· National Theatre Festival of Unity begins
· Femi Osofisan, Ahmed Parker Yerima, others speak on play creation
Zipowei, Crown Troupe of Africa and Blackedge Productions will perform in Lagos.
Gifted Steppers, JP Artistic Troupe and selected up-coming solo artistes will also perform at this year’s National Theatre Festival of Unity
Zipowei, a graduate of the University of Ibadan and currently participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), made her debut in the music scene with the official release of her first single, “Free Falling,” in October 2022″ a statement issued Friday morning by the Director of Communications, MediaGate Nigeria, Mr. Victor Oki said.
The 2022 National Theatre Festival of Unity with the theme Celebrations is designed to consolidate upon the gains of the first two editions.
The theme was carefully chosen to give Nigerians an opportunity to take stock of God’s abundant blessings in their lives.
The edition which runs from 16-18th December 2022 falls within the last four months of the tenure of the President Muhammadu Buhari led democratic government.
‘’It is therefore only fitting to leverage this festival to take stock of the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari despite daunting challenges foist on Nigeria by escalating global economic recession and daunting security challenges’’.
The festival shall commence on Friday 16th December 2022 with a new addition to the activities- a virtual roundtable on play creation anchored by the Nigerian Centre of International Theatre Institute (ITI-UNESCO).
The innovative roundtable shall feature two leading Nigerian playwrights and former Chief Executive Officers of the National Theatre of Nigeria, Professors Femi Osofisan (2004-2007) and Ahmed Parker Yerima (2007-2014) as mentors and lead speakers.
The panellists shall include the three National Theatre Play Reading Series-award winning playwrights.
The National Theatre Festival of Unity was introduced in 2020 as an annual event by Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo, (fsonta, fta, fnipr,fsna, fana, FNAL), the General Manager/CEO of the National Theatre.
The maiden edition which featured music, dance, and stand-up comedy held at the National Theatre complex, Iganmu-Lagos from 10-13th December 2020.
The festival was conceived to celebrate life, build bridges of unity, promote peace and harmony as well as rekindle hope in humanity following the disruption by the Coronavirus pandemic which rocked the globe.
Accordingly, the maiden edition had the theme: Healing Nigeria. In Nigeria, besides the pandemic, there was also the unprecedented youth protest that engulfed the nation shortly thereafter.
The maiden edition offered Nigerians and residents alike fresh opportunity to engage and enjoy live performances which were temporarily suspended because of the pandemic.
Continuing in its tradition of preaching hope and perseverance amongst Nigerians, the National Theatre hosted the second edition of the festival from December 10th- 12th, 2021 under the theme Enduring Optimism.
The 3-day event which also held at the National Theatre, Iganmu- Lagos featured more events than the maiden edition. The new events include carnival procession, film show, visual arts exhibition and awards ceremony. These were in addition to the usual live-theatre performances, music, stand-up comedy and dance.
The festival aimed to encourage advancement of the performing arts throughout the country, create opportunities for up- coming Performing Artistes and aid the promotion of social development and improvement of quality of life.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Zi always knew she wanted to be involved in the music scene. From primary school choirs to secondary school mini sessions in her classrooms during free periods, she always seized the opportunity to belt out a few tunes.
On some occasions, this involved approaching random classmates in hallways and singing to them.
Writing songs since age 13 has helped Zi develop her formula as she delivers lyrics laced with vulnerability and soul in expressions of love, hope, healing, and fun