The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Audience

  • wows audience at private screening

    wows audience at private screening

    The private screening of Laju Iren’s ‘Mistakenly Yours’ on March 26, was a memorable event for attendees.

    Iren, the celebrated filmmaker behind Laju Iren Films, hosted the private screening for her latest movie at EbonyLife Place.

    Directed by Biodun Stephen, ‘Mistakenly Yours’ captivates audiences with its engaging narrative, exploring how a simple mistake can lead to unexpected adventures, personal growth, and even love.

    The movie which was virtually premiered during the Easter celebrations, follows the story of a filmmaker who, amidst family pressure to settle down, finds herself entangled in a fake engagement with a clergyman seeking marriage for professional advancement, leading to a journey of self-discovery and romance.

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    It features Nollywood stars like Stan Nze,  Chinonso Arubayi, Olumide Oworu, Omotunde Lolo 1, Jude Chukwuka, Juliana Olayode, Tomike Adeoye and others.

    Speaking about the film, Laju Iren expressed her excitement, stating, “It’s a romantic film about two people who were not supposed to be together or are not supposed to fall in love but just happened to fall in love. I think the story can resonate with any audience because it’s a beautiful story.

    “It’s a universal story that anybody can relate with. It was shot here in Lagos.”

  • Diaspora fiesta: Fed Govt, Lagos target 15m audience

    Diaspora fiesta: Fed Govt, Lagos target 15m audience

    At a time when many Africans in the Diaspora are eager to connect with their roots, Lagos State and the Federal Government are creating a veritable platform for such reunion. This, according to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, is the forthcoming Badagry Diaspora Festival.

    She said no fewer than 15 million Nigerians in Diaspora would be encouraged to trace their roots back home through the festival holding from August 23 to 25 at Badagry.

    Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Overseas Affairs and Investment, Prof Ademola Abass, represented Lagos State at the joint press conference in Lagos. Both governments said the festival, which would be a replica of the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture otherwise known as FESTAC 77, had been designed to assist Africans in Diaspora to reunite with their ancestral roots.

    Apart from putting issues of Africans in diaspora on the front burner, the festival, according to Dabiri-Erewa, would also providea  platform to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Lagos State and Nigeria to the world and also promote tourism potentials of the country.

    The presidential aide, who praised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for throwing his weight behind the festival, said the event would host the largest gathering of Africans in the world, and that it was a thing of joy that many Africans in diaspora had already indicated interest in tracing their roots back home.

    She said: “For the first time, we have been having in Badagry a festival that brings people in the Diaspora together but when we attended this festival few years ago, we sat together and said this would be the biggest cultural event to come out of Africa. And so after years of planning, we have been able to come out with this programme this year coming up from August 23 to 25.

    “The United Nations already has declared 10  years as its decade for Africa, and so within the said decade, Nigeria in particular, and Lagos will be putting up one of the biggest gatherings of the Diaspora all over the world in Badagry later this year.

    “One of the unique events of the festival is the ‘Door of Return’. A lot of people and things were taken out of Africa and Badagry in particular, and so our people in Diaspora would be coming back through that door that we are calling the Door of Return, which is the opposite of ‘Point of no Return. Beyond that, we will be showcasing the beauty and culture of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general through the festival,” Dabiri-Erewa said.

    On  the number of people in the diaspora expected to grace the festival, Dabiri-Erewa said many Nigerians in the diaspora have already indicated interest to be part of it, adding: “We don’t have an accurate database but we are working on 15 million Nigerians in the diaspora and a lot of them are already coming.”

    Prof Abass said the Lagos state government was delighted to partner with the Federal Government and other promoters of the festival, as the event was in sync with the cardinal objective of the present administration in the state to use tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sport to promote excellence.

    He said apart from the fact that the festival was coming at a time the state was celebrating the 50 years of its existence, the festival would be utilised to showcase the giant strides of Governor Ambode’s administration in transforming Badagry to the next tourism hub in Africa.

    “This festival is going to be utilised to promote the huge efforts that the present administration in Lagos State has been putting into turning Badagry around in terms of infrastructure, in terms of tourism and so many other things and so this forthcoming celebration falls squarely within our government agenda to promote tourism and also promote investment.

