Re-strategise to improve your income, Falana urges theatre-artistes

Hard times await pirates of intellectual properties in Nigeria should they refuse to desist from the heinous crime as human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), is set to lead the war against piracy, on behalf of artistes who are ready to fight for their rights.
Falana said if theatre artistes and film producers would unite against oppression, their problems could have legal solution.
Receiving artistes under the aegis of Association of Nigeria Theatre-Arts Practitioners (ANTP) on a courtesy visit in his office, Falana lamented the poor financial status of majority of theatre- arts practitioners in Nigeria, saying they have no business with poverty.
He blamed the artistes’ inability to fight for their rights and protect their intellectual properties for their poor income.
He urged them to re-strategize towards improving their earnings.
Falana wondered why they were doing so much and earning very little in a supposed money-spinning profession.
Taking them through ways of boosting their income, Falana, who faulted some of their poor English sub-titles, advised them to improve the quality of their works, by engaging and paying professionals to sub-title their films instead of giving them to unskilled people who devalue the films with meaningless translations, which in turn prevent such films to rank with front liners that win awards, and fetch money for the owner.
Falana also encouraged the artistes to start making use of social transmission media like the You Tube to air their work to improve their earnings.
Earlier, the President of the Association, Chief Jimoh Aliu (MFR), presented the ANTP letter, signed by the President and General Secretary, Hon. Yahaya Adetunji, appointing Falana as the Association’s Legal Adviser to the rights activist.
He (Aliu) also requested Falana to assist ANTP in fighting for its members rights, and to also ensure the Association’s benefit from the Federal Government’s allotted subvention of N2 billion, meant for upgrading theatre arts business in the country.
Aliu also invited Falana to the scheduled inauguration of the Association’s executive officers and proposed fund-raising for the multi-million Ile-Asa, ANTP National secretariat to be built in Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba.