Hosting more than 5,000 people in a gathering at once is not a common occurrence in Bayelsa. It only happens once in a year when the AMAA takes place there, and the state has hosted more than five editions of the award that is in its ninth year. I have attended more than three editions of the awards held at the Gloryland Centre in Yenogoa and the story has always been the same – poor organisation.
This last edition was horrific and I was saddened by the impression the visitors from overseas have about Nigeria. Leaving Lagos for Port Harcourt was a difficult task as everyone had to wait at the domestic airport for more than three hours. There was the promise of a chartered flight. Eventually, we were able to get on a plane. After a 45-minute flight, we were in Port Harcourt. It was a relief, though, that there were buses waiting to transport us by road to Yenogoa.
We arrived Yenogoa and about 8pm. Everyone was tired. Sleep, food and water were top on our minds. We had thought we would be driven straight to the respective hotels booked for us. But anyone who had attended AMAA in Yenogoa would know that is not the norm. The tourism bureau is usually the next port of call. And I was right. When we got to the bureau, everyone tried to scramble for the few wraps of eba left. There was rice but no stew. There was eba and ogbono soup, no meat. A white guy had to eat his rice with ogbono soup. We were later told there was chicken frying on the big fire in a corner. Perhaps the caterers were overwhelmed by the large crowd who arrived at the bureau at the same time. But a better arrangement could have been made for us to have dinner at the hotel.
The following day, a media chat with the jurors was held at the tourism bureau. From the look of things, it was obvious there was no adequate preparation for this. It was just a makeshift arrangement. After the briefing, there was no bus to take the media from Kenya to their hotel. They had to make the journey of foot. It was sad. In fact, a Kenyan delegate told me he won’t return to Nigeria for the AMAA again because he has been disappointed for the second time.
“Do you know why Kenyans did not submit more films?” he said to me. “It is because they were disappointed the last time they came to Nigeria. If it were in Kenya, I wouldn’t agree to sleep in the kind of hotel I was lodged in.”
Returning to Lagos was a battle. We stayed hours on end for the return tickets to be sorted. From 11am we didn’t get on the plane until 6pm.
It is important that the Bayelsa State government take the annual hosting of the AMAA very seriously. They must begin to see and harness the opportunities therein for the development of Bayelsa. Out of the nine years of AMAA, Bayelsa has hosted it seven times. I was told the Ididie Hotel where my Kenyan friend was lodged was the ‘five-star hotel’ at the maiden edition of AMAA. It was the place Nollywood stars and other international guests were lodged. Nine years after, the number of hotels in the state has tripled. That’s one of the contributions of AMAA to the development of the state.
In addition, AMAA offers the opportunity for the state’s tourism to grow side by side with the awards. A proper arrangement should have been made for all guests to go on a tour of the historical landmarks of the state with a guide on each bus explaining to them the importance of these places. This is an opportunity for job creation. At least, the guides will be paid at the end of it.
Also, stalls should have been built for indigenes to sell the state’s arts and crafts like beads, little figurines, amongst others. Even the boat regatta, not all the guests were there. AMAA is an opportunity for commerce. No matter how little, it will begin to open up the state’s economy. AMAA is the only event that brings a crowd of that magnitude to the state annually. I see no reason the state government should not take it seriously. It should be properly organised in a way that air tickets would have been bought ahead, hotels inspected and booked, there should be meet and greet at the airport, amongst others. Visitors should not be left on their own to sort things out. It is not a time to play politics with the image of Nigeria because when AMAA is mentioned on the continent, the first thing that comes to mind is the name Nigeria because that is the awards’ origin.
If AMAA is too big for Bayelsa – and it appears it is – then the organisers may begin to consider other African countries hosting it. They should allow them bid for hosting rights. This will change the game and the way the award is perceived on the continent. If not, then it is high time Bayelsa took AMAA seriously as its tenth anniversary comes up next year.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Bayelsa and an opportunity called golden
The sleepy town of Yenogoa came to life last weekend when people from all parts of the continent and beyond converged on Bayelsa State. It was the 2013 edition of African Movie Academy Awards otherwise called AMAA.
