The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has partnered with the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State to establish a music institute in the university.
It was gathered that the motive for the establishment was to promote and modernize African traditional music and dance and also to further enhance its marketability and global appeal.
The UNESCO Cultural Ambassador, Dr Ino Mirkovic, who was in the institution to facilitate the take-off of the proposed institute on the campus of the AAUA, has met with the management staff of the institution on the take of the project.
Mirkovic explained that his mission in the school was to help set up a department or an institute for music and dance and also to use his global experiences and contacts to drive the project.
He said, ” I am invited here to help establish a Department for Arts or Music and Performing Arts. For me, this is going to be very challenging because Nigeria has a tradition in music and dance.
“I also think it will be challenging to bring the knowledge and the experience of western and eastern cultures and to upgrade the local culture here to have a new mixture which has never happened before.”
Mirkovic, who pointed out that music started from Africa before moving to Europe, promised to bring his expertise to bear on the project and to organize a students staff exchange programme between AAUA and other global institutions running courses in music and dance.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the AAUA, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, said universities were institutions meant to bring the world to its immediate community and also blaze the trail in innovation and uniqueness.
Abayomi said the project was born out of the vision and commitment to raise Ajasin varsity to international heights and help build a university which graduates would be competitive globally.
He noted that Mirkovic would work as a consultant in setting up an institute of music and dance.
Source: Punch
