Fading Spotlight
The December issue of the German theater magazine Theater der Zeit presents an article by Joshua Alabi. The Nigerian author, theater maker and jack-of-all-trades reports on resilient theater makers in Nigeria who are sticking to their art despite an increasingly difficult situation.
For some time now, I have been in contact with Joshua, for example about the translation of his wonderful play WATERSIDE, which I discuss in the brochure Mehr Sprachen, mehr Theater II. (This second edition of Drama Panorama’s brochure on multilingual theater will appear shortly, edited by my colleague Katharina Rösch (currently dramaturge at Schauspiel Essen) and myself.) Joshua has repeatedly indicated that conditions in Nigeria are becoming increasingly difficult for him and his colleagues. As he is a very active person with seemingly inexhaustible energy, but is not inclined to complain, I was unable to get him to give me more detailed reports. However, he was intrigued by my idea of giving the uninformed but interested public in German-speaking countries a written picture of the situation. The editors of Theater der Zeit also found it interesting, and so Joshua was able to place his article there, which I subsequently had the honour and the pleasure to translate.
In it, he describes the worsening conditions for theater makers in Nigeria, the effects of the Corona crisis and the question of financing, and writes, for example:
Collaboration and Entrepreneurship in overcoming the obstacles facing the industry cannot be overemphasized as this has been my approach. Whether through digital innovation, community theater, or international partnerships, I have found ways to adapt and survive.ir gelungen, mich anzupassen und zu überleben.
He describes the significance of the performing arst in and for the cultural identity of Nigeria, giving examples for politics displaying no interest in culture.
Even though the government never for once invested in the arts, providing grants and other infrastructure, and supporting performances, little efforts by individual stakeholders and corporate bodies have all disappeared in recent years.
Please find the full article in the december issue of Theater der Zeit, now available in stores or online (click on the cover below to navigate to the TdZ online shop).
Having great respect and admiration for Joshua’s most committed work, I am very happy about this connection. I hope to maintain and expand that relationship in the future.
You can find more about Joshua and his company Kininso Koncepts here.
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