THE absence of the Culture and Tourism Minister, Chief Edem Duke at this year's edition of Brazilian Carnival in Salvador, Bahia was not deliberate. The week-long festival, which was celebrated from February 16 to 21, 2012, clashed with another equally significant cultural expression of Trinidad and Tobago. And with a kind of contractual agreement the ministry appeared to have signed with the delegation from Trinidad and Tobago during the 2011 edition of Abuja Carnival as part of strategies to raise the carnival to international standard, the minister and his team had a compelling reason to be in the Caribbean island at that period.Interestingly, that absence had little or no impact on the participation of Nigeria in the Brazilian carnival as the Nigeria House (Nigeria cultural centre)in Salvador filled the vacuum and made a remarkable contribution to the overall success of the culture showpiece.And the credit would duly go to the former liaison officer of the house, Mr. Ayowumi Ayanwale Olayanju, who was recently redeployed to Nigeria after a meritorious service in Brazil for two years and a few months.The House in collaboration with Association of Akaraje Women (Bainas) got deeply involved in the preparation and execution of activities lined up for the carnival. It was reported that the association, in addition to preparing akara and moinmoin otherwise known as abara (Yoruba old name for moinmoin) in Nigeria House, also provided a musical band at the courtyard of the centre where Bainas demonstrated their dancing skills in Samba and foroto tourists who witnessed the event.Perhaps, seeing the occasion as his last official assignment in Salvador, Ayanwale joined the band with his talking drum,as he chanted some poemsand also sang songs.His successor, who had then arrived in Brazil, Mr. Oyebamiji Oyewo, also showcased his dexterity in traditional dance steps.REMINISCING on the outing, Ayanwale, in an Internet chat with The Guardian, narrated:'The event at the House exposed the centre to many tourists who had the opportunity tosee the exhibition of Nigerian art works in the House (gallery, craft and museum) and the classroom where Yoruba language and culture is being taught and where seminars are being organised. After much merriment in the House, Bainas and people paraded in the street of Pelourinho withNigeria House Bloc withthe twoliaison officers leading others.'Supporters of Nigeria House Cultural Bloc in Carnival T-shirts (produced by the House) danced and sang along the street from Pelorinho to Themis building and finally stopped at the Memory of Bianas Museum Centre.'The House was also supported bysome Nigerians in Salvador as well as some Nigerian tourists to Bahia for the carnival. Inscribed on the T-shirts were the following messages: Nigeria-Brazil: Together we celebrate Carnival 2012 (written in English and Portuguese); Akara (Acaraje, in Brazilian Portuguese): Our common Heritage.'The front side of one of the T-shirts has the photographs of a Nigerian woman baking akara with an Ifa priest, Edo people (children) in their beaded costumes, Ibo dancers and a Hausa man with turban.'It also has a talking drummer and a Baina. The back-side has Brazilian woman baking acaraje, supported by theimages of the African deities and the Bainas in their costumes.'Superimposed on the second T-shirt were pictures of akara bakers from Nigeria and Brazil respectively. The images on the T-shirts showcased the practice of African religion in Brazil and the origin of akara in Brazil.'But it is interesting to note that while Brazil maintains the use of palm oil in the processing of the bean cake, Nigeria now commonly uses vegetable oil to fry akara.Shortly before the carnival outing, the Association of Bakers of acaraje signed a Protocol of Collaboration with Nigeria House seeking regularly, technical and logistic support in the efforts to realise its objectives.Towards the end of last year, the association held its 2011 annual anniversary in Nigeria House and also asked for a special prayer in Yoruba language, which would be incorporated for circulation in the group's New Year greeting cards.Then as the official of the House, Ayanwale offered the prayer, which was later documented and is being circulated today in Brazil.INDEED, for Nigeria House, the participation in the Brazilian carnival has become a ritual since 2009 when the house was inaugurated. And the last February outing was just a tip of the iceberg of the catalogue of programmes and activities embarked upon by the centre with emphasis on promoting the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria in Sambaland.Today, the presence of Nigeria House is being felt in Brazil and in Salvador-Bahia in particular, which has over 2,400 traditional faith centres.Its participation in the carnival, recalled Ayanwale, was mainly to associate and felicitate with Brazilians who have become ambassadors of African culture. Essentially, the carnival has become strong platform to promote tourism in Brazil, so the culture centre has been seizing the opportunity to also popularise Nigerian culture and to pull crowd for participation at Nigerian cultural events in Brazil.Weeks before the commencement of the carnival, Ayanwale designed an awareness campaign programme as he performed every Tuesday in front of the Nigeria House.'The drumming exercise was to sensitise the people that the country, through the centre, would participate in the carnival,' he said recalling a particular Tuesday when he performed around the street with the Hare Krishina group, that was also preparing for the carnival.Even before the carnival, January 21, 2012 precisely, Ayanwale performed at the Festival of Music and Arts of a popular musical band in Bahia, OLODUM (short form of OLODUMARE) in Salvador. 