Multi-talented musician, Jah Baba, proved he is also a culture activist when he performed at the Afropolis Festival held in Lagos between 26 October and 3 November. The festival powered by the Lagos State Government featured many musicians, dancers, poets, visual artists and other content creators from different parts of the world. It is Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s inspiring and ambitious addition to the rich pool of festivals in Nigeria, while it was initiated by founder of Qdance Company, Qudus Onikeku.
So came Jah Baba in a blaze of multilingual songs that not only entertained the audience but also sought to conscientise them. As if he is the anointed disciple of pan Africanists like the late Kwame Nkrumah, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Chinua Achebe and Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, ‘Africa’ rang through his songs persistently, while he berated imperialists with every atom of his extrovert breath.
But Baba had a curious test for the crowd that gathered at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, which is one of the most impressive monuments the government of the ‘Centre of Excellence’ also recently added to the cultural landscape of the country. The way the Blue Line and Red Line rail infrastructure have become iconic elixirs in the social system in the state, the Randle Centre looms large at the centre of the arts and culture renewal the Babajide Sanwo-Olu government has been prosecuting. For one, many of the tourists and residents who seized the opportunity of the festival to tour the facilities of the imposing arena attested to the fact that it is a huge blessing to the sector.
But back to Baba. At a point during his winding performance in which traditional drums such as gangan, bata, omele and djembe were as loud as a thunder clap, he decided to sing an Ijesa (Yoruba) song that he chose to teach the audience. But, poor him, he expected the voices from the grooving ground to be very loud as he felt he was in a native community where the indigenous language should be very alive. He, however, got a little disappointed because the response he got did not exude as much confidence and depth as what the band rendered. He thus coached the folks on the need to hold on to Africa’s cultures and languages.
Well, pundits would like to remind Jah Baba that Lagos is not just a cosmopolitan state, it is also a melting pot of different cultures and the people attracted to the festival are of mixed tribes and nationalities, not Yorubas alone. Yet, the import of his fear would dawn on some: that Yoruba language, like many other indigenous languages, is under threat, while the irony that the Diaspora or foreigners could, one day, begin to be our memories and teachers of the native tongues may be a reality. Well, some would still want to argue that the Yoruba tribe in Jah Baba’s Benin Republic is as real as those in Nigeria.
The linguistic activism apart, he proved he is an engaging artiste. Some of the songs he rendered include ‘Africa yii o ni baje’ (Africa will never regress), Ijesa Ree (an Ijesa song), Ajo ko dun (There is no place like home). In terms of stage profile, Baba’s movement from genre to genre, language to language and beat to other rhythms kept the festival alive, while it proved a great harbinger of the headline artiste that mounted the stage after him: Made Kuti.
Apart from Made, the concerts featured Keziah Jones, Celia Wa, Fokn Boys, Cef Ashanta, Alibeta, Oba, Dotti the Deiti, among other musicians from different parts of the world. Those also billed for the dance performances included
Katy Streek, Adila Omotoso, Addy Daiel, Mufutau Yusuf, Qdance Company, Qudus, and Team Switch.
Governor Sanwo-Olu is very impressed by how the festival unfolded according to expectations.
On return from one of the Afropolis programmes, Governor Sanwo-Olu noted: “Today, I attended Afropolis Lagos 2024, an international festival celebrating arts, culture, creativity, and innovation at the J Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan.
“The festival aims to turn Lagos into a centre of African creativity, inviting artists, innovators, and enthusiasts from all over the continent and beyond.
“We remain committed to ensuring that Lagos State remains a viable hub for the arts and a center for creativity in Africa and beyond.
“I’m also happy to share that the J Randle Centre is now open to the public”.
Meanwhile, the Artistic Director of Afropolis 2024, Qudus Onikeku, said the festival was a dream come true, adding that Lagos, being the biggest black capital of the world, deserved to have a world-class cultural festival.
Onikeku said, “Lagos is a creative capital of the world. We are ready to compete with the world. Afropolis is an African/diaspora festival. We have been dreaming about this for over a year to give Lagos an international festival”.
Onikeku noted that the festival would boost the GDP of the state as it would improve the local economy, with local vendors selling and displaying their goods ranging from food to artistic materials, among others.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, also averred that, with Afropolis 2024, the state government would be able to replicate other international festivals.
“We have everything that can bring the world to come and learn about African culture”, Omotoso said.
Afropolis is modelled after internationally recognised festivals such as the Nottingham Carnival in the UK and this why Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, described it as groundbreaking, adding that the rich cultural heritage and creative spirit that defined Lagos metropolis would be projected for nine days.
“Afropolis is not just an event. It is a celebration of our identity, a showcase of our talents, and a testament to the power of creativity to unite and inspire”, Benson-Awokoya enthused.
