Before Stardom With… Qudus Onikeku

Can you tell us about your educational background?

I attended Ijeshatedo Boys Secondary School in Surulere, Lagos. When I left secondary school, I realised that I wanted to go fully into dancing. I later got admission to study at the National Higher School of Circus Arts in Chalons-en-Champagne, France, and graduated from there.

How did you discover your creative abilities?

It’s something that has always been in me. As a child, I was always into dancing, especially at children’s parties where there were dancing competitions, and I would always win. When I was schooling in Surulere, I saw someone perform acrobatics, which gave me the spark. From there, I started learning it by myself and later joined a dance club in my school, becoming captain after a year. That’s where my natural flair developed.

Were your parents in support of your dancing performances?

No, not at all. We had to fight, and I thought it was a good fight because I don’t think I would be here if they had supported me at the time.

The fact of being a dancer was the first rebellious act I learned as a child because it was not just against my parents but also against society.

Successfully getting through that phase with my parents made me feel I could overcome any obstacles. My parents are now very much in support of me.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

I am from Abeokuta, and I knew the space created for dancers, especially since, in Islam, dancing is haram (prohibited). There was no way I could convince my family. As a Muslim, I believed my talent was God-given. It wasn’t something given to me by satan, so if God gave me this talent, how can one say it’s haram? There were psychological and sociological challenges. Society viewed dancers as riff-raff at events.

Would you say that stardom has opened doors for you?

I know stardom opens doors for people, but I think it’s my talent and intelligence that did it. In the course of that, I’ve entered several spaces where there is genuine respect for talent and cultured people.

As the founder of QDance Company, what’s your assessment of the creative industry in Nigeria?

There has been incredible growth in the last few years, and I’m very happy to be an integral part of it. There is a lot we can achieve if certain things are set in a certain way. The amount of impact we can make if the government takes us seriously and comes to our aid is significant.

Is there any project you are currently working on?

We are working on the Afropolis project, which will be one of the biggest creative festivals that Lagos has ever seen. It’s something we can build into a global brand in a short time.