The Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture, a subsidiary of the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture recently celebrated the World Theatre Day.

With the theme: “Theatre and A Culture of Peace”, the celebration, which took place at Ikoyi, Lagos, was graced by eminent personalities and stakeholders in the culture sector.

Speaking at the event, the Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State, Mr. Idris Aregbe, said: “The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, believes so much in tourism and entertainment and we need to follow his footprints in this aspect. That is why I am super happy as a member of his Exco and I have told him that I will continue to do everything possible to ensure that Lagos continues to lead in arts, culture and tourism.

“We need to intensify more. So, we have increased the conversation, tempo and music. We would continue to loud it to the world that Lagos has a lot to contribute to arts, culture and tourism.

“We are expanding the scope, making sure that more people are involved and that is what we are doing today and that is why you have seen a lot of stakeholders coming together to stand for one thing, which is to promote the theatre industry.”

Aregbe stated further: “This is not the first time we are doing this but this is the first time we are ‘louding’ the Theatre Day celebration. This is so because we have a governor who believes in the promotion of theatre. And that is the reason why he has involved people like the Honourable Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka and myself to take Lagos to where it truly deserves.

“It is not just about Yoruba culture. It is about who we are as Africans and what we believe in. Lagos is a melting point for every culture. So, it is not just about us. The most important thing that we need to know is that the conversation is ongoing and we will continue to increase that as we embark on this journey. We have agreed that we need to increase the tempo and that is what we have done today, and we will continue to do that.”

Speaking about the significance of the theatre industry, veteran actor and producer, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, said: “They (government) are going about it in the right way because they are not going to have tourism unless we have something that people are coming to visit.

People come to see our arts, folklore and modern-day entertainment; these are what bring tourists. I believe that politicians don’t know that they can do more by patronizing and supporting the art than they are doing now. I think they are leaving entertainment to the periphery and I think it is a mistake. I see entertainers are there but they are coming as guests. So, they haven’t thought it through yet. They need to incorporate them in all these because these are the people who will draw people here. After all, those are the people you are selling.

“In theatre, that is where you relate to the audience. Just look at the relationship between the performers and the audience today. And when you are learning to act before you get into the movies, that is where you get to know what entertainment is all about. Entertainment sells ideas, hope and life. Entertainment is about the things that worry us, and the dreams that we have – how can we realise our dreams and how can we make it happen.

“When you see somebody on stage and their life is going on well, you say, ‘I want a bit of that’. So, you give them hope and they work harder to do what they can to achieve their dreams. You can see the infectiousness of it on stage. Working and training in the theatre will change your life forever. I am a beneficiary of what I am saying. I am almost 84 years now and still rocking because of my training on the stage.”

According to Ajai-Lycett, the theatre industry is the lifeline of Nigeria. She added: “This is where the future of Nigeria is because we are incredible people. We are creative and that creativity spills into science and all sorts of things. That is why I am saying if you major in the creative industry, you cannot fail as a country.

“If you look at countries like America, and even Europe, what makes them vast are their creative minds. It is not so much the politicians. The politicians are all enablers of the flow of life. And so, if they get their priority right, and they start focusing on the people – when they focus on entertainment, you are focusing on the people. It is not all about the entertainers, it is all about switching your people on and getting them happy, excited and interested in what you are doing for them.

“So, if they switch to entertainment and start thinking more about entertainment, the country will change for the better. I know people may think I am partial because I am an entertainer. But it is not because I am an entertainer, it’s because we have examples all over the place. The people who were celebrating today were sitting in front as guests. I leave you to think about that.”

The groups that performed at the event included the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture, DNMT, Kings and Queens, and Footprints of David.