Photo: Elders and youths of the community deliberate on the take-off of the festival
FOR four days, Friday, December 16-Sunday 20, the ethnically-diverse people of Bariga rose in a communal celebration of their pride and riches — culture.
Courtesy the Bariga-resident youthful artistic company, Footprints of David Academy, FoDA, the festivity otherwise known as FODAF, bathed the community in lavish colours and performance spectacles under the generic theme, My Bariga My Pride.
The specific theme for the year’s edition of the annual feast was, however, Shining Light on our Hidden Treasures. And this was exactly what transpired as members of the community, especially the youths and children marched out in parade of their individual and group talents and skills.
The performances took place in several streets of the Bariga community and involved both professional artists and ordinary members of the community; just about any one who has any artistic ware to display.
Days before the cultural carnival, the chief visioner of the project and artistic director of the Festival, Seun Awobajo, had stated that the festival would feature a coterie of performances by various troupes and individual acts, masquerades and stunt makers, fine and applied art displays, fashion parade, workshops and general community feastings on the arts.
Awobajo, dancer, choreographer, and musician, who is founder of the youth performing company, Footprints of David, defined the annual ritual thus: “FODAF is an annual one-week of COMMUNITY BASED OPEN AIR ART FESTIVAL for Community development in the Bariga Area of Lagos Nigeria.
“This project is designed as an intervention to aid and revive the fading communal living in a cosmopolitan city like Bariga-Lagos, through the language of Art.
“After the maiden edition in 2005, the FOOTPRINTS OF DAVID ARTS FESTIVAL (FODAF) has remained an end-of-the-year fiesta for children and the young at heart to revel during the yuletide season. FODAF has stood the test of time and remains the one-stop joint of Christmas celebration not only for the Bariga residents but also those from other neighbouring community.”
About the Footprints of David Academy
Established on December 30, 2005, the FoDA teaches toddlers and teenagers how to harness their creative side in form of arts, drama and dance. It engages in various forms of art creations and performances in the country and has travelled well across Africa and Europe.
In definition, Awobajo states: “F.O.D is a movement centered on community development through Art and raising a total child. Its integral policy is to promote, preserve African cultural values in raising especially the disadvantaged child while we lend a voice, giving them the wings to their aspirations and convictions through the arms of sublime creativity.”
The members are mostly children from disadvantaged homes or backgrounds, but especially talented children who are interested and want to be involved in the performance of arts. They undergo stringent screenings and training before they are formally absorbed into the Footprints of David troupe.
The Academy operates under the FOOTPRINTS OF DAVID ART FOUNDATION, which Awobajo described as: “a hybrid of several Social Enterprise and humanitarian expressions, including the namely: FOOTPRINT OF DAVID- F.O.D ART Academy; F.O.D Gang; My Bariga My Pride; Bright Achievers’ Schools; Seaside Cottage Theater BARIGA POTO SCHOOL, BARIGA FASHION ACADEMY, I-READ COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB, BARIGA ADULT LITERACY CENTRE and the FOOTPRINTS OF DAVID ART FESTIVAL (FODAF-festival).
- o empower especially disadvantaged children for a better future through the teaching and performance of African Art and rejuvenation of African culture.
- To provide adequate residential accommodation facilities and rehabilitation Centre in the Bariga areas for disadvantage children.
- To arrange concerts at local, national and international fora/events and also raise funds to enhance the image of the group, and Lagos Nigeria.
- To build a Footprints of David Art Complex, incorporating
- Footprints of David Art Academy; A proper Art institution for the teaching of Performing Arts and general academics educations.
- Footprints of David Art Theatre for performances.
- Footprints of David Recreational Centre; an international tourist Centre for various creative events, lectures, fun park, Galleries, live music, drum library, Exhibitions halls, chalet, launch, relaxation.
- OUR VISION
- To Use Art as a positive change in building society. Largely due to the Western incursion on the African soil towards the end of the 18th century which has left the black race distorted, disconcerted and its attendant inane backlashes, the continent still grapples with economic contraption, social insolence, religious perversion and above all- the loss of true identity.
- The colonial uncanny experience drastically affected our culture and tradition in negative ways, because of the way in which the age-long cherished order was being perceived, conceived and publicly condemned as barbaric, uncivilized giving way to the superimposition of the western culture as the only civilized and most acceptable culture. This unfortunate antecedent prevails till date as a very good number of the present generation of the Nigerians has juxtaposed the definition of civilization for foreign misguided philosophies in lieu of their aboriginal body polity.
- It is therefore, imperative to re-define, regenerate, and edify those positive values and traditions which have been the stronghold of our society (true essence) in other to ensure the evolution of a strong breed of proud, reliable, hardworking and respected Nigerians all over the world, who will build ‘’…one nation bound in freedom, peace and unit.
