EVENT: The British Council 3 Day Creative Industry Expo

The British Council 3 Day Creative Industry Expo will be kicking off Monday 5th December 2011. Day 1 will see these two dignitaries – Chief Edem Duke (Minister of Culture and Tourism) and Ian Livingstone(Life President Eidos UK) deliver keynote speeches. It will also feature a discussion panel who’ll focus on;

• Experiences in developing creative industries for social and economic growth
• Relationships that can be forged between public agencies and the creative economy
• Policy and regulatory models suited to generate jobs, wealth and cultural engagement
• How creative practitioners, Industry representatives and associations influence this agenda.

The Members of the panel and moderators for Day 1 are;

• Joke Silva (Director Lufodo Academy of Performing Art)
• Remi Ogunpitan (Managing Director Integrated Broadcast Services and Technologies)
• Ituen Basi (Award winning Fashion Designer)
• Omoyeni Akerele (CEO Style House Files)
• Efere Ozako (CEO, Efere Ozako & Associates Initiative)
• Greg Odutayo (President, National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners)
• Martin Smith (Special Adviser Ingenious Media, UK)
• Margaret Bolton (Consultant, UK Third Sector Policy)
• Ben Tomoloju (Cultural Activist and First Arts Editor for The Guardian Newspaper)
• Seke Somolu (Writer/Film Maker)

Day 2 and 3 will be divided into two strand options and they are are;

• The Creative Entrepreneur
• Blended Solutions: Public and Private sector development models for the creative industries

Speakers for Day 2 and Day 3 are;

• John Asein (Director Nigerian Copyright Commission)
• Ayo Ayeni (Intellectual Property Lawyer/Consultant)
• Kaine Agar (Editor D Talk Shop)
• Tom Broughton (Digital Media Strategist, UK)
• Barbel Mauch and Thomas Tielsch (Independent Producers and Representatives of Documentary Association, Germany)
• Seyi Taylor (CEO Noah69 Company)
• Eloi Bela Ndzana (Independent Film Producer, Cameroon)
• Juliet Ehimuan (Country Manager Google Nigeria)
• Evelyn Oputu (MD Bank of Industry)
• Roberts U. Orya (MD Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM))
• Busola Holloway (President Independent TV Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN))
• Bond Emerua (President, Coalition of Nollywood Guilds and Association (CONGA))
• Bolanle Austin Peters (CEO TerraKulture)
• Dr. Will Rea (Senior Lecturer Faculty of Performance, Visual Arts & Communications, University of Leeds, UK)

There will also be short presentations which will be delivered by;

• Professor Emmanuel Dandaura (National President, Society of Nigerian Theatre Artistes)
• Mo Abudu (CEO Inspire Africa)
• Makin Soyinka (Director Lagos Film Office)
• Chude Jideonwo (Managing Partner Red Media Group)
• Emem Ema (CEO Vzhunmedia Limited)
• Gbenga Sesan (CEO Paradigm Initiative Nigeria)

The closing speech of the event will be done by the governor of Cross River State – Liyel Imoke.This Expo is one of several activities and events used by the British Council to enhance cultural integration between Nigeria and UK as well as promote the growth of local cultural heritage, industries and Nigeria’s local talent.

Win Tickets
In an effort to help support the Nigerian Creative Sector, BN in collaboration with Finance Ministry will be giving out 30 Tickets to the Expo. All you have to do to win is answer the following questions;
Questions1-Name 5 Nigerian creative sectors that the participants at this 3 Day Expo will be from?
2-What is the main aim for the expo?

All answers are to be submitted in the comment section below, please endeavor to fill in your full name and email address.
Deadline: Monday 5th December 2011 by 9 AM

You sure don’t want to miss out on this Expo! 

Date: Monday 5th December – Wednesday 7th December 2011 
Time: Day 1: 9 AM – 12 PM | Day 2: 9 AM – 5 PM | Day 3: 9 AM – 5 PM 
Venue: Expo Hall, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos 
Contact:For more info & general enquiries on the Event Programme, Speakers & Registration

• Log on to www.creativeexponigeria.org
• Check their Facebook Page
• Follow on Twitter@CreativeExpoNG

LIFE STYLE: 3 Zimbabwean Women Charged with Raping Men

Three women in Zimbabwe have been accused of raping at least four men to obtain their sperm for traditional rituals. The women, whose trial began Monday, are collectively charged with 17 counts of aggravated indecent assault.Police say the women may have been part of a nationwide syndicate that used the sperm for traditional rituals in the belief they make people lucky and wealthy. The women were arrested in a town 170 miles outside of the capital city of Harare after police found 31 used condoms in their car.

