China – January 2025
In a spectacular blend of rhythm and Culture during NACA past event, Africa took the global stage at the First International Theatre Exchange and Cooperation Forum hosted by the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA). The event, centered on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, became a canvas for Nigeria to showcase the rich and profound legacy of African drumming, led by a compelling presentation from Dr. Teju Kareem, Visiting Lecturer at San Diego State University.
Dr. Kareem’s address resonated deeply with the audience, composed of theatre artists, cultural scholars, and international delegates. His presentation highlighted the celebrated African Drum Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as a shining example of how intangible cultural heritage is preserved, celebrated, and transformed into a global cultural asset.

Dr. Teju Kareem
“The African drum is not just an instrument; it is a storyteller, a messenger, and a symbol of unity,” Dr. Kareem passionately conveyed. “In preserving our drumming traditions, we are safeguarding the heartbeat of Africa and contributing to the world’s cultural diversity.”
Since its inception in 2016, the African Drum Festival has grown into a major cultural event, attracting participants from across Africa and around the world. Drums like the Dùndún (talking drum) and the Bàtá were spotlighted for their unique role in communication, storytelling, and community bonding in African societies.
A vivid showcase of audio-visuals during the presentation brought the rhythms and vibrant energy of the festival to life, drawing appreciative applause from the audience. Dr. Kareem detailed how the festival, beyond its artistic grandeur, serves as a platform for economic empowerment through cultural tourism and international collaborations.
The festival’s 2018 edition stands as a testament to its international appeal, drawing performers from over 20 Nigerian states and 14 countries, including Haiti, Cuba, and Senegal. Notably, the symbolic “Endurance Trek to Olumo Rock” under the theme ‘Walking for Drums’ emphasized innovative ways of engaging communities in heritage preservation.
Bridging Cultures: Nigeria and China in Cultural Dialogue
Nigeria’s participation in this prestigious forum signals a growing synergy between Nigeria and China in cultural exchange and business development. With China deepening its engagement in Africa through strategic partnerships like the Belt and Road Initiative, the cultural sector presents a fertile ground for collaboration.
Other avenues for consideration are:-
Joint Cultural Festivals: Hosting joint Nigeria-China cultural festivals that blend African drumming with traditional Chinese arts.
Creative Collaborations: Co-producing theatre, music, and film projects that merge African rhythms with Chinese artistry.
Tourism Development: Promoting Nigerian cultural festivals to attract Chinese tourists, tapping into the rising interest in African culture.
Educational Exchange Programs: Launching cultural education programs where Chinese students learn African drumming, and Nigerians explore Chinese opera and theatre.
Trade in Arts and Crafts: Expanding trade opportunities in traditional musical instruments and handicrafts, fostering economic growth.
Adding to the significance of the event, Professor ‘Niyi Coker Jr., Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University, USA, extended heartfelt congratulations to NACTA for successfully hosting the international forum.
Congratulatory Message to NACTA
On behalf of my colleagues at the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University, it is my honor to have been invited to participate at this “International Theatre Exchange and Collaboration Forum” hosted by the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA).
The task of putting together a conference of this global magnitude is no easy one. As Theatre Practitioners we are more motivated by pursuing creative endeavors and less inclined to “conferencing and discussing theories and hypothesis”. Undoubtedly, it is your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to the world of theatre that has brought this spectacular gathering of creative minds to fruition on this day. As we exchange ideas, explore new horizons, and celebrate the diverse tapestry of theatrical arts, we not only enrich our own understanding, but we shall be illuminating the path for the future of a theatre industry seeking its niche in a post-pandemic world. We find ourselves at the cusp of either defining, or being defined, by both a Virtual and an Artificial Intelligence revolution. Will the tradition of theatre as a purely human interactive art continue to thrive and survive amidst the strides of technology in the 21st century?
Hopefully, this conference will serve as a beacon of inspiration, uniting artists, scholars, and enthusiasts from across the globe in fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation, and cultural exchange, transcending boundaries and creating lasting connections in response to the challenges we now encounter.
In the spotlight of this conference, the brilliance of Chinese theatre shines brighter than ever, showcasing its rich heritage and evolving contemporary narratives. Your contributions are not only shaping the cultural landscape of China but also contributing to the global conversation on the power of the performing arts.
