Canadian Prime Minister, Ooni Of Ife, Others To Grace “Ayan-Agalu” Drum Festival In Canada
Bidemi Alabi
The maiden edition of “Ayan-Agalu” Drum Festival will be held on Friday July 28th, 2023 at Fuzion Banquet Hall, Britannia Rd E, Mississauga. Ontario. Canada, NigerianEcho has been informed. The event, which has been endorsed by His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja III), will be graced by the Royal father and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
In a statement by the Publisher of The Drum Online Media Inc and the Convener of The Drum Festival, Prince Segun Akanni, he said part of his organisation’s critical mandate is for African cultural renaissance and promotion. Hence the plan and preparation to showcase one of Africa’s and Nigeria’s most prestigious cultural festivals known as the The Drum Festival (Ayan-AgaluFestival).
Akanni said “The history of Ayan-Agalu Festival is as extremely fascinating as that of any other Drum festival staged across the globe. With a plethora of healing, educative, entertaining and prosperous cultural festivals, the Yoruba race is, undoubtedly, one of the most endowed races replete with rich and prestigious traditions and cultures in the world today.
“One of such celebrated and prestigious cultural festivals is the Drum Festival – (Ayangalu Festival). The origin of Ayan Agalu dates back to the epoch when the Yoruba primogeniture, Oduduwa, descended on the earth at Ile-Ife. Ayangalu was said to have descended next to Oduduwa at a historic place called Atiba and this obviously accounts for why Atiba remains the hub of traditional drummers in Ile Ife – Yoruba ancestral abode – till date. The term ‘Ayangalu’ refers to the ‘spirit or god of the drum’.
“According to the account of Ayandapo, Ayangalu was a deified personage of drums and a normal human being with extraordinary powers. Ayangalu was indeed a jovial drummer who played a lot with children and derived immense joy in making people happy, but he was unfortunately antagonised by conspirators or foes to a ridiculous dimension that he became frustrated and decided to turn to a tree out of uncontrollable anger.”
Akanni noted that Ayangalu was a great deity that cannot be forgotten and whose drumming prowess and legacy deserve monumental immortality.
He said that a number of breath-taking and culturally exhilarating activities have been pencilled down to celebrate the maiden edition amidst pomps and pageantry.
Some of the activities expected include, Street-wide procession across Toronto and Mississauga. A Lecture will be delivered by a Professor Emeritus, His Royal Majesty Oba (Prof) Adekunle Adeogun Okunoye, Eburu Of Iba, Osun State – on the event’s theme;
Other events slated for the show include Arts Exhibition, Beauty Pageant; Drum Competition; Presentation of Award of Excellence to selected awardees; Presentation of Prizes and Cultural Gifts; and Lots of Mind-Blowing Shows and Side Attractions.
In order to make the event epoch-making and memorable, important dignitaries and crème de la crème from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Canada as well as cultural enthusiasts and drum aficionados from other parts of the world will be in attendance.
” Specifically, hundreds of traditional rulers and custodians across the globe, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, Canadian Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Nigerian Government officials, Canadian Members of Parliament, Mayors of Toronto, Mayor Of Brampton, Mayor of Mississauga, UNESCO, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian National Arts Centre, Department of Canadian Heritage,
The Special Guest of Honour, are some of the several other dignitaries that will be gracing the event”, Akanni noted.
Akanni said he will be having an elaborate media chat early 2023 where he will throw more light on the concept, importance and relevance of the proposed festival in Canada. He added that the 2023 Ayan-Agalu Festival promises to be culturally exhilarating.
