Comedy: Intellectual property rights of creators must be protected- Seyi Law
Nigerian comedian, Oluwaseyitan Aletile, also known as Seyi Law, has said that the comedy industry is booming, and intellectual property rights of creators must be protected to keep up with global standard.
Aletile said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna.
He also said that the comedy industry needed to ensure that newcomers are well grounded and not oversaturated in order to maintain the standard needed for them to still be respected.
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He equally said that the industry is still growing, adding that there were so many areas comedians could explore to change the face of the industry.
Seyi Law explained that skit makers who were springing up, were the new faces in the comedy industry noting that comedy is no longer limited to movies or stand-up shows alone.
According to him, every industry would want to enjoy the patronage and support of the government adding that such support would help build the comedy industry and increase the capacity of what its impact to the society.
“We have young boys who are doing well in the industry, I believe it is in safe hands. We must however try to be united to ensure the industry does not crash on us,” he said.
Seyi Law said while it is easy to jump into the entertainment industry without education, people must know that education would help them sustain themselves in it.
”Skit makers would not want to be put in a box because every aspect of life is there to explore”.
“As much as a comedian enjoys people’s patronage, improving one’s self in terms of education is critical; one doesn’t need to be in the four walls of a class to be educated.
“Research, reading, improving on vocabularies, improving knowledge on ones’ environment can go a long way in keeping one to stay afloat,” he said.
He, however, advised skit makers and other comedians to ensure that their comedy does not denigrate the society in any form.
“We don’t want a situation where a skit maker will be tagged as one who dehumanise women and promoting social vices.
“We must try to make balance; sometimes we crack jokes about some individuals or institutions like the Police and sometimes we praise and commend them for their good work, that is the balance,” he said.
