With steady progress in plans towards hosting the 2015 Annual International Conference of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has called for Abstracts and Submission of Papers from theatre scholars and interested participants ahead of the conference.
A press release signed by Caleb Nor, on behalf of the Conference Convener and Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma states that, this year’s SONTA Annual International Conference to be hosted by Nigeria’s apex cultural training institute, the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), has as theme: “Repositioning Nollywood for the Promotion of Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy and National Security,” and is scheduled for August 4th-5th, 2015, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja-FCT.
It is worthy of note that SONTA 2015 has interest in exploring the linkages between Nollywood, Cultural Diplomacy and the peace and security challenges militating against the country and hopes to go beyond a mere talk-shop to proffer veritable ideas to reposition Nollywood, as a veritable tool for fostering Nigeria’s cultural diplomacy.
Suggested sub-themes for the conference include: the Sociology and Political Economy of Nollywood; Nollywood, National Security and Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy; the Aesthetics and Semiotics of Nigerian Films’ Gender Discourse and Nollywood; the Impact of Globalization on Nollywood, Nollywood and Cultural Re-orientation; Drama, Theatre and Nollywood; the Departure Point: From the Script to the Screen; Music, Dance and Nollywood; Costume/Makeup Arts and Nollywood; Nollywood and the Social Media; Issues of Funding, Distribution and Piracy in Nollywood; Culture, National Security and Nollywood; Reinventing Nollywood Beyond Borders; Expanding Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy Objectives; the Creative Industries and Nigeria’s Cultural Diplomacy; Media Criticism, Culture and Nollywood, and so on.
The release further states that interested participants are expected to forward abstracts of not more than 250 words as well as brief bio-data to dr.barclays2012@gmail.com, info@nico.gov.ng, sonta.nico2015@gmail.com and sontaeditor@gmail.com, and that the deadline for submission of abstracts is April 30, 2015, while the deadline for submission of full papers is June 30, 2015.
Caleb Nor
For: Publicity Sub-Committee