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20 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2022
Eko NAFEST 2022: Lagos
emerges overall winner
Stories by Osa
Mbonu-Amadi,
Arts Editor
LAGOS State has emerged
the overall winner at the
2022 National Festival of Arts
& Culture, which began last
Monday November 7 and ended
November 13, 2022.
Lagos clinched the first position
for the competitive events,
beating Bayelsa and Rivers
states to second place while
Ekiti came third.
In his closing speech, Governor
of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu,
represented by his
deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, said
the events of Eko NAFEST 2022
are lessons in the art of peaceful
co-existence in a multi-cultural
and diverse society like
Nigeria: “We all have demonstrated
what it means to co-exist
peacefully in our various
interactions through the different
games and other cultural
activities that took place over
the past few days at the National
Institute of Sports building
at the National Stadium,
Surulere.”
The Governor said winning
in the competitive events
should not be the main emphasis,
but the unity the games and
cultural products have instilled
into participants: “It is instructive
to note that although winners
have emerged in the various
categories of the competitions,
the emphasis is not on
who won or otherwise; what is
of uttermost importance is that
these games and cultural competitions
have united all the
participants as one which to
me, is the spirit of this national
festival.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu also observed
that “apart from the platform
for cultural exchange
which this festival provides, a
lot of businesses, hospitality
outlets, transportation, among
others have felt the impact of
the huge contingents that gathered
here in Lagos for this Eko
Nafest 2022.”
The highest point of the governor’s
speech, however, came
when he took time to re-enact
the exclusive human interest
story which Vanguard Newspaper
pulled out from the middle
of the Eko NAFEST and
published while the festival
was still ongoing: “I must not
forget to mention one of the
very gratifying and interesting
moments of this event when
the children participants paid
a visit to my wife, our Mama
NAFEST, where I met Precious
Olabanjo, an SSS 2 student
with Model Secondary School,
Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State.
“Her touching story of how
she got selected for the essay
writing competition alongside
her colleague as reported in the
Vanguard Newspaper some
days ago, shows that this NAF-
EST platform, apart from integrating
different culture, is also
a nurturing ground for the
younger generation.
“The most striking part of her
story was her determination
and conviction that she would
make her school and Ondo
State proud by going back
home with good reports and
Otunba Segun Runsewe (left), announcing winners at Eko NAFEST; from right, Mrs. Tonye Briggs-Oniyide,
Rivers State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism; Prof. Rasak Ojo Bakare, Ekiti State commissioner for Arts
& Culture and others.
laurels. “Precious was not
alone. Some other children participants
shared almost similar
stories about their expectations
for attending this event, and I
am very pleased that the expectations
of these children
were not dashed as some of
them are now proud owners of
Laptops, (computer)Tablets and
other gift items courtesy of our
Mama NAFEST.
“I must commend the concept
of carrying these school children
along in this cultural
event. This is the best way we
can sustain, protect and preserve
our culture for posterity.
“The main organizer of this
annual event, which is the National
Council for Arts and Culture,
should continue to engage
more children in this competition,
introduce them to our
cultural heritage and sustain
the children corner of this competition
so that more talents can
be discovered and groomed.
“It is my belief that if we take
deliberate steps to put these
youths on the right path
through positive orientation
and meaningful engagements,
the rate of youth-related crime
and violence will gradually reduce
and the whole society will
be better for it.
The governor reteirated the
need to use NAFEST to harness
our differences: “One of
the lessons from this year’s
NAFEST is that if we pay
enough attention to harnessing
the differences in our culture,
it can assist in building consensus
and bond of friendship towards
genuine reconciliation
that will promote the much
needed unity, reduce tension
and tribal conflicts in the country.
“While it is almost impossible
not to have our differences,
considering the multiplicity of
our culture and languages as
Nigerians, we must always follow
the path of dialogue and
other non-violent approach in
resolving potential issues ca-
The student
who wept @
Eko NAFEST
To have the rare opportunity of
attending NAFEST, Nigeria’s
annual iconic arts and culture festival,
is usually a thing of joy for everyone. It
was therefore strange for Vanguard
Newspaper to find OlabanjoInioluwa
Precious, an SSS 2 student at Model
Secondary School, Alagbaka, Akure,
Ondo State, weeping. Vanguard
spoke to the weeping student, and this
is her story:
“A letter was sent to the principal of
my school to present candidates for
essay competition at Eko NAFEST
2022. So, we were taken to the
Ministry of Arts and Culture in Ondo
State to write qualifying essays. After
the evaluation, I was picked as the
second person to represent Ondo
State. The person who came first was
OgeneFejiro from another school.
