By TAIYE OLAYEMI

The National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) has called on its members to promote and maintain peace in their works.

This is contained in a statement by Mr Israel Eboh, National President of NANTAP, on Monday in Lagos.

He said that theatre practitioners should be willing and ready to educate, inform and be conscience of the society, using their ability to tell the truth.

Eboh said that their works must not project political, tribal or religious sentiments.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Theatre Day is celebrated on March 27 annually with 2023 theme as: “Theatre and a Culture of Peace”.

“It is another day to celebrate theatre, as practitioners, we recognise our place as the mirror and conscience of our societies in building a better world for today and tomorrow.

“As we join the global thespian family in celebration of this year’s day, we want to celebrate ourselves because collectively, we are survivors of the many challenges that have faced us last year.

“We are survivors of many battles, armed conflict, economic, environmental, social and political that we have had to confront in the last one year.

“As theatre practitioners, it is our noble call as theatre practitioners to teach those ideals that promote our peaceful co-existence by constructing bridges that connect us as one big, happy family,” he said.

Eboh said that theatre practitioners must work more on producing theatre that heals, invigorates and offers hope for a peaceful world to impact the nation positively.

He said practitioners should remain reliable compass pointing the nation in the direction of peace.

“We must become the storytellers that change the narrative by stopping to romanticise and glorify the culture of violence as a sign of “macho strength”, when we can promote peace as the greater strength.

”For us to impact the world, we must first heal our collective wounds as a nation. Our theatre must embody hope and not hopelessness.

“Our theatre must spread the seeds of peace and not that of hatred, even in the face of political uncertainty that continues to threaten our hopes.

“We must remain the reliable compass pointing our nation in the direction of peace,” he said.

The president urged the Federal Government to provide an environment where justice, equity and utmost safety can be achieved, in order to ensure seamless operations.

“As enshrined in the UNESCO constitution, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed,” he said.

“Our theatre must be the theatre of hope and truth that the nation desires. We owe it as a debt to use our theatre to help shape and create a better, and a more peaceful Nigeria.

“We are blessed with the voice that elicits attention. We have the platform and a captive audience as we celebrate the World Theatre Day 2023.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our theatre becomes the voice that promotes the Culture of Peace,” he said. (NAN)

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