History of the Department
The Kwara State University, established in 2009 acknowledges itself as a centre for community development and entrepreneurship and, therefore, promotes programmes of impact to the community. As part of this vision, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Performing Arts programme, under the School of Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA), commenced academic programmes in the 2009/2010 session. The school was envisioned to later metamorphose into at least three departments viz. Fine and Applied Arts, Film and Film Production, and Performing Arts, in line with a collegiate system.
The aim of the Performing Arts programme includes empowering and training students as culture producers, especially in the areas of music, dance and drama, with additional bias for community development. The pioneering students who were only two (2) were transferred from other departments when the move to start the Performing Arts programme became a reality. Professor Awam Amkpa was the first Dean of the school, while Professor Ahmed Yerima was the Vice-Dean. Other members of staff were Mr. Malik (Television production) and Dr Femi Abiodun (Music). There were also visiting lecturers, such as Peter Badejo Obe (Dance), Ambrose Macro (Photography), and Aliu Mohammed (Dramatic Literature).
In 2018, the Performing Arts, in its bid to revalidate its programme, got a partial accreditation from the National University Commission (NUC) and was fully reaccredited in 2021. Also in 2021, our film unit was reorganised and an application was submitted to the NUC for resource verification, a major step toward accreditation of the programme. The application recorded a huge success in the following year, and the programme is now being prepared for accreditation.
Ab initio, the vision of the University was to make the SVPA part of a Film Village arrangement within the University premises. The Film Village was to be the training ground for students of the SVPA. However, the Vice-Chancellor, Late Professor Mohammed Mustapha Akanbi SAN, decentralised the SVPA in 2020 when the collegiate system was discontinued. In view of this, the Performing Arts and the Film programmes are now domiciled in the Department of Performing Arts and Film Studies while Fine and Applied Arts now stands on its own as a department.
The Department of Performing Arts and Film Studies, currently headed by Dr. Michael Olanrewaju Agboola, is now in the University’s Faculty of Arts. Others who have headed the SVPA and the department (as a programme in SVPA) include Professor Jeleel Olasunkanmi Ojuade, Dr. Femi Abiodun, Prof. Femi Osofisan (Dean), Prof. Christopher Ugolo, Dr. Austin Emielu, Dr. Yemi Atanda, Prof. Oluremi Awogbade, and Mr. Lateef Rasheed. Currently, the department comprises four units: Drama, Dance, Music, and Film. The first three combined make the Performing Arts Programme.
Today, the Department has grown beyond what it was in 2009/2010. The population of the students is around three hundred and fifty (350), majoring in the four genres of Performing Arts and Film Studies, i.e., Drama, Dance, Music, and Film.
Philosophy
The following are the philosophy of the Performing Arts and Film Studies programmes:
- Train Artists which include Actors, Dancers, Directors, Playwrights, Filmmakers, Theatre Aestheticians, Costumiers, Cinematographer, Scholars and Practitioners for the growing Nollywood and theatre industry.
- Enrich the understanding of scholarship in the two areas of theatre and film.
- Develop vibrant artistic practices that are community-based.
- Prepare students for career engagement in the area of drama, dance, music and film at various levels of employment and professional practice both with the government establishments and the private sector.
To develop teaching methods that will enable Africans to play a maximum role in the international world of the Performing Arts/Theatre, Film, and multimedia and to lay the foundation for further studies (post-graduate and other studies), leading to specialisation in an aspect of one of the following: Drama/Theatre, Dance, Music, Film, and multimedia.
Vision Statement
To become a renowned centre of excellence with a competitive edge in artistic and scholarly training, taught by national and internationally recognised artists and scholars.
Mission Statement
To produce world-class artiste(s), with relevant technical and professional skills at the forefront of artistic practices, and scholarship, for the twenty-first century.