6 days of cultural extravaganza

The opening ceremony featured the  main act. Underlining the piece was a remarkable stadium theatre titled, “Voice of the Rock,” a spectacular theatre piece stringed with dance, music, percussions, cultural valour and success. With this colourful presentation, the event was declared open by the First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’adua alongside the Governor of Niger State, […]

The opening ceremony featured the  main act. Underlining the piece was a remarkable stadium theatre titled, “Voice of the Rock,” a spectacular theatre piece stringed with dance, music, percussions, cultural valour and success.

With this colourful presentation, the event was declared open by the First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’adua alongside the Governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu.

The following day, the six competitive events kicked off – the Indigenous Music and Dance, Traditional Wrestling, Exhibitions of Nigerian Dress Culture, Traditional Circus, Traditional Moonlight Games. Each of the competitive events showcased the cultural heritage of the state, beginning with the music and dance presentations which depicted the trade and occupation that the state is known for.

The Ogun State troupe presentation was a dance drama that depicted how graduates get back from their National Youth Service Corps programme with much excitement, which is usually suddenly cut short when they cannot find white-collar jobs. The situation brings untold hardship and then they remember that they can do something else. The women take to weaving Aso-Oke while the men take to agriculture. And from the proceeds of this occupation, they fend for themselves as well as the nation.

The Borno State presentation was the Askir Dance. Askir dance is the war dance of the Kanuri people. Askir is a royal dance performed mainly by Kachallas – the royal army. While music instrument like the algaita accompanied by three membrane drums were played, the dancers thumped their feet on the ground and danced, celebrating their victory over the enemy.

But the live presentation of the Nigerian dress culture was an exhibition of what is truly Nigerian, as each state came up to exhibit the peculiar fabric from their heritage, notice the ingenuity and creativity that fashion designers have imputed into our traditional fabric was evident.

From casual to royal, children’s wear to office wears; live presentations of Nigerian fabric were well exhibited. The various clothes established the people’s identity by adopting images to symbolise status and distinction.

From Ogun State, designers made handbags from adire and aso-oke. From Akwa Ibom State, models displayed shoes made from rafia and ekpang while Plateau State troupe modelled belts that were made from Gwodo fabrics. From Nasarawa State was a colourful exhibition of various outfits made from locally-grown cotton and other indigenous sources of fibre-like raffia palm which were dyed using vegetable and mineral dyes. So also were wedding gowns made from white popo and silvery stripes from Rivers State.

As models from each states stepped out in their unique way, the audience were thrilled. They clapped, screamed and gave standings ovations as the sign of their endorsement. It was more amusement as the stage was set for indigenous and traditional circus performances from the states. The indigenous circus show was a re-examination of communal itinerant displays toward the promotion of proper orientation and direction of our forms of entertainment to the delight of the public.

This was a show of spectacular and acrobatic displays which may be mystical. From Imo State was a presentation that thrilled the audience. A man comes on stage with two fresh coconuts and removes the skin with his teeth. He hit his head with it and the water pours all over his body. With this he gains some power and is able to lift two benches from the ground with his mouth. This causes a stir amongst the audience who clapped for him.

So also was the acrobatic display from Oyo State in which a man carries four men without losing his balance. Then there was the magical display from Plateau State. Here, a basket was being moved without anyone touching it. All it took was for three men to move their hand gently from left to right. One of the magical performances was a man carrying fire with his hand without getting burned. He went further to touch his hair with the fire and it was not burnt. He also picked some stones from a burning stove with his teeth which he showed to the audience.

From Kaduna, there was this performance called the bicycle rider. There were two bicycle riders that ride in different ways and styles carrying pots filled with water on their heads and demonstrating on top of the bicycle. These were served in a dramatic setting that created a circus atmosphere filled with musical instruments dominated by drums.  

The children were not left out as they performed at the Traditional Moonlight games. In one of the presentations from Kaduna State, the scene opened with a drummer seated on stage playing a drum. Children from different directions danced until all of them were on stage. While the children were dancing, an old man (storyteller) arrives on stage. His arrival attracts the attention of the children bringing the dance to a halt. The storyteller takes his position while the children gather around him and a backdrop with paintings depicting a village setting with huts and trees.     

As with anything that has beginning, the end came and trophies were awarded to states that distinguished themselves in different arts. The FCT came first for the Live Exhibition of Nigerian Dress Culture just as Gombe State took first for the Moonlight Games. Nasarawa State clinched the first position for Traditional Music and Dance, Traditional Circus and Junior Wrestling competition. With this, they won the automatic ticket as the overall first position in NAFEST ‘09 followed by Niger, Ogun, Delta, Cross River and Gombe states and the FCT.     

While presenting the trophies, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Senator Bello Jibrin Gada disabused the minds of Nigerians that perceived the exhibition of our culture as only to dance and entertain thus seeing it as obsolete, irrelevant and of no value to human and national development.

The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) is a National Unity Forum organised annually by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and co-ordinated by the National Council for Arts and Culture. It promotes creativity in the field of Arts, Science and Technology to ensure the continuity and progressive updating of traditional skills and sports to serve modern development needs and as well as be the vehicle for preservation, presentation and documentation of Nigeria’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Since its debut in 1970, the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) has served as an interface to remind us of our cultural values and the richness of our heritage as a people.

This year’s edition dubbed NAFEST ‘MINNA has the theme, “Culture and the Challenges of Our Time: Cultural Industries and Wealth Creation” played host to 35 states and the FCT.