Noting that the Buhari led federal government finally
announced the appointment of ministers with their portfolios. While, many
sectors of the economy where considered and saw the announcement and
appointment as a positive development, other sectors felt neglected.
According to report by vanguard. One of the sectors that did
not receive it with gladness is the Culture and Tourism ministry, which was
scrapped. The Culture and Tourism ministry is a very important area that should
not be tampered with.
The ministry has contributed a lot to the country’s GDP, and
tourism industry alone offers the opportunity to lessen the country’s
dependence on oil revenue, if properly harnessed. Though, the previous
government tried to tap into that by recognizing the sector and supporting it
with grants. It is expected that the present administration of General Buhari
will key into that and do more, but many stakeholders in the culture sector
were stunned with the announcement.
The question that many are asking is what is to become of
the sector? As a follow up to that, Vanguard Art sought the views of some
stakeholders and they responded thus.
In a statement tagged MISSING IN ACTION , the Nobel
Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka who was recently given the highest seal of the City
of Florence, as one of the world’s leading art, culture and peace advocates
bemoaned the action of the president and said, “We all know that Culture is
regarded at best as an orphan, but does General Buhari have to make it so
obvious? Even orphans are entitled to a foster home!”
For renowned art promoter, collector and founder of Omooba
Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation, OYASAF, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, the omission
of an art and culture ministry by Buhari’s administration did not come to him
as a surprise. According to him, “I am not surprised, generally, Nigeria’s
sight has been deformed by Arabic and Christian propaganda against our culture.
Lord Lugard who was our first governor general, said that we have no culture.
Hegel and others followed, so they never regarded our culture. Even when
Probenius came here, he said our art works were not good, but he ended up
stealing one and was arrested.
“Even when we were growing up, our language was regarded as
vernecular, you were cained for speaking it. Anything that has to do with our
culture was termed to be demonic, they don’t even investigate to find out so,
whenever people who has such idea assumes position of authority, Art, one of
our culture is jettisoned for other things. They forget that art is our
culture, our culture is our identity, our way of life, the way we eat , dress
and speak. African man has been brainwashed to regard his culture as demonic.
It is very unfortunate.”
Also reacting to the development, Artiste/Culture
Communicator and former Editor of Sunday Guardian, Jahman O.Anikulapo said,
“There is really nothing to say. I did not expect anything anyway, so I am
neither disappointed, nor depressed about the omission of Culture. Culture has
always been an orphan as Prof. Soyinka rightly said. Government in Nigeria is
always a Philistine. Not even with the so-called rebasing of the economy based
on the contribution of the Creative Industry to the economy in recent
years,which is probably a fraction of what it actually contribues, and the thousands,
perhaps millions of young ones that it has given means of livelihood. Watch it,
things might even get worse for the Culture sector under this dispensation!!!
But they can’t stop a moving train… Nigeria is in the throes of a cultural
Renaissance… if the authority cannot understand that, that is their burden; it
is not my job to open their eyes and sensibility to what is very obvious. They
will be left behind as the world embraces and celebrates the creative resources
of the people of this land. Amen.”
Foremost printmaker, painter and sculptor,and one of
Africa’s best known and most highly respected artists, Bruce Onobrakpeya feels
that it is an ommission that has to be corrected.
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