Farewell Message From Our Executive & Artistic Director

Passing on the Baton…

When I was in secondary school, I was a relay runner and almost always ran the third leg.

Relay races teach you something that individual races never can; no one wins the race alone. Each runner has a responsibility: receive the baton well, protect the momentum built by those before you, run your leg with everything you have and pass the baton cleanly to the next runner. Success depends as much on the handover as it does on the running.

Looking back, I realise that my time leading CCA, Lagos has felt very much like that third leg.

The race began with Bisi Silva, whose extraordinary vision established CCA, Lagos as one of Africa’s most important spaces for artistic experimentation, critical thinking and learning. Following Bisi’s passing, Iheanyi Onwuegbucha carried the organisation through an incredibly challenging period, ensuring that CCA remained steady and true to its purpose before passing the baton to me.

My responsibility was never to run the whole race. It was to honour what had been built, strengthen the organisation for the future and pass it on in even stronger hands than I received it. Today, I do so with enormous confidence as I hand the baton to CCA Lagos’ new Executive Director, Ade Hassan MBE.

My own journey with CCA began many years ago as an intern during the organisation’s very first year. I often say that CCA was my bootcamp. It was where I learned how to think critically, work collaboratively and build cultural institutions with care and purpose. Like so many who have passed through the doors at CCA, I was shaped by this remarkable institution and this was long before I ever imagined leading it.

One of CCA’s greatest strengths is that it is not simply an exhibition space or an arts organisation. It is a training ground, where artists, curators, researchers, writers and arts administrators have been challenged, nurtured and encouraged to imagine new possibilities. I count myself among the many people whose lives and careers have been transformed here.

Serving as Executive and Artistic Director has been one of the greatest honours of my professional life. Together we have navigated uncertainty, celebrated extraordinary artistic work, strengthened international partnerships and continued investing in artists, learning and cultural exchange across Africa.

Among the milestones that will always remain especially meaningful is securing a permanent home for CCA Lagos through the purchase of our building. That achievement was possible because our board, partners, supporters, funders and friends believed deeply enough in CCA’s future to build it with us.

Over the last six months, I have had the privilege of watching the team and, more recently, Ade, prepare for the next leg of this journey with vision, commitment and energy. Rather than slowing down, CCA has gathered momentum. Seeing the plans already taking shape and everything the team has accomplished gives me complete confidence that the organisation will continue to grow, evolve and thrive.

Although I am stepping away from this role, I am not stepping away from the work. I remain deeply committed to Àsìkò Art School, where Ama Ofeibea Tetteh and I will continue building spaces for learning, experimentation and exchange across the continent. It is a different race, but one driven by the same belief in the transformative power of artistic and curatorial education.

There are so many people I would like to thank: our board members, funders, partners, artists, fellows, collaborators, volunteers, alumni and the wider CCA family. Every chapter of this institution has been written collectively and I am profoundly grateful to everyone who has contributed to its story.

But my final words belong to the team, both past and present: Kemi, Peter, Mary, Mama Niyi, Benneth, Nife, Mr. Lanre, Emmanuel, Moses, Ayo, Mary Onesa and Stephanie.

Nothing that people associate with my time as Director was accomplished by me alone. Every exhibition, residency, publication, fellowship, workshop, partnership and milestone was made possible by your talent, generosity, creativity and commitment.

Thank you for believing in this institution.

Thank you for carrying its values with integrity.

Thank you for challenging me, supporting me and making me a better leader.

It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to run alongside you.

My own leg of the race is now complete.

The baton has been passed to Ade Hassan MBE  and an exceptional team who are already carrying CCA, Lagos into its next chapter with clarity, imagination and care.

I leave with profound gratitude. I also leave with the certainty that institutions endure because each generation is willing to run its leg and then trust the next to do the same.

Thank you to everyone who has run alongside me. It has been an extraordinary privilege to carry the baton for a while.

Now, with complete confidence, I pass it on.