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The
2010 edition of the Ayan Agalu Soungobi Foundation’s Talking Drum
Festival will hold from May 31 to June 4 at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. President of Benin Republic,
Boni Yayi, will be the special guest of honour at the grand finale on
June 3 while the Olowu of Owu kingdom, Adegboyega Dosunmu, is the
expected guest speaker.

The festival will
feature an art exhibition, art of drum workshop, Ayan Agalu Soungobi
veneration, ijala ode Hunters’ night and gelede night. Other activities
are drum speaks, man chants, royal feet spinning and marathon drum
carnival.

The drum carnival
will start on May 31 in cities across the South West and climax at the
grand finale at the Obafemi Awolowo University.

Project director of
the foundation, Morakinyo Daramola, disclosed that telecoms company,
MTN, Skye Bank and Nigeria Distilleries are supporting the festival
while the Obafemi Awolowo University is collaborating with it.

And as preparations
for the festival intensify, the Akinrun of Ikirun in Osun State,
Olayiwola Olawale Adedeji, has pledged support to the organisers. The
traditional ruler made the pledge when officials of the festival paid a
courtesy visit to his palace at Ikirun, recently.

He praised the Ayan
Agalu Soungobi Foundation for its effort at reviving a major Yoruba
culture. “With the Talking Drum festival, many people, especially
Yoruba people, will be taken back to the years gone by when we (could)
use the drum to communicate in different ways. It is unfortunate that a
lot of Yoruba people are fast losing their culture, while opting for a
foreign one and this should not be so,” he said.

Speaking further,
the king noted that it is sad that some Yoruba families no longer
encourage their children to speak the Yoruba language. He said such
parents are not helping the children imbibe the rich Yoruba way of life.

He urged other
organisations to start promoting all aspects of Yoruba culture
including language and dress culture, amongst others.

Daramola disclosed
that the festival will kick-off at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo,
Lamidi Adeyemi III with a recital by up to 50 drummers.