Corporate Professional by Day, Art Connoisseur by Night: Napoleon Esemudje opens up about his undercover life.
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We know you as the many-hatted, activity juggling head of resource at Transcorp. But beneath the layers of your corporate profile, tell us who is Napoleon Esemudje?
To borrow your words, I could say that I remain the many-hatted, interests-juggling individual or to paraphrase the popular term, a learning man of many parts. You could describe me by my varied interests because these are what you would typically find me engaged in when I’m not busy with official and family duties. I tend to spend a considerable amount of my free time (and spare change) on them – reading, watching and learning. So perhaps, I should spell out a few of my interests and you would solve the puzzle of who is Napoleon Esemudje.
To start with and let’s just get it out of the way, I’ve got an interesting first name. I’ve also got a fair idea why my dad gave me the name, but I can’t say if it influenced my keen interest in world history (particularly military history. I’ve got volumes on WWI and WWII and my wife still can’t get her head around this). My interests also extend to astronomy, technology and all things Sci-Fi. It’s likely a persistent hangover from my childhood obsession with a comic series “2000AD” (laughs) but it is also underlined by a potent curiosity I have about the future. I think about the future a lot and about Africa’s place in it.
I’m also actively keen on nature-themed photography – a hobby I took up in 2006. It seems I’ve got an eye for lights, but I still need to make additional investments there. I know a couple of people who think I’ve made enough investments already (laughs).
I’m also a bit of a sports fan (I say a bit because I used to be fanatical about football, but that’s another story) but I’m not an active player in any physical sport – indeed something happened the last time I played football (LOL). But I’m quite proficient in Chess though.
And finally – trying to keep this short – I write. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember and continue to dabble in multiple genres of writing – short stories, poetry, drama playlets, original thoughts, articles and a little more etc.
Bordering all these, I tend to be quite contemplative, often philosophical and curious about the facts and meaning of life and ways I could make a difference. When I have the time, these manifests in motivational talks but mostly I just write.
A little bird told us you are an art/culture enthusiast– how did you discover your love for these?
Recently, a younger colleague was rather bemused to find me rocking to electro-pop. Perhaps people can’t picture me rocking (laughs) or more likely, many people apparently (supposedly in my age bracket) enjoy a limited range of music types. But I enjoy all genre of music – the good ones. My collections range from Afrobeats to Classical music; from Gregorian chants to the quintessential Rap songs of the nineties; from Reggae to Rock and Roll; from Afropop to R&B and from Jazz to authentic Highlife and the so-called Fuji music.
From music to paintings and sculptures, I’m instinctively drawn to works of arts, history and culture. I try to stop by a museum in the cities I visit in my travels. One of the first things I did years ago when I first came to Lagos, was to visit the National Museum at Onikan. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many more across the world – from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC to the Natural History Museum in London. Last year I had the distinct privilege of visiting the National Museum of Unity in Enugu, the magnificent ruins of ancient Rome and the Louvre in Paris. These were all amazing lifelong experiences and my odyssey is by no means over. Indeed as a few of my co-travelers tend to lament about (laughs), I could literally, if possible, spend days trawling through the artifacts and collections in museums.
I’m not sure if I discovered art or whether the arts discovered me because I can’t recall a time that I wasn’t keen about some form of artwork. Somehow, I’m able to see and make out patterns and profiles even out of blank and chaotic spaces. Maybe, I’m just artistically bent and the arts in all its many shades, patterns and forms resonate with me.
Seldom do people make connections between a “rigid” corporate life and love for arts/culture? How do you manage the two?
First, I would say that if you really love something, particularly something that comes naturally to you, it tends to filter into whatever you do including your work life and those you relate with at work. Secondly, and understandably, it also depends on the art form you’re engaged in and your level of professional engagement. Some art forms require a very high level of fidelity particularly if you’re seeking professional outcomes. At the moment, my love and expressions of the arts are driven by recreational interest and work always comes first. Finally, on this point, (and at the risk of being misconstrued), I should note that there is possibly a false narrative regarding the ease of connections between our rigid corporate life and the love for arts/culture. Many successful corporate titans have a keen interest and engagement with the arts. I’ve never asked him, but I’ve seen enough to tell that the Chairman for instance has a strong affinity for the arts. Having said that (and not to argue this fine point), I agree that for an active practitioner of the arts, (as different from a collector) it can be a challenge.
Tell us about some of your favourite works and why they speak to you?
