Yinka Olatunbosun
“For me, a few years back, I had no direction,” were the words of Zosu Ebenezer Adebowale. Standing centre-stage with saxophone in hand, he recounted the history that preceded his success story as a musician trained at a music academy run by the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) which is now in its 20th year.
His story is similar to many others. Having been clueless about his career, he stumbled upon information on SPAN and how they help to shape creatives for success. He secured a partial scholarship as an indigent student and still struggled to pay N25,000 for a semester. But that was only a part of his series of struggles. The distance between his Ojo home to the island was energy-sapping as he would have to walk the distance in the absence of transport fares.
“SPAN took me in like they saw what I couldn’t see, and they nurtured me,” he continued. “They taught me to do music and how to be goal-oriented.” Although he once turned down an offer to record a song with WizKid while still undergoing training at SPAN, he had other opportunities to work with singer Isaac Gerald and David Fraser.
That was a story that resonated with many SPAN alumni. Being Nigeria’s premier centre for performing arts education and empowerment, the institution has nurtured and developed talented individuals in dance, music, theatre and film, empowering them to achieve their full potential.
At a recent press conference organised by SPAN, the 2025 season was unveiled with the theme ‘Raise the Barre’ with a statement from the CEO/Founder, SPAN, Sarah Boulos who described the theme as a way of challenging the self and the community to attain greater heights.
Lovette Otegbola, who acted as the compere for the event reflected on the core values as well as the impact that the institution has made over the past two decades.
“Our impact includes thousands of artists trained across various disciplines, many of whom have become leading performers, choreographers, musicians and industry professionals all across the world,” she revealed. “We have annual scholarship programmes that have provided access to professional training for underprivileged but talented youths; hundreds of stage performances and productions, including original works, festivals and collaborative projects with international organisations.”
Over the years, SPAN has trained no fewer than 3000 students in music, dance and theatre to produce over 50 community performances and events reaching audiences of over 30,000.
“Eighty-five percent of our alumni have pursued careers in the arts and in education. Ninety-five percent of our community performances have been free or low cost, providing accessibility to everyone,” she continued.
Over 700 scholarships had been awarded to talented youths by SPAN while fostering a network of over 600 professional artists and educators. The institution has also collaborated with over 50 public schools, community centres and organisations. Ninety percent of the students have reportedly shown improved overall life skills and emotional well-being.
A short documentary which featured Sarah Boulos as the narrator was screened to highlight the background to SPAN. After moving to Nigeria, Boulos, who was a trained ballet dancer, initiated SPAN as an institution to nurture performing artists. Born in Lebanon of French heritage, but also American, Sarah Boulos created SPAN as a passion and then as contribution to the creative ecosystem but the institution has grown to have a life of its own with its cycle of mentor-mentee. SPAN relies on public donations, volunteers as well as word-of-mouth to promote their activities.
Still, educators have to deal with more challenges than ever before. In the past, socio-political problems, issues such as poverty were rampant. Today, many youths are struggling with drug abuse.
“And once you have a youth with a drug problem, it’s the whole community that has that problem,” she remarked.
Beyond arts, the educators also teach the students to grow their doos, recycle everything around them and get involved in wellness clubs.
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