Olokun festival celebrated amidst pomp

Olokun festival is an annual traditional festival in honour of the river goddess. Essentially, Olokun is celebrated by riverine people of Nigeria who have come to associate their wealth and successes in life with the goddess. The festival which has assumed a greater dimension owing to the incursion of Oodua People’s Congress is becoming a major crowd-puller. This year’s celebration was no different. It was grand, stylish, and colourful. Joe Agbro Jr. who was at Badagry reports.

Picture this. A barefooted young woman, white wrapper tied around her waist and adorned with beads and cowries prancing about the beach with her followers equally dressed in white on her every trail. She moves as if in a trance, darting from one palm tree to the other, circling each one and muttering under her breath what her followers says are messages. Everyone in her path clears way for her and for good reasons too. She is the Arugba (Carrier of a calabash tray) which Olokun (Yoruba sea goddess) devotees and sympathisers believe will carry away sickness, trouble, bad luck, and other negativities of the world to replace them with blessings and their heart desires. To the onlooker, it is a sight as she moves gracefully evoking a feeling akin to a medium. It also seemed she could read the minds of those present. She demonstrated this when she stopped in her ritual to accost a Youngman she claimed was speaking ill about her. When the Youngman accepted he truly said such, she now told him of the etutu (sacrifice) he has to perform for atonement. After about an hour of dancing, prancing, and intense display, she proceeded to the shore with the calabash containing salt and some piece of cloth balanced on her head and a pigeon in her right hand. At this point, a male devotee helped to remove the calabash from her head and emptied the contents together with the live pigeon into the rushing waves. The procession behind the Arugba all the while were chanting “Ko gbe arun lo, ko gbe ise lo, ko gbe ire wa, ire olokun ire olosa, ko san pade mi” (take sickness away, take poverty away, bring blessing around, may the blessings of the seas and ocean flow towards me). While the Arugba and her escorts left the shore away after offering the sacrifice to Olokun, devotees and worshippers began offering prayers and using the sea water to wash while muttering prayers and wishes. That was the scene that played out between 5:30am and 6:30am on Wednesday, 24th October, 2007 at the Suntan Beach, Badagry.



The event was the celebration of the Olokun festival. Olokun as a goddess has always been revered in Yoruba tradition as the giver of blessings, wealth and all the good things of life. A wife of Oduduwa, she was not only very beautiful but also very rich. In fact, the Ifa divination starts with “Ifa Olokun asoro d ayo” (this god, make my situation joyous). The myth has it that she settled at a place called “Igbo Olokun” in Ile-Ife. A very hard working god, she was envied for riches and wisdom. This saw her not having enough followership and consequently her important place in Yoruba history. This is however changing with the intervention of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) led by Otunba Gani Adams. Perhaps seeking to redeem the dented image which OPC has been branded when its members took laws into their hands becoming a menace to society, the organisation is now at the forefront of the promotion of culture, especially Yoruba culture. Olokun festival is one of the festivals they have delved into.



The 2007 edition kicked off on Sunday, 21st October with a beauty pageant at Planet One, Maryland, where 20years old Miss Ijeoma Ilechukwu emerged as the Miss Olokun 2007. It is perhaps interesting to note that she is an Igbo lady. On Tuesday 23rd October, the show moved to the Slave port along the Marina in Badagry. Here was the beginning of the festivities proper and the dress-colour code was white. This is because Olokun was honest, just and truthful while alive and also abhors filth and anything associated with dirt and uncleanness. Hence, most people wore white. The event started with prayers being offered the Ifa style with incantations by Chief Olaopin Aderemi. Gani Adams while giving his opening speech said “language, food, music, clothes and even religion have been integral part of our culture. Inferiority complex was deliberately placed on us by colonial masters.



The fifty two states of Africa agreed they have got independence but with the activities of organisations such as the UN, we would know we have no independence.” Speaking on deploring cultural values, Adams said, “if you don’t project your culture, don’t know enough to educate people on your culture, you cannot have an identity, you cannot have a nation. Another country cannot teach us our culture. Europeans may have a different way of communicating with God. These were forced on us during colonisation.” Elucidating, he said other people of the world had their gods and asked why with the coming of colonisation, we ignored and demonised our own ingenious gods. He berated Dr. Olusola Akinbode, Chairman, Olokun Grand finale planning committee for turning up in dark suit. “I’m highly surprised that the Chairman is putting on a suit. When you say you are projecting African culture, there should be a limit to what you wear.” After other speeches, it was time for the cultural displays; the main show was the boat regatta, but while they were getting ready, the Eyo masquerades in their flowing white robes and white hats danced with the leader unmasked and wearing charms around his waist. They paid homage to the Otunba and also said prayers.



