Gearing Up for 2024 Pan-Afrika Drum Festival in Canada

Yinka Olatunbosun

The second edition of the Pan-African Drum Festival is scheduled to take place on June 27 and 28, 2024 in Canada.

The maiden edition of the festival which was held in Mississauga Canada, last year July 28, 2023 witnessed a display of Nigerian arts and culture among other cultures.

Founded by Segun Akanni, the publisher of the Drum Online newspaper, the first edition was massively celebrated by Nigerian Canadians, Africans, Canadians, Europeans and a lot of people from different parts of the world.

On the rationale for staging the annual festival, Akanni states: “We are fast losing our cultural identity and orientation and there is a need to revive and preserve our cultural heritages and values. Culture encompasses a lot of things.

“My target was to start the festival in a small way, I never expected it to turn into a big carnival. Our projection was to have about 100 people, but the attendance on that day was overwhelming.”

The event is reportedly an assemblage of 25 drummers drawn from percussionists from Nigeria, Europe, America and Canada.

“There was a German who played the talking drummer and spoke the Yoruba language fluently,” he continued. “He is a Bata drummer and is so passionate about Nigerian culture. He is so passionate about Nigerian culture. People were thrilled to see a white man play the Bata drum and speak the Yoruba language. Our culture is unique but some Nigerians have neglected and abandoned the culture. We were able to showcase African culture in a positive light.

Talking about his plans for the second edition of the Pan African Drum Festival, Akanni said: “I have friends from America, Europe, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania and they have called to assure me that they will like to be part of the second edition to make it bigger, better and more colourful.”

Akanni reveals that although the maiden edition was self-funded, he is expecting support from stakeholders, corporate organizations, and institutions that have an interest in promoting arts, culture and tourism.

“Some of the activities for the second edition include a courtesy visit and interactive sessions with the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown and Mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, Mayor of Kitchener, Berry Vrbanovic. Others include cultural and tourism sectors like the Canadian Council For The Arts, as well as some Canadian media organizations.

There will be entertainment and other fascinating activities such as lecture presentations, art exhibitions, drum competitions, beauty pageants/ fashion shows, award presentations, cultural performances, and other colourful side attractions.

Furthermore, as part of the strategic efforts to facilitate the visa application process for guests, cultural icons and festival enthusiasts coming from different parts of the world, the Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has accredited the festival with a special event code.

Another attraction is that the theme of the festival will incorporate other African Drum festivals into a unified festival which serves as an opportunity to showcase our rich and diverse cultural values and aesthetics on a global stage.

“There will be exciting and new programmes that will commemorate Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, which will be held across major cosmopolitan cities in Canada every year.

Other activities lined up for the epoch-making festival include the inauguration of Africa Media Nite Out, which is expected to honour and celebrate African journalists who have made remarkable contributions towards the growth and development of journalism in Africa.

“We hope to integrate this as one of the cardinal components of the annual event in Canada and with this kind of exposure, African journalists will experience the serene and harmonious haven that characterises Canada’s multi-ethnic and diverse culture.

“I am currently working on how to establish an art gallery in Toronto, Canada, where art lovers will see unique paintings, artworks, various Canadian and African traditional artifacts and many cultural and historical works will be on display.”