I was busier during the lockdown – Adesewo

Jerry Adesewo is poet, writer and theatre practitioner based in Abuja. Among other issues, he told AWAAL GATA he was busier with work during lockdown caused by Covid-19.

 How did your romance with the literati start ?

The seed was planted pretty earlier but there was no one to help nurture it. Theatre was my entry point into the world of literary and performing arts.

Back in Lagos, in the late 80s, two of my elder siblings, Adesewo Fayaman Bay and Natty Adesewo were members of a performing troupe led by Ben Tomoloju known as Kaakaki Performers. So, I was always around them, watching them rehearse or going to see their performances. Then I started taking a liking for the art. At just about 10, after watching a Bollywood movie, I picked up a note book and wrote my own movie script, based on that same movie. I titled it ‘Danger’.

Then, I relocated to Abuja where my romance with theatre continued. So I decided I was going to study literature. I started reading a voraciously as possible. As a student of Governmenr Secondary School, Kubwa, I participated in every literary activities and joined clubs such as the Literary Debating and Dramatic Societies and the Press Club both of which I became it’s President. I kept reading and writing and never looked back till now.

In my SS3, I participated in a writing competition with the theme ‘Safe Motherhood’ which I didn’t win but for the same monetary reward as the first prize winner. It was at the prize giving ceremony that I was introduced to Abuja Literary Society, which I joined immediately after WAEC and from their into the folds of the Association of Nigerian Authors, meeting and interacting with writers from across the country and beyond.

Many years after, are you satisfied with the gains of the romance?

Very satisfied. My romance with art us offered me a lot. To start with, I have learnt more than anyone would ever learnt from the four walls of a learning institution. Readers are leaders they say, and this is very true. I have met and still meeting great minds, from whom I am daily sharpened for the journey ahead. This romance has opened many doors for me. But you see, as humans, we are insatiable. We are Oliver twist. We always want more. So, there is a lot more I still hope to take away from this affair. Most importantly, like water, art is life and I am having my fill at the moment.

Is it offering you financial security? Are you a full time artiste or you do other things?

I really wish I don’t do other things but I do. Interesting though, art is the bedrock of everything I do. There is a bit of art in all I do. I breath art.

I would say ‘yes’ to the question about financial security. I am not rich but I am not poor. The much that art us brought my way is good enough to keep me afloat. I live within my means. Most importantly, art has thought me to be creative. I sit and create things to do every now and then.

Perhaps, if the creative sector in Nigeria enjoys the same level support as in other part of the world, I probably would have been more financially viable. And you’ll be thinking of a mega rich artpreneur in the mould of Mike Adenuga and Aliko Dangote.

What sort of support would you canvass for the sector?

I should say policy and fund. Interestingly, one begets the other. If government as I have reportedly clamoured for, show the willingness to support the creative sector, all will be well.

As at now, the absence of well thought out, industry driven policy for the creative sector is the major problem if the industry. For instance, in close to 4 decades, the endowment fund for the art has been a failed project.

With the right policy in place, funding would have been taken care of. The creative sector is a major contributor to the revenue of this nation. Whether you are talking about literary, visual or performative art, the creative sector is a major employer of labour and thus requires more attention from government than it is currently getting. If the creative industry could stand it’s ground with little or no support from the government. Imagine what we could do with the right policy and funding.

Government via the ministry of culture need to make deliberate investment into the creative sector. The sitting Vice President said a lot about this in the early stage of this government but this has not been backed by action.

It is garbage in, garbage out. If you don’t invest in the sector, to create the enabling environment for practitioners and private investors to flourish, how do you then expect a return on investment. At the moment, the government if Nigeria is dealing where it didn’t sow.

The private sector has been wonderful but you still need the right policy in place to encourage them to do more. We are currently in the midst of a pandemic and government across the world are providing support to the creative industry but in Nigeria, you have nothing. This is because their is no policy in place. Everything that government has done so far has been on the basis of ‘doctrine of necessity’ and not because there is a laid down procedure.

I am a theatre practitioner and my business is suffering under the weight of the pandemic. Without support from government, theatre practitioners would be forced to do two things, reinvent or look for another job.

But work has been ongoing online, via video conferences; any way you are getting paid for them ?

Yes. A lot has been going on. We are even much busier now than before. I have participated in no less than 12 online conferences, seminars and workshops since the lockdown. I have hosted quite a handful myself, which included some play reading and story telling session which we happen on a weekly basis but Zoom.

The fact is, the show must always go on. Like the veteran actor, Francis Duru said in a recent interview, “though we are on lockdown, but our creativity cannot be locked down.

The challenges of the pandemic simply challenged our creativity and so we begin to find new spaces, new opportunities along the line of our unique strengths a creatives, both individually and as organisations.

As for payment, the answer is no. I am not getting paid. And I don’t think all of the others have been getting paid as well. We are driven by passion and so we keep up the conversation. This would help us to keep our sanity during this trying period s well as helping to forge a new part. What you have seen across the creative sector this period is the principle of humanity and solidarity.

However, I sure would like to be paid. So, let me for now say this is some form of investment that would yield dividends sooner or later.

You seem to be into only theatre; don’t you practise other forms of art? Do you write poems and stories?

Of course I do but I pitch my tent more with theatre. I have had a collection of poems ready for publication 2004 back as but just never got through it. Theatre is my specialty. Currently, I am working on my collection of short stories with the working title; IT HAPPENED TO ME.

However, I see myself more of a promoter of art than a writer. Not to say that I can’t be both but I think my interest is more in nurturing mad promoting others. For 3 years, I single handedly ran what we called Abuja Literature Prizes for FCT Schools. For four years, with the support of the embassy of Japan in Nigeria, I organised the Haiku Poetry Contest. For 9 years, with the support of the Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria, I organised an annual poetry Comoetition and festival tagged Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast, with two published anthologies titled From Here to There 1 & 2.

In my capacity also as the Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors in Abuja, I have been involved in a lot of literary development activities focusing more on the prose and poetry genre.

With the new platform we have just created, the international centre for creative and Performing arts, we are sure going to be able to discover, nurture and promote new voices in the creative sector. So, it is not just about me.

Where do you want to see yourself as an artiste in the next few years

  In the next 5 years, I I would love to have my own theatre. A mini, 100+ searer theatre. In the next few year, I would love to have become a major artpreneur.and employer of labour. In the next few years, I should be serving as the Minister of Culture or heading a major cultural agency like the national theatre or national Council for Arts and Culture.

What challenges have you been facing?

Primarily funding challenges. Talents abound but fund is rarely available. Literary and art competitions is one very important tool for cultivation of budding talents but this require funding.

Apart from the prize monies, the pride of most young authors is to have the works published. Look at what the Poets in Nigeria has been doing. It costs a fortune and they are all from private pockets. We have published 3 anthologies as well. Two supported by the KCCN and one published privately. We are currently working on the 4th anthology. I am running Currently, I am also running a Playwriting competition for tertiary students. We need funding partnership to pull this through. So, primarily, funding is bout the main challenge. Outside that, I would probably say, the lack of trust which made partnership a appears like a mirage in this part of the world.

Leave a Reply