Hosting more than 5,000 people in a gathering at once is not a common occurrence in Bayelsa. It only happens once in a year when the AMAA takes place there, and the state has hosted more than five editions of the award that is in its ninth year. I have attended more than three editions of the awards held at the Gloryland Centre in Yenogoa and the story has always been the same – poor organisation.
This last edition was horrific and I was saddened by the impression the visitors from overseas have about Nigeria. Leaving Lagos for Port Harcourt was a difficult task as everyone had to wait at the domestic airport for more than three hours. There was the promise of a chartered flight. Eventually, we were able to get on a plane. After a 45-minute flight, we were in Port Harcourt. It was a relief, though, that there were buses waiting to transport us by road to Yenogoa.
We arrived Yenogoa and about 8pm. Everyone was tired. Sleep, food and water were top on our minds. We had thought we would be driven straight to the respective hotels booked for us. But anyone who had attended AMAA in Yenogoa would know that is not the norm. The tourism bureau is usually the next port of call. And I was right. When we got to the bureau, everyone tried to scramble for the few wraps of eba left. There was rice but no stew. There was eba and ogbono soup, no meat. A white guy had to eat his rice with ogbono soup. We were later told there was chicken frying on the big fire in a corner. Perhaps the caterers were overwhelmed by the large crowd who arrived at the bureau at the same time. But a better arrangement could have been made for us to have dinner at the hotel.
The following day, a media chat with the jurors was held at the tourism bureau. From the look of things, it was obvious there was no adequate preparation for this. It was just a makeshift arrangement. After the briefing, there was no bus to take the media from Kenya to their hotel. They had to make the journey of foot. It was sad. In fact, a Kenyan delegate told me he won’t return to Nigeria for the AMAA again because he has been disappointed for the second time.
“Do you know why Kenyans did not submit more films?” he said to me. “It is because they were disappointed the last time they came to Nigeria. If it were in Kenya, I wouldn’t agree to sleep in the kind of hotel I was lodged in.”
Returning to Lagos was a battle. We stayed hours on end for the return tickets to be sorted. From 11am we didn’t get on the plane until 6pm.
It is important that the Bayelsa State government take the annual hosting of the AMAA very seriously. They must begin to see and harness the opportunities therein for the development of Bayelsa. Out of the nine years of AMAA, Bayelsa has hosted it seven times. I was told the Ididie Hotel where my Kenyan friend was lodged was the ‘five-star hotel’ at the maiden edition of AMAA. It was the place Nollywood stars and other international guests were lodged. Nine years after, the number of hotels in the state has tripled. That’s one of the contributions of AMAA to the development of the state.
In addition, AMAA offers the opportunity for the state’s tourism to grow side by side with the awards. A proper arrangement should have been made for all guests to go on a tour of the historical landmarks of the state with a guide on each bus explaining to them the importance of these places. This is an opportunity for job creation. At least, the guides will be paid at the end of it.
Also, stalls should have been built for indigenes to sell the state’s arts and crafts like beads, little figurines, amongst others. Even the boat regatta, not all the guests were there. AMAA is an opportunity for commerce. No matter how little, it will begin to open up the state’s economy. AMAA is the only event that brings a crowd of that magnitude to the state annually. I see no reason the state government should not take it seriously. It should be properly organised in a way that air tickets would have been bought ahead, hotels inspected and booked, there should be meet and greet at the airport, amongst others. Visitors should not be left on their own to sort things out. It is not a time to play politics with the image of Nigeria because when AMAA is mentioned on the continent, the first thing that comes to mind is the name Nigeria because that is the awards’ origin.
If AMAA is too big for Bayelsa – and it appears it is – then the organisers may begin to consider other African countries hosting it. They should allow them bid for hosting rights. This will change the game and the way the award is perceived on the continent. If not, then it is high time Bayelsa took AMAA seriously as its tenth anniversary comes up next year.
