Inside Akwa Ibom: When Beauty Becomes Business
By UbongAbasi Ise
Today, it seems the young ones
are measuring their attractiveness on the number of likes, wows and comments on
various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, WhatsApp,
etc . Fortunes have been spent by young ones on high-end phones, cameras,
makeups, makeovers, clothes, ornaments, and so on just to keep with the world
trend that is going fetish with everything that has to do with beauty. In a way, the digitalization of modern
technology has introduced a new habit or addiction to the youth who would spend
anything to go online to impress their admirers. This is a sharp departure from
the past but this does not mean our ancestors were not passionate to be attractive
because human admiration for beauty is naturally a convention that has existed
since the beginning of time. Every human in any culture and society past and
present has the tendency to desires aesthetics of human beauty. But there has
never been a time people appear to have compulsive obsession to impress onlookers
with their personal attractiveness like in this generation. The ever-pervasive
modern digital technology has tremendously transformed and influenced the world
of beauty and alters priorities beyond words. Unlike in the past when the
passion for exquisite appearance was solely the duty of the rich, today all
classes of people in the society have turned out to be craving attractive
appearance. As a result, you see younger people spending their fortunes on
their looks in order to ‘kill it’ or to ‘slay it.’
If young people could invest excessively in beauty,
couldn’t they make gains in return? Is it all about waste and more wastes of
resources and time just for social media Likes and Comments? Although
hairstylists, barbers, dermatologists, makeup artists, fashion designers,
photographers etc. have made cool cash out of the craze for beauty, pageantry remains one area too that turns attractive individuals, especially,
ladies into moneybags.
It is against
this backdrop, that Mr. Silas Edidem Bassey, a movie and music producer and a
pageantry organizer during an exclusive interview in Uyo recently with our correspondent
pointed out that people are going on social media because they want to be
popular, while stressing that no matter how much they spend on social media to get to
the top, without having anything to project them, it would be a futile effort. According
to him, “You cannot write about yourself on the social media without anything
attached to what is written about you that will project you.” It was at this
point he singled out pageantry as one beauty endeavour that looks beyond
physical looks to individual talents and creativity that could be translated
into business that brings monetary returns.
In Nigeria, ladies’ names like Agbani Darego, Bianca Ojukwu,
Regina Askia-Williams, Nike Oshinowo, etc, had become iconic because of their
feat in pageantry contest. The business of
beauty as designed as pageantry can give young people a sense of direction
because it aims at uncovering their talents for productive use. In Akwa Ibom
State, the home of beauties, it behoove on those in entertainment industry to
emphasize pageantry because it carries with it many aspects of business endeavours
such as modeling, fashion, makeup, photography, music, and all the gamut of
entertainment. Besides, a well-planned beauty contest in Akwa Ibom State could
help sell the beauties, culture and historical relics of the state to the
world. And this could be one way of boosting tourism.
However, Slyz-B
Movies Music Production & Modeling Agency has sought to give pageantry in
Akwa Ibom State a new definition. Having successfully staged Miss Face of
Valentine in February this year, followed by Face of Akwa Ibom in April, the
stage is set for Miss Finest Queen Nigeria 2019 coming up in few weeks. Beyond
the prizes that the contest would fetch the winners, there are many gains that
await the participants far more valuable than mere Likes and Comments on social
media.
Miss Finest Queen Nigeria 2019
 |
Emilia Blessed Moses, 18, from Urueoffong/Oruko LGA. Her Special
talents
is Acting and dancing. Her expectation is to be the winner of MFQN 2019
|
 |
Miss Mary Asuquo, 20, from Nsit Atai LGA – Akwa Ibom State.
She
working. Her special talent is singing. She says
she feel so special to among
the participants
|
 |
| Add Miss Utibeno Godliness, 19, from Ibesikpo, a 200 leveled student of
Guidance and Counseling, University of Uyo. Her special talent is singing. She is optimistic that the contest will bring out the best in her. |
 |
| Christiana Sampson Akpon, 19 Nsit
Ubium LGA. She says she has the passion for the contest and would feel privileged to become the Most Finest Queen Nigeria |
 |
Miss Jasmine Belbon, 19, Kokana LGA, student.
She says she going into a big
contest, but believes she will win. She don’t
like travelling, but she like
singing, making-up, shopping,
|
--------------------------------------------
....................................................
