The ninth of what has become the most massive pilgrimage of jazz lovers worldwide has come and gone with very unforgettable memories as some of the world’s greatest jazz artistes assembled at the Cape Town International Conference Centre for three days to thrill a mammoth crowd of music lovers to what has been termed Africa’s grandest gathering.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival has experienced a mercurial rise over the years to be celebrated as one of the top four jazz concerts on the planet. CTIJF has reached deep and wide to present a most enviable event that reaches across the board. A to total feast of vocals, guitars saxophones, trumpets, drums and percussion from Brazil to Benin; Sweden to South Africa; the United States to Mozambique and Belgium to Nigeria.
Back home, one of Nigeria’s fastest growing insurance companies, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is pioneering the 1st Lagos International Jazz Festival as a corporate sponsor alongside very notable international brands such as Coca Cola, Hewlett Packard and AVIS Nigeria. This move has been described by music lovers as a very good development for the Nigerian music industry and particularly to jazz enthusiasts.
The Managing Director of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr. Wale Onaolapo says the company is committed to the development of the Nigerian economy in every ramification. He stressed the fact that the vision of the organization has been the driving force behind the recent initiatives embarked upon by the company in recent times. You will recall that the company at the last Nations’ Cup tournament in Ghana sponsored five Nigerians to watch the competition live on the bill of the company. In 2007, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc played a phenomenal role to the contingent and officials of Team Nigeria as the official insurer and a corporate sponsor.
The spokesperson for the organization, Mr. Segun Bankole at the press conference organized by ESP Africa and Inspiro Productions in preparation for the Lagos edition, told newsmen that, “it is one event that corporate organizations and government Parastatals in South Africa all wish to be part of. The likes of Standard Bank, South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, AVIS, SASOL, JACK DANIELS and a host of others commit funds to this annual musical show that draws corporate sponsorship to the tune of $30 million.
For us at Sovereign Trust Plc, “it is all about development, harnessing the great talents of our artistes and exposing them to the international community. He continues, “If you take a look around, you will find a lot of these budding talents who really need to be encouraged. This is why we have decided to take this pioneering initiative to promote this mature brand of music that is yet to be greatly explored in Nigeria.
For us, it’s in line with our vision of to be a leading brand in the insurance and financial service sector in Nigeria. to truly be a leading brand in the insurance business in Nigeria. We will continually give direction for others to follow. Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is very proud to be associated with this global musical event.