And this year, they brought us an array of exciting festivals and theatre productions that we would all be talking about for a long time!

And they’re not done! This festive season, the MTN Foundation is supporting a theatre production titled Motherland the Musical.

The play staged in Lagos from December 23 to January 2, 2023, is to showcase the uniqueness of Nigeria’s history and culture and create opportunities for young Nigerian creatives in arts and culture through dramatic storytelling.

With this in view, here is a recap of five times MTN Foundation has partnered with other Nigerian creatives to both empower youths and deliver premium entertainment.

1. SARO, THE MUSICAL

In 2017, MTN Foundation sponsored the highly anticipated award-winning Nigerian musical play, ‘Saro’. Produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions (BAP), ‘Saro the Musical’ is a rich showcase of Nigerian arts and culture.

It tells the story of four talented young men who face a series of challenges as they chase better fortunes in the ‘city of dreams.’  It is also the first Nigerian musical that was performed at London’s West End and Shaw Theatre.

2. OMG the Musical

An age-long problem in our society is the issue of gender inequality and the underrepresentation of women in the workplace and the political space.

To put a spotlight on this, MTN foundation in partnership with pioneer theatre director, Ayo Ajayi, stringed all these together in a play.

The musical also visits Nigerian history to shed light on the contributions and efforts of three Nigerian heroes; Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo and Gambo Sawaba.

The production brought together almost 100 youths from different fields – acting, dance, drama, light, designing, and costume, amongst others.

3. Our Son the Minister

Our Son the Minister tells the story of an individual who turned down the opportunity to be a Minister of his country, as he felt that he would not be able to maintain his integrity due to the amount of pressure from his family and friends.

The play in partnership with MTN Foundation is a masterful work of political satire written by Paul Ugbede and produced by the award-winning actor, Bikiya Graham-Douglas.

4. Life in My City Art Festival

Over the years, MTN Foundation has partnered with Life in my City, an annual visual arts festival targeted at youths from all over Africa where artwork is submitted online for review by a panel of judges.

Works by the shortlisted artists are then taken on a local tour of nine states, covering 5 of the 6 geo-political zones in Nigeria. The festival also includes lectures, a music night, and a workshop for children on Art.

5. BEETA playwright competition

MTN Foundation in partnership with the Beeta Playwright Competition recently trained ten writers in a playwriting workshop, following the call for entry which had 794 submissions, from 30 states across the country.

This is in line with MTN Foundation’s efforts aimed at encouraging budding playwrights to tell organic indigenous stories, showcase new dynamic Nigerian writing talent, and at the same time improve growth and development in the theatre and creative industries in modern Nigeria.

The Beeta Playwright competition is aimed at encouraging budding playwrights to tell organic indigenous stories, showcase new dynamic Nigerian writing talent, at the same time improve growth and development in the theatre and creative industries in modern Nigeria.

This year’s edition themed ‘Our Stories, Our Voices,’ seeks to portray authentic Nigerian stories.

Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in 2021, stated that the creative industry is an important one in the country, with a revenue of about 4.5 billion dollars. It has also been revealed in a 2021 report by Jobberman, that the creative industry is positioned as the country’s second-largest employer and has the potential to produce 2.7million jobs by 2025.

Additionally, the industry is poised to contribute 5 trillion Naira to the country’s GDP.

Speaking on the importance of the partnership, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya said, “One of the key aspects of the MTN Foundation is Youth development and we achieve this through several ways including supporting young and upcoming creatives in Nigeria. The reason we do this is because we believe everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. It’s not in the data and the recharge we sell. It’s the fact that we want to be part of your journey and enable you to connect to your aspirations. And for us at MTN Foundation, we found a partner in Beeta Arts’’.

Also speaking on the training, Founder, Beeta Playwright Competition, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, stated that “The training is not a one-off thing, as all the finalists get to be a part of the Beeta writers network and Beeta alumni. It is a lifelong relationship. The finalists also have the opportunity to be a part of the Beeta Arts Festival. And for projects like this to be successful, we can’t do it alone. So I will like to use this opportunity to thank MTN Foundation For believing and coming on board’’.

In the past, the MTN Foundation has supported several projects including theatre productions, art festivals, and visual arts exhibitions and the Foundation is invested in continually supporting initiatives that empower Nigerian youths and skilled professionals.