We are Training the Next Global Breakthroughs in the Creative Industry Who Will Tell Africa’s Stories - TAFTA
The Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA), a leading creative academy in West Africa, is on a mission to train 65,000 creatives across Nigeria. The five-year training program aims to equip young Nigerians with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre and business. In February 2023, TAFTA graduated 2,000 students from its 1st cohort who had successfully completed its six-week course.
In this conversation with Mr Kayode Olusope, Senior Program Manager, TAFTA, and Emetekefe Erereme, a recent graduate from the 1st Cohort, they discuss the inspiration, purpose, and impact of the creative academy.
Q1. Kindly introduce yourself and TAFTA.
Kayode Olusope: My name is Kayode Olusope and I am the senior program manager at the Terra Academy for the Arts, simply called TAFTA. TAFTA is a creative academy set up by Terra Kulture, under the leadership of Bolanle Austen Peters, one of the most prolific stage and cinema directors and producers in Nigeria. The academy was set up to empower vulnerable youths with technical and creative skills that will enable them to become active participants in the global creative market. We are working to mentor and train the next global breakthroughs who will take over Nollywood, Hollywood, and every other market as they tell African stories.
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Q2. What’s the inspiration behind the establishment?
Kayode Olusope: In this region of the world, there are a lot of industries in which we aren’t as developed as our contemporaries. Nevertheless, while we may not have the technological adeptness of Japan or the sophisticated systems of the Western world, we have created stories, important ones, that we have to tell the world. Look at our forefathers who came before us and the incredible bronze structures they left behind, which has in a way told the stories of their time and who they were to us. This current generation also has stories to tell the world, about who they are, and what their values, hopes, and beliefs are. This is the reason why we are investing so much in them.
Q3. What is the long-term mission for TAFTA? The end goal the organization is trying to achieve.
Kayode Olusope: Starting with our end goal, it’s simple - we want to build the best creative academy in the world. That’s the reason why we assembled the best minds from academia, the industry, and other relevant practitioners to develop a rigorous curriculum that prepares our students for the global stage and global markets. We are not just an academy that empowers young people, we are an ecosystem. A few days ago, our team had productive meetings with top leaders in the creative industry to discuss how to strengthen our ecosystem to afford young, creative Nigerians access to the necessary resources, support systems, talent, mentoring, and funding they need to succeed. When they graduate from TAFTA, we want them to be extraordinary. Right now, we connect the students with internship opportunities and job placements, as well as funding avenues to receive as much as N5 - 10 Million in loans to establish their own businesses. We see ourselves as a major part of reducing the scourge of unemployment in this country.
Q4. What are the curriculums and programs that are offered?
Kayode Olusope: We have courses in the key aspects of theatre and the creative industry. We have courses on sound design for those interested in sound engineering. We also offer a stage lighting course because we all know about the vast number of events that occur on a regular basis where it is needed, even outside the creative industry. There is also a course dedicated to animation, which is one of the most lucrative aspects of the creative industry today. Lastly, we also offer a scriptwriting course for all our emerging writers. For all of these courses, we have dedicated instructors who will impart their knowledge and expertise to every student.
Q5. As a student, kindly speak about why you decided to join the program and your experience.
Emetekefe Erereme: Hello, my name is Emetekefe Erereme and I am one of the first graduating students of the Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA). I came across TAFTA via a sponsored ad on Instagram and was inspired to learn with them, not only because I love personal growth but also because I love the creative arts. I firmly believe that if you want to make a name for yourself in any space, there has to be growth through continuous learning. It’s also not only about what you are learning but also where you are getting the knowledge from. I believed in the quality of education TAFTA provides, so I decided to apply and began my program there in the scriptwriting cohort.
The registration process was quite straightforward and wasn’t stressful at all, it didn’t even take up to five minutes to complete. In addition, my experience was also quite amazing! Even though it’s an online program, there are opportunities for communal discussions and the instructors evaluate your learning growth to make sure you are actually understanding the curriculum. All in all, it was super amazing.
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Q6. How has this impacted your journey in the creative industry in terms of knowledge and skills?
Emetekefe Erereme: First of all, I will say that it has given me confidence. As a writer, the most important thing you need is to build your confidence, and having conversations with other emerging writers and industry experts through the program has helped a lot. Also, through the ongoing evaluation process, I got to better understand certain aspects I didn’t know before, as well as learn from other people’s mistakes and progress. The fact that I could go back and re-do certain parts of the courses I didn’t understand in one go was also very nice. After finishing the program, I can boldly say that I am a writer.
Q7. What advice do you have for aspiring participants and those who are still yet to complete their courses?
Emetekefe Erereme: If you love to grow and learn, I would advise you to take up this incredible opportunity. The world is moving really fast and you would not like to be the person with yesterday’s knowledge. Take up the course that works for you and grow yourself in your chosen field. I know it’s not always easy to complete online courses because there are a lot of distractions in life. If you usually find online learning difficult, I would recommend that you develop strict scheduling routines. Dedicate certain hours each day for the course, and set up alarms and reminders for those times to remind yourself when to begin. If you follow this schedule religiously, you will be able to finish your course in good time.
Q8. For those people who want to register, how can they do it?
Kayode Olusope: It’s very simple. All they need to do is to go to our website www.terraacademyforarts.com, there is a button right in front that says register. It is also important to know that we have physical learning centers for those who don’t have regular access to the internet or prefer in-person learning. The learning centres are located in Yaba, Igando, Ibara, Mowe, Kano State Polytechnic, and Saadatu Rimi College of Education. We have invested millions of dollars in the needed equipment for students to use after the theory sessions are completed online. Finally, they can also call the following number to reach our team 07043792182.
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