a) To create a social atmosphere that reflects the peculiarities of our culture, rekindle/awaken the love for home in the people
b) To bridge the gap of division by using entertainment as an agent of peace and nation building.
The Name
Chong Dovetail is a fusion of a common slang and an English words;
o CHONG: Culled from the popular name our generation address the southern Kaduna people “Chongai”
o DOVETAIL: A verb meaning to fit or cause to fit together easily and conveniently. It is synonymous to words like meet up, link up, go together, equate. ETC.
Testimonial
The maiden edition of Chong Dovetail took place on the 18th day of December 2016 at the King’s court of Goshen Memorial Garden, Sabon Tasha Kaduna. Our expected assembly of three (3) hundred persons turned around as the amount was tripled.
It was an evening flavored with sounds, sights and aroma of the Chongai music, dance, attires and delicacies. Food vendors smiled all through as the people seemed to crave on the more they patronize their stands. Cultural troops kept us thrilled as the entertained us with energetic dance and their unique music performance. Phone cameras were put to use at the sight of masquerades and costumed primitive men, while the chickened hearted tried to keep their distance.
The event was attended by men and woman of diverse ethnic and race (some Asians were spotted) who had so much to say about their experience. Few months later, Chong Dovetail still remains the most talked about and most anticipated event.
NB: The hash tag #ChongDovetail trended on social media for days and carries so much memory for future references.
Past experience taught us…
Last year was a daring adventure for us as we experimented on converting the idea from inks and thoughts to real life. Yes, it was a success but we will only thicken the brick walls standing between us and a better Chong Dovetail this year if we blind our eyes from the challenges we faced previously.
Also, we were able to confirm certain facts that;
The people have craved a homely platform to reflect on the values of their cultures
Regardless of our various tribes, we speak and understand a common language when entertainment is involved
Challenges
1. Capacity: Though it was our first major event as a team, most of the players had so little to offer because at that stage the picture was almost blurry. But hopefully, with a fore experience we are bringing on our A-game this year.
2. Finance: A greater part of what we had planned and envisioned couldn’t make it to light last year because we had to make use of the little we could afford.
CHONG DOVETAIL 2017
Months after the historical event, we still have people sending messages, posting on social media and asking if they’ll get another date with culture. Our answer is “YES, THERE’LL BE A BIGGER AND BETTER CHONG DOVETAIL THIS YEAR”
This December is going to be another memorable one as the sons and daughter of the Chongai stars will come together to celebrate the culture of our fathers as we share it with every other person who answered our call to partake in the love.
As usual, there’ll be varieties of delectable and assorted local dishes and drinks (the menu stepped up this year), a blend of traditional and contemporary dance/music/art performances, games, talks, and lots of social activities.
Beyond the entertainment, food, drinks and re-union. This year, we are working towards using Chong Dovetail as a platform to propagate a message of Peace, Hope and to orient our youths on being agents of national development.
