The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Collector decries poor art appreciation

    Collector decries poor art appreciation

    A Lagos-based art collector and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Aguene Art Foundation, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, has decried the lack of support from the government and poor art appreciation in Nigeria. He called for the building of standard museums across the country, saying nothing would strengthen a people as much as a proper appreciation and understanding of their own history.

    ”I believe that art is a form of culture and an extension of the mind and reasoning of the spirit. I am an advocate of the customs and traditions of Africans, and I am convinced that nothing will strengthen a people as much as a proper appreciation and understanding of their own history as recorded by their own people in their own language,” Ogbonna said.

    He said if he had his way, one of the biggest museums in the world would be built in Nigeria, as he believes strongly that the country is blessed with a rich arts and cultural heritage that are not given due attention.  Indeed, one of the things that have continued to surprise him is why the government, especially the governors, are paying lip service to art and culture?

    “It is a shame that most of the states in Nigeria, despite the rich cultural heritage and artifacts in them, the country cannot boast of any standard museum that can showcase their ancient or modern arts or compete favourably with museums in other parts of the world. Rather, our sons and daughters travel to the western countries and are proud to flaunt it that they saw one, two or more art works of their tribes on display in various museums abroad, raking in money for the western countries in the process. It is a known fact that Nigerian art works do not serve decorative purposes alone. Aside being priceless, they also convey important messages to the people, especially bronze, copper and wood works, which have been rated in the world as the best and most valuable African art.”

    He went on: “Our leaders should know that setting up a standard museum that will attract tourists from all over the world is not about a certificate or how educated one is. It is also not about appointing a friend or relation who has no interest or knowledge in, or love and passion for, art and tradition as a commissioner or minister.

    “It is also pertinent to know that no one can govern his people without having a clear knowledge of their art, culture and tradition,” Ogbonna said.

    He rsaid the preservation of art, culture and the tradition of the people is a passion in his family. He said the Aguene Art Foundation is a product of his love for art.

    “We launched the foundation about two years ago, specifically, on August 21, 2013. I want to use this foundation to help young artists who are talented but do not have the material to showcase and expose their talent to the world because of lack of resources. The foundation will help them with their creativity and make them independent, and also serve as a medium to empower students who are talented – in primary and secondary schools and also in higher institutions.

    “I have over 6700 arts works including modern and ancient arts, bronze, beadworks, word carvings, paintings, batiks, ceramics, fibre glass works, some of them dates to 200 years ago. I have some terracotta (Nok Culture) works that are about 2000 years old.”

    So, is he just collecting art works just for its appreciation and documentation or is he also thinking of making money from them?

    “For the modern works, yes,” he said. “I can commission specific works for people to buy. For such work I also personally supervise them to make it special, make it different.  What I do with most modern works that I commission, I don’t use one artist. Sometimes one artist could do a work to a particular stage and I will tell the artist to stop so that someone else will touch it. So you cannot claim the work, also you cannot copy the work.”

    “I hope to hold the first exhibition of most modern works I have collected for over two years. The exhibition will hold here in my house in April this year. The works for the exhibition will be limited to those I collected from two years ago till date,” he said, adding, however, that the works are not for sale.

  • ITAM Designs for BurJuman millinery exhibition

    A Hat maker, ITAM designs, would be showcasing its collection at the 2015 Burjuman International Millinery Exhibition ahead of the Dubai World Cup.

    The International Millinery Exhibition has been crowning the heads of über-stylish race-goers in the past 14 years. Bringing together some of the world’s most coveted milliners, this year’s exhibition welcomes new faces making waves in the world of hat making alongside popular names from previous editions.

    The award-winning line-up of milliners flying in to showcase their one-of-a-kind creations makes easy pickings for Dubai’s fashionable fillies looking to complete their World Cup ensemble.

    The exhibition, which coincides with the famous Dubai World Cup as a side-event and yearly style fiesta in the Middle East, will feature some of the world’s finest hat makers, including last Master Milliner in Styria, Austria – the talented Christine Rohr, Philip Wright, Christiane Rohr, Jennifer Bell, Liza Georgia, Christiane Edmondson and Hats by Sandy.

