Ezinne Azunna, the Chief Executive Officer of media and production company, Media Traction Ltd, has a bias for the Maritime Industry also known as the Marine & Blue Economy. She is not only the host of Nigeria Ship Finance Conference & Exhibition (NISFCOE), but also the brain behind the Maritime Writes Project (MWP) and the African Maritime Art Exhibition (AMAE). In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, she speaks on how she is raising young ones to change Nigeria’s maritime narrative.
How was growing up like for you?
It was adventurous, fun and at the same time demanding. I was quite playful, I think I still am, my close circle knows…Every family has its culture, and expectation fueled by the experiences, beliefs and exposure of parents or guardians and my family is the same. Responsibility is demanded. Growing up was also a time of lots of travels, we moved from one part of Nigeria to the other once my father was transferred. He served at the General Hospital, Nnewi and the General Hospital, Gusau before he joined the Nigeria Police where he rose to become the Chief Medical Officer.
We lived in all regions of Nigeria – North, East, West and South; my father is sold out to education, it was compulsory to wake up at 5am for your prep whether school was in session or on holiday. We had a timetable that ran at home, from Primary One, he gave us novels which he stacked before we were born to read. We had to read the encyclopedia, he regularly encouraged us to read the dictionary, I never did. It was boring for me as a child. We wrote essays once we returned from any outing/visit and submitted them to him. He made us read signages, go to church, told us stories of the war and challenges they had to go through, my favourite stories were those of resilience and heroic exploits. My mum, a teacher, was pretty much the English woman, the fashionista. She made us read the entire volumes of Queen Premier, Brighter Grammars! I read English without Tears and loads of African novels, she would wake up and its dictation time. We had our ups and downs but generally, I have loads of memories, some make me happy, others so so, they collectively influence /inspire me depending on my situation.
How would you say your background impacted the woman you became?
I learnt hard work, resilience, to give new things a try, I learnt honesty, the value of the right friends or relationships and to quickly disassociate from people whose lifestyle do not match my value, my background emphasised the priceless value of education and reading, faith in God etc. Yes, my life has been greatly influenced by my background
What does it mean being a woman?
It means to add value at every opportunity: it means to enhance and make better the world starting from your little space called home.
What is beauty to you?
Beauty is all encompassing, it is rounded like we say in literature …it’s not just physical attributes, it’s found in character, in our interpersonal relationships, in the way one talks, thinks, perceives or interprets stuff. It is the presence of the sublime in all parts of our lives. So, as we become more valuable, enhance ourselves, beauty is wholesome…you may see it in fragments around but it’s better when we think of ourselves as beauty and seek wholesomeness individually and as groups
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love to travel, to read (I belong to a Reading Forum, I love our banter), I love to dance (not a good dancer but you will always find music in my corner). I love to have friends and family over, I cook very well
How would you describe your fashion style?
Subtle, Stylish enough, I hope. I just love my comfort, it is key.
What is your favorite style to wear?
In recent times I have been attracted to Nigerian brands- Imani couture, Cotton Loops, Xclamations, Dimeji Ilori, Mona Mathews, Femi bags, Ohloe to mention a few. It is usually quality and a subtle edge in style for me. Kubona deals with foreign shoes and I love some of them.
What fashion item can you not do without?
I can do without any fashion item. Fashion is beautiful, makes me feel altogether but over the years, I have learnt detachment from everything in case the need arises, it always comes in handy.
How long have you been involved in the maritime sector?
It’s my 24th year. I was a reporter with the Examiner Newspaper and the organisation posted me to the beat. I was barely in the sector for one year when Examiner folded up. I was approached by a senior colleague and we started Maritime and Energy Digest. We laid that to rest five years after. While MED was on, I explored the ideas of producing jingles and NPA, NMA now NIMASA asked me to work on their briefs. About 2006 -2008, I was very much into reading Harvard Business Review and I recall reading some editions on the importance of technology and how online journalism was going to take over the print. Those reports were prophetic in a way, people still found it hard to send mails! I also served as Press Secretary, Media Consultant for a few politicians. Well, one day I woke up, after a period of brooding over what I could do, I founded the Nigerian Maritime News (TNMN), the very first online news platform in the Maritime Industry and boy, it was difficult. People thought I was a joker, colleagues mocked me. Today, every medium has the web arm! I have learnt not to be deterred, people will eventually grow to understand the value you bring to the table and well if they do not, it is still okay as long as you have your conviction, your team does and the value you bring is tangible. It takes so much to birth things /ideas, if ideas wouldn’t usually consume me until they became a reality. I am sure I will not be doing this. I like soft life too. I also would love to be unnoticed. I am shy but many do not believe me. A good part of me is introverted, forget the optics. I would rather be living in a farm settlement or by the sea in Seychelles or Netherlands, tending to my family, but this is where God will have me now and it is important to synchronise our physical life and career with our walk with God.
What inspired the establishment of AMAE?
