DIRECTOR-GENERAL, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Asein, has assured that the Commission will partner more with performing artists to improve the lot of performers in the Theatre industry in the area of capacity building, public enlightenment and providing kits to enable them function optimally.
This was stated at the eleventh edition of the Kongi’s Harvest, in Abuja, organised by the Arojah Royal Theatre (ART) in collaboration with the NCC and the Korea Cultural Centre, Nigeria to mark the 90thbirthday of Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka on 16th July 2024.
The DG-NCC, in an interview at the event, reiterated that the copyright system exists to help grow sectors in the creative ecosystem and that performers deserve more while assuring that the NCC is committed to ensuring that their rights are not breached or compromised. “We can do more by encouraging them to get better contracts, reminding them of what the standards are today and why they should not sell themselves cheap.”
Dr. Asein, noted that performers in the theatre and film industry are popular faces on the screen, but does not translate to wealth as they are often shortchanged. He disclosed that in drafting the new Copyright Act, the NCC had put in place adequate provisions beneficial to performers. Collaborating with practitioners in the industry will address necessary gaps, the DG assured.
Addressing participants, he said the Commission commenced the celebration in April 2024 by dedicating the 2024 World Book and Copyright Day to the Nobel laureate Prof. Soyinka and described him as ‘the tallest living Iroko in Nigeria’s literary forest’. He commended the literacy icon for standing strong despite numerous challenges and making it to age 90 noting that Nigeria is fortunate to still have Prof Soyinka around.
Commenting further on the celebration, he said it is not just about Wole Soyinka but about Nigeria its the treasures. He informed that it is good to celebrate the treasures when they are still around to inspire upcoming creators.
Speaking on the theme of the celebration, The Man and His Messages, a guest author and legal practitioner, Mr. Ahmed Maiwada, said Soyinka is not celebrated for his Nobel Laureate or many other awards, rather for the life he lived, and the causes he fought for. Through his writings, he was able to let the world know that Africans live in organised societies with intelligence to run their affairs through hierarchical governance, Mr. Maiwada added.
Many of his poems picked on dictators in Nigeria and Africa. ‘’We are celebrating him not because he won the Nobel Prize as the prize did not make the man, rather the man made the prize’’. He called for instituting of National Prize in honour of Prof. Soyinka by the Presidency while applauding the recent naming of the National Theatre and some streets after him in the FCT. Maiwada also called for more financial and institutional support for the Nigerian Copyright Commission to ensure it carries out its statutory function for a vibrant copyright system in Nigeria.
A Korean writer, Ms. Haley Sum, in her presentation ‘Expanding the Korean and Nigerian Literature Partnership’, spoke on the issue of cross-cultural understanding stating that Soyinka’s books touch on human issues, cultures and languages. While calling for strengthened collaboration between Nigeria and Korea, in the area of writing and cultural history, she proposed: collaborative writing; translation projects; educational programmes; virtual book clubs and partaking the Seoul International Book Fair and Literary Festivals.
The event which was convened by Mr. Omo’oba Jerry Adesowo, Director, Arojah Royal Theatre, featured various presentations, visual art displays, exhibitions and screening of the documentary, Ebrohime Road: Museum of Memory, which focused on the in-campus residence of Wole Soyinka during his time as lecturer in the Theatre Arts Department, University of Ibadan.Amos Abutu
For: Director-General
