Damilola Oligbinde (Ifenla), began her master’s degree programme at the University of Bradford in September 2025 as a Rotary Peace Fellow studying Peace, Conflict and Development.

During her academic programme at the university, she was the President of the Drama Society where she curated and organized several creative and theatric activities for the student community.

One of the activities she executed was a three-woman cast acting of Vagina Monologue, a short selection from the feminist classic by Eve Ensler in March 2026.

In May of this year, she was part of a group, Reachart Network, that produced a stage play, “Pit to Palace”, an adaptation of the story of Joseph in the Bible.

Apart from being a co-writer of the script that was used for the production, she played the lead role of “Josephine” in the play.

This was an innovative move that sought to disrupt traditional practices where men played male-inclined roles.

The production was witnessed by a diverse set of people in the Bradford community: African and Caribbean in diaspora, South Asian and British.

The motivation for Damilola to have ventured into this project was because she believed that creativity is a tool of peacebuilding with great potential on its own, rather than as an add-on.

Her debut in “Pit to Palace” was a deliberate creative process that shows that theatre is not gender biased, and when people embody a character, it gives them the opportunity to frame a world that is relatable to the audience.

When asked about her future plans as it relates to theatre, she says that theatre is not a destination for her, but a journey.

In her words, “While in the university as an undergraduate law student, I was part of a theatre group for over 5 years.

This period has shaped my writing and stage performance skills, and I must say that it has also helped me embrace my creative skills.

Apart from that, I run a community-based organization in Nigeria, Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation and we have been able to deliver different projects that allow young people to use their creativity for social change.

However, as a Rotary Peace Fellow, I am doing an MA in Peace, Conflict and Development at the University of Bradford, and I think I want to explore different areas of theatre, especially applied theatre, to tackle social issues in the UK, Nigeria and the world at large.