Entertainment
What Hope For Our Future Leaders?
In the wake of delin
quency among the youth, serious minds are considering what best to do to be able to catch these youthful minds earlier than they could be susceptible to the prevalent mind of vices hunting the societal air.
This no doubt must have informed the inclusion of early childhood education into the Universal Basic Education programme of the Nigerian government. By the provision of the National Policy on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, early childhood is segmented into 0 – 3 years situated in day care centres fully in the hands of the private sector and social development services while ages 3 – 5 are within the formal educational sector.
It is all about the care, protection, stimulation and learning promoted in children from age 0-5 , supposedly to take place in day care centre, nursery or kindergarten
However, whether done formally in a daycare centre or informally at home, one outstanding goal of this early childhood education is to inculcate in the child, social and moral norms as well as stimulate in him/her good habits, including good health habit among others.
The goals of the early childhood education make it imperative on parents and care providers to consider it a project and so, a serious business which result must be announced someday some time.
Unfortunately, not many parents know that this formative age of the child means a great deal in his/her future development, not many also realise the fact that children at this age remember fastly and repeat actions they observe so as to be wary of their actions before them. While the first two years of a child’s life are spent in the creation of the child’s first “sense of self”. Parents can be seen as the child’s first teacher and therefore an integral part of the early learning process because this age can be highly influential to whatever the child learns in future.
It must be understood that with proper guidance and exploration children get easily acquainted with their environment and ofcourse you can imagine how detrimental the absence of this steady positive relationship will be on the future development of the child with respect to his/her relationships and independence.
Although early childhood education often focuses on learning through play, Jean piaget, an early psychologists posits that play meets the physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social needs of children, their curiosity and imagination naturally evork learning when undisturbed.
Suffice it to say that children learn better and gain more knowledge through activities such as dramatic play, art and social games. However, the object of the child’s play, the toys and the type of game the child is involved in must not be overlooked as they all inform what knowledge the child equips him/herself with at the end of the day. What this means is that there must be adequate supervision of the child’s daily activities.
The Tide’s Women’s Desk, engaged Mrs Nzokurum Mercy, an occupational health/nursing coordinator in a chat on what should be the role of parents in ensuring a proper development of the child. Hear her: “From 0 – 1 year, the world is strange to the child, the first duty of the parents is to make him see the world as a friendly and happy place to live by meeting his perceived needs. Few months older the child’s personality developments and mind very fast too, so parents need to be cautious so as to understand and guide him aright.
She warned against pretentious attitudes towards the child as the child copies every behaviour of the adult to mean the right altitude, in her words. “If there be any need for parents to walk away from the child, then bid the child a proper goodbye, don’t sneak or slip away”.
Mrs Nzokurum explained that until about age 2, the child learns mainly through seeing, hearing and touching, hence parents must be careful to do just what they would want the child to do, say what they need him/her to hear and show them only what they would want them see.
Explaining play as a means by which children discover their skills, the occupational health expert enjoins parents to make out time to guide their little ones, play by creating a conducive and safe environment for effective exploration of their world, maintaining that toys must be age appropriate while observing their activities to know when they derail so they can be guided.
She condemned in its entirety, the idea of sending children of age 0-5 out for holidays or to live outside the sight of their biological parents, stating that many had been corrupt and abused under the guise of living with uncles and aunties as no one can be more vigilant on a child as the biological parent.
She called on parents to watch out for peculiar and worrisome traits, behaviours and attachments usually exhibited by children at this age such as identifying with certain toys, bullying other children and inventing imaginary friends as well as talking about them; she insists that parents listen to them and guide them accordingly.
Parental role to the family is a combination of many activities, expected of the father and the mother for the wellbeing of the home. It ranges from providing protection from the scourge of the weather, by way of shelter, provision of material needs in the forms of clothings and food, provision of medical attention, to provision of education, be it formal or informal. Of all these activities both mentioned and unmentioned, there is no single one that is preferred over the other, a child provided with one without the rest is said to be deficient in the one not provided.
Unfortunately, a failure to provide a child with a necessary developmental requirement does not only leave the child deficient of the good that comes out of it, such vacuum in the life of a child is usually replaced with a trait, unbecoming of a future leader.
Therefore, while it is expected that every parent lives up to their roles and responsibilities in assuring a bright and better future for the child, it is as well important that their daily life activities reflect the image they want to imprint in their children and wards.
Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi
The Garden City of Rivers State Port Harcourt at the weekend joined other parts of the world to celebrate the World Music Day, 2025, as Alliance Française showcases talents.
The event which is internationally known as Fête de la musique was held at cultural hall of the Alliance Française was a remarkable concert with memorable experience.
The event brought together music lovers, students, Artistes and members of the community For an exciting evening live performances and cultural exchange.
The Tide Entertainment reports that the world Music Day, which was created 1982 in France by the then Minister of culture, Jack Lang, ‘ Fête de la Musique’ is now celebrated in more than 100 countries every 21st June, marking the first day of summer with free concerts and musical showcases in public spaces.
In Port Harcourt, the Alliance Française honoured the tradition by spotlighting four(4) emerging artistes offering a platform to young talents shaping the city’s contemporary scene.
The audience enjoyed an unforgettable moments as they were entertained by the powerful performances from Preach A, who is known for blending fitness culture with spoken words and rhythm.
Also, artiste Emmayany delivering a vibrant fusion of afrobeat and afro pop. A singer, song writer and a performing artiste with a distinct sound.
Others were Amarachy Uko, a sensational singer with passion for soul , R&B, pop music and afrobeat.
