Immense progress has been made so far in the preparations
for the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Project as confirmation
has started coming in from invited guests while the secondary school students
having submitted their pre-screening essays,are set for the non-competitive
essay holding on 13th July, 2016.
Dr. (Mrs) Olufunso Amosun will be holding a special
mentorship session with the students of Ogun State and other youths at the main
Hall of The Ogun State Cultural Centre, Abeokuta on the topic: CHALLENGES OR
NOT; I LOVE MY COUNTRY.
One of the highlights of this year’s
event is the presentation of cheques to the remaining winners of the Project WS
Essay competition from 2014 and 2015 who are yet to receive their scholarship
money. The management of the project has faced some financial challenges in the
past 2 years due to lack of sponsorship. This year’s event is not any different
as sponsorship has been scarce but we do not want to drop the ball on the event
as we are aware of the immense impact it has had on some of our past
participants, both teenagers and adults.
AlhajiTeju Kareem said, in line with the theme for this
year’s event, the organizers want to walk their talk by ensuring that all
promises made have been fulfilled as promises made, with intention of not
fulfilling, can also be termed corruption.
The Panelists will be speaking on the topic CORRUPTION AS
IT AFFECTS CHILDREN, WOMEN AND OUR HUMANITY.
The Chairperson of the event, Professor
Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka is an interdisciplinary scholar,
OmofolaboAjayi-Soyinka’s teaching, research, and creative works encompass
theatre, literary and gender studies, including the theories that inform them.
Professor Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka works examine discourses on power, gender, race, and nationality especially in Africa and the Diaspora. Author of several books and chapters, her recent publication is a co- edited collection of poems, "Reflections: An Anthology of New Works by African Women Poets. (2013). Choreographer, and dancer, she has worked with several playwrights, directors and given performances both in Nigeria and internationally.
Professor Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka works examine discourses on power, gender, race, and nationality especially in Africa and the Diaspora. Author of several books and chapters, her recent publication is a co- edited collection of poems, "Reflections: An Anthology of New Works by African Women Poets. (2013). Choreographer, and dancer, she has worked with several playwrights, directors and given performances both in Nigeria and internationally.
Expected at the Advocacy lecture this year are the
all-female Panelists.
Hafsat Abiola Costello is a Nigerian human rights, civil rights
and democracy activist, founder of the Kudirat
Initiative for Democracy (KIND),
which seeks to strengthen civil society and promote democracy in Nigeria. Abiola graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, in 1992
and Harvard College in 1996. She received an honorary doctorate from Haverford
College. Abiola is the founder of China-Africa Bridge and China Africa Forum,
which promotes mutually beneficial cross-cultural collaboration between China
and Africa, with a specific eye on women’s contributions to the economy. In 2015 she was chosen to be one of 21 women who met
for a conference at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government funded by
Hunt Alternatives.
Kadaria
Ahmed is an international journalist, editor,
social commentator and TV personality. She moderated Nigeria’s 2011
vice-presidential and presidential debates.
Sola Salako (The Anchor) is a freelance writer and industry critic, she produced and
presented the First Consumer TV show PROMOWORLD on Lagos Television for 3 years
and contributed to various journals, Newspapers and Magazines on
Marketing/Advertising issues. Sola pioneered the first consumer rights media
campaign with the Handwriting on the Wall column in ThisDay Newspaper. She also
held the first Nigerian Consumer Sensitivity Awards in 2004. Vibrant
personality, a proficient public speaker, strong writing and presentation
skills, a committed and loyal team player, makes friends easily and eager to
help with strong creative and ideas generating skills.
Rose
Moses was the South West
Editor of the AUTHORITY NEWSPAPERS
Limited up until March 2016, having also served as Managing Editor and member,
Editorial Board of Champion Newspapers
Limited, Ilasamaja, Lagos. Before then, she was made Editor of Saturday
Champion on November 10, 2005, an office she held till January 2011,
and therefore an active member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. She is currently a visiting member of the Editorial
Board of INDEPENDENT Newspapers,
where she also serves as Contributing Editor.Although she started her
journalism career in 1990 as Staff Writer with the defunct Satellite Newspapers
limited in Enugu state, she joined Champion Newspapers in Lagos, in
1993.Among other positions she has held include Deputy Editor, Daily
Champion, fromApril to November 2005; Deputy Editor, Saturday
Champion, from January 2004 to April 2005; Society Editor, Daily
Champion, from April 2003 to January 2004; Deputy Features Editor, Daily
Champion from February 2000 to April 2003.
