Colourful masquerades, dance and drama galore at LBFH 2015

Aziza

Egungun Ajido

L-R Prof. Wole Soyinka, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Disun Holloway and Mrs Francesca Emmanuel during the official openning of the exhibition “The Road to Sambisa”

Members of Footprint of David thrilling guests

Zangbetan from Badagry

ADA DIKE

The 2015 edition of Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) which licked off on Saturday, April 18, 2015 has paraded various rich cultural programmes that thrilled the guests.

Officially opening the event, the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-governmental Affairs, Mr. Disun Holloway, who represented the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), said the aim of the festival was to exhibit Africa’s rich cultural heritage to the world.

He added that the 2015 festival was shifted to April from March due to the 2015 general elections.

More than expected, many people turned out on the first day of the festival and watched cultural troupes played different kinds of traditional music and dance steps, including an array of masquerades from various groups such as the ‘Aziza’, ‘Egungnun Ajido’, ‘Zangbeto’ from Badagry, Lagos.  These groups had a colourful procession around some streets near the venue of the festival.

Guests were led to the Kongi's Harvest Art Gallery for “The Vision of the Child” tagged: “The Road to Sambisa”, where students from different schools in Lagos displayed their artworks and interpreted the abduction of the Chibok Girls in Borno State, Nigeria.

About six protégés mentored by film actors, producers and directors shared what they learnt from the programme on the same day.

Other activities for the festival include; drama and indigenous film shows are still on.

Reviewing the stage and screen career on the ‘Meet The Artiste’ event, with a full house of fans and mentees in the Kongi's Harvest Art Gallery at the same venue on April 21, 2015, veteran actor, Mr. Olu Jacobs, shares inspirational experience of his career.  There was also 'The Hubert Adedeji Ogunde Memorabilia Exhibition' at the festival, followed by the Street-theatre, Gbekude, which took place at the Food Court.
Also, a repeat staging of The Beatification of Area Boy, written and directed by Wole Soyinka held around 7 pm on Tuesday.

In the same vein, the Lagos State Government, Monday announced Saturday May 2nd, 2015, as the new date for the 2015 Lagos Carnival, saying the change from the traditional Easter Monday was consequent upon the shift in the date of the nation’s General Elections which was concluded Saturday April 11, 2015 nationwide.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-governmental Affairs, Mr. Disun Holloway, quoted the State Government as saying the change of date was approved by the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, following “the alteration in the electoral calendar”.

Last Sunday, the Lagos Boat Regatta, which traditionally precedes the Carnival, was held with pump and pageantry at the usual Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, venue of the festival. Both the Boat Regatta and the Carnival are part of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival.

Zangbetan from Badagry