    “As you know, we are developing a sea port in Badagry among so many other things and so the festival will be a win-win for everybody especially for us in Lagos State,” Abass said.

    One of the promoters of the festival, Mr Babatunde Mese-Waku, President of African Renaissance Foundation said a Brazilian, Baye De Santos, whose root has been traced to Ketu in Benin Republic, would be honoured at the festival for his contribution towards promoting issues relating to Africans in diaspora.

    Managing Director of Agile Communications Ltd, the marketing firm for the festival, Mr Rufai Ladipo, said series of activities have been lined up for the festival including carnival procession, boat regatta, fishing competition, dark era procession, Diaspora dinner, beauty pageant, cultural displays, heritage site visits, heritage night, festival market, international music concert and international symposium among others.

  • The Governor warms up to Nigerian audience

    The Governor warms up to Nigerian audience

    In an era when females are beginning to take leadership positions in politics in both the international and the local scenes, EbonyLife TV has taken it upon itself to give women a voice in politics with it’s latest sitcom, The Governor.

    Shot in Tinapa, Calabar, the intriguing drama series follows the life of Angela Ochello, the first female governor of Savannah State, who has to navigate the murky waters of dirty politicking and gender discrimination.

    In a meet and greet with the casts of the political drama held last Friday at Ikoyi, veteran actor, Kunle Coker, one of the lead casts described the show as an interesting depiction of world politics.

    “It was interesting playing the role of Senator Briggs. The Governor does not relate to any known politics. We just wanted to give the core of what political situation is in any part of the world. My stay on the set was a wow experience. I really enjoyed playing Senator Briggs. In all, I would say it was a wonderful production. Just like the cast, we want to tell a story in harmony. The production crew was fantastic. It was like we were a part of a big family,” he said.

    A world of power play, Ochello, once a Deputy Governor, finds herself suddenly entangled in a web of political intrigue after the untimely death of the incumbent Governor.

    The Governor will take constituents and citizens alike through the shadowy often gruesome corridors of power and promises to be packed with lots of intrigue, drama and sometimes humour, says the producers.

    After being sworn in as Governor, Angela and her family move into government House. While her family adjusts to Government House protocol, Angela rolls up her sleeves and takes on her new position with gusto. She proves to the executive council members that she is capable of getting the job done.

    The Governor stars Caroline Chikezie (Angela Ochello), Bimbo Manuel (David Ochello), Baaj Adebule (Carl Bello), Simi Adejumo (Ify Ochello), Samuel Robinson (Tofu Ochello) Taiwo Obileye (Chief Momoh-Alli), Jude Chukwuka (Chief Sobifa Thompson), as well as Kunle Coker who plays Senator Briggs.

  • ‘Musicians must touch the souls of their audience’

    ‘Musicians must touch the souls of their audience’

    For over four decades, Nigeria’s first woman federal permanent secretary, Francesca Emanuel, has remained an inspiration to young talents in music and theatre. She is one of the early members of the famous Steve Rhodes Voices and a co-founder of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), Lagos. EVELYN OSAGIE speaks with the octogenarian on her passion for the industry.

    My thoughts on music

    music speaks to the soul, so performers must touch the souls of their audience. Depending on my mood, every type of music appeals to me. I’ve always tried to be around whenever there is music in the air – it doesn’t matter what type of music.

    Although my instrument is voice, I see myself as a lover of Jazz and all kinds of music. But I love Jazz more. In 1964, I sang Jazz with the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). I used to do many programmes at NBC then – on children, women, drama, in Pidgin English, and a music programme where I had a Jazz programme with Fela, who played the saxophone and I sang Jazz. I later sang with Tunde Kuboye’s wife, Fran.

    Each type of music has its standard, whether it’s classical or modern. Even the Apala players have standards and when you see them performing their songs, there is a standard that they maintain. They work as a team. There is harmony. People don’t just come in and do whatever they like.

    Today, sometimes, when you listen to some music, you’d wonder what the performers think of their audience. If they think highly of their audience, they have to improve themselves and give us something that is acceptable, not just dish any nonsense to us.

