THE ACT OF WITNESS BEARING

Most times people underestimate the essence of writing, be it a poem, prose, or drama, people tend to downplay the essence of art forgetting it is one of the best mediums to remind of things that were, are, and things that are to come. In fact, it is only through art; all forms of art that we know our origin, our history, and our culture that helps us with our identity, and for our generation to come we must serve as witness bearers so they would not lose their bearing in time to come.

In Africa, very few persons take up this duty and one such person who takes the duty is Ofem Ubi, a multi-talent artist who has dedicated his life to being a witness bearer.

Ofem Ubi is a poet & artist from Nigeria who is tracing the interaction between art forms in the practice of storytelling. Drawing influence from memory and experience, he is occupied with experimenting with the poetic beyond text and page.

Through his work, he has explored themes of leftism, nostalgia, age, and mental health. His most notable is a project on grief —the last time I called— birthing a pamphlet and an exhibition at the Guest Artist Space Foundation, in 2022. The project also recorded a sequel —back on home soil— scoring an exhibition and a film screening at the Fringe of Colour Film Festival, Edinburgh, 2023.

Ofem Ubi is a G.A.S. Foundation Alumni and has since then shown work at the G.A.S. Space; RELE Gallery; Alte Tankstelle Deutz, Cologne; Fringe of Colour Film Festival, Edinburgh; INKWELL by Writerz&Scribez; National Arts in Health, Nigeria and other reputable spaces and publications. He was shortlisted for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize, in 2018, and NATIV Shorts Competition, in 2023.