Women drummers go to school

Popular female drummer Oluwatosin Olakanye, also known as Ayanbirin, will hold the maiden edition of Mother-Drum Healing Arts Festival (MODHAFEST 2020), scheduled for December 4 to 6, 2020. The festival will be held virtual this year and the theme is, Healing, Hope And Recovery Through Arts.

Hosting the festival through her Mother-Drum Healing Arts Foundation, Ayanbirin said the festival would be held in collaboration with Ara Entertainment Productions.

The foundation Inc. is a non-profit organisation dedicated to utilising the therapeutic, innovative and recreational process of arts to raise awareness and educate the general public about addiction and mental health challenges (both which feed off each other), which will in turn reduce/eliminate the stigma associated with the conditions as well as to enhance healing, offer and inspire hope to individuals struggling with and/or families affected by these conditions (mostly women and the girl child).

MODHAFEST 2020 will be a three-day virtual gathering of arts enthusiasts, healthcare professionals, counselors, artists, caregivers, musicians, choreographers, poets, drummers, arts promoters, culture activists, the arts writers and journalist, photographers, media personnel, story tellers, actors, crafts makers, art collectors and the general populace of different cultural background within the age bracket (toddlers to grandparents) to transform health and the healthcare experience as well as to Enjoy the arts.

“We would also be having a monthly roundtable discussion tagged, Break The Silence, Break The Stigma via Zoom. Every last Sunday of the month at 12noon (11am Central), prominent personnel in the arts and healthcare system around the globe would be invited to have discussions about the societal benefits of early prevention of mental and substance use disorders, the available treatments, the integration of arts to support healing, and also to spread the message of hope that recovery in all its forms is possible,” she explained.

The festival, which will hold on Zoom, will feature exhibitions, trainings, round-table discussions, researches, pageantry, lectures, symposia, workshops, conferences and other activities.