By Innocent Onoja
The U.S. Embassy will mark World Book and Copyright Day and World Intellectual Property Day with multiple events from April 23 through April 27, 2018.
On Monday, April 23, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria W. Stuart Symington will join H.E. Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo and nine Ambassadors and High Commissioners of diplomatic Missions in Abuja to commemorate World Book and Copyright Day. The event, at the Abuja Pavilion from8:00am to 12:00pm, will be hosted by the U.S. Embassy in partnership with the Abuja Literary Society. The theme “Books Build Community” celebrates the important role of education and the international community’s commitment to Nigeria’s future.
The April 23 celebration will feature Grammy Award-winning children’s musical artist, Tim Kubart and the Space Cadets.
They will continue their tour of Nigeria in Lagos beginning April 24. On April 24 and 25, the band will conduct masterclasses Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), the Ikorodu Talented Kids dance troupe, and Society for Performance Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). On April 25, the band will participate in an interactive session with Nnenna and Friends. They will wrap up their visit with an interactive session with school children in Makoko community, hosted by Slum2School Africa, on April 27.
On Thursday, April 26, at 7:00pm in Freedom Park Lagos, the U.S. Embassy, in collaboration with The Temple Management Company, will sponsor a concert for adults to mark World Intellectual Property Day. Tim Kubart and the Space Cadets will alter their repertoire a bit to join three popular Nigerian artists: Iyanya, Jeff Akoh, and Bisola. The concert will draw attention to the importance of intellectual property rights. Members of the public are encouraged to share, on their social media platforms, their thoughts on IPR using the hashtags #RespectNaijaCreativity and #WorldIPDay.
The United Nations instituted April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading and to gain an appreciation for books, which inherently further the social and cultural progress of humanity.
In 2000, Nigeria, along with the other member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), designated April 26 to increase awareness and support for intellectual property protections.
