‘Dawn In The Creeks’ (DITC), the Jeta Amata-led initiative aimed at promoting peace in the country’s Niger Delta region, has kicked off its second season in Lagos, Nigeria.
At the official launch attended by journalists, friends and partners of DITC, Andre Blaze Henshaw, board member of Dawn in the Creeks, said the second season would leverage on the awareness and excitement generated by its debut season and highlight the gains made so far and the challenges facing the project.
“In our first season, we mobilised the youth of the area to become change agents in a Niger Delta that was, for too long, perceived as a cauldron of degradation, restiveness and mayhem”, Henshaw said.
“And while these issues have not been totally eradicated, we can literally see a dawn of peace and hope on the horizon.”
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Season Two follows the 21 young men and women who enrolled in the Nollywood Academy as they juggle their studies with their roles as peace ambassadors to their communities and as leaders among their peers.
“Now, things really get interesting because our fledgling film makers are starting to realise that the path of peace comes with its own peculiar issues”, he added.
“The crusade for a more peaceful and prosperous Niger Delta will not be embraced immediately by all but they would have to keep at the vision that not only is it possible, it has become necessary for their communities to be freed from a past riddled with poverty and despair.”
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Jerry Hawkins, the United States Consular General in Nigeria was full of praise for the initiative and pledged the continued support of the American government.
“The U.S. Mission partnered with a distinguished group of Nigerian leaders to give the people of the Niger Delta platforms like the ‘Dawn in the Creeks’ reality TV show and weekly radio programmes, to share non-violent solutions to problems with their fellow Nigerians as well as with local, state, and national authorities,” he said.
“Improving the relationship and accountability between the government and its citizens will go a long way towards ensuring that the future remains promising for the region. Today, ‘Dawn in the Creeks’ is a social enterprise run by a competent board of advisors from the world of business, civil society and entertainment. We are looking for corporate partners who share our vision of. a better future for our youth.”
As in its maiden season, DITC2 , which is scheduled to air on select TV stations across the country, will feature notable figures from the Nigerian entertainment seasons serving as mentors and facilitators for the change agents.
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