SONTA Elects FUNAI Don its Vice President
The Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA) has elected a professor of drama at the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Ameh Dennis Akor its Vice President.
Professor Akor who is the current Head of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts and Music of the University, emerged the Society’s Vice President in an election which took place at the 30th Annual SONTA International Conference and Annual General Meeting, held at the University of Port Harcourt from the 1st to 3rd November, 2017.
Professor Dennis Akor
Professor Akor is also the immediate past Editor (2013-2017) of the Society’s professional journal, Nigerian Theatre Journal (NTJ), having also previously served as the National Treasurer (2009-2013). As Editor, he set the unprecedented record of producing eight (8) issues of the journal in four years and coordinated the publication of twenty-two books, four of which were personally edited by him, namely Performative Kinesis (2016), Repositioning Nollywood for the Promotion of Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy and National Security (2015), The Anxiety of Discourse (2015), Theatre, Creativity and Democratic Practice in Nigeria (2014).
SONTA is an organisation of Nigeria theatre, culture, media arts and film scholars/professionals. The bulk of its members are researching and teaching theatre, culture, film and media arts in Nigerian Universities and Colleges of Education that offer theatre, media arts, film and cultural studies. This body has existed since 1982 championing quality curricula, research and promotion of academic discourse and robust practice in the areas of theatre, media, film and culture. SONTA’s research interests has over the years revolved around the use of theatre, culture, film and the new media in facilitating sustainable democracy, peace building, moral and technological development in Africa.
The Society is equally a member of other International Theatre, Culture and Communication Societies such as the UNESCO sponsored International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC), International Theatre Institute (ITI), and the African Theatre Association (AfTA). SONTA has established academic contacts and exchanges with Universities in Canada, U.S.A, UK, Germany and several Asian countries. The Society has had over 23 Annual General Meetings (AGM) across the country, produced quality academic books and journals in the field of theatre and film studies since inception.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of FUNAI, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba has congratulated the professor of drama for his academic and leadership astuteness, which made members of his professional association to have found him worthy of been elected to serve in such high position, urging other members of staff to always exhibit excellence in their various academic endeavours.