CHINESE CIRCUS TROUPE OFFERS TOURISM OPPORTUNITY
THE Chief Executive Officer of Cranes and Ladders Limited, Ebun Roberts, has said that the proposed 90-day performance tour of Nigeria by the Chinese Qibu Circus Troupe and their Nigerian counterparts will provide a new and refreshingly different stakeholder engagement platform for progressive corporate organisations in Nigeria.'
The tour - the first phase of a long term plan to further grow the Nigerian entertainment industry - would ultimately boost the contribution of the entertainment industry to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product, he said.
In a statement, Roberts said that the Chinese circus troupe which was established over thirty years ago would perform alongside a select team of Nigerian acrobats and traditional dancers in a tour scheduled to cover six major cities from October to December 2010. The Nigerian team and their Chinese counterparts would perform in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kaduna, and Calabar.
He said, 'By performing alongside the Chinese who are worldwide acclaimed leaders in this specific art, the Nigerian team will be able to hone the art, marry it with our own local traditions, and before long, we will have a new but highly organised and thriving sub-sector of the Nigerian entertainment industry. See what Nollywood is doing today. A couple of years ago, nobody would have thought that possible.'
Executive Director of the company, Mr. Tosin Olukoga, noted that the show would present a veritable opportunity for discerning corporate organisations to further build their brand equities by investing in a refreshingly different property which is poised not only to broaden the nation's entertainment landscape, but also likely to draw a large following that would cut across all key demographic segments that such organisations would need to engage.
He said, 'This is the time for enlightened corporate organisations to come in and help develop this important sector of the arts. It is a hot property, both from the point of view of corporate social responsibility, and from the point of view of marketing. I believe that this is why we have been receiving the level of requests for partnering.'
Apart from the family funfair days to be staged in open fields, 'with loads of side attractions for adults and children alike,' there would also be grand performances in high brow venues 'as well as specially staged shows organised in a bespoke fashion to suit the special requirements of sponsoring organisations for their select guests,' he added.