The Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF 2014) took place amid fanfare and fun from April 14 to 21. In Abia, a two-day Easter carnival/cantata was held in the capital, Umuahia, on April 20 and 21. Assistant Life Editor, TERH AGBEDEH, and Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, look back at the activities that will remain memorable to those who attended.
Dancers at the Lagos Carnival
The Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF 2014), which ended with the Lagos Carnival on Easter Monday was a spectacle to behold with programmes for everyone. The Vision of the Child painting competition preceded the festival. For children, the works resulting from the competition with the theme: “The Rule of Law and the Law of Impunity” were exhibited for the duration of the festival. Eleven-year-old Anjola Olarenwaju, a student of Master’s Hand Academy, Badagry, won this year’s edition worth N250, 000. The competition is sponsored by Diamond Bank.
But before the gala night where Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka presented the prize to Olanrewaju on Friday, April 18, the LBHF opened with a colourful mix of dancers and masquerades on the Monday morning of April 14 at Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos.
Declaring the festival with the theme: ‘The Music Makers’ open, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Disun Holloway, was grateful to Lagosians for supporting the fiesta since its inception.
He said this year’s festival will not be different from previous ones with only a few changes to the schedule. After opening the fiesta, he watched some of the performances and took a tour of the paintings by the 32 children finalists in the vision of the child painting competition.
The carnival-like ambience of the morning continued through the week that played host to The Eko Brass Band, Footprints of David, Oyo State Cultural Troupe, masquerades from Ogun State and Meboi (Brazilian masquerade brought by the Brazilian Descendants Union in Lagos). There was also Duro Ladipo’s classic play, Oba Koso, an exhibition titled: “Sight and Sound” by artists from across the state and Bode Sowande’s play, Mammy Water’s Wedding. Osun, Ondo, Ekiti , Oyo states and even Badagry all had a day on which to exhibit the culture unique to them.
The elimination series of “Do Your Own Thing” featuring up-and-coming talents, which held the finale the next day, started on Wednesday, April 16, the same day Kola Ogunmola’s Lanke Omu, an adaptation of Amos Tutuola’s The Palmwine Drinkard was staged. Filmmaker Tunde Kelani produced, while Tunde Awosanmi of the University of Ibadan directed.
The next day there was Olodumare, a musical by Wole Alade featuring the Steve Rhodes Ensemble, Eko Brass Band and Footprints of David. Poets from across the country including Rope Ewenla, Iquo Eke and Evelyn Osagie, among many others converged on the Amphitheatre of the former colonial prison for the Night of the Poets event.
The carnival queen pageant took place on Saturday, April 19 at the main stage of Freedom Park the same day the Fitila Procession unfolded in Badagry to remember slaves for centuries took their last steps their out of the country. The winning queen, competing under the Miss Garnet banner, took home the winning prize including a trip to Obudu Resort sponsored by Maltina malt drink.
The boat regatta coordinated by Engineer Seyi Jawando held on Sunday, April 20 while the excitement of the Lagos Street Carnival that had been building up all since before April 1 wrapped up proceedings on Monday, April 21.
Before the Highlife maestro, Tunji Oyelana, performed for five nights of the festival at Freedom Park before another highlife great Jimi Solanke joined him for the closing jam on Monday night.
Similarly, determined to showcase the huge tourism and investment potentials of the state, Abia State Government made good her promise of holding a two-day Easter carnival/cantata in Umuahia, the state capital.
It was the first in the history of the state.
The auspiscious and colourful occasion set the state capital agog on Easter Sunday and Monday, the day that witnessed the big road show.
The state governor Theodore Orji had while unveiling the Logo of the event held at the Ultra Modern Skills Acquisition Centre, Umuahia, said the festival was a beginning for the institutionalisation of a new culture of victory and happiness that would endure in the state.
He said the festival would herald a new dimension in the culture of Carnivals as known by Nigerians.
Official participants in the chereographic display at the festival included the Abia state University(ABSU), Abia Polytechnic – Aba, School of Health Tecnnology – Aba, Luxury City Hotels – Aba, Michael Okpara University Umudike, Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA) Umuahia, Vision Africa Umuahia, Love FM Umuahia, Latinos Lounge Umuahia, Local Government Headquarters, among others.
It was an occasion that also featured renowned Musicians, Nollywood actors and comedians.
The Easter Monday occasion witnessed street party, carnival display, which started from the Event centre (Michael Okpara Square) in the morning and ended at Umuahia Township Stadium, venue for the cantata celebration.
The cantata celebration was an occasion that Abians trooped out to the streets enroute stadium to catch their fun.
Popular comedian, Dauda anchored the programme.
Christain music maestro, Buchi, Chioma Jesus, etc, all of them Abians, were on ground to entertain the tumultous crowd with their renditions. Also up coming music stars including Nwa-Aba were not left out as the crowd revelled with great excitement as they displayed their musical skills.
The 1000-man Mass Choir was on ground and provided soul-lifting tunes.
The First lady of the state, Mrs Odochi Orji, praised the participants in their exhibition of great talent, promising that the event would become an annual one.
‘’I have no doubt that this mobile entertaining party and exhibition of human talents, have eloquently lived up to its theme of show-casing the investment and tourism potentials of our State, and we will do it again and again – having now set the pace and built this legacy of hope’’ Orji noted.
According to Orji ‘’This morning, our Carnival train and street party took-off from Okpara Square, transverse through Club Road, – to the Gate and other important routes and ended in this Stadium. Here we have been entertained by the wonderful gospel cantata singers and concerts groups, especially the 1000 man-choir group. All these have exhibited the great creativity of our people and their artistic talents.
‘’With the successful event of today we have further re-emphasized the needs for the freedom of Abians to live in peace and harmony to express their God given talents. I am confident that our citizens, especially our youths will take advantage of the new opened doors of opportunities to have their voices heard, while pursuing new prosperity and new talents that this Carnival offers’’.
