How young writers, artists can tap into their creativity---Mentors

By Ikenna Asomba

Young writers at the NOAH'S ARK Creative Safari

Master Emenike Johnson is a 24 years old final year Mass Communication student in one of the nation’s universities. Right from his childhood days, he has had this flair and passion for writing. 










He has the innate potential and skills that makes up a good writer. Johnson has often times professed that he wants to become one of the country’s great writers like late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; novelist Elechi Amadi, poet and playwright, John Pepper Clark, and poet Christopher Okigbo; playright, Ola Rotimi, Chimamanda Adichie, and others who have written their names in gold in the literary world.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he has done no fewer than 10 works on fictitious and non-fictitious prose, drama and poetry, but is yet to publish any. His perception has been that someday, may be in the near future, a big corporate organization or wealthy individual may discover him and sponsor the publishing of his creative works.

Having, spent four years in the university and had developed such beautiful ideas without taking it to the final consumers- the readers, Johnson’s chances of making impact in the knowledge-based economy of the society, whilst redeeming himself of joining the league of unemployed graduates after his graduation becomes slim.

Worrisomely, there are innumerable teenagers and youths out there in the country, who like Johnson are good creative writers, artists, but who also live with the same perception. They wait for the “right” time which seems not to come and thus have most of their creative works lost by omission or commission.

It is against this backdrop that in commemoration of its 5^th Anniversary, Noah’s Ark Communications Limited, a leading Advertising agency in the country, last Thursday, for the first time, brought together notable writers, publishers, authors, journalists, broadcasters, public relations and advertising experts, artists, comedians, photographers and academics at Tera Kulture Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos, in order to sensitize young writers and artists on how they could tap into their creative talents while in school for self development.

Tagged Creative Safari, the event had two sessions where names like Jumoke Verissimo, author and winner of Carlos Idize Ahmad Award; Kelechi Amadi Obi, Photographer and Publisher of Mania Magazines; Itah Hozaife, Chief Executive Officer of Ink Marks Limited; Sesan Adeniji, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of My Streetz Media; Nnamdi Ndu of CHINI Productions; Tosin Martins, an artist and others took turns to enlighten the young writers and artists on how they could utilize their Gods-giving creative potentials, thereby becoming productive and worthy ambassadors of their parents and the nation at large.

In his contributions, Nnamdi Ndu, while decrying the growing unemployment rate in the country, averred that young writers should no longer wait for the so-called big sponsors to come and sponsor their creative works, but to put it together in print, no matter how small in order to derive intellectual and economic satisfaction.

His words: “It has been discovered that most corporate organizations and wealthy individuals in the country today, do not encourage the creativity of young writers and upcoming artists by means of sponsorship. They only sponsor writers and artists who are already made, to the detriment of the young artists and writers, who may have better creative works untapped. Rather than folding your arms and waiting for these sponsors to come, why not start small like printing your creative works in form of handouts and pamphlets and perhaps marketing it yourself,” Ndu charged.

Earlier, Lanre Adisa, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Noah’s Ark Communications Limited had said that the essence of the creative safari themed: “The Business of Creativity. What Next?” was for stakeholders in the creative industry to come together in the cross fertilization of creative ideas, while mentoring young creative entrepreneurs on how they can succeed with their creative ideas and thoughts in the area of authoring, arts, broadcasting, entertainment, comedy, advertising, photography amongst others.

He said: “As an advertising agency, we strongly believe that advertising and creative arts are interdependent. It’s our concern that we must develop various arts, artifacts and totems to depict the true positive nature of Nigeria. If we fail to sell our nation through our creative works, there will be a vacuum. This will prompt other people fill the vacuum for us, even at our own detriment.”

Adding, “There was once an advertisement message from a New York-based advertising agency, which depicted Nigeria as a country of scammers. This is the cogent reason why we need to cross-fertilize and share ideas on how to positively sell Nigeria before the global community.”