A scene from the play, Body Parts staged during the festival
Theatre lovers, members of the diplomatic community, politicians, friends and associates were entertained at the just concluded ninth edition of the Jos Theatre Festival, which held at the Alliance Francaise, opposite JD Gomwalk House (Standard Building), West of Mines, Jos. more...
“This argument is extremely
erroneous and misleading as, on the flip side, we have seen the economies of
cities that have invested heavily in the arts take a turn for the better. It is
our fervent wish that our arts and cultural workers will take this relationship
very seriously and find productive ways of making this all important
connection. The health and wellbeing of any nation can be judged by the number
of arts activities in an annual season. Where there is a lack of this, the
people and that particular society will be poor in spirit”, he noted.
On the plays that featured in
the festival, Oteh said, “All the plays in this festival have a unique
connection –how people seek to find meanings in their lives. From August
Wilson’s King Hedley II, Sefi Atta’s Last Stand, Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba’s Body
Parts, Jacinto Benavente’s The Bonds of Interest and Barclays Ayakoroma’s
Castles in the Air, all the characters that confronts us offer us different
visions of life and how they live it and possibly surmount it. How they
surmount these challenges will hopefully be for each of us the dismantling of
cultural stereotypes and the dissemination of new knowledge.
The United States mission in
Nigeria noted that these are definitely times that call for the enthronement of
the human spirit. On the theme, “Telling
the Untold Stories”, he hoped that the arts would be utilized to tell those
stories which still give us hope and belief in the ability of the human spirit
to soar above all dark moments.
Artistes who featured
include: Mark Ibrahim Musa, Olajumoke Michelle Olatunbosun, David, Maisamari,
Ejiroghene Oghenechovwen, Patience John-Ebute, Terna Ronald Torkwembe, Sunny
Adahson, Peniel Jerry Ayubam, Eniyome Edor, Abraham Omale, Akolo James Anthony.
Others were Abraham Omale, Fidelis
Okoro, Olawuyi Oyewusi, Praise
Chikezie, Akolo James Anthony, Jennifer Maigida, Mark Musa, Matthew Okechukwu
Daniels, among others.
A theatre lover, simply
called Musa, said: “I have attended the festival since inception. It has always
been top-notch performances, with an average of five plays every year. The
quality of performances has always been very exciting and interesting, with
abundant moral lessons to take away. Each of the shows reflected the society,
and there are moral lessons to learn, socially, politically, economically and
what family values should be and ought to be, which they have been able to
create in a dramatic way without necessarily missing the point.
‘The festival is something we
need to use to encourage any discerning mind in the society. The way Nigerians appreciate
arts is something that can be sold. This festival is very interesting, and
people should always come and watch stage plays. Theatre Arts is a dimension of
performance arts, which is the primitive or the origin of performance arts, but
we, Nigerians, are more interested in Nollywood or movies.
“ The real origin of
performance arts is the theatre, and it is where you can actually see the
artistes and respond to them, unlike where you are watching a movie, where you
really cannot respond to the way that you want; but you can respond to artistes
on stage during their performances, because they perform live.’
Another art enthusiast and
Brand Manager, Edible, Grand Cereals Limited, a subsidiary of UAC Nigeria Plc,
Evengeline Walters who represented the Marketing Manager, Tope Banjo, noted
that the organization observed that, since the festival is coming from Plateau
State, their area of operation, with a teeming audience from the Jos metropolis
and beyond, it was inevitable for them to be part of it. “One of the objectives
of our parent company, UAC, is doing good, and this is one of our Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) of giving back to the society,’ he said, stressing,
‘Jos is our base, and we will continue to support them.’
He said innovations had been
brought to the festival by the initiators, resulting in increasing audience.
“It has not been like this over the years, but, now, it has garnered more
theatre lovers to the festival. This is what we should continue to support. The
audience was thrilled. We have supported them since 2004, and we will continue
to do that.”
He said: “ A great value of
the theatre industry is limitless, and it is a great value that we all have to
support the industry. This theatre festival is something that people should
cherish and support. We should value what we have, because some of the artistes
are young, and we need to support them so that they can feed from it and
continue to make the country proud.”
In his closing remarks, Oteh
was hopeful that the 10th edition which would hold next year would be bigger
and better than previous editions. He announced that all the participating
artistes had been paid. “And it is way of showing them that theatre arts is a
profession where artistes can earn a living and carve a niche for themselves in
the society,” he said.
During the festival, there
were dialogues and exhibitions, which contributed to the new frontiers of the
arts. There was also no isolation of any form of the arts, rather the
engagements with artistic languages, styles, forms and genres. The need for
these dialogues assumed more urgency, considering the insecurity and challenges
prevalent in Jos metropolis.
Indeed, it was with a new and
urgent assignment for the arts built on promoting direct, personal experience of
high quality artistic experience of high quality performances, while
acknowledging that direct people-to-people connections retain an abiding power
in the age of internet and digital mediation.
The Jos Repertory Theatre was
founded in November 1997, but began full programme implementation in 2000 as an
independent theatre organization, which seeks to use the theatre as a means of
confronting and challenging crucial issues that affects our daily existence.
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