The suspects in the case have denied the charges, claiming they are prostitutes and did not have time to dispose of the condoms. “Are we not suspects until proven guilty? It’s as if people have already made their judgments and found us guilty,” said Sophie Nhokwara, 26, one of the suspects, in an interview. At least nine men have come forward as being victims with similar stories of being attacked. Kelvin Hazangwi, national director of the Padare Mena’s Forum on Gender, said male rape is still a taboo subject in Zimbabwe.

“I’ve noticed that the men who have come forward are really traumatized after seeking medical assistance of these rapes and need counseling,” Hazangwi told ABC News. “Some of them, their partners left them and they could not go back to their families. Their social networks have broken down.”

“This case is shocking not only for the men but also for the society as a whole,” Hazangwi said. “Many people drove to the police station just to get a glimpse or a view of the women that would rape men.”....

Do you think our Nija gurls can go this length to make money?

LIFE STYLE: Nigerian Gay Marriage Ban will not be accepted by Europe - UK Diplomat

The excerpt below is culled from the utterances of The British High commissioner to Nigerian in Dutse, Jigawa state, said that western countries will not tolerate Nigeria punishing gay people because of their sexual orientation..

“It is wrong to punish people for mere expression of their relationships or for choosing to become what they have chosen for themselves. Punishment is infringement upon their fundamental human rights and the western countries would not condone the action,”- UK High Commissioner, Andrew Lloyd discussing with Governor Sule Lamido..

What do you think?

ARTICLE: How To Profit From Giving Away Free Music

If there is one thing clear about music and the internet, it’s that there are no clear options for distribution. Rather, there are hundreds of varied strategies that may work depending on who you are and what your situation is. Creativity and understanding of how the web works are the two things that will help you the most.

To most people the idea of releasing free naija music may sound unprofitable and wasteful, but when looking at the bigger picture it turns out to be a very smart move. There is no better way to spread your music than to release it for free. In most cases you wouldn’t be making much from selling it anyway. Just like in any business, you need to have a customer base before you can make any profit.

Assuming you are a musician who can perform live as well as produce studio recordings, the ways to make money in the modern music environment will not be from album sales. The album as a concept is slowly but surely disappearing, as music is no longer released on disks and more emphasis is being places on EPs and singles. These are harder to sell for considerable profits, and by offering them only for payment, you limit how many people will obtain them.

Instead of trying to go against the unstoppable juggernaut of illegal file sharing and music downloading, go with it. Give your music away and watch it spread as far as it can. Keeping in mind that you could only make so much off it anyway, in the beginning at least, the positives outweigh the negative.

In return for passing out your music free of charge, you obtain promotion and reputation in return. In other words, you get more fans. Fans are what lead to profits down the line if you are a musical act, and they are the most important thing when it comes to the business side of the equation. So the move is to get your music out there in any way that you can if you think it will lead to promotion and new fans.

New fans can lead to increased albums sales, concert ticket sales, and music placement in commercials or films, and that is when the money will be coming in. But if you started off selling a few albums for N100 a piece, you would be sitting around with N500 and five fans. That N500 is nothing compared to the long term income obtainable from establishing yourself as a popular musical act.

So when you are thinking about how to make a living with your music, think about how to get fans before you think about monetization. Look for sites like getnaijamusic.com that work to get people’s music out there and their names recognized, and use any tool you can find. Creativity in promotion is the name of the game on the internet, and the key to getting your work heard.

EVENT: Grand Nigerian Party - Watch Codeman Live Today

The GRAND NIGERIAN PARTY is an avenue for toplisted upcoming Nigerian bands and artistes on Reverbnation to perform to a massive audience. The venue for the event will be Oniru Beach, Lagos. 

Nairaland is the largest online forum of Nigerians with registered membership of more than 750,000 people. Members of Nairaland are invited, and will make up the majority of the audience. Other industry players including A&R persons, Music and Video Producers, Artiste Managers, OAPs, and Record Label Execs will be present to see what bubbling under the the Nigerian Music Industry.

Featuring: M Trill, Blaise, Sean K-Dogg, Adaz, Syko-Logikal, Codeman, the hottest unsigned acts in the industry; and the TUG Records' first sign up: JON JAC in his first ever appearance. For all artistes listed to perform at the event: visit
www.reverbnation.com/venue/GrandNigerianParty

BREAKING NEWS: Jonathan Sacks Waziri

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday sacks Farida Waziri as EFCC chairman, appoints Ibrahim Lamorde as acting chairman. (NAN).

 Details later.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/jonathan-sacks-waziri/

12-12-11

‎12-12-11. Release date for the second official Single "Unite Africa" off Codeman's forthcoming Album. Watch out on this space.