RMD, Theatre Practitioners To Mark AJOFEST ’86 Anniversary
Veteran Nollywood actor Richard Mofe-Damijo and other theatre practitioners will reunite in Lagos on November 1 to mark the 40th anniversary of AJOFEST ’86, a festival that showcased four plays by late Nigerian playwright Fred Agbeyegbe.
The reunion, themed AJOFEST ’86 – 40 Years Later: Reunion and Reflections, will feature dramatic readings, panel discussions and tributes to members of the original cast and crew.
The event is scheduled for 4pm at Queen Amina Gardens, National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, in collaboration with the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP). Admission is free.
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Other participants expected at the gathering include Ayo Lijadu, Lara Akinsola, Yomi Layinka, Professor Segun Ojewuyi and Dr Tunji Sotimirin. Veteran journalist Ben Tomoloju will deliver the keynote address.
Held in 1986 during Nigeria’s military era, AJOFEST featured four of Agbeyegbe’s plays: The King Must Dance Naked, Woe Unto Death, The Last Omen and Budiso. The productions were staged at the National Theatre in Lagos.
The plays explored themes such as tradition, justice, political authority and the abuse of power. The King Must Dance Naked challenged the defence of harmful traditional practices, while Budiso used political satire to examine authoritarian rule.
The festival followed Ajo Productions’ annual presentations of Agbeyegbe’s plays between 1983 and 1986. Its four productions were staged over consecutive weekends, demonstrating how sustained investment and professional staging could attract audiences to privately funded theatre.
Agbeyegbe, a playwright, lawyer, publisher and cultural advocate, founded Ajo Productions to promote Nigerian theatre through ambitious productions and socially conscious storytelling.
The anniversary programme will include a panel discussion moderated by Dr Lookman Sanusi. Mofe-Damijo, Lijadu, Layinka and Akinsola are expected to reflect on their experiences at the festival, while the Crown Troupe of Africa will coordinate readings from the four plays.
Organisers said the gathering would also honour contributors to the original productions, including Jide Ogungbade, Pero Sosan, Sola Awojobi, Victoria Ajomeyimje and Akpor Otebele.
The event will further examine issues affecting Nigerian theatre, including the preservation of its history, arts funding, access to performance spaces and training opportunities for emerging practitioners.
Organisers are also appealing for photographs, original programmes, newspaper reports, recordings and personal recollections from former cast members, crew and the public to help preserve the festival’s history.
