Sandra Mbanefo -Obiago belongs to those generation of art connoisseurs in Nigeria who added spice to the visual art ‘Broadway ‘. Let’s simply thank God she came when she came.

Television can be an annoying way to follow visual art events. You may never follow at all, not when content providers are all scrambling to have Telemundo franchise on their channels, since viewers yearn for the series.

Newspapers may be another terrible way to monitor the visual art scene. The maverick editor only remembers an artist story or report from the art scenes, when the marketing department is not coming in with cheques for advertisement.

Yet, visual art community has continued to yearn for its own space through exhibitions

outside the box anthem. More commendable is the influx of shows and biennials that are sprouting and counting surprise support from corporate coves that are hitherto conservative about visual art shows becoming important in entertainment calendar year. Artists don’t give up. Do they?

For decades to come, one woman’s name would surely be ringing bells in the ears of art aficionados, enthusiasts, writers, commentators and the artists too. Sandra Mbanefo -Obiago is indeed an amazon. She works and walks majestically to offering communicating support by exploiting the visual art space. She has been a pillar of support for humanity through her network ‘Communicating for Change.’ The platform has used information, education and communication to effect those changes from politics, economy, education, culture, music, health and arts.

Collecting the art from the artists and managing them is an incredible phenomenon. Clear lines of communication was important between her and the artist, a duty she has made success stories from, through SMO, an outfit she runs in Lagos. Sandra has managed the average Nigerian artist not to waste that art way. There are riches in waste recycling to wealth.

When the organisers of Point of View Series, The Ben Enwonwu Foundation in conjuction with Alliance Francaise and Mike Adenuga Center invited Sandra Mbanefo -Obiago to address the audience about artists turning waste to wealth to save the planet from Climate Change, they got the right personality and she actually delivered by taking the audience inside the Alliance Francaise in Ikoyi on a travel education about waste to wealth.

Her travelogue was unrivaled. She tutored everyone the essence to appreciate life’s waste as a source of being rich. And the art collector and photographer delved into Bruce Onobrakpeya, El Anatsui, Nnenna Okorie and more artists everywhere she had visited and worked. Not also forgetting artistic voyages of artists and exhibitions, to explain why waste is a source of wealth. Preservation has always been part of every artist life. The artist will continually needs nature to live. Sandra opined and her impact profound.

Words /Ireho Aito /Photographs /Ben Enwonwu Foundation