About us
Who we are
Activists, Performers, Developmental Consultants, Actors, Humanitarians, Educators, Media Experts, Dreamers, Writers, Directors, Leaders, Publishers
We are an art-based organization dedicated to using interactive arts for psychosocial support, community interaction, enhancement, development and capacity building.
To us, art is not just a medium of entertainment; it has the healing ability to transform individuals, build communities and change the world. Further, it plays a unique role in global and developmental matters such as climate change, women empowerment and gender equality, mental health, sexual reproductive health and education, water sanitation and hygiene, conflict transformation, education, refugee and immigrant support, disaster recovery and other developmental issues.
OUR COMMITMENT
“As hammer is in the hand of a carpenter, so is ART in ours”
Playback Nigeria is committed to using interactive art for education, healing, psychosocial support, community interaction, enhancement, development and capacity building. Our interventions cover a wide range of sectors such as the business community, schools, prisons, hospitals and hospices and anywhere human interaction takes place.
OUR BACKGROUND
Playback Nigeria was first established under the name ‘Theatre for Advocacy’ with performances, workshops, conferences and interventions focused on activism and human rights in the year 2002. In 2013, after years of practicing Theatre for Social Transformation, Playback Nigeria founder, Oluwadamilola Apotieri-Abdulai embarked on an academic journey to discover the healing power for performative and interactive arts. This he accomplished as a postgraduate student at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa where he studied Applied Drama: Theatre in Education, Communities and Social Context at the Drama For Life Division, Wits.
At Drama for Life, Oluwadamilola became exposed to the works of Augusto Boal and other drama theorists and social artivists. Particularly Improvisational Theatre, Applied Drama, Applied Improvisation, Theatre for Activism, Applied Improvisation and Playback Theatre attracted his interest as he fell in love with art based alternative therapy, psychosocial support and community capacity enhancement. On returning to Nigeria in 2015, Oluwadamilola invited some stakeholders to join on the board as he merged his earlier art projects of 17 years with his newly acquired methods by registering a new organization, Playback Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Hence became the first professional playback theatre, Improv Theatre and Applied Improvisational company in Nigeria.
Playback Nigeria built on its uniqueness in using art for social transformation by partnering and consulting with organisations like IOM Nigeria, UNICEF Nigeria, WHO Nigeria, Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs in its early months of establishment.
Our Partners
