Anu, Olo, shine at Turkish cultural tourism summit

It was an electrifying and gratifying performances of the best of African authentic music sound infused with a mix of folklore and heavy percussion as the duo of Anu, The Lady Ekwe and Olo Omidan Bata gave good account of their musical prowess in Konya, Turkey, in enthralling musical renditions to send shock waves down the spines of the packed audience.

The occasion was an historical one, which witnessed the formalisation of the relationship between Africa and Turkey in recent years, following the December 2016 signed agreement between Motherland Beckons and MUSIAD in Konya, Turkey, to facilitate the mutual flow of trade, tourism, culture and entertainment between Africa and Turkey, as part of the continent building projects of Motherland Beckons.

Motherland Beckons last month under the leadership of its charismatic president, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, stormed the city of Konya with a powerful team to consummate the agreement in its first major outing, which attracted the attention of the corporate world, diplomatic corps and other interests in Turkey. In the course of three days, a range of business interests and exchange programmes between Turkey and Africa continent were discussed and deals struck.

However, what quickly came to the fore was the entertainment aspect of the deal, which saw the duo of Anu and Olo, both from the stable of Atunda Entertainment, alongside selected Turkish popular musical artistes, entertained the audience in what could be termed as the best of the historical musical collaboration ever between Africa and Turkey.

In awesome and breathtaking performances from the inimitable Olo and enigmatic Anu, they both electrified the stage with their splendid presence and set the amazed audience spellbound with their perfectly timed renditions and a powerful display of their adaptive skills on bata and ekwe, which are both generally regarded as male exclusive musical instruments.

Another major highlight of the gathering was the official commissioning of the Africa Turkey Trade Centre (ATTC) Headquarter in Konya. In attendance was with the president of MUSIAD, 35 African ambassadors and the Governor of Konya. The ceremony was conducted by the trio of the Dean of the African Diplomatic Community in Turkey, the Ambassador of Democratic Republic of Congo and the President of Motherland Beckons.

Akinboboye used the opportunity to re-iterate his commitment to African growth and development through tourism, culture, entertainment, business and mutually beneficial bilateral trade and investment opportunities between both worlds. He thanked them all for honouring his invitation and solicited for their cooperation and support in the onerous task of building the continent of Africa.