Children’s theatre as enunciated by the National Troupe of Nigeria, the apex theatre outfit in Nigeria, is fast gaining grounds. In the past seven years, the management of the Troupe has made it mandatory that the Creative Station earmarked for the children and youths must take place. The concept has been to gather the children as one group for one month, usually, August, when they are on holidays. During this moment, a theme is chosen as the thematic thrust of the dance-drama that will be produced to teach the children one or two lessons on nationhood.
This year, the theme was appropriately tagged Dented Anthill. It was a result of an interaction with the children spearheaded by ace-dancer and theatre guru, Sir Peter Badejo. In conceptualising the subject-matter, the kids were allowed to air their views on the issues that have been militating against the progress of Nigeria. Surprisingly, many of them were able to identify corruption, tribalism and military interregnum in Nigerian politics as the core causes of the breakdown of values in Nigeria.
Based on these sentiments, different dance ideas and patterns were thus created. Interestingly, when the command performance took place at the National Theatre, Lagos, it was clear that the policy of catching them young which has been the guiding principle of the Troupe was in order. The children opened the dance-dramas with total awe-inspiring stage crafts that left many people spellbound. Even as the hall was filled to its fullest the most attention was paid to the professional way the children appeared on stage. They lost themselves to the rhythms of drama and theatre. It was for them the best moment to juxtapose theatre with the norms of the society. Through these different dance steps, patterns and styles, Nigerian socio-political and other problems were laid bare. It was intriguing.
Dances and songs were rendered in Hausa, Ibibio, Yoruba, Igbo and more. The ones done in English were just in agreement with our lingua franca, otherwise it was clear the kids were at home with the local languages.
Appearing on different and colourful costumes emphasising the nature of Nigerian cultures showed that the children were in tune with their environment. They were also allowed to handle some aspects of the master of ceremony at the event. Although it was the first time that this aspect of the programme was introduced, most parents were surprised to see children handle such a magnitude of event. They did it as if it had been their forte all their lives.
Apart from the hip-hop they did, the traditional dances stole the show. In the Dented Anthill, which was the climax of the show, they decided to use different costumes from different parts of Nigeria to explain the genesis of Nigerian problems. If Nigeria is a symbol of the dented anthill, what then can be done to bring back its lost glories? Nigeria is on the decline. Dance, drama, songs, cultural displays and more can be used to point the way forward. The essence of the dances were to make the children begin to think in the direction of a better Nigeria where tribalism and corruption and such other evils bedeviling the society have no place.
But can a dented anthill be mended and used to help the people achieve their dreams in life? “Yes,” so said Josephine Igberaese, the artistic coordinator of the project. “As the art of dance and music dominate the world stage of entertainment now, we need to help our children redirect their creative energies positively towards building a viable creative entertainment industry. Therefore, our greatest export to the world apart from crude oil is our creative talents. Artists remain Nigeria’s greatest ambassadors, standing tall next to our football,” she postulated.
In his own statement, Badejo who conceived and handled the programme said, “borrowing from the ant’s world, children and teens in this society, like the brigade of ants, who emerged from the soil of the dented structure, will need to rise to the occasion. Theirs is to come up with ideas and suggestions for the amendment and restructuring of the society.”
The occasion was attended by art enthusiasts, artistes, art administrators and parents from different corners of Lagos. In the end, the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Akin Adejuwon described the outing as one of the best creative endeavours of the Troupe. “The children were all wonderful,” he simply said, smiling with satisfaction.