Festivals as Vehicle for Cultural Revival: An Appraisal of Madawa Cultural Festival

Abstract: The infiltration of Western civilization into African societies has resulted in the loss of interest in the once-cherished African culture and tradition. Africans, especially the elites, have joined the so-called civilized world to see the pristine African tradition and culture as crude and barbaric following the Western education and civilization they have acquired. Furthermore, as a result of religions that were foreign to Africa which Africans have come to embrace, most African elites have dissociated themselves from certain traditional spiritual symbols and activities which are Indigenous to them. Festival, which is an annual event that celebrates an aspect of community, such as its tradition, art or religion has proven a strong medium of revamping the lost interest in African tradition, culture, and arts. The paper looks at how African tradition and culture are now being rebranded and passed to new generations at home and abroad through festivals with particular reference to the Madawa festival. Madawa festival is a special annual festival celebrated by the Gbagyi people of Bosso Local Government in Niger State. Madawa is commemorated mainly but not exclusively to neutralize any possible afflictions hunters may suffer as a result of the game they kill. The festival attracts people from all works of life, far and near. The paper argues that there is a renewed interest in African tradition and culture by both the traditionalists and elites as all strive to identify themselves with the tradition and culture of the people during a festival. Festivals have therefore sustained African tradition and culture thereby saving them from total extinction. The paper is therefore an attempt to examine festivals as the core channels and of course, the most vibrant medium that practically conveys African tradition and culture from one generation to another. The functionalist approach to literature will be adopted to appraise the Madawa Festival to establish the role of the festival as a medium of cultural revival. The paper recommends that rather than seeing festivals as a mere funfair they should be taken seriously. Any language or ethnic group that faces extinction of its tradition  and culture should consider organizing a festival of cultural revival.

Takaitawa: Shigar wayewar yemmacin duniya acikin al'umomin Africa ya haifar da asarar al'adunAfrica wanda a da ake alfahari dasu. YanAfrica, musamman masufadaaji, sun shiga cikin kasashen da ake kira duniya masu wayewa don ganin al'ada da al'adun Africa masu daraja a matsayin danyen aiki da dabanci biyo bayan ilimi da wayew yemmaci da suka samu. Bugu da kari, soboda zuwan adinan kasashenwaje zuwa Africa, yan bokon Africa sun raba kansu da wasu alamomi da al'amuran gargajiya wadanda aka saba dasu a garuruwansu. Wannan takarda ta yi dubi ne kan yadda ake sake fasalin al'adun Africa tare da isar da su ga yaran  zamani tare da yin la'akar da bikin madawa. Don haka wannantakarda kokarine na bincika biki ngargajiya a matsayin daya daga cikin hanyoyi da azahiri ake isar da al'adun Africa daga wannan tsara zuwa wancan. Takardar ta ba da shawara cewa duk wata kabila da ke fuskantar rugujewar al'adunta ta yi tunanin shirya bikin al'adun gargajiya.