Barely one month in office as the Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Troupe, Mr. Akin Adejuwon is making good his promise of turning the fortunes of the National Troupe around for the better.
Mr. Akin Adejuwon
Last week he made history by organising the maiden edition of Nigeria’s stakeholders’ forum since the establishment of the Nation Troupe of Nigeria in 1991. It held at the Banquet Hall of the National Theatre.
In attendance were icons of the arts such as HRH Oba Gbenga and Olori Adepeju Shonuga; Governing board chairman of National Troupe of Nigeria and National Theatre, Chief Ishaya Makus; Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Duro Oni, Prof. Gbemisola Adeoti; Dr. Wale Adeniran; Ben Tomoloju, GM National Theatre, Mallam Kabir Yusuf; Otunba Tunji Sotimirin; Seasoned movie director and producer, Mahmud Ali-Balogun, among many others.
The event which was officially opened by Handmaid International Catholic School with a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem also had in attendance other schools such as Kings College; Fountain Height Secondary school, Surulere; Galland School Ejigbo and Ronik Comprehensive School, Ejigbo.
There was also a fantastic performance by Segun Adefila led Crown Troupe which performed Footprints of Africa.
While making his opening remarks and at the same time congratulating Mr. Akin Adejuwon on his appointment as the artistic director and chief executive officer of the National Troupe, Chief Markus W. Ishaya, chairman, governing board, National Theatre/National Troupe of Nigeria said: “I am particularly happy to be here because I believe that it is the right step forward that the new artistic director has taken. My experience in the public service of this great country has shown that inadequate stakeholders engagement and involvement is one of the most common reasons programmes and projects fail. So those who want to succeed, always make effort to encourage broad and active stakeholders engagement in the planning, monitoring and evaluation process of their programmes. So when the new AD/CEO called me to brief me about his desire to hold a stakeholders’ forum I knew he was that kind of leader that doesn’t want to fail and he will not fail with this step he has taken to meet and share ideas with critical stakeholders.”
In his welcome address, Adejuwon told the gathering that the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was, “my mission at the National Troupe is to reinvigorate and reposition the National Troupe for effective and efficient performing arts service delivery. We shall intensify efforts aimed at popularising the rich cultural heritage of this great country through performances that are of high artistic standard. We are poised, even though we are often being stretched to the limits due to limited resources, to execute productions as at when due. We are also to be theatrically responsive to pressing national and international issues and to provide a vibrant forum for citizens to brainstorm and regenerate topical issues on the performing arts.
To this effect, we intend to direct our products towards identifiable major clients, the Federal Government (MDAs- ministries, separtments and agencies), the private sector, and the general public -an expansion of this dovetail into the key arm of the Federal Government, the Armed Forces. The present security situation in the country brings the import of this arm of government to the fore. We will represent this importance through our performative expressions and promote same. “Interestingly, we have just been invited to perform at the Nigerian Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration 2014. I consider this performance by the National Troupe a unique one. Apart from being the first foot forward within my vision of making the Troupe current and relevant in the Nigerian scheme of things, I see the performance which is billed to take place at the Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Banquet Hall before a select audience of the President, his family and all the service chiefs, as a way of deploying the Performative Expression in a Conflict Environment” which instructively is the theme of the keynote speech at this stakeholders forum and the broad theme of the National Troupe’s activities for the season.”
The highlight of the epoch making event was the lecture given by keynote speaker, Prof. Sunday Ododo, head of department, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Maiduguri, President, Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA)
Speaking on the theme: The Peformative Expression In a Conflict Environment, Ododo said that in the creative enterprise conflict is a constant, especially in the performative genre. The preoccupation of any drama for instance is to generate conflicts and resolve them. These conflicts are also derived from human experiences and engagements with his/her environment. When conflicts are simulated or imagined, they are also placed within plausible context of human appreciation. The capacity of the performing arts to interrogate human conditions and proffer solutions is innate to drama and the art forms of music and dance can add value and substance to the conflict. No one watches a theatrical piece without taking one or two lessons home apart from its entertainment values.
Nigeria has become a conflict zone, a theatre of crises and geography of fear.
In 2002 the former Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, now a senator, observed that:
‘No part of Nigeria can consider itself safe when other parts are burning. The threat of anarchy in any part of our country is the threat of anarchy in the entire nation. Our nation can develop meaningfully and nurture its democracy only in a peaceful atmosphere in which respect for human lives and property is a fundamental article of our national faith.’
The above assertion adequately captures the geography of fear that Nigeria has become and a pronounced conflict zone more than ever before. In actual fact, the country has experienced different internal conflicts since independence ranging from many coups, general strikes and a civil war to religious crises, political disturbances, boundary disputes, communal clashes, herdsmen and farmers conflict, environmental conflict and the politics of oil in the Niger Delta, and more recently, the brazen attacks of Boko Haram Islamic sect. Up to 4,000 Nigerians have died in Boko Haram attacks.
“Many have attributed the current spade of crises and conflicts in Nigeria not to religious but to political, ethnic or economic issues; while some others believe that our current crises, conflicts and violence are politically, ethnically and economically induced. It is inconceivable that often people are afraid to assess the place of religion in our current crises when in truth, religion dominates our life. Underlining all of these issues are the nagging questions of ethical decay, social injustice, inequality and false sense of nationalism. All these questions require urgent attention if contemporary Nigeria is to be reoriented with fair sense of socio-political relationships, distribution of national resources and reward system by all levels of Government in Nigeria.
Even though it is not within the purview of this presentation to elaborate on the character and causes of the Nigerian conflict environment, it is worth noting that the Nigerian conflict situation has not been properly diagnosed. To do this, we need to locate all the socio-historical factors and core values that have over the years contributed immensely towards the development of some of Nigeria’s negative heritage upon which our national conflicts, violence and insecurity are founded.
The short but complex Nigerian conflict environment we narrated above is what the National Theatre of Nigeria must diagnose and interrogate before arriving at workable design on how to intervene with performative expressions on the Nigerian crises.”
The event ended on a colourful note as the gathering was thrilled with a command performance of a dance drama titled, Ajoyo (celebration) performed by Core Artistes of the National Troupe.
Source: dailyindependentnig.com
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