Akeem Lasisi
The drums rumbled like a sky in protracted labour. Songs followed in compatible tempos. Then vibrant measured dance steps, greeted with rousing applause. The performance of some classical highlife chants was next, followed by a conventional stage play, which was though laced with musical performances in the spirit of African total theatre. On and on different troupes mounted the elite stage because it was another elastic celebration of the World Theatre Day.
That was about a month ago, March 27 to be precise, and venue was the Mike Adenuga Centre, Lagos, the silver edifice the legendary businessman and Chairman of Globacom Limited, Dr Mike Adenuga, built for the Alliance Francaise, Lagos, the durable French Cultural Centre that has continued to do strategic things in the sector.
Located in upscale Ikoyi, the centre has continued to advance the cultural diplomacy of France, deepening the study and knowledge of French, while also undertaking or hosting projects and programmes connected to the development of the creative sector in Nigeria. The institution has been in the country since 1959 and has always been active but the Mike Adenuga Centre, which was inaugurated when France President, Emmanuel Macron, visited Nigeria in July 2018, now provides something close to a perfect ambience for it, especially as it often holds some programmes simultaneously. During the event of the World Theatre Day, for instance, exhibitions and other educational programmes were on without any commotion. Stakeholders will also remember that other major events like the Ake Book Festival and Felabration shows have been held at the mega arena.
Indeed, based on the suave ambience and versatile experiences the Mike Adenuga Centre exudes, it has become one of the to-visit places in Lagos. Interestingly, many Lagosians who newly discover the structure too cannot hide their amazement as its grandeur. And it has to be so based on the statuses of the partners: Dr Mike Adenuga and the Alliance Francaise. Besides, the Mike Adenuga Centre is a deliberate asset. It is a case of a high idea meeting ready, fat funding, a case of proven wealth building functional legacy for posterity’s sake.
The implication is that, at 71, Adenuga has cause to find fulfilment in having invested in the centre. It, as a matter of fact, looks like a strategic venture for which fellow moneybags should envy him – or emulate him by identifying and clinically executing similar great projects for impact as all hands should be on deck to liberate the enormous potential of Nigeria’s creative industry. Well, not a few people will even pray that Adenuga replicate the centre in some other areas – arts or elsewhere. For instance, it will be another most wonderful gift if he blesses Nollywood with a Globacom Film Village.
The above request is not just a case of Oliver-tiwsting or what the Yoruba, especially the late music creator, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, call ‘fine bara’. It is good that the Globacom’s big boss is not pushing the cultural frontiers, as represented by the building of the Mike Adenuga Centre, as an afterthought. This is not the first time he is investing in the arts. Particularly through Globacom, he has phenomenally aided the development of the Nigerian/African music, film, literature and festivals. As many have acknowledged, the Glo Ambassadors scheme alone has been so consequential that the history of the revolution that the Nollywood and our music industry have become cannot be complete without acknowledging how the company has, for two decades, empowered many of the practitioners. Well, some will rightly argue that the partnership is mutually rewarding since it gives Glo too publicity leverage. Yes. The fact, however, is that the Glo ambassadorship opportunity is so destiny-reinforcing that every artiste will want to have a bite. Some of the entertainers who have been part of it are D’Banj, PSquare, Flavour, MI, Wande Coal, Omawumi, Burna Boy, Ego and Sani Danja, Recently, Asake, Kizz Daniel and Chike also got enlisted.
In literature, Globacom is famous for being the sponsor of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, a continent-wide competition that rewards the winner with $20,000. The inaugural award took place on August 5, 2006 at The MUSON Centre, Lagos and was won by Sefi Atta, with her work, Everything Good will Come. Other winners, so fat, are Nnedi Okorafor (Zahrah the Windseeker), Kopano Maltiwa (Coconut), who shared it with Wale Okediran (Tenants of the House); Safiso Mzobe (Young Blood), Akin Bello (The Egbon of Lagos) and Harriet Anena (A Nation in Labour) who also shared it with Tanure Ojaide (Songs of Myself).
Because Globacom appreciates the essence of traditional festivals too, helping to celebrate and preserve people’s heritage, it also powers the huge energy the people pour into them. It seems to understand the fact that, beyond being a vehicle for celebration, the festivals serve the purpose of continuity as they not only bond traditional rulers with their subjects, they also spiritually connect the living with the dead. This is a major reason the young and old often dearly hold on to theirs. In this regard, Globacom is the major sponsor of popular festivals like the Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode and the Ofala Festival, Onitsha.
This is how entrenched the impacts Otunba Mike Adenuga are in the industry. It is inspiring that, at 71, his coast has continued to expand while he continues to do more. Globacom and his other businesses are also looking up while his net worth is expanding, as evident in Forbes’ latest rating that announces him as the second richest Nigerian, coming after Alhaji Aliko Dangote. For Adenuga, therefore, millions of the people whose lives he touches can only sing and dance with him, while praying he get the gift of more decades in a greater shape and prosperity. Particularly for the arts and culture sector, the future shall continue to glow like a thousand moons
Back to the Mike Adenuga Centre, the Alliance Française Lagos promotes an alternative model for culture, offering a new platform to artists willing to develop their projects in partnership with it. The centre, which also hosts events for people/organisations free of charge once necessary criteria are met, boasts, among other facilities, a 120-seat soundproofed multipurpose auditorium (equipped with a PA system, a cinema screen, and a professional projection system), a 250-seat outdoor amphitheatre, an exceptional gallery space, a dance studio and accommodations for in-residence artists.
