The Lab Community

Taiwo Afolabi was born in Ilé-Ifè, Nigeria. He is a twin from a family of seven, the son of a clergy member and a retired primary school teacher. His performance experience started in church and school drama clubs. He received art training as an actor, director, and applied theatre practitioner at the University of Jos and University of Ilorin in Nigeria. After graduation, he participated in the UNESCO’s World Theatre Training Laboratory in China. He would later represent Nigeria in the UNESCO International Theatre Institute World Congresses. He is the coordinator of the ITI’s Network of Emerging Arts Professionals and sits on the executive board of the International Federation of Theatre Research. In 2012, he established Theatre Emissary International in Nigeria, a cultural center that utilizes arts to educate, conscientize, and create positive social change in society through stage performances, community-based arts projects, and research. Taiwo has worked in over fifteen countries across four continents and published his research globally. He is an alumnus of the United States International Visitor Leadership Program. Currently, he is completing his PhD in Applied Theatre at the University of Victoria, for which he devised theatre with refugees and designed a drama curriculum based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. As an educator, Taiwo finds creative ways to deepen understanding of racism, identity, conflict, and social justice.