INTERVIEW:
Beauty Can’t Stand On Empty Publicity – Silas Bassey
Mr. Silas Edidem Bassey is an amiable
Akwa Ibom son that is very active in Nigeria’s movie industry since 1997.
First, he entered the Nollywood scene as an actor before he became movie
producer and director. He cut his teeth in the management of beauty pageantry
when he was appointed in 2003 into the organizing team of the Next Movie Star,
the beauty pageantry that Tonto Dikeh, who is now a Nollywood star, emerged a
winner and came into limelight of movie industry. In an interview with
UBONGABASI ISE, our correspondent, Mr.Silas Bassey speaks on how the youth
could put their beauty into gainful use while baring his mind on the challenges
facing pageantry business in Akwa Ibom State and ways of eliminating them,
EXCERPT:
For the purpose of records, let's
meet you sir
My name is Silas Edidem Bassey. I
am from Ikot Ekpene local government area, Akwa Ibom State. I am also a
Nollywood movie director and a pageant organizer. I organize both national and
state pageant and by the special grace of God, my company has been contracted
to organize an international pageantry which is coming up by September and the
name is Queen of African Continent.
You are also organizing Miss
Finest Queen Nigeria in a matter of weeks...
(Cuts in) Yes
So what do Akwa Ibom people
really expect from the contest?
I want Akwa Ibom to expect
something they have not seen or heard of, something massive becauseMost Beautiful
Nigeria; Face of Valentine Nigeria;
and all these pageantry were done in Abuja, which is like my second base, and
we decided to bring the Most Finest Queen
Nigeria to Akwa Ibom and Uyo
precisely as a way of helping to project our dear state because I know that one
thing that is making Akwa Ibom unique is security and good things we have. So I
want our State to be knowledgeable of this thing going on, because pageantry is
really helping to project young girls, their ideas and creativity. So I want
our State to expect something very massive and great.
Today's world seems to be
emphasizing beauty, and a lot of people have spent a lot of money on
beautification. As an expert, is there any way people could gain from what they
are investing in beauty?
Yes, of course. People can really
gain from beauty. Asides the beauty of these girls, there are other unique
things, there are other special things about them that anyone who come to
invest, contribute or be a part of what is going on would gain from. Today,
beauty pageantry has taken over the whole world. Virtually every state in
Nigeria is deeply into pageantry. Go out to other countries, they have gone
deep into pageantry. And there has not been any sort of complaint as affecting the
people or so. It is just like putting up a competition, and the competition is
all about their talents, creative knowledge and power. At the end of the day,
winners are selected, and when they are selected, it is not just about beauty
as you were saying people spend money on beautification, although which very
true. But beautification is not all about the looks; the beauty of a woman does
not end at what she looks like. The beauty of a woman extends to her character,
attitude, manners and all of that. And these things are being fostered and
promoted more in the world of pageantry. So anybody who comes in to invest, at
the end of the day, one of the queens is made to become your ambassador. You
are not just taking a girl that is beautiful to become your ambassador, you are
taking a girl that can well represent you, who can act as an ambassador at
wherever you send her to because she is well-trained on manners and everything.
I would say very well that anybody who invests in beauty would not lose.
You have been in Abuja, and be
organizing beauty pageantry. You have also organized couple of pageantries here
in Akwa Ibom, can you compare and contrast the two environments in terms of making
business out of pageantry?
You cannot compare Abuja to Akwa
Ibom in terms of business aspect of pageantry because in Abuja, if I have to
talk based on my experience in Abuja, I would say I can't remember any day I
paid for an event venue to host my pageantry. Company as big company as Star
Palace view Hotel, a very mighty hotel, the kind we don't have in Akwa Ibom
State, I must confess we did not pay them. I only had a meeting with the manager whom the CEO happen
to be the mother, and they made me meet with the mother and even when I went to
meet her, they took care of us; that is, I and few of my queens and executives. They
took care of us and gave us all the supports. And good enough, the hotel is
owned by Akwa Ibom woman. Akwa Ibom woman own this big and magnificent hotel in
Abuja. And because she has been there, she has an understanding about the
business. Immediately I mentioned this (pageantry) to her, she accepted and
gave us all the supports. Apart from there, I've done pageantry at other places
such as Wuse. Of course Wuse too is a
very expensive place. At the end of the
day, what I found out when I did Face of
Valentine the following day, the owner of that event place had to invite
the queens again and myself to honour us. The management of that place gave the
winner $200 on that grand finale night. Then the following day, they organized
a special party and sponsored it just to celebrate the queens that emerged
winners. So what I'm trying to say is that you can't compare what is happening
in Abuja to Akwa Ibom. I hope what is happening in Abuja would be brought to
Akwa Ibom because we have the resources. In Abuja we have a lot of supports.
