The minute edition of the African Drums Festival kicked off inward Abeokuta, the Ogun State on Th even out with pomp together with pageantry. The glamour that marked the number was exciting to watch. The start edition was held on Tuesday, Apr 19, 2016, together with referred to every bit “Nigerian Drums Festival.”
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.
The three-day number witnessed performances from over fifty cultural troupes.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 Monarch who spoke inward Yoruba, said: “The African Drums Festival is a tourism haven together with a boost to our unity every bit a people inward Yorubaland together with Nigeria inward particular. Drums convey continued to unite together with add together glamour to our lifestyle from fourth dimension immemorial.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who too spoke inward Yoruba, said: “What nosotros are doing hither today is really of import inward Yorubaland. Drum is a really of import item inward Yoruba culture. I read a lot of books together with I convey travelled far together with broad together with inward all the places I convey been to, I convey never seen a talking drum except inward Yorubaland.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun inward his address noted that the festival would farther strengthen the bond alongside states inward Nigeria, together with Africa inward general.
“This festival serves every bit a veritable platform for drummers, dancers together with singers, non exclusively 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 start telephone. Even earlier the advent of modern applied scientific discipline for communication, Africans convey been using drums to communicate to i another,” he said.
Amosun disclosed that the terra firma would write to the Federal Ministry of Information, Culture together with Tourism to declare Apr twenty 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.