In Beijing, China, last week, the National Troupe of Nigeria was able to prove to the international community during the Nigerian Cultural Week sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, that culture has become a tool for socio – economic and cultural advancement in world affairs. Edozie Udeze, who attended the celebration in Beijing, China, writes on the importance of the outing to both nations and how Nigerian dancers stole the show
The excitement and joy written on the faces of some of the Chinese who gathered for the Nigerian cultural week in Beijing, China, was obvious. As they walked from one stand to another viewing the art works on display and savouring Nigerian cuisines, they expressed satisfaction with the Nigerian people for the opportunity to bring Nigeria to Beijing. A young lady called Jun, said “I love the feel of Nigerian people. The food also smells nice.”
Musta Li, a Chinese Muslim from the Northern part of the country who has been to Nigeria before, said: “People of Nigeria are good. See, I have eaten eba before. It tastes so sweet, so delicious.” He said Nigerian art works have come to dominate world attention in recent times. “Your artists are cool,” he said smiling.
Asked what he came to do in Nigeria, he simply said, “To be with my Muslim brothers in Lagos. I was really on my way to Saudi, and stayed over for only two days,” he stated further, moving from one stand to another.
Culture and technology
From the level and stage of development in Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, no one is left in doubt that the people’s recourse to their traditional norms and values have helped them to be the foremost technologically advanced society in the world. This was an obvious fact as Nigerian and Chinese culture technocrats, stakeholders and artistes gathered in Beijing last week to celebrate what was appropriately tagged: Celebrating Nigeria Cultural Week in Beijing, China.
The three day event was deliberately chosen by the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation to showcase Nigerian dances, cuisines, fashions, crafts, designs, art works, and other forms of creativity to the Chinese audience and then see a way to attract same to Nigeria. This was why the National Troupe of Nigeria, the nation’s apex dance ensemble was in place to display cultural dances not only to tease the Chinese society, but to also prove to the world that dance still forms one of the best ingredients for diplomatic friendship among the nations of the world.
The total display of beautiful dances by Nigerian dancers was what the Chinese people needed to unwind and shuffle their legs and nod their heads to the heavy percussive sounds of the drums. The National Troupe opened the show with the maiden dance from Owo, Ondo State, called Shokoro Owo. It was a dance that was used to open the programme on the first day.
Decked in red beads and crowns on their heads, the female dancers took the gathering to different stages of the wooing of a woman, till the moment when she agrees to be a man’s wife… The dance was so colourful and moving that even the Chinese Vice Minister of Culture, Domg Wei who stood in for their government could not hide his delight and joy. But that was only a tip of the iceberg, as the Minister said that he hoped to see more wonderful displays of Nigeria’s cultural heritage the next day “This is good,” Wei kept muttering as he nodded his head.
The second day indeed saw a charged and more colourful Nigerian dancers who did all they could to match their Chinese counterparts. Even though Nigerian dances were deeply embedded in their traditional heritage, their Chinese counterparts showed their best in classical Asian dances. Theirs were more of opera and classical shows typical of the Chinese tradition.
While the classical sounds played in the background, the dancers manipulated their tambourines, trumpets and violins. The combination of all these, with their colourful and powerful costumes made the event more of a carnival; a cultural festival that indeed melted people’s hearts while it lasted.
Culture and diplomacy
When the Odudu dance pattern by Nigerians appeared on stage to raise the tempo of the beatings, almost everybody went agog with joy. Odudu dance came with an intermittent rise in the provocative sounds of the drums. The drummers who were in their best elements truly celebrated the beauty and secrets of drumming. While that was on, Chinese photographers went all out to have a fields day. A Chinese photographer whose name was Xi told me in smattering English; “Ah good. People of Nigeria good.”
And with that remark more dances were showcased to completely climax the nation’s total avowal to cultural diplomacy. By doing so and achieving the desired effect, Martin Adaji, the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria spent time enough to choose his team and select the best costumes to suit the occasion. These costumes which came in different colours and traditions made the audience to applaud the dancers from the beginning to the end. “This is the celebration of who we are and what we stand for,” so said Arnold Udoka, who choreographed the dances.
Adaji also said: “we needed to prove to the world and to even ourselves that culture has become a tool for the socio-economic advancement of most nations of the world. In this wise, Nigeria can’t be left behind. And since we have costumes in abundance in our country, we needed to use plenty of them to dazzle the world.”
Part of the reasons for the Nigeria Culture week was to see how culture can be used to foster on everlasting friendship between the two nations. Already there are plenty of Nigerians resident in China. These Nigerians too needed to pull themselves together to show their own pride as Nigerians. Like Ngozi, a Nigerian student on Chinese scholarship in Beijing said: “Our friends here will now know that we too have a country we are proud of. For the government of Nigeria to pull such a crowd here in Beijing shows how strong the Nigerian government is towards a cultural relationship between the two nations.” Ngozi is a student of Information and Technology at Perking University, who also speaks a bit of the Chinese language.
Apart from Nigerian students and others who ply their trade in Beijing and other commercial cities in China, who were able to attend the celebration, the event proved that the world is indeed a global village. As Nigerians tried to speak and communicate in the Chinese language, their Chinese counterparts purposely rummaged in the threos of Nigerian cultures. A lot of Nigeria’s artifacts, art works and cuisines were on display to show culture in diversity. While the exhibitions were going on, some Chinese people went round to view and ask questions. Some of their questions bordered on the need to make the show a yearly event. Xi looked up to me and said: “You, beautiful people. Nigeria big country.”
But like Chief Edem Duke, Nigeria’s Minister of Culture, declared in his address at the occasion, “Nigeria is the most profitable business destination in Africa. And being a nation of over 445 ethnic groups, so are the number of cultural values that Nigeria possesses. Therefore, we need one another; we need plenty Chinese investors to come over to explore this vastness, this beauty, these opportunities and more. Since we are the largest travelers and spender in Africa, we know how to court friendship using culture, using food, using fashion and other forms of creativity,” Duke further stated as the gathering cheered and applauded him.
The Chinese Vice – Minister of Culture, Wei who agreed that Nigeria is a powerful cultural market in the world said that the people were prepared to share the beauty of both nations in an atmosphere devoid of avarice. “Equity is what we stand for. We attach so much importance to the cultural values of the Nigerian nation. This love for a peaceful relationship is a wonderful vista of opportunities to us. This is why this is an ideal platform to forge this relationship ahead,” Wei explained.
And so it was in Beijing as more efforts are underway now to involve more people to make culture a permanent platform for a global friendship, advancement and development.