May the memories forged here continue to serve as a catalyst for further creative excellence. Your dedication to the world of theatre underscores its profound ability to reflect the human experience and unite us all.
Congratulations once again on this magnificent achievement! I look forward to witnessing the continued growth, impact and the strategies recommended and adopted here for the emergence of the art of theatre on the global landscape in the 21st century and beyond.
Cultural Opportunities in the Belt and Road Initiative
“Since Zhang Qian’s exploration in Central Asia in Western Han dynasty, the ‘Silk Road Spirit’, which entails ‘peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit’1, has been passed from generation to generation. ‘A comprehensive understanding of different cultures’, as President Xi suggested, ‘is the foundation of countries’ alliances.’2 Cultural exchanges and connecting people are therefore integral to the Belt and Road Initiative.” This is cited from the opening paragraph of the Official Website of the Belt and Road Initiative.
http://onebeltoneroad.com/en/intro/arts-and-culture
Zhang Qian (164–113 BCE) was a Chinese explorer and diplomat who is renowned for his journeys to Central Asia during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 9 CE). His explorations and diplomatic missions had significant cultural implications for China. It is difficult to imagine that after such creative exploratory feats China would come to know what is commonly referred to in Chinese history as “The Century of Humiliation”. This describes the period from the mid-19th into the 20th century when China experienced a series of foreign invasions, unequal treaties, loss of territory, sovereignty, and dignity. The aggregate of these atrocities created the determination never to return to that experience.
The Africa-World has, and continues to endure “Centuries of Humiliation dating back to the 1400’s. Every feasible and conceivable European Invader lawlessly made their way through the African continent, until an accord was reached by the European invaders at the Berlin Conference of 1884, to formalize the division of the continent amongst themselves.
With this division came artificial boundaries, a deliberate and calculated mechanism that would totally erase the traditional African religions, history, languages and basic tenets of the cultural heritage. And to replace traditional African values and personality with a westernized caricature.
Under apartheid South Africa, the designated Black and Colored Universities were not permitted to have Theatre departments or to teach Theatre in any forms, whether in theory or practice. And so for almost a century since those Black and Colored Technikons—now universities were established Theatre performances did not exist in those academic communities. The only perceived reason or illogic was that such a discipline as Theatre at Black and Colored Universities would only lead to the creation of protest writings, productions and criticism of the system and ultimately could create anarchy. Such is the power of Theatre. And so, it was totally disallowed as part of the University curriculum.
The current Belt and Road Initiative was launched in 2013, and, other than a commitment to promote economic development and trade; what is lesser known and unrecognized about this initiative is that there is a strong cultural dimension to this project.
This is to encourage cultural exchange and people-to-people interactions among participating countries. It seeks to promote understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures and histories along the ancient Silk road routes. Permit me to digress here a bit by stating that for the purposes of this paper: “the ancient Silk Road routes of the Belt and Road Initiative BRI–extends to BRICS”. Although Brazil, Russia, India China & South Africa bloc (BRICS) and the Belt and Road Initiative BRI are distinct entities, there is some overlap in their goals and interests. One major common ground is the exploration of opportunities for cooperation within this framework which must highlight and underscore a Cultural re-affirmation of the indigenous cultures and languages. The act of utilizing economics in the endorsement of cultural liberation is most critical and essential in this post-colonial era. Essential, because it is possible for cultural heritage to become extinct. We know languages that have become extinct. The conditions of enslavement in the so-called New World ensured the extinction of the language and culture of the Africans under enslavement and servitude. Theatre is about the humane that exists inside of humans. It is about a life lived. It is about the experience of being human.
Theatre derives from the cultural heritage of a people. It tells the human story.
Nelson Mandela was a very significant figure during and after the apartheid era in South Africa. In 1963 he was imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island. He was released in 1990.
One of the major reasons accountings for Mandela’s freedom is because there were committed artists such as Miriam Makeba who had been exiled from her homeland of South Africa and now residing in the USA. Makeba was a singer who continued to sing songs of protest and human conditions in her indigenous Xhosa and Zulu languages. The beauty, combined with the power of her music across the world gave rise to a consciousness about Nelson Mandela and the apartheid conditions in South Africa. During a very short period of her residency in the United States, Makeba came under the surveillance of both the FBI and CIA. Makeba was rumored to be supporting the Black liberation movement for Civil Rights in the USA. In addition, she had married a revolutionary leader named Stokely Carmichael or Kwame Toure.
