An Overview of Nigeria's Creative Industry

Many Nigerians find relief in the fact that the country's art and creative sector has helped to employ over a million young people in fields like filmmaking, animation, video productions, movies, and all other forms of entertainment (including visual and performing arts, fashion design, ICT, and many more).

Its influence on the economy in terms of innovation, entrepreneurship, and originality has only increased as it has developed into a global leader in this field. Long before now, crude oil was the talk of the day, but it has decreased as the country's cultural achievements in the fields of art, fashion, great food, music, movies, literature, dance, and comedy are constantly on display for the world to see.

The value of the Nigerian music business reached $73 million by 2021, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth Rate CAGR of 13.4 percent between 2016 and 2021. A more robust economy that can create wealth and provide employment for our rapidly expanding population is being built by expanding rather than relying on the agriculture and manufacturing sectors and instead putting young Nigerians' skills to use in the arts and creative industries.

Crawling Into Civilization: A Hint On Nigeria’s Creative Industry Then

Before Nigeria even had its current constitution in place, the country had a flourishing creative economy that had its origin in the colonial era. The cultural and economic success of Nigeria's exports of Nok, Terra Cotta (500 B.C.–200 A.D.), and Benin Carvings was demonstrated well beyond the borders of the country. Civilization, however, developed in creatively distinct areas that were historically and presently very divided.

In 1977, at the Festival of Arts & Culture (also known as FESTAC), Nigeria held its first official gathering dedicated to the creative industry. The industry has developed since then and has grown to be a global talk when it comes to African music. 

The Nigerian arts and creative industry is thriving, offering hope and opportunity to young people who want to put their skills to work making things that others need and want at home and abroad. 

It has opened up new doors for talented young people, up-and-coming performers, and performing artists to make a livelihood, improve their standard of living, and contribute to the advancement of society and the betterment of people's lives via the pursuit of their passions.

The Music Business Is Worldwide: A Hint On Nigeria’s Creative Industry Now

The Nigerian music business is home to some of the world's most talented indigenous musicians, including Fela Anikulakoputi, Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti, and more recently Wizkid and Burna Boy, all of whom have been nominated for Grammy awards and have received worldwide recognition. 

Several well-known musicians, such as Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Sinach, amongst a large number of others, have songs that are featured on the top billboards throughout the world.

The Music Industry is home to musicians who are skilled in a variety of musical styles, including high life, afro beats, apala, juju, and fuji. These musicians' work is broadcast on well-known cable television channels such as Trace TV, Channel O, MTV Base Africa, and Hip TV.

Arts and Craft: A Hint On Nigeria’s Creative Industry Now

The fashion industry also produces designs and creations that are manufactured using indigenous materials and textiles like Ankara, tie and dye, adire, and aso oke with embroidery for western patterns, traditional wears, headgears like gele, jewelry like coral beads and precious stones, and so on. 

There are many kinds of arts and crafts in this nation, including textile, ornamental, paper, woodcarving, sculpting, fabric weaving, painting, and fashion crafts. We may also take into consideration the numerous forms these arts and crafts take.

The vast majority of Nigeria's locally produced traditional arts and crafts are held in high regard for its creative history and find buyers in major urban markets across the world. The fact that it has developed into a reliable source of income for a large number of Nigerians has inspired an increased number of historians to investigate the traditional arts and crafts of Nigeria.

Poetry: A Hint On Nigeria’s Creative Industry Then 

Poets like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Niyi Osundare are among Nigeria's literary greats, making poetry one of the country's oldest art forms.

When Wole Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, he made history as the first African laureate to receive the honor. He was one of the many prominent poets of the 1960s and 1970s who took a stance against the status quo and shifted poetry's attention to social and political concerns. Their successors, the politically engaged poets of the 1980s and beyond, have been prolific.

Nollywood: A Hint On Nigeria’s Creative Industry Now

In addition, the Nigerian film business, popularly known as "Nollywood," is considered to be one of the most fruitful film industries in the world. In fact, it is the third-largest movie industry in the world, after only Bollywood in India. 

The movie "Ijé: The Journey," which was produced on a budget of $1.5 million in 2010, is a good illustration of this. It had its debut in both Europe and the United States, where it grossed around $100,000 in ticket sales alone. 

The film made progress by receiving numerous prizes, including one for Excellence in Filmmaking (Canada International Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival).

Since that time, a great number of other films, such as Half of a Yellow Sun, Last Flight to Abuja, The Wedding Party, and Living in Bondage, amongst others, have followed this new path.

The arts and creative industry in Nigeria continue to flourish and keeps marching to the global limelight, which is something to be proud of despite the challenges that it has faced in its past years due to a lack of funding and inadequate technical challenges.