Entertainment
Murray-Bruce Drums Support For Entertainment, Creative Sector
Senator representing Bayelsa East, Benedict Murray-Bruce, has solicited for more support for the entertainment industry in the country.
Murray-Bruce, a founder of Silverbird Group, made the call on Wednesday night at The Dance Workshop(TDW) with the theme “ The Best of Both Worlds’’ held in Abuja and organsied by Imagneto Dance Company.
“We just need the Federal Government to support the entertainment industry and Nigeria will be the biggest in the world of entertainment.
“Right now we are the best in Africa and second in the world in the entertainment industry after America.
“ We have brilliant and intelligent dancers, actors/actresses, musicians, comedians and host of others in the country, so if the FG supports the industry we will be the world best.’’
Murray-Bruce also called for an enabling environment for artists to ply their trade effectively.
According to him, the sector now contributes three per cent of the country GDP, adding that if given the needed support; it can contribute up to 25 per cent.
He said that, giving enabling environment was not just fighting piracies, but to encourage banks to give five per cent of all loans to the practitioners in the sector.
Murray-Bruce said when government provides the enabling environment, the practitioners can then build infrastructure needed by them to carry out their performances.
He said, long term loans of two digit interest should be given to the industry and one would be able to build infrastructure
“It will be possible for one to build dance studios, dance houses and venues where we can do concert and shows.
Murray-Bruce noted that in Nigeria, there are very few venues for entertainment shows.
“ Only in Lagos and Abuja that you can find such venues to perform, whereas in the real sense it should be available in each local government area of the country.
“There are so many things the government can do to make these things possible.
Also at the workshop, TY Mix, a music producer, and a record label executive said he was at the workshop to share knowledge with the young ones.
“We have a lot of knowledge to share with the young ones. I’ve been active in the music industry for over ten years now and there’s a lot to share in terms of character quality.
“How to hunt your talent and how to make money from your talent and the business of the industry.
“We are here today to talk about dance being a serious business. It is basically about dance. You are all talented dancers, how do you make money from dance,’’ he asked.
According to him, sometimes there are lots of misconceptions about dance; people do not take dancers seriously.
“But as an entertainer generally how do you portray yourself so that people will begin to take you seriously. It is all about packaging.’’
He said the programme was an avenue for dancers to actually grow in their area of dance because people needed to know that whatever you do can earn you a living in the industry.
“There is need for diverse training of the Nigerian dancers if we really want them to succeed by looking for something new and add value to the dance as well.
“In as much as you create your own dance step, you have to look forward to learning something new and grow your dance.
“In Nigeria we actually focus more on school, they do not take dancers seriously unlike the developed countries because we are still in the developing state,’’ TY Mix said.
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.
Popular Nigerian comedienne, Tomama has revealed how she waited for Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid outside the bathroom.
She shared this while recounting her encounter with the singer at a recent event with heavy security.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Tomama explained that she waited by the bathroom in an attempt to have a one-on-one conversation with Wizkid.
She stated that she positioned herself near the restroom, hoping Wizkid would eventually use it, giving her the perfect opportunity to speak with him.
“Wizkid, I saw you, and I waited for you to pee, but you didn’t even stand up from where you were sitting. You just stayed there. All your crew members standing around got up to go pee. I was standing by the bathroom, waiting for you to come pee so that you would notice me,” she said.
Content creator and actor, Mr Macaroni has opened up about his financial struggles, saying he was both a victim of a scam and a failed investment in 2021.
He revealed that after losing all his savings, he resorted to borrowing to settle pending commitments and slipped into N500 million in debt.
He admitted that he is financially reckless and generous, impacting his financial stability negatively.
In lengthy post shared via his X handle yesterday, Mr Macaroni wrote, “Sometime around 2020/2022, I was a victim of a scam and simultaneously a failed investment that cost me all I had saved at the time. It shook me deeply but I told no one about it. If you know me well enough, you would know I do not like to share my problems. I could be going through the worst and at the same time helping others solve their own problems but I just would never share mine.”
“After I lost all the money I had then, Trouble started when I had to borrow money from different sources to settle all pending commitments and also fulfill certain responsibilities I have always believed were mine to fulfill. I make money in millions so I never thought borrowing money to pay back with interest could ever be a problem. But I got too comfortable and it took me a long time to realise that I was using the money I was earning to pay back interests. Also, my financial recklessness did not help. Please don’t borrow money! But if you must, please be responsible.”
The actor stated that 2024 marked a pivotal moment in his acting career but it was also the most challenging year for him as he faced over half a billion naira in debt.
Mr Macaroni revealed that his frustration grew worse after he was betrayed by someone he considered “a friend and sister.”
He added that with the support of family and friends who stood by him during his trying times, he now “feels better than I have felt in the last three years!”
The comedian stated that he decided to finally share his story to encourage others who are going through challenges.