LAGOS: The choice of the New Afrika Shrine as rendezvous for visiting President of France, Mr. Emmanuel Macron members of the creative industry may not be unconnected to the historical place of late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in the world of music.
While raising concern about the size of the Afrika Shrine as venue of his meeting with stakeholders in the arts and entertainment sector, a source told The Nation that “Macron chose the venue himself.”
Currently managed by Femi Kuti and Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti, the new Afrika Shrine is the replacement of the old Afrika Shrine created in 1970 by the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, founder of Afrobeat music, until it was burnt down in 1977. The new Shrine is an open air entertainment center located in Ikeja, Lagos State, and serves as the host location for the annual Felabration music festival. It is a tourist attraction that showcases photo galleries of Fela, with regular music performances by Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti.
Macron is expected to land in Abuja and meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly before being hosted in Lagos.
He will be at the Shrine for an event organised by the Lagos State government, with full participation by members of the Nigerian creative sector.
Tagged ‘A Celebration of African Culture’, the event has been planned as ‘an evening of Music, Fashion, Nollywood, Dance, Visual Arts, Performance and Design with The President of France, Emmanuel Macron’.
Expected to perform on the night is Afrobeat artiste, Femi Kuti, and others singers like Banky W and Yemi Aladem just as ace filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan and founder of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Chioma Ude, will make special presentations to Macron on the Nigerian arts and entertainment industry and CineAfrique, a Nigeria/France film institute in Lagos respectively.
The presentation by Afolayan – a short stage play titled ‘Love from Lagos’, featuring Macron himself, will have other thespians like Jide Kosoko, Joke Silva, Chika Okpala (Zebrudaya), Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Ramsey Nouah, Caroline King, Dakore Akande, Rita Dominic, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Kemi Lala-Akindoju and another French actor.
The visit is expected to open a new vista of opportunity for both countries in the area of film funding and co-production treaties.
As part of his visit, Macron is scheduled to commission a new centre of the Alliance Francaise in Lagos, on Wednesday.
The Wednesday’s event kicks off by 9 a.m. with the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer, top government officials, members of the diplomatic community, captains of industry and cultural ambassadors, amongst other dignitaries in attendance.
The purpose-build edifice, located at No.9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos will serve as the organisation’s headquarters in Nigeria. Tastefully furnished, the mansion is also aesthetically finished with an expansive car park complete with a comely ambience and luxuriant flower beds and trees.
Alliance française, a French language and cultural center has 10 associations throughout Nigeria and located in Enugu, Ibadan, Ilorin, Jos, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Maiduguri, Owerri and Port Harcourt.
