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As he made a pit stop at the biggest music festival on Saturday, US senator Bernie Sanders drew a sizable crowd to his top cameo performance.

Screaming fans rushed over to see the politician’s unannounced speech, which came after Charli XCX’s blockbuster set at a nearby stage.

At the major California desert double weekend, which officially marks the start of the music festival season, Sanders said, “This country faces some very difficult challenges and the future of what happens to America depends on your generation.”

You have the option of refusing to participate or to ignore what transpires, but you do so at your own risk. You must stand up and fight for social justice, racial justice, and economic justice.

Also read: Lady Gaga Brings Mayhem to the Desert at Coachella Day One.

A rally Sanders and Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held earlier that day that included musicians like Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, and Neil Young, was held before their own “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which organizers claimed attracted 36, 000 people.

Sanders urged attendees to stand up for US President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaires at Coachella while under a full moon.

Before the crowd’s boos quickly drowned out Trump’s name, Sanders said, “Now we have a president of the United States.”

Sanders continued, “I agree.” He believes that climate change is a hoax. You and I will have to speak up against the fossil fuel industry and demand that they stop destroying this planet because he is dangerously incorrect.

“Exactly the move,” the phrase says.

Sanders thanked Clairo for using her platform to support social justice causes and introduced her to the stage.

He said, “I’m here because Clairo has used her prominence to fight for women’s rights and to end the bloody, brutal war in Gaza, where thousands of women and children are being murdered.” So I want to thank Clairo for her excellent work as well as her band.

Coachella, I appreciate it.

Tonight, I had a great time introducing the great @clairo.

These are challenging times.

The younger generation needs to take the lead in the fight against climate change, defend women’s rights, and create a society that benefits everyone, not just the elite. pic. Twitter.com/twitter.com/fr/sgvKAuNYY

I love Bernie Sanders, the message was so popular! as the self-described socialist senator who caucuses with Democrats wrapped up his speech screamed one festivalgoer.

Samara Guillory, age 21, was one of the musicians who hurriedly to Sanders’ stage.

Senator Sanders’ level of competence, according to Guillory, “was very important,” Guillory told AFP. We are the new generation and America’s future.

“Coming here, talking to us, spreading awareness,” to be honest, “I think this was exactly the move.”

Like many other Nollywood productions, the Nigerian filmmaker Omoni Oboli’s film “Love in Every Word” received over 20 million views on YouTube in the first three months of this year.

After President Bola Tinubu stopped providing gasoline subsidies that kept prices low all the way down and stopped support for the local currency, Nigerians are now facing one of the most difficult economic crises in decades.

While many clients are offended by the price-hiking spree that is currently taking place on streaming platforms, cable TV, and internet service providers.

In a nation where more than half of the 230 million people in poverty, the World Bank estimates that Netflix’s monthly subscription fees increased by two to 7, 000 naira ($4.50) from 4, 400 naira ($4.50) for its premium package.

According to Lagos-based think tank SBM Intelligence, many people are cutting back on their entertainment costs, including cable and streaming services.

Nigeria’s massive film industry, Nollywood, has an average weekly release of 50 movies, which is second only to Bollywood in the world.

Adeleke Adesola, a 31-year-old health worker from Ibadan’s southwest, has switched to watching movies on YouTube because of how much it costs and how it is interactive.

When I read a comment that discusses a scene or movie, I feel good. Additionally, she explained to AFP, “I don’t have to pay monthly subscription to access YouTube movies.”

MultiChoice, a pay TV provider in Africa, reported losing nearly a quarter of a million subscribers between April and September 2024.

Production reductions

Netflix, a streaming juggernaut, has cut back on commissioning new productions in Nigeria despite an increase in subscriptions last year.

Similar thinking has also been applied by Prime Video.

Consumers and filmmakers are turning to YouTube and other less expensive options as movie tickets are now viewed by millions in the west African economic powerhouse.

Kazeem Adeoti, a co-founder of the iBAKATV YouTube channel, reported a significant increase in the number of full-length movies available on the site.

He claimed that several of the best actors owned YouTube channels so they could directly sell their movies to viewers.

“less expensive” YouTube movies

YouTube’s revenue is affected by factors like watch time, viewer engagement, copyright ownership, and viewer’s location.

According to Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, a spokesman for Google West Africa, “we consistently see high watch time,” which indicates a strong interest in Nollywood content.

“This increased watch time benefits the creators as well as increasing the YouTube ad revenue.”

Due to the lack of guidelines on the types of cameras used, the costumes used, or the language mixes, Seun Oloketuyi, the founder of the Best of Nollywood (BON) awards, claimed that because of this, YouTube had become more popular with filmmakers.

According to Oloketuyi, “Movies shot for YouTube are significantly less expensive than those shown in theaters or on digital streaming platforms.”

“It seems like a win-win situation for filmmakers because they can make good money while producing significantly less money while still keeping the rights to the movies.”

The contract terms for Nigerian filmmakers have now changed, despite the claims that Netflix and Prime have no intention of leaving the country.