The Banquet hall at the National Arts Theatre is unusually busy this sunny Thursday morning in November. It is the love of the performing arts that has brought stakeholders from far and near to discuss the way forward for the industry.
Initiated by the new artistic director of the National Troupe, Akin Adejuwon, the stakeholders meeting was the first of its kind since the inception of the troupe some years ago. Stakeholders who attended the meeting could not help but agree that the time has come for a change in the way performing art is not only received but consumed in the country.
In his paper titled ‘The Performative Expression in a Conflict Environment’ Sunday Enessi Ododo, head, department of Theatre Arts University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri and president, Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA) said the stakeholders’ meeting was a novel step taken by Adejuwon and he praised his intention to turn the fortunes of the National Troupe around to serve the Nigerian government and the people better. “Perhaps the novel package Mr Adejuwon is bringing to the table at the National Troupe is the outreach functions of theatre for conflict resolution and transformation,” he said. “This in my view is the consciousness behind the ‘Performative Expression in a Conflict Environment,’ the organising theme for this forum. The Artistic Director has also with due sense of humility thrown this package open for discussion and fine-tuning which is why this stakeholders forum is convened.”
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Ododo said having gone through the highlight of activities of the troupe between January 2013 and September 2014 it occurred to him that the troupe when not on international circuit is more in Lagos and Abuja, especially the Presidential Villa. According to him, this does not sufficiently represent national tours.
“Besides, these outings,” he said, “are also mainly dance performances to entertain some dignitaries and not the generality of Nigerian people. I doubt also if these dance performances are packaged to tell the occupiers of the presidential villa some home truth about the Nigerian reality of unemployment, lack of portable water, irregular electricity supply, hunger and poverty, high cost of living and the agony of frustrated living in country that is purportedly the largest economy in Africa and No 25th in the world. Until the NTN begin to package productions that genuinely interrogate our socio-political system, leadership and followership, national questions and integration, denied freedom and injustice in this country, and presented to the generality of Nigerians, NTN would be failing in her mandate to “ensure that productions of the Troupe are geared towards national aspirations”. It is only with good knowledge of our present reality that we can aspire to be something greater.”
In addition, he urged Adejuwon to ensure that the troupe covers the 36 states of the federation beyond Abuja and Lagos. “The NTN most certainly has her challenges and constraints and has proven her mettle within them,” he ddaed, “but there is a lot of work to be done. And we have been assured by Mr Adejuwon that there is the required specialist human capital on ground to stimulate the desired actions.
Ladies and gentlemen, it also appears to me that the new Artistic Director shares my anxiety and that is why he is thinking out of the box; to embark on this performative expression in conflict environment to resolve crises; to raise his own funds and not depend solely on inadequate government fund; to register NTN presence in the three major regions of Nigeria; to tour the 36 states of the federation with productions; to take the annual creative workshop of NTN to the three regions of the country in order to expand its scope of participation.
“I must say this is a tall order but attainable. If you are able to accomplish these lofty agenda, the NTN would have lived her name as a troupe. Mobility is the defining character of any performing troupe, until your national touring circuit covers the 36 states of the federation with instructive performances, NTN may not pass for more than a Resident Theatre Group.”
In his opening remarks, Markus W. Ishaya, chairman, governing board, National Theatre/National Troupe of Nigeria, said he is happy about the steps taken so far by the new artistic director. “I am particularly happy to be here,” he said, “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.”
Adejuwon said in his welcome address it has been his desire to hold the stakeholders’ forum in other to give practitioners of the performing art an avenue to rub minds and deliberate on how to move the industry forward. “Our aim is to revive the foundation of the troupe,” he said. “Our vision is to reinvigorate the National Troupe for efficiency regardless of the various challenges facing us. We hope we will be more theatrically responsive to national issues. It is for this reason we are beginning to create products tailored to meet these needs.”
Also at the event there were performances by the Footprints of Africa and the National Troupe.
FUNKE OSAE-BROWN
