By Onu Okorie
European Union (EU) is opening a new front in its engagement with Nigeria by expanding support for the country’s creative economy, with fresh funding opportunities, skills development and international partnerships expected to give artists greater access to global platforms.
The initiative is shifting attention beyond conventional cultural exhibitions towards co-creation, professional training and cross-border artistic production, with Nigeria emerging as a key platform for connecting African and European creatives.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, disclosed this in Lagos at the maiden Lagos Contemporary Circus Festival, organised by the National Theatre with EU sponsorship.
The festival, themed ‘Circus in motion,’ brought together performers from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire and Switzerland for a programme designed to showcase contemporary circus as an emerging form of artistic expression in Nigeria.
Mignot said the EU was developing new projects and funding opportunities to support cultural events and artists across Nigeria and Africa.
According to him, the difficult global environment makes investment in culture and the creative economy even more important.
“We need more cultural action, not less. We need more funding for culture, for the arts, for the creative economy,” he said.
From performances to creative partnerships
The EU’s emerging approach places greater emphasis on what happens after the stage performances—training artists, developing joint productions and creating networks that can allow African creatives to work with their European counterparts.
Mignot said the EU wanted to finance more co-creations involving artists from different countries through workshops, training and other forms of artistic exchange.
“What we hope is to create a dynamic because beyond these shows, there are co-creations, trainings, workshops between all these artists,” he said.
He said the festival illustrated the potential of such partnerships, describing the performances as international, colourful, energetic and contemporary.
The EU has also supported the recent Kano Creative Summit organised by the National Theatre and is partnering with film festivals across Nigeria.
Mignot further disclosed that the EU would support the Lagos Biennial of Contemporary Art in November, signalling broader engagement with Nigeria’s cultural and creative ecosystem.
Young Nigerians as the next creative workforce
For the National Theatre, the emerging contemporary circus industry could provide another avenue for young Nigerians to develop specialised skills and create stories that can travel beyond the country’s borders.
The General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the National Theatre, Tola Akerele, said contemporary circus combines dance, movement, acrobatics, sport and physical performance.
“Nigeria is a young contemporary circus festival, but there’s so much potential. Contemporary circus is dance, it’s movement, it’s acrobatics, it’s sport,” she said.
Akerele said the festival was intended not only to entertain but also to help Nigerians understand the art form and appreciate its potential.
She said collaboration with international artists demonstrated that Nigeria could develop its own contemporary circus narratives while drawing from global artistic techniques.
The model could create opportunities for young people beyond performing, including training in choreography, production, stage management, costume, technical production and other areas of the creative industry.
Access becomes part of the strategy
Akerele also identified public access as critical to building a sustainable audience for new forms of cultural expression.
The inaugural festival was free, allowing families, children, young adults and older people to attend.
“This is a free show. Everyone can come in. So we want more of this. The community is here. Everyone can have access,” she said.
The large turnout suggested strong public interest, with guests arriving hours before the performances at Lawn A of the National Theatre.
As the venue filled, some spectators stood to watch, while food, drinks, barbecue and popcorn vendors contributed to the festival atmosphere. Lagos Blue Line trains also passed near the venue at intervals.
African stories on an international stage
The performances provided an example of how international collaboration could be combined with African cultural identity.
An Ethiopia-Nigeria co-creation featured dancers, gymnasts, acrobats and a contortionist, while Swiss performer and cyclist Jessica Arpin engaged spectators during her performance.
Nigerian contortionist Samuel Udoh and Ivorian artists also performed using African costumes, props and sounds, blending local cultural elements with contemporary circus techniques.
The audience remained engaged into the night.
For Mignot, the next challenge is to ensure that the festival becomes more than a one-off cultural event.
He expressed hope that subsequent editions would attract additional sponsors and establish the festival as a regular platform for international artists.
If sustained, the initiative could strengthen Nigeria’s position in the international creative economy by connecting its young artistic population to skills, funding, international networks and new markets, while giving Nigerian artists greater opportunities to tell their own stories to global audiences.
