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On the sidelines of the Emir's Cup final between Rayyan Club and Al Sadd Club, and the inauguration of the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, the fun zone was an equally happening place with the African communities showcasing their rich cultural heritage on the occasion.
Organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Sudan, among others, showcased the best cultural heritage of their countries. All the exhibits including food, artefacts, traditional attire, and assorted beaded items etc. depicted the cultural heritage of their countries. The highlight of their display was dazzling performances presented by them.
Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation-Qatar PRO, Jibril Tauheed, who was at the Nigerian pavilion, told Qatar Tribune that it was an opportunity to showcase the rich variety of culture, languages, costumes and a wide variety of ethnic groups. The country has more than 200 ethnic groups.
The Nigerian pavilion displayed artefacts from Nigeria's Benin Kingdom, traditional regalia for royalty, including a crown for the queen, ifa (a traditional idol) from Yoruba, caps and clothes representing different communities in Nigeria including Igbo, Benue, Yoruba, among others.
What was amazing was the traditional Nigerian majlis which featured a beautiful sitting area."The culture in the northern part of Nigeria is almost similar to Arabian culture. The cushions in the sitting area are made from goat's skin," said Tauheed.
The traditional game, Oguruse, which originated from the Kingdom of Benin, was another highlight at the pavilion."The game is also common in the Yoruba community. It is called Ayo," said Tauheed.
Besides, there were bowls used by the nomadic Fulani tribes to carry cow's milk.
There was also an exhibition of the Nigerian currency and food including the egusi soup, pounded yam, fried and roasted yam, okra soup, moi moi and others.
And to make sure that people know where to visit in Nigeria, there was a display of photographs of Nigeria's attractions including Ngwo Cave, Obudu ranch, Bolatura and Central Mosque, among others.
The Kenyan community displayed costumes, brochures giving information about Kenya, a thrilling traditional dance, and food by Al Zanj restaurant among others.
Margaret Muriithi from the Kenyan community said this was the first time they were able to showcase the culture at the Emir Cup event."We feel honoured to be the first Kenyans to showcase our culture here," she said.
One of the songs that the group sang was 'Its Time For Africa' (originally sung by Shakira) and according to her, they performed this song because it represented the whole of the African continent. They also performed Kadodo.
"The event was to do with sports. Therefore, we wanted to involve everyone. It's music that brings people together despite the language they speak. We are happy Kenyans also came together through the event,," she said.
For Zacchaeus Njuguna, it was a platform to market Kenya and learn about other cultures."We had posters that gave information about Kenya. We also socialised with people from different countries. We have also been able to showcase our talents," he said, while adding that through this platform they played their part in supporting Qatar as they plan to host the FIFA World Cup 2022."We believe that football unites cultures".
John Ngurugwe from the Kenyan community said,"It's always amazing to have Kenyans during such a spectacular event. This has always been achieved by reaching out to Kenyans through the social media and even visiting them. Securing event tickets from the organisers to distribute to Kenyans also plays a very big role."
The Ghanaian community displayed items that included traditional jewellery for various occasions. They also displayed fabrics with Ghanaian prints, hand-woven kente and handmade batik, drums, among the other accessories.
Ruby Attriki from Ghanaian community said they wanted people to know more about Ghana."When we talk of unity, you need to know about the country. In Ghana, though we have different cultures but we are one."
She said it was also an opportunity to know more about the other cultures that exhibited their items.
The Ghana community dance troupe also provided a wonderful traditional performance including kundum and Kete. Dance and music is a way of live in Ghana, and performed at weddings, funerals, festivals and other cultural events.
Along with drumming, it can be used to communicate with citizens. Kundum is a preparation dance from Western Region of Ghana. This signifies the inspection of warriors before a major event. The Akan dance is used to welcome and usher in kings, queens and elders at important cultural festivals," said Attriki.
