Dawn in the Creeks (DITC), the Jeta Amata-led initiative aimed at promoting peace in the country’s Niger Delta region has entered season two.
The workshop, taking place in Lagos, Nigeria, had at the official launch attended by friends and partners of the project. Board member, Dawn in the Creeks, Andre Blaze Henshaw 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.
Season two follows the 21 young men and women who had enrolled in the Nollywood Academy as they juggle their studies with their roles as peace ambassadors to their communities as well as leaders among their peers.
“Now things really get interesting because our fledgling filmmakers are starting to realise that the path of peace comes with its own peculiar issues,” Henshaw explained.
The crusade for a more peaceful and prosperous Niger Delta, he said, will not be embraced immediately by all but they would have to keep at the vision.
Among those at the launch was, the US Consular General in Nigeria, Ambassador Jerry Hawkins, who 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 programs, to share non-violent solutions to problems with their fellow Nigerians as well as with local, state, and national authorities,” he said.
He further said that improving the relationship and accountability between the government and its citizens will go a long way in ensuring 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,” Hawkins stated.
Just like in season one, DITC2 will feature notable figures from the Nigerian entertainment serving as mentors and facilitators for the Change Agents and is scheduled to air on select TV stations across the country.