Culture

Isese Day 2026: Sotayo Gaga, Farulee Light Up Lagos Festival

Published

3 weeks ago

August 20, 2026

Isese Day 2026 brought colourful Yoruba celebrations to Lagos as Sotayo Gaga and Farulee joined the festivities and attracted attention from fans

Nollywood actress Sotayo Gaga and content creator Farulee joined the Isese Day 2026 celebration in Lagos on Thursday, August 20, 2026, drawing attention as the city marked Yoruba heritage and indigenous traditions.

Also read: Lagos, Ogun Declare August 20 Holiday for Isese Day

Sotayo Gaga made a striking appearance at the event alongside Hon. Idris Aregbe, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The actress and the government official proceeded to the royal palace as part of the day’s cultural activities, where Gaga was seen paying homage to a traditional ruler.

Her appearance quickly became one of the memorable moments of the celebration, with images and videos from the event circulating across social media.

Farulee also attended the festival, bringing his familiar energy to an occasion that attracted cultural enthusiasts, entertainers and members of the public.

The presence of the two entertainment personalities added a strong celebrity dimension to the celebration and generated reactions from their respective fans and followers online.

For many attendees, however, the significance of Isese Day extended beyond celebrity appearances. The annual celebration provides an opportunity to recognise Yoruba indigenous traditions, cultural identity and traditional institutions.

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The Lagos event also reflected the growing public visibility of indigenous cultural celebrations, with government representatives participating alongside traditional leaders and members of the entertainment industry.

Social media reactions to the event ranged from playful comments about activities around the venue to enthusiastic support for Yoruba traditional culture.

One social media user wrote, “Traditional religious all the way,” while another simply declared, “Isese all the way.”

The colourful gathering offered a vibrant reminder of the role cultural festivals continue to play in preserving indigenous identity while attracting a younger audience through entertainment and social media.

Also read: Lagos, Ogun Declare August 20 Holiday for Isese Day

With personalities such as Sotayo Gaga and Farulee participating, Isese Day 2026 once again became both a cultural occasion and a lively talking point online.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”