BOLANLE AUSTEN-PETERS: I would have been a dancer

Bolanle Austen-Peters, CEO Terra Kulture, is often described as a game changer who stormed the entertainment industry with a bang and has continued to stay at the top. In recent years, the lawyer-turned culture promoter has embraced entrepreneurship and excelled at it. In this interview with Omolara Akintoye, she reveals how she became an employer of labour, how she is impacting on the younger generation and why women should participate actively in politics, among others.

WHAT has life taught you?

Life is all about living. I intend to live the truest highest ‘bestest’ version of myself. That is what I want to do and nobody can give that to you, you have to give that to yourself. The question you should ask yourself daily is if you are living the best life that you can give yourself. That should be the driving force. That is what drives me.

Tell us about growing up

I was born 50 years ago to the family of Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I attended Command Secondary School, Ibadan, where I was the social perfect; and the International School Ibadan. I also attended the University of Lagos, where I read law, and earned a master’s degree in International Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. I used to be a tom boy while I was small, and this I will say has helped in shaping my life to become who I am today. I studied here in Nigeria and abroad. I am a trained lawyer and I practiced law for a while and also worked with the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Switzerland, United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the United Nations Developme nt Programme.

I am a lover of arts and culture arts. When I returned to Nigeria after my sojourn abroad, it was difficult to practice international law. The reason is that I discovered that international law is no longer relevant if you’re within the borders of Nigeria. I saw the need to do my own business. I wanted to create jobs; my years of working with the UN development agencies had opened my eyes to the importance of job creation. I realised that it was critical for me to become an employer and not an employee. That was how Terra Kulture was established in 2003.

How did Terra Kulture come into existence?

It’s about identity. It all started many years back when my children were small and they couldn’t speak their native (Yoruba) language; it was only English language they were speaking. I didn’t like that and I complained to my husband about it and he said “do something about it”. So I started going round all the cultural centres: Goethe Institute, The French School, etc. writing proposals of identity. That was how Terra Kulture came into existence; so Terra Kulture is about identity.

Terra Kulture is the Nigerian cultural centre, it is an educational and recreational organisation set up to promote the richness and diversity of Nigerian languages, arts and culture. I observed that there were few institutions effectively supporting Nigerian culture. There were, and remain, few places in Nigeria with the appropriate ambience for Nigerians and foreigners to learn about Nigeria’s cultural and linguistic heritage. The rest of the centre is comprised of the Nigerian language and craft school, reading and documentation centre, food lounge, the Terra art gallery and the Terra Arena, a multipurpose theatre.

Today, Terra Kulture, a private sector initiative, is already a resounding success and recognised as a major cultural hub in Lagos, Nigeria. In recognition of its importance, Terra has attracted visits from internationally recognised personalities such as Roberto Cavalli, Forest Wheatbaker Ben Stiller and many diplomats and highly placed local and foreign government functionaries. It has hosted many repeat visits from local and international students from Harvard, MIT, Chinese University of Hong Kong and many others.

Terra Kulture is comprised of various units including the following:

Nigerian language and craft school where Nigerian languages are taught and seeks to ensure that Nigerian languages are passed on from generation to generation and made popular at home and abroad. There is also the Craft Shop section that promotes made in Nigeria gift and craft items. It has helped in redeveloping the Nigerian hand-craft industry, creating employment and a steady source of income for over 60 craftsmen and women.

We also have the Reading and Documentation Centre, which stocks a wide variety of books on Nigeria and Africa as a whole. The unit anchors book readings, book fairs and organises symposia and lectures on selected topics. It is proud to have hosted readings by renowned Nigerian authors such as Wole Soyinka, Sefi Atta, Chimamanda Adichie, et al. The book reading sessions have helped to develop new writers and re-awakened the Nigerian reading culture.

Art Gallery features thematic exhibitions focusing on the diversity of Nigeria by celebrating the different cultures and people of Nigeria. The gallery also organises interactive sessions with renowned members of the art community. The gallery has been in partnership with the Ford Foundation since inception.

What are your greatest achievements?

