Prof. Ojo Bakare to Deliver Keynote as LASU Hosts SONTA Conference
Jerry Adesewo
Celebrated theatre scholar and Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Professor Ojo Rasaki Bakare will headline the 2025 annual conference of the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA) with a keynote address on the future of the performing arts in an age of technology and intercultural exchange.
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The conference, themed “Technology, Intercultural Dialogue and the Future of the Performing Arts,” will run from September 2–6 at Lagos State University (LASU), hosted by the Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies under the School of Creativity, Culture and Tourism Studies.
According to the Acting Dean, Professor Tunji Azeez, the gathering will bring together leading theatre and film scholars, practitioners, and cultural advocates from across Nigeria and beyond for what he described as “a memorable, high-impact engagement.”
Highlights of the programme include Lead Papers by filmmaker and media strategist Femi Odugbemi, and international theatre scholar Professor Nancy King, offering global and local perspectives on performance in the digital era.
Other fringe activities would include, workshops, performances, and award presentations, including SONTA’s Fellowship Award, Distinguished Leadership Award, and Pillar of the Arts and Creative Economy Award.
The opening ceremony will be chaired by arts patron Chief Kayode Aderinokun, while LASU’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, will deliver the welcome address.
Delegates will also embark on a cultural heritage tour of Badagry and a retreat at Suntan Beach, designed to showcase Lagos’s cultural and historical richness.
SONTA President, Professor Gowon Ama Doki, described the event as “a celebration of creativity, scholarship, and the power of performance to connect cultures and shape futures.”