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The fact that art in all its ramifications symbolizes many aspects of Nigerian lifestyle cannot be over emphasised. The
contemporary art which comprises films, literature, folklore, visual art
(sculpting and painting), dance and music has continued to improve with new
ideas being injected into the system by its professionals.
After 53rd years of Nigeria’s
independence, art has been moving in a geometric progression through the
efforts of individuals and private organisations. It is note that some
professionals suggested ways to improve the sector with the help of individuals
and government.
According to Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, art
is everywhere. “It is just like the air we breathe, which is common and so
important but people don’t realise its importance,” he said.
The octogenarian believes that arts sector
has fared very well. According to him, “Usually, in any country, developments
are like incidents that I described as Oliver Twist, we always ask for more. A
lot of good things are going on and there are a lot of things to be done. The
state of the art today has great development over what it has been in the past
and we should be happy about that, although, there are things to be changed.
For instance, we want a gallery and a big national museum or monument, among
several other things that should be done. Issues about copyright and policies
should be put right in order to make the artists work better and enjoy their
works and let their works be more able to promote the image of the country.
They are all yet to be done. On the whole, art is developing along the line of
progress. The art today in Nigeria is a success story.
He adds that: “FESTAC was a big thing which
consumed money but, if it is broken down, you can bring a section of it and
that is what we want the government to continue. Years back, it would be recalled that they brought people from
all over Africa just to celebrate and re-enact the values we have and so on.
So, we want government to annually, bring
out money and invite people from Africa and many parts of the world to come and
watch our heritage,” Onobrakpeya said.
A prolific film producer, Tunde
Kelani, has revealed that every movie production is problematic, especially
when you are making films in an unfriendly environment like Nigeria.
He hinted that high cost of production is
one of the major challenges of film production in Nigeria. “So many film
producers find it difficult to recoup their investment. Another challenge is
the menace of piracy. Nollywood is the second largest film producers in the
world, that may be true in terms of number of films produced, not in terms of
infrastructure.
“We believe that this industry is
economically viable, that is why we are struggling to introduce innovations to
take it to the next level. I know that Lagos State Government has a programme
for us in terms of training and they planning to provide an enabling
environment for cinema and they are going to set up an endowment fund. Also,
the Federal Government has their plan including the $200 million intervention
fund approved by President Goodluck Jonathan. So, there is hope for the film
industry,” the cinematographer said.
Chike Ofili, a prose writer, copywriter,
biographer and a former chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA),
Lagos Chapter, said though reading culture among Nigerian youths has dropped,
it can be resuscitated by the government. “People may have personal reading
habit and you call it a culture, which means, virtually everybody is doing it.
People don’t read. The fact that you read to pass examination does not make it
a culture. It is a necessity and a demand.”
He pointed out that the machine that
invented reading; making reading books available has been overtaken by other
machines that came after it. “One of it is television, the visual medium generally.
Television, cinema and the new technologies like the internet have come to
share a space with these earlier technologies that gave reading a pride of
place so much that in the western societies, they can’t move about without
taking books and newspapers in their bags with them like me.”
He advised the government to set up reading
centres in many states, encourage reading through the National Orientation
Agency and other avenues.
Amiable musician Azeezat Allen and her
husband are active members of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). She said the
issue of funding has been her challenge because music business is
capital-intensive.
On how the music industry could be moved to
a higher level, she stresses: “When
users of music including radio and TV stations, hotels, filling stations,
banks, restaurants and other people who use music to improve their businesses,
pay for the use of those music, artistes will smile and live better lives and
there will be less situations of artistes dying in penury,” Allen said.
Interestingly, she believes that if all
hands are on deck, the issue of piracy would be a thing of the past in the
industry. “If everyone refuses to encourage piracy, it will disappear. You
encourage pirates by patronizing their business. But don't forget that that is
not the only form of piracy we have. All these people mentioned in my previous
answer are pirates if they don't get licensed by a government approved
collecting society like COSON.”
She advised
young aspiring musicians, who want to be successful to
pray, work hard and
believe in themselves.
The perception of Aralola Olumuyiwa, popularly
called Ara, about Nigerian music industry proved that it is fast evolving.
This amiable songwriter, choreographer,
singer and producer revealed that “Even though we have a lot of people singing
and recording video today, we know those who are musicians among them.
Musicians are doing well while the upcoming ones are also good. It is just a
matter of time. It is high time organizations that can manage talents take over
the industry.”
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