Oludamola Adebowale, a Nigerian curator and the founder of ASIRI Magazine, has been named as an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The Associate Fellow category was launched in 2021 to recognize and celebrate the contribution made by several historical researchers and history advocates across a broad range of sectors.
The announcement by the Royal Historical Society confirmed that “Some new Fellows are historians working in Higher Educations and have not yet reached the extent of publications, or equivalent, required to join the full fellowship. Other Associate Fellows contribute to history through their work in sectors such as heritage and museums, libraries and archives, teaching, publishing, and broadcasting or private research.”
To promote and preserve Nigerian history through digital media, Oludamola Adebowale founded ASIRI Magazine, an online histo-cultural publication. The magazine is one of Nigeria’s biggest digital archives of history, arts, and culture. Oludamola’s research works with ASIRI Magazine have been featured in Top Colleges, Universities, and Academic Institutions around the world. Some of his groundbreaking articles include: Women Arise in the face of Misogyny: A Cultural and Historical Perspective; Jaja of Opobo: Rivers of Oil and Blood; Re-Discovering the Benin Art: A Universal Vessel for Cultural Importance; ÀBÍKÚ: A Thin Line that cuts between Tradition and Science. These publications have been cited by scholars within and out of Nigeria.
Oludamola also created “The 1851 Agidingbi Games,”a history-themed chess game app focused on the historical background of Lagos State.The 1851 Agidingbi game was created to teach users about the history of Lagos, whilst also improving their IQ, mental awareness, leadership skills and more. According to Oludamola, the chess-style game is a way of showcasing Lagos to the rest of the world via the digital space.
Oludamola has received many accolades for his work in creating historical contents. In 2020, the Nigerian-Brazilian History Project appointed him as a Senior Curator. He was also one of the few Nigerians selected for the Horniman Museums and Gardens (UK) for the #ThenandNow Nigeria at 60 Interrogative Project.
As a curator, Oludamola has created and produced high-profiled Exhibition for the Ogun State Government, (African Drum Festival 2019) Timeless Memories Project for Prof. Wole Soyinka (2018,2019,2020), Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, Terra Kulture Lagos, The British Council, Lagos Book and Art Festivals and his latest project, Vintage Nigeria Digital Campaign (A Nigeria at 60 Archival Celebration of the Past Times). He has also collaborated with The Rockefeller Archive Center and Ford Foundation.
Congratulations Oludamola Adebowale.