Makeba’s singing career suffered serious damage. Now an entire generation in the world would certainly forget about her music. But she persisted in her demands for a free Mandela and South Africa and would sing it at every opportunity she received.
In 2012, I visited South Africa on a Carnegie fellowship to establish a Theatre Performing arts unit at a Black and Colored University. For this endeavor, I would go into the Townships to recruit unemployed artisans with a flair for the Performing Arts. I would always bring a Bluetooth Speaker to all my class sessions to play music. During one of our morning improv exercises, I played a Miriam Makeba song. The performers got into the music and the melody, at the end of which one of the students asked me “who is that singer?”. I was stunned. I looked at the entire class in disbelief and they stared back at me with totally blank eyes.
This generation of youths did not know Miriam Makeba, had barely heard her music and know really nothing about her story and her struggle for South African liberation. Makeba had died in 2008. This is how the quest to educate performers about a missing and authentic part of their history, culture and language commenced.
I would set out to write a musical on Mama Africa – Miriam Makeba (The Musical). Cast it with over 40 local and indigenous performers and go about the business of creativity. Pre-production, production, and post-production. The production in itself proved to become a training ground and an employment opportunity which showcased critical aspects of South African culture and history which had been otherwise air-brushed from the South African legacy and possibly never to be reinstated. This was one of the most highy attended Performances at ArtsCape in Capetown. There was an eagerness to ensure that this production undertook a national tour.
The United States Consular General in CapeTown attended the performances and encouraged a USA tour. The production displayed all the similar comparisons between the Civil Rights movement in the USA and the Apartheid movement in Southern Africa. This was valuable history for a new generation of youths in the USA. https://vimeo.com/262599187/65ced00a00
This was one which inevitably deprived women on the African continent about their own power and roles in ensuring that South Africa would witness liberation and put an end to the “centuries of humiliation” through the art of theatre. IT would ultimately be the Broadway theatrical productions of Athol Fugards “Sizwe Bansi is Dead, Mtwa and Ngema’s “Woza Albert”, “Bopha” and “Sarafina” that would awaken the consciousness of the world to the human deprivation under apartheid South Africa.
The cultural policies of the Belt and Road Initiative must serve as a platform for cultural diplomacy, helping to build stronger cultural ties between China and in this particular case, South Africa as the Chinese population grows on the African continent.
Such cultural exchange exercises must foster goodwill and a genuine appreciation for cultural differences, without seeking to validate a cultural patriarchy and hegemony, as has been witnessed under the yolk of western colonization. Rather, such an exchange should be one of liberation and not domination. The reality of the artistic pursuit is that they are the least lacking in resources at their nascent stages, especially when they are of high value to direct immediate community moral, historical and cultural enrichment. They are apt to be more commercially successful when those tangible contents are replaced with more commercially palatable themes.
This brings me to the role played, or rather the deficits of the International Theatre Institute, which ironically is headquartered here in Shanghai, China.
BRI must run counter against the patrimony of the International Theatre Institute. The ITI is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes international exchange and collaboration in the performing arts, including theater. IT was established in 1948 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and is headquartered in Paris, France and Shanghai China. The ITI has national centers and members in numerous countries, including many in Africa where for decades, the African theatre practitioners have questioned the mission and purpose of this agency. An examination of the current cover page of the website screams out the absentia of Africa : https://www.iti-worldwide.org/
https://www.iti-worldwide.org/nigeria.html
Questions have been raised in pertinence to the following areas of the ITI engagement in Africa:
Resource Allocation: African theater practitioners receive fewer opportunities, in funding, and support compared to artists in other regions where the ITI is established.
Visibility: African theater productions and artists do not receive as much international visibility or recognition as those from more prominent theater hubs, which is clear evidence of neglect and underrepresentation.
Cultural Sensitivity: Cultural differences and variations in artistic priorities very clearly lead to the lack of promotion of African theater within a global context.
Language Barriers: African theater in local languages face additional hurdles in gaining international attention, especially when the productions are not expressed in colonial tongues of Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone and Hispanophone.
