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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The senior special assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State governor on Tourism, Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo, has hinted that the creative industries generate annual revenues of $2.25 trillion and account for 30 million jobs worldwide.
He said that according to other calculations made by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), global creative industries reportedly generated US$2.25 trillion in revenue and formally employed 29.5 million people worldwide, adding that the cultural and creative sectors are considered as forerunners of new dynamic forms of economic activity.
Speaking with travel writers at the end of the just concluded 5th edition of the Bayelsa Musical Artistes Awards (BMAA) event at the Trendy Event Centre, Yenagoa on Sunday night, the SSA reiterated that as the society moves from being an industrial society to an intellectual one, the creative approach to solving tasks has become an important factor of competitiveness.
“As an industry sector in Nigeria, the cultural and creative industries recently received the attention it deserved when Nollywood (the Nigerian Film Industry) was listed as a significant contributor to the national economy of Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest economy.
He said “this development has made it imperative for stakeholders to understand the potentials of the cultural and creative sectors. The creative industry in Nigeria worth so much. The time is ripe to leverage on such information to readily explore and define the industry in the Nigerian context to stimulate the local economy at all levels”, he noted.
While assuring stakeholders of the commitment of the prosperity administration under Senator Douye Diri to continue to create the enabling environment for creative minds in the state to excel in their chosen careers, Mr. Kiyaramo commended the organisers of the event, informing that music tourism has been a very lucrative business for many regions of the world.
According to the governor’s aide, some cities or regions capitalize on their music to attract people into their town and cities by organising music festivals and other events, such as food festivals or other community events that could generate extra revenues concurrently to increase their tourist traffic.
“Likewise, some cities have become culturally associated with a particular style of music, for instance, our ‘Owugiri dance’ thereby attracting performers and fans alike on an almost constant basis.
“This offers even small business owners the opportunity to earn some extra income from the music tourism industry; for instance, smaller restaurants and coffee shops, or bars, make great places for upcoming musicians to play, which may often bring in a great deal of income for just one show”, he explained.
Earlier, the chairman of the Bayelsa Musical Artistes Awards (BMAA) Board, Mr Stanley Imgbi said the BMAA initiative came from a young upcoming indigenous musical artiste, Walter Wisdom Baraladei as its founder.
He said the initiative was launched in 2016 as an annual musical artistes award show that celebrates talented individuals who have impacted positively on the sector, adding that the prestigious Bayelsa musical award show comes with various categories of awards to honour those that have contributed to the development of the entertainment business in the state.
He said the initiative is meant to showcase the rich cultural heritage and talented Bayelsa youth to the world, saying that BMAA has succeeded in awakening the “sleeping giants” in the youth.
Artistes who got awards at the event include, Timaya, Jay Wonder, among others, while Harrysong and other local artistes featured prominently at the awards ceremony at the Trendy Event Centre, Yenagoa.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion include, the former commissioner for Culture and Ijaw Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Ijaws in Diaspora, Mr Tunde Apanari, the Special Assistant to the governor on Special Duties, Mr Henry Bazigha, Vice chairman of Bayelsa State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Miss Judith Young, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Bayelsa State Governor, Prince Perez Ogbogbo, Renowned Bayelsa based fashion designer, Mrs Gbagi Comfort, Veteran Journalist, Victor Christopher and Jide Dominic.