The Nigerian NYSC scheme was established
in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after its Civil
war. The pre-civil war innocence that Nigeria lost in the midst of
bloodshed and untold hardships also played out in human relationships, thereby
threatening the 'One Nigeria' dream. This necessitated the need to create
an avenue for both human, cultural and geographic exchange. The scheme also aims
to inculcate in Nigeria’s youths the spirit of selfless service to the
community, irrespective of their social, ethnic or religious affiliations...
Gidi Culture Festival is a strong
advocate of the NYSC scheme; with a strong belief that youth empowerment is key
to the development of the society. It understands that a society must
invest in its youth in order to position itself for advancement. As the cliché
goes, 'they are the leaders for tomorrow'.
The Road to Gidi Culture Festival kicked off
with a free concert at the Lagos State NYSC Camp in November last year.
"The Gidi Culture Festival is
all about empowering the youth as well as ensuring that entertainment is
affordable and accessible to the youth" said Chin Okeke, Founder of
Eclipse Live.
The show provided unknown artistes
such as Uchman an opportunity to showcase their
music to a crowd of over 3000 people, as well as sharing a stage with upcoming
acts such as Nedu, Flowsick, Blink, Tesh Carter and Sammy. The exposure that
these young artists got from theGidi Culture Festival initiative has helped to foster
their careers and has created more exposure for them in the music and
entertainment space.
‘We are looking forward to organising
a similar concert after the success that we had last year.” Okeke said. “ It is
important that we carry on engaging with the youth through the power of music
and reminding them of their responsibilities to their communities and the
society as a whole”.
The Gidi Culture Festival itself is
scheduled to take place in March 2014, with a line-up that boasts some of Nigeria's
hottest young musical talents in the industry.
The NYSC scheme remains a key
development initiative in Nigeria, with the ultimate goal of establishing a
united, strong and self reliant nation. To the NYSC February campers in Lagos, are you ready for
the fun?
