Life has taught us not to always see things in black and white,
for there are always shades of grey.
The
business expert had always advised that one of the ways to run a successful
business is to discover a need and fill it.
Reality
has shown that delayed gratification leads to an extended run of inflows.
History
has shown that pride cometh before fall.
Common
sense has shown that helping others succeed will make you excel.
As
an individual, I had a “9 to 5” I did and could had comfortably live off on it,
with no complaints.
However,
one day I had a dream with my eyes wide open and ever since then, I have not
slept soundly.
I
had a dream of building a business around my passion, which was to create an
industry for Spoken Word Poets in Nigeria.
We
all know that, no man is an island, and the wise people will say, life is life
with others.
So
I told my “crazy” dream to my friends and as many people that cared to listen.
Many
laughed it off, some offered advice, others offered criticism, yabs, mental
evaluation and the likes, but a special few decided to support this “crazy”
dream of mine.
How
do you write a business plan on creating an industry? Well, we didn’t.
I
wrote down what I saw, my friends / partners wrote what they think I should
see.
We
read it, we argued, we discussed, we fought, we reconciled and then we agreed.
We
started in February 2012 co-organizing, a monthly open mic poetry show
(Chill and Relax).
Co-organizing
is actually a fanciful word for “apprenticeship.” Yes, we were apprentices at a
live poetry show (well, we still are, and please do ask, are you a learner?).
This
afforded us the opportunity to see how things were being done. We gained
experience, publicity, media relations, contacts and content, (over a 100 poetry
clips and still counting).
Fast
forward to August 2012, and we held our own first major show, WORD UP (a Spoken
Word Poetry and Soul Music Event).
People
said it was a success, I personally felt we could do better. So we kept at it
and since August 2012, we have held WORD UP on a quarterly basis.
After
the 3rd edition in
February 2013, we decided to go bigger than before and take a giant leap by
inviting a foreign poet.
As
fate would have it, we met Shihan Van Clief and he agreed to come for our show
on May 18, 2013, WORD UP Volume 4 (hey, you are invited to attend).
Let
me add that since we started, we have had support at different points in time from 3
different organizations.
Ok,
why all this “history and development?” well, because, we saw a need,
“unemployment” and we decided to fill it. We saw the bigger picture of the
various ways Spoken Word Poetry can be used. It can be used as a genre of
entertainment, a tool to increase literacy level, and a means of communication
among people across the globe. Ultimately, we can use Spoken Word Poetry to
create employment for poets to earn a decent living from their amazing
performances.
But
all these might never materialize if we don’t consistently and persistently
organize Poetry Shows, create awareness, promote poets and remain in the public
eye through providing them with relevant content.
Do
we get paid from these? NO.
Do
we have a big sponsorship deal? NO.
Ok,
do we have any sponsorship deal? NO.
Do
we make money from the gate takings? NO.
Where
do you get the money to finance it from? From personal savings.
But
why do it if it is not profitable? Nobody will pay you for what you want to
do, but they will pay you for what they have seen you do. Money follows
value.
But
what is the essence of doing it if you are not getting paid? Simple, delayed
gratification. In other words, we are looking at the bigger picture, and not
the immediate “Naira and kobo.”
Industries
don’t grow if the “beneficiaries” go insisting that they must get immediate
gratification.
Go
ask Ali Baba and Opa Williams.
Of
course one or two “beneficiaries,” might be making money now, but one out of
many is nothing.
There
is even a saying that “a rich man in the midst of poor people is also a poor
man.”
Besides,
if building an industry was that easy, why didn’t someone do it earlier?
Building
an industry requires forgoing self, and becoming selfless.
It
requires sacrifice, putting yourself on the line to make the dream a reality.
For
instance, imagine if some 10 to 20 years ago, only Ali Baba went to perform at
shows, do you think the comedy industry would be where it is right now?
Ali
Baba took people like Basket Mouth, AY and the likes along with him to shows,
so that people could see it was more than just a one man thing.
If
Ali Baba had been concerned about having to share the “Naira and Kobo” he was
to be paid, would he have taken others along with him?
And
pray tell, is Ali Baba still not relevant in the industry?
Is
there any comedian or even any one, that can claim not to know “Night of a
thousand laughs?”
Can
anyone authoritatively say all the comedians that performed there got paid?
Both the well-known and the unknown.
Opa
Williams started Night of a thousand laughs comedy show which helped grow the
comedy industry in Nigeria.
As
at when Night of a thousand laughs started we had maybe 2 or 3 well known
comedians. If they had insisted on getting paid before featuring on the show, I
bet you the comedy industry would still be in a state of comatose.
But
look what we have now, these days many comedians command decent performance
fees, because you don’t need to explain what comedy is all about, people know
it.
As
Spoken Word Poets, we all need to see the bigger picture and come together to
make this thing work. Life is a team sport, playing as a lone striker/ player
means you might not get the passes you need , or might not be able to hold on
to the ball long enough for someone to get a pass from you. Thus you play till
you are worn out and the desired results won’t be forthcoming.
Let
me conclude with this, “He who waters will also
be watered himself.”
The general principle of a great life, is that of living for the good of
others, because in doing that, we shall be profited ourselves.
By
Olumide
Holloway
08025070892
