Last Week in Culture: 2 to 8 November 2026
Lagos spent the week with its eyes on the walls and the runway, and the film calendar kept pace with a crowded Friday in cinemas. Federal Palace hosted the art fair, GTCentre hosted the fashion crowd, and a lot of new names stepped into rooms that used to belong to the veterans.
Music and the stage
Wendy Shay and Sarkodie released "This & That" on Friday 6 November, with the video going up the same day, according to stupidDOPE. It is a grown conversation about mixed signals, with Wendy setting the boundary and Sarkodie replying in Twi. On Saturday 7 November the ART X Live! stage was due to host a lineup curated by Lanre Masha, with the set starting at 10:30pm, per Marie Claire Nigeria.
Screen
Loving Itohan Official Poster
Four Nollywood films opened in Nigerian cinemas on Friday 6 November, according to listings from What Kept Me Up and Y!Naija. Cursed Desire is directed by Kayode Kasum and stars Mike Afolarin and Beverly Osu. Loving Itohan comes from Orobosa Ikponmwen with Nancy Isime and Obehi Aburime. Marc Adebesin directs The Beacon Man with Femi Branch and Gabriel Afolayan, and Michelle Bello directs the faith based romantic comedy Perfect Spec. No box office figures had been published at the time of writing. AFRIFF's 15th edition also headed towards its Globe Awards night, set for 7 November per Broadcast Media Africa, and we are still waiting to confirm the winners.
Art, design and fashion
A Ladi Kwali Pot in display at Art X Lagos 2026
The 11th ART X Lagos ran from 5 to 8 November at Federal Palace under the theme "A New Chapter, A New Decade". Its ICON exhibition, Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr Jareh Das, looks at the potter who shaped Nigerian ceramics. The Masterclass picks 10 emerging artists, though the names had not been published when we checked. On 7 and 8 November, GTCO Fashion Weekend put 12 designers on the runway at GTCentre in Oniru, from Tongoro and Imane Ayissi on Saturday to House of Marvee and LaQuan Smith on Sunday, with 140 retailers and a Streetwear Hub, per TVC News. Further afield, the second Black Muse Art Festival runs from 7 to 10 November in Benin City, themed on Ben Okri's Astonishing the Gods, as EscapeMag Online reported on 24 October.
New names to know
The ART X Live! lineup is the best place to start. Ekene, Solana, Lodù, Taves, Nora and LULU. were on the bill, alongside the DJ WEAREALLCHEMICALS, whose real name is Blessing Ewona. On the fashion side, Ohlanna Bu Zikora was one of the six names listed for Sunday's GTCO runway. Finally, the Lagos Fringe film programme ran from 4 to 8 November and listed shorts by Ehis Omokheni (Staged and The Quiet After), Odaro Eguaven, Chiagoziem Okonkwo and Kevwe Eru. Send us your own new work at editorial@digitalescapeafrica.com and we will happily put it in front of the readers.
Next up
EWA x ESCAPEMAG Media Collab
The biggest date on our calendar is Entertainment Week Africa 2026, which runs from 17 to 22 November with support from Livespot, and EscapeMag is proud to be an official media partner. Expect us on the ground all week, and register at ewafrica.com if you want to be in the room. Banke Kuku unveils her Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Earth & Sky, at Oasis on Victoria Island on 11 November, a collection shaped by the water cycle and her first year as a mother, as EscapeMag Online reported on 7 November. Ejiro Amos Tafiri takes her REVERIE Spring/Summer 2027 collection to Abuja on 21 November, per BellaNaija. EscapeMag Issue 15 is out now on our website.
Sources
Nairametrics, "Zenith Bank reinforces commitment to Africa's creative economy through continued sponsorship of Art X Lagos 2026", 3 November 2026
My Modern Met, "11th Edition of ART X Lagos 2026 Will Explore How Cultural Inheritance Informs Contemporary Art", 1 November 2026
Marie Claire Nigeria, "ART X Lagos 2026 is turning up the heat with an exciting line-up of live performances", 6 November 2026
The NATIVE, "You Need To Know These Artists Before Art X Live! 2026", 5 November 2026
TVC News, "GTCO Fashion Weekend 2026 Opens in Lagos With 12 Designers, 140 Retailers", 8 November 2026
Marie Claire Nigeria, "GTCO Fashion Weekend 2026 kicks off today, and these are the brands we are excited to see on the runway", 7 November 2026
What Kept Me Up, "New in Nigeria: Movies and TV Shows to Watch this November 2026", November 2026
Y!Naija, "Nollywood Movies and Series Coming Out This November 2026", November 2026
Broadcast Media Africa, "AFRIFF 2026 Showcases 23 African Features As Film And Content Market Targets 1,500 Participants", 4 November 2026
stupidDOPE, "Wendy Shay and Sarkodie link up for bright new Afrobeats single This & That", 8 November 2026
EscapeMag Online, "For Those Who Astonish the Gods: Black Muse Art Festival Returns to Benin City", 24 October 2026
EscapeMag Online, "Banke Kuku's Earth & Sky: The Collection She Made in Her First Year as a Mother", 7 November 2026
What Kept Me Up, "Lagos Fringe 2026 Film Programme Features 20+ Short Films, and Masterclasses", 28 October 2026
BellaNaija, "Ejiro Amos Tafiri Unveils REVERIE, Its Spring/Summer 2027 Collection, Celebrating Reinvention in African Luxury", 3 November 2026