Aramanda Christian Festival Returns After Three-Year Hiatus

Following its outing in July 2020, the youth-centric, afro-urban Christian festival, Aramanda, is set to make a comeback this Easter Monday at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Previous editions of the festival were held in collaboration with The Covenant Nation (2019), and The Elevation Church (2020). The third edition will mark a departure from this trend of being held in a church.

“This edition is not held in a church. We’re going to the city and we’re going to be loud with our light,” Founder, Aramanda, Gaise Akinade explained. “We intend to use entertainment to pass the gospel, the cultures, and values of the kingdom of God. We compete for souls”.

Inspired by the theme ‘The New Sound’, the decision to break free from the constraints of a traditional church setting represents a bold move by the festival to shake up the gospel music scene.

Through the infusion of vibrant afrobeats rhythms, the festival seeks to challenge conventions and push boundaries, as it showcases the remarkable talents of 25 exceptional performers, spanning across musicians, spoken word poets, and skit makers.

According to the creative director, gospel music artiste Angeloh, Aramanda will serve as a space to embrace the new generation of believers.

“In gospel music, people expect you to look a certain way, sound a certain way, and speak a certain way, and what is happening is that our generation and our culture are different.

“We grew up on pop culture. We understand the language, we understand the style, and we look and feel and sound different, but we still love and are driven by God and kingdom values. Aramanda is a new expression of a timeless message,” Angeloh said.