By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

It was a colourful celebration of cultural diplomacy last Sunday as no fewer than 24 countries’ ambassadors, diplomats, contingents of 12 states of the federation and culture workers witnessed the closing ceremony of this year’s 12th International Arts and Craft (INAC) Expo in Abuja. To commemorate the cultural diplomacy day, every guest in the hall waved a white handkerchief to usher in peace across the globe.

The expo, which had as theme Networking Nigerian arts to the world, was held from November 20 to 24.

Former Imo State Governor and Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Rochas Okorocha, said no nation could grow beyond its culture and tradition, adding that the greatest gift to Nigeria is its culture and traditions. This, he said, is why nations protect their cultures and traditions jealously.

“Every nation in the world is created by God with their traditions and culture. Government is only a guide. No nation can grow beyond its culture and tradition. That is why nations protect their cultures and traditions. The greatest gift of God to us as a nation is our culture and tradition. So, when you hear people say “the giant of Africa”, they are simply talking about our culture and tradition. Nigeria has one of the best cultures and traditions in the world,” he added.

Okorocha, who was chairman on the occasion, noted that the days of over reliance on oil as the only source of revenue for the country was beginning to change, saying: “Before now, oil has been the mainstay of our economy. But now, we are beginning to realise that oil can no longer sustain our economy, we are opting for culture, tourism and tradition. We have started promoting our music.”

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Okorocha recalled that few years ago foreign music from America, England and others dominated the scene in Nigeria, but that now music was going out from Nigeria to the rest of the world. He said Nigeria’s flag was flying in other countries of the world through our music. “Our musicians are now more popular than us political leaders. In fact, Wizkid, Davido and others are more popular than governors and senators of this country,” Okorocha said.

He commended Otunba Runsewe for the excellent job he is doing by promoting our culture and peace in Nigeria. He also praised the Chinese (who participated in the 2019 INAC) for their perseverance initially when they started producing things which were ridiculed as being inferior. “But today, Chinese products are among the bests in the world.

“In the 1980s in Aba, we were producing shoes, spare parts and many other things. But Nigerians and the rest of the world were laughing at us, derogating those things as “made in Aba” just as they did to the Chinese products. Similarly, there is a story that once upon a time, Nigeria was a country that was not doing well in culture, but today, Nigeria’s story has changed culture-wise. So, we need more of what we have seen at this 2019 International Arts & Crafts Expo,” the Senator said.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Paulin Tallen she described Otunba Runsewe as a great organiser and promoter of Nigeria’s arts and culture, noting that culture brings peace and unites us all. She prayed that the peace which pervaded the 2019 INAC will spread across the entire world..

Emir of Jiwa, Alhaji Idris Musa, extolled the virtues of Otunba Runsewe as a gentleman who has been in the forefront of promoting Nigeria’s culture and through INAC also promoted the cultures of the entire world thereby bringing peace to the world. He ensued for peace in Nigeria and the world, agreeing that culture is the key to global peace.

Otunba Runsewe commended the participating countries for coming to the 2019 INAC saying “for the first time, we had a window where the ordinary man and woman discussed (face-to-face) with the international community without taking a flight. I think that was a huge success for us.”

Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Saleh Saeed advocated for the participation of more countries in subsequent editions, saying “the expo has been ongoing for some years but the embassy in Nigeria decided to participate in this year’s event. It is important for countries to showcase their cultural heritage and the expo is a good platform for this.”

Trade and Tourism Officer, Ethiopian Embassy, Abuja Ms Harmella Mathewos, appealed to Nigerians and other countries to continually network in order to leverage each other’s unique cultural products.

Venezuelan Ambassador to Nigeria, David Carraballo commended the National Council for Arts and Culture for organising INAC saying that ‘the theme of the event creates opportunity for countries to connect, integrate, share cultural values and experiences, which would further foster global unity.”

On his part, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria Mr. Md Shameem Ahsan said his country is proud to synergise with Nigeria in cultural exchanges using the platform of INAC assuring that they will continue to participate just like they have in previous outings. INAC 2019 featured awards in several categories with Ogun state emerging best exhibitor overall and several countries coming tops in the various categories.