This is tough. I’ve written hundreds of literary pieces and taken perhaps over a thousand pictures. While I’m certain that there are quite a few good ones amongst these, it is tough to pick favourites. Still, there are a couple of pieces I wrote titled “Street Champion” and another “Night Sights” that I really like. They are indicative of my writings and the pictures that I take of nature and the product of man’s interaction with nature. For literary pieces, I often focus on the seemingly mundane existence of nondescript individuals and try to convey with descriptive verses, the complexities and intensity of their lives. The Street Champion and “Night Sights” follow this same narrative and speak to my contemplative enquiry into the struggles and meaning of life. A few my favourite pictures are already on my Instagram page and fits into this narrative.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have had access to an extensive library and read very widely. I read many of the classics by Charles Dickens, Sir, H. Haggards, Arthur Doyles and Shakespeare amongst many others. But in my early days of writing, I was hugely influenced by the literary works of Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chinwe Achebe and Leopold Senghor. I started out trying to write in their style and why I feel that I’ve developed a unique style that I’m comfortable with, their influence remains strong.
If you could summarise your life in a literary quote, what would it be?
“All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.”
I find this quote by William Shakespeare (As you Like It, Act II Scene VII) to be quite instructive and true. It applies to me and to everybody with acts of seven ages (laughs!).
Do you think having an artistic side fuels productivity at work – how so?
Absolutely. In my opinion, art is the foremost expression of creativity and levels of human civilization. There is also the bit about how a piece of artwork forces you to pause, to reflect and to ponder. You’re looking at the work of art (whether it a book, a painting, a sculpture or even an interesting picture) and you do find yourself wondering about the meaning, identity and relative historical and cultural context. And as you process these thoughts, your sense of imagination expands, and cognitive awareness is deepened. There’s this small but electrifying book by Ellen Thorpe (“Ladder of Bones”) for instance. It provides a data-rich (from historical archives) narrative of the early beginnings of the Colony of Lagos since 1853. Learning how the streets of Lagos Island got their names including the proclivities of the actual individuals the streets were named after; how “Bar Beach” got its name and the moment of “contact” between the first European settlers and how they fared (poorly) was enlightening. Living in present day Lagos and being transported back to 19th century Lagos was incredible.
There has been a recent argument about the west returning stolen art. Do you think this is a good move?
I’ve followed this argument. Understandably, there is a legitimate yearning for the return of stolen and lost arts. These artifacts are part of our history after all and what better way for our people, young and old, to connect with some of our artistic and cultural achievements. So, the moral case for their return is fair and reasonable.
However, we do have to match our moral indignation and “nationalist” fervor with the enabling conditions and investments to care for these art works. Most of our local museums are in extremely poor shape with significant funding, management and administrative challenges. We lack a well ordered, integrated and effective tourism industry to drive the active engagement of local and international visitors in a way that can provide a degree of long-term financial capacity and sustainable relevance for our museums. Thus, even with the best of intentions; these artifacts if returned would likely suffer from poor care and the risk of being stolen or severely damaged. At best, they may simply be kept in storage or be seen by few people. Every time I visit a museum in Nigeria for instance, I’m either the only visitor with the curator or one of a few. In other parts of the world, you sometimes have to book your visit in advance because of the huge number of visitors and the very long queues to get in.
Think about it, when was the last time you saw an ad from any of our local museums promoting our national art collections and treasures? Now compare this with how other countries from Peru to Egypt promote their historic and cultural artifacts. Indeed, the latter’s case is instructive because in terms of stolen arts, few countries have suffered such loss as much as Egypt.
We should also remember that while these arts works may have originated from Nigeria, they also represent a collection of the world’s cultural heritage. Like the case of the biblical twins before King Solomon, I’d rather see our art collections kept in prime condition and well managed for a global audience in Europe, than have same hidden, damaged or buried somewhere in Nigeria. We will and can certainly make a stronger case for the return of these artifacts when we walk our talk and prepare to effectively manage our stolen arts. In this regard, the Egyptians have made a more legitimate case than we have. Nevertheless, we could, in the interim, explore an exchange programme involving the rotation of select art works between the countries were they’re currently domiciled and the countries of origin. For this, we should involve private galleries which tend to be better managed and can help establish our credibility as effective managers able to care for and project our national art treasures.
What do we need to do to get people interested more in art, nature, or the outdoors?
For a group as large as ours, its more than likely that there are many people with keen interests in the arts and outdoor pursuits. One way to get others more interested is to showcase those that are already engaged in the artistic and outdoor activities. This publication is a good platform for this. We could stretch this even further with dedicated pages or sections for the arts and outdoors activities where pictures, short write-ups etc from team members can be showcased. Periodic competitions and related contests can further energise the process. We can also build an online community of HH Arts and Culture etc. I recall a plan was set in motion more than a year ago for such a community with a book club being one of several options. We can revisit these and ensure that they take-off. I concede that it can be tough juggling such engagements with our official duties, except of course, this becomes part of these official duties. If we can formalise these structures while keeping it fun and exciting, we would do more than get more people interested in the arts or the outdoors, we would unbundle a mass of creative spirit and enthusiasm within the HH group.
