The grand finale of the annual Epe Kayokayo festival will hold on Saturday.
The finale will cap off a few days of activities and bring together people from all classes within and outside Epe, with excitement already in the air following a lineup that kicked off on Wednesday.
Surah Olayemi Animashaun, Chairperson of Epe Local Government while speaking about the festival said “Kayokayo Festival is all about a way to show live to one another in Epe. It doesn’t even end with people in Epe because those outside Epe are also included, we bring them in, we show them love, that is after the normal Muslim festival.
“So it is a way of showing the kind of people we are in Epe and to show how we value relationships and togetherness in Epe along with the love we have for people in Epe.”
Otunba Gbenga Abass, the coordinator of 2021 Kayokayo Organizing Committee, said “Epe Kayokayo is one of the foremost and iconic festivals celebrated by the people of Epe Kingdom, which is a kingdom with a rich cultural gallery and the only way we can leverage on that is to harness it for the benefit of our community.
Our story is that of forging the broken chars of our history to emerge as a force to be reckoned with in the political, social and economic landscape of the state. We have a beautiful story to tell and there couldn’t be a better way to do that than through the perspective of culture, the key totality of the ways of life of our people.”
“Culture is an important aspect of life and could be a key part of our existence and a major income earner for the community and the state as well. It is celebrated annually and also to welcome the Islamic calendar year and has become a key part of our life while also celebrating the grand entry of King Kosoko in 1851.”
Scheduled for between 8th and 11th, the 2021 edition is in line with the customary timeline of the festival celebrated during the first month of the Islamic calendar in commemoration of ‘Yaom-al Ashura’ the tenth day of Muhharram in the Islamic calendar, about a month after the Muslim festival of Eid-El-Kabir.
In view of the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State and other parts of the country, Kayokayo Festival, a veritable platform to promote the local economy, address some socio-economic challenges of the community and most significantly, to propagate Epe’s rich cultural heritage, will be observed with strict adherence to Covid-19 preventive protocols.
Highlights of the event include a Royal visit to Olu-Epe, the Tahjud night, Jummat Service, an Annual prayer at the palace, as well as a Drama performance at the Epe theatre, and of course, the Lighting of Etufu by Olu Epe of Epe kingdom.