2017: Social media is where Nigerian arts will breathe

An ancient Chinese curse goes ‘May you live in interesting times’, and for the arts in Nigeria, the year 2016 has had more than its fair share of compelling events. One constant, however, is the presence of the internet – or more precisely social media – in success stories, scandals  and everything in-between. Gone are […]

An ancient Chinese curse goes ‘May you live in interesting times’, and for the arts in Nigeria, the year 2016 has had more than its fair share of compelling events. One constant, however, is the presence of the internet – or more precisely social media – in success stories, scandals  and everything in-between.

Gone are the ubiquitous e-mail statements or oddly-named ‘world press conferences’, and it’s now in with the artist or personality addressing fans and the general public directly, or at least as directly as social media permits. In today’s world of smartphones and haute tech, it only makes sense.

Looking across the cultural landscape in Nigeria, it is therefore a no-brainer that the internet will play a crucial role in shaping the year that’s to come, for both the artists and their teeming fans.

Music

From talent-loaded newbies who are harnessing Snapchat and Instagram to amass followings, to more jaded, established icons capitalising on their fame to wax songs with international stars, the Nigerian music industry has never been more vibrant and everything points to growth in 2017.

Perennial hitmaker, and probably the most influential singer in the country right now, Wizkid is still reaping buzz from his collaboration with American rapper Drake (‘One Dance’) and will certainly push in that direction going forward. A rumoured new album will also cement that.

Runtown, the young hip-hop artist who is currently making waves, will certainly break out properly in 2017, as he is currently the Snapchat soundtrack of choice for everyone under 22, and their cousins. This is probably thanks to his raw energy and lyrics which incorporate impeccable Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, coupled with synthesizer-drenched beats and bass.

Collaborations with international stars will certainly be on the rise in 2017, as 2016 saw  Omawumi and Angelique Kidjo duet on the sassy ‘Play Na Play’, while Yemi Alade and five major international stars (Jennifer Hudson, Pixie Lott, Steve Aoki, Tan Wei Wei and Luan Santana) dropped ‘Africa’, an infectious, inspirational anthem. 

For artists, old and new, their new or untested work will carry out revolutions not televised, but shared, tweeted or tagged on social media and their audience will gladly fan the flames for them.   

Literature

From Elnathan John’s poignant ‘Born on a Tursday’, to Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s exquisite NLNG award-winning ‘Season of Crimson Blossoms’, writers from Northern Nigeria had an exceptionally good year, owing to the exceptional work they put out in 2016. Notable, too, is Helon Habila’s invaluable tome which focused on the Chibok girls. 

This ‘Northern renaissance’ of sorts will no doubt spark, inspire and even push many young, or upcoming writers to sharpen their craft, seeing a beautiful explosion of short stories, novels and even memoirs. In all this, too, social media stands in the background, grinning. 

All the writers mentioned above have a vibrant social media presence – especially the more traditional Facebook and Twitter – and it will grow when their publishers/handlers throw in the hat. In 2017, they will discover Instagram, Snapchat and more, and the Nigerian novel will be the better for it, visibility-wise at least. 

Generally too, Nigerian writers had a great 2016, with books from the always-gripping Chika Unigwe (‘Night Dancer’), master of description Toni Kan (‘Carnivorous City’) and a number of impressive debuts from new players. This will set the tone going forward, with more stories with as many voices telling them.

Visual Arts

Nigerian social media superstar artists were born sometime last year. Around January 2016, Facebook was awash with stories about Lagos-born artist Oresegun Olumide, whose hyper-realistic oil paintings seemed so perfect that they could have been a hoax. 50,000 Instagram followers later, a CNN feature followed in March, and by then everyone and their grandma in Minnesota knew about the talented 20-something artist’s work. 

Soon after, other Facebook stars emerged, mostly because of how stunningly realistic their techniques are. Interestingly, they are all in their late 20s. Some of them are: Oscar Ukonu, self-taught portraitist whose rendition of pop star Rihanna and actor Morgan Freeman are among his most-shared on social media. Then there is Kelvin Okafor, based in Britain, where he studied Fine Arts, and his pencilled hyperrealism became massive Facebook hits.

Some Nigerian artists, mainly within academia, argue that the surge in popularity enjoyed by the social media superstar artists is a “fad” which will pass. Some of them said their own work has more intellectual value, while the ‘Facebook stars’ have more of a populist appeal. 

But if the number of shares and likes garnered by Olumide and co. are anything to go by, the more mainstream visual artists should look into harnessing social media to spread their work beyond their studios, or art galleries beyond 2017. The goal, after all, is for an artist’s work to be seen by as many people as possible.

Film

Nollywood has always wanted to grow up, and it appears that after a banner 2016, the year 2017 will be when it finally matures. It used to be one or two ‘event’ movies by talented directors per year, but lately the quality ante has been upped, and then some. A few are ‘93 Days’, ‘The Wedding Party’, ‘76’ and a slew of others. Even music videos are more cinematic today, a la Falz’s epic ‘Soldier’ short film.

Again, social media has practically taken over marketing these new gems, overthrowing traditional means like press conferences and screenings. Trailers are stealthily dropped on YouTube and shared wildly, generating heat like never before. Premieres now encourage selfies, too, which lead to more sharing and even more buzz.

Internationally, too, Nigerian movies are getting more attention. The period drama ‘76’ which tells a slightly-less-than-fictitious story set against the factual coup attempt of the titular year saw Ramsey Nouah and Rita Dominic shine in roles believed to be their best ever. This resulted in director Izu Ojukwu’s film being picked up by a major American (read: Hollywood) distributor for an “undisclosed” seven-figure deal, in dollars.

Netflix, the American internet-based provider of streamed media and online video-on-demand, has also made major inroads into Nigeria. This will see a good amount of original content  generated for and by Nigerians, home and abroad. It also means an unprecedented international reach for Nollywood, a very welcome development for the industry, especially in a time of recession.