Film  

Lagos at 50 celebration kicks off with cultural presentations

By Gbenga Salau

29 May 2016   |   4:00 am

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Series of cultural presentations on Friday herald the official flag off the Lagos at 50 anniversary celebration, as cultural troupes took turn to entertain the guests at the opening programme ...

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode(second right); his Deputy, Oluranti Adebule; Co-Chairmen, Committee for Lagos @ 50, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, during the Vision of the Child 2016 held to kick-start celebrations for the state anniversary… at the weekend.

Series of cultural presentations on Friday herald the official flag off the Lagos at 50 anniversary celebration, as cultural troupes took turn to entertain the guests at the opening programme of the anniversary celebration held at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

Before converging at Freedom Park for the opening ceremony, there was a procession from Campos Square to Freedom Park with bands like Eko Brass Band, Footprints of David and Tombolo Eko adding colour to the procession.

Although Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ought to declare the anniversary year open, his absence was not greatly felt as the Chairman and Co-Chairman, Prof Wole Soyinka and Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi were on hand to add colour to the ceremony.

While Professor Wole Soyinka unveiled the anniversary logo, Mrs Chika Balogun unveiled the Speakers Corner within the Freedom park court. In veiling the logo, Soyinka expressed his displeasure over government’s complacency in bringing back the kidnapped chibok girls.

Immediately after that, different cultural troupes, starting with Footprint of David, a team of young Nigerians mesmerized the guests with various acrobatic performances and displays that got applauded intermittently by the guests. Then followed the presentation by the Lagos State Council of Arts and culture, which was more of a musical rendition eulogizing Lagos and some great personalities that have come to be associated with Lagos in different fields of endeavor.

A troupe of masquerades took over from where the Lagos state Council of Arts and culture, with the about twenty masquerades dancing and dishing out different dances steps that got of the guests elated with some others standing to dance. Thereafter, the National Troupe of Nigeria mounted the stage to further add colour to the ceremony with songs and eulogies, sing praising some of the cultural icons within the gathering. The closing presentation was done by a musical band comprising of undergraduate students, Freedom fight.