And so I barged into an interesting young man, looking all sleek with a lot of blink blinks. He introduced himself as an Ekwulobia indigene like me and the brain behind a well packaged show I’d been hearing about, Aguata Rocks Carnival, a project that had recently begun to bring to the limelight the treasures of beauty Ekwulobia is endowed with. In the following interview, Nnaemeka Celestine Ezenwa, a.k.a Showstopper, shares with O’star Eze of Orient Daily secrets to how he broke into the entertainment industry and made history. Excerpts:
Who is Showstopper?
Showstopper is my a.k.a. My name is Nnaemeka Celestine Ezenwa. I am also known as Venny Kingson. I am a singer, a dancer and an event coordinator. I hail from Nkono village in Ekwulobia, Aguata L.G.A of Anambra state. I am a graduate of Industrial Physics at Anambra State University, Uli. I am the CEO of Showstopper Plus Entertainment Firm. I have always loved the show business and this passion moved me into conceiving the Idea of ARC, Aguata Rocks Carnival.
What is ARC all about?
ARC was an initiative that came to me in 2013 and I went ahead to launch it on December 2013. However, we held our first ARC event in January 1, 2016, which featured Miss Aguata Beauty and Cultural Pageant, MABP, and Aguata Achievers Awards, Triple A, discovery of new talents and performances by such Nigerian celebrities as Phyno, Zoro and Slow Dogg. So, far, it has become one of the most anticipated and biggest annual events in Aguata Local Government Area, if not in Anambra State in general and we are already set to hold the 2017 edition of ARC which is intended to hold between December, 30, 2016 and January, 1, 2017. ARC, therefore consists of five basic activities; Miss Aguata Beauty and Cultural Pageant, Aguata Achievers Awards, ARC Scholarship Scheme, ARC cultural and Music Festival and ARC Marathon Race. So, basically, ARC is a project intended to achieve the purposes of providing educational grants and scholarships for Aguata youths, create platforms for human capacity building, promote interpersonal relationship among Ndi Aguata, promote the rich cultural heritage of Communities in Aguata as well as create good opportunities for sale of products, ideas and services.
What is the ARC cultural and music festival all about?
You see, every individual, group or nation has something that surrounds them; an identity that was inherited from the past and that influences their activities. This is called heritage in some quarters. A person’s or a people’s heritage can be physical, spiritual, social or cultural. The ARC motto, ‘celebrating our heritage’, came from the sheer fact that Aguata Local Government Area has, as a result of developments in the social, economic, cultural and political experiences over the years, garnered some heritages that had hitherto not gotten the kind of worldwide attention they deserve. The cultural festival is hence organized to celebrate the cultural heritage of the different communities that make up Aguata Local Government Area. The event features cultural dance displays, wrestling, boxing, drama presentations from Aguata people of various age brackets.
This year's edition is going to be a different whole thing all together, the first edition went for a day. ARC 2' will be for 3 days starting from 30th Dec - 1st Jan 2017 at ekwulobia stadium. Day 1 cultural and music carnival. Day 2 Games and awards. Day 3 miss aguata beauty pageant, performance s and comedy. hopefully what you will be seeing in ARC 2 is something familiar with calabar carnival and by the grace of God, is going to be a wonderful and epoch making event.
How about the ARC scholarship scheme, how does it operate?
The intention of ARC as a project is to award scholarship grants to the students of Aguata origin who are in both primary and secondary schools, especially those students who show exceptional academic ability. This scholarship scheme aims at providing materials and financial assistance to Aguata students so as to help and motivate them to pursue their educational goals fervently.
The selection will be based on the academic performance in school as well as the performance in tests designed to measure ability and aptitude of the participating students, recommendation from the school instructors, financial needs of the students as drawn from oral interview of the participating students by the ARC scholarship committee. Selected schools will be informed and application forms distributed to the schools. We are starting with the primary school and as the capacity of our organization increases, we intend to extent the exercise to the secondary and even the post secondary level.
e also grant scholarship 'ARC SCHOLARSHIP'. Such grant will be used extensively for tuition fees and books, and its duration is subjected upon the time the person completes that level of education in that school. This scholarship scheme aims at providing material and financial assistance to the students of Aguata and beyond so as to help and motivate them pursue their educational goals. we also aim to award scholarship to students in high institution but on a gradual process. our sponsorship lines are still open for companies and individuals who are willing to support our good work and sponsors for the next edition ARC 2.
e also grant scholarship 'ARC SCHOLARSHIP'. Such grant will be used extensively for tuition fees and books, and its duration is subjected upon the time the person completes that level of education in that school. This scholarship scheme aims at providing material and financial assistance to the students of Aguata and beyond so as to help and motivate them pursue their educational goals. we also aim to award scholarship to students in high institution but on a gradual process. our sponsorship lines are still open for companies and individuals who are willing to support our good work and sponsors for the next edition ARC 2.
What challenges did you encounter as you sought to launch this project and how were you able to surmount them?
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| Showstopper |
In order to achieve our targets in the first edition, we solicited for support from a lot of firms such as microfinance banks, food and bottling companies, eateries, as well as individuals. We got a lot of promises and based on those, we commenced intensive publicity. Our major challenge came as disappointments from many of the firms and individuals who had promised to partner financially with the project, as the scheduled date for the event came closer. We almost gave up on the project and it would have been a thing of irreparable shame given that similar events had been holding in neighbouring Local Government Areas. Thanks for a few individuals who paid for adverts on our magazine that was launched during the first edition, which money we used to offset some of the bills we incurred. We had to go a-borrowing to the tone of millions of naira in order to ensure we brought the superstars we promised on the media as well the car prize for the Beauty Pagentry. Yet we are not relenting because we know that this ARC is meant for the unity and progress of Ndi Aguata and just like Noah’s Ark, we intend it to serve our people as a medium for greater self emancipation and expression.
Are there lessons you have garnered from organizing a project like this and do you have any final words for fellow youths?
Of course, i used to be a proud person and always think I am the best.
But since i started ARC, i realized that I'm still learning. So right now, i listen, learn, I'm loyal and aim to achieve the best. For our youths, i wouldn't say much because we are still starting, we've done the first edition but the little i Will say is that there is nothing more important and benefitting than to know your culture and heritage and to understand the root of where you came from, so i believe we've created an impact on that.
But since i started ARC, i realized that I'm still learning. So right now, i listen, learn, I'm loyal and aim to achieve the best. For our youths, i wouldn't say much because we are still starting, we've done the first edition but the little i Will say is that there is nothing more important and benefitting than to know your culture and heritage and to understand the root of where you came from, so i believe we've created an impact on that.
Do you have any persons you would like to appreciate?
3, Yes, without a good and a honest team by your side, i doubt if success can be achieved. So i want to use this medium to thank my team ( ARC organization), my parents for their support, Aguata local government chairman Hon. Chukwuma Umeorji and his deputy, Hon Sir Micheal Anedu, for their consent and endorsement.
