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| *Otigba ..burning |
By Fred Iwenjora
Residents of Enugu woke up on Thursday to behold their most celebrated monument, the Otigba(the drummer) burnt down.
Otigba, the impressive statue of a
drummer used as the major décor at the roundabout connecting New Haven and Ogui
road in the Coal city became a victim of hoodlums who hijacked the endsars protests
to unleash mayhem upon the city destroying both banks, fuel stations and other
public and private properties last Wednesday night leaving all asking why? What
did Otigba do to them?
Eye witnesses say a mob was on rampage destroying everything in sight and robbing
passersby.
Said the source “when they got to
Otigba, they started chanting and dancing around it before first breaking its right hand to stop it from beating the drum and
then went ahead to set the statue on fire.
Otigba is a magnificent sculpture
made by ace renowned sculptor Chris Afuba, a renowned member of the respected
A.K.A group of exhibiting artists and became a landmark in just a
few days after it was mounted.
In a few years many resident came
to like Otigba for its huge aesthetic value on the city.
A member of the AKA group art
teacher Obiora Anidi lamented the destruction describing it as “anarchy”.
He said “detractors will always
attempt to sabotage a “common good” movement. But I trust God is standing by.
However they won’t attempt to break our spirit by destroying our treasures”
Also speaking, Prof Chu Krydz
Ikwuemesi of Pan African Circle of artists spoke to ECD saying “ the
destruction of Otigba is both sad and tragic. It is a reflection of the
superlative barbarism that abides in our time. When I saw the clips of the
burning statue on facebook, I was greatly shaken”.
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