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"ARGUNGU SERIES 2"
Olorunfunmi Temitope
Art Historian
A colleague of mine once lamented the multiplication of the Argungu concept and theme. Truly,
the Argungu theme is one that seems to have been over-flogged as artists contribute their varying
ingenious inputs to its collection. This might be attributed to its host state been a front-liner of
the nation’s cultural consciousness and sustenance through its annual international fishing and
cultural festival that began in 1934. Now, eighty-two years on, it has built on its humble
beginnings to develop into an international tourist event.
We might be tempted to question why we are, again, presented with another Argungu
themed exhibition but before we do, let’s take a trip with the artist. Moses Oghagbon has a
passion for engendering the positive propagation and promotion of Argungu’s rich cultural
heritage, as is seen in his previous installations, – Scapes From Nigeria at Nike Art Gallery,
Lagos in 2011, and Argungu Series 1 at Terra Kulture in 2013. To achieve this, he aims for far
more than the visual, and it’s little wonder his body of work is a constant reminder that we also
look beyond the aesthetic prevalence of the theme and warm ourselves up to the underlying
theme. Peace! Because that’s just the way we are and what we need.
This is reinforced in The Way We Are 1, Oil on Canvas, 26’ ‘x 26’, 2013 and The Way
We Are 3, Oil on Canvas, 26’’ x 26’’, 2013. The fisherman is artfully crafted in his somewhat
backbreaking position, probably in preparation for the festival in The Way We Are 1 as he fixes
his net. In the other, we see another bent over and inspecting the inside of his gourd while two
co-fishermen wait on. The arduousness involved in the job cannot be mistaken despite Moses’
use of sublime colors, but, hey, someone’s got to do it. We are doing it. Each day, despite
inclement weather and socio-economic conditions, we go about our backbreaking hustles and
bustles as we unsuspectingly knit tightly the fabric that holds us together for the collective good.
What can be better than working for a common goal? The Common Goal (Argungu)
series [1, 2 and 4], Mixed Media, 54’’ x 54’, 2013, respectively, is apt when we remind

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ourselves of the motive behind the Argungu festival. Argungu festival is a fruit of a successful
mediation effort on the rivalry between the Fulani and Kabawa tribes, and it brought about a shift
from the violent clashes to a more purposeful and peaceful interaction. That’s what results when
we exploit our individual and cultural distinctiveness, symbolized by the artist’s use of mixed
media, for a common goal. It’s no gainsaying that we stand when we are united, and fall when
divided, and when we distance ourselves from the typecast of the theme and put our imagination
into play, we see not just thousands of fishermen racing to the river with their gourds and fishing
nets in a competitive frenzy, we see a healthy collaboration for unity and peaceful coexistence.
Fancy yourself walking on Argungu’s dusty and parched roads while taking in the heat in
all its excruciating fieriness? It’s quite an experience watching the natives race homewards on
their horses while the stirred dust blends with the sunset. Moses brings us a feel of that and of the
land in Homeward 1, Oil on Canvas, 35'' x 30'’, 2014 and Homeward 2, Oil on Canvas, 35'' x
30’', 2014. With these works we are briefly reminded of Argungu’s status as a major agricultural
center in Kebbi, with key crops such as tobacco, peanuts, rice, millet, and sorghum though not
typically represented.
The image in Reflecting 2, 47’’ x 28'', Acrylic on Canvas, 2013, is probably that of an
Emir, a top religious or political figure, – a figure for peace. Its dominance on the canvas
enforces the office of the figure and beckons on the people strewed variously around him to hark
the voice of peace. Moses’ third installation of Argungu is unabashedly an interesting chronicle
and urges us to join in the Peaceful Meeting 1, Oil on Canvas, 35’’x 30’’, 2013, he has
prepared. No, we don’t have to sit by a tree and a body of water, with a straddled camel and
campfire for companion in the retirement of the sun. We just have to feast our eyes on the
Memories on Argungu 1 & 2, Mixed Media, 54'' x 54’', 2013, as featured through the entirety
of the exhibition and enjoy the view.