FROM GROUND ZERO – NO WHERE TO GO, BUT UP!
It is with a feeling of joy, excitement, honour and indeed a privilege that I write to you as a member of the Executive Committee of ASSITEJ International.
From the application and approval of ASSITEJ Nigeria during the World Congress, held in Warsaw, Poland in 2014 as a national centre, to my election into the Executive Committee at the just concluded World Congress tagged “Cradle of Creativity”, in Cape Town, South Africa 2017 – the first time an ASSITEJ World Congress berthed in Africa – I am still so excited and have two words to describe the way I feel: “Na God!”, as we say in Nigeria:
From my fledgling beginning, I owe a debt of gratitude to the immediate past members of Executive Committee whom I interacted with as an appointed African Counselor in 2014, and to the present Executive Committee members who have all held my hands and guided me in one way or the other to navigate my dear country Nigeria to the path and understanding of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) as a concept that recognizes the creation of theatre experiences for young persons against the preclusive offerings of conventional theatre.
Correspondingly, ASSITEJ Nigeria has entered into collaborations with other theatre institutions associations and organizations with established networks of theatre scholars and practitioners in the country.
In pursuit of the vision to elevate the TYA practice and further give Nigerians and other African countries another international platform to ply their art, network share and gain experiences, it is with extreme delight that I announce the birth of ASSITEJ NIGERIA THEATRE FESTIVAL to be known as A.N.T. Festival. The first edition is scheduled for April 27 – 5 May, 2018 in Lagos, Nigeria.