     

    My thoughts on music development in Nigeria

     

    The music industry and musicians have come a long way. One person who has done a lot for the development of music in Nigeria is Benson Idonije. He clocked 80 last month and was highly celebrated by the art community for his contributions to the industry’s development. I was one of those who welcomed him to the club of 80. He deserves a national honour. He has got lots of experience; and  still has a lot to teach the younger ones.

    His person echoes that every type of music is important. And it depends on how you look at it: for those who are performers, it depends on the kind of standard that they keep. It doesn’t matter what type of music, but standard is important. And that is why I respect Idonije. And the fact that he insists on good music, values and standards, which are what is absolutely necessary if we want to continue to hear the kind of music that we love and which we want others to also enjoy depending on how we present it – but presentation with standard.

    My journey into music and drama

     

    I have always loved music. I have been involved in both worlds since I was a child. I was introduced to singing and drama in church. And then when I went to secondary school – Holy Child College in Lagos – we had a Reverend Sister who was very good in drama and singing. She had a beautiful and powerful voice. She helped to develop my voice when she noticed my talent. She always featured me at a festival of arts. In fact, I went ahead to win solo soprano voice at a festival.

    And, then, when I went to the University of Ibadan, Wole Soyinka and I met in the 50s. The university had various societies – like musical, drama and others. We did a lot of drama together. I sing as well. I later went to England where I completed my degree. In England, I met Soyinka again and we did a lot of acting together. When we came back in 1960, I was one of Soyinka’s 1960 Masks.

    Other members were Olga, Steve Rhodes’ eldest sister, and Segun Sofowote. We did a lot of plays by Soyinka and other writers like JP Clark.

    Also, I am one of the co-founders of the MUSON (Musical Society of Nigeria); I did a lot of solo performances until I retired from the stage in 1970, only to go back last month to sing at the memorial concert of a very dear friend, Olga Miller, one of the co-founders of MUSON. I went back to do her that honour, even though I said I wasn’t going to go back on stage.

  • Adapting to your audience and situations

    Since we began our discussions on public speaking and communication generally, we have tried to avoid unforeseen circumstances by preparing adequately. We have even tried to plan for situations that are unexpected. But can we beat every single situation? Can we come up with strategies for everything? I’m sure you will agree with me that the answer is “no”! We can’t always predict or anticipate what we may encounter. So, what do we do? We must learn to adapt.

    Sometime in 2011, I and a team of professionals organized a vocational training for members of a church in Lagos. I trained on public speaking. As should be expected, I wanted to know the nature of audience I would encounter ahead of time; so, I inquired from the leader of the team. He assured me that the programme was organized by the Youths Association. So, I used the information to prepare for the training.

    When we arrived at the venue, I noticed something strange- there were several elderly people there too! Nevertheless, I consoled myself that they probably came to see what the youths were up to. At the opening ceremony, we, the facilitators, were introduced to the participants and vice versa. Guess what I discovered? The Retiree Group decided to collaborate with the youths! In case you don’t understand my dilemma at that time, I will tell you. The age difference was too much! On one hand, I had people who were just starting their lives, with lots of dreams and aspirations, and on the other hand, I had people who had seen it all and just needed something to occupy their time.

    As I sat there, unconsciously, my mind raced through all the illustrations I intended to use during the training and I discovered that they would not appeal to the older participants. Quickly, I started to think of fresh ones. The new challenge I was faced with was finding illustrations and a teaching approach that would be effective for both groups. To make matters worse, an old professor walked up to me and greeted me cordially, saying that he taught communication for over fifty years or so. And he was supposed to attend my training? God help!

