The General Manager of the National Theatre, Tola Akerele, has said Nigeria has abundant but largely untapped talent capable of helping the country establish a presence in the global contemporary circus industry.

Akerele spoke during the unveiling of the Lagos Contemporary Circus Festival, slated for Saturday and Sunday, at a press conference held on Friday at the National Theatre, Surulere, Lagos.

PUNCH Online reports that circus is an art, craft and sport that combines different disciplines, including theatre, dance, juggling and acrobatics.

Akerele said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, traditional dances, acrobatics and other forms of physical performance provided a strong foundation for the development of a homegrown circus industry.

Speaking on the development of contemporary circus in Nigeria, she said the country had long practised elements of the art form without formally recognising them as circus.

“Circus is really a type of art that gathers many, many fields or many, many different types of craft, like theatre, dancing, juggling, acrobatics and sport. It is art, craft and sport,” Akerele said.

She noted that several traditional performances in Nigeria, particularly in the North, involved acrobatics, movement and dance, which could be developed further through contemporary circus.

“In the North, what we have are animals, animals, people masquerading. There’s something there already. So, they’re not animals; it’s more about acrobatics, movement and dance. And I think we have that natural talent anyway,” she said.

According to the National Theatre boss, the challenge was to identify existing talent, expose performers to international techniques and create opportunities for them to develop their skills professionally.

“So, I think for me, it was something that I felt we could really develop in Nigeria. And, of course, someone like Sam has been doing this here for a while. But there are opportunities that are actually really big for Nigerians who are in that performance space to gain more skills, to work with other countries and to really elevate what’s on the ground,” she said.

Akerele said the initiative was aimed at laying the foundation for a more structured circus sector in Nigeria.

“I just felt like a lot’s been done, but there’s so much more that we can do. And this is what this is about, really kind of laying, just putting the foundations down for what could be, which is really exciting,” she said.

She explained that contemporary circus was still relatively new to many Nigerians, despite incorporating familiar forms of performance such as dance and acrobatics.

Akerele said Nigeria could learn from countries across Africa where circus had developed into an established form of performance, while also developing its own identity.

She added that the development of the circus industry could create employment and provide young Nigerians with alternative career opportunities.

“We want to create jobs, have new skills, so that’s why we’re kind of doing this,” she said.

She added that becoming a circus performer could be a viable career for Nigerians willing to dedicate themselves to the craft.

“So, I think, economically, it’s a career path, actually. You can actually become a circus performer, and you can earn and survive. So, we’re having some talks after that about having a career in the circus,” Akerele said.

According to her, some Nigerians were already practising circus disciplines such as juggling and contortion but lacked the structures and community needed to develop their skills further.

“There are people in college, people are doing it here, as a contortionist, as a juggler, on his own at home, doing it. But let’s create a community,” she said.

iD