By Joshua Alabi, ASSITEJ Nigeria
From Nigeria to Germany, Tanzania, Poland and the United Kingdom, 2026 has been a year of artistic exchange, international collaboration and new possibilities for Kininso Koncepts. Through productions, international fellowships, professional engagements and emerging partnerships, the organisation has continued to champion African storytelling and expand the possibilities of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA).
Led by Founder and Chief Executive Joshua Alabi, Kininso’s work this year has gone beyond creating and presenting performances. It has focused on building sustainable international relationships, strengthening creative networks and creating opportunities for African artists to contribute to global cultural conversations.
A major artistic milestone was the completion and premiere of Bread and Butter, an intercultural production developed with Hessisches Landestheater Marburg (HLTM), Germany. Conceptualised and directed by Joshua Alabi, with theatre pedagogy by Michael Pietsch and dramaturgy by Cornelius Edlefsen, the production premiered on 16 May 2026. Using movement, music and physical storytelling, it explores food, memory, nourishment and belonging through the everyday symbolism of bread. Created for children aged four and above, the production brings Nigerian and German experiences into dialogue.
In March, Kininso Creative officially launched its UK chapter through The Creative Experience, organised in collaboration with The Africa Centre, London. The multidisciplinary gathering brought together artists, cultural practitioners and innovators to celebrate African creativity and examine the future of Africa’s creative and cultural industries in an evolving technological landscape.
Kininso also strengthened its contribution to international cultural advocacy through Shaping Crossroads, an international fellowship coordinated by ITI Germany in partnership with Nafasi Art Space, Tanzania. Joshua Alabi participated alongside Thobile Mahphanga, Co-founder and Co-convener of the African Festival Network (AFN), and other international practitioners, including Emma Beverley, Beatrice Waruinge and Joseph Wabwire Ian. The programme explored inequalities in international artistic mobility and the need for more equitable partnerships between Africa and Europe. Further engagements included professional exchanges in Germany, South Africa and Poland, alongside participation in LAFT Berlin’s Common Grounds symposium.
On 20 March, Kininso presented Waterside at the Black Athena Festival in London. Written and directed by Joshua Alabi, the production explores environmental degradation, spirituality, ancestral memory and survival through the cultural landscape of the Niger Delta. Its delivery involved a dedicated team including Angela Peters (Producer and Sound Manager), Qoyyum Areoye (Production Manager), Blessing Okunlola (Technical Director), Eniayo Oluwaseyi (Sound Designer) and David Adewusi (Stage Manager), supported by a wider creative, technical, administrative and communications team comprising Samuel Alabi, Yemi Adeojo, Oloyede Aribilola, Joy Akrah, Isreal Audu, Chinenye Chukwudi, Toyosi Olaniyi, Athan Akojuru and many others.
Looking towards new creative possibilities, Kininso Creative received support from the Artist Imagination Fund 2026–2027, backed by Big Imaginations Network and Arts Council England, to develop Patches. This participatory, wordless performance for children and families explores sustainability, cultural identity and creative reuse through movement, music, fabric and everyday discarded materials.
The organisation also continued its longstanding relationship with FRATZ International and Theatre o.N., Berlin. In October, Joshua contributed to an international symposium alongside Ruchira Das of ThinkArts, India, and Dagmar Domrös of FRATZ Festival and Theatre o.N., exploring global perspectives on Theatre for the Very Young.
Another significant achievement is the invitation for Kolofu, developed through Kininso’s Skin Tone research, to feature at the Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival in February 2027.
Alongside these activities, Kininso continued exploring the intersection of technology, innovation and creative practice through engagements with CreaTech Frontiers in the UK.
As the organisation looks towards 2027, priorities include developing Patches, expanding touring opportunities for Bread and Butter and Waterside, presenting Kolofu at Imagine Festival and deepening international partnerships.
At the heart of Kininso’s work is a conviction that children deserve imaginative experiences that celebrate their identities, reflect the complexity of their worlds and expand their understanding of what is possible.
For Kininso Koncepts, building bridges between cultures is ultimately about creating new worlds for young audiences.