    If a public speaker is too regimented, he or she may find it difficult to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. As much as it is good to plan your presentation to the minutest detail, it is still very important to be flexible, both mentally and ‘stylistically.’ So, what did I do to my mixed class? I did the following:

    • Asked them for their past experiences: the first thing I needed to do was to find out how much they already knew about the subject. It particularly helped me to find an average of their knowledge so that I could present a balanced training. Once I was able to establish that they all had elementary knowledge of the subject matter, I knew that they could all be taught from the same curriculum.
    • Asked them for their expectations: I had attended several trainings myself, so, I knew that participants weren’t always satisfied with what they got from trainings. Hence, by finding out what exactly they expected to gain and what they intended to do with the knowledge, I was able to discover that within the same training session, I could accommodate the two groups. Knowing what they wanted also helped me to tailor the training to their requirements so that it met their individual needs. Having discovered their expectations, it wasn’t too difficult for me to surpass it; I would have run into trouble if I didn’t have that information. It also took the pressure off me of trying to read their expressions to determine if I was reaching them or not.
    • Used balanced illustrations: the illustrations used during the training were balanced. Some of them were quite contemporary and applicable to the youths, while the others were applicable to the older ones. The main challenge I encountered was building up their expectations about the course. While the youths could think of several things they could do with public speaking, it wasn’t that easy for the older ones. The illustrations, however, helped both groups to picture themselves in a favourable future of benefits as a result of the training.
    • Treated them all as students: I worked by a simple logic- the youths wanted to be treated as adults, while the elderly ones didn’t want to feel old fashioned; so, I treated them all as equals. While I raised my level of respect for the youths to the level of the elders, I made sure that the elders had as much practical sessions as the youths. While the class lasted, nobody actually really cared about age. That turned out to be the best strategy I adopted, based on the feedback from the participants.

  • Adapting to your audience and situation

    Since we began our discussions on public speaking and communication generally, we have tried to avoid unforeseen circumstances. We have even tried to plan for situations that are unexpected. For instance, we agreed that impromptu speeches are speeches that you are given little or no time to prepare for, yet, we still came up with a strategy to beat that. However, can we beat every single situation? Can we come up with strategies for everything? I’m sure you will agree with me that the answer is no! We can’t always predict or anticipate what we may encounter. So, what do we do? We must learn to adapt.

    Sometime in 2011, I joined a team to organize a vocational training for members of a church in Lagos. Of course, I was to train on public speaking. As should be expected, I wanted to know ahead of time the kind of audience I would be encountering; so, I inquired from the leader of our team. He assured me that the programme was organized by the Youths Association. So, I used the information to prepare for the training.

    When we arrived at the venue, I noticed something strange- there were several elderly people there too! Nevertheless, I consoled myself that they probably came to see what the youths were up to and give them moral support. At the opening ceremony, we, the facilitators, were introduced to the participants and vice versa. Guess what I discovered? The Retiree Group decided to collaborate with the youths! In case you don’t understand my dilemma at that time, I will tell you. The age difference was too much! On one hand, I had people who were just starting their lives, with lots of dreams and aspirations, and on the other hand, I had people who had ‘seen it all’ and just needed something to occupy their time.

    As I sat there, unconsciously, my mind raced through all the illustrations I intended to use during the training and I discovered that they would not appeal to the older participants. Quickly, I started to think of new ones. The new challenge I was faced with was finding illustrations and a teaching approach that would be effective for both groups. To make matters worse, an old professor walked up to me and greeted me cordially, saying that he taught communication for over fifty years. And he was supposed to attend my training? God help! Thankfully, he didn’t stay the entire period.

    If a public speaker is too regimented, he or she may find it difficult to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. As much as it is good to plan your presentation to the minutest detail, it is still very important to be flexible both mentally and ‘stylistically.’ So, what did I do to my mixed class? I did the following:

    • Asked them for their past experiences: the first thing I needed to do was to find out how much they already knew about the subject. It particularly helped me to find an average of their knowledge so that I could present a balanced training. Once I was able to establish that they all had elementary knowledge of the subject matter, I knew that they could all be taught from the same curriculum.

    • Asked them for their expectations: I had attended several trainings myself, so, I knew that participants weren’t always satisfied with what they got from trainings. Hence, by finding out what exactly they expected to gain and what they intended to do with the knowledge, I was able to discover that within the same training session, I could accommodate the two groups. Knowing what they wanted also helped me to tailor the training along their requirements so that it met their individual needs. Having discovered their expectations, it wasn’t too difficult for me to surpass it; I would have run into trouble if I didn’t have that information. It also took off me the pressure of trying to read their expressions to determine if I was reaching them or not.

