The Bodija International College (BIC), Ibadan, has showcased and rewarded the artistic talents of some of its students through the third edition of its annual Talent Week Show.
The one-week talent show, with the theme: ‘Skills, Passion, and Talent’, was recently held on the school premises and witnessed by the students and staff of the school, as well as parents and partners of the school.
The Chairman, Governing Board, and Director of Schools of BIC, Mr Olumide Eso, noted that the show was in honour of her late sister who was the former director of schools, and that the essence of the show was to create something that would endure for a long time.
“So, we decided to coin a project that will allow the children to showcase their skills, passions, and talents, and also allow for self-expression and creativity,” he said.
He emphasised that the show will help the students to build confidence in all aspects of their lives, knowing that they have something to offer, right from a young age.
Eso added that if the students go on to develop their talents and confidence, it will go a long way to distinguish them from their peers.
The principal of the school, Mr Frank Dairo, stated that BIC, as a future-ready school, has a wide range of activities from classroom learning to outdoor learning.
Dairo said the talent week features experiential learning, speaking influence, high-brain power learning techniques, and peer and individualised music presentations.
He stressed that every child deserves a front-row future and that only those who are exposed to such talent discovery early enough will reach that front row.
“The investment that is devoted to exposing a child to such talent expression is dividends paid forward to a future generation,” Dairo added.
Olarotimi Ojo, the Artistic Director and Chief Judge of the show since its inception three years ago, stressed that the show is one of a kind in Ibadan and Oyo State as a whole.
Ojo, who is also the chairman of the Oyo State National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) and the convener of the High School Prize for Literature (HSPL), said the main focus of the show is to bring out the artistic talents in young adults who are still in secondary school, help nurture such talent to full maturity, and promote them to the world.
He thanked the patron and sponsor of the talent show project, Mr Olumide Eso, who has built the BIMA Studio and has started working on the records of all the upcoming musicians who participated in the show.
“I can say that we have made tremendous progress and have discovered talents for promotions,” Ojo added.
The judges of the show were Olarotimi Ojo, chief judge of the show; Mr Gbenga Adekanmbi, veteran broadcaster and producer; Mr Kezie Clementina, secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and senior lecturer at the College of Education, Oyo; and Dr Smart Babalola, lecturer at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan.
The judges, in a unanimous verdict, congratulated the students who performed in the show for their bravery, confidence, and delivery. They encouraged the student to put more effects into honing their skills and crafts for more effective performance in the future.
Dr Babalola, while commending BIC for hosting the show, stated that some of the performances were comparable to international performances, especially coming from secondary school students.
He expressed optimism that the talents the students had displayed would take them places.
According to the organisers, there was a selection process in which golden tickets were given to 23 individual and group finalists to perform on the final day of the show.
The show was in two categories: the senior and junior categories, and the winners were awarded cash prizes.
Winners for the senior categories were: first prize (Atinuke Faleye and Adesuwa Festus Yobogo, under the stage name, A square); the second prize (Faleye David, with the stage name David Knight); and the third prize (Lateef Ameenah and Adekunle Aruna, under the stage name, Formula A).
Winners for the junior categories were: first prize (Jomiloju Olagoke, under the stage name J.J. Sax); second prize (Chusunum Victor, under the stage name Axien); and the third prize (Awotusi Zadoc, under the stage name Zee boy).
Individual prizes were also awarded to Omowa Damilola (the Youngest Artist), Okewole Moriteolwa, also known as Mo Keys (the Best instrumentalist), and Adewusi Iyi Oluwa (the Best Rapper).
A day before the grand finale of the talent show, a play titled ‘Medaye’ written by Emeritus Professor Femi Osofisan, was performed by some of the students, with Osofisan and Professor Kunbi Olasope in attendance.
Osofisan commended the school and the students for performing the play, adding that he “was not expecting such a wonderful performance from secondary school students”.
The Talent Week Show also witnessed other social activities.
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