It's Good to Be An Artiste, but Better as a Bayelsan Artiste.

The long-awaited 1st ever International Bayelsa Jazz Festival held yesterday Saturday, December 07, 2013 at the state capital, Yenagoa. The event was gracefully honoured by the State governor, Gov. Henry Seriake Dickson and his amiable wife; the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Min. Edem Duke; Artistes Timaya (Enetimi Alfred Odom) and Timi Dakolo. Hugh Masekela, and Somi, the Rwandan-born America-based jazz music superstar who signed a performance contract with the agency, were also in attendance. The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2013 and Miss Bayelsa, Anna Ebiere Banner elegantly dressed, attended the event.
 The jazz music fiesta with the theme ‘Rhythm of life’ was packaged by the Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency (BSTDA) as part of its strategic plan to promote tourism in the state.
Earlier, Director-general, BSTDA, Mrs. Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown, revealed that the festival is being organised to promote and further market a sustainable and responsible tourism in the state.
The Jazz festival, she said, “will provide a veritable platform to market the rich and vibrant cultural heritage of our people and a banquet of our hospitality.”
“The essence of the training session is to build the capacity of our young stars in the entertainment industry.
“They have been advised to take advantage of this window of opportunity to develop their talents in the music industry, so as to be more competitive in their chosen field,” she said.
She called on the private sector, especially the multinational companies operating in the South South region, to leverage on the festival to partner with the state government and also promote their products and services.
According to her, the jazz concert will be an annual event from next year, adding that it will be placed on the calendar of global jazz festivals.
During his opening remarks at the event, the governor gave a whooping sum of 100 million naira as financial support to all Bayelsan artistes. Doesn't it feel good to be a Bayelsan artiste, I ask?

Gov Seriake Dickson

Min. Edem Duke

Timaya

Timi Dakolo