IROKO Theatre Company

About IROKO

IROKO Theatre Company is based in Newham, East London, and was founded in 1996 to use African art forms as a vehicle for enhancing health, wellbeing, education and skills of people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities. Through our work we aim to support people to achieve their full potential and improve their quality of life. 

Educational programmes

We work with schools, colleges and other educational settings, using African art forms - oral storytelling, drumming, dance, arts and craft to enhance pupils’ education through inspirational informal learning activities.  We also deliver inclusion programmes for early years’ children and people with special educational needs and disabilities.  

Health and Wellbeing activities

We use creative art activities, such as group music-making and reminiscence storytelling, as a means to enhance the health and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly older people, many of whom are living with mental and/or physical disabilities e.g. dementia, rheumatoid arthritis. During the coronavirus pandemic we have also delivered creative activities to NHS staff and patients to help manage their fears, stress and anxiety. 

Training and CPD

We provide certificated training programmes for teachers (including SEND), early years’ practitioners, education students and youth workers who are looking for new ideas and inspirational ways of using creative arts to motivate and stimulate imagination and curiosity.

Community and Heritage activities

We use our work to raise awareness and enhance knowledge of African arts, culture and heritage by holding workshops, performances, exhibitions and carrying out research into African heritage at risk. We also offer inter-generational and inclusive African cultural activities for occasions such as family fun days, festivals and community events.

IROKO Objectives

We aim to utilise the medium of African creative arts to facilitate community cohesion, inter-cultural understanding, family bonding and inter-generational relationships amongst people of all backgrounds and abilities, particularly amongst people from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or those with English as a second language.

Our programmes use African creative art approaches to develop the soft skills of participants, including communication, listening, team working, problem-solving and employability skills.  We use the art forms to develop self-esteem and confidence of participants, particularly children and young people having difficulties with formal education, people with special educational needs and those of African/Caribbean background experiencing issues of identity and inclusion. Through engaging with our activities, we aim to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of participants, particularly those experiencing anxiety, trauma, social isolation, loneliness or symptoms of stress. 

Our work aims to celebrate, interpret and explain African heritage and culture, so that more people and a wider range of people will be able to engage with the heritage, learn about it and have informed and changed attitudes and/or behaviour towards it.