Tag: Abuja Carnival

The Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Minister of Youths Development (State)  Ayodele Olawande Wisdom; Senator Ben Murray Bruce and other prominent Nigerians were at the unveiling of the logo for the rebranded Abuja International Carnival organised by Yankee Entertainment in collaboration with the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.

 Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday at the A-Class- Park in Abuja, stakeholders in the entertainment industry agreed the carnival would expose the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria to the rest of the world. 

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Abuja International Carnival, Kehinde Adegbite, famously known as Mallam Yankee, said the Abuja International Carnival was returning as a rebranded version after a long break. 

He commended the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Arts and her counterpart from the Ministry of Youths Development for keying into the vision of the organizers. 

Mallam Yankee expressed optimism that the carnival would showcase Nigeria to the world, assuring that the rebranded carnival with a little adjustment to the name would be of international standard to the delight of Nigerians and citizens of other countries. 

Read Also: Edun: 2024 Budget will be fully implemented

According to the Yankee Entertainment boss: ” We strongly believe we can achieve international standards with this carnival and that is why it is now rebranded as Abuja International Carnival. 

“Abuja Carnival belongs to everyone of us. No matter your status, no matter your level of wealth and no matter the fame, you are first a Nigerian and we must promote that. 

“This is what we need to project. Despite the negative colouration, we need to promote the positive side because the percentage of bad people is quite low compared to those positive aspects of the country. The only way we can achieve this is by having our own carnival to showcase our culture to the world.” 

He appealed for government and stakeholders’ participation in the carnival slated for Nov. 21st – 23rd 2024. 

Musawa emphasised the need for self realisation of a nation with great potentials which she reeled out in a short poem. 

The Minister said she was proud to head an industry that has continued to  project the great talents and culture of Nigeria to the world. 

She lamented that Nigeria’s rich culture was not being projected enough in the past because there was no dedicated ministry for it. She expressed hope that with the new ministry now dedicated to culture and creative economy, cultural transformation was possible.

“This is why we need to work with this platform to project our culture.. When we strengthen our culture, this is where we can use that culture and the creative industry, not only as source power because we all know that now, the world of today, the whole world is looking to Nigeria because of our content, talent and colorful Kaleidoscope of beauty. 

” Everywhere I go, you see Nigerians and we are at our best.”

She committed to ensuring the Abuja Carnival is successful while hailing Mallam Yankee from the initiative of the rebranded carnival.

Wisdom, said that youths non-involvement in government activities was the reason for agitations here and there, pledging to support any thing that will lift the hope of Nigerian youths. 

He pledged to work with the organisers of the carnival for a positive outcome at the end of the day, while appealing to the youths to be a little patient with the government as efforts are being made to address the current challenges.

Senator Ben Murray Bruce hammered on the need to improve on the nation’s cultural heritage through the establishment of museums and other cultural centers. He, however, stated that the two greatest countries in the world were Nigeria and the United States, but that, “the difference between the two is that while the United States knows how to project their own, Nigeria does little or nothing in that direction.”

A former guber aspirant, Uche Nwosu, also appealed to Nigerians against violence, urging them to embrace peace no matter the level of frustration. He said engaging Nigerian youths in events such as carnivals would help a lot in drawing them close to the government. 

The FCT commissioner of police,  Mr. Ben Igwe emphasised that Abuja was safe for all, and that the FCT command was fully on ground to ensure the safety of visitors and residents before, during and after the carnival. 

Style Plus, MI Abaga, and other artistes also graced the event which came to a close after the unveiling of the logo by industry stakeholders.

As economic recession continues to bite harder, artistes and  state contingents defied all odds to add glamour and glitz to the annual Abuja Carnival, writes Edozie Udeze

It is not for nothing that the Abuja Carnival is tagged a festival of national unity.  It is usually a moment for the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, to converge on the nation’s capital for five days for cultural razzmatazz.  This was what happened last week in Abuja when several states of the federation barring the harsh economic situation in the country, staged varieties of cultural displays with pomp and pageantry to ignite the city and bring colours and excitement into the lives of residents.

It was not just the display of colours on the streets of Abuja that made the carnival a sight to behold, but the decorations done on the floats, with the insignia of each state boldly emblazoned on it.  The insignia said a lot about the states and what they can produce to help the nation overcome the current economic woes.  As the states paraded the streets of Abuja, the residents turned out in their numbers to see what each state was capable of producing as an alternative to oil.  The displays were quite exciting and captivating as the artistes danced, gyrated and moved with the rhythms of the music provided by the drummers.

