When
it was the turn of the leader of the Lagos State delegation to speak,
his speech captured the essence of Nigeria’s representation at the
festival.
He said: “I bring you good tidings from
Lagos State and particularly from the governor of Lagos State, Mr.
Akinwunmi Ambode. Lagos, as you know, is the home of Nollywood. Without
Nollywood, there won’t be contemporary Lagos and without Lagos, there
won’t be Nollywood. So, the two have worked together.”
He recalled that 10 years ago, Toronto recognised Lagos and picked a film by Tunde Kelani titled Abeni to come to Toronto.
“10 years ago, there was only one
journalist who was here and only one government official because the
other government officials couldn’t get visas to come. But tonight, and
throughout this festival, Toronto will see that Lagos is here. Because
the industry has grown and that is why Lagos State government in
particular and Nigeria in general is very proud of this opportunity,” he
added.
Ayorinde hinted that Lagos is a
21-million-people state, “which means that it is home to the largest
number of black people anywhere in the world.”
According to him, “If Lagos were to be a
country on its own, it would be the fifth largest economy in the entire
world – that says something about its resources. Lagos wouldn’t be what
it is without the creative industry like Nollywood. Therefore, we are
proud that Lagos is the first city in Africa that is the focus of the
City-to-City programme. What can I say other than to congratulate
Cameron Bailey and his team for a job well done and for believing in
Nollywood. I also congratulate Kemi Adetiba, the director of tonight’s
film, Mo Abudu and the entire team, Kene Mkparu and all other people
behind this film. Also, I congratulate all the other directors and
people behind the other eight films that will be shown throughout the
festival. What will not be in doubt, by the time this festival ends, is
that Nollywood has arrived and this is the renaissance that African
cinema needs.”
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