Our Aim Is To Make Adf A Fountain Of Knowledge- Amosun

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has said that the introduction of an intellectual training programme to this year’s African Drum Festival (ADF), was as a result of benefits accrued from the previous editions and with a view of making the festival a fountain of knowledge for generations yet unborn.

Senator Ibikunle Amosun who made this known at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre, venue of the conference, workshop and exhibition, with the theme, “Drumming for Advancement”, said this innovation was a right direction that would be beneficial to the people, noting that the step has added intellectual angle to the Festival.

He said the conference would also avail  participants an opportunity to learn a lot from tested intellectuals who would in turn do justice to the sub-theme, ” Drumming for Socio Economic Development,” expressing optimism that at the end of the event, participants would have learnt a lot more about drums.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, while fielding questions from the press at the event, said the idea behind the Conference was commendable, affirming that it would go a long way at ensuring that culture was better appreciated, not only by the old but also the younger generation.

He said the festival had revealed that drums were not only for making music, but for other purposes, assuring that the festival would soon become a global event going by the number of participants, diversity and the personalities that grace the 2018 edition.

‘’Drums are not just for music alone, as we have been thinking, drums have some more significant purposes, in the old times, drums was so central to the life of communities that it was used to herald messages in times of danger, when it is beaten, everybody understands the message”, he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Consultant to the African Drum Festival, Prof. Wole Soyinka, thanked the State government for the vision, urging her to endeavour to bring to the State, Wynton Marsalis, a music composer, whose band was made of both African and African-American musicians, playing instruments from all over the continent, with a large band of close to 50 members.