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It was the 24th
edition but there was really nothing new. Well, save one or two
innovations. There is the characteristic late commencement of the
opening ceremony, the last minute rush to put finishing touches to
venues and stands by states; and adjusting and re-adjusting the
schedule because things didn’t start promptly in the first instance.
The story of the nation’s festival of unity, the National Festival of
Arts and Culture (NAFEST) in recent memory hasn’t changed: sloppy
organisation.

The official
opening ceremony of the 2010 edition themed ‘Cultural Industries and
Economic Empowerment’ held on November 2 inside the Uyo Township
Stadium in Akwa Ibom State started, almost three hours late. Scheduled
for noon, the anchors occupied early arrivals by calling different
troupes to entertain them around 1.25pm. The show eventually got
underway around 2.40pm when the state governor, his deputy and the
Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation arrived.

The audience and
contingents from the 23 states which participated in the march past,
meanwhile, had no option than to content themselves watching the
entertainers and exchanging banters under tents provided on the marshy
ground made worse by an earlier light rain. Though the general
organisation was a tad sloppy, credit must be given to oragnisers for
making the effort to make waterlogged entrances to the stadium
accessible by getting a tractor to fill the areas with sand. But rather
than get to brass tacks immediately, members of the local organising
committe and the management team of NAFEST, all staff of the National
Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), were first presented to the
dignitaries and crowd. The march past subsequently began with each of
the states showcasing material and immaterial aspects of its culture
through its dressing, dances and music during the parade.

Papa Ajasco

While some like Edo
State had only about four people representing them because of the late
arrival of the main contingent after the opening, others like Kaduna
had up to 554 people. Akwa Ibom, rescuer of this year’s NAFEST after
Delta which had earlier been granted the hosting right demurred, also
had a large contingent. Interestingly, Delta threw shame to the wind
and featured in the parade.

Abiodun Ayoyinka,
aka Papa Ajasco, who marched with the Lagos State contingent, was
hailed by the crowd while Nasarawa State also had a unique procession.
The 300-people contingent included guilds like carvers, hunters,
tanners and solid minerals in its ranks. Apart from the states,
cultural associations, local governments and Ijo Vudu, a Canadian
group, also featured in the march past.The uniformed Real Brass Band of
the Akwa Ibom State Government which later ended the ceremony with some
local and foreign songs wasn’t left out of the display.

The speeches

The Minister of
Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed
touched on the relevance of culture and tourism as sources of revenue
in a speech at the occassion. He noted that “culture and tourism are
the emerging products that have great prospect of leading the global
economy in a near future.” Mohammed also commended organisers for
including a special project in this year’s programme to tally with the
theme. The special project focussed on audio-visual documentation and
physical exhibition of the unique aspects of the nation’s cultural
industries. Each State had its own presentation.

The president,
Goodluck Jonathan, whom Akpabio represented, also highligthed the
importance of tourism and culture to the nation’s economic development.
He said, “Much as we have the problem of youth unemployment, rural and
urban poverty in our land, which government policies gave been put in
place to tackle over the years, time is now ripe for the public and
private sector to explore the great prospects that abound in our
cultural industries in alleviating poverty and diversifying our revenue
base.”

The theme, he said,
was chosen to ensure that culture is used as an alternative to
diversify Nigeria’s mono cultural economy with a view to creating
wealth to empower the youth. He promised that the Federal Government
will continue to support NAFEST and other festivals as “an initiative
that will project the new role of culture in our national development.”

The colloquium

Like the ceremonial
part of the festival, the intellectual side, the colloquium also
started over two hours late at the auditorium inside the Indongesit
Nkanga State Secretariat, Uyo on Wednesday, November 3. It however
turned out to be a worthwhile session after the ceremonials had been
dispensed with. Chair, governing board of the NCAC, Ebenezer Babatope;
chair, senate committee on tourism, culture and national orientation,
Bako Gassol and chief executive of the NCAC, Mwajim Maidugu, all
justified its inclusion in the festival.

The Executive
Director, programmes of the NTA, Bello Sule, delivered the lead paper
titled ‘Cultural Industries and Economic Empowerment: The Role of
Documentation in Promoting Cultural Industries Products’ after Babatope
had presented a ‘Compendium of NAFEST Colloquium 2004-2009’. He
explained the role radio, film and television play in documenting
products of the country’s cultural industries and their merits and
demerits. He highlighted abundant archival materials and growth in the
number of professionals in radio, TV and film as two gains from
documenting products from Nigeria’s culture industry. The
disadvantages, according to Bello, include negative portrayal of
Nigeria’s cultural values and practices and obliteration of cultural
practices.Sule didn’t fail to touch on the modes of storing the
audio-visual documents and the problems with the modes including
celluloid, tape and compact disc.

