As a way to preserve, promote and celebrate the cultural heritage of Lagos and Western Nigeria, this year’s edition of the Lagos Heritage Festival tagged Lagos Heritage Week 2014 will focus on indigeneous music.
The festival which began on Monday, April 14th will end on the 21st of this month. According to the organisers, celebrating indigenous music will make the festival take a break from its current series – The Black of the Mediterranean Blue.
The Black heritage festival with the theme “The Music Makers” moved its festival policy from the geographic outlook to the disciplinary outlook which is music, having in mind that there is a domination of Euramerican pop forms which almost stifles the exploration of indigenous musical resources both in direct performance for audiences, and in their application of other disciplines.
The event will engage lots of activities such as music, painting, symposium, beauty pageant, drama, carnival, video fiesta, dance, exhibitions, water regatta and masquerade parade amongst others.
Speaking at the opening of the festival which featured a parade of masquerades, Disu Holloway,the commissioner of tourism and intergovernmental relations, said this year, the theme was purposely moved from what it used to be to something everyone can engage with, music.
While accessing the paintings of children from schools in Lagos state, Holloway said he has been most impressed by the paintings of the children.
“The ability of the children to interpret the paintings is very commendable, as the children have taken their time to express what they think of our society and what they have expressed is a little bit depressing but it is the truth and reality,” he noted.
Amidst other activities, the exciting Lagos Carnival Beauty Pageant will crown its queen on the 19th of April at the Freedom Park, while the Lagos Water Regatta will come up on 20th of April.
The Lagos Carnival will celebrate its 5th year on Easter Monday with a series of other carnivals taking place across the country. The grand closing ceremony and its Ancestral Parade through the street of Lagos will be held on 21st of April.
There are various festival groups represented from the Western part of the country, some of which are Eko Brass Band, FootPrint of David dance troop, Oyo State Cultural Troop, Meiboi, Brazelian Masquerade, performed by Brazilian Descendants Union and Egunla Masquerade performed by masquerades from Ijebu towns.
