Peace in the Delta: Dawn in the Creeks Launches Second Season

L - R, Programme Manager, Dawn In The Creeks, Adewale Ajadi; Board member, Andre Blaze Henshaw and US Consul General in Nigeria, Ambassador Jeff Hawkins at the formal launch of  Season 2 of the Dawn In The Creeks TV series in Lagos this weekend

Dawn In The Creeks (DITC), the Jeta Amata-led initiative aimed at promoting peace in the country’s Niger Delta region has kicked off its second season in Lagos, Nigeria.

At the official launch attended by Friends and Partners of DITC as well as members of the Press, Board member, Dawn in the Creeks, Andre Blaze Henshaw said the second season would leverage on the awareness and excitement generated by its debut season and highlight the gains made so far and the challenges facing the project. “In our first season, we mobilized the youth of the area to become change agents in a Niger Delta that was, for too long, perceived as a cauldron of degradation, restiveness and mayhem”, Henshaw reminded.

L - R, US Consulate Stabilisation Operation at the Consulate in Nigeria, William Meeker; US Consul General in Nigeria, Ambassador Jeff Hawkins and  Board member, Dawn In The Creeks, Andre Blaze Henshaw exchange pleasantries at the formal launch of Season 2 of the Dawn In The Creeks TV series in Lagos over the weekend.

And while these issues have not been totally eradicated, we can literally see a dawn of peace and hope on the horizon”.

Season two follows the 21 young men and women who had enrolled in the Nollywood Academy as they juggle their studies with their roles as peace ambassadors to their communities as well as leaders among their peers.

“Now things really get interesting because our fledgling film makers are starting to realize that the path of peace comes with its own peculiar issues”, --- explained.

Seated L - R, US Consul General in Nigeria, Ambassador Jeff Hawkins, Board member, Dawn In The Creeks, Andre Blaze Henshaw and Programme Manager, Dawn In The Creeks, Adewale Ajadi at the formal launch of  Season 2 of the Dawn In The Creeks TV series in Lagos this weekend

The crusade for a more peaceful and prosperous Niger Delta will not be immediately be embraced by all but they would have to keep at the vision that only is it possible but has become necessary for their communities to be freed from a past riddled with poverty and despair”.

Among the friends and partners present at the launch was, the US Consular General in Nigeria, Ambassador Jerry Hawkins, who was full of praise for the Initiative and pledged the continued support of the American Government. “The U.S. Mission partnered with a distinguished group of Nigerian leaders to give the people of the Niger Delta platforms like the Dawn in the Creeks reality TV show and weekly radio programs, to share non-violent solutions to problems with their fellow Nigerians as well as with local, state, and national authorities”, he said.

Improving the relationship and accountability between the government and its citizens will go a long way to ensuring the future remains promising for the region. Today, Dawn in the Creeks is a social enterprise run by a competent board of advisors from the worlds of business, civil society and entertainment.  We are looking for corporate partners who share our vision of a better future for our youth.”

As in its maiden season, DITC2 will feature notable figures from the Nigerian entertainment seasons serving as mentors and facilitators for the Change Agents and is scheduled to air on select TV stations across the country.