'Over 300,000 people witnessed the occasion, after which over 1000 people lined up to have photographs with me,' he relived the event with nostalgic feeling.SINCE his assumption of duty as the pioneerLiaison Officer at Nigeria House in Salvador-Bahia in November 2009, Ayanwale was busy throughout until he returned to Nigeria early last month promotingNigerian rich cultural heritage in Bahia and in other cities like Belo Horizonte, San Jorge(after Brasilia), Sao Paulo and others.His priority was teaching Yoruba language, playing talking drum and organising workshops, in the process of which he had come in contact with great personalities in Brazil among whom were former President Lula Da Silva, the Spiritual Leader of People of African faith in Brazil, Mea Stella Oxossi, Mr. Bira Coroa who is the President of Bahia Legislative Assembly on Racial Equality among other distinguished personalities, especially in Bahia.His career as a drummer has continued to fetch him awards in Nigeria and abroad. He received Public Service Award in 2007 (first of its kind in the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation). Also, he was awarded National Honours Award in the category of 'Federal Republic Medal First Class (FRM1) in 2008. In May 2011, Ayanwale got an award on maintenance of African Traditions in Brazil.AYANWALE inherited the art of drumming from his late father, Morawo Ayantosoo Olayanju, a traditional drummer and mastered the chant of genres of Yoruba oral poetry such as rara, ekun-iyawo, ijala, oku-pipe, egan bibe, orin-ibeji from his mother, Mrs. Adesiyan Oyetola Olayanju who was renowned as poetess. He hails from Agbelu compound at Akinmoorin in Afijio Local Government area of Oyo State.History has it that before he was one year old, his mother bought him a smalltalking drum called Kanango, and before he started primary school, he had begun to perform at occasions as a drummer-apprentice with elder drummers in his home town.He obtained his post primary education at Akinmoorin Grammar School and later proceeded to Lagos State University (LASU) as one of the pioneer students in the early 80s where he obtained Bachelor of Arts in Yoruba Education. Between 1989 and1990, he was at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) forhis second degree in Yoruba Oral Literature (Master of Arts in Yoruba Studies).His blossoming drum career began on a lighter note in 1985 when he was appointed chief drummer of LASU Musical Essemble founded by the pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof. 'Folabi Olumide. But his star as drummer began to shine during the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 1989 as he bagged NYSC Honours Award at local, state and national levels that year.This award earned him automatic employment at federal level while Lagos State government where he served also offered him automatic employmentas a Graduate Assistant (Lecturer) at LASU, where he obtained his first degree. Ayanwale therefore became the first graduate of LASU to be employed by the University as Lecturer.However, he could not stay in LASU more than one year when his contract employment expired due to certain development that was beyond his control. But he quickly activated the automatic employment opportunity at the Federal Civil Service Commission and he was employed as Cultural Officer in the Federal Ministry of Culture.He moved to Abuja in 2000 and he started playing talking drum again in the Church at Aso Villaand at government functions, using the drum to render National Anthem.From May 2005, he became regular member of the delegation to international outings of former President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo such as the African Week celebration at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris; official visit to Brazil in September 2005; and visit to African Union in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in November same year.In 2006, Ayanwale performed with other instrumentalists from different parts of the world in Nigeria at the Musical Concert for Dialogue Among Nations in Abuja when Nigeria hosted the Commonwealth Meeting. He was also the only African instrumentalist that represented Nigeria at the same Concert in Cuba in February 2007.The same year, Ayanwale and Ara (female talking drummer) performed in honour of Prof. Wole Soyinka in Mar ceil in France when the latter was honoured with an award.Before then in 2003, Ayanwale was seconded to the Presidency, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Cultural Affairs and Traditional Matters,Prof. Wande Abimbola, the Awise Agbaye (spokesperson of Ifa worldwide) as Cultural Officer, he was there till 2005.During this period, Ayanwale worked with Professors WandeAbimbola, Akinwumi Isola and Bade Ajuwonon Ifa Candidature File for UNESCO and the project was approved as Nigerian first candidature fileon oral and intangible cultural heritage in 2005.He also served as Secretary of Ifa Divination System in Nigeria project, which is being promoted by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Japan, UNESCO and Yoruba Global Forum. He has also served as the coordinator of Ifa Digital Project, designed to spread the knowledge of Ifa Literary Corpusglobally.In 1998, Ayanwale authored the biography of king of Juju music, Otunba Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye popularly known as King Sunny Ade entitled Oba Orin.Currently, he is working on Owe: Yoruba Philosophical Channel of Molding Humanity. The book is expected to be released in three languages: Yoruba, English and Portuguese.
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