At 79, Soyinka mentors children in Abeokuta

…As Zmirage kicks off Open Door Series in Lagos
This year’s Open Door Series project organized by Zmirage Multimedia Limited is expected to open on July 13 to commemorate the 79th birthday anniversary of Professor Wole Soyinka.


 
The project is expected to continue the following day; July 14, as the Nobel laureate would be receiving the 79 students who participated in the project’s essay competition.
As a veritable platform for International Cultural Exchange, the multiple project is expected to celebrate the creative ideals and virtues of Professor Wole Soyinka, who became Africa’s first winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.
It shall, among others, feature an international essay competition, advocacy lectures, drama presentations as well as musical and cultural shows.
Explaining the unique points of this year’s project, Alhaji Teju Kareem, CEO of Zmirage and Executive Producer of the WS brand hinted that children and school pupils would remain the centre of attraction.
He disclosed the theme of WS79 as Memoirs of Our Future, noting that besides the winners, over one thousand pupils would go home with educational and cultural materials after the yearly summit at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.
Kareem also explained that the London segment of the project would hold on July 20 and that Soyinka would be in attendance with children in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Also a number of selected youth achievers would be identified and asked to address their fellow children during the ceremony.
Explained Kareem ‘’At that occasion, children would mount the rostrum to speak their minds to themselves and their peers.
They would speak like adults and explain what our nation should look like in the next 20 years. In short, they would set today’s agenda for their country and at the same time, guide the future.
They would bring the future to the present and address development issues such as lack of power supply, falling standards of education, insecurity, overpopulation, lack of accommodation, unemployment, bad governance and poor economy.’’
Also Mrs Lilian Ahmah-Aluko, delectable actress and producer of the programme said WS79 was inspired by the essence and ideals of Soyinka in literature.
She noted that Soyinka’s ideals are summed up in his humanism as reflected in his globally-acclaimed multiple roles as an activist in the fields of culture, civil rights and politics. Meanwhile, Soyinka’s birthday on July 13 would serve as the presentation date, while children and participants would move to the popular Freedom Park on Lagos Island to be part of the ceremony.
The Project WS started with WS76 (Preemptive Seven) in 2010, featuring a troupe of American actors and theatre scholars on a tour of the Caribbean and over five states in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In 2011, the Project WS77 had the theme I Love My Country; hosting symbolically 77 senior secondary school students from across the federation and the Diaspora.
The children competed in the essay competition and also took part in the cultural exchange programme.
They were also opportuned to share moments with the Nobel laureate in a mentoring session at his home in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Project WS78 held last year with a major celebration of the essence of the Artiste in the society using Wole Soyinka as reference point.
With the theme The Mind of a Patriot, the project premised on how to instill a sense of patriotism in the hearts of the young ones. In the 2013 edition, Amah-Aluko said the young ones would again have the opportunity of sharing moments with the global citizen and cultural icon, Soyinka, under the theme: ‘Memoirs for our Future’ According to the producer, all cultural and educational presentations have been designed to herald the 2014 edition that would mark the 80th birthday anniversary in honour of Soyinka.
She added ‘’Our main goal in the Open Door Series is to combat fear, violence and its contingent reactions through the use of education, arts and culture. We are starting with the youths (secondary school level) because we believe that they can still be positively influenced and moulded into the leaders of tomorrow that we desire them to be.’’

GREAT MAN WITH A GREAT HEART