One of my greatest achievements was staging my plays in London.  I am glad that we have been able to showcase Nigerian culture to the global audience. You know anywhere you go you will always see a South African, an American, the question is where are Nigerians? We are changing perception, we are changing content, we are changing the way people see us. Infrastructure is critical to arts because without theatre, without museum, galleries, you cannot really do anything. It is like movies.We started stage play about seven years ago through our Terra Kulture Initiative. We opened our doors and we began to grow the industry slowly at that time when theatre wasn’t so popular, and over the past seven years, the brand has grown steadily; now it is crossing borders. Like every new venture, it was difficult initially. However, with sponsorship, things are looking up on the brighter side. As I speak, Terra Kulture is going to South Africa with Fela and the Kalakuta Group with invitation by the government of South Africa.

Why did you jettison law for the art?

I was working as an international lawyer with the United Nations and when I returned home I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and clearly the arts was fascinating.

What kind of person is your father?

He is a very hardworking person and also very purposeful. If he sets out to do something, he must do it. An example of his determined spirit is the fact that despite being in his eighties, he had opened up the Afe Babalola University and in less than five years had built the school to one of the leading universities in Nigeria.

What is your assessment of women’s participation in politics?

I don’t think it is enough, we need to do a lot more. Example is what is going on in Rwanda where there is a lot more in terms of women participation in politics. As Nigerian women, we also need to get to that level. Our inability to participate actively in politics to me is self-inflicted. No one is stopping us, we just need to give ourselves a push, even if we don’t win, it’s a statement. By the time we do it three to four times, we’ll start winning. The earlier we start the better. We still need more women in the political space. As women, we need to take charge of our political space as well as our communities. Inasmuch as we are not doing that, the voices we will hear will be limited. Women should be self-sufficient.

What has changed about you as you find your way to the top, did you find yourself putting up a male trait in order to get what you want?

Have I changed? No, I don’t think so. But I used be a tom boy, so for me that is my character trait. Personality-wise, I have always been very blunt and I haven’t changed. I don’t think I want to be a man because we have so many strengths as women and lots of compassion. I know it’s something I hold dearly. I always put myself in other people’s shoes before I do things. I used to ask myself if I were the one in this person’s shoes, what would I have done? And that is the basis upon which I take my decisions with my staff at home and my staff at work. It’s a pity, but we are all guilty in this part of the world in enforcing disparity. When we give people peanuts as salaries and we know they cannot survive on it and we still demand excellence from them; that is not possible, let’s be realistic. If we were to be in their shoes, can we deliver excellence? It is impossible. And you know why people kill themselves to work in multinational companies and bank is because they get bonuses and their lifestyle is being catered for. As women with compassion, we can change the status quo.

How do you balance work and the home front?

I don’t know how I have been able to cope, but all I can say is that the thing that encouraged me is sport. I do a lot of exercise and I pray a lot, where I get direction from the Almighty God. Once I do those two things, I will be ready for the task ahead of me. Then I am not a workaholic, what works for me is exercise and prayers in the morning and getting the right hands. I have trained these people in such a way that when I am not around, they take charge and move the business for me. It all depends on how accessible you are in bringing people into your space .We have to enable people, you have to be compassionate. We must ensure that the younger generation gets the best from us.

Who is your role model?

My mom was my role model. She was a nurse. My husband is my confidant, and a complete gentleman. If I tell him I want to go to the moon, if I say to him I want to do something, he gives me all the necessary support. Then I have two other counsellors, with those three people in my life I never run out of ideas. By the time I sample their opinions, I don’t miss it. That is where partnerships and relationships come in, it is very important. Share your stories and problems with people, people are there and ready to support you.

What would you describe as the greatest challenges facing women in business?

I think it’s funding.It’s more difficult for women to access loans, and I think it is a gender trait. A lot of the women end up doing petty businesses rather than bigger businesses. Women, I believe, are just being careful and by nature we are nurturers, we want to ensure that the money goes round without getting into troubles. I think that inhibits our growth to some extent. As women, we need to break out of our shell by overcoming our fears. They should be bold; the bigger the risk, the bigger the success.

You recently clocked 50, but you look much younger, what is the secret of your beauty?

(Gushes) I do a lot of exercise, I eat very light and more of green. More importantly, I think it runs in the family. Genes always play a part; if you have genes that age very early there is nothing you can do about that.