Shortly afterwards, two boats came in sight and the regatta started. The rowers demonstrated their prowess of control of the boats on water as they rowed with different speeds across the water. Afterwards, it was time to go to the Akran’s palace. The convoy of cars, mostly commercial danfo buses trailed the streets of Badagry heading towards the Akran’s palace. However, it seemed Oba Menutoyi was not yet ready to receive the entourage; hence, there was a diversion to Suntan Beach where the festivities would continue. Hitting the Badagry expressway, the convoy sped to the beach. Here, people had started milling around and it did not take long for the beach to become crowded. By 6:00pm, one could tell a great event was coming. Nurudeen, an OPC member said, “there is little crowd this time, supposing it was on a weekend, you will hardly find space to move about”. Still, the crowd that turned was impressive considering that it was on a weekday and no holiday was given to mark the Olokun festival. And the line-up of commercial buses with the OPC Olokun festival banner outside the beach was an indication of the turn-out. In the same vein, the Ejiogbe twins who are custodians of the Osun-Oshogbo deity and advocates of Yoruba culture appealed to government to recognize traditional religion even to the extent of making days when these gods are worshipped public holidays. Food and drink vendors were everywhere. Black soap specially packaged and labelled “Oodua soap” was on offer. Sellers of T-shirts and charms too conducted their business unrestrainedly.



Nigerian Breweries registered their presence by deploying a DJ to dish out music and making can Star beer and Amstel Malt drinks available. At about midnight, Alhaji Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, a popular fuji musician mounted the stage. However, he did not perform for long owing to insufficient lighting on the stage set up for him. Bazooka, another fuji musician, however ensured the night was not too quiet. All through the night, there was feasting and drinking and merriment. Alcohol was the choice drink being consumed and Igbo (Marijuana) was freely smoked. However, the in spite of the majority of those present being street children and being heavily intoxicated, there was decorum and a compere the next day announced that only six phones were reported missing. For the multitudes who could not afford to go back home or sleep in hotels, the beach sand became bed and pillow. They made themselves comfortable sleeping under the skylight and shelter of the palms. Dawn came lazily and with it was the grand finale. Before the official commencement of the day’s event, the crowd was treated to various displays: climbing palm-trees rapidly with only hands and legs for support, a snake charmer lolling his pet snakes, Bazooka, the fuji musician who did not want to stop. The game of Ayo Olopon, a traditional African game also served as a diversion for interested participants. Another side attraction was an art exhibition titled “Art for development” where about forty works were on display. The organiser, Emeka Uzoegbo believes art is an integral part of culture and sees as incomplete where a festival such as the Olokun will be devoid of Artworks when Olokun herself was into the arts, stringing beads and doing bronze work.



Also, two books; “My life and struggle” written by Gani Adams and “Leadership Challenge: Gani Adams and the Oodua peoples Congress” edited by Michael M. Ogbeidi were available for sale. “Fineboy”, a popular comic officially started the show when he rendered the National Anthem using sound made from his mouth. Then the speeches began: Otunba Gani Adams gave his speech. Professor Kolawole Owolabi delivered the keynote address. In his speech, Otunba Gbenga Akadiri, the chairman of the day addressed Otunba Gani Adams saying, “if not for you, we the Yorubas would be finding ways to discover ourselves.” Afterwards, different masquerades displayed: there was the Ewi, the Igunuku, and Egungun. The Edo cultural dance troupe was also not left out of the fanfare. Also, a simulation of Sango’s fire spitting power was re-enacted to the admiration of everyone present. There was an impressive presence of royal fathers; Akran of Badagry, Olubegi of Igbegi, Oloso of Oso o jowa, and Elero of Ilero to mention a few of them. Other dignitaries present included Ambassador Segun Olusola, a true lover of culture and Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, commissioner for Intergovernmental relations in Lagos state.

