By Babafemi Ojudu
The Obafemi Awolowo Civic Center in Ado Ekiti was filled beyond capacity last Saturday as the play Kashimawo took centre stage. Produced by Professor Rasaki Ojo-Bakare, a towering figure in Nigerian theatre, the performance was enthralling. In less than two hours, the life and times of Bashorun MKO Abiola unfolded before us—his generosity, philanthropic spirit, audacious political career, and tragic end, all dramatized with grace and power.
For me, the evening was also a reunion of friendships and memories. I exchanged warm embraces with my schoolmate and cultural icon, Yemi Sodimu, whose presence on stage and screen has inspired generations. I reconnected with my former staff member, in The News magazine, now Professor Gbemisola ’Remi Adeoti, a dramatist, poet, and respected scholar of literature. Among the audience was another local legend—the founder of the Ojo Jolu Theatre Company, Mr Ojojolu, whose troupe once set Ado Ekiti and neighboring towns alight in our youth. Though recovering from a stroke, he made the effort to attend, his presence a living testimony to resilience and continuity in our cultural heritage.
This event was not an isolated performance; it was part of a larger Theatre Festival, organised by the Duke of Shomolu Foundation in collaboration with the Ekiti State Ministry of Culture and Arts— ably led by Professor Ojo-Bakare. Together, they are curating what is fast becoming an Ekiti cultural awakening.
A Cultural Renaissance at Home
Something significant is happening in Ekiti. The arts and entertainment industry here is experiencing a rebirth. Sons and daughters of the state—many of them returning after decades of work in Lagos, Abuja, or abroad—are now collaborating with a younger generation of creatives who, unlike in the past, are no longer desperate to escape to “the big city” or take a flight overseas.
Instead, they are finding destiny at home. They are drawing from the richness of our traditions, our history, and our natural environment to create new art forms and reinterpret old ones. They are building what I call a local ecosystem of creativity, rooted in place but reaching for the world.
Ekiti is fast emerging as a hub of cultural energy. From university theatres to community stages, from locally produced films to visual art residencies, there is a vibrancy here that cannot be ignored. At The Farm, for example, art and nature converge: painters, sculptors, carvers, and poets create in the open air, turning the landscape itself into a gallery of living art.
Echoes of Other Cultural Movements
The stirrings in Ekiti remind me of other cultural renaissances in history.
• In Osogbo of the 1960s, Ulli Beier and Susanne Wenger, working with local artists, helped birth the Osogbo Art School—now an international brand.
• In Lagos, Nollywood was born in the 1990s with modest tools but went on to become the second-largest film industry in the world.
• Across the Atlantic, in Harlem, New York, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s saw African-American artists, writers, and musicians redefine Black identity and shape global culture.
In all these cases, local energy, cultural pride, and a sense of historical urgency produced something enduring. Ekiti today stands at such a crossroads.
Beyond Entertainment: Culture as Development
This renaissance is not merely about entertainment. It is about reclaiming identity, strengthening community, and driving development. Art generates jobs, attracts tourism, and shapes narratives. It tells us who we are and projects us into the world.
Ekiti, long celebrated as the “Land of Honour,” is expanding its identity. It is fast becoming the Land of Creativity, where tradition meets innovation, and where young people no longer see art as an afterthought but as a calling and a career.
An Invitation to Witness
So, the next time you are in Ekiti, do not simply pass through. Ask to see a play. Watch a locally produced film. Visit a cultural resort. Come to The Farm and see art and nature in conversation.
Witness for yourself the rebirth of a people through culture.
Ekiti is rising, and with it, a new story of art, resilience, and imagination for Nigeria—and, I dare say, for the world.
NB: Semator Babafemi Ojudu is a Nigerian journalist who was Senator for the Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti State, Nigeria, from 2011 to 2015. Ojudu was also a former Special Adviser on Political Matters to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
