Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 6:11:44 GMT
A group of young men in their traditional attires danced their way through the night, drawing loud ovation for their scintillating performances from the audience. The male dancers, who stormed the Arts Theatre stage, looked rather feminine while wriggling their waists and giving gestures that made the absence of female dancers hardly noticeable. It was the grand finale of the maiden edition of the Festival of African and Caribbean Cultures (FESTACC), which held penultimate Saturday at the University of Ibadan.
The performance signalled a revival of the collaborative residency programme pioneered by the Department of Theatre Arts of the university, where many Nigeria’s leading theatre scholars and practitioners honed their skills.
And so, the festival rekindled the spirit of the then School of Drama, which was established in 1962, but later transformed into Theatre Arts Department, having succeeded in promoting and sustaining an era of gainful interactions between the town and the gown.
But as a slight modification of the residency tradition, the just concluded FESTACC focused more on the resuscitation and preservation of African and Caribbean cultural heritage. It was a dream come true for the Sani Abu Mohammed-led troupe, which travelled all the way from Canada to initiate a five-day workshop in the department and celebrate the two continents through dance, costumes, music and drama.
Meanwhile, FESTACC also featured, among others, awards presentation, seminars, talk shows and a few solo performances. On the list of awardees were Professor Chris Ugolo; Muyiwa Osinaike; Princess Nike Apata; Ambassador Christopher Emmanuel Abdul and S.K Adewu Asepo. Also in attendance were Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi; Professor Dele Layiwola; Yomi Duro Ladipo and Dr Chuks Okoye (former Head of Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan). The final segment of the festival saw the Ijo Voodoo team dazzling the audience with their peculiar stagecraft. Each of the performances had a thematic link with the vision of the festival, which according to Dr Tunde Awosanmi, current Head of the Department, was inspired by the Second World Festival of Black African Arts and Culture (FESTAC) hosted by Nigeria in 1977.
The master of ceremony, Ojo Babatunde, added his own stints to the show, doubling at intervals as performer and anchor. The curtain raiser was the Ijo Voodoo’s Psalm 32, a dance drama, which started and ended on a well choreographed, solemn and prayerful note. Following this was a solo dance by Wasiu, and a dance ensemble showcasing songs and costumes of Edo origin. The Panos also performed in quick successions, with Princess Apata leading the vocals. Coming on the heels of Panos was the Sikus, featuring an all-male dance group in Makossa, Soki and other popular dancesteps.
Other highly creative dance pieces included Mangana, Honey (a romantic duet mimed by Apata and a male dancer), Efe (a contemporary dance form) and the seven-man team of dancers, which presented ‘Fela’. The latter expectedly re-enacted the late Afrobeat legend’s mannerisms and stagecraft, thus underscoring the musical essence of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, popularly called Abami Eda.
Perhaps the highpoint of the show was the explosive drum ensemble by the Ijo Voodoo team. This segment, which rounded off the festival, featured a unique display of African percussions in rhythmic patterns to the delight of the audience.
Explaining how the theatre workshop transformed into a festival, Dr Awosanmi hinted that the Theatre Arts Department teamed up with Ijo Voodoo mainly to sustain a healthy collaboration between professionals and students. Recalling how the late dramatist, Kola Ogunmola, became the department’s first student on residency programme in the early 1960s, Awosanmi stressed the need for cross fertilisation of ideas and practice between core theatre professionals and students, who are still being trained. Said Awosanmi: “Theatre Arts is a practice-based profession, which requires constant rejuvenation by bringing established artistes in contact with those who are still learning. In 1962/63, the Late Kola Ogunmola, who was already an established professional, was invited as a resident artiste and he produced Palm Wine Drinkard. Other prominent artistes like Ulli Beier, Duro Ladipo were equally invited for the same purpose at one time or the other.”
In the same way, Awosanmi recalled how, during his tenure as Head, the department hosted Professor Segun Ojewuyi, the US-based Nigerian theatre scholar/director as visiting trainer. During his three-month stay, Ojewuyi brought seasoned artistes such as Ben Tomoloju, Richard Mofe-Damijo and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett to interact with students and ostensibly enrich the various programmes in the department.
Moreover, Awosanmi said he looks forward to FESTACC graduating into a bigger international event that would rally Africans and their kinsmen in the Diaspora (Especially in Caribbean) together in unity. In the same vein, Sani Abu Mohammed looks forward to 2017 when his team plans to celebrate FESTACC on a high profile note. He disclosed that FESTACC was launched last year in Canada as a creative effort towards promoting cultural values between Africa and North America. According to him, the year 2017 would mark 40 years of FESTAC and that a commemorative event would be held during which a lot of people from the Caribbean would reconnect with their roots and culture in Africa.
Source:The Nation
Source:The Nation
