The mere fact that you
are reading this means one, you believe it and two, you like money :).
Well, don't worry, I did
not write this just to catch your attention. What you have here is based on
years of research.
But surely you don't
expect me to just disclose "trade secrets" just like that. Though if
you read between the lines, you will get a good idea
of what I am “trying not to write in full.” But if you don’t get it, well, that’s
why I am here as a consultant, and you know that, “there is nothing free in Freetown.”
Ok, so how can telecom
companies make money from Spoken Word Poetry in Nigeria?
First, what does Spoken
Word Poetry and telecom companies have in common? Words!!! Whether it is written
words (i.e. Texts, BBM, and Emails) or Spoken Words (i.e. phone calls and voice
mails), they are words.
Two, it’s a known fact
that talents are diverse, and people have aspiration as regards their talents. They
want to showcase themselves on the big stage. That’s why musically inclined
people who want to be a “TuFace,” “M.i ” or a “D’Banj,” flock to a “Naija got talent” or “Project
Fame.” They know after the competition there is a place, (call it industry if
you like), for them to progress into.
So we looked at the
model of Comedy growth in Nigeria and we created, WORD UP, the biggest Spoken
Word Poetry event in Nigeria. After a couple of shows and a lot of noise, (pun
intended), we have more poets than we ever can feature. Meaning, poets now have
that “big stage” they crave for and also, we now need to introduce “conditions”
before they can get to feature on that “big stage.”
Three, why would I want
to be a Spoken Word Poet if there is no big platform to showcase my skills? Ok,
we have got WORD UP (the biggest Spoken Word Poetry event in Nigeria). How do I
get on WORD UP? Well, you have to cross seven rivers and climb seven mountains
and bring us the head of an albino Eagle. Or pick up your phone and em………em ………..!!!!!
Four, with so many poetry
writing competitions, why don’t we get to hear about the winners after the
competition? And yes, there was a Performance Poetry/ Spoken Word competition last
year; do you want to know what happened to the winner?
Five, how is WORD UP the
biggest Spoken Word Poetry event in Nigeria? If you had people come in from
Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Namibia and even UK, to feature at the event, is that big
or not? Ok wait, I am still “coming” (pun intended).
If you have Shihan Van
Clief and Black Ice coming in for your shows in May and August 2013 respectively,
is that big or not?
For the uninitiated, you
might want to ask, who is Shihan? Who is Black Ice? No, long thing, Google them,
Google Def Poetry Jam, watch their videos on Youtube, and please note the
number of views they have on Youtube.
Now imagine a “local,
unknown boy (or girl)” sharing the stage with them. But getting on that stage
is not automatic; after all, there are “no free oranges in Orange town.”
Six, enough rambling,
how can telecom companies make money from Spoken Word Poetry in Nigeria? Hmm, my
lips are sealed, go read between the lines, if you still don’t get it, then,
call me, I am a consultant in this field, and I can assure you, we are not that
many in Nigeria, and well, (rolls eyes), I still collect my fees in Naira.
But really, if you still
don’t get it, let me put it this way. We have created a platform for “only the
best Spoken Word Poets” to feature on. However, what qualifies a poet as been
good enough to perform at WORD UP? Just like “Star,” they would need to be triple
filtered and we know the drill in getting them “filtered.”
If it is still not clear
to you, come talk to us, together we will set the “stairs” and add it to our platform.
Hey, stop looking under the stairs that is not where the money is. The money is
in “setting the stairs.”
My next two articles will
be;
1. How Banks can make money
from Spoken Word Poetry.
2. How FMCG can make money
from Spoken Word Poetry.
Oops, that might need to
wait until after May 18 2013. I’ve the biggest Spoken Word Poetry event to organize
and Shihan Van Clief (the internationally renowned Spoken Word Poet) will be in
town for the event.
Ciao.
By
Olumide Holloway
+2348025070892
olulu4ever@gmail.com
