By JAPHET ALAKAM

One of the leading school/department of Theatre Arts in the whole of Africa, the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan is set to celebrate its golden jubilee in August. They will also use the occasion receive its illustrious products, in a grand ceremony billed for the university.

In line with that, the alumni association of the department has line-up activities to celebrate five decades of the department in a grand style.

Explaining the celebration recently in Lagos, Professor Duro Oni, chairman of both the association and the organizing committee said an international conference and a grand Home-Coming dinner would hold from August 28 to 31. He hinted that the conference would host and unite scholars, culture practitioners, as well as government officials across five continents to investigate 50 Years of Theatre in the African Academy.

The conference, according to him, is expected to interrogate issues and topics, including Theatre in Africa and African Theatre, Methods, Theories and Frameworks, African Theatre in the Diaspora, Regional Studies, Theatre, Gender and Identity Studies, Theatre and Cultural Orientation, Theatre and the African Film Industry.

But as a major segment of the celebration, some of the prominent alumni of the department who would be recognized during the ceremony include Professors Geofrey Axworthy, J. A. Adedeji, Wole Soyinka, Dexter Lyndersay, Ebun Clark, Demas Nwoko, Dapo Adelugba, Femi Osofisan and Esohe Molokwu.

Others include Professors Duro Oni, Lanre Bamidele, Mathew Umukoro, Saint Gbilekaa, Charity Angya, Mabel Ervierhoma, Segun Ojewuyi and Sunday Ododo. On the same list are Reuben Abati, Chuks Okoye, Tunde Awosanmi, Battiloi Warritay, Wasee Kareem, Longley Evru, Jahman Anikulapo, Sola Balogun, Greg Odutayo, Femi Jarrett, Taiwo Oladokun, and Pamela Udoka.

Professor Oni also disclosed that the 50th anniversary celebration kicked off on March 8, 2013 with the first Geoffrey Axworthy Lecture, entitled The Ritual Pursuit, delivered by Prof Wole Soyinka at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan. The celebration would thus continue in August with both the international conference and the home coming dinner.

As a way of making the celebration an all encompassing one, Oni disclosed that the association is equally building a database of all Alumni of the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan both at home and abroad. The database information, according to him, would serve as a platform to further disseminate information about the proposed International Conference and Grand Home Coming Dinner.

The Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan was the first of its type in all of Africa. It was established in the 1962/63 academic session and has over the years produced leading practitioners aside impacting positively on the society in general.