Well!!! Still on the matter of AY and his "30 Days In Atlanta". Ali Baba spoke the truth and at the same time he was funny at it.
He wrote this on his instagram page.
Some years back, entertainers were invited to the Eko Hotels
to meet President GEJ. The crux of the meeting was for him to jaw jaw with the
entertainment industry to thank them for their support and to ask that they say
what and how the industry
can be helped to achieve its goals in the different
sectors that formed the whole industry.
The very first set of speakers, stood up to say funding was
the number one problem. All other speakers were to toe the same line. I got the
chance to speak and I told Mr President that, if he gives 3 BILLION NAIRA to
each sector of entertainment, we will still be broke, unless the scourge of
Piracy is sorted. I was shouted down by some stakeholders and people who I
expected to know the truth. They even asked if I am a movie maker.
Thank God for Amaka Igwe of blessed memory, who got the
microphone after 2 more Egbons objected to my position. Amaka Igwe, seconded my
motion, and argued that if the money is released, received and used, how will
pirates be tackled? Because all the pirate needs is one copy! And she said,
rather than give the industry such funds, the environment should be provided
for us to be creative and sell the products of our creativity. Piracy is our
doom she added.
Today, some have accessed the funds, and the pirates are
even more emboldened. You may want to ask AY how his “30 Days In Atlanta” is
making some good money for some pirates. I saw one of the “Egbons” who told me
to keep quiet that night, and I asked him how his film was doing, and he said,
“Awon Pirates ti ba oja JE.” (Translation: I agree, I am a very stupid and
myopic idiot). I further asked him about the distribution network that he said
they (movie makers) knew how to handle, to beat the Pirates… “Awon people yen
baaaad GAN” (translation: I’m shortsighted and dumb).
I have said it before and again, as long as pirates can keep
selling DVDs on the street, we will keep struggling! If our artistes put the
kind of energy we put in backing politicians, to push for our piracy laws, the
era of artistes getting Platinum, Diamond, Gold discs for records sold will
return. Until then, except for a few, we toil in vain!
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