First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) says Nigeria can boost its economy by promoting and exporting its creative arts to the world.
FBN Group Head, Public Sector West, Dr Timothy Arowoogun, said this in Ibadan on Tuesday at the recreation of a stage play, “OkeLangbodo,”at the Wole Soyinka Theatre, University of Ibadan (UI).
According to Arowoogun, the bank believes anything linked with creative arts is a big business to be supported.
“As a bank, we have aligned ourselves with creative arts in Nigeria and Africa because FirstBank is a global institution and we believe that we can sponsor the industry.
“It is like the Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs), which is one of our core areas of support.
“In Nigeria, without supporting the real sector, which creative arts, we believe, is part of it, we can’t go anywhere,” he said.
He said to bring down the rising foreign exchange, Nigeria needed to build and support its SMEs to export goods and services thereby limiting the level of importation.
Similarly, FBN Head of Media, External Relations and Sustainability, Ismail Omamegbe, said the bank would continue to sponsor components of the creative industry to promote SMEs.
“A platform of arts is not peculiar to Yoruba folklore but it could be Igbo or Yoruba; it has to be able to drive unity and coming together.
“It has to typify or exemplify what Nigeria stands for,” he said.
OtunbaAyodejiOsibogun, the Executive Producer of the stage play and Chief Executive Director, Creazioni Network, said FirstBank, under its First@Arts initiative, partnered with his company to produce the play.
“OkeLangbodo is a Yoruba folklore that has been adapted into various forms of literature, including plays, novels, and poems.
“The story is often seen as a metaphor for life’s journey, with Langbodo representing the human spirit’s resilience in the face of adversity.
“OkeLangbodo was initially created in 1977 and it’s being reproduced by Creazioni Communications with the theme that addresses human existence,” he said.
He stressed the importance of youth involvement in everything being done in the country, especially as displayed by the bank in bringing the production to the Department of Theatre Arts, UI.
According to him, the initiative will ensure that tomorrow’s artists are involved and ready to replace the Nollywood actors and actresses.
“We are talking about moving people from the movie to the theatre, so who is going to run the theatre?
“So, FirstBank and Odu’a are already thinking about tomorrow, that is why we are here,” Osibogun said.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, DrWasiuOlatunbosun, reiterated the importance of promoting culture and supporting the development of creative industry in the state.
OkeLangbodo, a legendary tale of courage and resilience, was inspired by the timeless classic, “Ogboju Ode ninu Igbo Irunmole” by D.O Fagunwa.
It was reimagined in English as “Forest of a Thousand Demons” by Prof. Wole Soyinka and brought to life on stage by Wale Ogunyemi during Festac 77 as “Lagbodo.”
OkeLangbodo was recreated as a collusion of ancient legends with modern technology of immense digital and technological experiential possibilities.