Magnifying Words and Sounds of Ake Festival
The 2019 edition of the Ake Book and Art Festival, sponsored by Sterling Bank, gives essence to the written and unwritten word, Chiamaka Ozulumba reports
When youths massively attend a musical or TV reality show, one can hardly be surprised. The reason is that such a form of entertainment is the in-thing for many of them. But when you see a similar quantity of young people passionately gracing a book event, there is cause for added joy because it takes more than wit to be able to attract them to literary and academic programmes.
This is a feat that the 2019 edition of the Ake Arts and Book Festival achieved last week, when it held at the Mike Adenuga Centre/ Alliance Francaise, Ikoyi Lagos. The four-day festival, founded by writer and teacher, Lola Shoneyin, and principally sponsored by Sterling Bank, provided stakeholders an opportunity to celebrate the word and engage vital issues in the global space.
There are several pluses for the project. But the youth angle is one factor that seems to define its character. Apart from catching their attention, the Ake Arts and Book Festival is thus planting the seed of continuity for the literary kingdom that, many fear, stands the risk of losing out to other media especially in the highly technologised epoch the world has found itself.
Impressive Opening
The opening ceremony was so rich in content that it whetted the appetite for what to experience during the main events. For one, it brought together key players in the industry: hosts, sponsors, partners, writers, other artists, all of whom expressed delight and pledged further commitment to the growth of humanity. The ceremony anchored by broadcaster and poet, Wana Udobang, featured speeches, poetry and musical performances, with the likes of Efe Paul and D’bi Young Anitafirika gracing the stage.
In her welcome address, Shoneyin, who was widely applauded for her resourcefulness and the fast pace at which the festival has grown, expressed joy that it has blossomed bigger not only in terms of content, but also the larger and diverse participants it now attracts.
“This year, we have more creatives from more African countries than we have ever had,” she said.
She thanked sponsors of the festival, especially Sterling Bank, whom she saluted for being an indigenous brand that powers the project.
Shoneyin added, “I am very proud to say that the Ake Arts and Book Festival is now one of the few on the Africa continent that has an indigenous company as its main partner. Sterling Bank has taken the step of partnering the Ake Festival for the foreseeable future. This partnership gives me so much hope. I sincerely hope more players in the private sector develop and promote creativity and the arts on the continent.
“We are immensely grateful to Alliance Française de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre for sharing their new and stunning premises with us. Working with Charles and Maurice to make Ake Festival 2019 happen here has been an absolute pleasure.”
The Director of the French Cultural Centre noted that the festival was the first major event to hold at the inspiringly built Mike Adenuga Centre, which flaunts facilities that many participants described as fantastic. Apart from normal office spaces, the centre boasts conference halls, theatres and other impressive arenas. Other notable members of the international community in the country – the Canadian High Commission, US Embassy, British Council etc. – all rallied round the organisers.
Then the time came for the sponsors, Sterling Bank, to state the essence of its involvement. Its Chief Executive Officer, Abubakar Suleiman, felt very much at home among the creatives and expressed the bank’s readiness to further invest in the development of art and culture.
Suleiman noted that the bank was committed to partnering Shoneyin because it appreciated the roles the sector played, saying such were larger than entertainment.
He said, “It is interesting to see Lola stand here and tell the entire gathering that she is grateful for our support. We did have a commitment with Lola when we started. We said we wanted to have a long-term partnership and we sat with her and listened to what she had done and what she still wanted to do. But the truth is that we might not have known all she thought as far as the project is concerned, but we just know where she wants to go, and we want to be on that journey.
“People treat art as if it is what we do when we have done everything else or in some way what we do when everything else has failed. But I disagree with them. I think and I’m truly convinced that everything we know about ourselves and our history is the work of the creative specialists. Everything we understand is understood in context and that context is the work of our creative people.
“Take away the context and the story changes completely. Last year, I spoke a little bit about how the greatest storytellers in the world were able to give us the Bible and the Quran because those who told the stories told such compelling stories that, centuries later, our everyday life is being determined by the stories they presented. Stories are still a reason for people to go to war today, the reason for people to give up their wealth. They are still the reason for people to do other important things. So, truly, storytelling is much more than what we do when we have done anything else.
“As we sit here tonight, let's understand this: we are not writing stories just to entertain people. We are writing stories that will lead to peace or war, lead to poverty or prosperity. The stories we write today will form the foundation for everything that the rest of us will do. So, I beg you all, even as we hold ourselves accountable, let us create stories that will inspire Africa to the highest height that it can be.”
Book Chats, Piercing Engagements, Celebration of the Departed
While films such as ‘Tony Morrison’ and ‘Malika’ were screened, art exhibitions, music concerts, poetry readings and performances as well as panel discussions that straddled all areas of arts and life were held during the festival. There were book chats with many writers – including Jumoke Verissimo (bordering on her new novel, ‘A Small Silence’), Abdourahman Waiberei, Leila Abuolela, Yolande Mukargasana, Wayetu Moore ad Bernadine Evaristo.
Among the issues thrashed at panel discussions are Demystifying Colours, Historical Fiction for Today’s Africa; The Making of a Graphic Novel, the Long of the Short Story and Looking Back on Four Hundred Years of Slavery.
Writer and critic, Molara Wood gave a preview of the ‘Ake Review’, saying the panel received as many as 500 submissions. On the other hand, while Sterling Bank, which created a mini village within the venue, organised a promo for participants, Vlisco announced winners of an award it is powering as part of the festival.
During the special tribute session, media executive and writer, Toni Kan; and seasoned artist, Victor Ehikamenor, saluted some creative souls who recently passed on, including Pius Adesanmi, Oyebade Dosunmu and Binyavanga Wainaina.
No Escape from ‘Things Fall Apart’
The festival, which was also attended by