Just this mote

May I start this by way of a vote of thanks or better still, as an appraisal of the entire scenario of the Nigerian theatre as practised and as ranked amongst the economical potentials of the Nigerian nation…? I think it would pay me more to dwell first on the latter then a vote of thanks would follow.

Often I hear people say the Nigerian home video has silenced the Nigerian theatre and I laugh but I never failed for once to tell them that it’s a mere transition which is crucial and necessary in every human evolution especially in a world where your economical status determines your grade as a nation, hence Nigeria’s third world country grade. This automatically translates that the nation must continue to prod on how she would improve on her economical gains. It behoves me to say then that theatre just like crude-oil, when it was discovered, had and still have potentials to improve the nation’s gains. From crude-oil, Nigeria refined petroleum, so much so from theatre, the nation’s practitioners stepped it up to tourism and film making. This has been the process because the theatre practice of a people borrows its strength from the people’s culture so it cannot die except that culture goes into extinction. If we as a developing nation failed to move to this next stage then we would have defied natural laws of human evolution

But presently, to be a veteran is not a worthy course here I must tell you, but it is a nature’s gift so, an option is not conferred. The potentials of the profession is so stunted by mediocrity in the governance of its produce and the people therein so much so that ideas abound but no competent structure upon which to practice them except for two performance halls in the 140 million certified habitable spaces called Nigeria.

It is with this hindsight that the position of our veterans today becomes relevant and fearful. To think that every practitioner of the trade will come to be veteran someday is enough impetus to gear everybody concerned, both government and private operators to finding a formidable structure for the running of the arts/entertainment industries in Nigeria so that those who have served the country genuinely with their arts would not be deprived of their pensionary status and all that accompanies it.

To annexe all of these ideas to develop the nation especially at this period that diversification of the nation’s revenue generation is crucial, it will be quite wise to tap the nature’s gifts from these veterans before they finally bow out.

I thank all of the veterans who have finally, like an apprentice after long years of serving his Master, the Master gleefully will call for the family of the apprentice then he’ll place his hand on the apprentice’s head and offered a prayer of success to the apprentice. From then on, the apprentice transits to master. I thank all of the veterans for being part of this play. For me, I have served them well.


Makinde Adeniran