AFRO CARIBBEAN CULTURE & ART COMMUNITY CENTRE

SPEAKERS AND GUESTS

Ambassador T.Y. Buratai (Nigeria)

Tukur Yusuf Buratai, is a retired Nigerian Army lieutenant general and former longest serving Chief of Army Staff appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2015. Hailing from Buratai town in Borno State, he is the son of Yusuf Buratai, a World War II veteran. Buratai's military career boasts various command roles, including his tenure as Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force. Educated at the University of Maiduguri and Bangladesh University of Professionals, he holds degrees in history and philosophy. Buratai was relieved of his position on 26 January 2021 and immediately appointed as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the republic of Benin. He is a writer, farmer and art patron. He is the founder of the T.Y. Buratai Literary Initiative, and organisation through which he has constantly related with the art community since bowing out of his military career.

Teresa Oyibo Ameh (Nigeria)

Ameh, the firstborn in a large family, pursued her university education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she majored in Library Science and English. Her literary journey has led her to contribute significantly to children's literature, having authored eight books, including "The Twins Visit," "The Stepmother and Other Stories," and "The Only Son." In 2017, she unveiled "The Torn Petal" in Abuja, Nigeria. Her commitment to the arts garnered her recognition from the Abuja Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors. Ameh's work stands as a testament to her dedication to fostering a love for literature among young readers. Teresa, who served as a two-term Vice Chairman of Abuja Chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, is the founder and president of a literary NGO, Aunty Talatu Reads Foundation.

Victor Gulley (USA)

Victor Gulley is a playwright, musician, and founder of A Taste of Theatre Festival. He was born and raised in Evanston, IL and went to Howard University to pursue a business degree. After working in the computer field as a Network engineer, Victor was asked to create a theatrical production for a company he was working with in 2005. He is known for his work in Kimpact the Consequences of Kindness, Her Last Breath (2021) and Vengence Is Mine (2020)2. He also created the Upstage App, which is a virtual tool for every theatre producer and practitioner.

Viviane Juguero (Brazil/Norway)

Viviane Juguero is a playwright, researcher, actress and professor. She holds a Bachelor, Specialist, Master and Doctorate in Performing Arts from the Brazilian Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. In her PhD, where she developed the concept of "radical dramaturgy", she was a visiting scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She is the author of theoretical articles and sixteen artistical dramaturgies published in books or performed in Brazil and abroad, in theatre and audiovisual. As professor, she has been teaching dramaturgy and the specificities of theatre for children, besides other aspects relating the social and personal developments with the emotional roots of the theatricality. 

Dr. M.S. Abubakar (Nigeria)

Dr. M.S as he is fondly known, is a writer, publisher and historian. He is the Managing Director of the Sprezzatura Publishing, a Nigerian publishing company and owners of the media outlets: OurNigeriaNews Magazine, NorthEast Star Magazine, OurNigeria TV24 and Ournigerianews.com. 

Doyin Owobamirin (US)

Doyin Owobamirin is an International Fellow of Devos Institute of Art Management, University of Maryland, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, USA. He is presently the CEO of Fitila llc, a media company based in South Bend, Indiana.

In the past five years, he has done extensive work in Arts Management with special focus on incremental arts patronage. Within the same frame of time, Mr. Owobamirin has been engaged as an Arts Management consultant by a number of private organizations and government agencies. MUSON Centre, Abuja Metropolitan Music Society (AMEMUSO), the National Theatre of Ghana, Solution Media's High Impact, Globalcom Nigeria's Community Connect CUG, Guinness PLC, the Ogun State Community Development Council, LifeArt, Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Kogi and Nassarawa State's Council for Arts and Culture are a few of the organizations for which he has consulted on different levels.

Makeda Solomon (Jamaica)

Makeda Solomon is a multi-talented actress, ‘livity’ coach, and drama teacher who was born in England and moved to Jamaica in 1995. She has won two Actor Boy awards for her roles in ‘What The Hell Is Happening To Us Dear?’ and ‘Who Will Sing For Lena?’. She is also the founder of the Light Movements Drama Club, which offers drama and fine-art workshops for children and adults in Montego Bay. She is known for her passion, versatility, and flair on stage, as well as her involvement in community theatre and social issues.

Mathew Jennings, PHD (Australia/Northern Ireland)

Mathew Jennings is a director of instructional technology at the School of Nursing at Ulster University. He is also involved in an interdisciplinary pedagogical project that uses applied drama techniques to enhance nursing skills, such as sympathetic presence and person-centered care. He has given presentations on multidisciplinary teamwork in musculoskeletal conditions, using case studies and role play scenarios to illustrate the benefits of chronic care management.

Diba Otang, (Muyuka-Cameroon)

Diba Otang J “Blerk is a seasoned Cameroonian Director of photography and Editor, He is member of the Advisory council of the Cameroon Film Industry (CFI), manager at Omega 1 Entertainments and Head of media at Moneyfex UK. He is the founder of Blerk Visuals. He has many film credits and awards across the globe, from Netflix to prime TV.