A week of Felabration


For the first time since the death of their father, Fela Anikulapo-kuti, Femi and Seun, mounted the stage together at the Afrika Shrine, Ikeja, as part of musical concerts Felabration, marking the post-humous birthday of the Afro-beat legend. The event flagged off last Tuesday and hit its peak over the weekend, reports Joe Agbro Jr.

There were little restrictions, yet security was such that permits no one to misbehave else “The Afrikan Shrine Police” might mess one up. Right from the Fela days, Femi still continues to instill security and discipline at the Shrine to make it a go-able area for all.

On a normal day, Shrine is active, but the traffic it has experienced the past week is hyper-active. The whole of the street is filled with people either stationary or moving. The car park beside the Shrine was filled. The adjoining streets too were lined with vehicles and by the type of cars parked; one would now the caliber of people coming were no riff-raff. At one corner of the car park, there is a snooker board and to play one has to stake. The board-man, Emeka says, “you drop 300 naira for a game and if you win, you get 500 naira.” “That way, you get something in return”, he said. Food and drink vendors also had brisk sales. There were ample stuffs to eat and drink: different kinds of food, Suya, Ice-cream, beer, hot drinks, and a lot of hemp. The Igbo (Indian hemp) sellers had a field day as this was the heaviest of vices which the Abami Eda allowed himself while alive. Shade who sells varieties of local alcoholic concoctions said, “We don sell well during this period. Even, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, all our drinks finished”.

The show which started on Tuesday saw the performance of Seun Kuti and the Egpyt 80 band and his performance showed he was a chip of his father. On Wednesday, the French Cultural Centre; one of the foreign countries which sympathized with Fela staged a film titled “Suffering and Smiling” which chronicles part of Fela’s life. Earlier on they had staged an exhibition of his pictures, album sleeves, costumes, and other memorabilia. This was at the right corner of the Shrine throughout Felabration. That day too, was Ladies night and it was that day most of the female acts thrilled Felabrants. On the line-up were Asa, Muma Gee.

On Thursday, the show got a bit hotter and the acts began to roll out. Friday saw Pasuma, Mr 9ice, Freestyle and a lot other upcoming acts perform. On Saturday, it was time for the “Block Party”. Here, a solid, beautiful and covered stage was mounted by Storm Entertainment outside the Afrika Shrine and it was from here that the artists performed. First, there was The K slim band which just came from the UK. Other acts that performed included Marvellous Benji, Nigga raw, Rugged man, Lord of Ajasa and

On Sunday which was the grand performance, things changed just slightly. After enjoying a week of free shows, Afrobeat aficionados had to pay to watch it. However, at four hundred naira, it was little compared to the thrill going on indoors. The Shrine which was emptied at about 8:00pm and thirty minutes later, the loudspeakers had started booming and began the long queue to watch the last show of Felabration.

Expectedly, the shrine was jam-packed, filled with all categories of Nigerians; able and disabled, rich and poor, educated and nearly illiterate, refined and unpolished. “Fela was my friend for the past fifteen years. Our fourteen year working relationship had grown from that friendship. I regret his passing but celebrate his life. He will live forever through the incredible legacy of more than 50 albums of music which he has left us and through the love and respect of the millions of people who knew him, from near or far.” Rikki Stein, his manager and friend says. And indeed, there was a high presence of foreigners throughout the week long event. British, French, and even Chinese: such were the crowd that came throughout to celebrate Fela. Also, the event was used to pass across the message of HIV and AIDS by some NGOs. This was probably due to the pronouncement of Olikoye Ransome Kuti, Fela’s elder brother who diagnosed AIDS as the eventual killer of Fela at his death in 1997.

Inside, the shrine was smoky, and drinks flowed. For those that could not afford the price of drinks at the bar, Nigerian Distilleries which had been supportive of Felabration sold Chelsea in mini packs and bottles.