    • Used balanced illustrations: the illustrations used during the training were balanced. Some of them were quite contemporary and applicable to the youths while the others were applicable to the older ones. The main challenge I encountered was building expectations for the course. While the youths could think of several things they could do with public speaking, it wasn’t that easy for the older ones. However, by enlightening them on the positive impact they could have on the youths if they could communicate effectively, they too became motivated.

    • Treated them all as students: I worked by a simple logic- the youths wanted to be treated as adults while the elders didn’t want to feel old fashioned; so, I treated them all as equals. While I raised my level of respect for the youths to the level of the elders, I made sure that the elders had as much practical sessions as the youths. For as long as the class lasted, nobody really cared about age. The excitement of standing before the class to present took care of any reservation anyone of them might have had.

  • Adapting to your audience and situation

    Since we began our discussions on public speaking and communication generally, we have tried to avoid unforeseen circumstances. We have even tried to plan for situations that are unexpected. For instance, we agreed that impromptu speeches are speeches that you are given little or no time to prepare for, yet, we still came up with a strategy to beat that. However, can we beat every single situation? Can we come up with strategies for everything? I’m sure you will agree with me that the answer is no! We can’t always predict or anticipate what we may encounter. So, what do we do? We must learn to adapt.

    Sometime in 2011, I joined a team to organize a vocational training for members of a church in Lagos. Of course, I was to train on public speaking. As should be expected, I wanted to know ahead of time the kind of audience I would be encountering; so, I inquired from the leader of our team. He assured me that the programme was organized by the Youths Association. So, I used the information to prepare for the training.

    When we arrived at the venue, I noticed something strange- there were several elderly people there too! Nevertheless, I consoled myself that they probably came to see what the youths were up to and give them moral support. At the opening ceremony, we, the facilitators, were introduced to the participants and vice versa. Guess what I discovered? The Retiree Group decided to collaborate with the youths! In case you don’t understand my dilemma at that time, I will tell you. The age difference was too much! On one hand, I had people who were just starting their lives, with lots of dreams and aspirations, and on the other hand, I had people who had ‘seen it all’ and just needed something to occupy their time.

    As I sat there, unconsciously, my mind raced through all the illustrations I intended to use during the training and I discovered that they would not appeal to the older participants. Quickly, I started to think of new ones. The new challenge I was faced with was finding illustrations and a teaching approach that would be effective for both groups. To make matters worse, an old professor walked up to me and greeted me cordially, saying that he taught communication for over fifty years. And he was supposed to attend my training? God help! Thankfully, he didn’t stay the entire period.

    If a public speaker is too regimented, he or she may find it difficult to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. As much as it is good to plan your presentation to the minutest detail, it is still very important to be flexible both mentally and ‘stylistically.’ So, what did I do to my mixed class? I did the following:

    • Asked them for their past experiences: the first thing I needed to do was to find out how much they already knew about the subject. It particularly helped me to find an average of their knowledge so that I could present a balanced training. Once I was able to establish that they all had elementary knowledge of the subject matter, I knew that they could all be taught from the same curriculum.

    • Asked them for their expectations: I had attended several trainings myself, so, I knew that participants weren’t always satisfied with what they got from trainings. Hence, by finding out what exactly they expected to gain and what they intended to do with the knowledge, I was able to discover that within the same training session, I could accommodate the two groups. Knowing what they wanted also helped me to tailor the training along their requirements so that it met their individual needs. Having discovered their expectations, it wasn’t too difficult for me to surpass it; I would have run into trouble if I didn’t have that information. It also took off me the pressure of trying to read their expressions to determine if I was reaching them or not.

    • Used balanced illustrations: the illustrations used during the training were balanced. Some of them were quite contemporary and applicable to the youths while the others were applicable to the older ones. The main challenge I encountered was building expectations for the course. While the youths could think of several things they could do with public speaking, it wasn’t that easy for the older ones. However, by enlightening them on the positive impact they could have on the youths if they could communicate effectively, they too became motivated.

