 |
| Ara |
Nigeria’s foremost female talking
drummer, Ara, became a year older penultimate Friday and she celebrated
it in a grand style at the prestigious Oriental Hotel in Lagos.
In the midst of the celebration,
dignitaries such as former president Olusegun Obasanjo sent her a
recorded birthday message, which added colour to the event. As if that
was not enough, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, also sent his
messages and seized the opportunity to commend the ace drummer for her
contributions to the arts industry.
Obasanjo, in his well-crafted message,
described the drummer girl as one of Nigeria’s greatest entertainment
exports and a pride to the African youth.
“While
I wish you a very happy birthday, I also want to commend you for all
you have been able to achieve at such a young age. You have done very
well for yourself; you have succeeded in placing our culture on the map
of the world. The talking drum used to be associated with dirty old men
but with your smartness, talent and doggedness, you have added glamour
and value to the act of playing the talking drum. I urge our youths to
take a cue from you and promote our culture because that is all we have
and who we are,” Obasanjo said.
On his part, the Nobel laureate said, “a
happy birthday to our very talented and gifted artist. I remember you
started very young. You were quite young then when I heard of you but
now you are a grown woman. You are a model to be emulated by young
people, absolutely no height to which you cannot reach if you are
committed; congratulations!”
The birthday girl couldn’t hide her excitement as she thanked her guests who came out in large number to celebrate with her.
She said, “Actually, I have had a whole
lot of accumulated activities that have been pending due to my national
and international engagements but I have decided to use today being my
birthday to fraternise, hobnob and cross pollinate ideas with
stakeholders of the Ara Brand amidst all the various activities you have
witnessed”.
Besides the birthday dinner, the evening was also spiced with an exclusive screening of her much touted movie; ‘Osunfunke.’
“The movie, ‘Osunfunke’ is an
extension of my theatrical talent; another medium I have chosen to
express myself as an entertainer with a passionate commitment to the
promotion of our socio-cultural heritage”, she said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
We Love Coment!!!