It was indeed in the varieties of the costumes with their blended colours that the carnival spoke volumes of the need to tap into the creative industry to help move the nation to the next level.  Luckily, this year’s carnival theme which is the creative industry: pivot to economic growth, could not have come at a more appropriate moment.  With only 14 out of the 36 states including Abuja at the opening ceremony, it showed truly that this is the time to ginger the artistes to be at their best creative muse.  The economic recession that bedevils the states could not allow them to be at their very best.  Yet what the carnival was able to bring out is that artistes and all those who oversee issues of the creative industry have to think beyond this moment.

The President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Musa Bello made it clear that the creative and entertainment industry have been officially recongnised by the government as a goldmine to boost the economy of the nation.  He said, “this is a declaration of one of the cardinal programmes of the present administration.”  As Bello made this statement, the Eagle Square, venue of the event erupted with excitement.  Participants, guests, contingents, officials of both the Federal and state governments, including visitors and residents of Abuja at the arena, clapped endlessly to show their appreciation.

Bello explained that even though Buhari was engaged in another important official assignment, he was of the strong belief that this is the time to chart and create new economic paradigm for the nation.  “Yes, music is one area that we have excelled as a nation.  It is one of the fastest growing creative sub-sector and we know.  Now, it is an era of the search for an alternative revenue to oil.  Therefore, this is the moment to pay attention to the Arts, to the cultural values of the various states of the federation.”

The President made it known that culture can effectively be used to foster love and unity.  “It is a tool to install and establish permanent love and cohesion.  It is a tool for peace and tolerance.  It is time for the states to come together for the same purpose of embracing cultural values to cement creativity.  Even universally the virtues of cultural heritages have been known to be pivot sources of economic growth and development,” he reiterated.

This year’s outing was more spectacular because some corporate bodies openly came out to identify with the festival.  Not only that the likes of United Bank for Africa (UBA) came with their insignia, they made it obvious that the banking industry can be partners with artistes in this onward march for economic renaissance.

It was in the display of all the cultural elements by the states that the deep values of the industry manifested themselves.  The floats were marvelous.  The boat regatta proved that those who live on waters; those whose primary source of survival and revenue generation come from the seas can equally help their people sustain themselves and live well.  In this event, Kogi, Bayelsa, Ogun and Delta States that participated went beyond the ordinary to showcase the abundance that they have as fishermen and farmers.

As they gyrated in their boats on Jabi Lake, Abuja, with the drums almost driving them to mad frenzy, the Minister of Culture, Lai Mohammed could not help but to constantly shake his head to the profound evocation and depiction of beauty and colours.  For over two hours, Jabi Lake remained the cynosure of eyes as each state tried to outwit the other to clinch the first position.  Colours of rainbow adorned the boats while their symbol of fish and dragon became the epitome of the boats.  From these, it came to the fore that there is as much life on the waters as it is on land.  The artistes danced as if they were on land.  Most amazing were the women who swayed to and fro as if the water was a mere gimmick.

The masquerade display which also took place was not exactly what it ought to be.  With the absence of traditionally known masquerade states, those that came merely did so to fulfill all righteousness.  It was a dry outing as much as it was bereft of the aesthetics of genuine artistic conviction.  All the masquerades were only those for social celebrations which had nothing to do with prestige.  Before now, Abuja Carnival boosted of the assemblage of the most sophisticated array of masquerades that evoked fear, aura and splendor.  They showed the revered place of the ancestral spirit world from where the dead oversees the living.  That evocation of aura and imagination were absent and so the zeal for it was non-existent.  It was barren.

Moreover, the display of the durbar was fantastic, but this is a story for another day.  Even though only two states came, the purity and seriousness of their gyrations spoke volumes.  Like the artistic director of Abuja Carnival, Biodun Abe kept stressing, the opulence and magnificence of the durbar gives hundred percent colours and values to the carnival.  To him, the carnival cannot be what it ought to be if the durbar is not given its due place in the annals of cultural displays.

He also stressed that the inclusion of children’s programmes in the show is to begin on time to encourage them to be artistes.  This was why the children arm of the programme was well-anchored and celebrated.  It was moments when school children from different schools anchored their dramas on the same festival theme.  Some sang, danced and preached, while others actually went deep into the nuances of creativity as a form of stage drama.  They really did well given the fact that the information to that effect did not get to them on time.

Even though the carnival has come and gone, it must be pointed out that the attitude of culture administrators must be checked if culture has to grow.  The senate committee chairman on culture, Mathew Orhogbide attended the durbar late, only to read his opening speech at the end of the event.  This shocked many and then most of the culture eggheads on the list of guests for the show did not show up or came when their presence did not matter anymore.

I t was good also that Kogi State emerged the overall winner because they worked for it.