As a media company, it is easy to see gaps when you speak to several people with different perspectives in the sector. What we just did is ask ourselves what to do to bridge the gap. For the African Maritime Art Exhibition (AMAE), it happened after the Maritime Writes Project, we discovered the industry cannot thrive in isolation, we need the buy in of the society for our agenda/campaign to top the list of individual and once we started our broadcast arm, we were collecting photos of maritime areas many professionals and citizens had never been. I planned it for after my days in active journalism but one day, I told myself that showing people, Nigerians and other Africans maritime in photos may intrigue them and further influence them to support or be a part of the sector. The thought would not let me rest so I began researching; I found out that Maritime Art Exhibitions happened in advanced maritime climes. It is mind-boggling that when I am overtaken by the thoughts of these ideas, I sink my time, my funds, I drag friends and family into it etc. I have a friend who knows I will seldom take their calls then, it can be quite grinding. I am grateful for the support we get and obviously we need more.
What inspired the establishment of the Maritime Writers Project as the writers’ hub?
We open people up to the maritime industry and the opportunities it holds for them, their community/society while training and guiding them to write and publish literature on the industry. We are on a mission to create awareness of and grow public interest in the Maritime/Marine Industry through creative writing while teaching individuals and organisations to tell and own their stories.
Our vision is simple, to annually train children, youths and women in creative writing and to publish compendia of fictional works on the Maritime/Marine Industry authored by the Maritime Writers Projects Participants. Early exposure to fiction with marine and maritime themes could be the panacea for sea-blindness so in the last five years we concentrated on works for children and young adults. We had a public presentation of three books of 17 maritime short stories last few weeks ago. There are over 100 Blue professions and we want emphasis on these, on the Blue Economy, on the settings and themes /issues that affect the sector. The works that we presented talked of climate change, marine plastics pollution, diving, seafaring, the port system etc. We equip participants with the requisite skills that we will do free of charge, At the end of the training, participants are expected to write their short stories, closely supervised by the Faculty, the best 10 are published.
How has been the journey so far?
Beautiful. The strides of our participants at MWP give us joy. Quite a number have gone on to win many competitions and they also reference their time at our Creative Writing boot camps, the Faculty are most supportive too. Many of them were my lecturers, some my mentors in the sector. That they commit their time and share much knowledge free of charge is most encouraging
What fuels your passion?
The need to close the gaps we identify, that humans could have better quality of life with the right exposure and structure in place. I am driven by the success we record also. It is always important to measure the impact of what one does- to review and adjust the idea or to totally jettison it if it holds no water.
In your view, what potential does the blue economy hold for Nigeria? And are we there yet, what can be done to achieve it?
Nigeria can thrive on the Blue Economy but there is work to be done. It is not lip service or charade that is required. Real work is the demand and we have the capacity but attracting them is the thing. There is a lot of innovation going on and Nigerians are some of the people leading this world over. We see and know them so wonder why we seem to politicise many things that we should not. The goal is to create a platform where indigenes can thrive in the sector while investors bring in the best facilities or technologies…we must secure the future for the nation’s youths by doing the needful. Why is it difficult? Like I say, no government can fix it all at once but can you focus on two key areas during your tenure.
How can art help to reposition Nigeria’s maritime sector?
Every year we see people come in at the Exhibition and the Blue Economy is demystified. Maritime that appears like a very tough meat to chew is simplified. Causes, Effects and Consequences, Agenda and Campaigns for the Industry can be pushed forward using art more so, we can empower people with skills while at it.
How can the next generation of girls and women be drafted or helped to understand/ explore the sector’s potential?
Education, maritime could be added to the academic curriculum; opportunities for girls in terms of scholarships could be announced.
Being the proponent of AMAE and creative writing projects, what is the one thing you would love to change in the maritime sector?
I will love to see more literary works and other forms of creative expressions documenting experiences of persons in the industry, adventures at seas, lives of artisanal fishermen (who by the way in spite of the crude methods , void of technology account for 70% of the revenue from the fisheries sector) , I want to see bios and auto bios on people’s lives and sojourn in the sector, policy interventions and how they are come about, culture and stories of coastal communities , Nigeria’s maritime heritages to mention a few. I want to read the story of a child whose family was displaced and how they pulled through, I want to see how government’s interventions have saved people using the Blue Economy in novels or plays or poetry for children, young adults and adults. believe strongly that when we are able to break down the crucial and intensive work the sector does to the point that various aspects are reflected in what literature anyone can pick up and read, then awareness will be gained.
What were some of the challenges that you have been faced with so far?
First challenge we faced was being understood. It felt strange to many that we were trying to marry maritime with literature but when we began to ask about the representation of maritime careers, settings and issues in existing creative writings, it became glaring that there’s a gap. Authors would rather have a character who is a medical doctor or lawyer than one who is a marine engineer, a ship captain, an ROV operator, a diver or a hyperbaric doctor. It’s not entirely the fault of the author; they work with terrains that are familiar to them. You do not want to make a slip in your novel because you do not know the jargon or culture of a sector. So, while the Maritime Writes Project is interested in building creative writing, we are particular about exposing the sector to writers. We have also had the challenge of funding, we found that just a few people above 40 are interested in learning creative writing. Writing as a skill is what people can retire to actually and really earn from. It can also be a side gig so, we will love to see more adults and agencies take advantage of the opportunities the Maritime Writes Project presents.
What’s next or new?
So much lined up for 2025 both as a broadcast company and for all we do. We trust God to help us.
