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‘Why Peugeot Supported AFRIFF 2015

By Chuks Nwanne
14 November 2015   |   4:38 am
IT’S not usual for automobile brands to get involved in art events; in this part of the world, it’s rare. But this year’s edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) will not be complete without mentioning the involvement of Peugeot automobile in the festival that brought together celebrities, stakeholders in the motion picture industry…
A section of the red carpet at the 2015 AFRIFF in Lagos

A section of the red carpet at the 2015 AFRIFF in Lagos

IT’S not usual for automobile brands to get involved in art events; in this part of the world, it’s rare. But this year’s edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) will not be complete without mentioning the involvement of Peugeot automobile in the festival that brought together celebrities, stakeholders in the motion picture industry and participants from across Africa.

With activities in the ongoing movie fest taking place simultaneously at different location on the Lagos Island, such as the City Mall Onikan, Silverbird Galleria on Victoria Island, Eko Hotel and The Genesis Deluxe Cinema at the Palms Shopping Mall, mobility become a major concern. But this time, it was never an issue, as Peugeot provided motoring logistics for delegates on a daily basis.

From the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, where most AFRIFF delegates were accommodated, brand new latest models of Peugeot cars were regularly stationed to convey delegates to and fro festivals venues. While the arrangement made life easy for the stars, who didn’t have to go through the usual hassles of renting cabs, for Peugeot, it was an opportunity to sample some of their latest automobile assembled in Kaduna.

“We’ve always been interested in the arts and intellectual writing; we’ve been associated with art events like the Ake and Art and Book Festival. Specifically, we are excited with the success story of the Nigerian film industry, so, we’ve decided to be a part of this year’s AFRIFF where we provided motoring logistics for participants,” Shepuya Icha, Head Marketing at PAN Nigeria, said.

According to Icha, the motion picture industry of Africa has done well in telling true African stories to the world, commending the filmmakers, especially Nollywood, for showcasing African culture globally.

“These days, our film industry is becoming very innovative, very creative and quite entertaining as well. Through their stories, the industry has been able to showcase Africa to the world, with Nigeria’s Nollywod taking the lead in that direction. In this case, you can actually say that, ‘yes, something good can come out of Nigeria.”

While identifying the creative industry as a viable tool for education, Icha noted that the industry has capacity to form public opinion.

“There are a lot of public figures in the creative industry; a lot of young people tend to follow their foot steps. I believe we can use the film industry as a tool to form public opinion and cause positive change in our society. Peugeot being assembled here in Nigeria, we have a lot of Nigerian content as well; it’s home base. So, all together, it’s about promoting the brand Nigeria,” she said.

With their latest brands, which were on display at the film festival, it’s obvious that Peugeot, which controlled the country’s automobile market in the past, is determined to regain its lost grounds.

“As a result of some economic policies in the past, Peugeot lost its market share. But PAN has been privatized and AMCON has bought over the company. Having the majority share, AMCON has brought in a new team to manage the operation of PAN Nigerian Limited. I can assure you that this management has come up with strategies that have brought about the turnaround you are seeing in Peugeot. Today, the rela

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