• Ooni, Alake, Alafin, Soyinka Applaud Gesture, Commend Amosun
• USA, Haiti, Cuba, Ghana, Bukina Faso, Others Participate
The minute edition of the African Drums Festival kicked off inwards Abeokuta, the Ogun State on Th even out amongst pomp together with pageantry. The glamour that marked the upshot was exciting to watch. The firstly edition was held on Tuesday, Apr 19, 2016, together with referred to every bit “Nigerian Drums Festival.”
During Thursday’s event, Governor Ibikunle Amosun unveiled an 18-feet high drum, an improvement over the 17-feet high drum unveiled final year. The 18-feet drum is acclaimed to last the basis tallest drum.
The aim of the event, according to the province government, organisers of the programme, is to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Africans through drums. Among the dignitaries that graced the occassion, held at the premises of the June 12 Cultural Centre were, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo; Minister of Information, Culture together with Tourism, Lai Mohammed together with Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
Other dignitaries include, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Olu of Ilaro, paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle together with the Olowu of Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu.
The instance of the Mayor of the metropolis of Dallas, USA, Regina Hill, Lady Bernard Suarres from Cuba, Prof. Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi together with representatives of Imo, Oyo together with Kastina State governors, Kaddi Obinna, Toye Adesola Arologun together with Mammud Borodo, respectively also graced the event.
The three-day upshot witnessed performances from over l cultural troupes. But every bit at Thursday, troupes from 5 African countries every bit good every bit Cuba, Republic of Haiti together with the the States of America (USA) had arrived.
The Thursday’s upshot witnessed beautiful performances from Ara, the woman soul drummer, the Atilogwu troupe from Anambra State, the Wagnilo grouping together with Oliworo ko kou of Republic of Benin Republic, amid other performances.
The Ekemini Cultural Troupe made upwards of children from Akwa Ibom State warmed the hearts of the audience amongst their beautiful functioning on the xylophone. Other local troupes from Nigeria were, Association of Kano State Troupes, Hubert Ogunde Cultural Troupe from Ogun State, Duro Ladipo Troupe, Shehu Troupe, Niger State, Oyo State Cultural Troupe together with Ensemble Drums, Maliki Troupe of Borno State, Dawa Troupe from Plateau State, every bit good every bit troupes from Bayelsa, Osun, Katsina, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Imo together with Benue States.
The unusual troupes were, the Association of intersection Haiti, Association Toffondji of Togo, Leydis Bernal Suarez of Cuba, Faso Djarabi of Burkina Faso, La Campagnie N’tsamini, Afro Media, USA, Gwari troupe, Ghana, Nikki Spooner from the metropolis of Dallas, USA.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi inwards his goodwill message noted that the festival would rejuvenate together with sustain the traditional civilisation of the participating countries, adding that the festival would operate on to practice opportunities for the youths to showcase their talents together with dexterity on different drums.
The Monarch who spoke inwards Yoruba, said: “The African Drums Festival is a tourism haven together with a boost to our unity every bit a people inwards Yorubaland together with Nigeria inwards particular. Drums receive got continued to unite together with add together glamour to our lifestyle from fourth dimension immemorial.
“I am glad at what I am seeing hither today. Yoruba people are unique creatures because God created us first. God created us every bit humble beings together with He gave us rich cultural heritage inwards which drum is derived from.
“But what is giving us dandy challenge is how to plow our (Yoruba) rich cultural heritage into coin together with nosotros tin plow over the sack alone accomplish this when nosotros operate on to promote our civilisation together with tradition. Whatever nosotros do, nosotros must ever strive to promote our civilisation together with foreclose it from going into extinction.
“I was speaking amongst the Alaafin where nosotros were seated together with nosotros both commended Governor Ibikunle Amosun for putting this together. He is taking a skillful footstep inwards preserving together with promoting our culture,” he said.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who also spoke inwards Yoruba, said: “What nosotros are doing hither today is really of import inwards Yorubaland. Drum is a really of import item inwards Yoruba culture. I read a lot of books together with I receive got travelled far together with broad together with inwards all the places I receive got been to, I receive got never seen a talking drum except inwards Yorubaland.”
Highlighting simply about of the importance of African drums, the Monarch noted: “Drums are ever acquaint inwards all the palaces of Yoruba Monarchs. Every morning time at 5am, drums wake upwards Yoruba Kings together with ever remind them of oaths they took to serve the people at all times different our politicians who don’t receive got anything to remind them of their pledges to the people who lay them inwards power.
