Okenyi Kenechi
I finally attended the Gospel Gang Party on Friday, June 1st. Having put off the possibility of attending previous editions due to unforeseen circumstances beyond me, I promised myself that I must be at the June edition and to be frank, to say that I was impressed is to be economical with the truth. I was blown away by the fact that hundreds of young people converged to have fun in their own kind of way, a way not dictated by immorality.
Well, what I saw was not just an attempt to create jokes, sing, preach or do poetry. I equally saw an attempt and a successful one at that, to build, connect, inspire and educate.
KOBABA needs all the encouragement and helps he can get and I say this with a sense of urgency and commitment. He needs to be encouraged to keep the fire burning, the outcome is already being felt in the number of young people who turn out for the event and the numbers are growing.
He is not just giving young people the chance to excel, he is giving them the chance to make a difference, to connect, to build, to move away from the negativities of life, to embrace God, embrace humanity and embrace life. This is the kind of youth empowerment program that governments in saner climes key into so as to put checks to many of the social vices ravaging mankind. I forgot that our clime is not sane enough to recognize those who impact on the society and strive to change the narratives. Ours might try to shut it down for not being loyal to our political alignment.
As I stood with my camera trying to get pictures of activities during the show, he began motivating young people and asked them to pledge that they will desist from some of the negative things that they were doing. The numbers that came out marveled me and a woman, Pastor Chioma, prayed for them and they were ushered into Eden lounge to be fed.
As I turned, a standing crowd had converged behind me, all young people hoping to make better use of the opportunity.
Having interviewed KO sometimes in March, I saw a man who has plans for the youths and in the depth of my heart, I wished him luck. That was all I could muster.
He told me that hardly a day passes without him interacting with upcoming artists, something he said was his own way of giving back to the people for the support that he has enjoyed thus far and he does it with passion. He is the Port Harcourt version of comedian Ali Baba, the man who inspired most of the Lagos-based comedians you see today.
The June edition of Gospel Gang was a bomb and I commend the organizers for the energy that they put in making sure that the youths are given a voice and a choice. I say a voice and a choice because instead of being in one of the clubs clustered in the same GRA, and probably boozing up or doing drugs, they get to be inspired, and laugh and dance. They also get to practice, learn new things, create career goals and connect. And like KO told me in March, it is hard work and connecting with people that makes the difference.
Seeing KO on stage with Mc JP and Akpan Okon was a marvelous sight to behold and they thrilled everyone who came. I have watched JP at the Port Harcourt comedy club sometimes in February during the celebration of the security agencies in the state, and he is one person I know doesn’t find it hard making jokes. He does it so effortlessly.
Gospel Gang should be encouraged to grow. It is a unique brand that presents the youths with many opportunities and has the potentials to be a rallying point for social reconstruction, reconciliation, and molding of individual mindsets.
Like I have written before, the Rivers State Government should invest in entertainment. If the government does want to go beyond just doing infrastructural projects and encourage human capital development and create jobs, the Port Harcourt entertainment industry is a goldmine waiting to be tapped.
For Nyesom Wike’s government that says it wants to create a new narrative, a platform like gospel gang is already there, just encourage its growth.
The government needs to recognize that these young people need all the encouragement that they can get and that does not mean highjacking the platform that they have worked hard to create.
