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Shadez the dancer |
What do they have in common: Gideon Gambo (Spinoza), Ibrahim Mohammad-amin Mohammed (Shadez), Ediale Oriwoh (Eddy), Jabir Husseini (King Jaja), Steady Ateli and Hephzibah Christopher (Hephzidance)?
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Hard work, commitment, experience and intelligence at work |
Stories of battles fought, won or loss, the effects and remedies in the now and future, the consequences, responses and reactions that followed the visits and message of emissaries and harbingers of war and the peace efforts, processes and resolutions that trail them are told through dance. Similarly, various forms of reconciliations; conflicts, abuses and the nature of engagements: peace building, peace enforcement and peace maintenance operations of different times are also told through dance. Stories of love, hatred and intimidation, harassment and denial; the good, the bad and ugly leadership and governance systems are sometimes revealed by choreographers in dance formats designed by them for public performance by dancers in arts theaters: open or closed, formal or informal; at the community arenas, family compounds and halls of different kinds and sizes.
PDAM: a dance group in Jos, Plateau state, on stage |
Interesting, special and unique, passion driven and impact oriented are some of the emotions that followers and admirers of dance, a serious job creation and wealth generation instrument that has been deliberately and seriously neglected, abandoned and seemingly rejected in Nigeria for years. The fact that dance is under the big umbrella of entertainment and a major component of the constantly rising creative industry did not change this narrative.
Ignorance is a disease and for surety sake, disease destroys and kills, even...
A dance group in Jos, Plateau state: PDAM on the stage | |
Opportunities for sustainable socio-economic growth and development abound in and through the creative economy and industry in Nigeria. Dance as a major component of the creative economy in the country provides huge opportunity for Nigeria’s development, and therefore, very vital for putting the economy on the path of socio-economic recovery.
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Ibrahim Mohammad-amin (Shades) |
There is no arguing the fact that the Nigerian economy has been in a limbo for some years. The consensus of opinion by most economic analysts, public commentators and development practitioners with regard to the state of the economy remains the fact that the country is running a mono-economy, driven specifically by oil.