After Dj Dr. Step played for sometime, with a full band, Sunny Neji mounted the stage and thrilled the crowd to some of his numbers which the crowd loved. Next was Azadus and the way he crooned suggested the “Madam” originator still had it going on for him. Coming down from the stage, he brought up two Chinese ladies to the stage and involved them to Ko mole (dance bending down and low the “African way”). Then Zeal, Sasha with two other bootilicious dancers showed that when women move, all must watch. Baba Dee was up to do his thing. Though his performance was a little below par, it was still enjoyable. Next was Murachi and he definitely swayed the crowd with his act. After his performance, the Yahooeze exponent, Olu Maintain who came from South Africa climbed the stage and he took the crowd back to 2000 with tracks from the group Maintain which he was formerly a part of. The crowd enjoyed the flashback but was obviously waiting for the hit track Yahooeze in his new album. The moment he started singing Yahooeze, the crowd went gaga with excitement. Alibi thrilled the house and his combo with Paul Play Dairo was simply exhilarating. Other acts which performed were Yootman, Faji Blaze, Slim Kiss, O6, Kelly, Thrill Squad, Spydaman, and General PYPE.

All through the week, Olumide Bamgboye popularly known as Bob (a foundation member of Young African Pioneers (YAP) and Movement of the People (MOP) enjoined the audience to chant Fela’s name seven times in a bid to invoke his presence to the arena. “I lived Fela and it is my firm conviction that he is the greatest man that ever lived”, Bob said.

At 2:00am, Femi Kuti’s Positive Force Band began stringing tunes in preparation. Twenty five minutes later, his dancers costumed in skimpy blouses and micro skimpy skirts with flowing frills trooped onto the stage and Femi Kuti, the King of Afrobeat walked onto the stage. After a brief form of worship, he launched into his songs beginning with Truth don die. He showed his mastery of the keyboards. Playing the keyboards as if in a trance on, he churned the sounds out in a way only he could.

After that first song, he shared with the audience, “They think Felabration would not hold when they started their nonsense. They don’t now that Fela is beyond all this. People love Fela. When Fela died, I said over one million people would come to his burial, they said for where. Amugbo (hemp smoker), who go come him burial? And everyone was surprised at the number of people that attended his burial, carrying him and trekking from Tafawa Balewa Square TBS on the Island all the way to Kalakuta Republic Ikeja where he was buried.”

Speaking further, Femi said, “I like the youth of Nigeria I am seeing. They are very energetic. But what we need is education, equal education, light, water and other good things.” Well said, he launched back into singing and dancing which he did energetically. At 3:00am, it was tie for se were. “Se were” is culture of Femi’s Afrika Shrine. What happens is that the crowd is incited into behaving abnormally and plastic bottles, cans and just about any material is thrown freely into the crowd, with no intention to hurt. Though, it can be quite scary. This lasted for about five minutes after which he continued. For one who knows, the similarity in the socio-political and economic issues which Fela dwelt on is also present in Femi’s music. Seeing Femi perform does not equal his fathers’ but it is perhaps the closest and Femi’s every mannerism brings a little of the “Abami eda” to the fore. At about 4:00am, Femi brought the show to an end. After that, the compere of the week long event asked Dj Dr Step to do what he had been itching to do all through the night which was to hit the wheels of steel.

Monday which is Fela’s birthday was chopping galore at the Shrine. Had he been alive, Fela Anikulapo uti would have celebrated his 68th birthday on the Monday 15th October 2007. But it really does not matter because for the teeming and patriotic fans of Abami Eda (Strange one) as he was fondly called while alive, Fela lives on. The enigmatic founder of Afrobeat was a very active man who did things his own way. Born on October 2nd 1938 in Abeokuta, it was no accident that Fela was a Libra; a star sign that exalts leadership abilities and this can be seen in the way he effectively ruled Kalakuta Republic and The Shrine at Mushin till he was forced to move by the ruling Junta to the Kalakuta’s present location on Gbemisola street while he played at his “Afrika Shrine on Pepple street, both in Ikeja.

Fela was born of silver spoon and could have decided to effortlessly mix with the elite crowd of his period. Rather he chose throughout his life time to associate with the commoners. In one of his tracks, He refers to them as “My people”. So, celebrating Fela’s birthday could not be an affair for the covers. His biological children know that. Hence, the conception of Felabration which is an annual festival dedicated to the promotion of Afrobeat and African culture and to the preservation of the legend and artistry of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. This year was the tenth edition of Felabration and it was the bomb.

