By Adefoyeke Ajao

The National Arts Theatre is an imposing edifice in Lagos, designed to serve as a hub for the arts in Nigeria. Modelled after Bulgaria’s Palace of Culture and Sports, the masterpiece is shaped like a military peak cap and occupies a sprawling expanse of land at Orile Iganmu. It was completed in 1976, as Nigeria prepared to host the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77).

Decades after its completion, the building is still a fixture in the Lagos skyline. However, the National Arts Theatre has been in the news recently for the wrong reasons: it has been at the centre of a privatisation bid that has irked its staff, stakeholders in the arts sector as well as the general public. Nowadays, this national monument is more renowned as a marker for describing the numerous pubs within and around its premises than it is for art-related activities.

Despite its setbacks, the National Theatre still receives visitors. Its halls still play host to events while its cinemas occasionally beam local film releases to the public. Its lawns are also a public favourite for holding picnics. A walk around the premises reveals a multiplicity of art types: an elaborate frieze created by the legendary Erhabor Emokpae encompasses the edifice, while the theatre’s walls are adorned with colourful mosaics. Statues also dot its lawns, although nowadays some of them are overwhelmed by overgrown weeds in spots that should ideally be lush gardens.

Visitors who are interested in seeing the theatre’s interior are required to pay a token for a tour of its facilities. However, taking pictures of the edifice is forbidden, and visitors need to deploy some stealth if they intend to take pictures of the architectural masterpiece. A guard I encountered said taking pictures would require special approval. He added that the theatre had always received bad press, hence staff are suspicious of anyone who as much as whips out a camera near the building.

The theatre also houses the National Gallery of Contemporary Art, which boasts a collection of artworks that pay homage to Nigeria’s rich cultural history. The collection, which includes creations of master artists such as Abayomi Barber, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ben Enwonwu, Twin Seven Seven and Aina Onabolu is open to the public for a fee. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures within the gallery and are required to leave their bags and phones at the gallery’s entrance. The gallery is quite spacious and well-kept, however, power cuts plunge it into total darkness, and you will have to find your way around until the theatre’s generating sets are switched on. Some might argue that the National Arts Theatre is a shadow of itself because it is in a state of disrepair, but very few buildings in Nigeria would rival its stateliness or its status as a monument to Nigeria’s art and culture.

Photo courtesy of naijalifemagazine.com