Ewolewoo!!

When Nollywood started in Nigeria, it began out of pure nothing. When I say nothing, I mean naadaa!! People were just looking at it as pure fun and nothing more. In fact we used to look at those aspiring artistes then as layabouts and those without hope. People who followed some old artistes like Baba Sala, clarus and gringory (of the new masquerade fame), Bitrus(of the cockcrow at dawn fame), Samanja,etc, would understand better how the artistes were viewed back then before Nollywood blew us away.

However, today despite all the imperfections, Nollywood is so massive with many of the artistes doing very well for themselves. I was never born to a Nigerian artiste being signed to a big firm but it is happening in Nigeria. Now, that I see companies chasing Nigerian actors being part of their internal social programs or any other “jollification”. It never happened then but it’s happening now. Additionally, they could easily enter high places that many of ‘us’ would only dream of. Things don waka oo!!

Likewise the music industry,  gone are the days when Nigerian musicians are looked at with scorn. I remember a senior cousin of mine who wanted to become a musician then. He was just shouted down and almost ostracised from the family. It was that bad those days.

Right now it’s most likely that your kids would know more about P-square, DavidO, olamide, timaya, Tuface, tiwa savage, Ice prince, M.I, Yemi Alade, etc than the American or british musicians. It’s a sure bet that it is easier for the telecoms to sell their products through an olamide than an accomplished professor of telecommunication. The politician believes that picking a P-square along in his campaign train sells his message better than getting an accomplished economist or political scientist on the trail. This is the power that these new artistes have gotten that people who were used to Ebenezer Obey, sunny ade, Osita Osadebey, Rex Lawson, dan maraya, etc would find very confounding but true. Time don change o!!

People are taking their kids to music lessons because of these guys. People are teaching their kids how to be artistes due to these individuals. People have been able to observe how these guys turned something we all considered to be “worthless” into accomplished vocations. This also goes to football, tailoring and fashion designing, hairdressing just to mention a few. Things have shifted and it is a new world.. A new definition where success has much more elaborate definition than what we were used to.

This is a definition of a fact: PASSION. You must have passion for what you are doing so far it’s legit. You must believe in what you want even when people have reservations. You must develop that incorrigible devotion to that which you like. It may take time, the road may be rough, but your passion will pull you through. Remember it is never over unless you are 6ft below.

Hope it remains peaceful around you…Ewolewooooo!!!!!