Not
too long ago, the C.E.O of Future Entertainment, Solomon Inusa, threw an all-wide punch at entertainment stakeholders on the plateau Solomon Inusa, threw an all-wide punch at entertainment stakeholders on the plateau {open here to see referal letter}. The
punch spared no one; the government, TV and radio stations, DJs, church
and the runaway artists who now claim Lagos.
Interacting with a couple of entertainers, it was clear that Solo, actually captured the minds of many, including mine.
However,
I believes that the write up was just a stir in the hornet’s nest. There
are many reasons why entertainment in Jos may not develop beyond
‘shows’ without ‘biz’. I would not want to burden you with them now
until there are platforms but let me mention just one.
J-Town
as it is famously known may be popular and home to Nigeria’s creative
roots, however, J-Town’s creative energy is yet to be converted into a
productive value chain in terms of commensurate financial rewards, real
time capacity platforms and a worthwhile documentation. I cannot deny
the fact that there are symptoms of progress at individual level. It is
however clear to all that J-town entertainment is yet to evolve into a
massive creative industry that can propel socioeconomic development on a
massive scale.
To
be able to achieve this, Jos creative industry value chain must be
complete from nothing to everything. We will need talents (which is the
only thing present for now), companies who need creative solutions for
their media and publicity challenges, a well fed citizenry rich enough
to pay for sheer entertainment, creative support services such as: mega
record companies , film production companies of worth, cinema houses,
regional company offices that have zonal directors that are relevant at
the company headquarters, publishing houses for all printing solutions
including CD manufacturing plants, creative professionals and investors,
a well rounded capacity building platform, then a well organized
distribution platform and more.
Because
many of us still think and flaunt our shoulders in the euphoria of
“J-town entertainers”, we have not been able to become stakeholders in
the creative industry value chain. This is:
#
Why we are unable to explain why very few or almost none so called
J-town artists have accessed the 200 billion naira Nollywood fund
domiciled in Nexim Bank
# Why we still cannot access the Project ACT grant
#
Why British Council, foremost for providing support for the creative
industry does not even have an office in the center of Nigerian’s
‘entertainment capital”
# Why J-town entertainers have not enjoyed COSSONS yearly royalty wind fall
#
Why despite playing host to three of the most important creative
institutions in Nigeria, T.V College, Film Institute and Unijos Film
Arts and Theatre Department, we are yet to host a worthy international
creative conference.
# Why we are not actively involved in the ongoing Creative Industry mapping
Please permit me to stop here for now.
ROAD MAP:
To be able to convert “j-town entertainment” myth into a creative industry, we must do the following:
A. Have a round table to evaluate and re-evaluate the current status concerning entertainment and creativity.
B. Identity current platforms that support the creative industry and seek for ways to access them.
C. Review the need to create a collective font with a view to promote an all inclusive creative platform.
….But above all, change the mentality of “talent for show” to creativity for Enterprise.
Sign: Victor Prince Dickson
WATCH OUT MORE INFORMATION ON THE JOS ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY
FORUM SOON
Strange but all true