“REGGAE CAN BE USED AS A VEHICLE TO EDUCATE, INFORM AND CHANGE PEOPLE” SAYS NIGERIAN REGGAE STAR VICTOR ESSIET!

Victor Essiet

A reggae artist, Victor Essiet, popularly known as “The Mandators’’ says that reggae music can be used as a vehicle to educate, inform, change and re-orient people.

Essiet told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that there were different genres of music that people enjoyed, but added that it must educate, inform and help change the populace positively as well as entertain.

He said people would get orientation from reggae music than a music that had vulgar language, which displays naked women, talking big and showing big mansions without struggling hard to acquire them. The singer said it was not true that reggae music was dying, adding that it was not being promoted as it should be. “The media focuses more on hip hop music than other genre of music, which is why it seems that it is dying.

“You must understand that with all the different kinds of music, if you do not bring it to the people, they would only make do with what is available. “Remember that the people never really left the music, but it is because the music has not been given that platform to shine as others,’’ he said.

According to him, there is the need for the media to carry out researches to know the music that imparts on the lives of the people. “A few people do have the exposure or the possibility of bringing it to the public but it is not noticed.

“So, now that we are getting it promoted in our little way, a lot of people are happy that we have a variety of music,’’ he said. The musician stated that a lot of people believed that ‘hip hop’ music was loved by everyone, adding `it is not true’’.

“Reggae music has been and will always be there. If the media can push it as they are pushing other genre of music it will sell. “Now that the people are having it, they are being informed about reggae, and people will respond to it,’’ he said.

He said this was why the yearly “Africa Meets Reggae’’ and “World Music concert’’ was initiated.

Essiet, however, said that the events were still privately sponsored, saying “we are still building it up and looking for sponsors’’. “When we get a lot of support from corporate organisations to collaborate with us, it would pick up like others.

“We will have a lot of publicity and a lot of people will get to know about it and we will reinvigorate it to educate, inform, re-orient and as well entertain.’’ (NAN)