When I organized Face of Akwa Ibom in
Akwa Ibom State, I cannot compare it to what I experienced in Abuja.
Please emphasize what do the
supporters of pageantry stand to gain at the end
When you support the pageantry, you
have the liberty to choose one of the crowned queens to become your ambassador,
that is number one. You have the liberty of having the organizer, that is, we
the company to promote your products in all the things we do because we shoot
movies too using these queens. When we are shooting movies, we promote them.
What we do is that before the movie begins or at the end of the movie, we
display logos and names of all the companies that have been our supporters
during our pageantry in which we discovered these queens. So apart from that,
another way of having to gain is that you can invest in a queen as a company,
sponsor her through the pageantry. At the end of the day, you now sign out your
deal with her: you know the duration of hours she is going to work with you,
and what she stands to do for you, and what she stands to gain by working with
you. What we do, as organizers, we would be managing her; we would be still
working with her during this period. Because you supported the pageantry in which
she emerged the winner, there are many ways companies can gain if they come
into supporting pageantry.
Can you just name some of these
companies that have benefitted so far by supporting your venture?
In Abuja, I have worked with Pibz
Media. Pibz Media is owned by one of the house members, and they are now into
road construction and house building. They owned a place where they give
artistes to live. While you are there, you are given freedom to you to use all
their facilities. They have lights, they have cameras, they have all sorts of
equipment; they have a fully made studio. We worked with them, and they gave us
massive supports. We also worked with the company I earlier mentioned (Star
Palace View Hotel); we worked with Rainbow Service Limited, and it is equally
owned by an Akwa Ibom man: it is a very big construction company; they build
estates. We worked with them in Abuja. The owner has spent all his life at
Abuja. When we worked with them, it was a full support we enjoyed to the extent
that they gave out a car that took the contestants to the church every Sunday:
it was standby car, including his Mercedes G-Wagon. So they took care of the
queens and sponsored a lot of things. We had a hotel like a Sun City Estate.
The management of Sun City Estate had equally supported us in Abuja. And then
Sun City Sit-Out had also supported us, and so many of them.
What will Akwa Ibom State gain
from the upcoming Miss Finest Queen Nigeria pageantry?
We are hoping that it would be
delivered because we have done everything. We've fixed everything, being 100%
sure that it is going to be the way we package it. If done so, Akwa Ibom State
is going to gain first, the news that would go around the country and settle onto
the minds of pageant organizers, in that the state is safe enough for the
pageant to be staged, which is the basic thing every pageant organizer should
consider. Number two thing is that, it will promote the culture of Akwa Ibom
because many people who have never been to the State are going to visit this
state through this pageantry. Some of these contestants, because it is a
national contest, are not from Akwa Ibom: they are from other parts of the
country. So once they come here, we have already made arrangement to take them
on tour to visit some tourist sites in Akwa Ibom State, such as places like
Ibeno beach, Ikot Abasi where we have
bridge of no-return; we will go to other places that would help to project Akwa
Ibom culture. Apart from that, it will also help Akwa Ibom in the sense that,
it is going to make the hotels more valuable, and it is going to make people
see how safe the state could be for such an event.
What message do you have for the
youth that are increasingly going on social media to show off their beauty and
those spending so much on their looks?
People have been on social media
because everyone wants to be popular, and people now believe that social media
is one of the platforms that gets people to be talked about. However, that
helps too. But the truth is that, you cannot, no matter how much you put into
social media, get to the top without having anything to project you. You cannot
write about yourself on the social media without anything attached to what is
written about you that will project you. So what I will advise our people is
that they should discover what they have inside of them. Everybody that was
created by God has some potentials but the truth is that many of us have been
too relaxed. The youth have been so relaxed that they don't have time to think
'what is that in me that I could do to wow the world?' Many people have some potential.
