Beyond the classroom, Taiwo Afolabi, a professor of applied theatre cultural and creative industries at the University of Regina, Canada, is redefining learning in the country.
Through a commitment to teaching, mentorship, and professional development, Afolabi is building capacity and empowering learners to unlock their full potential.
For Afolabi, a Nigerian-born Canadian and a professor, education is the foundation upon which lasting development is built, while real impact is measured by lives changed consistently and over time.
Through the Emissary Foundation, a modest, but steadily impactful education-focused initiative he founded, the scholar has quietly supported access to education for young Nigerians over several years.
“The goal is to build capacity and professional development through education. Giving money is not enough; it’s important to really teach people how to fish,” he noted.
Afolabi recently re-registered the Emissary Foundation in Nigeria after years of informal but consistent intervention in education and capacity-building initiatives.
For over five years, the foundation has supported access to education for underprivileged Nigerians, focusing on funding WAEC, NECO, and UTME entrance examinations, paying tuition fees, and supporting students through university.
To ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability, the foundation does not select beneficiaries directly. Its programmes are executed through vetted partner organisations.
Since its establishment, the foundation has supported over 30 individuals, investing more than N5 million in education across Nigeria, mostly funding entrance examinations and awarding scholarships and bursaries for students in secondary schools and universities.
Afolabi said the Emissary Foundation plans to scale its investments over the next few years, targeting around N10 million for education, capacity building, and other human development initiatives. Modest numbers, but the consistency is deliberate.
“Our goal is to empower young Nigerians through education and capacity building,” he said.
Afolabi’s commitment to education is deeply personal. “It speaks to my own background,” he says. “Coming from a modest background, I understand the power of education. And we want to extend that same grace to others.”
Impact beyond education
That same conviction inspired him to start other initiatives. He is the founding director of Theatre Emissary International and Mobile Research Lab.
The Theatre company, which he founded in 2012 as a local initiative, has now reached over 36 countries across five continents, using theatre as what he calls “an ambassador” for social change.
“The idea was to bring people together to use theatre to address practical needs in society,” he said.
His festival of arts and discourse (powered by Theatre Emissary International and Mobile Research Lab) further bridges the gap between academia and community, creating spaces where artists, scholars, and the public exchange ideas.
His excellence with a Soul book series also emerged from years of academic publishing, mentorship, and reflection on generational shifts.
“Being an immigrant in Canada and interacting with young people, I realised that the kind of training we had growing up—around resilience, being hardworking, and pursuing excellence—something was missing in this generation,” he says.
“I started thinking about how I could bring the things I’ve learned over the years together to share my testimony and stories to strengthen and empower other people.”
In the series, Afolabi shares encouraging stories with readers, especially young people, focusing on the mindset, character, and discipline required for excellence.
“The first title, ‘Excellence with a Soul: The Genesis,’ tells my story—how I grew up, my professional life, and draws lessons from it. In the second title, The extraordinary, I leaned on stories of individuals who were part of my own training. I celebrated their consistency, sacrifice, and intentionality,” he explains.
Afolabi added, “It’s possible to actually be all of this and still have your soul, your integrity, your ethics. The extraordinary is hiding in plain sight. It starts with the choices we make.”
As a theatre manager and entrepreneur, mentorship remains a core part of Afolabi’s work. Through his role as a mentor with the Foundation Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation), he has guided doctoral scholars and artists.
“If someone knows they can ask questions without fear,” he said, “that changes their trajectory.”
