By Lari Williams

Every nation preserves their arts to remain cultured. Every nation’s culture remains her identity and arts into a vibrant and commercially viable industry. This is necessary to keep her country alive, preserve her identity,style, carve it history an originality; and to identify a people.

Nigeria’s Arts industry is facing a nose dive. Rumour has it that the minister in charge of Culture,Tourism and National Orientation is spearheading the team in a plan for the concession of land around the National Complex, Iganmu in preparation to build a Five star Hotel thereby displacing,indeed erasing several Arts parastatals off the complex, sad to say, including the only Artists’ Village,the only and indeed first of its kind in West Africa.

I must say in all my travels visiting Art centres and training schools through England, America and Africa; I have not come across one such Arts community. It is unique not for the structure or looks but for its contents and service.

The Artist Village at the National Theatre Complex is a supply source for the best of dancers, actors,drummers, painters,graphic and fine Artists e.t.c.

ARTISTS CRY HAVOC!

The days of guns and bombs in nations against nations have passed with time, now greed and callous oppression have turned whirl wind aggression destroying itself. People now fight against their own.Society against itself; rulers against their subjects, individuals now seek power to overpower their nation embezzling enough money to buy a city, or state or even buy their own country.

The Nigerian artist is swimming upstream against a violent current, indeed violent under current.

Till date the Nigerian professional artist is on his own; without legitimate expectations for gratuity or any form of social support, gratis or financial benefits in life or in death.

Culture through arts preserves and protects a people’s identity in dances, paintings, songs, sculpture as in costume and folklore.

Such are the duties and assignments of the artists and for the nation’s sake they are assigned to keep the tinkers and the bellows busy.

Since there is a ministry for the preservation of the art and culture,it’s duty should be to preserve the viability and propagation of our nation to the rest of the world.

It should not be too tedious to reach through the global village. After all, we have able representations in every nook and cranny. We also have ministers and ambassadors that can arrange timely invitations for regular and continuous propaganda tours of exhibitions of our sculptors, paintings, photography, dancers, theatre productions, movies. I am sure such interactions will help to keep the smile on our nation’s coffers.

Our cultured and articulate gentleman with gradeous position of a high chief knows enough to wheel these for Nigeria during his tenure in service. Restructuring in the Arts and culture can build a vibrant and prosperous economy for this nation. Show business industry has done it for America, Italy,and England. Japan and India can testify to that. When show business makes oil business a far second, struggling position with agriculture then Nigeria economy will be healthy.

Our cities can get better and stronger African identity; what with our skillful sculptors, painters, architect being kept busy. All they need is encouragement and proper channeling of Mr president’s generous support.

It is over two years now since the president flushed the artists ‘’Greenroom’’ with an unprecedented gesture of financial support for the arts. By now at least 10 artists would have been singing ‘’hallelujah we have arrived’’.

In my open letter to the president after the generous act, i suggested the building of a ‘’Hall of Fame’’ which will immediately get at least 5000 artists employed. Architects, sculptors, painters, photographers, Graphic and fashion designers e.t.c from all over the federation, and of course a regular surge of Tourists into the nation to see the wonders of our natural endowments.

England’s Madam Tusourd can confirm this idea.

We have had the president’s gesture, now let the ministers design a structure. Arts is the main reason for tourism,without arts, Tourism is a desert walk. Itis wiser to build the arts first before inviting the tourist.

The talk about concession of the National Theatre complex and evacuating National Council for Arts and Culture and the press council, including ‘’The Artiste Village’’ a rear brand of rear breed of skills congregates and functioning well. There is no such group or skillful and productive service in the whole of West Africa. Let the tourist be attracted to it. ‘’Mother hen is inviting a fleet of hawks to a feast of chicks’’ is unthinkable and unbelievable.Where is the protective instinct and the aggressive resistance of mother hen?

There is so much to do to keep tourism going. There are corrections and restructuring to be fabricated in the area of carnivals, Theatres, Masquerades, and areas around our natural endowments and socio-cultural education to make it attractive, interesting and captivating.

Why turn away from preservation of our HISTORY, BEAUTY, and DIGNITY?

Indeed, all these to build a five star hotel on Arts sacred grounds. Let’s rebrand Nigeria. We believe it is the duty of arts to rebrand Nigeria. May the spirit of our departed Artists support our plea for survival as we remember with reverence and admiration the skills and ingenuity of Nigeria’s pioneers of show-business. Sculptor:Ben-Enwuowu, Fine Artists: G.O Barba, Painter: Teressa-Luck, Actors:Orlando-Martins, Hubert Ogunde, Duro-Ladipo, Toun-Oni e.t.c. Musicians: Ayinde-Bakare, Julius-Araba, Fela- Sowande, Bobby Benson,Fela-Kuti, Jim-Rex Lawson.Literature: Chinua Achebe, Amos-Tutuola, D.O Fagunwa, Theatre: Ola-Rotimi, Zulu-Sofola, Sunny Oti, James-Ene-Henshaw e.t.c All of blessed memory who died unsung.

They all worked for the existence and establishment of Arts and entertainment. Help keep it alive and vibrant.