We’re Giving Life To Prison Inmates Through Arts – FASI

The Foundation for Arts and Social Integration (FASI) has embarked on projects tagged “The Silent Majority Prison Project”. The Creative Art workshops going on presently at the Kirikiri Maximum Security prison, Kirikiri Town, Lagos, were targeted by the foundation to reach people behind bars, inspire creativity and create social change.

The projects which to date have been funded by the founding visual artists, have involved the training and teaching of 120 inmates for 3 months in the art of documentary photography, video production and fine art.

The Silent Majority Prison Project was created by the FASI team made up of Godwin Anaebonam, Sola Otori, Arthur Judah Angel and Adolphus Opara. The project was to inspire creativity and encourage personal and social change in offenders within the criminal justice system, through arts. The foundation collaborates with incarcerated adults, incarcerated youth, urban youth and the formerly incarcerated to strengthen the community through creative expression.

The projects had involved working with professional artists and practitioners to engage, teach, enthuse and give inspiration to participants in inclusive and tolerant workshops in a variety of art forms. The FASI team also works with cultural organizations and community members both inside and outside prisons to engage in workshops in theatre, dance, visual art, creative writing, slam poetry, and music. They also host major art exhibitions of work created by inmates and publish a literary journal of writing by incarcerated authors.

In a chat with P.M.EXPRESS, one of the founding visual artists behind the projects, Mr. Godwin Anaebonam, said that the projects were intended to give life to prison inmates within the prison walls and outside. He explained that they intend to take the projects across the country and positively affect the lives of inmates through arts.

Mr. Anaebonam further explained that the objectives of the foundation included:
➢ To release the creative potential of those serving custodial and community sentences, juvenile detention centers, those previously excluded or from marginalized communities.
➢ The outcomes of these projects are to promote potential artists who are incarcerated, and even improve their talents. It also keeps the inmates out of trouble within the prison because it keeps them occupied.
➢ With arts programming and events year round, the organization serves as a creative hub for those with links to the criminal justice system, community volunteers, faculty, students, and university staff; bridging the gap between the prison management and the public.
➢ The main target is to harness the positive creative potentials of the socially deprived and abused in the communities through art and creativity.
➢ Create access to the information, skills and processes they need to generate solutions.
➢ Re-orientate inmates to make informed choices, reach their full potentials and participate meaningfully in developing their immediate environment.
➢ Ignite the desire to create and the confidence to succeed in socially marginalized youths.
The Silent Majority Project recognizes the importance of education for personal development and advancement and promotes the acquisition of skills and abilities for financial independence and equal opportunities for both genders.

Mr. Anaebonam concluded by calling on well meaning Nigerians to encourage programmes aimed at changing the mindset of prison inmates, so that they can become useful to the society after serving their prison terms.