Pascal Ott, the French Man Who Loves Lagos City


Monsieur Pascal Ott of the French School in Lagos is the most friendly European I have met in Nigeria. He worked closely with Pascal Letellier who was the Director of the Maison de France, the French Cultural Centre on the Kingsway Road (now called Alfred Rewane Road) in Ikoyi on the Lagos Island before Letellier left in 2003 for another appointment by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French government.


Ott and Letellier during their time at the centre that also included the Alliance française Nigeria, made it the central hub for arts and culture in Africa's largest megacity with regular events of dramas, musical shows, art exhibitions, literary activities by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and others. They hosted the annual World Music Day, photo festival on the legendary King of Afrobeat music, Fela Kuti and the first Black Nobel laureate in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka showed up at the first annual international film festival in Nigeria, the Lagos International Forum on Cinema, Motion Picture and Video in Africa curated by the famous multiple award winning filmmaker, Femi Odugbemi when he was the President of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) from 2002. The same year, Pascal Letellier hosted my political drama, "Sleepless Night" featuring Segun Adefila and the Crown Troupe of Africa doing the choreography on the June 12 crisis in Nigeria; about the annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential election, which Bashorun MKO Abiola, was adjudged the winner.

When Pascal Letellier left the French Cultural Centre, the new Director could not do what he did and the place became unattractive to both the residents and visitors in Lagos. The centre was relocated to another place in Ikoyi.

Pascal Ott has become part of the heart and soul of Lagos to continue his passion for Nigerian arts and culture and I was excited to see him at the 2017 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival at the popular Freedom Park on the Lagos Island in March.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
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Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi | IndieWire
http://www.indiewire.com/author/michael-chima-ekenyerengozi


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