Sola POPOOLA
Multiple Award winning Ekiti State Cultural Troupe has been selected by the Federal Government to represent Nigeria in a global Cultural Exchange Festivals
The State’s Troupe with two Bronze casters from Niger State and two cultural officers from the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture are to partake in the 2023 Surajkund International Arts Festival, holding in India, from February 3 to 19 .
They are being led to the mundial by the mmediate past Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare.
In a chat with newsmen shortly before their departure on Monday, Ojo Bakare,also former Artistic Director of Nigeria’s National Carnival thanked Governor Oyebanji and the Federal government for trusting him with this assignment.
According to him ,the choice of Africa’s first Professor of Dance and Choreography and Performance Aesthetics was made by the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji and accepted by the Federal authorities for his outstanding record in global cultural festivals.
Recall that Prof Bakare has represented Nigeria in many cultural festivals across the globe including; Dance Championship (Bulgaria 1987)), Friendship Festival Poeyong (North Korea 97) Afrika- in – Tyrol Festival (Austria 1999), Cervantino Theatre Festival (Mexico 2001), Arts for Peace Tour (Mozambique 2002) Jamaica National Festival (Jamaica 2003), Soweto Carnival (South Africa 2010), Trinidad and Tobago Carnival (2013) Brazilian Carnival (Brazil 2020) to mention a few.
Prof Bakare was the Choreographer in charge of Gambia National Troupe from 1992 to 1994. He also led the performance content of the rested Heart of Africa campaign round the World between 2007 and 2008.