    The designers, who have been specially selected from various parts of the world will reflect Spring/Summer fashion trends on the runway along with over 500 varieties of headwear. The headpieces will encompass bold florals, bohemian glamour, lace, bright colours and monochrome design. The edition of Dubai’s premier hat event features over 500 fabulous hats and headpieces ahead of the 20th Dubai World Cup, which is billed to take offf from tomorrow and end on March 27.

    Nigeria’s representative at the event, ITAM design by Kings Signature, would parade its unique collection of headpieces and occasion hats made from the finest hand-finished trimmings and materials.

    “Our collection is a wonderful celebration of seasonal colours and styles, perfect for the women for all variety of occasions and are available in stores and an exclusive list of stockists. We provide a wide range of head wears to match any collection and a fully-managed service, such that the collection and colours are exclusive to our clients. And that is what we would be showcasing at the event. The collection would showcases a beautiful explosion of feather on combs, feathers on bands, feathers on clips and a funky montage of feathers and flowers for the more frivolous amongst us,” according to Kings Signature.

     

  • Peculiar Saints Orphanage relocates to Ajah

    A charity organisation Peculiar Saints Orphanage is moving to Ajah, Lagos, in its expansion bid.

    Its proprietor, Mrs Olamide Turner,  said: “Right now, we run a normal orphanage because we don’t have the facilities to run a home for kids with disabilities. In that our permanent site, we have a sick bay, all the rooms are ensuite so we can change from a normal home to a home for people with disabilities and challenging behaviour.”

    The proprietor, who became an orphan as a child, said she got interested in running an orphanage after working at the Lauryn Hall Home which caters for children with disabilities and challenging behaviours in the UK where she was based.

    “Even while I was in the UK, whenever I come to Nigeria, I ask of old hospices and I work there on compassionate grounds. That was where I started from in Nigeria. Presently, we are trying to get partners. We have people that are sponsoring our children in school before they go out for adoption. I also have a board and the members are very supportive,” she said.

    Since inception in 2012, 28 children have passed through Peculiar Saints Orphanage, according to Turner. “Our own mission is not to keep kids at the orphanage permanently. We want to settle them in homes. Our home is like a transit point for children. We adopt them out, of course through the Ministry of Youths and Social Development. So far about 10 of our children have been adopted by homes in Nigeria and abroad,” she also revealed.

     

  • Exploring female sensuality

    Olu Amoda, an internationally celebrated sculptor, muralist, furniture designer, and multi-media artist is showcasing his newest body of work titled: Fringe which explores the question of private and public space in the urban environment.

    It is a beautiful evening at the grand opening of Fringe, which was exhibited at Art 21  on the ground floor of Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The space is infectious and gives a good view of the works of  Amoda. It perhaps offers the right atmosphere and setting for the best of  contemporary art to be viewed and appreciated.

    As the world has become a global village where people connected via the internet, the artists are also connecting women and the world through their beautiful works, connection. They seem to know almost the unspoken words, thoughts motion and emotions of women and girl-child, and insecurity of all of women and girl, and insecurity of all sorts, which was presented in this show.

    Amoda in his new work makes use of unconventional materials and posses, combined with an interest in pertinent social and political issues, charters new depths by examining the relationship between surveillance, religion and female form.

    Central of Olu new work is the influences of technology and how virtual communication shape and prescribe identity the hyper_ consciousness of self presentation that is brought about by digital revolution.

    In a statement Amoda he said: “We are constantly in the ears of spy agencies around the world. Where by our whispering becomes as loud as ten million cacophonic devices around the world, if we use certain words regardless of the context and content. In this virtual world, streams of data move in both directions just as the Newton third law of motion states”.

    “ Just as Adam and Eve lost their innocence after eating the forbidden fruit, we also lose our privacy the moment we buy any of these devices, be it Android or GSM smart phones,  One privacy is totally compromised; some of our conversation or images are electronically “.

