Tony Gaga
After 11 years of empowering over 50, 000 models and 11 queens, Nigeria’s premiere beauty pageant, Sisi Oge, is rebranding and would henceforth be known as Culturati.
In a chat with TS Weekend on the new initiative, entrepreneur, Aregbe Idris, the brains behind the initiative said: “It is great to know that people are familiar with the name Sis Oge which is an annual cultural event but after celebrating the 11th edition which was a resounding success, we decided to rebrand for the 12th edition hence we now have Culturati. It is not just an annual event but is designed to sustain our culture and of course, we are also incorporating SMEs and expanding our scope. The objective is to see how we can also empower Nigerians. We are looking at culture from the prism of business and trying to tell the world that Culturati is not just about beauty pageants, not just about events but promoting our culture with a perspective to also explore the business angle of culture.”
He added: “The notion behind Culturati 2019 is to explore nature’s creative beauty, create a renaissance of our cultural heritage, raise cultural ambassadors, and grow SMEs in the creative industry.
“To that extent, build-up programmes are ongoing to create the right momentum for the major event. Some of the ongoing programmes are training sessions, workshop programmes, cultural exhibitions, and creative seminars.”
Idris disclosed that unlike Sisi Oge, Culturati will be a three-day-event event which commences June 28 and runs through June 30th. It will hold at the Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos and Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
When he looks back 12 years, did he believe it was going to be this massive? “It is not easy to do 11 straight events unless you are focussed especially when you are not doing it for the money or fame but out of a desire to serve and empower. It is all about passion. The objective is to make sure this outlives me.”