ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: The Nigerian Ministry of Culture &Tourism and the Entertainment Industry Development

Edem Duke, Minister of Culture,Tourism and National Orientation

The Nigerian Ministry of Culture and Tourism needs to take a cue from the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment of Jamaica by establishing Entertainment Advisory Board (EAB). The main objectives of the Entertainment Advisory Board are to strengthen public-private partnership to maximize contribution of the entertainment industry to economic and social development, provide advice to the Ministry regarding key issues and strategies and in particular, the development of an Entertainment industry policy and facilitate the engagement of entertainment industry stakeholders in the policy-making process.

This report is by no means meant to rubbish or undermine the efforts of the Ministry but to point out gray areas they have not been sensitive to while the industry groans. Currently in Nigeria, the only Ministry directly or indirectly in charge of entertainment industry is the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. There is no ministry created for entertainment and other related business.

Carnivals are good and we are not disputing their essence, Abuja Carnival et al but we do not quite agree that these should enjoy the chunk of government support at the expense of the development of our local entertainment industry as a whole (music, movies and comedy inclusive), instead, lets develop more music festivals that will sell the real Nigerian culture to the world and not adopted cultures.

The Ministry, year in and year out does not have a plan for the growth of entertainment business in Nigeria. For one reason or the other, the industry has gotten used to some certain styles of language whenever entertainers approach them for support. Major entertainments events are dying because of lack of support and sponsorship. The ones that still hold annually struggle amidst all odds to make it happen.

Many of these events by now should have been adopted as National Events but the ministry has been carrying on like it is none of their business. We understand that not all events can be supported but there is a need to create a board that will be saddled solely with the responsibility of identifying the ones that possess great potentials and also advising the ministry on the best approaches towards embracing such. This is part of the works of Entertainment Advisory Board (EAB).

The Ministry is expected to promote dialogue and cooperation between the private and public sectors for the development and implementation of policies conclusive to the creation of an enabling environment. It must also provide opportunities for creative practitioners to participate in international markets to expose local talents and promote the entertainment products; raise the level of awareness and appreciation of Nigerian Culture as an entertainment product, to develop and foster synergies among Tourism & Entertainment Sectors and to facilitate institutional strengthening and capacity building.

Events that by now should have been adopted as National events and given every necessary support to thrive based on the values they add to the country’s entertainment sector include; the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) and The Headies. There are many more with great potentials of becoming world class events but are still struggling to stand and make impressions due to their shoe string budgets.

Every year, these few events mentioned here attract people into the country. People come from all over the world to attend AMAA. In the last six years, there have been regular faces of some foreigners at Headies, same for NMVA.

The big question is, why is the Ministry overlooking all these and have no plans to enhance or support these initiatives. There is more to developing the industry than taking only the National Troupes of Nigeria for competitions and exhibitions. The organizers of these events need government’s support and recommendations to be able to secure major sponsorship that will bankroll the expenses of these events.

Aside providing employments for creative Nigerians every year, these events constantly puts Nigeria on the world map. Another world class event similar to the Grammy or Oscar awards may very well stem out of Nigeria with immeasurable benefits to the industry and government respectively if we persevere.

Speaking during the Joy of Jazz press conference in Sandton in 2010, the initiator of the Festival went down memory lane to thank the South African Ministry of Arts & Tourism for its support when the idea berthed. They had no money and the corporate bodies were not willing to take risks with their brands as sponsors. The Ministry saw an opportunity to support an initiative that will later become a tourist attraction to the country and they lent their total support to the project. From a classroom event, the festival has grown to become one of the biggest Jazz Festivals in the world. For three consecutive nights with more than five stages in that particular year, different international Jazz artistes entertained different class of audiences.

Aside Standard Bank sponsored Joy of Jazz Festival; the contributions of South African Tourism to other events including Channel O Music Awards are quite commendable. Every year that these events have been staged, the influx of people to the country no doubt contributes in no small measure to the South African economy especially during Cape Town Jazz Festival. Sometimes getting a flight might be pretty difficult. All these events have been adopted as National events worth government support, sponsorship and encouragement especially as they help in also keeping the teeming youth population who would otherwise have been restive gainfully engaged.

Words by Seun Apara

SPECIAL FEATURE: THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA

CASE STUDY: THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT AND NMVA 2013

One of the roles of a government in any society is to strive for growth and development in every area and the role entertainment plays in developing the tourism potentials of a state and invariably the country cannot be over emphasized.

