Creative work, shared light: J.W. Julian and the Light Up Nigeria Project

Creative work can connect people across places. For J.W. Julian, author and illustrator of Ebby the Magnificent, that connection has become the Light Up Nigeria Project—an artist-led effort that links proceeds from her work with solar-lighting support for participating young artists in Nigeria.

A creative connection

On the Light Up Nigeria Project page, J.W. describes connecting with young Nigerian artist David Praise in 2024 and learning more about the practical effect unreliable electricity can have on artists’ work after dark. She later connected with Quadloop and its solar-lighting work.

From creative work to practical support

J.W. says the project directs nearly all net sales from Ebby the Magnificent, her art and greeting cards toward purchasing solar-powered lamps for participating artists. That support is personal and direct: it brings a practical energy tool into the creative routines of artists who want to keep learning and making beyond unreliable grid hours.

How this connects with Light Up Africa

Quadloop’s Light Up Africa campaign shares that focus on the conditions young creators need to work after sunset. The two names describe connected initiatives: Light Up Nigeria is J.W. Julian’s artist-led support project, while Light Up Africa is Quadloop’s campaign context for circular solar lighting and young artists.

Keeping the story with the artists

The value of the collaboration is not a promise that electricity challenges disappear overnight. It is the practical space that portable solar lighting can create: more time to study, practise and make work when the grid is unavailable. The artists and their work remain at the centre of that story.

Learn more about J.W. Julian’s Light Up Nigeria Project, or explore Quadloop’s Light Up Africa impact story.