By Ufuoma E-Ashogbon | CEO/Project Leader
Last year, we met the young, beautiful and lovely Ibukun, while doing our search for children with talents to take part in our first of its kind Talent Search Competition, in partnership with Ultima Limited. Ibukun is a passionate young lady of 16 years, who loves acting and started acting in Church and in School, when she was only six years old. She says she wants to be a Play Writer or Actress in the future.
Ibukun is truly gifted, as her trainers at K.K.A Arts Academy attest to. During the competition, she showed a rare creative talent in acting, which transformed her into a character that you couldn't take your eyes off. She was skillful at incorporating humour and wisdom in her performances, and worked as well in a group as she did solo. It was no wonder she arose to become one of the six winners of the Fair Life Africa Talent Search, carrying the prize for her category - Drama.
The Talent Search Competition sought out not only children with talents, but children from less privileged homes. Ibukun met our criteria for support, as she resides in the impoverished Ajegunle community with her family of six. Her father sells tyres while her mother is a hairdresser, and their joint income is barely able to keep the children in school. Ibukun is not phased about her background, and knows that she's blessed with a gift for the world, and works hard to develop this talent.
All her hard work is already paying off, as Ibukun is starring in KKA's Production of Shallow Mirage, a movie about Teenage Pregnancy, which premiers on the 27th of November, 2016 at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos! She's already been on television, as part of their cast in the series 'Sparkle', which is currently showing on MITV, Mondays at 8:30pm and Saturdays at 7pm.
She's not only a budding actress, but an aspiring poet. She composed the poem below for the production on teenage pregnancy, and will be reading it on the day of the premier.
I hear the cry of a wailing trumpet
Loosing their virginity and pride
Making suffering mothers weep
Young youths follow bad company
Teenage friends deceive teenage friends
Out going club andow bad company illegal act
Not listening to the words of a wailing mother
"Oh my child, pregnancy"
I hear the cry of a wailing trumpet
The cry of an innocent teenager
Pains of motherhood
Making family clash
Oh why! why my child
Your friends have finally succeeded in deceiving you
You have not gotten to the stage of motherhood
You have finally brought
My leg out to the mud
Not listening to the words
Of a good mother
Who tried her possible best
You can't bear the pain
Of being a mother
I hear the unique sound of a gong
A good responsible mother
Talking to her dear teenage daughter
"Oh my child stay away from bad friends"
Beat from gong rather than sound from trumpet.
We are all so proud of our girl, Ibukun! We know that she will surely go places. She has indeed moved from Disadvantage to Advantage! Please keep supporting us as raise more brilliant children, and help them to achieve their goals in life, despite disadvantage. Ibukun has a sponsor, Stella Chinwem Ilodianya Educational Foundation. Would you like to sponsor a child with us?
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