A Nigerian independent theatre company, Arojah Royal Theatre, is set to represent the country at the 2026 Cradle of Creativity Festival, an international theatre and performing arts festival for children and young people in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The company will present LEAH, a play written and directed by its Artistic Director, Jerry Adesewo, at The Market Theatre from August 31 to September 6, 2026.

The production, which draws inspiration from the story of Leah Sharibu, the Nigerian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram in Dapchi, Yobe State, in February 2018, is scheduled for three performances at the Barney Simon Theatre on September 4, 5 and 6.

Sharibu was among more than 100 schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi. Although most of the girls were later released, Sharibu remained in captivity, with uncertainty continuing to surround her fate.

Through LEAH, Adesewo turns the unresolved story into an exploration of courage, faith, resilience, education, memory and the enduring impact of conflict on children and young people.

According to the festival programme, the play follows Leah from her life as a carefree schoolgirl in Dapchi through abduction, captivity, forced marriage and motherhood, while highlighting the resilience and hope that sustain her.

For Adesewo, the production is less about attempting to provide answers to a story whose ending remains uncertain than ensuring that Leah’s name is not lost from public memory.

“LEAH is ultimately about remembering,” Adesewo said. “It is about what happens when a young person disappears and the world gradually moves on. Theatre gives us an opportunity to bring Leah back into the public consciousness, not by pretending to know what happened to her, but by refusing to allow her name and story to disappear.”

The Johannesburg presentation also comes at an important moment for the Cradle of Creativity, organised by ASSITEJ South Africa.

The 2026 edition coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, in which young people protested against apartheid education policies. The festival is consequently placing youth courage, activism, creativity and the capacity of young people to effect change at the heart of its artistic programme.

For Arojah Royal Theatre, the invitation provides an opportunity to take a Nigerian story into a wider African and international conversation about children, conflict, displacement, human rights and the power of theatre to preserve memory.

The production features Folashade Olafisoye as Leah, while Ezra Ibrahim plays the Commander/Captor and also handles music and serves as Assistant Director.

Banji Joshua Olayiwola plays Shuaib/Idris and doubles as drummer and Stage Manager. Felicia Fadeke Jerry-Adesewo handles costume, make-up and administration, while also playing Mama Leah. Pope Egbuche is the Technical Director.

Running for 60 minutes, LEAH is recommended for audiences aged 13 and above.

The scheduled performances are Friday, September 4, at 2.30pm; Saturday, September 5, at 4.30pm; and Sunday, September 6, at 11.30am.

The Cradle of Creativity brings together theatre-makers and performing artists from South Africa, other parts of Africa and the wider international theatre community. Its programme includes performances, workshops, professional development activities and opportunities for intercultural exchange.

Arojah Royal Theatre’s participation therefore goes beyond presenting a single Nigerian production. It places Nigerian theatre within a broader discussion about Theatre for Young Audiences, African storytelling, inclusive artistic practice and the responsibility of the performing arts to confront difficult social realities.

The company was founded and is led by Adesewo, a playwright, director and theatre practitioner. Based in Abuja, Arojah Royal Theatre focuses on original Nigerian theatre, artist development, cultural exchange and the use of theatre for social reflection, advocacy and community engagement.

LEAH had its exclusive premiere in Nigeria on Saturday, August 22, ahead of the company’s international presentation in Johannesburg.

Following its return from South Africa, Arojah Royal Theatre is expected to stage a public performance of the play in Abuja on Sunday, September 27, at Whisper Art Haus, Maitama.

The Abuja presentation will give local audiences another opportunity to encounter a story that has remained one of Nigeria’s most painful unresolved memories.

In taking LEAH to Johannesburg, Arojah Royal Theatre is, in effect, asking audiences not only to witness the story of a young girl whose life was violently interrupted, but also to reflect on what societies choose to remember, what they allow to fade, and what theatre can preserve when history remains unfinished.