Creative Industry
Abuja International Theatre Festival, ABITFA Awards To Hold October 31st to Nov. 5th
Joel Ajayi
In his determination to further promote theater art in the country Arojah Royal Theatre has announced date for the maiden edition of Abuja International Theatre Festival ABITFA which will hold from October 31 – November 5, 2023 this year in the federal capital city on Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Founder/Festival Director of ABITFAOm’Oba Jerry Adesewo said the first edition of the festival ABITFA would feature some of the best Nigerian performances carefully selected for this festival under the ‘Nigerian Showcase’
The theme for the maiden edition of the festival is “Performing Arts, Peace Building, and the Society.”
According to the statement, the Arojah Royal Theatre is pleased to herald the birth of the Abuja International Theatre Festival and Awards (ABITFA) which is scheduled to hold from October 31 – November 5, 2023 in Nigeria’s beautiful Federal Capital City of Abuja.
“ABITFA will reach out to the rest of the world to bring to Abuja/Nigeria the best of innovative theatrical expressions: full-length plays, short feature plays, poetry theatre, musicals, storytelling, puppetry, solo performances, dance/physical theatre, and other relevant dramatic presentations.
“For the international audience, festival programmers, festival producers, and others joining us, ABITFA would feature some of the best Nigerian performances carefully selected for this festival under the ‘Nigerian Showcase’
“ABITFA has something for everybody. It would feature performances for every age – children, tenagers, youth ad adult, panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, meet and greet sessions, city tours,s and other exciting activities for Nigerian participants and international guests.
“With the world currently in crisis, going by the unrest between Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, Sudan and South Sudan; as well as internal crisis in Belarus, Mali, Ethiopia, and Sudan among others like the ever-increasing challenges of climate change, poverty, migration and human right issues. The performing arts can be used to promote peacebuilding and community engagement. By breaking down the barriers that divide us, the arts can help us connect and become more understanding of one another. In turn, leading to more peaceful and cooperative societies.
“The Performing Arts is a field of activities that help develop communication, teamwork, and collaboration skills. And theatre is one of its most veritable tools.
ABITFA 2023 thereby invites applications from interested theatre outfits and individuals from across the world that speak to the above theme. https://tinyurl.com/ABITFAproductions.
“International delegates, festival programmers, festival producers/directors, journalists, theatre critics, cultural administrators, and others, use this link to read more and apply to be part of our festival: https://tinyurl.com/ABITFAdelegates.
Also, the deadline for application is JUNE 30, 2023.
“We are pleased also to announce the following appointments, in relation to the Abuja International Theatre Festival and Awards (ABITFA 2023)
“Ola Ifatimehin, PhD – Artistic DirectorDr. Ola Ifamehin teaches Theatre and Performance Studies at the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Bayero University Kano. He’s an academic scion of the Ahmadu Bello University School of Drama,Zaria, where he obtained all his degrees. He is passionate about playwriting, play production and criticism. His research interests include play/film/production analysis and criticism, acting and directing, Theatre for Development and Adaptation/Cultural Studies. He is also very muchinterested in topics around Research Methodology in inter-mediality and intercultural encounters.He is a budding scholar, theatre director, actor and cultural administrator, with a considerable number of publications in both local and international journals, books and critical anthologies. He’ s currently the editor of SARARI: Bayero Journal of Theatre and Performing Arts, which just made its debut in 2020. He has presented papers in various conferences both in Nigeria and abroad.
“Esther Onwuka, fta- Co-Artistic Director
Esther Ojogbane Onwuka holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Abuja and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Theatre Arts with a specialization in dance and choreography.
She started her early career with Ebony Theatre Troupe in Makurdi, Benue State and as a result of her outstanding and excellent performance was given admission by the Department of Theatre Arts, Benue State University where she obtained a Diploma in Theatre Arts, in 1996. Her professional career started in earnest in 1996 when she joined the Abuja Council for Arts and Culture as a dance artist. In that capacity, she represented Nigeria nationally and internationally and won laurels which brought glory to her fatherland. This she did until 2013 when she joined the University of Abuja as a lecturer. Esther is currently the Deputy National President of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP.
“Mazen El Gharabawy – Lead, International Jury for ABITFA 2023Mazen Mossad Ibrahim Desouky, a professional Egyptian actor and director – he began his artistic life when he was fifteen years old, and he is considered the first founder of the acting team of the Faculty of Arts at Ain Shams University and the maker of a new generation in theatrical artistic life since 2000, and he is also the founder of the Sharm El-Sheikh International Festival The Youth Theater is the first international festival dedicated to youth in Egypt, specifically Sinai.
“Mazen will lead a 5-man international jury, drawn from Europe, Asia and Africa to the maiden Abuja International Theatre Festival.”
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.
The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.
“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.
She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.
The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.
She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.
Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.
Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.
She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.
Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.
MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.
Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.
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