    He added:” The amazing thing about these small devices is the speed at which ones conversation travels across the continents, it is this telecommunication feat of being able to have lives stream video chats that compromise our private conversations, which we think happen in a private space, becomes public, Something as small as a handset now connects us to the universe through radio frequencies.  With this new work I intend to provoke a conversation on privacy in public space. The space in the context is the virtual space that is linked to a big monitor that is wired into the small devices which almost everyone above the age of five could operate. These devices range from ones cell phone, tablet, pager, to laptops and desktop computers, to mention a few. Anything one says in a civilized conversation is being wire tapped”.

    the Skoto Gallery and at the Museum of Art & Design in New York, at the Georgia Southern University in the United States, at the Didi Museum, Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institute & the Nimbus Art Centre in Nigeria, at the 6th Biennale de L’Art African Contemporain in Dakar, Senegal, at The World Intellectual Property Organization [WIPO] Headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, and with the current touring exhibition of “out of the ordinary” organized by Art 21 in Lagos state.

     

     

  • ‘Opposition is govt in the waiting’

    For over 90 minutes, the hall on the 5th floor of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s building at Alausa in Ikeja, Lagos was still scanty. The presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Prof Remi Sonaiya and two reporters were among the early arrivals. But for the continuous screening of documentaries of the formal opening of the old Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) at Ibadan on October 31, 1959 and the Independence Day celebration party that kept them glued to the screen behind the high table, the few guests would have been tired of the long wait.

    Except Prof Sonaiya, who was present, most of the special guests invited to the book presentation, Opposition political parties and democratisation in Africa, edited by Gabriel Lanre Adeola, sent representatives. They included former Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate Prof Yemi Osinbajo and Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

    Expectedly, the occasion shifted slightly into a campaign platform, with speakers  telling the audience of the need to have their permanent voter cards and vote wisely to be part of  change. They also warned the youths, in the audience of a bleak future because of the dwindling fortune of the nation’s commonwealth.

    Osinbajo and Fayemi called on  youths to join the train of change in the nation’s political space by showing interest on who leads them. They also enjoined them not to shy away from exercising their civic rights in the forthcoming general elections.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by Abimbola Ojerinde, said the youth must brace to face the reality of the state of the economy, which is in a poor shape.  “Certainly, there is nothing waiting for you after school because the nation’s economy has continued to hit an all-time low. Exchange rate has also gone high with the devaluation of the naira. In fact, there is problem in the land and we have emergency situation on our hands. We cannot pretend about it,” he added.

    He noted that the forthcoming general election is very critical to Nigeria just as the conversation on the political leadership of the country has changed with the coming of the APC as an opposition. He added that governance is about the common good of the people.

    Fayemi, who was represented by Akin Rotimi, said for the first time Nigerian voters are taken seriously by the politicians, especially the ruling party, which is battling to remain in power at all cost. He said the Nigerian voting space would not be the same again. “Nigeria is an eyesore and until there is a change of power, we will not realise it because the mess is being covered up. It is important to have a change at the centre, it is also critical to have a change in other levels of governance. So, everyone of us must be involved in the change,” he added.

    KOWA Party presidential candidate, Prof Remi Sonaiya, who decried the increasing attacks by politicians on one another, said if there was ever a time on how parties should conduct their affairs, the time is now.

    “Given what is happening in the political space it seems we are not sure how party in power should behave and how opposition party should behave too. I hope Nigerians are taking note and it is when citizens are fed up that they can effect a change. When we keep absorbing all the cheats thrown at us, there will be no desire for change,” she said, describing the book as one good step towards a better political development.

    Adeola described the book as an inspiration and would serve as eye-opener to Africa democratisation experience. He said the book offers a new perspective on political opposition in contemporary African democracies. “After a critical review of the classic and contemporary literature on the subject, it proposes a renewed definition of opposition that better grasps the complexity of political opposition in democracies,” he said.

    He recalled that he got the desire to put the book together when he returned to Nigeria from France and discovered a gap the book could fill. “The articles I gather together covered all aspects of opposition. They were written by 42 scholars from 26 universities. In fact, given the content, the book will surely assist the politicians. But, the message is what is opposition? It is government in the waiting. If I had written the articles alone, I won’t have been able to cover enough grounds. Nigeria needs a change,” Adeola added.

  • Promoting art at the grassroots

    Promoting art at the grassroots

    After a successful debut last month, a new creative session tagged Children Art Club, endorsed by INSEA and supported by Teaching Visual Art and Olumo Art Movement, will hold its second edition on March 21, at the Cultural and Musical Heritage Centre, Olumo Rock, Ikija, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Last month, the session attracted no fewer than 30 children between the ages of two and 16. The guests included the president, School of Virtue, Mr. Segun Coker; Director of Programmes, OGTV, Mr. Seyi Oladimeji and the Public Faces magazine team lead by Miss Bola Solate and president of Olumo Art Movement, Mr. Kola Anidugbe.

