Immediate past Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, will lead the Nigerian delegation to the 2023 Surajkund International Arts Festival, holding in India, from February 3 to 19.
Ekiti State Troupe was picked by the Federal Government to represent Nigeria at the Cultural exchange Festival including two Bronze casters from Niger State and two cultural officers from the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.
The choice of Africa’s first Professor of Dance and Choreography and Performance Aesthetics was made by the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji and accepted by the Federal authorities for his outstanding record in global cultural festivals.
Recall that Prof Bakare has represented Nigeria in many cultural festivals across the globe including; Dance Championship (Bulgaria 1987)), Friendship Festival Poeyong (North Korea 97) Afrika- in – Tyrol Festival (Austria 1999), Cervantino Theatre Festival (Mexico 2001), Arts for Peace Tour (Mozambique 2002) Jamaica National Festival (Jamaica 2003), Soweto Carnival (South Africa 2010), Trinidad and Tobago Carnival (2013) Brazilian Carnival (Brazil 2020) to mention a few.
In a brief chat with newsmen before the team departed Nigeria, on Monday, the former Artistic Director of Nigeria’s National Carnival thanked Governor Oyebanji and the Federal government for trusting him with this assignment.
Prof Bakare was the Choreographer in charge of Gambia National Troupe from 1992 to 1994. He also led the performance content of the rested Heart of Africa campaign round the World between 2007 and 2008.