Jermaine Jackson, elder brother of the late music icon, Michael Jackson has disclosed that the family is planning to build the Jackson Academy Performing Art School in Lagos to raise musical talents and is set to also collaborate with the Lagos at 50 celebrations.
Jackson disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde on Friday in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria and hinted of plan to site a academy to train up Nigerians and Africans in the area of music.
Jackson, who led a team on a tour of Nigeria to mark the Jackson Golden Jubilee in performance on stage, said there were lots of great talents in Nigeria that needed to be trained and given bright future.
“There are a lot of great talents here and we want to use our 50 years of experience in being in the business to teach the arts. We want to construct the Jackson Academy Performing Art School here.
“It will have a curriculum and also will teach music, directing, film, lightening, producing, dancing and so on. We want to get the talents here ready for the global market. I do believe that the drums and the beat started from here,” he said.
According to him, “we are going to give you nice compilation of songs that you know and I am just very honoured to be here because we have been kept away from you because of politics, and we are not interested in such politics because we are people who cared about people. We need to have a closer relationship with African-American and the rest of Africa because we have been separated for long and we can reach out to do other things.”
Jackson said civilization began in Africa and that “we have always been interested in knowing the beginning of civilization. We are bringing a team together of people who can produce a concert. It’s been 50 years for the Jacksons.”
“I like coming here because I have a lot of questions. I was in China and I learnt that the first dynasty that started in China came from Africa and I had a professor in China to tell me this. That made me very proud and the world needs to know this because in our history books in America because they don’t put this there.
“They don’t want us to know this but when you travel and you have the opportunity to see things for yourself, you will realize that the history books were written by someone else and it is there version and it is their interpretation of what happened which is usually not the truth,” he added.
Speaking, Ayorinde said the Jackson’s golden jubilee celebration coincided with the plan by the Lagos State Government to mark the 50th year anniversary of Lagos, saying that Lagos is now the oldest state in Nigeria as it had not been divided like others.
“Lagos State is the oldest State Nigeria now as it has been indivisible. Other states have had states created out of them. Lagos State being the most populated and prosperous in Nigeria, we thought it deserves celebration and we are starting a year long celebration from May 29.
“We welcome the idea that the golden tour of the Jackson in Africa starts from Nigeria and Lagos. We encourage the organiser of the tour, that we will welcome collaboration from you. The Jackson at 50 and Lagos at 50, will be a wonderful collaboration welcome,” he said.
Ayorinde added that the Jackson’s tour also coincided with the International Jazz Day, which Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would be hosting on Saturday evening to showcase the world of Jazz to lovers of the music, while extending invitation to Jackson and his team.
