The Terra Academy for the Arts has held its third graduation ceremony, celebrating the creative transformations of its students.
The colourful event was held on Friday, April 11, 2025 at the Terra Kulture Arena, in Victoria Island, Lagos.
With the theme, “Celebrating Creative Transformations,” the ceremony highlights the significant artistic growth of TAFTA’s students.
As a social transformation project conceived by Bolanle Austen-Peters, with the partnership of Mastercard Foundation, TAFTA addresses critical expertise gaps and gender imbalances in Nigeria’s creative sectors, particularly in technical areas like stage lighting, sound design, and animation, where young women are now excelling.
Notably, TAFTA’s impactful programmes have up-skilled and empowered more than 30,000 young people through technical training, practical workshops, mentorship, business registration and enterprise support, with an impressive 19,000 securing employment, gigs, and other opportunities within the creative industry so far.
“TAFTA, born from the legacy of Terra Kulture, is a social transformation project committed to up-skilling young creatives in vital technical fields and fostering gender equality,” an excited Mrs. Austen-Peters announced at the ceremony.
“Today’s graduation celebrates the remarkable journey of our students, adding to the over 30,000 individuals we have trained, with more than 19,000 recorded to have secured work so far. We are particularly proud of the growing number of talented female stage lighting, sound design, and animation artists emerging from our programs. We invite corporations to join us in recognising their transformation and the broader impact of TAFTA,” she said.
The graduation ceremony featured a procession, a keynote address by Ms. Rosy Fynn, Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, participants’ showcases in the short film, theatre, and social media content, and the awarding of certificates.
One of the participants, Adepegba Emmanuel, was full of joy in sharing her experience: “TAFTA truly transformed my understanding of the creative industry and my writing career. The programme equipped me with practical skills, boosted my confidence, and connected me with a valuable network, directly leading to my first content writing role.”
Conceived by Bolanle Austen-Peters as a social transformation project, Terra Academy for the Arts provides high-quality arts education in Nigeria, addressing critical skills gaps and gender imbalances within the creative sector.
Building on the foundation of Terra Kulture, TAFTA has trained over 30,000 young people, with 19,000 securing employment in the creative industry. TAFTA offers comprehensive programs that nurture talent and promote innovation, with notable success in empowering young women in technical fields like stage lighting, sound design, and animation.
