British Council Nigeria has called journalists reporting culture in the country to learn how to report culture effectively in the country and around the world.
In a report that was release on the organisation website, the essence of the training is to facilitate the circulation of knowledge and experience among participants, improve culture reporting practise particularly to attract a younger audience, to set up a network of Nigerian journalists, to Furthering the role of the media within the Nigerian arts and culture sector and to promote exchange between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Participants will learn about different approaches to cultural reporting, develop new skills and discover tools that can be used to make their arts reporting more contemporary, informed and engaging particularly for younger audiences.
The report has it that the country has a developing arts and entertainment sector that currently contributes 1.2% to the GDP. This sector is however highly undervalued and struggles to receive the right amount of attention.
The role of the general media, specifically the culture journalists, in drawing attention, appreciation and action towards this sector is important and cannot be over-emphasized. But how do culture journalists write about a theatre performance? How is a review different from a portrait or an essay? How can literature be featured on TV?
The components of the training include a three-day workshop for cultural journalists on reporting the arts and facilitated by Nigeria and United Kingdom media specialists. Participants are expected to write blog entries during the training, sometimes about the same topic from different perspectives.
They will also be attached to local and international cultural organisations and cultural events that cut across the various art forms and sectors.
Participants will deliver 2000 word articles on these organisations and events that will be published on new or existing media platforms for Nigerian arts and culture.
Interested applicant be a current journalists including arts writers, critics and theorists, working for print and online magazines, newspapers, radio, television, new media platforms, or any other form of media Have at least 3 years’ journalistic experience and be fluent in spoken and written English on or before Friday, 10 October 2014 with a CV and one page letter of motivation to arts.nigeria@ng.britishcouncil.org
