Nigeria’s Most Valuable banking brand, First Bank of Nigeria Limited in demonstrating its commitment and support for talent development in the creative arts industry is partnering with the British Council through its intervention initiative- First@arts to bring the Lagos Theatre Festival 2017.
With over 109 shows, about 35 companies and more than 5,500 theatre goers attending in 2016, the festival remains one of the most diverse and exciting events of its kind and will continue to present the best in contemporary and classic work from leading artists.
This edition of the Lagos Theatre Festival will portray the rhythm, soul and sights of Lagos. The theme: Rhythm of the City was selected to capture through performance, the sounds of Lagos expressed in the comings and goings, the repetitive activities and the music of the city. We will be seeing works that reflect specific auditory perspectives like noises, rhythm, beats, language and the likes, from a range of socio economic and geographic groupings across Lagos.
Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications of FirstBank, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney stated that “as a Nation builder and in line with the Bank’s goals in setting up the First@arts initiative, FirstBank is supporting the entire value chain of the creative arts, providing much needed financing and advisory services, showcasing and facilitating the successes of the industry, and enabling our customers explore the wealth of opportunities the creative industry has to offer. This is based on our deep understanding of the pivotal role the creative industry plays as a major contributor to national GDP growth and the industry’s inherent potentials for reducing unemployment rate through job creation across the creative arts value chain. We are delighted to maintain our partnership with British Council and other key stakeholders in the arts space even as we continue to meet the growing business, professional and entertainment needs of our customers, she added.
Ojoma Ochai, Director Arts, British Council said “We are very proud of what Lagos Theatre Festival has achieved in terms of being a platform through which the Nigerian theatre sector engages with the rest of the world. This year’s festival will see visitors from International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM), International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and festival management organisations from around the UK like Walk the Plank, London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and institutions like Edinburgh Napier University – all possible only because the LTF platforms exists not just to show great work, but to ensure that international exchange and collaboration happens”
Kenneth Uphopho, Festival Director, Lagos Theatre Festival said “it’s become much more than a festival! What we are offering at this year’s LTF is a lifestyle. We want you our esteemed audience to look forward to a thrilling experience.
This year, there will be 5 curated shows from the UK and Nigeria in the festival. Four of the curated shows are winning scripts from the playwriting competition won by James Ene- Henshaw, Joy Isi Bewaji, Bode Asiyanbi,and Paul Ugbede. The plays will be produced by; Crown Troupe of Africa, Beeta Universal Productions, Tunji Sotimirin and Oxzygen Koncepts following grants awarded by the British Council.
The fringe shows will see 35 companies from Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe showcase work from all genres in the performing arts. These include comedy, experiential theatre, musical and Drama.
See you there!” For more details on the festival and all the activities visit www.lagostheatrefestival.com
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources we make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications.
Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The majority of our income is raised delivering a range of projects and contracts in English teaching and examinations, education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations.
Eighteen percent of our funding is received from the UK government.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is Nigeria’s premier and most valuable banking brand, and largest financial services institution by total assets and gross earnings. With more than 12 million customer accounts,
FirstBank has over 750 branches providing a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services.
The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries,
FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as its Representative Offices in Johannesburg, Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimized risk management and leadership.
Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes.
With its global reach, FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial partner.
FirstBank has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 – by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; and “Most Innovative Bank in Africa” in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2014.
Recently, for the fifth consecutive time, the Bank clinched the “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” award by The Asian Banker. Our brand purpose is to always put customers, partners and stakeholders at the heart of our business, even as we standardise customer experience and excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand vision “To be the partner of first choice in building your future”. Our brand promise is to always deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence. This commitment is anchored on our inherent values of passion, partnership and people, to position You First in every respect.