    • Treated them all as students: I worked by a simple logic- the youths wanted to be treated as adults while the elders didn’t want to feel old fashioned; so, I treated them all as equals. While I raised my level of respect for the youths to the level of the elders, I made sure that the elders had as much practical sessions as the youths. For as long as the class lasted, nobody really cared about age. The excitement of standing before the class to present took care of any reservation anyone of them might have had.

  • Interest Your Audience

    Last time, we started exploring the exciting world of entertaining speech. Entertaining speech is the least formal of the types of speeches we have. This, however, does not mean that it requires less work, or that it is less important. In places where entertaining speech is needed, any other type of speech may not be appropriate. Entertaining speech is one that the audience is supposed to listen to without any care in the world. Today, we shall be examining how you can make your speeches entertaining.

    I watched a programme on TV recently; a comedian was trying so hard to make the audience laugh. Each time the camera showed the audience, I saw faces of people who were getting ready to laugh. There was this anticipation on their faces, as though they were waiting for the funny part of the gist. Unfortunately, by the time the comedian was done and he left the stage, the people were still waiting to laugh. You have to understand something very important about entertaining speeches; they place a great responsibility on the speaker. If you speak to your audience without any intention of being funny, you may see them laughing so hard that you wonder when you became a comedian! But if you make the “mistake” of showing to them that you are trying to make them laugh, you had better be real good! The difference between the two scenarios is that in the former, you never made any claim, so, your listeners are not critical of you; you kind of catch them off guard. In the latter, however, you have directly or indirectly claimed to be funny, and they want you to prove it; so, they don’t laugh easy. If you have proved overtime to be funny, however, the mere sight of you may throw people into a fit of laughter. Now, let’s consider some things you need to do to make your speech entertaining.

    •Don’t make obvious effort: try as much as possible not to make obvious effort to make your audience laugh. If you watch very funny and entertaining people closely, you will discover that one of your attractions to them is their “carefree” attitude towards what they are saying. They seem so casual that they may not even laugh at what they are saying while others are tumbling over with laughter. Sometimes, laughing at your own jokes can be in bad taste; let your audience do the laughing. If, for instance, you are asked to address some business partners at a luncheon organized by your company, you have to be entertaining and still be dignified. As much as you don’t want to give a serious speech, you still should joke about things that are related to your shared interests. Everyone knows you are not a comedian, so, they don’t expect you to be extremely funny, but you should be able to interest them while keeping your business dignity in mind.

    •Focus on the human angle of any story: what exactly is funny and what is not? Well, that depends on three things; the subject, the speaker and the audience. One thing is sure, however, no matter who is listening, and no matter what the subject is, focusing on human limitations or extremities will most likely elicit laughter. Imagine that you are invited to address some college students during their graduation party, one way to easily make them enjoy themselves (while still learning something) is to create funny scenarios of extremely lazy students and extremely studious students. As you joke about their habits, you may start to hear the students calling out the names of some of their friends they feel belong to one category or the other. When this happens, you will find them laughing because they can relate to what you are saying.

    •You can create humour out of your personal experiences: more often than not, this technique works. Your listeners want to laugh at someone, but not at themselves; so, they are ready to laugh at you as you relate your funny or strange experiences. Imagine being asked to talk to a group of young entrepreneurs about your success in business during a special dinner organized in your honour; a nice and entertaining topic may be “My Experimental years!” In the speech, you may humour your small beginning, your desperation, your failed attempts at starting different businesses, the mistakes you made and how you finally succeeded. Not only will this type of speech entertain your listeners, it will also enlighten and motivate them.

    •You can focus on shared experiences: another way to interest your audience is to humour experiences that are common to everybody. For instance, you may entertain your colleagues at a staff get-together by sharing funny experiences of some incidences at work. You may joke about a time you were locked in the office’s washroom and you feared not being discovered till the next day because you left your phone on your desk. Everyone who knew of the event, or who had similar experience due to the faulty door would laugh with you. The watch word here is that you should avoid making jokes at the expense of others. Remember that you are trying to entertain and not to offend.

    There are several other ways to entertain your audience. But like I strongly believe, one of the best ways to learn is to watch people present. Understudy anyone you find interesting and you will discover several ways to interest your audience.