Dike Onwuamaeze
The Lagos Arts and Health Festival (LAHF) 2026 is billed to reimagine Lagos not merely as a city of infrastructure, systems, and movement, but as a living, sensing body shaped by the emotions, creativity, labour, and collective care of its people.
This was declared during the unveiling of the theme of the 2026 edition of LAHF, which is ‘Lagos as a Body – Creative Care in Action’.
This year’s edition is endorsed and supported by the Lagos State Government’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and co-produced by the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship, The Foladavid Care Foundation, Studio Yadi, Ayo Ekunz Visuals Production and Uwana Energy alongside practitioners and professionals.
The highlights of LAHF include mental health programming for young people, arts outreach in clinical and correctional settings, sensory and somatic workshops, farmers’ markets, recreational games, collaborative murals, live performances, and a citywide health fair.
The festival will also strengthen legacy infrastructure through policy dialogues, research forums, and cross‑sector collaborations aimed at embedding creative health within Lagos’ long‑term development.
Speaking during the unveiling of the theme, the Chair and Global Development Lead of the Global South Arts and Health Initiative, Dr. Kunle Adewale, said, “There is a growing body of empirical research demonstrating that the arts are a powerful resource for human well-being.
“Dancing, singing, walking in nature, and participating in a wide array of cultural activities help the body to relax, reset, and recover.
“These creative engagements support emotional balance, reduce stress, and foster a sense of wholeness in individuals and communities.”
The LAHF Advisory Member, Ms. Aisha Augie, who is also the current Director General of Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), said that “culture has always been Africa’s first system of care.”
Augie said, “With ‘Lagos as a Body,’ the festival returns the arts to their oldest work, holding communities together, tending to what hurts, and making wellbeing a shared inheritance rather than a private privilege for a few. Together, we can achieve this.”
Speaking in the same vein, the LAHF Advisor and Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri, added that “mental health thrives where people feel seen, heard, connected and supported.”
According to Abiri, “the LAHF provides an important platform to harness the power of creativity, culture, and community in promoting wellbeing. This is a meaningful step towards making mental health care more accessible, inclusive, and human.”
Similarly, Co-Director of the LAHF, Dr. Fola David, who is a Guinness World Record Holder, said that “‘Lagos as a Body’ is a playful way of asking a very serious question: if Lagos were a patient sitting in front of us, how would we care for it? What would we listen to? What would we treat? What would we celebrate? And maybe, just maybe, what would we prescribe?”
The Festival Director, Lagos Arts and Health Festival, Ms. Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu, said that for over a decade, art has helped her to make sense of the world, care for herself and others.
Ukoha-Kalu said, “This festival invites us beyond traditional art spaces, using creativity as a tool for service, healing, and connection, and imagining art as a practice of care.”