New goddesses emerge in Osun Osogbo to replace Asa, Waje....

Asa

Ahead of the grand finale of the Osun Osogbo Festival 2013, top artistes celebrate with music lovers in Lagos, Akeem Lasisi reports

The popular river called Osun Osogbo practically flowed to Lagos on Sunday evening when some music stars rose to celebrate it. At a programme organised to usher in the grand finale of the 2013 edition of the Osun, Osogbo Festival, holding in the Osun State capital on Friday, award-winning musicians performed at a concert titled the Goddess Concepts.

Obviously paying tribute to the feminine spirit of Yeye Osun, the goddess of the river, the Osun State Government, in collaboration with Twice as Nice Productions, had assembled Asa, Waje and Amaikah and Gloria Ibru for the event that held at the Eko Hotel.  But because there is no goddess without a god, some male divas were also part of the treat.

Soul singer, Darey demonstrated his versatility as he moved from soul to afro and more, performing some old tunes that excited the audience. Celebrated comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, apparently used the occasion to strengthen his relationship with the Osun establishment. He had staged a comedy concert in Osogbo during the last Ramadam Festival, drawing many humour merchants to the city that has produced many accomplished artists. Dressed in a simple esiki and a touch-my-ankle trousers, both sewn from ankra fabrics to portray the nature of the festival, Adeyinka compered the concert, swinging from Yoruba to English.

While the Goddess Concert also featured a comic interlude by quick-tongued Akpororo, it attracted dignitaries from Lagos, and Osun states and other parts of the country. Among them is the Commissioner for Tourism and Culture in Osun State, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, and the Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ladi Soyode.

On the government’s interest in the concert, Soyode notes that it is in appreciation of the fact that the Osun heritage belongs to not only the entire Yorubaland, but also  because it is a national festival.

 “The Osun Osogbo is a global festival. Remember, the Osun Grove itself, where the festival takes place, is a UNESCO-certified World Heritage Site.  At the grand finale on Friday, people will troop in from all parts of Nigeria and abroad. So, while the concerts helps to create more awareness, they also celebrate the goddess herself just as they are an investment in the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration’s drive to push tourism to the front burner of our economy,” Soyode, who is also a poet, says.

On the essence of the festival, Twice as Nice also notes in a statement that it is one of the most popular in the world and attracts visitors from around the world, particularly those from countries of the Diaspora – America, Brazil, Jamaica, Cuba etc. These people who are normally of African descent ‘return home’, seeking a sense of self discovery and belonging.

“The festival reveals the culture and traditional lifestyle of the Yoruba people revolving especially around one of their most popular deities, Osun, the goddess of fertility.

The concerts are tagged The Goddess Concerts because of the affiliation with the festival and  the deity, Osun.’ The idea of using internationally known and respected Nigerian artistes to grace the occasion is in order to provide mileage for the festival. These performers will become ambassadors of sorts of the festival. The memories of the festival will be carried along with them to wherever they perform and naturally, the word will spread about how wonderful Osun state and Nigeria as a whole is,” it adds.

The first leg of the festival also featured a bata dance group.