By Esther Oludare
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has expressed confidence about the nation becoming the second largest democracy in the world by 2050. The U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens made the remarks in Lagos on Tuesday while speaking at KAP Film & Television Academy established and run by filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan. The event was held to kickstart a partnership between the academy and the United States Embassy to train young and aspiring filmakers.
Stevens said Nigerian filmamkers are already influencing the world in preparation for the future manifestation of Nigeria as a global force, in terms of population and democracy. “As an American diplomat, I feel deeply the power of our culture. For decades, the United States has benefited from cultural exchange, shaping perceptions of our country and generating interest in visiting and doing business in the U.S. Kunle and his colleagues are producing content watched worldwide, supported by platforms like Amazon and Netflix.
“This investment reflects a global appetite for these stories, and I believe we’re entering what I call the ‘African Century.’ By 2050, Nigeria will be the world’s third-largest country and second-largest democracy, with Africa hosting over a billion people.
“Nigerian filmmakers are preparing for this future by shaping how the world perceives their culture, country, and content. The U.S. mission is proud to support this through partnerships with American storytellers.” The U.S. Consul General remarked
Speaking earlier, award winning filmaker, Kunle Afolayan said the partnership is aimed at developing the next generation of Nigerian filmmakers and creators by providing direct, hands-on experience with top U.S. industry professionals.
Afolayan added that, the training programme will concentrate on on directing and cinematography.
“We visited Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Atlanta to connect with industry leaders and exchange ideas. This workshop, focused on directing and cinematography, is a result of that initiative, and we’re lucky to have experts like Angel Kristi Williams and Erin G. Wesley here to share their knowledge.
“We have a partnership which stemmed from my recent trip to the United States where I attended a creative programme supported by the United States embassy consulate in Nigeria. We went to L.A, DC, Virginia and Atlanta to meet with stakeholders and rub minds on film.
“When the opportunity to partner with this US Embassy came, we felt we could merge the capacity building training. Because our focus is the young people. But Reel Circle is for everybody,” he said, adding that “This is just one of our initiatives. We have a partnership with the French embassy. We just completed one with a German company. We have also held training for 10,000 youths. Some of these people work permanently in-house for us. For me, that is a success story.”
The four-day intensive workshop, launched to coomemorate the third edition of the academy’s REEL CIRCLE aims to provide hands-on training with top Hollywood professionals. The training will run through November 12 till November 16.
Veteran actress, Sola Sobowale, A-list filmaker, Tunde Kelani, Steve Sodiya, and Ope Ajayi are some of other notable industry players who graced the occassion.