So I would advise that they should not just go on the social media to look for
empty publicity, they should look for a way to discover what is in them. Like
during this contest, we discover the creative power of these young ones. They
are very creative. And until you put them together like this, and ask them to
display, you wouldn't know they have this thing inside of them. So let them
look for a way - there are a lot of
platforms. Let them look for a way to discover the potential that is in them
and then try to project that thing that is in them instead of promoting
themselves without anything attached to it. So that is my advice to the young
ones.
What does the organizer of beauty
pageantry usually gain?
Well, I would speak for myself
because I won't generalize this type of question. In everything you do together, there are people
that do thing for the fun of it; some people do it as business in a way that
without money they can't continue. But we have been trying to be consistent
with or without money. And so, what we do is, we see our pageant and our
company as the way of giving back to the society. That is the reason why, like
this Miss Finest Queen Nigeria, we
had to put the registration free. Nobody is to pay anything. We don't want
anybody's money. If we were too conscious of money, it would have been mandatory
that you pay money before you are qualified. We were able to put off money and
ask all Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians wherever they are, to come and be a part
of this. With or without money, what we
do is more of a societal assistance. We try to assist the society. We try to
make both the poor and the rich to be part of what is going on, and to discover
their talents with or without money. That is why we don't ask the contestants
to register for this year's edition, and especially being that Akwa Ibom State
is still a virgin land when it has to do with the pageantry. We have to promote our land. So we are not
looking at the monetary part of it. When we were hosting Face of Valentine Nigeria, the only sponsor we had was Tilapia in
Abak. It was done there. It was hosted there. They tried to do virtually everything.
Apart from them, nobody came to our support and we could still run it through.
We know our experience when we did Face
of Akwa Ibom. So I am not saying that money is what is keeping us, No. So I
think it is the love of our society; the love from the fact that we are
discovering talents is what is keeping us. So I should speak for ourselves, I
don't know about other people.
Is there anything else you might
have liked the public to know which my questions could not touch such areas?
I would urge companies, I would
urge individuals, I would urge philanthropists to come out and be part of
entertainment generally. I have been in the movie industry since 1997. That was
when I started to be an actor until I become a movie producer and a director. I
tell you, like today, movies have dropped and that is because the support is
not forthcoming the way it should. The value of movies has dropped especially
in this my dear state. I can remember when I used to be going to Udok
street (in Uyo) and everybody was struggling to become marketers. It is no
longer so. People that used to be marketers are pushed out of marketing and
they are looking for other things to do because the value has dropped. I don't
know who has caused it; I don't know where the thing has started to affect the
system but I know the system is really affected. So it bothers me because I'm
from here. Apart from that, I know how many people this thing was impacted
positively. It used to put food on a lot of people's table but it's not so
today. So that is what I would tell the public that you guys have not acted.
The movie aspect which was my first step into entertainment even before I delve
into pageantry, has been badly affected so much especially in my dear state.
Then you see talents everyday but no platform to showcase their talents. So I'm
urging people to come in, and if the government had come into the system, it
won't be like this: maybe money is the problem; maybe poor production is the
problem; maybe marketing is the problem. Whatever is the problem should be
solved. A lot of people have been affected; people are going back to the
villages; people are going back to works that have brought them just anything.
People are going back to the streets jobless without doing anything. So I would
urge the government, I would urge the individuals, I would urge philanthropists
and concerned Nigerians to support and not to mind the normal life of a celebrity
because sometime they have to package but it is not so. When you come into us,
many of us are affected. The price of an actor is being abused because they are
all looking for jobs. So I would urge people to come into this system and see
how they can help, and not only the movie, equally the pageantry system because
now beauty pageantry has been bastardized. Now everybody, even when they are
not well-trained, would just stand up and start organizing pageantry. And by so
doing, they would now groom queens that are not professionally groomed because
you can't give to somebody what you don't have. If you were not groomed, how
can you groom someone else? So the problem with the system is that since they
know that young girls are desperate to wear crowns, everybody stands up to be
organizing pageantry. Like myself, I started organizing pageantry in 2003 when
I was one of the organizers of the Next
Movie Star, the beauty pageant that Tonto Dikeh, who is now a Nollywood
star won first position and became a Nollywood star. She was the first to win
the overall crown. Right from that time, 2003, I've been following up pageants
up till today. That time pageantry was not that rampant, but today it is not
so. Let government be concerned about this because as day breaks, it is
affecting the public system; it affecting the organizers and people who go into
it. I would say that the system should be cleansed. Something should be done
about it.
Thank you very much sir
©The Sensor Newspaper
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