Bolanle Austen-Peters is Crowned a Cultural Queen

In Lagos, where tradition and reinvention often dance side by side, filmmaker and cultural architect Bolanle Austen-Peters received a coronation of her own: YeyeEreluAsa of Iru Kingdom. But this wasn’t the typical chieftaincy affair; there were no heavy incantations, no dour solemnity. Instead, it shimmered like one of her stage sets: elegant, intentional, and thoroughly modern.

The honour, conferred by Oba AbdulwasiuOmogbolahanLawal, recognised more than her acclaimed films or sold-out theatre productions. It acknowledged the ripple effect of her work, namely, training over 40,000 young people across Lagos, Ogun, and Kano through her Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA), a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Here, there must be a pause to point out the amazingness of this feat. In an industry where talent often outruns opportunity, Austen-Peters has built both the platform and the runway.

“This city has given me the space to dream for over two decades,” she said at the ceremony. “So it means everything that this title comes from home.”

The Erelu title is among the highest honours for women in Yoruba culture, second only to royal birth. It really is fitting, as Austen-Peters herself hails from noble lineage. Her productions like ‘93 Days,’ ‘Fela and the KalakutaQueens,’  and ‘FunmilayoRansome-Kuti’ have not just entertained, but chronicled Nigeria’s cultural memory for audiences from Lagos to London’s West End.

With feats like these, one can only wish that there are more achievers like Austen-Peters in Nigeria, willing to tell the story of the past in the colours of the present.

Indeed, the conferment ceremony mirrored her ethos: rooted in heritage, fluent in modernity. Guests, including American, British, and German diplomats, watched as tradition met storytelling, each honoree greeted with prayers, praise, and Yoruba regalia.

For Austen-Peters, the recognition isn’t a capstone but a baton. “There’s more to build,” she said, eyes forward. “Nigeria’s story is far from finished.”