Abuja, Nigeria – 26th July 2025
nkà ọgwụgwọ: The Art of Healing Festival Unites Nigerian Youth Through Art, Wellness, and Community Healing.
nkà ọgwụgwọ: The Art of Healing Festival, a groundbreaking wellness and art gathering designed for Nigerian youth and creative empaths, took place this July with a bold mission: to create a safe, soulful space for mental health, cultural healing, and artistic expression.
Organized by NAPPYESE Wellness, the festival brought together over 50+ participants, including musicians, poets, dancers, wellness practitioners, visual artists, and youth volunteers, fostering a day of community transformation grounded in Holistic Wellness, creativity, and care.
“nkà ọgwụgwọ isn’t just a festival,” said Ese Julia Otobo, founder of NAPPYESE Wellness and curator of the experience. “It’s a living sanctuary where young Africans gather to reconnect to their inner wisdom, express unspoken pain, and discover joy again, through art, through self expression, and through togetherness.”
Highlights from the 2025 Edition:
👩🏿🎨 Art Exhibition: Curated with intention, each piece reflected personal and collective healing journeys, inviting guests to pause, reflect, and reconnect. It gave voice to the inner worlds of young Nigerian artists who are using creativity as a tool for transformation.
🎭 Healing Performances: Spoken word, Live music and dance performances, offered pathways for emotional release.
🎨 Art Therapy & Expression Workshops: Safe spaces to express grief, identity, and healing through guided creative painting practice.
🎤 Big Sister Empath Podcast Live Recording: A heart-to-heart talk session on healing, boundaries, burnout, and breaking mental health taboos.
🎼 Sound Meditation: Guided by skilled sound healing practitioner, guests were gently led into stillness using the soothing vibrations of crystal bowls and chimes.
🛍️ Vendor Market: Five community vendors showcased and sold healing-centered services and products, from herbal blends to handmade art.
🤝 Ticket Sponsorships: Over 15 tickets sponsored for young people needing access to wellness spaces, funded by community partners.
A Movement for Youth Mental Health in Nigeria
With generous support from sponsors, partners, and volunteers, nkà ọgwụgwọ became more than an event, it became a community.
As rates of depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion soar among Nigeria’s youth, nkà ọgwụgwọ responds with a culturally rooted, accessible, and creative solution.
“Many youth can’t afford therapy,” said Ese Otobo. “But they can show up to a space where they’re seen, heard, and held. This is grassroots mental health care, rooted in contemporary African culture”
The festival team expresses deep gratitude to its artists, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, healing hosts, and every single attendee who made the day a success.
Follow nkà ọgwụgwọ on Instagram
About NAPPYESE Wellness
NAPPYESE Wellness is a social holistic wellness and lifestyle company elevating the physical, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being for African empaths, highly sensitive people, and creatives seeking wholeness. Through festivals, wellness services such as guided yoga & meditation, massage therapy, nature centered group retreats and community outreach programs, NAPPYESE is reclaiming the art of African healing one sacred gathering at a time.
NAPPYESE is founded by Nigerian Multi-disciplinary Artist Singer-Songwriter ESE
NAPPYESE bridges ancestral wisdom with modern soul care.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS + JOIN THE WAITLIST
Relive the beauty. Feel the energy.
✨ Watch the Highlights
📝 Join the 2026 Waitlist
Be the first to know about next year’s edition and opportunities to sponsor, volunteer, or attend.
nkà ọgwụgwọ is just getting started
For Media Inquiries, Sponsorships, or Future Collaborations
Contact: Ese Julia Otobo
🅿️+2347014071794
📧 nappyese@gmail.com
Website: nappyese.com
Instagram @nappyese | @nappyesemusic
More press Links
https://www.openpr.com/news/4132516/nka-o-gwu-gwo-the-art-of-healing-festival-unitesxvv
https://guardian.ng/news/ese-otobo-leads-cultural-wellness-revolution-with-nka-ogwugwo-2025/
https://milliondollarideasltd.com/nka-ogwugwo-the-art-of-healing-festival-celebrating-african-art-wellness-and-community/
https://hafrikplay.com/article/175_-the-art-of-healing-festival
NAPPYESE 
One thought on “nkà ọgwụgwọ Festival Press Release”