Expdonaloaded News; Salute to Courage: Day National Troupe heralded political change

The 2015 send-forth din­ner for former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan (PhD), and the inauguration dinner of President Muhammed Buhari has come and gone, but it was not all about speeches and parades. Needless to say, it was a day a special cultural showcase put smiles on the faces of the two, especially.

The showcase, in Abuja, on May 28, lest you forget, featured music, dance and comedy performances by top Nigerian acts and groups. How­ever, the task of putting up a special dance drama production was that of the Akin Adejuwon-led National Troupe of Nigeria.
The Troupe, which recently returned from a successful perfor­mance trip to Egypt, put up two per­formances. The first performance, a dance drama entitled “Salute to Courage” was for the send-forth din­ner and gala evening in honour of former President Jonathan, while the second performance, a dance drama entitled “Nigeria Arise” was for the Presidential Inauguration dinner.
Choreographed and directed by Arnold Udoka, the troupe’s Director of Dance, and performed by artistes and staff of the National Troupe, “Salute to Courage” highlights the invaluable, conscientious, humane, and exemplary leadership of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The performance featured an artistic medley of a distinctive sort: singing, high-tempo dancing, drum­ming and acting. Besides, the dance drama highlighted the humble and selfless virtues characteristic of the former president.
Mr. Akin Adejuwon, the Artistic Director who supervised the produc­tion, remarked shortly after the presentation at the Banquet Hall of the Aso Villa that the Troupe was glad to be part of the activities to send forth the former President.
According to him, “He was a very purposeful, courageous leader and a lover of the art. We thought we should celebrate him with this drama as he walks gloriously into retirement. Beyond entertaining the guest, we think there is a lesson for people to learn from the dance drama about being selfless and exemplary.”
“Nigeria Arise”, the second dance drama presented, was quite symbol­ic and a reflection of the mood of the time. The dance drama chronicled Nigeria’s journey as a country so far. It, in addition, celebrated the cour­age to restore Nigeria’s values and integrity and awaken a new moral drawn.
Arnold Udoka, who choreo­graphed and directed “Nigeria Arise” said, it was a “a clarion call for us to support the new leadership to take Nigeria to greater height.” Expectedly, comments after the show indicated that the performanc­es were roundly well received.post by Expdonaloaded blogspot.comAdikwa Appiah, a diplomat from Ghana, admitted: “I like the message in ‘Nigeria Arise’. It was thought-provoking and telling, too, because it brought to the fore the vice that has kept Nigeria where it is, and it challenged the new president to do his best, for all eyes are on him.”The Abuja outing was one the series of performances the National Troupe of Nigeria has embarked since Mr. Adejuwon took over as the Artitistic Director.
It will be recalled that a delegation of artistes of the National Troupe of Nigeria and officials of the parent Ministry –the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orienta­tion –left Nigeria on Friday April 17, 2015, to participate at the 2015 International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts held at Cairo, Egypt.
The festival was organised by the Arab Republic of Egypt with the theme “Drums Dialogue for Peace”. Although the invitation to perform at the festival was at the request of the Federal Ministry of Culture, the Artistic Director of the National Troupe, Mr. Adejuwon, was the leader of delegation.
The third edition of the festival was aimed at promoting peace and unity in Africa and addressing the spate of terrorism on the continent, as well as showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Africa.
“Luckily, this is the focus of our productions for this period: using the performing arts to resolve conflicts and promote peace. That is what we tried to achieve with ‘Ajoyo’ and then ‘Spectacle’, which we staged few months ago,” Adejuwon, who has also signed a memorandum of understanding that will facilitate co-production in the area of performing arts between Nigeria and Brazil, told Expdonaloaded blog.

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