The seventh edition of Creative Station for Children and Teens organised annually by the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) during the long vacation for schools came to a close with impressive and thought-provoking performances on Sunday, September 4.
Venue was the Banquet Hall of the National Theatre with people from all walks of life and children in attendance. But before the command performance of ‘The Dented Anthill’, a play conceived by the participating children through the direction of Peter Badejo, there were dancing and singing performances. A choir of all the children also performed. Then there were traditional dances from many parts of the country.
But the spectacle and the new skills of acting, improvisation, miming, dancing, writing, voice training and singing acquired during the workshop by the about 120 children would not have been possible if not for the doggedness of the programmes’ coordinator.
Artistic Director/ CEO of the National Troupe, Akin Adejuwon, acknowledged this much while making a statement at the event.
“This gathering has been made possible only by the grace of God and support of Mrs. Josephine Igberaese, the coordinator of the programme. I thought it was not going to take place, because there was no money in the parastatal,” he stated.
He however added, while acknowledging the support of sponsors, that this year’s edition has proven to be the year of renewal.
Action started with the little kids, aged three to five, most of whom had accompanied their older siblings to the six-week workshop taking the stage. They danced, if it could be described as such, to the amusement of their parents and other guests present. This was followed by a group of kid choristers rendering welcome songs in a few Nigerian languages and English. They gave up the stage to another group of much older kids dancing to the delight of everyone in the hall. Then it was the turn of two boys and two girls, who danced to hip-hop tones with electrifying dance steps, before the traditional dance that took the audience on a journey of almost all the ethnic groups in the country came up.
Dressed in traditional dress attires of various regions, the participants presented diverse dances, including Asama Dance from the South East, Orukoro Dance of the South South(a dance of procreation), Obitu Dance of the South West and Marada Dance of the North.
The spectacle continued into the staging of ‘The Dented Anthill’ directed by Peter Badejo.
He said the play was for him an opportunity to allow the voices of children to be heard directly through their input in the medium of theatre expressions.
The play is another telling of the startling story of Nigeria but captured so succinctly by the little children. It tells the underlying story that everyone knows what is wrong with Nigeria. Perhaps now that the knowledge is out there, even among the little ones, the healing and rebuilding process can begin.
But before the curtains fell on the night, there were speeches to be made.
The Children’s Creative Station Workshop, said Mrs. Igberaese, who is the Director of Drama of the NTN, was meant to encourage and nurture talents in young children and youths, who “otherwise may not have an avenue to develop their talents outside the walls of formal school”.
Managing Director of Wapic,OgunleyeRotimi, said: “We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. Even as we invest in children, it has to be done consciously.”
We cannot toy with the education of the children, as they have a bright future, he added.
On her part, the Chairman of Access Bank, Mrs.Mosun Belo-Olusoga, who described the show as amazing and incredible, congratulated the organisers for the good job.
“It has shown that, in Nigeria, we have a great future ahead of us. I believe in bringing up very culturally-grounded children,” she said.
