Turning Passion into Career: Inspiring Story of Tokini Peterside-Schwebig

The march into Women’s History Month was solidified in Lagos with a career talk series, WO’AMA AFRICA convened by Sunshine Alaibe which featured the founder and creative director of Art X Lagos, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig in a session moderated by hotshot journalist, Lola Ogunnaike. Yinka Olatunbosun reports.

A carefully curated evening with a room full of women began with shared moments of reunion and white wine sipping. In trickles, these women in the creative sector converged on a cafe in Ikoyi named The Gather House for an inspiring moment with two great women: a renowned journalist and a leading cultural entrepreneur.

Lola Ogunnaike, a Nigerian-American who was the face of African Voices, a series on CNN is certainly not a newbie to high-profile interviews but that evening, it was more of a heartfelt conversation than just an efficient delivery of a professional task. She kept the mood light by allowing her guest to speak freely- almost as though the entire audience was on a yacht; travelling through time with Tokini Peterside-Schwebig whom Ogunnaike fondly called “the Beyonce of Visual Art in Nigeria” for a largely private lifestyle.

Tokini’s penchant for arriving early has a way of surprising a late comer. It’s arguably one of her admirable work ethics and personal branding image which she didn’t need to amplify for her young female audience. Her first class law degree was an intellectual validation of her mental preparedness for hard work but not exactly a compass for her next career trajectory as she would later reveal.

She would immerse herself in self-discovery, out-of-box thinking and channel all her creative energy into something innovative. What’s most appealing about Tokini’s experience was the fact she didn’t try to paint a larger-than-life picture of who she was. Of course, she had her vulnerable moments when she wasn’t sure of what her next career step would be after completing law school in the summer of 2007.

“I think in January 2008, I sat my parents down. I was not 100% clear. I didn’t have all the answers. But then I gave myself until June 2008 to figure it out. And so I sent a timeline,” Tokini revealed.

Not even a telescope could have given a clue to what laid ahead. First, she had to decide where to live and work between London and Lagos and the choice was seamless. Lagos had a burgeoning art scene that needed strong PR professionals.

Hence, she tried her hands on almost everything. From lifestyle writing to karaoke nights, her youth was quite a buzz. She even considered becoming a lawyer for the entertainment industry due to interests in culture and creativity but eventually volunteered in various industries, including fashion and publishing, to gain experience. For her, working on projects with friends who aspired to creative careers, balancing law studies with creative pursuits and learning anthropology, colonial history and French all played a part in her career maturation. She contributed to NEXT Newspapers.

“I was going to all the restaurants around Lagos and doing food reviews and praising places and lamblasting places,” she recounted, tongue-in-cheek.

Later, she consulted for brands including Hennessy Artistry on media and communications and was later employed as Head of Communications and Events on the great feedback from the outcome of the project she executed for the brand.

As she dug deeper into the creative scene, she saw a gap in the way art is marketed. Tokini, who was born with a desire to sell, recalled how she made a huge profit from selling stick-on tattoos as a pupil in school. That experience combined with her interaction with arts through international travels and interpersonal relationships opened her eyes to possibilities. In retrospect, she recalled a project she did for an entrepreneurship class at INSEAD, involving friends and colleagues.

“The truth is the true artist needs to be freed to create,” she continued. “They cannot be running their business. They cannot be thinking about talking to clients. And so I was that person that understood their vision, who they wanted to be, what they wanted to do, and then we just started moving together. I took as much as I could off them. So, I became the interface between the art and the business, because these were incredibly creative individuals wanting to build something substantial, wanting to have relevant, important careers from home. And there were probably very few people around at that time who could provide the support for these creatives.”

But at first, she walked the talk. She was the typical salesman, with flyers in hand, visiting offices in Lagos. With the benefit of hindsight, Tokini emphasized the importance of authenticity, networking, and building a strong team to achieve success in the creative industry.

Despite initial reluctance, she pursued her creative interests, volunteering in various sectors.

Armed with a 2014 MBA from INSEAD, Tokini later founded Art X Lagos, an art fair aimed at placing Lagos on the global art map. The fair, which began in 2016, has grown significantly, attracting international visitors and fostering a vibrant local art scene. For her, it is important to balance being present in the moment with constantly documenting experiences for social media.

While reflecting on the importance of every phase in life as an opportunity for learning and growth, she found it gratifying to see more young people pursuing their creative passion especially now that societal stigma against such is fast eroding.

She grew alongside like-minded individuals as well as mentors who shaped her career transition. Tokini reminisced on the Temple Museum and Bogobiri days with reference to mouth-watering “Goat curry” securing a confirmation nod from Tola Akerele, the General Manager and CEO, National Theatre, Lagos who stood-with a smiling face-a few metres away from the interview-interviewee’s seating area at The Gather House.

Tokini recalled her pivotal moment with her collaboration with Maki Oh, a fashion brand founded by a former classmate in primary school, Amaka “Maki” Osakwe.

“Maki had finished fashion school and came straight back to Nigeria. There were not very many fashion brands that she would go to to work. She decided she was going to show her graduate collection in Nigeria. We were introduced again by a mutual friend and by the way, I had not seen Maki at this point for about 10 years. So, we sat down together and spoke for six hours. And she was like: “You get the type of artist I’m trying to be.”

Consistently, Tokini built her image as a professional with a Midas touch on creative projects. She established Art X Collective and began researching and planning for Art X Lagos aiming to create a significant cultural event in Nigeria. The idea for Art X Lagos, inspired by experiences and observations in the art world, started with Tokini’s visit at the Venice Biennale and collaborating with creatives in music, fashion and other art forms.

She underscored the value of being in the moment instead of being preoccupied with capturing images and videos for social media, while missing out on great opportunities for networking.

“I was always out there, meeting people, curious, having conversations, asking questions and very passionate. And we still have a lot of talented people in Nigeria.”

WO’AMA AFRICA is a community built to empower art professionals in Nigeria and across the continent. It is geared towards empowering, educating and building women in the visual arts industry to become the next leaders in their fields.