and elevation of our collective humanity can be easily achieved through intentional, appropriate and effective cultural education for members of the human family. I’m indeed doubly honoured to be recognised for the modest work I have done over these decades, and I’m assured that I should not relent in the pursuit of my life’s mission: advocacy for the betterment of our common humanity.”