Kakadu for Africa Day celebrations
After three years of very successful performances in Nigeria and Davos, Switzerland, the award-winning Kakadu the Musical will be on stage at the Nelson Mandela Theatre, Johannesburg as part of the Africa Day Celebrations from June 7 to 18, 2017. This was announced by the Executive Producer, Jo’burg City Theatres Claire Pacariz.
“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. Africa Day as you know is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 23, 1963, when on that day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia”, Ms. Pacariz said.
Kakadu, the Musical is based on several pivotal events that happened in Nigeria between 1965 and 1974, the watershed years immediately following independence from British colonial rule, leading to the Biafran War and the aftermath of that war. It is written and produced by one of the leading lawyers in Nigeria, Uche Nwokedi (SAN). Musical direction and orchestration is by Benneth Ogbeiwi and the artistic and technical direction is by Kanayo Omo.
With a strong plot, captivating storyline, spectacular dance and a blend of the anglo-american soul and pop music of the fifties and sixties that influenced musical expressions in 1960s Africa, High life music, Afrobeat and traditional Nigerian folk music, Kakadu is the most wonderfully eclectic musical ever performed anywhere. It is a unique “must-see, must experience” production.
“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…” says the writer and producer, Uche Nwokedi (SAN). Kakadu joins a long list of world-class productions invited to the Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg.