2005 LETTER OF COMMENDATION Recognised the Project’s Role in Documenting Nollywood and Its Cultural Heritage
LAGOS, NIGERIA — 20 October 2005 — The Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria formally commended the Who’s Who in Nigeria Entertainment project, expressing its desire to identify with the initiative and recognising its potential contribution to the documentation and authentication of Nollywood and Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
The recognition was contained in a formal Letter of Commendation dated 20 October 2005, addressed to:
Frank Ikegwuonu
The correspondence was issued by the Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria and signed by its President Iyen Agbonifo,
Creative Guild Identified with the Who’s Who Project
The letter concerns:
Who’s Who in Nigeria Entertainment: Nollywood Edition
The Creative Designers Guild stated that it was highly pleased with the initiative and expressed its intention to identify with the project.
The Guild’s participation is significant because the organisation represented professionals working in important creative and technical areas of Nigerian film production.
Representing the Creative Design Professions
The correspondence identifies four departments within the Guild: Makeup, Costume, Set Design, and Property. The Guild described these areas as a “power house of the Nigerian Movie Industry” in terms of design.
This provides an important contemporary perspective on the wider network of professionals involved in Nigerian filmmaking beyond actors, directors and producers.
Commendation for Documenting Nollywood
The Creative Designers Guild expressly commended Frank Ikegwuonu for the documentation effort. The letter states that the Guild wished to:
“commend you on a job well done in trying to document Nollywood and its cultural heritage for genuine authentication and documentation.”
The Guild was therefore recognising the Who’s Who initiative not merely as a directory of entertainment personalities, but as an effort to create a documentary record of Nollywood and its cultural heritage.
Aimed at Clarifying Questions About Nollywood, Nigeria and Africa
The Guild further stated its belief that the project would:
“help spell out and also clarify unanswered issues and questions concerning Nollywood, Nigeria and Africa.”
This gives the publication an important historical and research dimension.
The project was being viewed by an industry professional body as potentially useful for clarifying information about Nigeria’s film industry and its wider cultural context.
Creating a Record of the People Behind Nigerian Film:
The Guild’s involvement also demonstrates the breadth of the Who’s Who project.
By engaging an organisation representing makeup artists, costume professionals, set designers and property specialists, the initiative was reaching beyond the most publicly visible personalities in Nollywood.
This is important because the production of Nigerian films depends on a much wider professional ecosystem, including the creative and technical practitioners responsible for creating the visual world of a film.
The Creative Designers Guild’s participation therefore helped broaden the potential documentary scope of the publication.
A Contemporary 2005 Record
The date of the correspondence—20 October 2005—places the recognition during an important period in the development of Nollywood. The Nigerian film industry was rapidly expanding, while its practitioners, production methods and cultural influence were attracting increasing attention.
The Guild’s statement provides a contemporary record of an industry organisation recognising the importance of systematically documenting the people and cultural heritage associated with Nigerian cinema.
A Call to Continue the Work
The correspondence concludes with an expression of encouragement:
“May you continue the good work till we paste the footprint of Nollywood at the world movie map.”
The statement reflects the Guild’s aspiration for Nollywood to achieve greater international recognition and places the documentation initiative within that wider ambition.
Part of a Wider Institutional Record:
The Creative Designers Guild correspondence forms part of a growing body of contemporary documents associated with the Who’s Who in Nigeria Entertainment project.
The collection includes records from professional organisations representing: MOVIE PRODUCERS; ACTORS; DIRECTORS; THEATRE PRACTITIONERS; CREATIVE DESIGNERS; as well as government and public institutions responsible for film regulation, broadcasting, information, libraries, legislative affairs, sports and diplomacy.
The Creative Designers Guild document therefore adds another important professional constituency to the historical record.
Preserving the Original Historical Document:
The original signed Letter of Commendation, dated 20 October 2005, issued by the Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria and signed by Iyen Agbonifo, President, is preserved among the historical records associated with Frank Ikegwuonu and The Nelas Academy.
The original document is not being reproduced publicly with this article. It may be made available for legitimate academic, journalistic, institutional, historical or documentary verification upon appropriate request.
