Tutuola Institute

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 funding from the Global North, that 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 fund 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 Institute - 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 guaranty, 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 fund and the power-play phenomenon between institutions and cultural operators in the Global North and Global South.