The recent 7th edition of the Calabar Entertainment Conference (CEC) held at the Cultural Centre Complex in Cross River State, had some Nigerian stars share life-changing experiences on how to best deal with fame.
Award-winning TV presenter and actor, Adenrele ‘Denrele’ Edun, who spoke during the panel session titled ‘Managing Fame and Fortune,’ along with others like Ex-BBNaija Season 6 Housemate Tega Dominic and popular actor and rapper, Efa Iwara, said “Fame is a blessing but it can also be a curse.”
Though Adenrele ‘Denrele’ Edun came with a lot of drama for the audience, his talk on how to manage fame and fortune was revealing.
Ex BBNaija Housemate, Tega Dominic shared personal experiences of how she not only managed the fame that came with BB Naija but how she rebuilt herself afterwards. Narrating her experience after the BB Naija House, one of Africa’s biggest reality TV shows, Tega Dominic said that while fame can bring fortune, knowing how to invest is necessary to sustain it.
“When you have fortune after fame, try to invest. Invest in something that you know can create more fortune for you because you can wake up and have ‘cancel culture’ by one little mistake. So, when you are privileged to have fortune through fame, try to invest,” she said.
On how his acting career has brought him fame, Iwara, who has featured in over twenty movies, including “King of Boys: The Return of the King” and “Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story,” said that he does not allow his popularity to get inside his head.
“I don’t consider myself famous because my idea of being famous is Michael Jackson; I consider myself as popular but I don’t let it get into my head. I still go to the grocery shop myself, and I still do my own laundry.”
Efa Iwara was also on the stage to share how entertainers can navigate the life of fame.
The Calabar Entertainment Conference, organised by Hit FM 95.9, is an annual conference in Nigeria’s richly diverse Niger Delta.
This year’s edition, themed “Uniting Creativity And Business In Entertainment,” opened up conversations in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Patrick Ugbe, CEO of HIT 95.9 FM, remarked: “We have undertaken this event several years now, with the understanding and strong belief that the creative industry is the fastest to get our young people out of poverty into gainful engagement. Therefore, we bring industry experts and professionals annually who come to provide mentorship and guidance with the hope that a good number would learn and grow.”
Africa Christian Legendary and Impact Makers Awards (CLIMA AFRICA). CLIMA AFRICA, has since its inception several years ago, has been taken up the responsibility of appreciate and celebrate outstanding gospel, musicians , cleric, celebrities within the African continent. This is aimed encouraging them to increase optimally in their callings.