“When I got home, I went online to
search for everything about NAFEST.
I got to know that it is the 35th edition,
being hosted this year by Lagos State,
and there are different activities
scheduled for the festival like essay
writing competition, Ayo traditional
board game, children’s music
competition, fashion, drama
competitions, free skills acquisition,
etc.”
Precious told Vanguard that she and
Fejiro “were groomed for two
Saturdays to come to Lagos to
represent Ondo State at Eko
NAFEST 2022 essay writing
competition.” The title of the essay
was “Arts, Culture & Tourism as Tools
for Peaceful Co-existence in Nigeria”.
About 30 (expectedly well-known
brilliant) students wrote the essay in
Ondo, and Precious and Fejiro were
selected to come to Lagos.
•Olabanjo Precious
Theme, curat
ator for ArtMiabo Festiv
tival 2023
After two successful editions,
ArtMiabo International Art
Festival (AMIAF) announces its third
edition, in Lagos.Chief Executive Officer
and founder of AMIAF, MiaboEnyadike,
disclosedduring the 3rd
edition preview that the success of the
2022 event, which featured artists from
Africa and Europe has encouraged
her team to go ahead with the next
event. Held at Ebonylife Centre, Victoria
Island, Lagos, the 2022 edition
themed “Remake the World” featured
24 artists from Africa and Europe, with
gallery representation from France
and South Africa.
Noting that the last two editions
have been of tremendous experience,
Enyadike said the dynamics of the
culture environment in general cannot
be left out of visual arts. The theme
of AMIAF 2023, she explained, is appropriating
Afrobeats, which is Nigeria’s
big cultural export to the world.
“The theme is Art in Afrobeats, appropriating
the Popular music genre
from Nigeria that’s making wave not
just across Africa, but outside the continent,”
Enyadike stated. “The Afrobeats
genre being streets generated
has its colours of which exist abundantly
in fine art and this much is exactly
what the contents will be reflecting
at AMIAF 2023.”
Holding on 27 April-May 1, 2023,
including a workshop on the theme
of the art festival, the yearly AMIAF
features 24 artists from different parts
of the world as well as others inspired
pable of igniting violence.
“I plead with all participants
at this event to continue to imbibe
the good virtues learnt
through the platform of this
year’s NAFEST and also share
these good lessons with your
kinsmen in your respective
States.”
by Afrobeats, Enyadike said. “We are
hoping to exhibit Art that has Afrobeats
feel; something that radiates
street expressions and reflects the vibrance
of the Afrobeats music genre.”
Managing the creative contents of
AMIAF 2023 has been put on the
shoulders of Yusuf Durodola, a performance
and video artist. Announcing
Durodola as the curator of AMI-
AF 2023, Enyadike said she was convinced
that “he is the right choice,” to
do creative justice to the presentation
of the event. Apart from Durodola’s
MiaboEnyadike, Founder/CEO,
ArtMiabo International Art
Festival.
experience as an artist who has made
input at different levels into quite a
number of exhibitions, the curator
also exhibited in the last edition of
AMIAF.
“It’s a privilege for me to be the curator,
particularly being an artist and
knowing that the show is all about
fine art,” Durodola enthused. While
noting that the contents of AMIAF
2023 is fine art, he agreed that “yes
music is the influencer.”
Durodola recalled how the history
of art movements influenced quite a
number of other cultures, and argued
that “Afrobeats can be seen through
fashion, art, among others,” noting
that people relate to Afrobeats in visual
rendition too. “For example, we
have metal works being painted in
vibrant colours, so representing Afrobeats.”
The curator explained that the real
musical contents for AMIAF 2023
will be different and not interfering
with art as seen in some art events in
Lagos, recently. He however assured
that “there is going to be a tour of the
Fela Shrine in Ikeja” by artists and
visitors to AMIAF.
In expanding the scope of AMIAF
to consolidate on the patronage of the
last two editions, quite an effort is ongoing
from the festival’s marketing
desk. Heading the marketing unit is
Uche Agu, whose focus is to improve
on the volume of patronage and quality
of visitors to the event.