LAGOSIANS CELEBRATE EASTER IN STYLE

LAGOSIANS STEP OUT IN STYLE TO CELEBRATE EASTER MONDAY

Trust you had a wonderful Easter Holiday Celebration? For me and for most Lagos residents popularly known as LAGOSIANS, I am sure the Easter was not a boring one at all, considering the fact that, it falls within the Celebration of the Lagos Heritage Festival week which is an annual event to promote the rich Yoruba Cultural Heritage and attract visitors to the State of Excellence; Lagos State.

CHIEF ERELU AND HER GUEST POSE FOR A PHOTO SHOOT AT THE FESTIVAL

The festival has become a brand in its own right; the uniqueness of this festival as compared to other festivals held in Nigeria is the fusion and point of convergence it creates for different genres of Arts through the different activities and events that makes up the total package: Drama, Dance, Painting, Music, Exhibition, Symposium, Carnival, Film show, Boat Regatta, Talent Hunt, Beauty Pageant and Masquerade Parade. The events cuts across every class and cadre of the society: Children, Teenagers, Adults, Academics, Entrepreneurs, Musicians, Actors, Christian, Muslim and Traditionalist.

SATO PERFORMERS FROM BADAGRY CELEBRATING THE LAGOS DAY

This year’s event did not fall short of expectations; it was full of excitement for Lagosian and their guest who were on vacation for the Easter Holiday.  The children’s Art exhibition was quite impressive; it was a great opportunity for them to exhibit their innate talents and creative prowess. The Afro-Brazilian Food was also interesting; this reflects the intertwining cultural relationship between the people of Lagos and Brazil.

IJAW YOUTH AT THE BOAT REGATTA

The Boat Regatta was quite colorful; it was an opportunity for Lagosians and other residents from the riverine area like the Ijaw Youths to showcase their rich culture and be a part of this great celebration. The Badagry Day was graced by the popular traditional Sato dancers, the Gelede Dancers and the performance of the play Oshodi Tapa. Other performers that were featured in the festival were the Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti performers.

LAGOS CARNIVAL PARADE( THE GRAND FINALE)

The Grand finale of the Festival was the Lagos Street Carnival which was a very colorful event.  “I am sure you didn’t miss that”. The Carnival had representatives from different Local government areas in Lagos. It was a very rich and colorful event which also exhibited the creativity abounds in the youths of these different local government areas and communities. The costumes exhibited at this year’s carnival were highly creative; the costumes added style, glamour and aesthetics to the entire event. In the spirit of Globalisation, we also had representatives from Zimbabwe as participants at the carnival, though few, their parade in their unique attires and flag goes a long way to lay credence to the essence of the carnival and the fact that carnival is a great way to promote Globalisation. Karikoga Kasese (CEO. Zimbabwe Tourism) in an interview on STV commended the efforts put into the realization of the entire festival and said the Zimbabwe Government is willing to take a cue from this remarkable experience to initiate a festival of this nature as a strategy for promoting peace, tourism and economic development.

YACOUB AND THE MASQUERADE DURING THE BOAT REGATTA

What more can I say to justify the success of the festival or the efficacy of Festivals in promoting globalisation and economic development?  For those who could not make the festival this year, I have tried in my little way to take you through the experience and appeal to your sense of imagination through the write-up and pictures I took during the events. I hope you find the pictures interesting.

How did you spend your Easter holiday? Did you also add a feel of culture and tourism? Why don’t you share your experience on this platform? I look forward to your contributions, comments and Easter experience. Next year will be another great opportunity to experience Easter in Lagos, Nigeria and I am sure you won’t want to miss it.

Till I hear from you then, I say “EKO ONI BAAJE O”

 

Lagos Black Heritage Festival 2013

Lagos Black Heritage Festival 2013

Inspired by the spirit of convergence for which Lagos remains pre-eminent, the Lagos Black Heritage Festival celebrates African creativity within a carnivalesque of traditional and contemporary Dance, Music, Painting and Photo Exposition, Drama, Design and Fashion Display, an International Symposium, Film and Video Fiesta and other artistic and intellectual offerings, both inter-state and international. In a seven-day cultural manifestation during which hundreds of performers will animate the ancient city of Badagry and cosmopolitan Lagos with a passage of the traditional and the modern, Lagos State will welcome thousands of visitors with a feast to engage the mind, entrance the senses and linger in the memory for years to come. (LBHF Inauguration, 2010) http://lagosblackheritagefestival.com/

“Using Drama to Create Empathy in Medical Education”

One of the objectives of this blog is to establish a point of convergence between the field of Arts and Human Development and further open our minds to the different areas in which Arts have become quite useful in a field other than the filed of Arts. I came across this article and thought it will not be a bad idea to share this with all my fans and colleagues who also believe strongly in the Power of the Arts, as against Art for Art’s Sake. It looks at the applications of  Drama in Medical practice. I am sure you will all find this article quite interesting and inspiring too.  Click and read on

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to leave your comments…

Art festival exposes raw young talents

Youth prevails: Video art featuring the beauty of the earth can be seen at a National Young Fine Arts Festival.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vi Kien Thanh, director of the culture ministry’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, said: “The artists create works for Vietnamese fine arts of today and the future. The festival is not only the aggregation of young artists but also helps art and social managers have deeper and wider views of art issues and young artists.”