While DJ Prospel closed the night with an energetic DJ set that got the entire hall dancing.
Earlier, the Director, Alliance Française, Port Harcourt Mrs Marina Lacal high lighted the mission of the Alliance Française saying that the event was more than a concert.
According to her, the event was put together by the Alliance Française to promote cultural diversity and foster artistic expression by connecting a long standing French tradition with creativity of the local music scene, adding that the event offerers an avenue for dialogue between culture and generations.
She stated that the event is used to promote professional and bring amateur artistes to limelight via the platform of the Alliance Française which is aimed at promoting the French Language through cultural heritage.
She explained that the celebration is also a broader series of Fête de la musique activities organized by the 10 Alliance Française across Nigeria in sync with concerts held in France and around the world simultaneously.
She further noted that the occasion reaffirms the role of Alliance Française as a cultural bridge, one where French heritage meets the pulses of Nigerian youth.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 19 artistes applied to perform at the event in Port Harcourt, but only four got approval for appearance.
The Governor of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Rivers State chapter, Comrade Moses Mabadeje popularly known as Mozy B said that the body has announced plans to implement performance Levy on artistes in the state with effect from 21st June.
This was carried in a statement released to The Tide Entertainment, yesterday by the Deputy Governor of the association, Comrade Abiye Howells.
According to the Governor, the announcement was made by PMAN, the only governing body that regulates the music profession in Nigeria, as authorized by the Government of Nigeria, in line with the Trade Union Act.
He stated that those affected by the Levy include (Non members)bands, groups, Hotels, Bars, lounges, Event Centres, show organizers, promoters and other stakeholders hosting events which feature live music performances within the State.
However, the Levy does not apply to members of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria. (PMAN).
Comrade Moses Mabadeje, explained that this drive is aimed at financing the association and supporting the welfare and interest of musicians as outlined in Article 8 of the PMAN constitution as amended (2023). Consequently, a PMAN task force has been set up to enforce and swing into action to effect this move.
He further said that event organizers, promoters and owners of event centers are expected to comply with this regulation as the Governor has urged stakeholders to collaborate with the association to ensure the successful implementation of the levy and the peaceful co-existence between PMAN and Stockholders.
Nancy Briggs
Entertainment
“French Up Your Career” PH, 2025 :Consul General Of France Harps On Proficiency In French
The Consul, General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier has encouraged French Learners to improve their skills on the language, as there are lots of opportunities up for grabs on the job market with fluency in French Language, saying that there are many other career paths which are often less well known to learners of French.
Participants at the “French Up Your Career” event held in Port Harcourt.
Favier who disclosed this during the just concluded third edition of the seminar tagged “French Up Your Career” organized by Alliance
Française, Port Harcourt explained that learning French doesn’t mean adding a language to your resume. It rather provides learners with new opportunities. Irrespective of their area of interest, be it diplomatic and International relations, international development, translation and Interpretation or journalism.
According to the Consul General, it was important to create awareness for young Nigerians in Port Harcourt who desire to have better understanding of how been fluent in French can create diverse career opportunities for users of the languages in Nigeria and the world at large, emphasizing that proficiency in French could possibly make learner a bridge between Nigeria and fast-developing regions.
“You previously heard this morning about how you can improve your French skills. This afternoon you will discover how being fluent in French can provide a significant edge on the job market and lead to professional careers that you may not have even considered before,”
“This event comes at the right time, as it launches the celebration of the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures, which will mobilize us for more than a month throughout Nigeria and alongside other French-speaking countries,” Favier added.
He further highlighted that French is spoken by over 300 million people across the world, saying that, it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
“There are many neighbouring African countries to Nigeria ,who have French as one of their primary languages of communication including Cameroon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what does this mean for you as students here in Nigeria?” He asked
“These sectors in which the French Embassy is often mobilized are the business and marketing field for example, as French is often the preferred language in many multinational companies, particularly those in the energy, oil and telecommunications sectors. I’m thinking as well in technology and IT,” he said
He noted that French-speaking countries in Africa are investing heavily in tech, innovation, and infrastructure, revealing that companies in Tech are looking for bilingual professionals to assist with software localization, customer support, and managing projects in French-speaking regions.
“The French embassy is not only mobilized to help learners discover promising sectors. We are also providing our support and expertise in
training teachers and optimizing university programs,” he summed up
Also, the linguistics cooperation attaché, French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, who also gave a lecture at the seminar, in an interview with Newsmen said that the main purpose of the seminar was to be more informative and supportive to those who want to make a skill out of French Language,saying that as the linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy it is her duty to promote French language through culture.
She cited traditional stereotypes as a major challenge affecting the growth and development of French in Nigeria, as school, teachers at the primary and secondary level in most cases teach French using the traditional way, where students learn French, but could not put words and grammar together as a skill for communicate.
“French is important. I don’t see French as colonization, l see French as a key to embrace globalization, l hope that learners will be inspired and ready to embrace the global village,” Losange said.
She however said that the French Embassy is working to ensure that equipments to facilitate the learning of French is put in place to enable learners improve their skills fast, which in two to three years learners should be able to communicate with French, advising learners to be intentional with learning the language, through social media and other workable devices to advance their skills for certification and better opportunities.
Highlight of the event which had about 250 participants in attendance was the eloquence award ceremony where students were awarded for their eloquence in French language by the Director, Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs.Marina Lacal alongside the Linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange.
After two edition of the seminar it was the turn of the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt to host the Third edition.
It would be recalled that the first edition of ” “French Up Your Career” event was organized at the Alliance Française Lagos on October 23, the second one at UNILAG on November 24, 2024 respectfully.
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