AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS
PLAYWRITING PRIZE: IHRAF UNVEILS JUDGES
The International Human Rights Art
Festival (IHRAF), organizer of the African Human Rights Playwriting Prize has
announced the selection of two judges for the just concluded playwriting
competition aimed at elevating public consciousness and understanding
of human rights values through plays in order to guarantee the
safeguarding of people's rights in Africa.
In a statement made available to newsmen
in Ibadan, the Director of IHRAF in Africa, Wole Adedoyin disclosed that they
have received outstanding entries from four different countries within Africa.
The countries are: Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.
To evaluate and select outstanding entries
for the top prizes in the competition, the organizer of the African Human
Rights Essay Competition has unveiled two distinguished individuals with
diverse experiences and expertise in playwriting.
The two selected judges are Marcus Ovie
Ugboduma and Tom Block.
Tom Block is a playwright, author of
five books and 20+ year visual artist. His plays have been developed and
produced at such venues as the Ensemble Studio Theater, HERE, Dixon Place,
Theater for the New City, IRT Theater, Theater at the 14th Street Y, Theater
Row, A.R.T.-NY and many others. He was the founding producer of the International
Human Rights Art Festival (2017), the Amnesty International Human Rights Art
Festival (2010) and a Research Fellow at DePaul University (2010). He has
exhibited his artwork and spoken about his ideas throughout the United States,
Canada, Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. www.tomblock.com
Marcus Ovie Ugboduma is a Nigerian
graduate, who also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the National
Teachers Institute Kaduna, and is a professional member of the Certified
Institute of Purchasing and Supply Administration of Nigeria.
He is a Teacher, Creative thinker, a
playwright, a poet Behavioral Coach and a custodian and promoter of the African
Culture.
He is a playwright whose main focus is
plays for teens, a decision he reached as a deliberate intention to correct
social ills especially among teenagers.
He is an adept lover of books and the
founder of the Book Friendly Club of God’s Blessing Comprehensive College and
has served as a role model, writing and staging plays, and encouraging young
people to write plays and take roles in acting.
In 2006 his bi-lingual play
"Ayanmo" was staged by students of Cambridge High School Ibadan as
her entry at the Wale Ogunyemi Drama Festival (DRAFEST) for schools in Oyo
State Organised by National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners
He is also Author of the play titles
"Do Us No Harm" a play on Female Genital Mutilation which was staged
by students of God’s Blessing Comprehensive College Ibadan and aired on Space
FM Ibadan in 2017 on the International day of the girl child.
Two of his plays for screen have been
produced into home videos. "The First Step" is a drama that promotes
the need for couples to know their
health status especially HIV and AIDS before venturing into marriage. This
drama featured his Poem ODO EMENAM An elegy to a friend who contracted the HIV
virus and lost his life. His second drama produced into home videos is titled
"Voice of the Prophets, it was produced in 2009 and sold out among
Christian circle. In both dramas he was the producer and co-directed the plays
with Ade Jerry Idris a film maker.
Also Marcus had a brief stint with
scripting musical videos for the defunct Ibadan based Hip hop duo “The Love
Boys". their songs " We living in the ghetto" and Onye Nkem were
aired constantly on BCOS TV for close to two years and emerged as one of the
most aired music videos in that year.
In the last 10 Years Marcus prepared
students in casting them for roles helping
them in blocking their line, and co-directing several other plays with
Directors such as Olabamiji Olaiya, Samson Akapo and Tolu Fagbure, He was part
of the following plays staged by Students of Gods blessing Comprehensive
college Ibadan from 2012 till date, they include, Ogbori Elemoso staged in 2012
Kunrunmi by Ola Rotimi, staged in 2013.
Farewell to A Carnival rage by Prof Femi
Osofisam staged in 2014, Langbodo by Wale Ogunyemi staged in 2015.
Twingle Twangled, a twinnie tayle by
Prof Femi Osofisan, Other plays staged by students of Gods blessing
Comprehensive College at their Annual Valedictory service includes Afonja a
play by Dr Saka Alliu staged in 2017, Shadows
on Arrival, a play by Prof Catherine Ezenwanebe staged in 2019.
The next play to be staged by his
students in which he is also involved in the planning, casting staging is 'Agbeloba',
a play on the farmers uprising in Ibadan in the sixties, the play is scheduled
to be staged on the 17th day of November 2021 at Ibadan civic centre
Marcus over the years has prepared
students whose plays poems and prose had featured and won the annual Fagunwa
Day writing competition organised by the Association of young Nigerian
writer's.
Marcus has the following plays to his
credit.
The masquerade will not dance (II) an
extract from his novel made into a covid19 play, to show how the pandemic has
affected our cultural life, was staged by students of Gods blessing
Comprehensive college at the 2021, Cultural day celebration, The Chairman Oyo
state council for Arts and culture was among dignitaries that attended the
premiere of this play.
'Regret has no medicine' is another play
aimed at correcting societal ills.
'My destiny' a play was also written and
staged by students and pupils of Omotoyosi Model Group Of Schools, in 2019
while 'Regret has no medicine' was staged also by students and pupils of the
same school in 2018.
His play "Ogunsoye" a play on
charms for knowledge was staged in 2018 also by students of Gods blessing
Comprehensive College
He was recently one of the three guest
speakers at the Ibadan book club for her October 2021 reading where he spoke on
the "importance of Poetry to every
writer"
Marcus has also featured in other fields of
literature and creative works using reading and writing as a tool to correcting
social ills and keeping teenager away from social vices and crime.
He had also led students from Secondary Schools in Oyo
state to Win the 2019 Children cultural quiz for secondary schools at the
NATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR ARTS AND CULTURE NAFEST EDO 2019.
His students also came overall forth
position in Children Essay writing competition at NAFEST EDO 2019, and overall
second position at the Children Arts category at NAFEST EDO 2019.
He also led his students to win the
National Safety Quiz 2016 in Oyo state.
Marcus enjoys spending time with his
students, and mentoring them in creative writing he loves travelling and spending time with his family and when
relaxed he reads religious books.
His most inspiring moments are when
faced with challenges. and solving them.
His desire for young people is to help
them solve social problems and vices
which has earned him the accolade the " TOWN CRIER" because of his penchant for writing poems and
plays aimed at preserving our cultural heritage, history and documenting political happenings.
Between 2003 and 2007 he was a Ward
Chairman of the All Nigerian People's party Ward 9 Mokola Ibadan.
He has been a community Leader of the
Mokola Community in Ibadan serving as it's secretary for several years.
He is also one of the founding fathers
of the prestigious Mokola Carnival
Before venturing into Teaching he was a
singer, rapper, disc Jockey song and script writer.
He is today an educationist, whose aim
is to improve reading culture in Nigeria
He also mentored and presented students
who have won prizes at three previous editions of the Fagunwa day celebration
in areas of poetry, drama and prose.
His poems “The lamentation of an Aborted
fetus" and "Okigbo in Biafra" were featured in the anthology of
poems in honour of Prof Remi Raji @50.
He also co-edited the anthology of poems
in honour of Senator Abiola Ajimobi with Wole Adedoyin.
The shortlist of twelve outstanding
entries is expected to be announced on the 15th of November, 2021.