Geopolitical Factors: Geopolitical considerations and global politics clearly influence the distribution of resources and opportunities in the arts. These factors lead to the disparities in the lack of support for theater in different regions of the African continent.
Therein lies some major opportunities for the BRI to address concerns of neglect and underrepresentation. The BRI ought to consider the utilization of BRICS as a platform to promote the following:
Engagement: Actively engage with African Theatre practitioners to ensure that African theater voices are heard and represented through the platforms of the BRI and BRICS.
Advocacy: Advocate for increased support and recognition of African theater at both the international levels especially into the eastern and western regions where the African narrative remains greatly distorted.
Collaboration: Seek out opportunities for collaboration with international partners and organizations to raise the profile of African theater.
Capacity Building: Invest in training and capacity-building programs to enhance the skills and visibility of African theater professionals.
Networking: Build relationships with theater organizations, festivals, and institutions that can provide exposure and opportunities for African theater on the global stage.
I must make clear in conclusion that I am not calling for the BRI or Chinese government to fund these cultural initiatives in or for African regions and peoples. Such previous experiments of Foreign cultural aid have either been totally unbalanced or short-lived. The major visible commitment the BRI and BRICS is tied to trade and economic development. Embedded in these multi-lateral agreements must be the dedication of the utilization of a percentage of the commercial profits for the maintenance and preservation of the Performing Arts industry.
In direct opposition to the actions of the Berlin Conference and the partition of Africa aimed at a colonization that was and is, economic, political and cultural; this BRI/BRICS initiative must reset with a clear purpose to reverse the damages of the “centuries of humiliation”.
There is no doubt now that a major part of the African economies seek to embrace a partnership with China after wasted centuries of exploitation with colonial partners.
It’s essential to foster dialogue and collaboration between African theater communities to address concerns and ensure that the organization’s mission aligns with the needs and aspirations of African theater practitioners. African theater stakeholders can better promote and support the richness and diversity of African theater that rectifies the African narrative around the world where millions of the descendants of the African continent struggle to create an African diaspora and build a psychological and cultural relationship with a continent their ancestors were forcibly and violently removed from.
Niyi Coker, Jr. MFA, PhD. (SDC)
Professor & Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film
San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
Reviews:
https://medium.com/us-in-sa/remembering-an-icon-63b79417ed51

Teju kareem, Niyi Coker and The Host- The President of Shining Tonight Studio – Shanghai – during a follow up visit on coming Chinese & Africa Cultural project.
In his congratulatory message, Professor Coker stated, “NACTA has demonstrated exceptional leadership in fostering global cultural exchange. This forum has not only highlighted the beauty of traditional art forms but has also opened new pathways for international collaboration in the performing arts. We are proud to see Nigeria’s cultural heritage celebrated on such a prestigious platform, and we look forward to future engagements that deepen our shared appreciation for cultural diversity.”

From left Mr Jaifu President Shining Tonight Studio -Shanghai, Prof Niyi Coker -San Diego State University, Prof YangJia of Shanghai Theatre Academy & Dr Teju Kareem -Zmirage CEO & Executive Producer WSICE and Ms Yen Yu.
His acknowledgment underscored the global importance of such cultural platforms in connecting diverse traditions and inspiring mutual respect among nations.
Dr. Kareem also highlighted how African drumming has shaped global music. From the complex rhythms in jazz and funk to the beats sampled in electronic dance music (EDM), African drums have left an indelible mark on contemporary soundscapes. Genres like Afrobeat, pioneered by icons such as Fela Kuti, have fused traditional African rhythms with global influences, creating music that transcends borders.
Today, African rhythms pulse through global music festivals and collaborations, bridging cultural divides and connecting communities through a shared love for rhythm and storytelling.
Nigeria’s spotlight at this international forum is more than a cultural showcase—it’s a call for global partnerships rooted in shared heritage and creative innovation. By embracing its cultural wealth and forging ties with nations like China, Nigeria is poised to amplify its influence on the world stage, blending tradition with modern opportunities.
As the applause settled, one message echoed throughout the hall: the vibrant beats of Africa are not confined to its shores—they are a universal rhythm that unites us all.
Special Correspondent
BEN Television
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