ACTIVITIES marking the 90th birthday of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, will continue today at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, with the staging of the play, ‘The Noble Warrior- Eni Ogun.’
The play, written by Aiye-ko-ooto, directed by Segun Adefila and produced by Cash Onadele, has garnered praise for its technical excellence. The production, which premiered on July 15, was lauded by ace cinematographer Tunde Kelani for its quality.
Though dense and multilayered, the renowned film producer noted that the play was executed with exceptional quality in its score, choreography, and lighting. “The live band made it seem as if it’s the soundtrack of a movie. It was seamless, and I couldn’t hear any extraneous noise,” he praised the production.
‘Eni Ogun’, also shown yesterday, will end today with two shows.
The play by multi-media literary, theatre, and movie company Adubiifa Network Company enjoyed the generous support of corporate Nigeria. First City Monument Bank, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Alternative Bank, Airtel, FMDQ, CINQTEOS Limited and First Bank supported it.
The production’s Executive Producer, Toye Arulogun, said of the support: “Corporate Nigeria’s response to this dramatic tribute to Prof. Soyinka affirms his towering stature as a National Icon and pride of our cultural heritage worthy of celebration. It further confirms Corporate Nigeria’s identification of arts and culture as a veritable platform for brand promotions and a vehicle for driving Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives.
“This greatly encourages drama and theatre practitioners and the larger Nigerian creative economy. It is reassuring that Corporate Nigeria recognises the value of dramatic arts and culture as evidenced by the support of this production, which is a tribute to Kongi at 90.”
While the drumbeats of celebration might lower a bit in Nigeria, its upbeat tempo will be sustained in London, the United Kingdom, where The Africa Centre and the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) are hosting some events.
The Africa Centre started hosting exhibitions, roundtables, film screenings, live music performances and poetry recitals to celebrate Professor Soyinka on Friday, July 19. Visitors can explore Soyinka’s literary journey with ‘WS: A Life in Full’, a comprehensive display of his published works and photographs from his archive. This exhibition also features a rare presentation of Soyinka’s collection of Onicha Market literature.
There will also be daily screenings of films and documentaries related to or inspired by Soyinka’s life and work, and Kongi’s Nights, a series of evening entertainment including live music performances by Ed Keazor & the AfroFunk Collective, Juwon Ogungbe, Lekan Babalola, Aduke, Kayefi, MeOlogo, Jazz session with Bumi Thomas and music party with DJ Abass.
Activities will also include talks, seminars and workshops on ‘Navigating the New Publishing Industry’, ‘The impact of AI on Culture & Identity’, ‘Culture Sponsorship & Corporate Social Responsibility’, and a seminar on “The Future Is Now – A Decolonisation Intersection”, by partner institution Bournemouth University. Utopia Theatre will host a virtual unveiling of Soyinka’s portrait at the University of Sheffield.
Also on the bill is ‘Ijo-mode’, a dance workshop for youths with Peter Badejo, O.B.E., as well as presentation of prizes to winners of the essay competition on the theme, “AI & New Media: Reimagining Culture, Identity & Humanity” organised in partnership with TURAKA Art Centre, Chatham.
The Federal Government, which renamed the National Theatre after Professor Soyinka, and the Ogun and Lagos State governments are among those who have rolled out the red carpet for the writer, poet, dramatist, essayist, activist and humanist.
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