Skip to main content

Ake arts and book festival begins in Abeokuta

Lola Shoneyin

Lola Shoneyin, festival’s director

The 2016 edition of the Ake Arts and Book Festival kicked off Thursday with an opening ceremony in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Hosted by media personality, Wana Udobang, the event began with the arrival of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo and renditions of the national and Ogun State anthems by Falana and Adunni and Nefertiti.

This was followed by a welcome address from the festival’s director, Ms Lola Shoneyin who highlighted the opportunities for collaboration, networking and relationship-building created since the festival began in 2013.

She said this year’s festival promises a memorable exploration of African identity through a series of panels, performances and book chats.

The organisers have also ensured that the festival reaches a wide audience by creating a mobile application; a designated blog, and by live streaming events on the festival’s YouTube channel.

Her speech was followed by Oba Gbadebo’s goodwill message, which featured a brief touch of history and a promise that Abeokuta would always host the festival.

He also praised the hard work and creativity of the organisers which he said was evident from previous editions and the quality of events lined up for this year.

The Alake’s speech was followed by a series of messages from representatives of the festival’s sponsors and supporters who emphasised the festival’s importance in drawing attention to the arts; its potential for tourism and changing negative stereotypes held towards Nigeria and its citizens.

The event also featured the announcement of the long list for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature.

This was done by award-winning author and poet, Helon Habila and Elvis Ogiemwanye, Etisalat Nigeria’s Director, Brand and Experience.

The Etisalat long list was not the only thing to be unveiled. Representatives of the African Speculative Fiction Society, led by Chinelo Onwualu, also presented the Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction by Africans, which has been awarded four years’ worth of prize money by the founder of the African Science Academy and the most influential black person in the UK, Tom Ilube.

The opening was not all about speeches though, as it featured performances from poet and co-convener of the Lagos International Poetry Festival, Titilope Sonuga and celebrated female singing group Adunni and Nefertiti.

This year’s festival was declared open by Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Muyiwa Ladipo.

The Ake Arts and Book Festival is currently holding at the Arts and Cultural Centre, Kuto in Abeokuta, and ends on Sunday, November 19.

Adefoyeke Ajao

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more