Jahman Oladejo Anikulapo studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan, specialising in Directing, Dramatic Theories and Criticisms.
Aside practising as a performing artiste since June 1980, he has been an Arts and Culture Journalist since 1984, writing mostly on the Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Literature, Film and Cultural Affairs.
He joined The Guardian in 1987 as an Arts Reporter and rose to be Arts & Media Editor (Daily) 1992-1999; Group Literary Editor/Deputy Editor (1999-2003), and Editor, The Guardian on Sunday (2003-2013).
He also operates as Culture Curator, Producer, Programmist and Consultant to major local and continental cultural projects e.g National Festival of Arts, NAFEST; Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) 2010-2015; African Drums Festival (ADF) 2015-2019; Market for African Performing Arts, MASA, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire – 2007-2019; Pan-African Film Festival, FESPACO, Ougadougou, Burkina Faso – 1997-2003; Pan-African Theatre Festival PANAFEST, Ghana – 1992-2001; Festival sur Niger, FSN, Segou-Mali – 2015-2019, etc.
He was Country Chairman & West Africa Representative Arterial Network (AN), the pan-African network of artists, arts organisations and culture creators, 2015-2017.
He is Prog. Chairman Committee for Relevant Art, CORA (1993-date), the platform through which he has directed and produced the annual Lagos Book & Arts Festival, LABAF since 1999, and as well curated numerous literary and literacy campaign events, including the regular CORA BookTrek series usually targeted at Secondary school students, undergraduates and youths in general.
He is Executive Director, Culture Advocates Caucus, CAC, through which he has created, produced and co-ordinated or directed programming contents for major cultural projects around the continent as well as in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.
Presently, he has led the CAC to partner on most major culture projects such as the Lagos Book & Art Festiva (1999-date)l; IREP International Documentary Film Festival (2010-date); Lagos International Jazz Festival 2012-2019; Lagos International Poetry Festival (2014-date), while also handling core programming assignments for the Lagos Black Heritage Festival; Lagos@50 Festival (2017) and lately African Drum Festival.
Continentally, the CAC functions in the advisory committees of major projects such as Market for Africa Performing Arts, MASA, Great Trading Empires of Africa, among others.
He is programme designer/consultant to many literary and art festivals around the country. He serves in the Steering Committee (Culture & Creative Economy) of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG.
Publications (Selected)
– A vote for Tolerance (Co-author); ICRC 1997
– Points in Treasures 1-IV (Compilation of Arts Writings); 1992-2002
– Bytes of Treasures: Rhythms of a Cultural Troubadour; Clear Coast Pubs; 2013
– Ben Tomoloju: Essentials of a Culture Communicator (Co-Ed); ACP, UK; 2014
– Who’s Who in the Yoruba Pantheon (Co-Author); Iwalewa Books, Bayreuth
NB: He has also contributed chapters and Essays to numerous publications
Awards: (Selected)
– National Council for Arts & Culture Distinguished Award for Upliftment of Nigerian Culture – 2002
– Institute of African Studies, UI Award for Excellence in Journalism – 2014
– African Heritage Development Award for Excellence;
– SONTA Distinguished Award for Excellence
– Barbara Abike Epperson Distinguished Award for Culture Curation
– Nollywood Distinguished Award for Arts Writing (2012)
– Fellow of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, fta (2012)
– Lagos Studies Association, LSA 2024 Distinguished Award (2024)
– UNESCO Cultural Defenders Award (2024)