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For more than two decades, acclaimed Nigerian theatre practitioner George Olafemi Olabode has demonstrated that drama can be one of the most effective tools for national development, social healing and behavioural change.
Behind his celebrated legacy, however, lies a powerful story of personal struggle and transformation.
Born with a physical deformity in both legs that made it difficult to walk properly, Olabode faced relentless bullying throughout his early school years. The experience left deep emotional scars and pushed him into a period of low self-esteem and substance abuse.
“There was a time I felt completely useless,” he would later admit. “Theatre became my escape. It saved me.”
That turning point became the philosophical foundation of his lifelong commitment to using theatre as a means of building human dignity and resilience.
After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Obafemi Awolowo University (and later a Post Graduate qualification in Performing Arts and Creative Business Management), Olabode began his community theatre work in earnest.
Later in 2010, he founded the African-History in Theatre Project to combat the growing narrative of Nigerian youth as promoters of advance-fee fraud and reparation crimes.
Relying entirely on self-funding and volunteer efforts, the initiative staged impactful productions across the country, highlighting values such as honesty, national pride and communal responsibility.
Between 2011 and 2013, Olabode led a 25-State Theatre Tour that reached audiences in rural villages, local schools and town halls. The tour achieved significant social impact, but in the midst of it, he suffered a devastating personal loss the death of his father, a respected veteran artist, painter and dramatist.
The emotional trauma forced him into a long period of depression and creative silence.
Rather than abandon the work, Olabode eventually returned to the stage with renewed conviction, using the experience to deepen his message of hope and emotional healing.
In 2015, he established Team Nigeria, a performance collective which later spearheaded two national attempts (2017 and 2024) to achieve the Guinness World Record for the Longest Marathon Theatre Performance by a Team. Although the record was not broken, both initiatives were widely praised for inspiring national unity and showcasing the possibilities of Nigerian artistic collaboration.
Olabode went on to found the Theatre-for-Humanity Initiative, which mobilises theatre performances to support children living with cancer and individuals battling serious health challenges. He also created the Theatre-Therapy Project to provide therapeutic theatre experiences for individuals affected by trauma, depression and emotional breakdown. Drawing directly from his own childhood experiences, he launched the School Theatre Project aimed at helping children build self-esteem and a positive identity through drama.
Over the years, he has worked with and led a number of theatre organizations’ including the Ibadan Stage Ensemble, Voice of Ancestors Theatre Troupe, Festival of Hope Collective, and Heritage Dramatists Union. His body of work includes acclaimed productions such as Night of the Broken Calabash, The Return of the Hunter King, Olurombi, Legend of Ooni Enitan, Seeds of the Ancestors (Benin Republic), Sacred Drum (Ghana Festival of Arts) and Echoes of Redemption (South Africa).
Olabode is also the author of “I Know Your Child is Having Sex” — a groundbreaking psycho-social narrative addressing hidden behavioural realities among children and teenagers and “The Ring”, a bestselling fiction novel widely acknowledged in literary circles.
His exceptional service has earned him multiple honours including the National Youth Creative Impact Award, African Theatre Renaissance Excellence Award, The Benin Cultural Merit Prize, Society of Nigerian Playwrights Special Recognition Award, and several Best Director and Best Actor accolades from national cultural festivals. In 2025, he received the much-celebrated Actors Guild of Nigeria Honours Commendation.
He has also received endorsements from professional bodies such as the Guild of Nigerian Theatre Directors, National Association of Nigerian Playwrights, Association of Nigerian Dramatic Arts Practitioners and the Pan-African Council on Culture and Development.
According to Mr. Areeson Isreal, Senior Research Head of the Nigerian Institute for Cultural Orientation, “George Olabode is an exceptional case of an artist who turned personal pain into national service. His theatre is not just a profession — it is an intervention.”
As Nigeria continues to confront serious social challenges, George Olafemi Olabode’s work stands as a compelling reminder that the arts can be a powerful solution in the rebuilding of society.