By JAPHET ALAKAM

The 2015 edition of the yearly Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) project has been scheduled to hold from July 12 through the 14th. The annual programme was initiated in 2010 and debuted on the 76th birthday anniversary of the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka as the “quintessential artist and symbol of our humanity”, according to the promoters of the project, Nigeria-based ZMirage Multimedia Company and US-based GlobalNewHaven.

Unlike previous editions in which activities held in Lagos, Ogun and Osun State, events for this year’s edition will hold exclusively at the Ijegba Forest Residence of Soyinka, and the Ogun State Cultural Centre, Kuto. Abeokuta, Ogun State, where the Nobel laureate resides.

With the theme: Justice and Freedom : Essential Conditions for Humanity,  the organisers say, “ are the two fundamental concerns of the Nobel laureate in his career of promoting better humanity not only in his literary writings but also in his intervention in local and global socio-cultural and political discourses.”

WSICE is the core project of the The Open Door Series promoted by Alhaji Teju-Kareem-led Zmirage and Professor Segun Ojewuyi-led GlobalNewHaven, and it has been staged every year since 2010 when Soyinka was 76. Last year witnessed the grand fifth edition, which marked the 80th birthday anniversary of Prof. Soyinka.

While the 2014 fifth anniversary edition was a grand parade of drama, poetry, music, painting exhibition and variety youth programmes in honour of Soyinka’s 80th birthday, this sixth edition marking his 81st, is redesigned in terms of performance features.

The, 2015 project will focus on STORYTELLING – “as a resourceful art form that is an integral part of the socialisation process of an average African personality”, stated the Executive Producer, Teju Kareem. “Our theme is STORYTELLING & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, and is designed to address our observations that  the society continues to drastically lose its moral values, due to vagary of factors including improper and inadequate child upbringing and chaotic educational system, we believe that a full exploration and exploitation of the power of Storytelling in parental upbringing and as well as school activities could help to inculcate moral values in our young ones”.

According to Kareem, “to realise the objective of the core International Cultural Exchange dimension of the project, two international reputable experts who have made tremendous impacts on the socialisation process in their respective stations in storytelling will teach and mentor young ones. They are Theodora Ulerie aka Anty Thea (Trinidad and Tobago) and from Nigeria, Mrs. Noma Sodipo, founder and anchor of the popular children TV programme, StoryTime with Auntie Noma (Nigeria).

As usual, in the Student mentorship programme, the First Lady of Ogun State, Her Excellency, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun will counsel students drawn from Ogun State and rest of the country on the importance of education and imbibing moral lessons of patriotism and discipline.

Stressing on the objective of the ICE, Kareem stated: “We in ZMirage and GlobalNewHaven — believing firmly in the educative as well as entertaining functions of theatre and literary arts —have resolved to consistently commit time, energy and huge financial resources to this project so that the Arts, especially Theatre, can once again take pride of place in Nigeria and the world.

The Executive Producer revealed that much of the activities will be held in the 850-seater site-specific Amphitheatre installed last year to host the presentation of Soyinka’s epic, Dance of the Forests as directed by Tunde Awosanmi, head of department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan.  The idea of staging much of the events in the forest theatre, noted Kareem, is to stress the educational and touristic virtues of the project.

This year’s WSICE will be produced by Ms Haneefat Ikharo,  Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Benin, who took over from the pioneer producer, Lillian Amah, a writer, actress and producer.

The breakdown of the year’s programme are as follows:        10th – 12th July, 2015 (Friday to Sunday)  Aunty Thea Story telling Workshop A 3-day workshop for Junior Secondary Schools.

13th July, 2015 (Monday)Live essay writing at the Cultural Centre  and Story telling Workshop for the 81 Finalists with Auntie Thea and Auntie Noma 14th July, 2015 (Tuesday)There will be a visit to the Governor of Ogun State; Announcement of Winner and Presentation of trophy ,Youth Mentorship (81 Finalists) with Prof. Wole Soyinka at Ijegba and others.

Others include; International Cultural Exchange: Storytelling & Youth Development – Conversation between Home & the Diaspora  — Theodora Ulerie (Aunty Thea) and Noma Shodipo (Aunty Noma) – to hold at the Amphitheatre in the Ijegba Forest. And Performances by Ogun State Cultural Troupe; Jimi Solanke; & Yinka Ola-Williams at the AmphiTheatre in the  Ijegba Forest.