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“He didn’t just tell stories; he sculpted memory.” A curatorial reflection on Nigerian writer and filmmaker Biyi Bandele, his theatre legacy

In the late 1980s, Lagos theatre was alive with defiance. While others sought glamour or applause, one group rehearsed revolution. They called themselves Collective Artistes, a theatre company born in 1988 under the direction of Professor Chuck Mike. Their goal was simple but bold: to use performance as a mirror, a weapon, and a way of healing. Hakeem Shitta was there. With his camera pressed against the pulse of that decade, he captured faces, sweat, laughter, and silence: t

Susanne Wenger, photographed by Hakeem Shitta. Under the trees of the Osun Sacred Grove, art became more than expression. It became prayer, and prayer became a way of keeping memory alive. When Hakeem Shitta photographed Susanne Wenger, he wasn’t just taking a picture. He was capturing devotion, the kind that doesn’t demand to be seen but quietly changes everything around it. Known to the Yoruba as Adunni Olorisha, Wenger came to Nigeria as an artist and left the world

Portrait by Hakeem Shitta From Bendel to Billboard , Mike Okri’s voice carried the rhythm of a generation that learned to dance and reflect at the same time. This portrait by Hakeem Shitta, now part of the Hakeem Shitta Photo and Cultural Archive (HSPACA), captures more than a performer, it captures a pulse. Known for hits like Rhumba Dance and Time Na Money , Okri made music that spoke with both wisdom and warmth. His songs were never just entertainment; they were phil