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| Members of Footprint of David entertaining guests |
By ADA DIKE
This year’s Lagos Black
Heritage Week (LBHF) 2014, which takes a break from its current series – The
Black Mediterranean Blue focuses on music.
With the theme: “The Music Makers,”
LBHF officially kicked off on Monday, April 14, 2014, at The Freedom Park,
Lagos.
Declaring the festival open,
the Lagos
State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), said, unlike the previous years, this year’s festival theme moved
to a theme everybody can be engaged in, such as music which also geared towards
promotion of culture and tourism.
Speaking further, the
governor, represented by the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Affairs,
Disun Holloway adds that: “Music is
something we Africans expressed ourselves with. This is not just the kind of music we hear, it
is beyond that and that is what we are trying to do.”
At the Kongi’s Harvest Art
Gallery, Holloway viewed beautiful artworks by pupils below 12 years from
various schools under the annual “The Vision of The Child” exhibition. To his
amazement, the pupils from various schools in Lagos, numbering over, took turns
and explained their works which focused on Law of impunity.
“I have been most impressed by what I’ve seen today.
When Professor Wole Soyinka told us the theme of the festival, some of us were
a bit sceptical about the ability of the children to interpret it. We thought
it was a difficult theme but you can see what the children have done and I am
most impressed. Each
one of them, have taken their time to express what they see in our society. They
are looking at us, the grownups and this is what they see as us. It’s a bit depressing but that’s reality,” the commissioner said.
This year’s programme revealed
that: “Much is happening in the musical field, but there is a domination of
Euramerican pop forms which near completely stifles the exploration of
indigenous musical resources both in direct performance for audiences, and in
their application to other disciplines – most notably in the theatre and
cinema/video. Regarding that latter, when one considers what passes for
incidental or ‘mood’ music in much of the output of the ever expanding African
film industry, it becomes a classic case of a visual assault compounded by
aural aggravation!,” the programme stated.
In addition, it stressed
that: “A reverse track may yet be brought about by exposing film and video
directors to possibilities from neglected musical modes within their own
cultural environment. Traditional drama was founded on what was generally
dubbed ‘folk opera’, a form that is largely dying out. Additionally therefore,
in an attempt to resuscitate this unique performance genre, so highly developed
in other societies – see, for instance, the heights to which it has been taken
in countries like China , LBHF yields front stage this year. Music, we know,
plays a dominant role in social life. The festival will use the event also to pay
tribute to pioneers such as: Steve Rhodes whose struggling orchestra and choral
ensemble won laurels in famous international competitions such as the Welsh
Eisteddfod. It will provide a homecoming platform for contemporary composers
whose works have been enjoyed for decades by foreign audiences but remain
totally unknown in their own homeland.
“In Summative, LBHF plans
to open the eyes (and ears) of aspiring musicians to vastly unexplored
possibilities of the musical forms right in their own backyards, as an option
to the largely initiative trend currently pursued by a new generation of
musicians. Innovative African music, we propose, should not end with
Afro-beat!”
Grand parade of masquerades
from Ogun State, a masquerade from the Brazilian Descendants Union in Lagos entertained
guests on Monday. This was followed by performances by the Oyo State Cultural
Troupe, the Eko Brass Band and Footprints of David Dance Troupe.
Also, Late Duro Ladipo’s drama, Oba Kosoko was
shown on the first day, so Monday’s progamme rounded off with live music from
Emukay London by Tunji Oyelana.
Tuesday, which was Day 2, began
with Osun Day. There was a drama “Mammy Water’s Wedding” by Bode Sowande. Similarly,
Command Performance of Olodumare by Wole Alade took place at Civic Centre,
Victoria, Lagos.
Other activities that held
in the past few days included: Badagry Day (Gelede Masks), Street Theatre
–Gbekude, drama: Kola Ogunmola’s Lanke Omu (Palmwine Drinkards), Ondo Day and
so on.
There will be Carnival Queen Pageant –Gala Night
tomorrow and Boat Regatta on Sunday, April 20, 2014. The event will round off
in a grand style with Lagos Street Carnival, beginning from Awolowo Road, King
George, Catholic Mission and Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos
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