A former Chairman of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, on Friday, hinted that the menace of insecurity and poverty currently plaguing the country can be tackled through the creative industry.
Okebukola disclosed this during a training organised for young creative artist by the UNESCO Institute for African Culture and International Understanding at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital with the theme; “Promoting Youth Participation In Cinema As a Means Of Cultural Expression In Africa”.
Okebukola noted that imaginative arts, especially cinema, have the capability to provide employment as well as education when the elastic socio-economy and culture they produce are properly explored.
The erudite professor who is the director of the institute stated that part of the several objectives of the project is to contribute to the professionalisation of Africa film industry.
He hinted that the industry provides a pathway for development of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises that can employ the African population and, in turn, expand the frontier.
Okebukola added that through the project, creative artists will be encouraged to express themselves through cinema by providing training and intensive practical work experience.
His words: “The cinema discovers the element of interest and how it shapes human expectations, handles disappointment, and finds success in the pursuit of discovery. Cinema is the production of films as an art or industry.
“This industry today provides a pathway for development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises that can employ increasing populations across Africa in turn expanding the frontier. It is imperative to note that creative culture can be used to tackle the issue of poverty, insecurity, communal conflict, social unrest that presently plague many parts of the region.”
The director stated that worries have been raised in recent times about the kind of values and attitudes that young people may imbibe due to exposure to different kinds of media contents.
The facilitator of the programme encouraged the participants on how to promote the Africa cultural heritage through the various media platforms, stressing that it was imperative that the young creatives promote their various cultures through cinema.
He equally motivated them to employ the different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok amongst others to showcase their various cultures.
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