    According to the organisers, the platform is to grant talented children access to the best, most-stimulating and most-rewarding artistic engagements that include creative expression through drawing, mosaic, collage, painting, sculpture, wearable art, graffiti and many more.

    Others include teaching and learning of art techniques under the guidance of artists and art educators; share ideas with their peers; hands-on workshops with diverse studio artists and art educators; building portfolio and participating in national and international art contests; showcase their talents and skills through art exhibitions; virtual documentation of the children’s art works and media exposure. Facilitators included Alhaji Adeleye, Mr. Kehinde H, Prince Olusegun Adeniyi and a visiting artist, Lanre Tejuoso.

    The Children Art Club was established to make art education and art practice accessible and affordable (absolutely free) for Nigerian children irrespective of their social background, status or religion affiliation. It is meant to improve and expand access to Art education in such that the children of our nation will receive a broad and balanced education. The essence is to create a springboard to help the children on their voyage of discovery and self-expression.

    The Children Art Club is an outlet for self-expression, started in January 2015 to unlock talents, encourage aspirations, and nurture creativity. It is a creative platform for every child to help them harness, maximize and express unhindered their God’s given potentials in a serene environment that inspire creativity. “It is a platform where we can reach each child through art as a therapy, empowerment and personal talent development. At the February edition, the children were made to create wearable arts with white t-shirts. It was fun and the children enjoyed the remarkable moment of creating art on ready-to-wear shirts,” the art director, Olusegun Adeniyi said.

  • Irep to field foreign filmmakers

    Irep to field foreign filmmakers

    This year’s edition of the annual iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival begins on Thursday, March 19 and will run through Sunday March 22 at the Freedom Park, the old Broad Street Prison on Lagos Island. The Festival is organised by the iRepresent Documentary Film Forum, an affiliate of the West African Documentary Film Forum (WDFF), and the Documentary Network Africa (DNA).

    No fewer than 12 international guests from countries such as Germany, United States, United Kingdom, France, Cameroon, Gabon, South Africa, Kenya are expected at the festival, which will screen about 50 films in the course of its four-day duration. The festival also offers training sessions, workshops, seminars as well as Master Classes for young, aspiring and already practising filmmakers, which usually throng its programme in every edition since 2010 when it was birthed.

    This year marks the 5th anniversary of the festival, which in its short lifespan has attracted the attention of world documentary film circuits including the People2People Festival in South Africa, the Munich-Germany based Dokfest; South Africa-based Discop; and Cameroon-based Ecrans Noirs.

    The 2015 edition will explore the theme:Reinventing documentary filmmaking in a digital space.Though conceived on the traditional iREP thematic framework of Africa in Self-conversation, the theme is premised on the reality that Digital media technology is expanding narrative possibilities and shaping audiences’ experiences of how realities are articulated.

    Festival Executive Director, Femi Odugbemi said: “Documentary filmmaking is coming to terms with these new realities and continuously finding hybrid strategies to navigate the blurred lines crisscrossing verite and satisfying the ever changing temperament of the digital world that is hip, fun-seeking, chaotic, multi-tasking, and attention sapping.

    “For documentary filmmaking, digital technology presents a challenge and an opportunity that would either remarkably transform and redefine what passes as a documentary film or bury the art in its past. More than ever before, there is a need to reinvent the art of documentary filmmaking within the space of the new elements that are dictating the trend of media consumption and experience globally. We are also conscious of the inevitable movement of Television broadcasting and services into full digital era as envisaged by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission and that that quite a lot of African nations have set same 2015 as deadline for their full embrace of digital broadcasting on the continent”.

    The festival will feature screening of a carefully selected films representing the best of recordings of African experiences, conference, seminar and workshops on the journeys, challenges and prospects of digital broadcasting, training Programme for young African filmmakers on the technicalities of digital broadcasting, iREP Producers’ roundtable, and exhibition of Digital Broadcast equipment. Others are live conversation with the public on the prospects of digital broadcasting, iREP Distinguished award for excellence in Filmmaking, support for industry, unveiling of iREP Tv

    There will also be Festival cocktails & reception; a ceremonial event that will bear the festive nature of the edition. It will feature a Red Carpet reception with a jazz band performing; a brief keynote on the journey of iREP Film festival so far by Prof. Niyi Coker of University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA.

