Yes! Indeed, “everyone is a product of his mind.” You think you’re handicap and physically challenged hence your excuse for inability to make ends meet or make a difference? Wait until you meet young, audacious and multi-talented Sanni Awal Itopa, an orphan and one of the street children now calling the shots in a growing theatre troupe popularly known as ANGELINA THEATRE TROUPE in the ecotourism- rich town of Okene in Kogi State.
Young Sanni was the toast of the day to many participants when his cultural dance group performed to add pep to the opening ceremony of the 1st international Visual Art Teachers Workshop held at the Federal College of Education in Otite, Okehi LGA, Kogi State, recently. The skilful and distinctive stunts displayed by the physically challenged young man amid his cultural dance team mates attracted side comments from highly impressed and excited participants, and when some newsmen later cornered the leadership of his group outside the hall, more imbuing discoveries were made.
When a graduate of Theatre Art from the University of Ibadan once hit the streets of Okene in quest of young talents, what was he expecting? As far as he was concerned, Onsachi Peter Adeiza’s vision was clear, and his passion to make a difference knew no bounds, the odds notwithstanding. Speaking to the press at the occasion, the Angelina Theatre Troupe director explained that “When I came home, I began to go round advertising that I needed young people, who were on the streets helplessly, to come, let’s start doing something artistically that will help us in life. And by God’s grace we’ve been able to take a good number of them out of the streets.”
Pointing at Sanni, the physically challenged dancer, Peter said, “…he is an orphan. Though he’s still in this state, he’s an orphan. We embarked on secondary school youth enlightenment activities; we do music, drama and dance. I went to his school then, that is, Community Secondary School, Ogamunana and he was there as one of the students. I saw him and I said would you like to be one of us? He said if I allowed him to… Okay, everyone ought to register financially with a token to come in; I told him just come with us and he came with us, since then…
“The first thing I did with him was to build his mind because everyone is a product of his mind. I built his mind that made him believe that nothing anyone with double hands can do that he cannot do. As you see him he fetches water from the well by himself, washes his clothes by himself and takes his bath and every other thing that you can do with both of your hands he can also do by himself. He’s a potential actor, he has had a song done on CD, he sings now and right now he’s a student in the department of Accountancy here in Kogi State University, Lokoja, he’s in year one…this is how we’re moving up and down to get money to source for his school fees…so as we do performance here today, any little we get he takes his share and saves for his school fees as well, like every other one of us does. So he really believes that he can do more than you can do with your two hands.”
Another spotlight in the group was little miss Precious Isoiza Peteq Tanki, a beautiful girl of about seven years of age whose graceful and energetic dance steps added verve to the performances by Angelina Theatre Troupe at the occasion. The duo of physically challenged Sanni and little Precious kept both the high table and the pew at the occasion on their feet with rounds of applause renting the air for their energy, dexterity, creativity and rhythmic dance steps alongside their teammates in the cultural dance performance. Indeed, this is what the youngsters know best how to do very well in order to eke a living, to pay their school fees and stay off the streets of kogi.
But there is more to Angelina Theatre Troupe; according to a release to the Press, the troupe is actually “the professional theatre troupe in Kogi State.” They are involved in Theatre for Development (TFD) and Community Theatre. Onsachi Peter Adeiza, the present Director who studied theatre arts at the premier University (University of Ibadan) said that the troupe is out to educate, inform, transform, correct the ills of the society, discourage violence and encourage peace. He added that they have been working selflessly and endlessly to promote the good culture of Ebira Nation and that of Africa as a whole.
According to Director Peter Adeiza, “The Angelina theatre troupe through her own effort has been moving from one secondary school to another to hold youth enlightenment programmes through Drama, Music and Dance since they started in April 2008. They even organise free tutorial classes for S.S.C.E. G.C.E. JAMB U.T.M.E. etc and fill in the gap when teachers are on strike for whatever reason. Many of the benefactors of this programme are graduates from Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education etc. While some are under-graduates and others are seeking admission. They have been able to pick and help many orphans, handicapped and less privileged from the various streets of the community and engage them in artistic activities rather than leaving them to become the workshop of the wicked ones.
“However, while attending to the youth enlightenment and empowerment, the troupe did not spare the Ebira art and culture development. They have worked endlessly and are still working on the modernisation of the crude musical art of the land. Now, the Angelina Theatre Troupe has successfully modernized the Ebira ancient Ikede Music by introducing the total use of western musical instruments like Key-board, guitar, Flutes Trumpet, Saxophone, etc, into it. The combination of this Okanga Obanyi (Big drum) and this western music instrumentation produces the most creative, informative, educative, melodious, and danceable music of this time.”
Onsachi Peter Adeiza told The NIGERIAN OBSERVER that he has been able to train professional dancers, singers, actors, directors special make-up artists, costume designers, props managers, directors Of Photography, etc, over the past five years and they are trained for free so that they can make ends meet through the art for themselves. The troupe is open for membership at all working hours or days and membership is not targeted at those who are good only but those who want to be good.
“Angelina Theatre INSTITUTE is also open and admission is on now for six months professional TOTAL THEATRE TRAINING for just six months in F.C.E, Okene. We are determined to make the entire world a better place through our theatre activities. Presently the Angelina theatre troupe is at the pre-production stage of a mega movie production, which would be coming up very soon”, he said.