Last Saturday, the image of Ekiti State soared high at the closing ceremony of the National Arts and Culture Festival, NAFEST 2019, held at the University of Benin Sports Complex. Ekiti State was declared the most-culturally creative and innovative state. Ekiti beat 29 other states to cart home the prize.
Armed with two mortars, four pestles, bags of condiments of local soup preparation, seasoned bush meat and some yam tubers, the contingent headed for Benin determined to showcase the beauty of Ekiti pounded yam.
The entry of Ekiti contingent was markedly noticed at the Federal Government Girls College, Benin, which served as camp for delegates when the contingent displayed a welcome cultural show to the amazement of other states contingents.
The Ekiti feat was not unconnected to Governor Kayode Fayemi’s mobilisation of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, under Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, who led a 48-member contingent including the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ganiyu Titilope Ibrahim, to Benin, Edo State.
The contingent had gone to the event with the major aim of showcasing the preparation of ‘royal pounded yam’ in line with the theme of this year’s NAFEST: Our Royalty, Our Pride.
To further demonstrate the contingent’s tenacity of purpose, it immediately set up a kitchen at the Eweka Hall where pounded yam was made available a la carte. Having established a dignified presence at the camp, Ekiti contingent shifted attention to the Arts and Craft Exhibition Ground at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City where it established a beautiful pavilion manned by the President, Ekiti State Association of Professional Artists, Mr. Jacob Ayodele, who ensured that the beauty of Ekiti indigenous arts and crafts was exposed to participants who scrambled to visit Ekiti pavilion where Ekiti State Cultural Troupe maintained a glorious musical presence.
Also, the glory of Ekiti State shone brightly at the presentation of Royal Cuisines by all the participating states held at the Benin Museum. The Ekiti pavilion discerned itself from the others by its sheer employment of culturally local contents both in the construction of its pavilion, cooking utensils, soup ingredients, method of preparation and serving to the process of eating the pounded yam by the King whose mouth must not be seen while eating.
The creativity and innovation, which Ekiti State contingent injected into the packaging and presentation of its content at the event did not only impress the adjudicators, but also overwhelm the imagination of Director-Genral National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe who acknowledged this when he led a team of distinguished guests on a visit to Ekiti Cuisine Pavilion.
Runsewe, who announced Ekiti as winner of the most creative and innovative state, commended Fayemi for his cultural vision which has continued to glitter globally.
