ENINA Theatre Festival, a maiden theatre festival hosted by the Edo State Government, from August 25 – 27, will not only create 1,000 short term jobs for Edo youths, but is also poised to make the (state’s) creative a revenue generator, after oil and agriculture.
The festival which marks a significant milestone in Benin City’s theatre landscape, is targeted at promoting creative skills development – especially in the area of theatre, that will create not just 1,000 short term jobs for Edo Youths but further showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state via the lens of culture, arts tourism and talents.
Organized by the Edo State Skills Development Agency (Edojobs), with the support of German government, the Swiss Agency for Development, and implemented by the German Agency, Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ-SKYE), the festival will feature performances from theatre groups and companies across Nigeria and within Edo State.
Prior to the festival, about a 100 theatre groups and youths from the state were trained on various areas of theatre – such as costume design, lighting techniques, stage design and construction, directing among others – in a 21 Day Residential Bootcamp titled Heartbeat Theatre. Knowledge and skills acquired by the beneficiaries; they will showcase via theatrical performances to be stages at the festival.
The performances include Azagidi, Mama Bendel, Yet Another Raft, Joromi, The Struggle, Waterside amongst others; with winning performances for the Best Monologue, Best Dance, Best Costume and Viewers Choice Awards set to nab cash prizes worth N2 million, courtesy of His Excellency, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
ENINA will further workshops, engaging panel discussions and conversations facilitated by theatre practitioners and industry experts as Norbert Young, Ossa Earliece, Don Pedro Agbonifo-Obaseki, Fadekemi Olumide-Aluko, Esther Onwuka, Israel Eboh and Ngozi Obigwe Kunuji – that will delve into various aspects of theatre playwriting, directing, acting and technical design, that will expand participants knowledge and scope of the theatrical arts.
The festival will kickoff with an opening ceremony, to feature a carnival showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Edo State, and wind down with an awards presentation at the closing ceremony.
A product of the Edo State government, the Edojobs seeks to provide a world class platform, learning facility and job center that supports the growth of creativity in the state, where individuals across all sectors of the creative industry can connect, learn, practice and produce content while developing themselves and building valuable connections, leading to the creation of the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, the designated venue for the ENINA festival.
