Nairobi: A Murang’a based cleric has called upon Christians to take part in content creation, saying it has proven to be an effective way of spreading the gospel. Bishop John Waweru (CW John) of Share the Love Arena Ministry in Kenol, Murang’a County, emphasized in an interview at his church that acting and participating in creative content has proven to be a powerful tool for evangelism and that professionals from various sectors could draw significant inspiration from Christian creative works.
According to Kenya News Agency, Bishop Waweru was recently featured in a Nigerian film produced by Winlos Production when for the first time, the acclaimed ‘Prophet Suddenly’ movie series included a Kenyan pastor in its cast, marking a milestone for East Africa’s presence in Nollywood productions. ‘As a clergy from this county, my role in the movie ‘Prophet Suddenly 3′ places Murang’a County on the global map.’ He said and divulged that the movie was filmed in Nigeria, Murang’a County in Kenya and the USA by Nollywood filmmakers known as Winlos production.
The Bishop, whose stage name in the movie is ‘Bishop Bazuu Maina’, said that the ‘Prophet Suddenly 3’ movie that was released recently has garnered over two million views within just two weeks. ‘This particular movie was filmed in Nigeria, Kenya and USA and this highlights the potential the country holds in terms of creative and cultural content that can be leveraged to put the country on the global stage,’ he said.
He pointed out that the creative economy was one of the fastest-growing sectors and it should be recognized not only as a source of employment but also as an enabler of national cohesion and innovation, adding that Kenya’s creative economy presents economic and cultural opportunities that require advancement. ‘Young people in the creative industry and especially those producing religious content can use their phones to drive their growth in the industry, as they don’t require costly equipment like cameras to start; they can use their phones for the work,’ he said.
The Bishop called for concerted efforts among Kenyan creatives and especially those who create content on evangelism or religious matters to exploit opportunities in the digital space so as to grow and sustain their talents. Similar sentiments were echoed by his wife, Evangelist Eva Karimi (Eva CW), who called upon various stakeholders to support talented youths so that they could build up their livelihoods, stating that most youths were jobless despite being skilled.
She noted that Share the Love Arena Ministry was doing its share of nurturing, training and equipping youngsters with essential skills required to succeed in this digital age. ‘I am pleading with the government through the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage to make the funds available for the talented youths so that they can be able to monetize their work. Producing content is costly and with financial hiccups our youth end up losing hope,’ she said.
Tabitha Small, a budding actor, called on the government to scout and support talents in villages, schools, universities and colleges and establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand training opportunities and bridge the digital gap in creative communities. ‘Kenya’s creative sector is evolving due to factors such as the expanded digital environment, increased consumption of creative works, improved Internet infrastructure, and better legislative framework,’ she noted.
She further noted that the creative sector has created opportunities for diverse revenue streams, especially for the youth and expanding the opportunities in the sector can help many young people earn from creative content.