PROMOTING YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH THE ARTS: THE “BORNTROWAY” PROJECT HOLDS IN PORT HARCOURT FROM 5th to 10th of SEPTEMBER, 2011
The BornTroWay Project (http://borntroway.tumblr.com/), a creative arts training initiative which is aimed at promoting individual self-confidence, self-expression, teamwork and integration among 45 youths (aged 17-25) in disadvantaged areas of Nigeria’s main cities, will hold in Port Harcourt from September 5-10, 2011.
Interested candidates and aspiring artists can register free of charge from 20th to 30th of August at the Deli Spices Fast Food, Choba and at Ritola Integrated Services on 21 Potts Johnson Street, Port Harcourt.
Auditions - for registered candidates only!!!
Auditions will hold on September 2 at the Rumueme Senior Secondary School, Port Harcourt. Workshop dates are September 5-9, 2011 at a location in the city to be communicated to the shortlisted candidates.
The Workshop which uses spoken word, music, dance and acting, focuses on the issue of “waste”; physical (our relation with the environment) and human (our undiscovered, untapped or unutilized talent). The training culminates in a mini show open to the public, which will display a performance created by the youth over the intensive one-week workshop. The show will also be attended by popular music artists from Port Harcourt in solidarity towards the aspiring talents.
BornTroWay in Port Harcourt partners with the Centre for International Volunteers for Youth Development, a Port Harcourt-based non-profit agency which is committed to remaining a point of reference for the trained youth even after the training, through mentoring and provision of rehearsal space among other things.
The Project – born from the inspiration of Music Matters (www.musicmattersafrica.org); a music movement promoting emerging and unknown Nigerian talents and Bantu (http://bantu.tumblr.com/) - is made possible thanks to the support of positive individuals, corporate entities and institutes that believe in investing in the youth and in the arts as an instrument for empowerment.
BornTroWay was piloted in Ajegunle, Lagos from May 16-21, 2011 with extraordinary results[1] (see blog http://borntroway.tumblr.com/) which are being collated in a short documentary. After Port Harcourt, BornTroWay aims to travel to other Nigerian cities (Jos and Kano), following which the best acts and artists are to be selected to take part in the production of a musical show that will tour Nigeria promoting peace and unity and showcasing the talent of our youth living in marginal areas.
The Team
Creative Directors: Petra Kron and Ade Bantu
Local Coordinator: Tony Peterson (Choba) and Biebele Wokoma (Bundu)
Instructors: Ade Bantu (music), Dagga Tolar (spoken word), Ropo Ewenla (drama),
Segun Adefila (dance)
Producer: Ilaria Chessa (Music Matters)
Information and media relations: Aderemi Adegbite 07084287828 and imageheritage@aol.com
TEAM BIO
Petra Kron (Creative Director)
Petra Kron works as a cultural anthropologist and cultural pedagogue for various productions and projects. She does the production management for KABAWIL’s dance-theatres. She developed a concept for relation-oriented cultural works and productions. She designed and instantiated projects like Framewalk and the art of chatting in collaboration with artists from various countries, like Japan, Ghana, Turkey, Israel and Germany. She has a Ph.D. (ABD) in Cultural Anthropology from Mainz University and a state board examination in Fine Arts and English from Düsseldorf University. She is a dancer and has participated and performed in various productions.
Ropo Ewenla (Actor)
Ropo Ewenla is a culture, art and media consultant with Smiling Fortune Communications. He is an actor, writer and producer. His recent projects include playing Siaman in Yeepa! Solaarin nbo, an adaption of Femi Osofisan’s Who is Afraid of Tai Solarin, and Ogunlola in Gbagan-Gbagan Yoruba radio drama. He is in the cast of Wole Soyinka’s Beatification of Area Boy coming up later in 2011, to be directed by the Nobel Laureate in person. He is a voice over artist and member of CORA, AWON and AVOA. He was the anchor of the edition of PLAY in 2009 and 2010. He is currently the Secretary General of Pen Nigeria.
AJ Dagga Tolar (Spoken Word / Music)
Aj. Dagga Tolar is a spoken word poet, writer, teacher, frontline activist, and social crusader. He is the Publicity Secretary of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Right and the 1st Vice chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teacher (Ajeromi-Ifelodun unit of the Lagos state branch). Dagga Tolar’s published collections of poetry include Season of Struggle (1997); This Country is not a Poem (2005) and Darkwaters Drunkards (2007). He resides in Ajegunle, a slum neighbourhood, which in no little way continues to affect and influence every sphere of his writing.
Segun Adefila (Dance)
Segun Adefila is a dance and performance artist based in Bariga, Lagos. He runs a youth dance theatre group, the Crown Troupe of Africa. The theatre company is made up of artists whose forte is the creation of new and socially relevant works. The award-winning troupe is famous for their ground breaking, unique and innovative rendition of works, which are flexible enough to be performed in conventional and unconventional performance spaces.
Ade Bantu (Creative Director / Music)
Bantu is a German-Nigerian artist who found home in music. An activist against racism and xenophobia, a fighter for Pan African unity, a traveller between continents and a man with dozens of projects, plans and ideas, Ade Bantu is always ahead of his time, from the early beginnings of Hip Hop in Germany, to the influential Brothers Keepers project, to his album Fuji Satisfaction that earned him and his band two Kora Awards (the Pan African "Grammy") in 2005 as "Best West African Band" and "Best African Band", to various documentary film projects. He is based in Lagos where he recorded his latest album "No Man Stands Alone". Bantu is – with Petra Kron – the mind behind Framewalk, sketching the concept and implementing it in many countries around the world to promote unity and self-expression through art.
Ilaria Chessa / Music Matters (Producer)
Ilaria Chessa, founder of Music Matters, produced two international film festivals in Nigeria (ION International Film Festival in 2009 and Africa International Film festival in 2010) and their related training activities. She is co-producer of a psychological feature drama titled Journeys of One and a music-based feature film titled Ghetto Red Hot aimed at promoting the music talent from Nigeria. She is the promoter of the BornTroWay project and fully donates her time and skills to it.
Music Matters
Music Matters is an Africa-based movement which recognises the centrality of music for achieving multiple objectives across the globe, including the promotion of universal love and peace. Its vision is to contribute to celebrating Africa in her extraordinary diversity through the expression and recognition of her music talents across the continent and the world over. Music Matters believes in art as an instrument for positive change in society, self-expression, teamwork and unity. Music Matters is the promoter and co-producer (pro bono) of the BornTroway Project together with Bantu Crew and with the collaboration of Framewalk. It is also the soundtrack producer for the feature film Ghetto Red Hot.
[1] Kemi Bakare (17 years) from the BornTroWay Ajegunle Team was invited to make a book review at the CORA Book Party celebrating shortlisted authors for 2011 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Sunday 14 September, 2011. About the event, Kemi posted on Facebook: “I am now a celebrity due to the way I have been treated today @ Eko hotel. If not for the borntroway project, I won't have found the courage to face d audience like I did yesterday. Thank you very much really everything.”
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