Alan Ashton
provided this photo, captioned "Fela Sowandie," from the "1946
Theatre Organ World publication"
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Over 100 Nigerian and international writers, academics and artistes will be
in Abeokuta, Ogun State for the maiden Ake Arts & Book Festival in
November, ADEWALE OSHODI and AKINTAYO ABODUNRIN report.
APART
from the popular Olumo Rock and other tourist attractions, Abeokuta,
the Ogun State capital is also renowned as the home of creativity. The
historical city has produced several creative people who have made their
marks on the Nigerian and world stage.
The city under the rocks
produced Africa’s First Nobel Literature Prize winner, Wole Soyinka and
the great music composer and teacher, Fela Sowande. Famous Yoruba
traditional poet, Josiah Sobowale Sowande, popularly known as Sobo
Arobiodu, hailed from the city as did the writer Amos Tutuola and
Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti amongst others.
Fittingly,
it is in this historical and creativity saturated city that Nigeria’s
newest arts and book festival has been birthed. The Ake Arts and Book
Festival (AABF) an initiative of writer Lola Shoneyin will happen in the
city from November 19 to 24.
[The Nigerian composer, organist and Professor Fela Sowande (1905-1987), is featured at AfriClassical.com and is regularly featured on AfriClassical Blog. Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, is a leading authority on
composers of African descent. He notes that Fela went from choir
boy to music student, beginning a "20-year association" with the
choir's Director, Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips. The professor
has posted an excerpt on Sowande from a manuscript on Black
composers at a Web site:
www.africanchorus.org/Artists/Sowande.htm ]
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