Star actress, Funke Akindele has urged Nigerian youths to believe in themselves and go out and conquer in their bid to realise their dreams. Akindele made this remark during her address to the first set of graduands of her drama school, Scene One, in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.
She commended the graduands' success which she said must have been achieved through personal sacrifice, perseverance and dedication. The graduation ceremony which took place at the school's rehearsal ground was attended by the graduands parents, family members and friends, who, she said, like the graduands, would remember the occasion for the rest of their lives. She urged the 28 graduands to spread their wings and use the tools they have sharpened to carve a niche for themselves in the entertainment industry.
"This achievement is one that is seldom managed without the support of those nearest to us and today is a celebration which you're very much part of, too." Akindele who was joined at the graduation ceremony by other celebrities including Uche Jombo, JJC, El-dee, Tiwa Savage, Segun Obe, Eniola Bhadmus, Ariyike Akinbobola, Feyikemi Olayinka, James Abinibi and Dammy Krane also shared her story of doggedness and steadfastness on her road to fame.
"When I started this journey many years ago, the Nigerian movie industry was unforgiving and difficult to navigate. I learnt first-hand how to use the resources at my disposal to break into the industry... writing scripts deep into the night.... Tolerating rejection...blood... sweat and tears. What all these taught me was success comes with hardwork and guts but more importantly, it taught me you must have the proper tools and attitude"
The consequence, she said, "I took it upon myself to teach aspiring actors, producers, dancers how to develop their talents properly to increase their chances at breakthroughs in their creative careers.
One of the graduands, a degree holder, Adeleke Temitope, shared her experience. "It can best be described as an awesome, wonderful experience, quite impactful. I look forward to experimenting all I have learnt here and I know myself and my colleagues stand a good chance."
One of the lecturers and Dance Instructor, Mrs. Yeside Dosunmu-Lawal said: "It was like working with people with two left legs in the beginning, it was tough because most of them lacked root, so I encouraged them to come back home to know traditional dance. They were made to understand they have to understand traditional to know contemporary. I know they will make it and of course, they have started to make it."
The Dance Instructor, Seun Oluwabusuyi added: "It was not funny when we started the class. I really found it interesting that with time they were able to interpret music and compose. My prayer is that they will soar high and get to their destinations." Earlier, eL-dEE, Tiwa Savage, Uche Jombo, Dammy Krane, Segun Obe and Eniola Bhadmus had shared some rela life experiences before they hit stardom. Individually, they gave the graduands motivational talks on creative career and how to keep their dreams alive in the face of rejection.
One of the major highlights of the graduation ceremony was the presentation of prizes to some outstanding students in major courses- Goke Olalere- Best Student Introduction to Drama, Best Student in Music- Olamide Olowe, Best Student-Traditional Dance-Femi Joseph. Each of them automatically would get a prominent role in Akindele's next flick, Everybody Loves Jenifa.
The Scene One School of Drama, a sub unit of Jenifa Foundation was established in 2011 with 25 students on admission with a minimum Secondary School Certificate of Education (SSCE) qualification. The school which offers a wide variety of creative courses including Introduction of Drama, Traditional and Contemporary Dance, Music, Etiquette and Manners, was borne out of the need to create a creative platform for the youths to discover, develop and showcase their God-given talent.
Scene One offers a training system that combines solid academic experience with practical hand-on-traini ng hours twice weekly handled by competent and experienced tutors.
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