“African drums are used for making proverbs, to warn people of imminent dangers, to entertain, to mourn or denote the decease of an of import personality together with they are also used during wars.”
The Alaafin who came inwards companionship of simply about of his wives together with his personal drummers revealed that enquiry yesteryear Yoruba scholars has shown that every household unit of measurement inwards Yorubaland has pedigree, which drummers tin plow over the sack ever interprete through their drums. The Monarch thus went ahead to sing amongst his drummers who chop-chop interpreted his songs amongst their drums.
“I receive got learnt a lot from this upshot together with I volition acquire dorsum dwelling together with tell my Governor, Senator Abiola Ajumobi to also organise something similar this, but I don’t know who nosotros are going to invite since Governor Amosun has already invited the whole of Africa, maybe nosotros volition invite the entire basis for our ain event,” the Monarch joked.
The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo inwards his remarks stressed the demand for the Federal authorities to diversify the economic scheme yesteryear promoting tourism, saying: “The era of inexpensive crude coin is gone for good, nosotros receive got to present the basis that they receive got to come upwards hither amongst their big coin to invest inwards our rich culture, tradition together with tourism. We volition acquire far to a greater extent than coin from investing inwards our civilisation together with tourism than what nosotros volition acquire from oil.
“In Yorubaland nosotros cannot lay away the of import house of drum, nosotros cannot trip the calorie-free fantastic without drum. Drum is of import for communication because every drum is a talking drum. Drum is a major business office of our culture. We are shout out for other states to delight alternative upwards other aspects of our civilisation together with prepare it similar this,” he said.
Minister for Information, Culture together with Tourism, Lai Mohammed, represented yesteryear the Artistic Director of the National Troupe, Comrade Tsar Ukoh, commended the province authorities for organising the event.
He emphasised that no festival is consummate inwards Africa without drums. “This Festival is specially of import because of its focus on an facial expression of our heritage that nosotros receive got either taken for granted or 1 that is gradually fading away. In traditional African societies and, mayhap elsewhere inwards the world, the sort of drums they crunch or the beats of such drums are unique to their cultures. In other words, drums together with their beats receive got meaning.
“I implore Ogun State to sustain this festival together with urge other states to borrow a leafage from the Gateway State, yesteryear also organising their ain Drums Festivals, culminating inwards a National Drums Festival that volition convey together all the 36 states of the Federation together with the Federal Capital Territory.”
Soyinka inwards his goodwill message said Ogun State is known for recording many firsts inwards all areas of human endeavour.“Many people tend to under-estimate the value of drum, the affair is simply that of a habit. Whereas, it is a really sophisticated rhythm, it is a really sophisticated possession of human beings. We all alive inwards the basis of beat correct from birth; inwards fact, from the heartbeat to the pulse.
The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, who was ushered onto the phase yesteryear the functioning of his province Cultural Troupe to deliver his goodwill message, described drums every bit cardinal to all African cultures together with urged other governors to promote the best civilisation of their states.
He said: “Drums hateful thus much to our people. I desire to appreciate the Ogun State Governor for using drums every bit a indicate of our unity, wherever nosotros acquire every bit Africans drums unite us. This is what all of us must last doing to promote our civilisation together with showcase it to the world.”
The instance of Mayor of the metropolis of Dallas, USA, Regina Hill inwards her remark, said she was highly delighted at the festival, assuring that the partnership betwixt Ogun State together with the metropolis of Dallas would farther strengthen the bilateral human relationship betwixt her province together with Nigeria.
Her words: “We believe partnering Nigeria volition last beneficial to both Dallas together with Nigeria inwards this decade together with beyond. We trust, this is alone the kickoff of a mutually beneficial bilateral partnership that enriches us through cultural awareness together with economical ties on both continents.”
She disclosed that Dallas would hold off frontwards to receiving 300 replicas of the drums inwards African. The host Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun inwards his address noted that the festival would farther strengthen the bond amid states inwards Nigeria, together with Africa inwards general.
“This festival serves every bit a veritable platform for drummers, dancers together with singers, non alone from Nigeria, but from Africa to showcase their cultural heritage to the world. Drum is a rigid weapon of communication. It has been described every bit the firstly telephone. Even earlier the advent of modern technology scientific discipline for communication, Africans receive got been using drums to communicate to 1 another,” he said.
Amosun disclosed that the province would write to the Federal Ministry of Information, Culture together with Tourism to declare Apr xx to 22 of every twelvemonth every bit the official dates of the festival.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Culture together with Tourism, Chief Muyiwa Oladipo noted that African history is incomplete without drums because the social together with amusement life of Africans is centred on it.