Abuja’s ‘festival of praise’ comes of age

The massed choir and symphony orchestra at the 10th Anniversary Festival of Praise.

 Members of the public in Abuja who were privileged to witness the 10th anniversary version of the annual concert of Christian music known as the “Festival of Praise” at the International Conference Centre on December 22nd last year were privileged to experience a musical feast that would not have been out of place in some of the seminal cultural capitals of Europe. 

Apart from the fact that the performers were accompanied by a full-fledged and expert symphony orchestra the expertise with which a huge massed choir of more than two hundred enthusiastic singers presented a wide variety of hymns, anthems, and native airs, proved to be a most appropriate celebration of the festive season. Many of those who were witnessing the concert for the first time were overwhelmed by the realisation that such an accomplished and well organised event had been running for a decade.  The audience was presented with a programme of both spiritual and technical harmony that was bound to uplift the spirit.

The festival organisers who have kept this unique and extraordinary cultural/religious event alive over the last 10 years have been surprisingly reticent in promoting their success. Although it has developed into a major celebration in the nation’s end of year repertoire of events in the capital city it has not been granted wide public coverage either through state or private broadcast media. 

The high standard of the performances has improved steadily over each year’s outing and the variety of the offerings has grown exponentially. Apart from Christmas carols which formed a staple segment of the programme there were some extraordinary solo performances delivered by classically trained singers. The choirs performed choral renditions that were sometimes familiar enough to the audience to encourage them to sing along. 

In addition the symphony orchestra that provided the major accompaniment for the performers exhibited an impressive level of universal proficiency and creative energy. The orchestral offerings were directed by a trio of conductors who exhibited different styles of control but who were all highly talented and excitingly gifted with graceful and sometimes even amusing movements.

It was particularly heartening that the major choirs drawn from churches in Abuja, Zaria, and Minna, to form the massed choir were joined at last year’s edition of the festival by a selection of guest choirs and groups from other parts of Nigeria. 

The performances produced by these guests drew loud applause from the audience. Among these a performance of choreographed dance drills and choral games rendered by a highly disciplined team of schoolchildren almost stole the show. The children adapted the formula of traditional games from the village square into an evangelical performance that had older people in the audience joining in the choruses. This section of the festival was also enhanced by a choral group led by a disabled lady confined to a wheelchair whose powerful contralto soared above her confinement. 

This group known as the Ejoga Family Singers served to underscore a prime purpose of the festival, which according to the Professor Jerry Gana chairman of the organizing committee is to help nurture and unveil local talents.

In keeping with this latter objective the performances of the soloists for this edition of the concert was revealing and in some instances absolutely stunning. These included renditions of classical anthems by two powerful male vocalists, tenor Frank Ugochukwu Oboye, and baritone Egbujor Obinna. 

In some ways however the most exciting of these performances were arias from the outstanding voice of the diminutive soprano Chioma I. Omapitch whose voice seemed almost too powerful to be emerging from her slight physical frame. This festival of Christian music has been organised to be a gathering largely of music lovers according to Prof. Gana and he has explained that it has been kept going almost single-handedly through the support of one-time Minister of Defence General T. Y. Danjuma. 

In fact according to Prof. Gana the idea for the annual festive concert grew out of an almost offhand remark made by the general in 2006 when his (the Professor’s) son was getting married. A choral group directed by the wife of the then German Ambassador in Nigeria performed at the ceremony. The General who was a guest was so impressed by the performance that he suggested that the performance of this type of music should be an annual event in Abuja. 

In the following year when the Professor’s daughter was also getting married there was a repeat performance of the choral recital at the ceremony and the general once again raised the matter with Professor Gana and indicated that he was seriously committed to helping get it off the ground. 

He provided the necessary funds for the first edition after Prof. Gana suggested the name Festival of Praise as an appropriate title for a celebration of Christian music that he conceived as being not just an expression of the Christmas spirit but rather an annual affirmation of faith for Christians in the capital territory and surrounding Northern states. 

This event has grown more substantial year after year, Prof Gana says, because General Danjuma has consistently provided sufficient resources and encouraged the organisers to raise the standard. Prof Gana acknowledged the assistance of several volunteers who have been at the core of the organizing committee over the last decade and he expressed special gratitude for support from Mr. John Dara who had been an aide of General Danjuma when he was Minister of Defence. 

John Dara is always very visible in the venue each year and he has explained that the General considers his support of the annual concert to be an imperative contribution to the sustenance of faith of all Nigerian Christians, which is a mission to which he has dedicated his life. 

Apart from General Danjuma’s unfailing presence at the event one of the most consistent elements of the annual festival is the regular attendance of some prominent statesmen such as General Yakubu Gowon who has served for the last seven years as either the Chairman or Special Guest of Honour at the occasion. He was Chairman of the 10th edition while the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was the Special Guest of Honour. The concert was also graced by the presence of Architect Darius Ishaku the Governor of General Danjuma’s home state Taraba.