International Arts Festival: Bakare Leads Nigeria Delegation to India

The Nigerian delegates to the 2023 Surajkund International Arts Festival in India, left Akure for Abuja on Monday to India for the event.

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The festival is billed for Feb. 3 to 19 is led by the immediate past Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism of Ekiti State, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare.

Ekiti State Troupe was picked by the Federal Government to represent Nigeria at the cultural exchange, including two Bronze casters from Niger State and two cultural officers from the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

Prof Bakare, the Africa’s first Professor of Dance and Choreography and Performance Aesthetics, was recommended by the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, and accepted by the Federal Government, for his outstanding record in global cultural festivals.

He had represented Nigeria in several cultural festivals across the globe, including Dance Championship (Bulgaria 1987)); Friendship Festival Poeyong (North Korea 97); Afrika- in- Tyrol Festival (Austria 1999) and Cervantino Theatre Festival (Mexico 2001).

He also won laurels for Nigeria in 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.

While addressing newsmen before the team departed Nigeria on Monday, the former Artistic Director of Nigeria’s National Carnival, thanked Gov Oyebanji and the Federal Government for trusting him with the assignment.

NAN/O.O