Oluwo Olawole Olakunle ‘MKO host of #theifapriestpodcast, berates AMVCA for failing to connect creators who are custodians of our culture with actors and producers in the entertainment industries. This attempt would have bridged the misinformation gap in the industry.
So many people leverage the word culture without even understanding what culture entails and how it defines the tenets of our environment.
Globally, the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) play a key role in contributing to GDP. In recognition of the importance of CCIs in achieving the Agenda 2063 objectives of regional integration, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development, the African Union declared the Year 2021 as “The AU Year of the Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building Africa We Want”.
Culture incorporates social behaviour and norms of society and the language, knowledge, beliefs, traditions, arts, customs, capacities and habits of a certain community.
When the AMVCA announced that it would be having its first cultural day, I believed it was an avenue to organise a platform where custodians of our culture and heritage would critique while presenting our opinions on the negative representation of our culture as we present a way forward through dialogue.
Aspiration 5 of Agenda 2063 envisions ‘An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and Ethics’. This calls for an African cultural renaissance which is pre-eminent, and that inculcates the spirit of Pan Africanism; tapping Africa’s rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa’s growth and transformation; and restoring and preserving Africa’s cultural heritage, including its languages.
However, the AMVCA cultural day was just a show-off of colourful fabrics, leaving aside the crucial part. The Africa we want is not an Africa built on negative stereotypes. Therefore this move by the AMVCA further proves my point that the misrepresentation of our culture is an intentional act by the entertainment industry.
‘MKO
@mko_olawole
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