The Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, His Excellency Pieter Leenknegt, on Thursday welcomed a delegation from Showlate Entertainment Limited at the Belgian Embassy in Abuja, following the successful Cultural Canvas, Arts, and Festival Exhibition held on March 8, 2025.The delegation, led by Mr. Ken Gbados, Media Relations and Publicity Management Consultant, on behalf of the CEO, Mr. Emmanuel Solate, included Mr. Abayomi Soetan (Media Research), Barr. William Umoh (Legal Adviser), and Mr. Daniel Awin (Curator). The visit aimed to appreciate the Embassy’s support and participation in the event while exploring potential areas of future collaboration. With a vision to bridge continents through culture and leverage artistic expression as a tool for global connection, the delegation expressed gratitude and unveiled a blueprint for future partnerships.
In his remarks, Ambassador Leenknegt lauded Showlate Entertainment for the impactful execution of the Cultural Canvas initiative, describing it as a brilliant platform for promoting Nigerian arts, culture, and creative enterprise. He revealed that a Belgian art educator would visit Nigeria in July 2025 to engage young local artists in a teaching exchange, in collaboration with a Belgian fashion designer based in Lagos. He also pledged to determine whether the selection process for the exchange had been concluded and how Showlate Entertainment could be integrated into the initiative.
“This July, a Belgian art educator will arrive in Nigeria to mentor selected young artists, alongside a fashion designer based in Lagos. I’ll reach out to see if the selection process has been finalized and how Showlate Entertainment can be part of it.”
Offering feedback on the Cultural Canvas event, the Ambassador noted that the exhibition featured two strong components—art and festival—which, in his view, could have had greater impact if handled separately. He suggested that future editions consider segmenting these aspects to ensure each receives full attention.“The event had two strong components—art and festival. Each deserves its own spotlight. Merging both in one event may reduce the impact.”Ambassador Leenknegt also highlighted the need to correct negative global perceptions of Nigeria, emphasizing that many international audiences remain misinformed about the country. However, he noted that while his role as a Belgian diplomat is to promote Belgian culture in Nigeria, it is the responsibility of the Nigerian Embassy in Brussels to actively project Nigeria’s image abroad.