Bolanle Austen-Peters Becomes First Nigerian Woman to Build Private Theatre

Mary Ekah

Setting up a business in the art industry is no easy feat. It takes a lot of hard work, patience and dedication with the mass of people and personalities that come with it.

Making a name for yourself in this industry is even more difficult, as the setbacks and naysayers can be a bit discouraging, but this was not the case with Bolanle Austen-Peters.

With the tremendous growth of Terra Kulture came the growth of Bolanle’s involvement in the arts, she noticed that there was an absence of spaces and resources for artists, thespians and theatre enthusiasts to thrive and decided to do something about it. This gave rise to the birth of Terra Kulture Arena a 400-seater, state of the art theatre.

The theatre, which also doubles as a movie-screening venue, will host a range of shows, plays and musicals when it opens. It will also have the challenging role of providing Lagos, its environs, and Nigeria as a whole with a wide schedule of theatre, comedy, music and dance.

Thanks to the determination of Bolanle, the arts and culture industry has entered a revolutionary era and will never be the same again with the opening of Terra Kulture Arena come March 19, 2017 at 1376 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Born into the family of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Bolanle started out as a lawyer in her father’s firm and then proceeded to work with the United Nations. Her specialty in International Law was not relevant in Nigeria when she moved back in 2003 so she decided to follow her passion in theatre and literature.

She started Terra Kulture with a vision to create an artistic space to celebrate Nigeria’s music, literary arts, food and clothing, a space that would capture the essence of Nigeria’s culture and would be accessible to locals and foreigners alike.