Kakaduto be staged in South Africa for Africa Day celebrations

AFTER successful outings in Nigeria and Davos, Switzerland in the last three years, UcheNwokedi’s award-winning ‘Kakadu, The Musical’ has now joined the exclusive list of world class productions to be staged at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The musical based on several pivotal events that happened in Nigeria between 1965 and 1974, will have its run at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from June 7 to 18, 2017  as part of the Africa Day Celebrations.

Executive producer, Jo’burg City Theatres, Claire Pacariz, who announced the selection of the musical, explained that: “Kakadu is a highly creative, original production which has been internationally acclaimed as the first ever musical from Nigeria and that is why we are interested in bringing it to South Africa for the 2017 Africa Day celebrations.”

Speaking on Kakadu’s selection, the writer and producer, Nwokedi, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said: “It is quite significant to the ethos of ‘Kakadu’ that we have been invited to a theatre named after Nelson Mandela, a champion of liberties.”

With musical direction and orchestration by BennethOgbeiwi (Uncle Ben of  Project Fame) and KanayoOmo calling the shots as artistic/technical director, ‘Kakadu’ has a strong plot, captivating storyline, spectacular dance and a blend of the Anglo-American soul and pop music of the 50s and 60s that influenced musical expressions in 1960s Africa. The eclectic musical also showcases Highlife, Afrobeat and traditional Nigerian folk music.