He also referred to the development of art in recent years. “Art has been widened to apply to fashion and modern furniture design. It now sees the interaction of viewers and artists, as well as the participation of visitors in process of creating artwork,” he said.

The participating artists provide viewers with an insight into modern life. Visitors can realise familiar images in life, such as street corners in Ha Noi, a vendor pushing her bicycle and a parking lot. Read more

Cultural tourists tend to be well-heeled and well-off

With its own set of linguistic luggage that includes terms such as “authentic” and “passionate cultural travellers,” cultural tourism can be travel that’s “attraction-based” – such as a museum or festival – or “place-based,” in which tourists seek out a region to experience a range of attractions or activities. Whistler wants to become a place-based cultural destination.

Cultural travellers can be divided into smaller groups of enthusiasts, based on categories that include heritage, visual arts, wine and culinary and performing arts.More

ARE YOU A FILM MAKER? YOU WILL FIND THIS FREE BOOK QUITE USEFUL

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PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA ON STAGE @ 77

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA

The month of July is quite remarkable for Theatre practitioners, dramatists, literary critics and political activists who have come to find power and voice in the ARTS. July 13th of every year is well celebrated world over; it’s the birth of our own Professor Wole Soyinka; a literary icon and Noble Laureate, whose works have been of great influence to dramatists and Theatre practitioners worldwide, also a point of convergence for politics and theatre.

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA & MR. IBARE AKINSANYA

The Muson centre in honour of this great man organised a forum tagged My Kind of Music and brought professor Soyinka on stage to share with the audience this great passion of his that is not so popular to the public. The life interview was conducted by Mr. Ibare Akinsanya. It was a great opportunity for the audience to see the Nobel Laureate on stage talk about his passion for classical music, jazz music and Indian percussion. Reflecting on one of his Songs, “Don’t Touch my Uniform”, he said this song was composed for the production of his play “Beatification of Area Boys” which was triggered by Military rule in Nigeria, particularly the Abacha regime which also forced him on exile.

Before this interview, little did the public and audience know about Professor Wole Soyinka’s passion for music and the fact that he is a great composer? Did you know that he composed the COJA ANTHEM in conjunction with another renowned guru of music in Nigeria; late Elder Steve Rhodes? Professor Wole Soyinka has also composed several songs for his plays to advance and instil his messages in the psyche of the audience. This is because, music is a very powerful tool of communication and continuity; its easier to absorb, assimilate and memorize cause of its melody. When music is combined with drama, it becomes a vehicle of instruction, development and change in the hands of the masses.

MUSIC

According to Stephen Sondheim, a song marries lyrics to relentless tempo of the music which pushes the lyric along at speeds a listener cannot control. Poetry, she said can be read, reread, or put aside; a theatre song lyric must be grasped and understood the first time through or you risk losing the thought for the rest of the performance. In this, she said the writer of the theatre lyrics shares many of the platform concern of a public speaker. Criteria for effective communication are the same. There is no second chance once a statement is sounded. Sound symbols provide basic communication. Nothing escapes time, space, rhythm.

To buttress this point being made on music, the DJ played one of his songs, titled, “Etike Revo Wetin?” This is a pure commentary on Nigeria politics and the intrigues of our leaders. This track was from the collection of the “Unlimited Liability Company” alburm, released in July 1983 and also banned by the government of the day. The audience could identify every words or lyrics of the song and come to terms with the message. This is because the song employed the staccato technique peculiar to most of the songs written for his plays; the words are punched, and enunciated for clarity and emphasis in a stylised manner without losing its melody. At the end of the song, he concluded by saying NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN and the audience replied in the affirmative.

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Still talking on the power of music, Professor Soyinka shed some light on the works of Lanrewaju Adepoju; a popular traditional Yoruba EWI exponent who uses his kind of music to expose the atrocities of the government of the day. His music has become a powerful voice for the oppressed that are his major fans. The fact that his songs are played on every street where you find cd sellers has also made this figure and his music quite popular and a threat to the government of the day who thought he was embarrassing them. Professor Soyinka would have loved to play one of his music for the audience to listen and reflect on but said it was quite unfortunate that his only copy of the CD could not be found and every effort made to buy more copies proved abortive as a particular character in government whom he called Dani Elebo ordered that all the copies be bought as soon as it was released.

VOTE OF THANKS

This is how powerful and revolutionary music can be when employed in advancing the yearnings of the masses. For the audience, it was a great opportunity to see and listen to this man of honour in person, talk about his passion for music and not just drama or theatre that he’s popularly known for. It was a wonderful experience and an indelible one too. More information on Professor Wole Soyinka

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1986/soyinka-bio.html