Our Guest Chris Ogunlowo expressed his views on creatives in the political space claiming these creatives can develop the right message, with the right tone which would suit the medium in which the message will be conveyed to the audience. He describes the free will of any creative to work with any political candidate as reasonable because of the democratic system of government that Nigeria practices.
He further explained culture strategy doesn’t consume everything at once, he opines that there has to be a strategy in everything so that it doesn’t become one-sided, also the context may differ, which may require me to lean to a different angle. His view on cultural diplomacy is a way to use culture to bridge gaps between people and cultures generally. His encounter on this path made him understand political discussions or having ambassadors are not totally relevant, he realized we could deepen our culture in a way that allows us to understand people who are different from us, and we can move humanity forward. He defines cultural diplomacy as a way of using culture as a vehicle to bridge gaps and allow understanding of individuals at a general level.
When asked about the challenges creatives face, sometimes being careful about sensitive topics, Mr. Ogunlowo had this to say: “the creative space has always been tedious because there are people who create from nothing and there is a level of subjectivity to what is being created or sponsored”. He also says people have to be careful about the content they put out there in order to prevent political, religious, and cultural instability. He further states that Nigeria is in its political season and creatives should take advantage of this period rather than try to pass a message, either commercial or not. He adds that being respectful of the content you put out goes a long way in order not to compromise your work. He is fascinated by the creativity in Nigeria, content creators derive joy from what they do, their messages, dictions, and how people circulate their works all over the internet, from music to storytelling, to food content creators, they portray their messages in a very compelling way.
Furthermore, he was asked about why clients find it hard to accept new ideas, Chris stipulated that you have to train yourself well enough and put yourself in the position of the client to understand how subjective they are. His remark is not to try to change the client or correct them, and creatives do not like being subjected and unable to express their crafts.
