Renown performance director and dance scholar, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare , will deliver the second Inaugural Lecture of Federal University Oye- Ekiti, the University management has announced.
The Professor of Choreography and Performance Aesthetics in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts of the University will deliver the lecture titled: THE HEALING PROPERTIES OF THE PERFORMATIVE TRINITY FOR A TROUBLED SOCIETY, on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Science Lecture Theatre, Oye Campus.
Prof. Bakare started his career as a Graduate Assistant in 1990. He became a Lecturer II in 1992, Lecturer 1 in 1997, Senior Lecturer in 2000, Associate Professor in 2005 and full Professor in 2011.
He was Artiste- Scholar in – residence at the University of West Indies, Edna Manley School of Performing Arts and National Dance Theatre Company, Jamaica in 2003. Also, through a grant from PASMAE and UNISA, Prof Bakare was in University of Pretoria, South Africa for a collaborative research on African Musical Arts Education in 2003.
A member of the Teaching Artists Research Group, Oslo, Norway, 2013 and the Carnival Research Roundtable, Trinidad and Tobago, 2012, Prof Bakare has also benefitted from research and workshop grants provided by Fords Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, SWAAN, UNFPA, C4C and NCWS.
His works have represented Nigeria in International Competitions winning laurels for the country. Some of them are Friendship International Festival, North Korea, 1997, Afrika- in Tyrol Festival, Austria, 1999, Africa Peace Tour, Mozambique, 2002, Gauteng Carnival, Soweto, South Africa, 2010. He was a leading member of Nigeria’s contingent to Cervantino Theatre Festival, Mexico in 2001.
Prof Bakare was Choreographer, Gambia National Troupe, 1994- 1996 , Acting Head of Drama, National Troupe of Nigeria, 2001, and Artistic Director/ CEO Nigeria National Carnival, Abuja ,2009-2013.
Among his over 200 directed performances were three Presidential Inauguration command performances: Jagunmolu,1999, Voyage, 2007 and Langbodo , 2011. Bakare directed the culture content of the Heart of Africa project with performances in London, Paris and other cities of the World. He also directed the performances of the opening and closing ceremonies of National Sports Festival, 2004, NUGA 2009, Nigeria Police Games 2016 and supervised the performances of the opening and closing ceremonies of FIFA U-17 World Cup 2009.
A member of International Dance Council ( CID),UNESCO, Member,National Academy of Letters, Fellow, Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists, Fellow, Dance Guild of Nigeria and National Adviser, Theatre and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Prof Bakare has over fifty publications in peer reviewed Journals and books across the globe.
Before joining Federal University, Oye – Ekiti in 2011, Prof Bakare, at different times had been a staff of University of Calabar, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, University of Uyo and University of Abuja. He has also worked in Imo State University, Delta State University, Kogi State University and Olabisi Onabanjo University in adjunct capacity. He is currently, Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies ,Federal University, Oye-Ekiti.