  • South African writer wins Etisalat prize

    South African writer wins Etisalat prize

    South African writer Songeziwe Mahlangu on Sunday emerged winner of this year’s Etisalat Prize for Literature and a cash prize of 15,000 pounds.

    His book PenUmbra beat two other runners up Nigerian writer Chinelo Okparanta Happiness, Like Water and South African author Nadia Davids An imperfect Blessing. The award ceremony was held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Elated Mahlungu said he was honoured by the award thanking his publishers; God and his mother for allowing him pursue his dream.

    Apart from the cash award, the winner will be presented with a high-end device, in addition to a book tour to three African cities.

    He will also embark on the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where he will be mentored by Prof Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland, which will afford him significant opportunities to network with other writers and publishers and time and resources to work on his second book. The two runners up will also win a book tour and Etisalat will purchase 1,000 copies of all three books for distribution across the continent.

    In addition, Mahlangu also got an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen. Mahlangu was born in 1985.

    He matriculated from Dale College, in King William’s Town, and went on to do a business science degree at the University of Cape Town.

    He returned to university to do a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Rhodes, Grahamstown, in 2011. Penumbra is the end result of that degree and his first novel. Songeziwe currently lives in East London and works at a large accountancy firm.

    In the Flash Fiction category, Neema Konga won the first prize of 1000 pounds while Chinma Ezenwa Ohaeto and Justin Irabor Ikhide got the runners-up prize of 500 pounds each.

    Chief Executive Officer Etisalat Mr. Matthew Willsher said ‘we are here to celebrate literature, books and stories. Our expertise is not to tell stories but to serve over 14 African countries and we carry over 14 million stories…We care about stories at Etisalat.’

    The Etisalat Prize for Literature is the first ever pan-African prize celebrating such first-time African writers of fiction. The prize aims to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative African talent and to support the literary industry on the continent.

     

  • For the sake of women

    For the sake of women

    Udemma Chukwuma writes about an exhibition of twenty paintings to celebrate womanhood

    Celebrating the female folks is the main focus of an art exhibition running at the Moorhouse Hotel, Lagos. The show is to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

    The exhibition features about 20 paintings by contemporary Nigerian artist, Mr Olusegun Adejumo, who said the works are dedicated to women all over the world because women deserve to be celebrated. The exhibition titled: Le Festival De Reves (The Festival of Dreams), is supported by Alliance Françoise, Lagos.

    In this exhibition, Adejumo captured the African women and offers the viewer the opportunity to explore some of the important aspects of the southern Nigerian women life. “The southern women are beautiful, they know that they are beautiful, they don’t need you to tell them that they are beautiful. You hardly find men around. The men are around but they appreciate the women from far,” he said.

    The word to use to describe some of the works at the exhibition hall is “daring.”  Series figure paintings of women who could be in their early twenties and late twenties caught the attention of the viewers and some asked the artist if the model was one person, but the artist said no.  “Every woman has something in her that will make you desire her and for a lot of artist, you either paint her or you chase her. We spend a lot of energy to depict that which we desire in our work.  The models are not the same person,” he informed.

    However, the artist refused to put the names of the models on the fascinating pastel series “because of the society we live in, the models might be a little shy to reveal their names.” Many conclusions would be made and some of the viewers will be tempted to think that something intimate happened between the artist and models.

    Another intriguing aspect of the show which is of a particular interest to the viewers is the artist’s ability to conceal a nude woman. In the piece titled Sitting Beauty; you could see a woman who places one hand on neck and place the second hand  on her neck. The hands covered the upper part of her body while the down part of her body was painted with dark colours, leaving the viewers to their imagination.

    Mirroring a story he was told in Dakar, Senegal, a mystifying and attention getting painting was born, titled:… “The Wolof-women have a way which they attract their men, they have beads from coconut shell which they tie around their waists, it is what I was told by the Senegalese people in Dakar. According to them, the women soak the beads in some ointment, like perfume, and it stays there for a month or two. I think they put some incantation into it.  They wear it after all the processes, you could perceive the fragrance and you can’t tell where the smell is coming from. This woman has this particular smell anytime she is around you.  The Senegalese says beware of the Wolof women because they may be an enchantment.”

