TheNiche Lecture and the rest of us: Those who appreciate public lectures and symposiums will have no problem realising why they should be at such a pregnant event; the real challenge is to make others see the need to be part of this event. At the 2023 TheNiche Annual Lecture, Rotimi Amaechi will talk about Nigeria and others will discuss it, what are the rest of us doing to try to participate in thought and action? I will be inviting you and others to join me at the event.
By Anthony Kila
There is a general misconception amongst many people in this country about public lectures and symposiums in general, some seem to think that public lectures are too many and that they amount to nothing. There is no other way to put it, such idea is factually wrong and logically flawed, those who say so tend to confuse their own excitement and frustration stimulated by their desired outcome but depressed by realities of a country in which many events make you ask if reasoning is alien to us.
In a sort of usual suspect’s syndrome, in most cases, it is also the same people that attend most public lectures and symposiums, so one can readily see why same people talking to each other with no desired outcomes can feel frustrated and disillusioned. These are understandable reasons that can lead one to despondency but none is enough to change facts and there is none that should outweigh logic.
Fact is that we need more public lectures and symposiums in the world not less, yes, we can argue about the qualities but still we need more. The logical step to take is not only to encourage more public lectures and symposiums in general but also to work on getting more people to attend these events.
Instead of just habitual public lectures and symposiums attendees lamenting about outcome and attendance amongst themselves, they, or should I say we, need to actively invite those who we think should attend every public lecture and symposium. From decision makers to voters, to observers to investors and other partners, everybody that can influence or be influenced by a topic should be given the opportunity to participate in discussions around such topics. There is of course the need to ensure that the event is worth attending, and therein lies the rub. Which public lectures and symposiums are worth attending?
Students of the Professional Event Management Programme at the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies are offered a module called “Elements of Good and Bad Events” and applying what I have learnt from them, it is safe to say that the crucial components of public lectures and symposiums worth attending are those that have knowledgeable speakers that can speak on topics that are relevant and in informative tones.
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Whilst it is relatively easy to understand the virtues of these elements and maybe look out for them at events, what I find even more fascinating is the motiving spirit of those that plan public lectures and symposiums. In applying my personal matrix of these four elements, only few public lectures and symposiums stand up tall enough to gain the mark of excellence. There is often something wrong somewhere, where it is not the speaker, it might be the organisers or the topic.
Some speakers have passion but lack knowledge, others have knowledge but should not be allowed to speak to a public that wants to stay awake, others have both but might come in unprepared, and then there are those over-prepared speakers, strange as it might sound. As a habitual attendee, I can assure you that over-prepared speakers exist too. Luckily, the very few events that win the badge of excellence and that can be described as worth attending do so convincingly.
Whilst we are still in the lucky mode and mood, let me quickly add that luckily in this month of October there is a public lecture that comes with a verifiable past and a credible promise of being a worthy event. It is TheNiche Annual Lecture, organised by TheNiche Foundation for Development Journalism.
The motivating spirit of the organisers is to foster national renaissance. Yes, you are right, anyone that cares about or is even minimally interested in Nigeria should be interested in any theme about national renaissance. The topic of TheNiche Annual Lecture in October 2023 is an open question framed as “Why does Nigeria stride and slide?”
Students and lovers of rhetoric will readily read through the organisers intention and ability to offer speakers and discussants a chance not only to offer their diagnosis and prognosis but also to examine the question and to question the question. Speechifying aside, understanding why Nigeria strides and slides is probably one of the most important things to know about Nigeria if one wants to better manage the country and its people.
Lead speaker at the event is Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation, a man I consider one of the most understated politicians of the fourth republic. I look forward to his citation at TheNiche Annual Lecture. Date of the event is Thursday, October 26. The event is billed to start at 10am and the venue is the main auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), situated in Victoria Island Lagos.
Those who appreciate public lectures and symposiums will have no problem realising why they should be at such a pregnant event; the real challenge is to make others see the need to be part of this event. At the 2023 TheNiche Annual Lecture, Rotimi Amaechi will talk about Nigeria and others will discuss it, what are the rest of us doing to try to participate in thought and action? I will be inviting you and others to join me at the event.
- Join me if you can on twitter @anthonykila to continue these conversations.
- Prof Anthony Kila is Institute Director at CIAPS. www.ciaps.org.