‘DEMOCRACY Vibes,’ a three-day workshop organised to empower young artists to develop capacity for using their talents and skills in advancing the cause of social needs ends today with the popular actress and social activist, Hilda Dokubo as instructor.
Organised by Unchained Vibes Africa (UVA), the workshop will have Dokubo, easily remembered for her frontline role during the last #EndSARS movement, sharing her career highlights and life as an activist with the 14 young participants drawn from across eight cities of the North.
Also engaging the participants will be Olabode Moses, a Kaduna-based theatre arts practitioner, Jahman Anikulapo, culture curator/producer/advocate and communicator, and prog. chair of the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA. And Amina Norman-Hawkins, performing artist, hip hop activist and faculty member at Columbia College, Chicago.
Executive Director of the UVA, Ayodele Ganiu, who is Executive Producer of the workshop, said the workshop, aims at “providing opportunity for young artists in Nigeria to develop their crafts as agents of positive change.”
He said the workshop ‘Democracy Vibes,’ UV Africa, held virtually will take 14 artists and activists on a journey of career development. “The overall objective of the workshop is to strengthen their advocacy capabilities to promote democracy and freedom of expression. The successful candidates were selected through a rigorous and competitive open call for applications.
“The artists will benefit from training, mentoring and access to cultural exchanges that build important foundation for local, regional and international collaborations. The workshop’s facilitators are world-class professionals and celebrities in the field of music, film, theatre, human rights, international law, cultural diplomacy and journalism.”
The resourceful workshop which started on Monday with the popular hip-hop act and activist, Eedris Abdu-Kareem of the ‘Nigeria Jagajaga’ music fame. Kareem even released a newer version of his famous social-criticism song, which riled then President Obasanjo on same day he mentored the participants. On Tuesday, the workshop had as facilitator, Ade Odukoya aka Ade BANTU of the BantuCrew, the singer, composer and art and social activist.
Other facilitators have included: Joseph Bikanda, Coordinator of the pan-African human rights defenders network, AfricanDefender; Julie Trebault, Director of PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection and Oludayo Fagbemi, Senior Legal Officer for Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA),
The workshop is an integral part of “Defending Democracy Vibes” a program funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States and supported by AfricanDefenders (the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network), PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, Centre for Creative Arts Education (CREATE) and Culture Advocates Caucus(CAC).
Unchained Vibes Africa (UVA) is a newly established social and cultural enterprise with the mission to leverage the power of the arts to promote civic education, good governance, human rights, cultural diversity and the spirit of solidarity in Africa.
