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THE NEED FOR A NIGERIAN ARTS AND CULTURE DIRECTORY
(NACD Project online)

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By R. F. Wilcox

The need for a national compendium on Arts, Culture and Tourism cannot be overemphasized in a diverse and plural society as ours. A national Directory on Arts and Culture is long overdue after the last attempt by the erstwhile Department of Culture to publish a Directory on Calendar of Festivals and a national Personality Profile in the Arts failed, due to lack of funds.

It will be recalled that a copious documentation of festivals in Nigeria and important personalities in the Arts were embarked up in the 80’s and 90’s and as a result of lack of financial release for the projects. The manuscripts are still lying at the Cultural Library of the National Theatre 15 years after. Therefore, for a proper implementation of the cultural policy of Nigeria, a Directory on arts and culture is quite imperative.

A national Directory on Arts, Culture and Tourism, featuring a comprehensive documentation of the diverse cultural and tourism potential of Nigeria which can be accessed on the internet, will open a new vista of opportunities for promoting very actively, Nigeria culture abroad on the one hand and the establishment of alliances, partnerships, networks and cooperation between Culture and Tourism operatives in Nigeria and stakeholders abroad on the other for the overall development of the nation

The purpose for a national Directory on Arts and Culture was borne out of the fact that culture should no longer be seen as a dinging and dancing phenomenon but as an instrument for creating wealth, using our vast tourism resources as well as our huge cultural industry to challenge the contribution of oil production to national development.

The compendium to be published should not be seen as an end in itself but rather as a stimulus for a proactive drive towards raising the visibility of culture as a paradigm for national development. What this means is that the documentation of sites, festivals, monuments, personalities, architecture, cuisines, fashion, designs etc which will feature in the directory, should be such that will carry economic implications as in the relationship between culture and development as opposed to just mere enlistments that are not hinged on any economic and developmental motives or consideration.

To this end, the contents of the Directory must be well researched and made to pass through the crucible. It must not feature just anything. Rather it should feature the best of our cultural heritage, taking globalization into account and also taking into cognizance the general world economic trend which supports open markets. If the revenue that will accrue to culture and tourism related industries, are to outstrip what oil presently contributes to national development, then there is a need to highlight in the Directory, those cultural imperatives that will attract stakeholders and businessmen from abroad to get interested in investing in Nigeria.

For instance as its main focus, the Directory should highlight tourism and its potential and create a link between tourism and national development. Then it should highlight cultural industries in Nigeria and also relate it to national development. When we say cultural industries what we mean are those industries which combine the creation, production and commercialization of contents considered to be intangible and cultural in nature to produce goods and services which are usually protected by copyright.

Examples of cultural industries include, printing, publishing and multimedia, audiovisual phonographic and cinematographic productions, crafts and design, architecture, visual and performing arts, traditional sports, manufacturing of musical instruments, advertising and cultural tourism. The proposed Directory therefore shall focus more on cultural industries which today, serves as the greatest money spinner in most advanced economies such as the USA, UK, France and Germany. For instance according to UNESCO statistics in 2002, between 1980 and 1998 annual world trade of printed materials e.g. literature, music, visual arts, cinema, photography, radio, television, games and sporting goods increased from US$95.340 million – US$387.927 million.

According to another UNESCO data, it was recorded that in 1996 earnings from cultural industries or copyright based industries, i.e. movies, music, Television programs, books, journals and computer soft wares became the largest USA export, surpassing for the first time all other industries including automotive, agriculture, aerospace and defence. Also according to a 1998 report by the International intellectual Alliance, USA core copyright industries grew three times as fast as the annual rate of the economy within a decade, 1977 – 1996 achieving US$60.180 million in both foreign trade and exports. Similarly another UNESCO report indicated that the UK chalked-up a wooping US$12.500 million from its creative or cultural industries alone within one year.

In conclusion, the idea to publish a national Directory on Arts and Culture which will create a link between Culture and Development is a welcome idea as it supports the dictates of the Cultural policy which encourages the aggressive promotion, export and marketing of our cultural heritage. The Directory should be seen as an invaluable contribution of the culture sector towards diversifying the economy which today leans heavily on oil. If the best of our cultural heritage, both human and material are well packaged and documented in a book form, and put on the internet, it could help create that missing link between culture as a tool for human development in Nigeria.

R.F. Wilcox is a Senior Staff of the Federal Ministry of Culture annd Tourism, Abuja.

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