Academic, Ben
Ekanem of the Department of Fine and Industrial Arts, University of
Uyo, who spoke on ‘Finishing, Packaging and Presentation of Nigeria’s
Cultural Products in a Global Village’ identified eight of such
tangible and intangible products. They are antiquities, art and craft,
performing art, Nigerian cuisine, traditional medicine, cultural
festivals and events, celebrities and places. To ensure that products
from Nigeria are well packaged and presented to a global audience,
Ekanem suggested training at all levels and workshops for art and craft
makers which curriculum must include finishing, packaging and
presentation. He said Nigerian fabrics can be promoted through fashion
shows and internet promotions while artists should benefit from
residency programmes by government. The lecturer recommended a hall of
fame to promote Nigerian celebrities.

An official of the
Nigerian Export Promotion Council also spoke briefly on the role of the
agency and how producers of cultural products can benefit from it.
Apart from the poor timekeeping and organisation, there was also
shortage of materials containing information about the festival
activities. Journalists didn’t get the brochure until Wednesday
evening, a day after the official opening.

Competitive and non-competitive activities including traditional
wrestling, food fair, traditional music, crafts and expo exhibition,
creative design and the special projects comprising DVD screenings
events were also held during this year’s NAFEST which ended yesterday.

The 2010 MUSON
Festival continued with the showcasing of a classical concert on
October 31 at the Agip Recital Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The concert, which was supported by the Consulate General of Italy,
began at 6pm.

This year’s MUSON
Festival is themed ‘Nigeria at 50’. Organisers said one of the
objectives of the festival is to promote inter-cultural relations with
other nationalities and this was exhibited at the concert as a decent
turnout of Nigerians and foreigners trooped in to see opera
performances in Italian, English, Yoruba and Igbo.

Billed to perform
were; Italian-born Anna Corvino, a Soprano, Maria Asseeva an excellent
Piano recitalist and accompanist, Joseph Oparamanuike also known as Mr.
Tenor and another Tenor, Guchi Egbunine. Both Corvino and Asseeva are
renowned international performers.

Asseeva, a resident
tutor at the MUSON Centre, has recorded a compact disc featuring works
of Frederic Chopin while Corvino has given concerts and performed as a
soloist at festivals in places like Rome, Naples and Israel.

Oparamanuike and
Egbunine have been trained by professionals and have also performed
locally and internationally. Oparamanuike is a voice teacher at the
MUSON School of music in addition to being a member of the MUSON choir.

Concerto

The stage was
draped in white, red, green and gold with a grand Piano at the centre.
The anchor walked in and introduced the Italian Consul to the audience.
Then the first performer and indeed the major performer in the concert,
Anna Corvino was introduced.

She sauntered in
dressed in a glittering black affair that was altogether melancholy and
stunning. Accompanied on the piano by Asseeva, Corvino’s performances
reflected emotion, along with gestures, and then that voice that
sometimes pierced and then soothed, even though we did not understand
what she was singing about.

Her only English
performance was done in the second act. This piece was ‘Memory ‘from
the popular Broadway musical ‘Cat’ Andrew Lloyd Webber; and it was not
too difficult to tell that this was a performance in English in spite
of Corvino’s Italian-accented voice.

Those unfamiliar
with opera but with a passable knowledge of what it is about, will
recognise some names like Frederic Chopin, Guiseppe Verdi, Wolfgang
Mozart and Charles Gounod. These are world famous composers who created
some of the pieces performed by Corvino and her fellow performers.

Corvino and Asseeva
ended the first act with Gounod’s ‘Je Veux Vivre’ From Romeo and
Juliette; but not before Asseeva rendered a solo recital on the piano.
The piece titled ‘Egun Variations’ by composer Ayo Bankole could also
be called ‘Romancing the Piano’. It revealed the performer’s bond with
the piano.

Diverse emotions
were on display here as she hit the notes, and then suspense as the
audience listened with bated breath for the conclusion. When it came
unexpectedly, they responded with resounding applause.

Oparamanuike and
Egbunine also gave brilliant performances and the audience responded to
them with cheers of approval and applause. It was not hard to see why.
Oparamanuike smartly dressed in a suit ensemble and a bow tie, gave a
rendition of Kenny Oretimehin’s ‘Omi’ (Water) in Yoruba. His rich and
steady tenor sang about the indispensability of water to human
existence.

Guchi Egbunine
whose performance was reserved for the second act, rendered an Igbo
piece by O’Ndubisi, ‘Anyi Ncha bu Ofunne’ – and the brief but melodious
‘La donna e Mobile’ from Guiseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Integrating culture

Anna Corvino who
had changed into a black-grey strappy gown that set off the shimmer on
her skin, later came on stage on behalf of the Italian consul to give
the vote of thanks.

‘Sorry for my
English’, she said to the audience and then proceeded to read from the
sheet. ‘The essence of this concert is to impact the Italian culture to
music and to integrate different cultures together’, she read.

