The MTN Foundation has arts and culture as one of its core values and has since its incorporation in 2006 provided support through partnerships, sponsorships and scholarships to projects that seek to advance, celebrate and preserve Nigerian arts and culture.
Several of such projects are theatre productions that are based on folktales, biographies and fictional stories that articulate in acting, music and dance, the culture and lived experience of Nigerians. Some projects the Foundation has sponsored include Oluronbi the Musical, Saro the Musical, Wakaa the Musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens stage play and the Eko Theatre Carnival.
So far, the Foundation has invested over N365 million in 15 theatre productions that have been held in some of the most famous stages in Nigeria, including Terra Kulture and the MUSON Centre.
The Foundation’s sponsorship has helped see to the actualisation of the artistic visions of 15 Nigerian producers including Ayo Jaiyesinmi, Bolanle Austen-Peters, and Ayo Ajayi, who is a graduate of the MUSON School of Music scholarship programme funded by the Foundation, and the retelling of African stories.
Beyond these, the value of the Foundation’s support is also evident in the number of creatives that have been involved in and advanced their careers through the platform provided by the Foundation’s support. Over 3000 creatives and skilled professionals have benefitted from MTN’s partnership and support for theatre productions and empowered for an increasingly international audience. This also ties into one of the Foundation’s core values to through corporate social investment, promote youth empowerment.
In the first half of 2021, the MTN Foundation further proved its commitment to the Nigerian theatre industry by supporting five theatre productions, namely; Tony Wants to Marry, Ibiom – When Doves Fly, Death and the King’s Horseman, OMG the Musical and Flower, a virtual show. The shows centered different Nigerian experiences and were heavy on themes with which Nigerians could relate, drawing praise from creatives, dignitaries and theatre lovers in attendance.
