By Adekunle Johnson
National Association Of Nigerian Arts Practioners has called on the Federal government to take steps to improve on performer’s rights and protection provided under the new Copyright Act, 2022.
The Director-General, Nigeria Copyright Commission, NCC, Dr. John Asein made call at the opening of a four day delegates conference in Lagos.
Dr.Asein stressed the need for theatre Art practitioners to understand the strategic importance of intellectual property, particularly copyright law which plays a pivotal role in the performing arts as it grants creators exclusive rights to their works, ensuring that their intellectual labor—whether a dance routine, a theatrical performance, a song, or a script cannot be used without their consent.
He further explained that emerging technologies including artificial intelligence have compounded the challenges being faced by performing artists hence the need for the practitioners to explore Copyright as it safeguards creative works, allowing the author to control how their works are fixed, reproduced, distributed or otherwise exploited.
The NCC Director General said copyright laws ensures that intellectual labour is rewarded pointing out that understanding and leveraging copyright is essential for the Practioners.
Dr Asein said the Nigeria Copyrigjts Commission will develop the outcome of the plenary session into a publication entitled “Copyright and Theatre Arts” as a tribute to two Nigerians who greatly influenced the emergence of performer’s rights in Nigeria:
“Dr. Sylvester Olusola Agbaje-Williams, a theatre enthusiast and key contributor to modern copyright system Chief Hubert Ogunde, the father of Nigerian theatre, who advocated for the inclusion of performer’s rights in the Copyright Act” he added
“”The Nigerian Copyright Commission has long recognized the importance of theatre practitioners in the creative sector. Theatre professionals were well represented in the workshops leading up to the Copyright Act of 1988.
“In one of those seminars, held at Durbar Hotel, Lagos from 21st to 25th March 1988, Ogunde made a case for performer’s rights, which at that time did not exist under the Copyright Act of 1970. He prefaced his argument by showing the contributions that performers, especially folk theatre practitioners, had made to cultural, social and economic development. He argued that the law ignored the contributions of folk theatre practitioners to national development” Dr Asein stressed.
Earlier in a welcome remark, the President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, NANTAP, Mr Israel Eboh said the theme of the convention Theatre, Politics and National Development ” resonated with time pointing out that from dawn of civilization theatre has held up a mirror to society, shaped ideologies, questioned power structures and fueled evolutions.
Mr Eboh said NANTA has trained hundreds of practitioners through specialized workshops, international collaborations and mentorship programmes.
