A drum festival getting better, but...
and traditions from going into extinction.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, urged those aspiring to govern the state to preserve the legacy of Amosun, noting that culture is an instrument that motivates and inspires people to attain greater heights.
In his own goodwill message, the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon, appreciated the people of Ogun State for supporting the governor, adding that culture has been an ancient institution used in uniting the people, while imploring other governors to also participate in the cultural event. He assured that similar cultural exposition would come up soon in the SouthSouth region of the country.
Noble Laureate and the 2018 Festival Consultant, Prof. Wole Soyinka, appreciated Governor Amosun’s efforts at building the state and developing its cultural values, urging the people to continue to respect and preserve the cultural values of the state.
The state government also got kudos from the federal government as the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alh. Lai Muhammed said the festival has become a pride of the nation and Africa at large, hence the decision of the government to embrace it as one of the country’s festivals. He assured that the federal government would continue to identify and support Ogun State to revive the rich cultural heritage of the continent.
“As a government, we will continue to support the festival by creating more awareness about it within the country and at the international communities. More importantly, we will also ensure that it will be included in the nation’s calendar,” the minister said.
Mohammed expressed delight that the festival has not only exposed the cultural potentials of the country, but also provided job opportunities for the people, saying the festival was in line with the programmes and objectives of the Federal Government in re-positioning and diversifying the nation’s economy.
In his opening remark, Amosun appreciated the Federal Government for associating with the state and its decision to support the festival, reiterating that his administration would continue to encourage private partnership, in order to take the festival to a greater height.
On the importance of the festival, Governor Amosun said the Drum Festival was the state’s contribution to Africa’s social cultural drive, adding that drums have not only been tools and sources of communication, but also veritable means of entertaining and educating the people.
The host governor reaffirmed that the festival would showcase the rich African culture to the world, as it would highlight the cultural skills of troupes from Nigeria and across Africa, saying, next year’s edition would be richer in content and innovation.
The trio of Kehinde Soaga, Jendele Hungbo and a cleric, Prophet Solomon Olayiwola spoke on the importance of the festival, which they all agreed will remove the shackles of Europeans on Africans, as far as cultural expositions are concerned.