As the government strives to make a state a tourism destination, valuable entertainment platforms are often required and deployed to further attract revellers and tourists to the state. To this end, it can be described as a symbiotic relationship.

In recent years, the level of participation of government, both at the state and the federal levels in the entertainment industry is quite commendable compared to the past when it wasn’t even considered by any arm of government.

The Calabar State Government was the first to key in to entertainment with a view to promoting the tourism potentials of the state having invested so much in tourism thereby creating the need to attract the attention of the world to the huge investments in the tourism sector of the state. The Cross-Rivers state government started with the Calabar carnival but the need to further prop up the state as a tourism destination made the state to romance KORA Awards, a pan African music awards ceremony which constantly held in South Africa. It was looking good until Earnest Adjovi, the Executive Producer of the award dumped the Cross-Rivers State contract controversially to pitch tent with Lagos State.

The interminable court drama nevertheless affected the awards integrity and Adjovi took it to another African country. Likewise, the governments of Bayelsa, Rivers, Lagos and recently, Delta have constantly identified with viable entertainment platforms. The Bayelsa State Government has been supporting the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for years and recently, Delta State has supported Best of Nollywood Awards (BON) for the 2013 edition.

It is noteworthy here too that one of the biggest jazz festivals around the world, Joy of Jazz Festival in South-Africa was supported by the Ministry of Arts and Culture in its early days. But today, it contributes to the economic growth of the country annually. During the festival, sectors like; transportation, hospitality, shopping etc benefit immensely in terms of income from tourism. The South-Africa Tourism Board capitalizes on this to expose the tourism potentials of the country to visitors.

The recent partnership between Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) 2013 is a symbolic one. Though huge projects like this are majorly sponsored by corporate bodies, but the state supports with infrastructures and other logistics. Thus, the event will afford people the opportunity to see Lagos in a very different light.

The Lagos State Government is concerned about creating ample job opportunities for thousands of unemployed youths who should have otherwise been restive and constantly engaging in various social vices and major events like the NMVA require lots of labour to stage successful a event. Rather than deport people who are not of Lagos origin and perceived to be constituting a nuisance or security threat from the streets of Lagos, major events like this will engage some of them who are willing to work in major street activations and promotions as well as skilled labour areas such as; driving, carpentry, photography, sound installations, printing and ticketing, camera men, and several others.

With the influx of people into the state from around the world during major events, hotels get more patronage, make more sales and render their tax to the state promptly. Also, it boosts the transport business and exposes the tourism potentials of the state to new visitors.

Speaking with the initiator of NMVA, Mr. Cally Ikpe on how the involvement of Lagos State will affect the 2013 edition of the awards, he said “the stakes have become higher, so we are required to work a lot harder to make the event classier than the previous ones. Having the approval stamp of the Lagos state government in every sense is a very big deal. Lagos State’s involvement with the NMVA means greater reckoning. We expect a lot more corporate institutions to follow suit. Of course, this presupposes part of our bills been catered to and irrespective of the magnitude that is quite some relief”.

Cally also gave his opinions on how the partnership will benefit the state. “That the awards hold in Lagos is an automatic gain to Lagos, given that it attracts visitors from outside of Lagos and even abroad. The implication for tourism is obvious. Remember, it is important for the state that young people are gainfully engaged which is what the staging of NMVA each year brings about”.

“The Nigeria Music Video Awards, NMVA is a project that seeks to project the cultural ideals of Nigeria, via music as represented with music videos. It debuted as Nigeria’s first ever music video awards in 2007. Prior to this time, awards of this kind and magnitude were mostly organized by foreign media like; MTV and Channel O. The NMVA, as a wholly Nigerian initiative represents an important milestone in the promotion of the Nigerian spirit of innovation and creativity. Thus far, six episodes have held consecutively at the Eko Hotels, Lagos”

Preparation has however commenced for the 2013 edition of the event. NMVA which prides itself as the most credible, attractive and highly respected awards in Africa and rank as one of the most consistent in the Nigerian entertainment calendar. This year, the NMVA will be using its platform to further project the rich cultural heritage of Lagos State.

To commence the 2013 preparations, the organizers of the awards have declared open its call for entries for the 2013 edition of the iconic event. Intending contenders are expected to complete entry forms from the awards website; www.livebeats.net and submit with their videos on DVCAM tapes. Jpeg pictures and brief bio data of the artistes are also required to be submitted along with the entries on a data CD at the awards secretariat located at number 15, Toyin Street in Ikeja Lagos.

Words by Seun Apara