5 things we learnt from this African festivity

omotolani

April 23, 2018 11:31 AM

The 2018 edition of the African Drum Festival held in Abeokuta, Ogun state from April 19 to 21, 2018.

This festival is important to Africa because it provides us with an avenue to showcase our rich cultural heritage as well as an opportunity to preserve the culture for the future heritage

The three-day-long festival had a line up of distinguished speakers including Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Legendary Music Producer, Laolu Akintobi and Veteran African drummer, Bakossa Cocou Armel.

Below are five notable things we learnt during the African Drum Festival:

1. Drums are used to wake traditional rulers up daily even to date.

According to Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo, “every morning at 5 am, drums wake up Yoruba kings to remind them of the oaths they took to serve their people”. In his words, “we need drums to wake our leaders and policymakers in Nigeria".

2. Amazingly there’s no African country that doesn’t have a rich history of drums. Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, in his address at the festival said, “there is nowhere that you don’t have drums in Africa. If we are to revive our ideals and ideas as a continent, we must start with a culture, like drumming, that cuts across”.

3. Did you know drums were used back in the day as telephones are used now?

Veteran African drummer, Bakossa Cocou Armel stated at the festival that drums in those days were used as telephones to pass messages across and also as signals to show when a boy has become a man.

4. Music Producer, Laolu Akintobi, "our culture is very rich and drumming in itself is an art. Most of our children, however, don’t see this. They do not know how important drums are to our culture. We need to quickly return to our history and bring our rich heritage upfront."

5. Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed noted that platforms that showcase our rich heritage in Africa should be supported.

In his words, “The drum festival keys into our objective of turning the creative industry into a thriving industry, one that provides jobs and promotes the economy. This festival is important to Africa because it provides us with an avenue to showcase our rich cultural heritage as well as an opportunity to preserve the culture for the future heritage,” Mohammed added.

omotolani