Enina Theatre Festival: Showcasing Edo’s culture, creativity

The Enina Theatre Festival, a celebration of theatre, creativity, arts, and culture, recently took centre stage in Edo State.

Organized by the Edo State Skills Development Agency (Edojobs) in collaboration with the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and with the generous support of the German government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the festival marked a significant cultural milestone in the region.

The event was further facilitated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)-SKYE programme and enjoyed the support of key partners such as EDSOGPADEC, Azura-Edo, Olivia table waters, SuperFm 88.1FM Benin, and Independent Radio and Television Benin.

The Enina Theatre Festival, which unfolded from Friday, August 25th to Sunday, August 27th, 2023, at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and sound stage in Benin City, drew its inspiration from the word ‘Enina,’ which translates to ‘humanity.’ This theme became the foundation upon which the festival was built, emphasizing the human experience in all its diverse forms.

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The festival was a cornucopia of creativity, offering a wide range of enthralling experiences. Attendees were treated to captivating stage plays, mesmerizing dance performances, a vibrant carnival, thought-provoking art exhibitions, soul-stirring music, enlightening workshops, and engaging panel discussions.

Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State, graced the festival’s opening ceremony with his presence. In his address, he underscored his commitment to nurturing creativity within Edo State.

Tobias Wolfgarten, Head of Programme at GIZ – SKYE, delivered a keynote address emphasizing the organization’s objectives in supporting the festival. These objectives included fostering the growth of the creative sector in Edo State and creating robust opportunities in film and theatre to boost youth employment.

One of the festival’s highlights was the presentation of “Azagidi: when gods die,” a play that explored themes of power struggles and the complexities of love. This gripping performance, written by Pedro Agbonifo Obaseki and directed by Osarumen John Igbinidu and Olajide Jolayemi, featured 100 exceptionally talented Edo youths.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.