Cultural Identity: Nigeria To Understudy China

Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has disclosed that Nigeria will understudy China in the area of cultural identity development and branding.

She stated this at the recently held New Year Gala, which was held at the China Cultural Center in Nigeria to celebrate China-Nigeria friendship.

Musawa said: “Since 1971 Nigeria and China have had cultural relations. You know, for me, as a minister of our culture, tourism, and creative industry, I need to see how we can explore further expanding those relationships between Nigerian culture and China because China has done very, very well in branding itself culturally.

“It has done very, very well in the creative industry in a way that we want to see how we can tap into getting production agreements between Nigeria and China to also get training capacity building across the different 49 sub-sectors of which China has been able to excel.”

The Minister said Nigerians should expect “great announcements” coming out next year in line with collaborations with China.

She added: “We’ve already started discussing doing a co-production agreement between Nigeria and China that will boost growth within the creative industry, and at the same time, one or two projects that harbour around infrastructure for the creative industry and also for the culture as well.

“We hope to see how we can tap into the wealth of experience that China has had in terms of how they have branded their culture. Everywhere you go in the world, you see an aspect of Chinese culture, whether through their food or just through their kung fu or through their film. And this is something that we want to see how we can monetize in Nigeria in the way that China has been able to do so.

“And of course, now with tourism as well, China has been able to brand itself and make China a great tourist destination, with the Great Wall of China and what have you. And Nigeria has a lot to offer. So we want to see how we can work with China and learn from China.”