Buckwyld Media Network and BHM have partnered to develop and execute a range of international showcases exploring the culture and creativity of Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by Efe Omorogbe, CEO, Buckwyld Media Network and Ayeni Adekunle, founder of BHM, the project, Naija To the World (N2TW), is aimed at providing an alternative narrative to the stories out there about Nigeria and Nigerians. It is also to provide a platform for other aspects of Nigerian lore, culture and experiences to travel and thrive.
Naija To The World will debut at the world-famous Apollo Theatre in New York City on September 16, 2023 after traversing several Nigerian cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin, Abuja, and Jos.
The event will focus on telling cultural stories and providing music and related experiences from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where at least 10 out of 20 talents in the creative industry have emerged over the past 25 years. The region was selected because of its rich cultural history as well as its struggles to achieve creative and economic success and stability despite providing over 80% of Nigeria’s GDP.
Ayeni said: “We’re beyond excited for the opportunity to co-host this new series of cultural showcases around the US and later other parts of the world. The plan is to tell original African stories through live concerts, exhibitions, films, documentaries, and so on. And the first instalment will focus on the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where most of Nigeria’s crude oil comes from but which continues to be troubled, abandoned and impoverished. The world already knows this and many have had cause to use the oil directly or indirectly. But what many do not know is that most of the African pop music dominating the world right now also comes from there (Burna Boy, for example). So, we want to showcase the music, the food, the fashion, and the literature from a place many only previously associated with oil and violence.”
The organisers stated further that a documentary is in the works, as well as pop up events around Nigeria and parts of New York City. The Apollo Theatre concert will provide an opportunity to hear previously untold stories from the south-south region of Nigeria; and put names, faces and links to some of the biggest arts to emerge from Nigeria over the past 100 years – from poetry to music, film, dance and comedy.
Omorogbe added: “Against a backdrop of multi-billion dollar operations and squalid communities, confounding extremes that seem to leave the polity constantly tethering on the brink of crisis, the Niger Delta region remains the premiere incubator for talent in Nigeria. Talents who have continually shaped the course of creative enterprise in Nigeria; talents who are driving the redefinition of Nigeria’s national identity and burgeoning soft power; talents who are primed for world domination and seem unwilling to let anything deter them from reaching their goals.”
It is expected that at least 10 million fans will participate through pop-up events and talent shows, and a series of community events around historic African communities in America, culminating in the live concert exhibition at the Apollo Theatre on September 16, featuring a carefully selected entourage of emerging and leading actors, comedians, designers, chefs, musicians and performers from Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Apart from live curated concerts, the series will also produce themed biographies, biopics and documentaries in partnership with select platforms.