    The work titled: The Wolof Woman caused much controversy and some of the viewers could not make out what the painting is about. “I can’t see anything, I think there is a piano,” said a female viewer. “There is a face in the painting if you look at it very,” said another artist who was at the show. “I decided to do something mystical, hazy and painting of a girl,” explained Adejumo.

  • National Troupe celebrates Ogunde

    National Troupe celebrates Ogunde

    The National Troupe recently paid homage to the home of theatre icon, the late Hubert Ogunde. Ovwe Medeme reports

    It was a day of celebrating the theatre world in Nigeria and the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, accompanied by his management team and the entire members of the troupe, paid a visit to Ososa, in Ogun State, the hometown of renowned moviemaker, Hubert Ogunde.

    Members of the troupe met a sleepy community on Saturday when they arrived and were received by the son of the late doyen of the art world, Bayo Ogunde. The younger Ogunde welcomed members of the troupe to his residence, describing it as a thing of joy that the legacy of the pioneer actor still lives on, years after his passing away.

    Explaining the rationale behind the visit, Artistic Director of the National Troupe, Akin Adejuwon said that it is important that the history of art is preserved, especially in an environment like ours, Africa.

    “We have very littlehistory because things perish easily after the original makers.I have been around and I have worked with quite a number of very important people in the arts and I hardly see many of the families at the demise of the head, keep the legacy going most efficiently as you have done. For that, I want to commend you.I realise as an art historian, that artistic practices in Yoruba land are familial in nature. I knew that we would still find Ogunde here. This is why it was important that we pay this visit,” he said.

    Receiving the members of the troupe, BayoOgunde announced that his family is set to mark the 25th anniversary of the demise of its progenitor with the opening of a museum in his honour. According to Ogunde, who took the troupe on a tour of the facility, April 24 has been fixed for the celebration.

    Responding, Adejuwon said that the body will be collaborating quite closely with the family on the opening of the museum.

    “I’m very impressed with the organisational strength of the family and it really strengthened my belief in the fact that the development of art in traditional African culture is pursued by families. Like BayoOgunde, the son of the doyen said today, the artistic calling is not a general one. What I saw today has just confirmed again that maintaining the memory of Hubert Ogunde in this family and the way they are organising the museum to become a tourist destination is one of our very strong focus,” he said.

    Prior to visiting Ososa, the troupe made a stopover at Ijebu Ode to pay homage to the first ever Artistic Director of the troupe, Bayo Oduneye.

    Thanking Oduneye for what he described as an inspiring track record and selfless service at the troupe, Adejuwon said;”all we are just doing is to let you know that we recognise you as one of our very worthy predecessors and that we will like to tap from your wealth of experience. We want to interface with you. In Africa, we know that our elders are mobile libraries of the community and of the nation. There is nothing much that we can do than to acknowledge that contribution and celebrate your life.”

    Oduneye, an octogenarian, encouraged the members of the troupe to be focused on the chosen profession and to see themselves as special.

    “Now I’m getting very old but thank God I can still move around. When I got the call that you were coming, I felt very elated. You have to remember that if you are serving in the theatre, you are serving God. Somebody said many years ago that to serve the theatre is my profession and in serving the theatre faithfully, I am serving God. If you are in the theatre and you are not sincere to it, you won’t get the best in life. It has a way of short changing you. You won’t know. You just find yourself gradually going outside of it and you don’t know why,” Oduneye encouraged.

    He described as unfortunate, a situation where the theatre practice in Nigeria is on the decline. “The national troupe kept the theatre going for a long time, but then funds is always the problem. Unless we get funding, we cannot develop. The theatre generally in Nigeria is dead. It is dead because there are no funds to do anything. Most of the actors have turned into something else. Thank God for television but there is still something about the live theatre. You cannot compare the live theatre to anyother.

    Accompanying the Director on the trip were ArnoldUdoka, Head of Dance and Choreographer of the National Troupe; Hilary Elenu, Deputy Director in charge of Technical Services of the National Troupe;BisiAyodele Head of Administration; artistes and some support staff of the troupe.

    At both visits, members of the troupe treated their hosts to dance performances.