The New Year is always ushered in with fresh hopes, aspirations and resolutions. For Nigerians, 2019 was a mixed bag of blessings, sorrow, tears and blood. This year, the journey into another decade begins. Mary Nnah and Ayodeji Ake, who sampled the opinion of some celebrities, chronicle their burgeoning expectations for year 2020
Emmanuel Bassey, Executive Secretary, African ICT Foundation
As a song writer and a performing artist, music is one of the most universal ways of expression in human life. It’s present in the everyday lives of Africans of all ages and from all cultures and colours around the world.
Listening to music, singing, playing, composing, and improvising are very common activities for many people including Africans.
In Africa and Nigeria in particular, rural schools and communities do not have music teachers available for their instruction of instrumental performance, and the obstacles of balancing instructional time with teaching and learning of prescribed content and curriculum outcomes in instrumental performance settings are sometimes hindered.
The African ICT Foundation an independent NGO primarily dedicated to creating opportunities for everyone in Africa through sustainable skills development, under its ICT4Music initiative is set to intervene through the training and empowerment of Africans on music productions using ICT from 2020.
The ICT4Music initiative is an aspect of the Foundation’s Digital Connect Africa’s #DCA project, the United Nation’s SDG 9; and will be an attribute to the music educational revolution because the training will have in it motivating and varied musical activities such as “interacting with multimedia (image, audio or video), knowing how to edit scores, using MIDI electronic instruments, or manipulating sound by computer “than when using traditional methodology.
It is our believe at the African ICT Foundation that through the ICT4Music initiative, the promotion of social and intercultural participation, intergenerational, disability issues, social skills and social inclusion, supporting the participation of the individual in collective and collaborative musical event would be enhance.
Established in 2009 to discover new opportunities and growth that will accelerate progress and development in Africa through ICT; The African ICT Foundation (AfICTF) runs through a secretariat based in Nigeria with other offices in Africa with a team of policy analysts and fellows including authors and recognized experts in the fields of telecommunications, public policy advocacy, entertainment, economics, tax policy, trade, privacy, cyber-security, and life sciences, among many others as board members.
Leye Adeshile, Actor
2020 is going to be a beautiful year for all of us. I have so many unfinished projects I started 2019 and my goal for this year is to finish it all, I have a plan of shooting a blockbuster movie that will rule the screen and cinema… the story is ready, we just need to call a date for it. I want to tell all my fans that am still here, nothing is chasing me from the industry. I just stepped at side, I love you all.
ID Cabasa, Musician and Producer
2020 is a year pregnant with lots of greatness in the Nigerian music industry. I see Burna boy win Grammy which will in turn create greater business for us in the global entertainment world. Loads of artiste will burst out and I hope we are responsible enough to manage this breakthroughs.
I also expect artistes to take serious their craft and business as technology and innovation will reduce human interference in the industry. I also expect the way we run our shows to change from the regular party format to giving people an wholesome experience at our concerts and shows.
I expect the government will take the entertainment industry serious by providing and executing laws that protects our crafts. Nollywood should be careful in 2020 not to abuse the many opportunities opening up by putting out more quality than quantity…. The breakthrough in Cinemas and Netflix is good but we must put order to ensure quality that will but respect on the industry.
Terry Apala, Musician
I look forward to a better 2020, to do more music that will thrill my fans. I have a lot of mouth-watering projects I will embark on this year but won’t disclose them now. so I want my fans to watch out. I pray for more blessing for myself, friends and family, and my fans.
Jaiye Kuti, Actress
Expectations are many, however I am planning to accomplish all the goals that were not met last year. I want to improve on work and many lives. I want to be able to touch lives through my God giving talents.
Bakare Mubarak, Tallest Model in Sub-Saharan Africa
2019 has been a wonderful year. Interestingly, one of the things that has received more attention than ever before is African fashion, culture, art and tourism.
Based on evaluation, the influx of tourists into the nation increased, compared to 2018 statistics and this extends to Africa as a whole.
Nigeria maintains number six most visited African country, more than 50 per cent comes for business. A little above 15 per cent come for proper tourism as at 2018.
Also there has been exceeding attention drawn to local travels, and the benefits of engaging in local tours. The idea of Nigerians visiting Nigerian destinations and African destinations as well.
Personally I made quite a number of trips locally, part of the trips were fashion tourism, business and the proper tourism to untapped tourist destinations and this had a positive rippled effect on our economy, rather than spending a lot of money on international travel.
Talking of Fashion Art and Culture. Nigeria hosted so many events and symposium, that brought about influx to the nation, part of which are: The GTBank Fashion Weekend, Africa Fashion week Nigeria and The Heineken Lagos Fashion week, which are amongst the largest fashion Events across West-Africa.
These were platforms that promoted not only Nigerian enterprises but cut across African enterprises, utimately giving them global exposure
The third expedition of the Largest Art exhibition in West-Africa also took place here in Lagos Nigeria, as usual and it was an array of Contemporary Artistic extravaganza. A lot of investors including collectors came from every part of the world to the nation.
Culture as well has not been left out, as tons of people came to commemorate the Osun Oshogbo festival, thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the world visited the
UNESCO world heritage site (Osun groove), same as the Òlòjò festival in Ile-Ife the Argungu Fishing festival in Kebi state, the African Drum festival in Ogun state and so on.
It is indeed a great omen that we are moving forward a step at a time. On the flip side, based on projections, Africa will top the index of the continent with the highest youth population in the world and Nigeria will constitute more of the population as our growth rate 2.6 per cent per annual.
It is pertinent that we continue to sensitise and engage the youths constantly, to change our naratives and own it. Ultimately, so we begin to see the strength and the beauty in our diversity and also to unify us at home and in the diaspora.
This, I have taken as a point of duty as I have initiated a trademarked initiative(Photo Waka) to project in good light and further promote art, our culture and tourism, by fusing it with modeling also to preach unity amongst us especially the youths. I have created an ally with few traditional rulers, for they are the utmost custodian of culture and a link to the youths. I look forward to ally with more to further push for a better Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
