SHORT ADDRESS BY BRUCE ONOBRAKPEYA
DURING “CREATIVITY MOVING NIGERIA”
(An Evening of Celebration of Creative Industry in Nigeria)
Eko Hotel Lagos
November 28, 2014
Your
Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Commander-In-Chief of the
Armed Forces of Nigeria, Fellow artists, Members of the press, Eminent
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I
thank Mr. President for this recognition of our work. We appreciate his
great interest in the creative sectors and for all that his government
has been doing to elevate our sectors to a higher level where they. can
continue to play an optimum role in the development of our country
Nigeria.
The
occasion provides me the opportunity to plead with Mr. President to
look into two areas which need urgent attention to facilitate and
accelerate the growth of the arts sector.
The
first is the implementation of the National Endowment for the Arts
which would include social welfare for the artists and grants to empower
them to take care of their various associations and carry out projects.
The
second is the building of infrastructure to showcase artistic
products. Top on the list is the National Gallery of Modern Art. This
is in fact long overdue.
There is also the need for Artists’ communities within the various estates being developed in our cities.
In
closing I say a very big thank you to Mr. President for his special
greetings to me during the celebration of my eightieth birthday and
during the award to me by Smithsonian Museum of African Art in the
United States of America.
Finally,
Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank Mr. President for graciously
writing the foreword to my latest monograph “The Masks of the Flaming
Arrows.” I ask Mr. President to kindly accept a complimentary copy of
the book which I like to present to him as I step down from the podium.
Thank you Sir. Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen.
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