A splash of splendour

Except for the downpour on the closing day, Benin City, the Edo State capital was agog for most part of last week. Thirty states featured in various cultural events at this year’s National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) won back-to-back by Rivers State, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports

For eight days, the royal splendour of the great Benin Kingdom boosted major activities at this year’s National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), themed: Our royalty, our pride, held in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

It was the first time Edo State will host the national fiesta. The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare (11), along with his wives – a rare experience in Benin tradition – attended.

The Benin monarch hosted the Celebration of Royal Splendour, one of the festival’s events in his palace on Thursday.

The famous red and white colours of the Benin literarily became the unofficial corporate colours of the event. The fiesta, which coincided with the celebration of the monarch’s birthday and third coronation anniversary, was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo last Friday, during which he visited Oba of Benin, and held a Town Hall meeting with market women, traditional and religious leaders, the artists’ community and students.

The Royal Splendour was not restricted to the Oba’s Palace as there were royal demonstrations of Nigerian cuisines by several states. The Oba Ewuare Foundation Night display of indigenous fabrics in royal apparel and a night of glorious royal grandeur personified by the Benin monarch showcased royalty in its purest form at various venues.

Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the University of  Benin Sports Complex last Saturday, Governor Godwin Obaseki who was represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Philip Shuaibu, said Benin had made a bold statement by successfully hosting NAFEST 2019 and setting a new precedent in royalty, culture and national integration.

Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe, commended the ancient city for hosting a successful NAFEST, saying,: “Edo people are very hospitable and ever smiling. I must say that I am yet to meet one ugly Edo person”

The festival, which is one of the flagship programmes of the council, featured free skill acquisition, competitive events, royal golf tournament, command performances, traditional cuisines, and traditional wrestling, among other activities.

Earlier at the Cultural Golf Kitty Tournament at Benin Golf Course, which was part of the closing events for the festival, Oba Ewuare II, observed that while culture and sports have been unifying forces in the country, it was not so with partisan politics.

The Oba, who was received by Otunba Runsewe, noted that culture is an instrument for promoting peace, unity and national integration, adding that partisan politics has been divisive.

He emphasised that as a major custodian of our rich culture, he promotes Nigeria at  international fora, including his diplomatic sojourns. The Benin monarch thanked Runsewe for leading Benin to its first hosting of NAFEST.

At the Celebration of Royal Splendour in the palace, Runsewe led over 25 state contingents to pay homage to the monarch. This was followed by performances by troupes from Katsina, Ondo, Delta, Inneh Cultural troupe, Edo Royal Academy, and Edo State Cultural Troupe.

The main feature at the Oba Ewuare Foundation Night held the previous day at Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre was the dramatic perfromance of the legendary Queen Mother, Idia, whose exploits in saving the old kingdom, were extolled in Benin folklore. The drama was preceded by a fashion runway by Sukponquin Collections.

Rusewe urged women to emulate the virtues and courageous acts of the famous Idia (mother of Oba Esigie of ancient Benin Kingdom), who demonstrated rare zeal and determination to protect Benin people from the attack by Idah people in the 14th Century.

He said one of the lessons women must learn from Idia is that they must be ready to help when the society is in need of one, adding that as mothers, they must protect and preserve culture.

Runsewe, who spoke on the sidelines of Oba Ewuare II Foundation Night, stressed the need to promote our rich cultural heritage.

“Unfortunately, many parents take pride in their children speaking English than speaking their dialects or languages. However, we must understand that our cultural heritage is our strength as a people,” he said.

NAFEST 2019 offered a new route towards the aesthetic appreciation of the festival. Rather than adopting artifices, this year’s festival provided a consoling view of a heritage loss, but regained by the people’s will to retain their culture.

The fiesta’s theme was selected to celebrate the country’s traditional rulers as custodians of cultural values and heritage as well as their distinct role in the promotion, preservation and transmission of culture from generation to generation. That culture has the capacity to ameliorate challenges facing any given society, necessitated its use as a vehicle to promote unity, peace, social integration and harmony among Nigerians.

So far, NAFEST can be described as an acknowledgement of the council’s determination and consistency in unveiling the invaluable abundant resources in the culture sector, which have the capacity to turn around the economic fortunes of the country.

Also known as the National Unity Forum, the festival, over the years, has promoted 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 act as a vehicle for preservation and documentation of the country’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Earlier, at the opening on Monday,  Governor Godwin Obaseki, said the festival, coming to Edo State, 40 years after its inception, was akin to culture coming home.

“Today, we are celebrating in Edo State because 40 years after this festival was launched, it is coming to the home of culture for the first time. Is Edo not the home of culture in Nigeria?” he asked, noting: “We are very happy to host this NAFEST, because this festival is a bond of unity for Nigeria. Culture is a mold for uniting our people.”

Runsewe said: “The abundant potential of our diverse cultural manifestations, if properly harnessed and developed, can gainfully engage our teeming youths and women that are both rural and urban-based so that the sector can contribute meaningfully in attaining the economic diversification agenda of the present administration.”

According to him, Nigeria should not just celebrate a virile cultural system, Nigerians should export their indigenous values-art, food, clothing, music, customs, religious ceremonies and any other – as cultural products to strengthen cultural cohesion and national consciousness.

“Every edition of the festival focuses on a specific issue of our national life, as we seek to find solutions to the challenges of nation building. The theme of this 32nd edition of the festival is Our royalty, our pride and it was evolved, among others, to celebrate the royalty in Nigeria and to underscore the critical roles our royal fathers must play in the task of restoring the glory of our cultural heritage and also using culture as a tool for driving rapid socio-economic development.”

He added that part of the vision of the  management of NCAC “is to make culture a key player in the economy, capable of creating mass employment and empowering the people in line with the economic diversification policy of the Buhari’s administration. It is in the light of this that we have expanded the scope of NAFEST to include skill acquisition programme.”

In a way, the festival was a blessing to the state. Apart from the increase in economic activities in Benin City, it gave the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre a new look and was put into effective use.

However, poor organisation and inadequate preparation denied the host state of its rightful place as true  home of culture even though it emerged joint winner of third position with Bayelsa state.

Rivers State emerged as the overall winner of the festival followed by Ogun State.   Delta State and Oyo State emerged fourth and fifth winners. Plateau State won the Special Gong for 2020 proposed host state.