The last three weeks have been particularly pivotal in earning Nigeria its place on the international stage through the socially-powered lens of TikTok; a platform that has become a global hub for cultural engagement.
Showcasing top talent across art, music, sport and culture, TikTok has made it possible for Nigeria to expand its connections to the global content creation community. Artist, Ckay has been particularly successful on the platform, with his song, Love Nwantiti going viral in 2021.
To further solidify the burgeoning relationship with Nigerian talent, TikTok is on a mission to work more closely with policymakers and content creators across the country.
As part of its efforts to expand its reach and influence in Nigeria, TikTok hosted an event that took place on Friday, 18 March 2022.
The event celebrated the best and brightest members of the Nigerian TikTok community, shining a spotlight on their work and collating all the event content under the hashtag: #NaijaToTheWorld. A snapshot of the content created at the event demonstrated the diverse contributions that Nigerian artists make to the world through music, sport, entertainment, fashion and beauty – this is what Naija To The World represents and celebrates.
The event kicked off with a stirring rendition of the Nigerian national anthem by TikTok creator and singer, Babyc.worldwide, who performed for a captive audience before another creator, Freestylepreneurs opened up the event with a lively football juggling extravaganza.
A panel discussion hosted at the event celebrated creators and brands that have seen global success on the platform. Such a case study being Goya Menor & Nektunes, who’s song Ameno Amapiano Remix reached over 9.5 Billion views on TikTok. He candidly shared how this success could not have happened without TikTok. Popular creators, SoftMadeIt and Brainjotter also shared how the platform has helped them showcase and publicize their talents.
Dance performances from SoftMadeIt and Blakeoffishal led to a fireside chat between TikTok creators, Kie_Kie and JenniFrank29. Both women talked about their journeys into creating content on the platform; touching on the struggles and pressures that come with being a popular figure on the platform, as well as some benefits that have come along with building a sizable following. This chat ended with JenniFrank29 remarking that TikTok’s support of black women on its platform has helped many young Nigerian women become more confident in their skins.
As the event came to an end, the audience was treated to a performance by Goya Menor before a concluding address by Dr. Engr. Mrs. Falilat Jimoh on behalf of Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General/ Chief Executive Officer, The National Information Technology Development Agency (NIITA).