Nigeria's art collectors

The latest on the emerging Art Ecosystem in the Economist:

With 250 ethnic groups and around 150m people, Africa’s most populous country has many sources of artistic inspiration. A number of artists from western Nigeria use the bright colours and beadwork of the Yoruba, whereas those from the oil-rich south-east sometimes look to their region’s uli style, with simpler drawings on walls or pots.The collectors say their government cares little about preserving this artistic heritage. They share the cynicism of many Nigerians, who think the politicians are more eager to grab a share of the revenues of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest oil producer. Instead, the collectors prefer to put their own money into gathering and cataloguing thousands of works of art. “For me, this is a philanthropic act,” says Mr Olagbaju, who notes that Nigeria’s top public galleries struggle with power cuts that leave masterpieces gathering dust in the dark.More recently, these collectors have realised that they have also been canny investors. Their hobby has started to attract foreign attention—and cash.