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Added by Segun Vincent November 23, 2017

Cultural musician and player of talking drum, popularly known as Gangan, Aralola Olumuyiwa, has expressed her readiness to build a drum academy meant to groom talented youths and individuals across the globe and also to promote creativity.

Olumuyiwa, popularly known as Ara, said on Tuesday that the project was expected to commence in January 2018.

She said that her purpose of initiating such project was to expose talented youths to African drumming and other cultural heritage for them to be able to compete with their peers from outside the country.

The renowned drummer said that foreigners could learn about the African culture and style from the academy.

She said, “It will be an arena where people from across the world can acquire knowledge about the African culture, tradition and indigenous training in drumming, dancing, drum making and other creative works.

“The academy estimated to cost N600m on completion will be first of its kind in Africa. It will be a one-stop cultural destination.

“I am a cultural advocate, I love my culture and I am proud of it anytime, anywhere.”

According to her, culture is very strategic to human existence; culture is an identity that shows the originality of a person.

She advised Nigerians, particularly, parents to inculcate moral and cultural values in their children.

“It is very important for the young generation to embrace and uphold the African culture. They should not allow it go into extinction.

“Parents should stop imparting western culture into their wards.

“Rather, they should teach them to respect, appreciate, value, embrace and be proud of their culture anywhere they find themselves, “she said.

Ara said that the academy would have an auditorium with the capacity to accommodate 1,000 guests, a library, a museum, an aquatic park, an event centre, classrooms, hostels, and cafeteria and guests’ chalets.

She appealed to individuals, corporate organisations, philanthropists as well as government officials at federal and state levels to support the project in other to reposition domestic tourism in the country.