Nigeria will participate in the London Design Biennale for the first time in June 2025 with a government-backed pavilion titled “Hopes and Impediments,” showcasing Nigerian design, heritage, and innovation
Nigeria is set to make its inaugural appearance at the prestigious London Design Biennale in June 2025, marking a significant milestone for the nation’s burgeoning creative industry on the global stage.
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The official national pavilion, titled “Hopes and Impediments,” is a collaborative effort supported by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
This participation represents Nigeria’s first government-backed project at the renowned international design event, signaling a growing commitment to showcasing Nigerian creativity on a global platform.
The Nigerian pavilion is curated and designed by Nigerian-American designer and researcher Myles Igwebuike, with programming expertly led by Itohan Barlow Ndukuba, the Founder of Culture Lab Africa.
Together, they will explore compelling themes of identity, heritage, and the exciting possibilities for future design, all viewed through a uniquely Nigerian lens.
The central focus of the exhibition is the ancient community of Lejja, located in Enugu State. Lejja is celebrated for its groundbreaking iron-smelting technologies, recognized as some of the earliest known in the world.
The pavilion will artfully blend ethnographic research, cutting-edge digital tools, and speculative architecture to reframe Lejja as a vital conceptual “social capital” of Nigeria.
This innovative approach will highlight Lejja’s significant contributions to governance structures, gender relations, and ecological sustainability practices.
Organizers of the Nigerian pavilion emphasize that the exhibition aims to reposition design as a powerful instrument for historical reclamation and profound cultural expression.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s participation underscores the nation’s increasing investment and belief in the potential of its creative sector.
“The Nigerian Pavilion serves as a pivotal opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, design innovation, and creative excellence on an international stage, aligning with the Ministry’s Nigeria Destination 2030 vision,” said Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
Myles Igwebuike, the curator and designer of the pavilion, described it as “an intellectual and spatial provocation.”
He elaborated, stating, “By dissolving the artificial boundaries between science and the humanities, we articulate a new paradigm, one that reclaims indigenous technologies as legitimate epistemological tools, capable of informing contemporary discourse on design, history, and identity.”
Itohan Barlow Ndukuba added, “The vision for Nigeria’s creative economy is rooted in empowering our West African designers and entrepreneurs to lead not only in innovation but in storytelling that defines our true identity on the global stage.”
Hannatu Musawa, the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, expressed her enthusiasm for Nigeria’s debut, stating, “The Nigerian Pavilion serves as a pivotal opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, design innovation, and creative excellence on an international stage, aligning with the Ministry’s Nigeria Destination 2030 vision.”
