Laolu Sebanjo - the afromysterics artist putting Nigeria on the map


This was the first story I covered this year and it was a really fun one for me as I had to be a model for the one and only Laolu Sebanjo, the Afromysterics artist who came to limelight after working with  Beyonce on the Lemonade video. How cool is that? LOL
   So earlier this year, pictures and talks of Laolu was all over my Instagram timeline. He was in Nigeria and was planning for a meet and greet at Bogobiri. I checked out his profile, saw pictures of body paints that wowed me. Now, I totally forgot my team had planned to profile him and was waiting for a chance visit to Nigeria. Well, to cut a long story short, my TV head made some calls and voila, he agreed to see us on same day he was traveling back to the United States.
   Laolu is a 37 year old Nigerian from Kwara state. He is a visual artist, musician, and an attorney. Art, whether painting or singing is what he has always wanted to do because growing up, his grandmother shaped his love for art by always telling him stories of the Yoruba mythology and culture. He grew up wanting to do this but his father refused. He left his calling and went on to study Law and even worked for a while in Nigeria until he decided it was time to do what truly pleases him. He left Nigeria in 2013 and five years down the line, Laolu is a force to reckon with in his field. He has worked with Beyonce, Taraji P Henson, Alicia Keys, Lupita Nyong'o and others. His work has also been featured by American sportswear company Nike, and he also designed a bottle for luxury brand, Bvlgari for the "Man In Black Essence" fragrance. 
   Listening to laoulu speak resonated my own story too. I grew up in Port Harcourt and it was a joy to listen to the evening news on a daily basis. I just wanted to be like the newscaster. When it was time to go to the university, my dad said studying journalism or anything related was not "professional" enough for his child. I ended up studying Business Management to please him. But I am glad God and a supportive husband helped me follow my first career love.
   Laolu basically paints on everything and any surface, but "the sacred art of Ori" series of painting on the body brought him and his Yoruba culture to fame especially after being featured on the Lemonade video. The paintings have a spiritual connection around his subject with some complex patterns of Yoruba roots and ancient Nigerian symbol. It is the "mystery of the African thought pattern."
   There is a story behind the painting on my face but first of all, see video and photos below.

   


















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