Hosting more than 5,000 people in a gathering at once is not a common occurrence in Bayelsa. It only happens once in a year when the AMAA takes place there, and the state has hosted more than five editions of the award that is in its ninth year. I have attended more than three editions of the awards held at the Gloryland Centre in Yenogoa and the story has always been the same – poor organisation.
This last edition was horrific and I was saddened by the impression the visitors from overseas have about Nigeria. Leaving Lagos for Port Harcourt was a difficult task as everyone had to wait at the domestic airport for more than three hours. There was the promise of a chartered flight. Eventually, we were able to get on a plane. After a 45-minute flight, we were in Port Harcourt. It was a relief, though, that there were buses waiting to transport us by road to Yenogoa.
We arrived Yenogoa and about 8pm. Everyone was tired. Sleep, food and water were top on our minds. We had thought we would be driven straight to the respective hotels booked for us. But anyone who had attended AMAA in Yenogoa would know that is not the norm. The tourism bureau is usually the next port of call. And I was right. When we got to the bureau, everyone tried to scramble for the few wraps of eba left. There was rice but no stew. There was eba and ogbono soup, no meat. A white guy had to eat his rice with ogbono soup. We were later told there was chicken frying on the big fire in a corner. Perhaps the caterers were overwhelmed by the large crowd who arrived at the bureau at the same time. But a better arrangement could have been made for us to have dinner at the hotel.
The following day, a media chat with the jurors was held at the tourism bureau. From the look of things, it was obvious there was no adequate preparation for this. It was just a makeshift arrangement. After the briefing, there was no bus to take the media from Kenya to their hotel. They had to make the journey of foot. It was sad. In fact, a Kenyan delegate told me he won’t return to Nigeria for the AMAA again because he has been disappointed for the second time.
“Do you know why Kenyans did not submit more films?” he said to me. “It is because they were disappointed the last time they came to Nigeria. If it were in Kenya, I wouldn’t agree to sleep in the kind of hotel I was lodged in.”
Returning to Lagos was a battle. We stayed hours on end for the return tickets to be sorted. From 11am we didn’t get on the plane until 6pm.
It is important that the Bayelsa State government take the annual hosting of the AMAA very seriously. They must begin to see and harness the opportunities therein for the development of Bayelsa. Out of the nine years of AMAA, Bayelsa has hosted it seven times. I was told the Ididie Hotel where my Kenyan friend was lodged was the ‘five-star hotel’ at the maiden edition of AMAA. It was the place Nollywood stars and other international guests were lodged. Nine years after, the number of hotels in the state has tripled. That’s one of the contributions of AMAA to the development of the state.
In addition, AMAA offers the opportunity for the state’s tourism to grow side by side with the awards. A proper arrangement should have been made for all guests to go on a tour of the historical landmarks of the state with a guide on each bus explaining to them the importance of these places. This is an opportunity for job creation. At least, the guides will be paid at the end of it.
Also, stalls should have been built for indigenes to sell the state’s arts and crafts like beads, little figurines, amongst others. Even the boat regatta, not all the guests were there. AMAA is an opportunity for commerce. No matter how little, it will begin to open up the state’s economy. AMAA is the only event that brings a crowd of that magnitude to the state annually. I see no reason the state government should not take it seriously. It should be properly organised in a way that air tickets would have been bought ahead, hotels inspected and booked, there should be meet and greet at the airport, amongst others. Visitors should not be left on their own to sort things out. It is not a time to play politics with the image of Nigeria because when AMAA is mentioned on the continent, the first thing that comes to mind is the name Nigeria because that is the awards’ origin.
If AMAA is too big for Bayelsa – and it appears it is – then the organisers may begin to consider other African countries hosting it. They should allow them bid for hosting rights. This will change the game and the way the award is perceived on the continent. If not, then it is high time Bayelsa took AMAA seriously as its tenth anniversary comes up next year.
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