The British Council, in collaboration with After Works Entertainment Dance Band, recently celebrated Sierra Leone’s paintings and music at its Words and Pictures (WAPI) event, held at the Council offices in the country’s second-largest city, Bo.

Emcees, poets, rappers, underground artists, fashion designers and young, hip and happening people turned out for the event, which was themed ‘A celebration of “Salone” [Sierra Leone] music and paintings’. The theme was inspired by the number of aspiring musicians and painters in and around Bo.

At the event, young artists were given a platform to showcase their crafts, which included creative arts, painting and decoration, carving, singing and dancing. The highlight of the day was the abstract painting by local artist depicting love in one painting and the unfortunate state of Africa in another, said Amos Lansana, business director for the British Council in Sierra Leone.

In his opening address, Lansana thanked the attendees for their participation, saying one of the benefits of being involved in WAPI is the exposure it offers to artistic talent, both national and international.

WAPI, a British Council initiative that launched in Nairobi, Kenya in 2006, now operates in Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. It is a platform for underground artists - whatever their medium - to meet, compete and show what they can do.

The initiative launched in Sierra Leone in January with an event themed, ‘An exhibition of Salone fashion and music’.

Lansana said the audience in Bo was excited and appreciative of the initiative. ‘This is the first time raw talents in Bo have been given a free platform to exhibit their talents and the potential to participate in the national arts festival scheduled for November 2009.’

According to Lansana, WAPI has been instrumental in shaping public perception about the British Council. ‘In the recent past, the perception was that the British Council mainly offered educational information and products,’ he said. ‘Sierra Leoneans now appreciate the British Council for providing opportunities for the young and talented.’

Read more about WAPI here. To read more about British Council events and programmes, please visit the events calendar.