3 – 9 November 2025
West Africa’s rapidly evolving GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) is forging new pathways for preserving, producing, and reinterpreting African heritage and contemporary knowledge. Lagos, as a leading cultural capital, is at the heart of this momentum. Yinka Shonibare Foundation’s Re:assemblages Symposium and Lagos Tour serve as a new platform for institutional dialogue, co-creation, and collaboration, advancing the future of West African cultural infrastructure.
Designed for directors, curators, academics, and senior practitioners, the programme offers immersive access to Lagos’s vibrant artistic and archival communities, facilitating critical conversations and forging cross-continental partnerships. Delegates gain privileged access to Lagos’s layered artistic and archival ecosystems, engaging directly with the people, places, and practices shaping African arts and memory institutions. Participation is a high-impact institutional investment in capacity-building, international collaboration, and knowledge exchange. Delegates are expected to return with actionable insights and strategic outcomes, extending the value of their experience through internal dissemination and long-term institutional application. See an expanded text at the bottom of the page
Key Dates
- Arrival: 3 November 2025
- Re:assemblages Symposium: 4 - 5 November 2025
- Departure: 6th November 2025 or
- Optional - Lagos Cultural Programme (Art Week): 6 - 8 November 2025
- Departure: 9 November 2025
- Primary Venue: Alliance Française, Lagos
BOOKING OPTION 1
RE:ASSEMBLAGES SYMPOSIUM ONLY
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Framed by the thematic pillars: The Short Century, Annotations, The Living Archives, and Ecotones, the symposium offers a future-forward platform for exploring transformative archival models, curatorial strategies, and interdisciplinary collaborations that are redefining African arts and memory institutions.
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BOOKING OPTION 2
COMBINED RE:ASSEMBLAGES SYMPOSIUM & LAGOS PATRON TOUR
In addition to the Re:assemblages Symposium package listed above, this option includes an immersive experience across Lagos Art Week. This extension invites delegates to engage with landmark cultural institutions—including the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Lagos, Centre for Black African Art and Culture (CBAAC)—as well as exhibitions, studios, and commercial galleries such as Tiwani Contemporary and Art X Lagos West Africa’s foremost contemporary art fair.
Dates: 4–9 November 2025
Institutional Fee: £1000 per delegate (excluding flights and accommodation)
(Optional) Visa-on-Arrival Coordination & Fee: £450
Includes (in addition to items listed in Booking Option 1):
- Curated access to key institutions, fairs, and exhibitions
- Dedicated tour coordination and local management
- Group transportation and security escorts
- Formal and informal networking events and site visits
If you would like assistance with a tailored proposal, multiple delegate registration, or partnership enquiries, please contact our Symposium Team at library@guestartistsspace.com and sam@yinkashonibarefoundation.com
The Re:assemblages Symposium is generously supported by Terra Foundation for American Art and Afreximbank under the auspices of the Afreximbank Art Program.
LAGOS 25 TRAVEL GUIDE & SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
- A draft daily itinerary of cultural engagements and events
- Visa documentation requirements and support via Y.S.F.
- Hotel booking recommendations and group rates reserved at the primary hotel
- Health and safety guidance, including vaccinations and malaria prevention
- Currency advice and travel money tips
- Weather conditions and packing suggestions
- Details of airport concierge, transfers, and on-ground security
- A curated directory of art spaces, restaurants, and cultural venues vetted by our team
Further Symposium updates and confirmed itinerary will be shared again in September and October.
NETWORK EXCHANGE: AAL LAB AND AFFILIATES NETWORK
This tour marks the inaugural gathering of the African Arts Libraries Lab (AAL Lab), a pan-African network spanning Lagos, Dakar, Nairobi, Cairo, and Cape Town. The Lab supports collaborative research, next-generation preservation strategies, and knowledge exchange across arts libraries, independent publishers, and cultural research institutions. Through its Affiliates Network, AAL Lab connects to institutions globally that steward significant African and Afro-diasporic collections, fostering transnational collaboration, ethical stewardship, and shared innovation.
Delegates receive unique access to sector-specific working groups, research clusters, and strategic leadership dialogues as part of this programme.
Strategic Value and Alignment
This programme constitutes a strategic institutional investment that supports global engagement, professional development, and capacity-strengthening across the international GLAM Sector. Participation aligns with the core priorities of:
By joining this convening in Lagos, your participation will contribute to the facilitation of long-term institutional partnerships, faculty exchanges, and joint capacity-building opportunities. This initiative centres African perspectives, diasporic knowledge, and Black cultural production—advancing institutional DEI commitments through in-person global engagement.
Participation positions the institution at the forefront of equitable global cultural partnerships and aligns with top-level strategic frameworks supporting engagement with the African continent.
Institutional Knowledge Sharing
The Yinka Shonibare Foundation will publish key insights and outcomes gained by Delegates in our Annual Impact Report. Delegates are encouraged to report to their home institutions with outputs such as presentations, staff workshops, internal reports, or public programming. These activities ensure the long-term institutional value of participation and support broader strategic planning and programme development.
Networking and Sector Validation
This opportunity provides direct engagement with African and international thought leaders, academics, artists and cultural professionals, archives, and cultural institutions not accessible virtually or via traditional site visits. The programme is generously supported by respected partners, including the Terra Foundation for American Art and Afreximbank, ensuring significant academic, philanthropic, and cultural sector validation.
FURTHER OPTION AND INVITATION FROM THE MUSEUM OF WEST AFRICAN ART (MOWAA)
For those interested in deepening their engagement with West Africa’s evolving cultural landscape, we are delighted to share a special invitation to attend the inaugural opening of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City, Edo State.
This landmark occasion celebrates the launch of a major new cultural institution dedicated to the preservation, presentation, and advancement of West African heritage.
If you would like to participate, please indicate your interest in the registration form. A representative from MOWAA will follow up to directly coordinate and assist with separate arrangements for travel and accommodation in Benin City.
Event: Opening Ceremony in Benin City
Date: 9 – 11 November 2025
Venue: 1 Benin Sapele Road, Oka, Benin City 300104, Edo, Nigeria