Incredible Music Festival Jos - The Audacity of Hope

The city of Jos in the late 80s and early to mid 90s was well on the rise as the creative hub of Nigeria. Jos is the city that has produced greats like Panam Percy Paul, MI Abaga, Jesse Jagz, P-Square, 2 Baba, among many others and has been a key influence on many creatives across music, movies, poetry and film from as far back as the days of ‘Cock Crow at Dawn’ and ‘Behind the Clouds’. It has been quite sad to watch the decline caused first on account of insecurity and many other factors too complex to dissect in this piece. It is important to remember this context to make sense of what we lost and what we are on track to regain.

The past decade has witnessed some shows in Jos that were primarily brand focused activations that hosted performances and one day shows. The other entertainment activities were hosted with relative success, mostly by business folk, artists and comedians who see the potential of the city. These important events have in a way held the fort in a city which otherwise would have fallen entirely off the entertainment radar and it is important to give the necessary flowers to conveners and facilitators of these activations.

"Jos is an amazing city with exceptional creatives. If you think about the great artists who have emerged from it, you will realize it has the potential to match Lagos.” Jude ‘M.I’ Abaga, CEO of TASCK says: "We are doing something big with this festival. In addition to making a difference with our message, we are collaborating with the city's creatives to strengthen their creative economy and bring the world to us. If people can head to Ghana for Afro Nation then why not come to Jos?"

TASCK and MI Abaga set out to not only join the ranks of those who remember the city of Jos for what it was but to take on squarely the task of bringing her back to her rightful?place in the now thriving creative economy of Africa. Cue in the just concluded Incredible Music Festival which was held in Jos between the 1st and 2nd January 2023. This festival was unique in many ways and in the foundations it set out for the future of creativity in Jos in a manner that is scalable across the country.

Jos is known as the city with creatives of diverse expressions in the hundreds every mile you travel who have simply no access or infrastructure to grow and monetise their craft. Prior to this festival, this statement seemed like a nostalgic sentiment peddled by persons who remembered their childhood in the city, but no more. We wanted to provide local creatives a platform for the two days of activities, and we were able to do so by having up to 35 local talent perform on our stage. This number is less than a quarter of the other artists who could not be added on due to time, budget?and logistic constraints. The festival offered opportunity to a wide range of different creatives who volunteered and rendered services in addition to performance artists. We want to keep involving artists all year long, provide the foundation for the entertainment industry's expansion, and host the festival every year.

The show which held for 7 hours on average each day, hosted an audience of over 3000 people to a gospel concert ushering in the New Year and a Homecoming Concert on the 2nd of January. While the city is often rated low by brands as a low sale, low patronage area, discerning brands like La Casera who sponsored the festival and other vendors struggled to meet the demand of the crowd who in 5 degree weather needed to be warmed, fed and kept engaged during performances. The culture of the city is very communal and niche and it is understandable that many brands who seek to export their strategies wholesale from big cities struggle to hit their goals. The solution to this lies in discerning partnerships with organisations like TASCK who have now put in the ground work and can show the results from these efforts.?

It was lovely to see the city of Jos welcome a large number of tourists who came from Lagos, Abuja, and nearby places, either to discover the city's charms for the first time or to rekindle their love for it from their youth. We anticipate that the next edition will be bigger and better. This is crucial for Jos' tourism and hospitality sectors and will help the city restore its status as a home for peace and tourism.

Coalescing around the critical subject of Nigeria’s upcoming elections at this festival and as a continuation of TASCKs work in elections over the past year, young people were again galvanized to show up at the polls and to stay socially aware and active. The intersection between popular culture and social consciousness is critical for a country like Nigeria and the Incredible Music Festival will continue to center a key conversation in each of her activities as she travels across the country.

The festival was a true representation of Jos to the world. Streamed live on the two days, the city of Jos was on full display to the world, the massive number of youth in hoodies and boots to combat the cold, the local musical genius, the energy and the vibe.?

TASCK is a creative company that is an ecosystem builder and opportunity funnel for creatives. The Incredible Music Festival as one of the company's?brands has positioned herself as a catalyst for growth for the creative industry.?The Incredible Music Festival team can be reached on instagram @incrediblemusicng &@thisistasck.

Jennifer Agaldo, Director Community by TASCK