Ms. Ahmed started her career in journalism with the BBC in London where she worked as a journalist/senior producer across different parts of the organization, including the newsroom and on the two flagships programmes for Africa: Focus on Africa and Network Africa.She has reported from diverse places such as Eritrea, the United States and South Africa and interviewed notable personalities. She was also part of a select BBC team of 4 that provided annual briefings on Africa to members of the British parliament.
Ms. Ahmed started her career in journalism with the BBC in London where she worked as a journalist/senior producer across different parts of the organization, including the newsroom and on the two flagships programmes for Africa: Focus on Africa and Network Africa.She has reported from diverse places such as Eritrea, the United States and South Africa and interviewed notable personalities. She was also part of a select BBC team of 4 that provided annual briefings on Africa to members of the British parliament.
The Special Guest of Honor Professor Femi Osofisan as
well as the Keynote speakers, Comrade Tunde Fagbenle and Professor Segun Ojewuyi
have also confirmed their attendance.
The Guest of honor, Professor Femi Osofisan has served at
the University of Ibadan as Acting Head of the erstwhile Department of Modern
Languages; Acting Head and Head of the Department of Theatre Arts, and was a
member of Senate from 1980 till 2011, when he took his mandatory retirement. He
has also held similar positions at the University of Benin, where he first
became a full professor in 1983.A restless artist and multiple award winner, he
has published, both in his own name and under the pseudonym of “Okinba Launko”,
over four dozens of plays (including The
Chattering and the Song; Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels; Morountodun; Once Upon
Four Robbers; The Oriki of a Grasshopper; Twingle-Twangle; Who’s Afraid of
Solarin? (plus its Yoruba version,
Yeepa, Solarin N Bo!); Tegonni; Aringindin and the Nightwatchmen; Bishop Ajayi
Crowther; Nkrumah-ni, Africa-ni!; Reel, Rwanda; Midnight Hotel; Women of Owu,etc)
The first Keynote Speaker, Mr. Tunde Fagbenle is a media entrepreneur. He began his media career as Managing Editor of international TRAVELS magazine in 1978. He is chairman of Alfa Communications Ltd, a publishing and media consulting outfit which he co-founded in 1984, renowned for its authoritative Nigeria Banking Annual with its celebrated pioneering Banker of the Year Award. He was publisher of the defunct popular 'Nigeria Home news' weekly newspaper published in London from 1989-1992, and CEO of Terra Firma Agencies of Goodge Street, London. Mr Fagbenle is more widely known in Nigeria for his long running but now rested, hard-hitting, forthright column on the back page of the SUNDAY PUNCH, a column which had appeared at different times in the SUNDAY TRIBUNE and TRUST newspapers.
The second keynote speaker, Professor Segun Ojewuyi is a scholar and theatre director. A fellow of the Salzburg seminar, Ojewuyi has taught at the University of Lagos, Nigeria; The Yale University undergraduate studies, the Yale special summer Acting program and Rowan University, New Jersey. He currently teaches in the department of Africana studies at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois USA. He was the chair of the University’s fine Arts Activities Committee from 2008 to 2011. He is winner of the Pittsburgh African American Committee for the Arts 2007 Best Director Award for the film ’The heart of the Father’ by CBN. He has been a recipient of the
British Council Commonwealth Fellowship; a Ford Foundation/Arts International
Professional fellowship Award; the Horowitz Foundation Fellowship; the Rowan University
Centre for scholarly Excellency Recognition Award in two consecutive years.
Guests and theatre lovers can look forward to an
intellectual but fun evening at the advocacy lecture of this year’s Wole Soyinka
International Cultural Exchange Project.