The trio then
performed a duet which was the last piece of the concert, another one
from Guiseppe Verdi titled ‘Libiam ne’ Lieti calici’. After which they
gave a toast and then invited the pianist, Maria Asseeva to the stage
for pictures and to bask in the audience’s applause.

As the programme
ended, guests trooped to the foyer of the Agip recital hall to mingle
and to get autographs or maybe a snapshot or two with the performers.
The performers made it easy for them by being accessible as they also
mingled with the guests and obliged every request. It was at this
moment that Next caught up with Joseph Oparamanuike.

When asked if he
had to learn Italian to be able to perform an Italian opera piece, he
replied to the affirmative saying, ‘Yes, I have a private tutor. It’s
important to get the proper pronunciation of the words and you cannot
achieve that if you do not learn the language.’

Oparamanuike graciously introduced Next to Kenny Oretimehin or S.K.
Ore; the composer of ‘Omi’, one of the pieces he performed. Oretimehin,
a composer with MUSON, says he writes and composes mostly indigenous
pieces especially in Yoruba. On the need to infuse more indigenous
content in the classical concert to attract a larger audience, he
promised that the Choral Concert coming up on November 7 would have
more local content.

All is set for the
Smooth 98.1 FM ‘Love Music Love Life’ concert holding this Friday,
November 12 at the New Expo Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria
Island, Lagos.

The show, the first
in a series of concerts planned by the radio station which specialises
in Jazz, Soul and R’n’B music, will feature renowned world class artists
including neo-soul singer, Angie Stone.

Joining Stone for
the concert which starts by 7pm is Cameroonian, Richard Bona, described
as “one of the best bassists on the planet.” Five time Grammy winner and
talented guitarist, Mike Stern, is also performing. Though he wasn’t on
the bill originally, Stern, who has a long collaborative relationship
with Bona, decided to be part of the show because of his friend and the
seriousness of the organisers. He will feature in Bona’s quartet on
Friday.

Jazz saxophonist,
Gerald Albright, will also entertain the audience. He was one of the 10
saxophonists that performed at Bill Clinton’s inauguration as president
of the US.

The four foreign
artists will be joined by a quartet of Nigerian acts including Bez
Idakula and vocalist and songwriter, Tiwa Savage who has sung backing
vocals for artists including Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan and Kelly
Clarkson. Guitarists, Pure and Simple who featured at the recent MUSON
Jazz concert and percussionist, Iroko, are also on the bill. The widely
travelled Iroko has had stints with Kola Ogunkoya, Lagbaja and Femi
Kuti.

Speaking in an
interview on Tuesday, November 9, head of Smooth FM, Kirk Anthony,
disclosed that the show is to give listeners a unique experience.

“People that listen
to Smooth 98.1FM, they listen to it for a reason, they listen to it
because they enjoy what they hear. What we are doing now is that we are
transporting radio to the stage,” Anthony said. He disclosed that
organisers spent about three months, “to get our acts together purely
for the fact that we want to make sure that when people are coming to
the event, they are going to sit down in a nice atmosphere and have a
really good show. On a Friday evening, you want to sit, relax and have a
good night and I think we can achieve that.”

A new dimension

Getting the artists
to commit to the show, Anthony said, wasn’t too hard because of the
station’s reputation and its seriousness. “When we first contacted them,
they had a sort of grey area in regards to coming to perform in Africa
reason being that they didn’t think things were done perfectly – The I’s
dotted and the T’s crossed. But when we showed them how we conduct
business, they were happy and in actual fact, Richard Bona just brought a
new dimension into it.” The new dimension Bona added was bringing in
Stern. “It’s an amazing thing he is coming to Nigeria. That’s an added
bonus because they saw what we are doing. They saw the organisation and
how we put it together, they felt comfortable and they put that together
almost like a special gift to us,” added Sadiq Ademola, head of
production at the Lagos-based radio station.

Anthony reiterated
that the show, being sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank with support from
AVIS, UNIC, Arra Vineyard and Eko Hotel and Suites is about satisfying
people. “It’s not about saturating a room with 20 artists, where you
don’t get to sit down and savour what you are listening to. The Eko
Hotel is like a football ground but what we have done is cordon off the
room and have a quarter of the room. We could say let’s pile 5000 people
but no, we want a thousand people so it’s very intimate. Rather than
you being customer number 5000 and sitting at the back with a pair of
binoculars, intimacy is assured here.” The foreign artists are expected
in Nigeria on Thursday morning and will meet with reporters on arrival.
Tickets for the show which come at N15, 000 are available at Eko Hotel,
Jazzhole, News Cafe in Lekki and Brown Cafe in Ikeja GRA.

What comes after this show?

“Without biting the
head off the doll, we have a show planned for next year which is going
to be huge. This one is going to be big but next year we got one coming
up which is going to be huge,” Anthony promised.