Ogene Nwa Nsugbe takes the shine at first Ogene Festival

It was indeed a rejuvenation of culture and sound of the eastern region on Saturday, July 23, at the first edition of the Ogene Festival that held at Club Amigos, Festac town, Lagos.The festival, an initiative of ShakaraSquare, an online media platform that prides in everything positively African, assembled the best cultural dancers and Ogene musicians to show case their talents and promote the Igbo heritage with the dancers compete for the grand price.

The participating groups with a subtle plea, poured out their soul to the audience to come keep alive the sound and culture of their origin. At the end, Ogene Nna Nsugbe, with its performance took the shine of the day and won the grand price.

According to the Public Affairs Manager, ShakaraSquare, Ifeoma Nwafor, the festival was organised to promote the Igbo culture and give a platform to Ogene musicians. She said, “The truth about Ogene is that you must move your feet, wriggle your body or nod your head even when you are seated, whether you black or white. The melodious beat and the dancers will make you move your body.”

“We realised that in Nigeria, Ogene musicians and dancers are not being platforms to showcase their talents. They are often seen as not-do-well people, who hang around during funeral ceremony, title taking or one major event in the town that brings to together the rich, who they praise sing and return get a token,” Nwafor added.

She called on well meaning Nigerians, particularly from the South East to invest in Ogene musicians in terms of sign-on, management and promotion, stressing that this will help create ore employment for the teeming youths and reduce crime in the society.

The festival started at exactly 5pm, had most guests itched for more, as they were willing and ready to dance for longer hours. They also appreciated the fine tunes of their ancestors produced by the various Ogene group.

Instrument such as the gongs, flutes, drums and others were deplored to attract and amuse the audiences, comprising of media personalities, businessmen some of who wriggle their body to the delightful sounds.

Recall that in the East, before the advent of our colonial masters, passionate Igbo musicians usually gather at the village square and produced fine Ogene sound to the admiration of listeners.
Ogene, like the name implies is a sound from the ancient Igbo musical instruments. It produces melodious notes in which people of the region catch their fun. The genre of music has given way to famous musicians who emulate its tunes to develop and promote culture, creating some of the best songs for the country by known acts like Flavour, Phyno and Zoro, a new act on the block, who fused the Ogene sound with hip-hop to create what may be considered hip life.