The National Film
and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has premiered “Poverty Cure”, a film
documentary on building creative capacity and entrepreneurial mindset at
the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the screening, held on Wednesday night, was part of events for the 2018 edition of the National Conference of the Faculty of Arts of the premier institution.
The
conference, with the theme: “Globalisation, Sovereignty and Role of
Humanities in the 21st century Africa’’, is holding from July 2 to 6.
Students
from different departments, scholars and other stakeholders in the
academia, within and outside Nigeria, were present at the screening.
Mr
Adedayo Thomas, the Executive Director of the board, said the film
premiere was part of the mentorship programme launched by the board for
Theatre and other Creative Arts undergraduates in Nigerian Universities.
According
to him, the premiere event titled, “Nurturing a Vibrant Film and Video
Culture for Economic Prosperity’’, is to build entrepreneurial
dispositions in young professionals as antidote to poverty in developing
economies.
“As a
key regulator in the Nigerian creative industry, the board has launched
a mentorship programme to expose our potential filmmakers and
entrepreneurs to practical knowledge of how the sector works.
“The
premiere of this film is in line with our intentions to teach our
undergraduates how to create value and prosperity for themselves because
it is the creation of value that eradicates poverty.
“Besides
the classroom knowledge, our undergraduates must be encouraged to look
inward, develop themselves and follow their dreams instead of looking up
to the government for everything.
“With
the right mindset and knowledge, they can become creators of jobs and
contribute to our GDP as soon as they leave school,’’ Thomas said.
He
said the board was set to take the screening to other universities
teaching Theatre Art, as part of its mentorship initiative.
In
his remark, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Mohammed
Umar-Buratai, expressed delight over the mentorship initiative by the
board.
He said that film screening was a timely motivation needed by the students, especially those who were about to graduate.
“This
is a timely intervention by the NFVCB as it will bridge the gap between
what our students learn in school and the practical realities of what
they need to succeed in life.
“We
hope to sustain this partnership in building those who can contribute
towards societal building without relying on foreign aid or
government,’’ he said.
NAN
reports that during the event, there were stage presentations of drama,
dance and ‘spoken word’ performance centered on patriotism, unity and
peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
The
film documentary ‘Poverty Cure’, produced by Acton Institute in the
Michigan, United States, highlights solutions to local and global
poverty through proper understanding of human needs and the society they
live in.
The six-part documentary is hosted by American researcher
and director of the award-winning documentary ‘Poverty, Inc’. ,
Michael Miller.
It emphasizes enterprises creation instead of aids, wealth creation,
open trade and competition, among other things as antidote to extreme poverty.