By Anote Ajeluorou
ALREADY in its seventh year and still counting, Mare Festival 2015 organised by Ondo
State Government, roused up sleepy Idanre last weekend when the world converged
to celebrate among the ancient town’s rocky hills and caves. It was a one-day
event that packed many interesting activities together and threw Idanre into
festive mood.
Perhaps, it was Wole
Soyinka’s poetry Idanre and Other Peoms
published in 1967 that first gave Idanre, a town tucked away in a vintage
corner of Ondo State, prominence, as rocky haven. Soyinka had visited the town
and, like the hunter he is, explored the rocky hills and caves, then decided to
explore the mythical Ogun through the
vehicle of poetry. Since then Idanre had remained a quest in the imagination of
readers who encounter Soyinka’s poetry.
But rather than Idanre festival, or perhaps
align the festival with Idanre communal traditional festival, Orosun Festival (which tells the historic
exploits of Idanre founders and its existence from time immemorial) already in
existence, the Olusegun Mimiko-led administration preferred Mare (meaning ‘don’t fall’) festival
instead to celebrate the natural hilly rocks and caves of Idanre as a natural
tourism destination. Indeed, the entire Idanre community is a time-frozen
tourism haven with its dark, brooding rock mountains forming a phalanx-like
shield round Idanre, further accentuated by Idanre Hills Resort in need of
rehabilitation to attract tourists.
From the early
morning Marathon Race at Habitat (Owena) Idanre to the Mountain Climbing
competition at Methodist High School, Idanre, the Cultural performances at
Idanre Hills Resort, it was all spectacle. A raffle draw at the resort
courtyard saw Idanre natives and visitors alike winning household and business items
like standing fans, pressing irons, fridges, a sewing machine and the star
prize of a motorbike.
IN opening the festival proper, Commissioner for Information
and chairman, Local Organising Committee of the festival, Mr. Kayode Akinmade,
stressed the importance of tourism in human development. He noted that it was
why Governor Mimiko was investing heavily in tourism, adding that plans were underway
to “turn Idanre Resort into a tourism destination; Mare has entered into international lexicon as tourism festival. Director-General,
Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, has been
here. I watched the mountain climbing; our own people will begin to climb
mountains internationally from the experience gained here at Mare. In the coming years, our people
will begin to bring laurels to Nigeria. Our golf course is ready, and by
February, the Governor’s Cup will be held to attract ‘who is who’ in Nigeria to
Idanre. In years to come, I see our people competing in the Marathon. Idanre is
full of fun and activities that tell of our visibility, our strength and our
versatility”.
Also, newly
appointed Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Femi
Adekanmbi, noted that under his watch, tourism development would be taken a
notch higher so as to position tourism in the state for better performance as
economic tool. Traditional dancers of varying hues performed to thrill
dignitaries in the open court of Idanre Hills Resort.
MUSICAL Concert billed for the evening started early and had
many upcoming artistes entertaining the huge crowd. The star artistes were Ara,
Paul Play Dairo and 2face Idibia. Some of the younger artistes seeking to cut
their teeth included Samba, choreographers, Psalm 23 and Explicit Dancers,
Salome, Ondo State Cultural Band, ODD, Ojoro, Iyalode, Japh Extra, Emerald
Choir and Rough Ken. Of the youngsters, Deola, an upcoming rap artiste, stood
out and wooed both the audience and Governor Mimiko. Deola’s rap theatrics was
stunning as he adapted to virtually every situation the master of ceremony
subjected him. His fluidity, his swag and all-out delivery were spectacular. He
was the only artiste Mimiko shook hands with as a mark of his staggering stage
presence and rap virtuoso.
It was only Paul
Play Diaro who got Mimiko, his wife and his cabinet members to their feet to
dance. And they danced. From one hit tune to another, Paul Play had the huge
crowd dancing. And so from his R&B, ‘Angel of my Life’ to his remake of his
father’s famous ‘Mo so rire,’ Paul
Play led the groove in Idanre.
But famously, the crown
performer was 2face Idibia whom the crowd had been patiently waiting to come on
stage. Ara was barely tolerated as she failed to rise to any appreciable level
of performance. However, her introduction of 2face Idibia seemed a redeeming
gesture, as both artistes hugged. Indeed, if anything the super stardom of
2face was well assured on the night. It was well past midnight when it finally
got to his turn. But he turned the night on its head and pelted his audience
with his signature hits one after the other. But it would seem the night had
just begun; the large audience, made up mostly of young Idanre, didn’t seem to
have enough of him. They surged through the barrier and crowded the main arena
close to the stage and became one with their idol.
Even when Governor
Mimiko had had enough and wanted to have a few words before leaving, the crowd
would have none of it. Energised by the crowd, 2face, too, wanted to sing on
till he possibly dropped. It was clear he hadn’t had such passionate crowd in a
long while by the show of love from Idanre audience.
However, Mimiko
stressed how much celebration of culture the night was and the need to
appreciate tourism as a resourceful tool of economic sustainability. He
restated his commitment to the development of tourism as a driver of the
economy and the need to leverage on domestic tourism as an important tool of socio-economic
development. Mimiko noted that with the fortunes of oil as economic resource
dwindling and Nigeria’s economy on downturn, it would make economic sense to
turn to tourism as a way out. He called on governments at all levels to look
inwards for the economic resuscitation tourism could offer.
HOWEVER, participation of local Idanre community in Mare Festival since its inception seemed
minimal. Indeed, how much indigenous content does Mare festival boasts and how is it woven into Idanre social-cultural
fabric? An Idanre respondent to this poser, who craved anonymity, was
unequivocal in asserting that Mare Festival
is foreign to Idanre culture and people and that the entire Idanre people have remained
mere spectators in a festival celebrated yearly in their town. Although he
commended the spirit behind Mare, he
could not but wonder why the local, age-old festival, Orosun, was not adopted instead of creating a new one that has no
bearing on Idanre culture and tradition.
As he put it,
“Idanre people cannot participate in Mare
because it is not their culture. The biggest problem with Mare is that Idanre community people are not carried along. They
are grumbling that an outsider is operating Idanre Hills Resort right before
them. They are made to pay to enter the resort that is natural to their
environment. So, Mare is purely
government festival since inception”.
He sued for greater
participation of Idanre people in the festival as a way of making them the people
claim ownership of it, adding, “They need to allot roles to the people through
Idanre traditional chief. Mare Festival
is an invasion of Idanre people although it impacts them somewhat. But it should
have been more like it happens in Osogbo during Osun Osogbo festival, with the local populace playing varying
cultural and economic roles that benefit the local community”.
He noted that there
is a thriving local economy based on cocoa and timber and said Idanre economy
was bigger than those of most Nigerian cities. He advised Governor Mimiko to merge
Mare with Orosun Festival, usually celebrated in May or early June, and
assured that the governor would be shocked how Idanre people would be
galvanised through it, given the impetus of government, as they would truly
claim it as their own and give it their all.