With drums of our time, Josephine Igberaese, organizer of the Summer Creative Workshop for the children and youths was able to draw a large crowd to the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, last week, where kids and teenage artists thrilled guests with dances, choral songs and other theatricals. Edozie Udeze was there.
It was the height of entertainment. The drums beat away to usher in the programme. It was titled drums of our time, an event held to keep children and teenagers busy during the summer holidays. Ms Josephine Igberaese, organizer of the children and youths Summer Creative Workshop has always done this to encourage the young ones to show concerted interest in the arts from their early age. The outing at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos last week, was one of those rare and glorious moments when it was good to be young again.
The hall was packed to the full, the expectations were quite high as guests gradually found their ways to their seats. As they did so the drummers kept pelting away. The slow, steady sounds of the drums evoked love, peace, with heightened eagerness to see the kid artists mount the stage. The stage and house lights flickered on and off, off and on. This was part of the gimmick, one of those tricks of stage to pamper the audience and put them in the right frame of mind to wait for bigger actions.
And so it was; within a short time the children invaded the stage. And for a moment it seemed the huge stage of the cinema hall of the National Theatre was too small to accommodate them and their theatricals. They began with choral songs, delivering different songs in different Nigerian languages. There was a choir mistress who was in total control. As she moved her hands to the rhythm of the songs being rendered by her colleagues, the hall fully came alive. Cameras flashed lights from everywhere. People waited to get a closer shot of this kids choir mistress whose two hands did magic and held the whole place spellbound.
As they sang, they swung left, right, right, left to the sonorous songs, songs that permeated the heart, solemnly rendered in these childish, innocent voices. The voices that have not been dented or tinted; they carried those resonating crescendos of love, care, caresses and reverberations. At this, the audience duly applauded and from where she was seated, Igberaese glowed with deep delight. It was truly the delight of an achiever, someone who has had the unbridled patience and professional dexterity to train these kids. For over ten years, she’d been at this, that even the MC of the day, Ramsey Nouah Junior is a product of the summer workshop.
The choral session was soon followed by dances across Nigerian cultures. The costumes were the most dazzling, conspicuous of the props and it was an opportunity to see how gracefully these dancers brought out the beauty of Nigerian rich artistic values. The choreographic presentations were beyond comprehension. No one truly believed that the children who ranged between four to sixteen years could have the discipline to be so choreographic. But it goes to show how interested they can be if properly tutored to be artists. The dances followed in ordered sequences that showed deeper elements of cultures in diversity.
The most colourful native dance was Akonbi, a dance form Cross River State. The costumes were in multi-coloured layers, depicting a people who have grace, who celebrate life and who rummage in good life. The slow dance patterns, step by step in classical renditions stirred the audience. These children appeared on stage with grace, as they swung to and fro. The tempos of the drums moved from high to low, low to high helping to dictate the tone of the dance movement. For a while there was total decorum and quiet engulfing the hall. People were dazed, wondering how this feat was achieved. But indeed this was the total meaning of the summer creative workshop, a moment to pick them from the cradle and take them to the next level.
And then came the dubar dance from Borno State. The Kanuris know how to dress to the hilt when it comes to this maliki-dance where both men and women co-habit openly on stage to demonstrate the beauty of courtship. There is usually the romantic side to it. Man and woman woo each other through dance movements in very slow, but attractive reminisces.
It is done for both to see how sassy life can become. Love then develops and people come to terms with each other, with the reality of man-woman affair. Then followed by Yoruba and Igbo dances. At every moment, the atilogwu dance of the Igbos will ever thrill, ever lovely and soothing if well-delivered. The six kids that danced it were able to go back to the old style of the movements. And to show their appreciation, the audience applauded. The thrill was real, infectious in its aura and aroma. Again, it was at a time when parents do not really wish to allow their kids choose what they want to become. Yet the beauty of dance as a profession is indelible. It is a profession that fetches wealth and fame. It has taken so many practitioners to the pinnacle of their professional careers.
Away from the traditional dances was the Shakiti bobo dance group. The group was, to say the least, electrifying as they stormed the stage. Everyone almost joined in the euphoria of their mesmerizing dances. The movements were classical as the musical sounds boomed and filled the hall in all corners. The hall shook; the dancers glittered in their peculiar costumes of pants and tops. They tied their cardigans round their waists, the usual way been-tos do it when they arrive Nigeria. A 4 year old boy stole the show. He kept looking back to be able to fall in proper dance steps with his older colleagues. It was the same little boy who was said to be less concerned during the preliminary stages of the session. Yet one day, he woke from his usual sleep and just went on stage. He instantly fell in place with others. So here he was, attracting the best attention, becoming the cynosure of all eyes. A wonderful kid indeed, he was on stage, dancing deeply to demonstrate his real love for his summer recreation, his summer creative workshop.
Drums of our time came out very well. The drums actually spoke many undertones. They appealed to the people; mostly the drums spoke to the children, yet warned parents to release their kids to become what they are destined to become. The turnout was huge. Both old and young wanted to have a feel of the action. Former Federal Director of culture, Frank Aik-Imoukhuede was there. So, also were reverend sisters from the Catholic congregation. Parents converged in their numbers with their kids and wards. At a time like this, the premises of the National Theatre came alive. Done in collaboration with CBAAC and the National Theatre, Igberaese’s commitment to this project still burns in her heart years after her retirement from the National Troupe of Nigeria. All she needs now are committed sponsors to ensure the continuity of this laudable ideal that has discovered, projected and promoted a couple of star artists and actresses, dancers and composers over time. The drums need to beat louder and clearer.
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