Resugram with Alafuro

Resugram, a Latin word meaning I shall rise again is the title of the exhibition holding at the Goethe Institute, Lagos. It opened last Saturday, September 22 and is open till October 5 as JOE AGBRO JR. writes

Alafuro Sikoki’s exhibition Resugram which opened last Saturday at the Goethe Institut, Lagos, is a five-piece installation by Alafuro Sikoki which addresses the changes in nature, their effects and how persons cope with them. The artist conceptualized the pieces to suggest changes a person experiences in life. Using photography, fibre sculpture and industrial design processes as her media, she focuses on social issues pertinent to men, women and children, particularly of African descent.
Doors of perception is a contraption of pines and almond branches hanging upside down on several wooden door posts and it strikes as anomalous since these plants grow upwards. It jars the consciousness leaving a feeling that all is not right. To the artist, “The work explores the impact of the sudden change in life and the effects on our senses of reality”.
Speaking on the inspiration for the work, she said lowering her voice, “I was inspired to do this when I lost someone very dear to me. Oh God! I couldn’t go a day without hurting or thinking. Nature sure has a way of effecting changes. It could be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, even the plants – the way they grow, decay and eventually die. It all shows the passage of time and its effects.”
Aviary is a collection of birdcages housing intricate pieces. Using liquid latex, flowers, hair, plaster, dolls, and pigments to create casts of body parts and eggs, she portrays the complexities of womanhood. The work highlights the role, pains, yearnings, and joy of being female. It looks at the struggle a woman undergoes as a daughter, sister, a wife, a mother. It draws attention to the woman and forces a closer examination of the limitations women place on themselves. In these climes where the issue of women’s liberation is tackled with mere lip-service, bringing up the subject frequently is welcome. “To me, it is challenge to women”, Sikoki quipped referring to Aviary. Asked if the woman would ever be free as she was symbolized in cages, the artist replied speaking generally, “One day, she will be able to roam.”
African time is the third installation. Here she blends elements of fibre sculpture and industrial design to create an aesthetic arrangement of calabash clocks. A beautiful sight to behold, it however discusses the serious matter of lack of punctuality with “African time” being given as excuse. “Oh she late! We are never on time as Africans. While the rest of the world is moving on, we just seem to be chilling”, Sikoki gushed.
Why didn’t you stay? is a garden swing in which a crate of grass is placed. A swing is normally a child’s play thing. When grass takes the place of the child something has gone wrong. It sends a message of a child that is simply not being a child. The work looks at the issue of child abuse. The cries and the plight of children who have to hawk on busy streets risking their lives, engage in prostitution other forms of labour when they ought to be in school, be playing and generally being children, has been on for long. This heartrending phenomenon fostered on many poor nations of the world including Nigeria, the birth country of the artist, abates at a rate slow for comfort. According to the artist, Why didn’t you stay? is a challenge to society to brace up in order to correct the wrongs and enforce the rights of the neglected children.
The fifth installation, Stills from the film that was never made, emphasizes the potency of images in communication. The pictures, like the one that shows teeth gripping cords, are subject to as varied interpretations as there are viewers. They convey messages purely on an individual level. All in digital photography, Sikoki invites the audience to form opinions on the premise, plot, and meaning of The film that was never made.
Installation is one form of art that nearly never fails prod lovers of the arts. In the media, artists express themselves in unimaginable ways. It is one form of art from which one never knows what to expect. Given the eccentricity synonymous with artists, such a display is bound to evoke feelings that the viewer might easily relate to or that might be entirely alien. Most times they turn out interesting. Yet they are jolting works subject to individualistic interpretations. With her captivating collection in Resugram, Alafuro Sikoki has succeeded in bringing to fore the experiences, challenges, joys, pains, and expectations change fosters on people.
Alafuro Sikoki who loves reading came across the Latin word Resugram, the title of her exhibition, before the age ten. A social reformer, this Bayelsa State-born artist welcomes challenges.
“I love challenges. If someone says this cannot be done. I want to do it. I grew up in a family that recognized individuality and the way a child’s mind worked”, she said, recalling her growing up years. This has enabled her to pursue her interests in life. She obtained a BA in Information Design from Coventry School of Art and Design in 2003 and a Masters degree in Industrial Design from The University of The Arts in Philadelphia, USA in 2006. Her designs and installations have been widely exhibited and have won several international awards. she is online at http://www.studiosikoki.com/