Odia Ofeimun's A Feast of Return

Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN, a dance drama, was performed on the 30th of July 2010 at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, Area 10, Garki Abuja.
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According to the organizers: "The dance drama deploys an array of Nigerian dances, and very accessible poetry, to project the themes of pre-colonial self-assertion, colonial disquiet, and Africa’s struggle for independence, unity and democracy. Taking off from the time of Chaka Zulu to the Round Table that ended the era of Apartheid, A FEAST OF RETURN offers the fit and proper opener for grand, educative entertainment as many African countries, including Nigeria, celebrate 50 years of independence, and as Nigeria commemorates 40 years of the end of the civil war.
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"The dance drama, which featured in the recent Lagos Black Heritage Festival, and has played to grand audiences at the National Theatre, and across several state capitals, is coming back to Abuja, to prove it conclusively that the Nigerian stage, properly empowered, is as vibrant and purposive as the admired ones from other lands. This can be stated with confidence because the text of this dance drama was originally commissioned and adapted, in the early nineties, for the London stage by ADZIDO, the Pan African Dance Ensemble, under the aegis of the Arts Council of Great Britain. Lack of sponsorship prevented its enactment in Nigeria until recent events.

"Basically, A FEAST OF RETURN, is the most engaging One Hour and ten minutes of entertainment in Nigeria at the present time. It is fresh, sophisticated, yet homely. It is performed by 30 people, including actors, dancers and two musical groups in session. Essentially, the performance is an optimistic quest for the positive development and enlargement of Nigeria’s theatre-going audience. It comes also as a reminder that cities and countries acquire greatness, not due to mere glass and concrete, but for being sites of great culture."

The following photos were taken by INSIDE TRACK MAGAZINE.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria, on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria, on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria, on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria, on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria, on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

One of the dance numbers in Odia Ofeimun's A FEAST OF RETURN
as perforned at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture,
Abuja, Nigeria on the 30th of July.
Photo by Araceli Aipoh

Get Tested!

Voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and counseling are
conducted by theSilver Lining for the Needy Initiative
 and Gede Foundation in Kubwa.
Photo by SLNI.

The Get Tested! words are clearly printed on their T-shirts as they conduct the business of providing free HIV testing and counseling to members of the public who voluntarily avail of this opportunity.

Wearing these T-shirts and making use of rapid test kits provided by the Ministry of Health- HIV/AID Division are the staff of SILVER LINING FOR THE NEEDY INITIATIVE (SLNI) and GEDE FOUNDATION, who were at the NYSC Camp in Kubwa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday, the 15th of July 2010, to give free testing and counselling to more than 300 people - and the results were immediately made available to them, so that those who required more information were referred to the Gede Foundation's facilities within Abuja.

Kubwa is one of the 12 communities that SLNI has earmarked for monthly voluntary testing and counseling for the year 2010.

Early this year, SLNI entered into a collaboration agreement with Gede Foundation to conduct monthly VCT in the FCT. SLNI is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization registered in Nigeria for the promotion of health education, research and charitable pursuits. This is achieved through their broad spectrum of projects that include treatment/care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS and care and support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

Gede Foundation has a mobile laboratory van which serves as SLNI on-site laboratory where the staffs perform rapid diagnostic tests.

The next VCT will be on the July 29, 2010 at Lubge Community.

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, or to be part of future VCTs contact: Emmanuel Okafor: eokafor@gedefoundation.org; 08033517099 or SLNI: info@slni.org 08034213135, 07027855625.

The following photos were taken at the HIV testing and counselling in Kubwa by SLNI:

More than 300 people participated in the voluntary HIV testing
and counseling conducted by SLNI on July 15 in Kubwa.
Photo by SLNI.

Staff of Silver Lining for the Needy Initiative, at the
HIV testing and counseling in Kubwa on July 15, 2010.
Photo courtesy of SLNI.

French National Day 2010



CLICK TO ENLARGE:
From top bottom: Mr and Mrs. Samosir of the Embassy of Indonesia;
Mr. and Mrs. Martin of the Embassy of Spain; Wife of the High Commissioner
of Pakistan; Mrs. Ronquillo of the Embassy of Italy; Marjolaine and Angie
of Nigerwives; Staff of the Embassy of France and guests; Staff of Zenith Bank;
Madam Garangan of the Embassy of the Philippines (left) with the
Ambassador of Romania; Mr. and Mrs. Garanganof the Embassy
of the Philippines; and the wife of the Deputy Head of Mission
of France (left) with guests.

 A most enjoyable night took place at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, the 14th of July 2010, when the French celebrated their National Day with a reception, where hundreds of guests that  included the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were invited.

In his speech, the Ambassador of France, H.E. JEAN-MICHEL DUMOND, said: "Today we commemorate the 1790 “Fête de la Fédération” held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison when delegates from all the regions of France proclaimed their allegiance to the national community. As President Sarkozy told the French Ambassadors in August 2009, 2010 will be an important year for the relation between Africa and France. Read more of the speech here...

The following photos were taken by INSIDE TRACK at the reception that featured French cuisine...ham and cheese, and lots of champagne!

French National Day, July 14, 2010;
Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel

The Ambassador of France, together with the
Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy and his wife,
welcome guests at the reception celebrating the French National Day.

The Ambassador of France gives a short remarks

The Ambassador of France chats with the
Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Members of the Abuja Metropolitan Musical Society
sing the National Anthems of Nigeria and France

Abuja Metropolitan Musical Society

The champagne section - French National Day,
Hilton Hotel