Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma
Executive Director
Born on February 13, 1956, Barclays Foubiri
Ayakoroma attended L.A. School and St. Enda_ÇÖs
College (now Agbarho Grammar School) all
in Agbarho, Delta State. He read Theatre
Arts at the University of Calabar, Cross
River State (1979-83), graduating with a
second class honours (upper) division. This
was followed with a Masters degree from the
University of Ibadan (1988/89) also in Theatre
Arts. His area of specialisation is Directing
/ TV _Çô Film Production.
Ayakoroma had a stint at Prof. J. P. Clark-Bekederemo_ÇÖs
PEC Repertory Theatre, Lagos in 1985 before
moving over to the Rivers State Television
(RSTV Channel 22 UHF) Port Harcourt, Rivers
State (1986-1992), where he held various
positions such as Operations Supervisor,
Head of Programmes, and Head of News and
Current Affairs. He has written, acted in,
and directed many plays on stage and TV.
He is the author of Dance on his Grave, A
Matter of Honour, and A Chance to Survive
& other plays. His other works include
Once Upon a Dream, Castles in the Air, A
Scar for Life, Strangers in the Land, The
Odi Saga and The Chief Engineer. His screenplays
include Master in the House, Castles in the
Air, Hidden Agenda, No Hiding Place, Ikemefuna,
and From Grace to Grass.
Ayakoroma, until recently, a Theatre Arts
Lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts,
University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, was
a Consultant with the Living Earth Nigeria
Foundation (LENF) where he pioneered the
Bayelsa Community Theatre Programme. His
collaboration with Arikpo Arikpo of LENF
has produced three collections of plays:
All for a Canoe & other plays, The Golden
Goose & other plays and Our Forest, Our
Future & other plays.
Ayakoroma has also collaborated with Arikpo
Arikpo and Dr. Emmanuel Oga, a Senior Lecturer
in the Department of Theatre Arts, University
of Port Harcourt to handle the MPP3 Enlightenment
Campaign through drama, under the consultancy
of LENF. The play, Once Upon a Letter, which
the trio scripted has been performed in many
communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers
States. He directed the production in the
Bayelsa State programme, as the Consultant
for LENF.
He was appointed the Executive Director of
the Bayelsa State Council for Arts &
Culture in August 2000, and he has contributed
immensely to the development of the State
Arts Council since his assumption of office
as its chief executive.
Ayakoroma was the leader of the Bayelsa State
delegation when the Egbelegbele Cultural
Troupe of Amassoma participated in the 2002
edition of the International Children_ÇÖs
Festival of Culture & Art in Tianjin,
China. The troupe also had performance engagements
in Beijing and Yanbian before returning home.
Ayakoroma is a member of many professional
bodies, which include the Nigerian Institute
of Public Relations (NIPR), the Association
of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and the Society
of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA). One
of his plays, The Rejected Ones, in A Chance
to Survive & Other Plays, placed second
in the 2003 edition of the ANA organized
NDDC/J.P. Clark Prize for Drama.
