“Nigeria’s Art and Culture has been totally neglected”……Bolanle Peters

Mrs. Bolanle Austen Peters, Founder Terra Kulture

 YALDA conference 2012 today enters its day three of its youth empowerment programme aim at identifying great potentials among the youths.

The event held at the Orchid Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, had various guest from all sectors coming to educate, help identify and share great potentials that awaits them in the particular sector they want to venture into.

Speaking at the Media, Entertainment, Arts and Culture, panel session, Mrs. Bolanle Austen Peters, founder Terra Kulture, Lagos, sited that Nigeria’s Art and Culture has been totally neglected due to lack of proper planning and lack of favourable government policies towards the sector.

Furthermore, Bolanle in identifying the potentials in Arts sited Nollywood as the biggest film producer in the world.

She further suggested that if proper consideration is given to Nollywood, it will be regarded as the fourth biggest economic sector in Nigeria.

According to her, “Nollywood is estimated at a value of 500 Million Dollars per annum”.

In her closing remark, she advised the youths to have passion for whatever they want to venture into and discard the perception of wanting to make money first, “you don’t need to have money or wait for the bank to start a business, you just need to follow your passion.”

In addition, she said that in a bid to portray a good image of Nigeria to the world, Terra Kulture has proposed a plan of building a modern theatre, which will attract people in watching live performances of our cultural heritage and other events.

Meanwhile, an On-Air personality, Tolulope Adeleru, of 99.3 Nigeria Info, stated that the media is very broad, but in venturing into it, one needs to consider the ethics of the profession.

Addressing the youths on the great potentials in the media sector, Bolanle urged the youths to first, have a good sense and passion for the pen profession thereby linking it with the proper use of the social media.

She advised that, “towards achieving a success in the media sector, we need to have a plan, identify our target audience, have a vision, be different and consistent in the area we want to write about, because that is what will make you unique.”