TUTUOLA INSTITUTE
Yoruba
Àwọn Olótùú Àṣà káàkiri àgbáyé nílò owó fún àwọn iṣẹ́ àkànṣe wọn: iṣẹ́ kékeré àti àwọn iṣẹ́ ńlá. Iṣẹ́ ńlá ni láti rí owó fún àkànṣe iṣẹ́ yálà Káríayé àríwá tàbí Gúúsù. Gẹ́gẹ́ bíi Olótùú Àṣà, ti o wa ni òdì kejì (Gúúsù Káríayé). Ó hànde gedegbe pé púpọ̀ nínú àwọn Gúúsù Káríayé rọ̀gbọ̀ lè owóńná láti ọ̀dọ̀ Àríwá Káríayé, tí ó gúnlè ihun owóńná tí ó ti wà tipẹ́ tipẹ́. Àwọn ìlànà yìí gbé àwọn olókòòwò lé àwọn tí wọ́n ń nílò owó, ìhun tí ó fún olókòòwò ni agbára lórí àwọn àjọ ajẹmáṣà àti àkànṣe iṣẹ́, láì mọ ipa pàtàkì àwọn iṣẹ́ àkànṣe yìí tàbí ìrírí wọn. Láìdènàapẹnu, ìwọ̀n tí kò dọ́gba, èyí tí ó ṣe pé àwọn tí náwó yóò jẹ àǹfààní ju àwọn tí wọ́n tí wọ́n náwó lé lórí lọ.
Lóòótọ́, àṣà owóńná yìí gúnlẹ́ "ìlò agbára" èyí tí ó jẹ àǹfààní gbèdéke lórí àwọn ohun ọ̀tun oníṣẹ́-ọnà àti àwọn ìlànà. Wàyí óò, èròngbà mi nínú ìṣe àkànṣe yìí (White Money) ni láti mọ àwọn ohun tí ó ṣeé ṣe láti lójú àṣà yìí, lára wọn ni àwọn ohun tí ó jẹmọ́ ipò agbára láàárín àwọn olótùú ajẹmáṣà ni Àríwá àti Gúúsù Káríayé.
Ẹlẹ́kẹ̀ẹjì, mo nifẹ láti dá sí àṣàyàn tí yóò wà ní ìbámu tàbí pé ètò àwọn owóńná Àríwá Káríayé ní ìpèníjà èyí ló bí Ibùdó Ìmọ̀ Tutùọlá - Àjọ ajẹmáṣà tí ó sójú àṣà àti ìdánimọ̀ àwọn Yorùbá ni Apá Ìwọ̀-oòrùn Nàìjíríà. Ó jẹ́ àjọ aláàánú tí ó wà ní ipò pẹ̀lú àwọn Àjọ ajẹmáṣà Yúróòpù, àmọ́, èèyàn kan ṣoṣo, onísẹ́-ọnà/olótùú àṣà ti ọ̀rọ̀ owóńná jẹ lógún, ajẹmáṣà ọlọ́gbọ́n-ẹ̀wẹ́, èdè ìṣèlú. Ibùdó Ìmọ̀ Yorùbá bí èyí gẹ́gẹ́ bí àṣàyàn ètò àtinúdá fún ìrònú ìjìnlè àti àwọn ìṣe ni àgbáyé lẹ́yìn amúnisìn, láti ṣe ìgbélárugẹ èdè àti àṣà
Yorùbá ni oríṣìíríṣìí Orílẹ̀èdè àti láti mú kí ìbáṣepọ̀ tó ye korò wáyé láàárín àwọn iléeṣẹ́ aládàáni, ìjọba àti àwọn Àjọ ajẹmáṣà, àwọn òṣeré àti àwọn alátinúdá abbl. Fún ìpàtẹ ìpilẹ̀ṣẹ̀, èyí tí ó jẹ ọ̀kan lára àwọn aṣàfihàn White Money tí iṣẹ́ Flinn, a ti pé àwọn alátinúdá láti Germany, Brazil àti Tanzania tí iṣẹ́ wọn gúnlẹ́ ìfọ̀mọnìyànṣe- èyí tí ó yapa àti ìdàgbàsókè àgbàyà, jẹ́ áwon ọ̀rọ̀ tí ó jẹmọ́ ìṣe Yorùbá. Iṣẹ́ àkànṣe White Money gbajúmọ̀ àwọn ọ̀rọ̀ tí ó jẹmọ́ ìṣàkóso owóńná àti àṣà ipò agbára láàárín àwọn àjọ ajẹmáṣà àti olótùú ní Àríwá àti Gúúsù Káríayé.
English
Tutùọlá Institute
It is given that Cultural Producers around the globe need funding for their cultural projects: both small/large-scale productions. Getting a project funded is a serious task that needs rigorous paperwork no matter the side of the divides that you belong: Global North or Global South.
As a Cultural Producer, who is on the other side of the divides (Global South), it is clear to me that most cultural productions in the Global South depend largely on funds from the Global North, which are based on funding structures already in existence for several years or even decades. They are structures which place the funders above those seeking funding, structures which give the funders an upper hand over the funded cultural organizations and projects, notwithstanding the qualities of those projects or the organization’s level of experience. In short, it is an unequal scale, one that tilts more to the advantage of the funders than the funded. Indeed, this funding dichotomy operates on “power play,” which flourishes on restrictions and manipulations of artistic inventions and processes.
Hence, my interest in this project (White Money) is to explore the possibilities of addressing this dichotomy, including issues relating to the administration of funds and the power-play phenomenon between cultural operators in the Global North and Global South.
In my opinion, this project - White Money - might be all that is needed for the funders to realize the questions that are begging to be answered in the most dynamic way before administering funding for projects in the Global South.
Secondly, I am interested in an alternative intervention that will level up or perhaps challenge the Global North Cultural funding scheme, hence my creation of the Tutuola Insitute - a cultural organization that represents the cultural image and identity of the Yoruba people in the South-western part of Nigeria. It’s a legal charity that is limited by guarantee, an organization that has the same legal status as some European cultural organizations, although, in this case, it is created by an individual, an artist/cultural producer, who is concerned with the funding dichotomy, cultural diplomacy and the language politics.
The Tutuola Institute was conceived as an alternative artistic platform for critical reflection and practices in our postcolonial world, and aimed to promote the Yoruba language and culture in different countries while fostering international cooperation as well as collaboration with private, governmental cultural institutions, artists, and creatives etc.
For the inaugural exhibition, which is part of the White Money presentation by the Flinn Works, we have invited some progressive artists from Germany, Brazil and Tanzania whose works reflect on the subject of humanity - its imbalance and advancement of the world, which are central issues of concern in Yoruba tradition. The project White Money centres on addressing the complex issues relating to the administration of funds and the power-play phenomenon between institutions and cultural operators in the Global North and Global South.
Ìmọ̀rírì | Credit
Oníṣẹ́-ọnà | Artist
Candice Breitz (South Africa/Germany)
Mario Pfeifer (Germany)
Aline Motta (Brazil)
Rehema Chachage (Tanzania)
Aláyèwò | Diviner
Ahmed Olayode
Ògbufọ̀ | Translator
Álímì-Adéníran Ọmọ́ṣaléwá
Olùwádìí | Researcher
Dr. Lekan Balogun
Alátinúdá | Designer
Seed Adegbite
Olùdarí | Director
Aderemi Adegbite
Website: https://www.tutuolainstitute.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tutuolainstitute
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutuolainstitut
