ACETNEWS
Top theatre veterans and members of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) have unveiled plans to celebrate AJOFEST ’86 forty years after.
In 1986, veteran legal practitioner and creative writer, Dr. Fred Agbeyegbe, promoted an unprecedented drama festival tagged Ajofest, which featured the performance of four plays written by him. The plays – The King Must Dance Naked, Woe Unto Death, The Last Omen, and Budiso – were performed before sold-out audiences at the National Theatre, Iganmu. The shows featured actors who went on to become leading names in Nigerian theatre, film and Nollywood, including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Antar Laniyan, Ayo Lijadu, Lara Akinsola and Sola Awojobi among others.
The Organizing Committee of Ajofest ’86 – 40 Years Later will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ajofest ’86, the landmark 1986 festival of plays by Dr. Fred Agbeyegbe, with a special gathering on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 4:00 pm.
Former Arts Editor of The Guardian, Ben Tomoloju, will deliver the keynote address, with Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ayo Lijadu, Yomi Layinka, and Lara Akinsola serving as panelists. Dr. Lookman Sanusi will moderate the session. Professor Segun Ojewuyi, Dr. Tunji Sotimirin, Godwin Onohwosa, Jahman Anikulapo, and Adeniran Makinde, FTA, will share reflections on Ajofest ’86. Dramatic readings from all four featured festival plays will be coordinated by NANTAP-affiliated Crown Troupe of Africa. Tributes will honour Jide Ogungbade, Pero Sosan, Sola Awojobi,
