The Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has saluted Prof. Wole Soyinka for inducting Nigeria into
the Hall of Fame through his iconic literary works.
Speaking at the Command Performance of
one of Prof. Soyinka's books, the "Death and the King's Horseman", in
commemoration of the 30th anniversary of his winning the Nobel Prize
in Literature, the Minister said Prof. Soyinka’s literary creativity, ingenuity
and contributions to the growth and development of literature and dramatic arts
can easily be described as legendary.
"He has continued to play vital
roles in the development of Arts, Culture and Democracy in Nigeria and around
the world. On behalf of
the Ministry, I salute Professor Soyinka
and wish him longer life so that this exemplary Nigerian and global citizen can
continue to make
us proud," he said.
Recalling the epochal event 30 years
ago, Alhaji Mohammed said the
Nobel Prize in Literature was a historic
moment for the Creative
Industry, for Nigeria and for Africa
''because it was the first time
that a Nigerian, an African and indeed a
black writer will be named a recipient of the prestigious Nobel Prize in
Literature".
He used the occasion to harp on the enormous
potential of Nigeria in the Creative Industry, particularly the performing
arts, and the rich cultural heritage which, he said, if gainfully harnessed
will further drive tourism and significantly lift the Nigerian economy.
"I am glad to report that our
efforts to lift the Creative Industry
have received support from President
Muhammadu Buhari. Not only has the President rallied support for the sector, he
has also directed
that such support must reflect in the
budget of the Ministry of
Information and Culture in 2017. We will
leverage on such high level
support to further our plan to develop
our country's Creative Industry
and also enhance its contribution to the
national economy," he said.
The Minister disclosed that part of the
strategies adopted by the
Ministry to develop the Creative
Industry is the signing of Memoranda
of Understanding with the Tony Elumelu
Foundation and the British
Council on capacity building, especially
the training of Festival Managers, as well as linking the industry to the
business world.
He said an an innovative part of the
collaboration is the plan to convene a Creative Economy Task Force to map the
Creative Industry to provide a better picture of what is happening and develop
policies
that will fast-track the development of
the sector.
Alhaji Mohammed solicited the support of
stakeholders in the performing arts towards the successful implementation of
the administration's national reorientation campaign, CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME,
which is aimed at bringing back the time-tested values that once defined
Nigerians as a people.
Segun Adeyemi
SA to Hon Minister of Information and
Culture
Abuja
21 Nov. 2016
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