The annual Abuja Carnival is coming back after two years in the doldrums. Shaibu Husseini , a member of the newly constituted committee explains why in this chat with Edozie Udeze

The annual Abuja Carnival was begun many years ago to encourage the promotion of cultural and tourism potentials in the Federal Capital territory.  The event which hitherto had grown into an enviable festival, attracting participants from far and near, did not happen last year.  When it was time for it to be celebrated two years ago, the federal government said it did not have enough resources to run it.  What therefore happened in the last two years, left many close watchers of events in the culture sector wondering whether the Abuja Carnival would ever see the light of day again.

But all hope is not lost.  In the past few weeks, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has been making frantic efforts to bring back the event.  In order to achieve this aim, he has consulted far and wide and has therefore set up different committees to help bring back this glorious festival that helps to ignite the federal capital territory November every year.  A member of one of the committees and a senior staff of the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN), Shaibu Husseini, explained the nitty gritty of the new face Abuja Carnival and what the nation stands to gain from it.

He said, “Oh, well, I am happy to inform that there is an effort to revive the Abuja Carnival to get it going again.  The Minister has just constituted a carnival management committee and I am privileged to be a member of the committee.  Good enough, Abiodun Abe in returning as the Artistic Director of the carnival.  There are other members too, even though it has not been formally inaugurated by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.  After a press conference by the minister, shortly, the committee will formally take off,” Husseini reiterated.

With the minister as the chairman of the planning committee of the festival, it becomes imperative for the people concerned to look inwards to give the nation a benefitting carnival come November this year.  To this end, Husseini said, “Yes, it was to hold last year, unfortunately, however, the minister was appointed barely a week before the carnival.  Therefore he felt the arrangement in place was not appropriate to have a successful outing.  This was why he put it forward so as to have it more properly organized and done.  And this year, he felt the carnival is the flagship of the ministry and so it has to happen.  He thinks it is time for us to properly re-institutionalize the carnival.  If this is done, people will continue to look forward to every November to have a colourful festival. This is why he began on time for early arrangement which involves a lot of stakeholders.

With series of meetings and consultations with stakeholders in the culture and tourism sectors of the economy, it is possible to have a huge carnival that will yield huge resources for the country.  “Artistes and other people involved are fully engaged in this regard.  We want to ensure that this year’s will fly so as to bring back the glory of this all-important event.  I want to say that I am excited about the prospects of the carnival on two levels.  The first level is that this is the first time it will happen under a Ministry of Information and Culture.  Before now, it happened under the Culture and Tourism ministry.  So then, we relied on the information arm of the Federal Ministry of Information for publicity for the event.  This proved very ineffective and difficult.  Today, the story is different and therefore publicity will no longer be an issue.  Secondly, we now have a Minister who is interested in packaging an event that will boast tourism development in the country.  He has been so consistent so far in order to ensure that the carnival itself outlives the committee members and so forth.”

At the moment, Abuja Carnival has lost its grip on stakeholders and state contingents have not been active in the last few years.  Most foreigners who had grown to love the festival and were even sending delegates to be a part of it have been left in the dark.  Now that the festival is about to kick off again, how will their interest be revived?  A lot of knotty issues have to be sorted out to drive the tourism sector in a way to have the carnival become meaningful once more.  To Husseini, this is a situation the present crop of people in the committee are prepared to shoulder.  What is paramount at the moment is that the carnival will happen in a big way and all the people; states and foreign participants, will come back fully.

He said; “Already, the issue of funding may not be a problem.  As part of the structures put in place by the minister, he has also put in place a sponsorship committee to handle the issue of funding.  That committee has been there all along.  But now, it will have more bite.  He has also volunteered to lead the drive himself in order to make it more effective.  In addition, the government will also provide its own funding.  In terms of the foreign participants and so on, with the aid of publicity that will be done and with the involvement of the relevant people in the ministry, and those in-charge of foreign relations, we are going to have a bigger boost this year.  Also the relevant sector of the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be involved in this regard.”

As at now, the committee in-charge of contacts and mobilization has gone to town, reaching out to the necessary people and agencies.  This is to redraw attention to the importance of the festival as a point of unity for the nation.  This is why there are going to be series of workshops and meetings, to streamline issues and come out with watertight schedules that will make for an excellent outing.  “This is why the minister doesn’t want this to be a solely government affair.  He wants us therefore to have a true national carnival that is located in Abuja.  This is a point of cohesion for the people and for the nation.  This is to give us the necessary platform to showcase the best of our cultures and tourism potentials.  Don’t forget that this year’s theme is: the creative industries; a pivot to national development.”

But in a situation where the economy is in recession and most states cannot pay salaries, is it possible for them to be truly involved in this matter this year?  For Husseini, this is no issue.  “You see, you know, recession does not usually affect culture and cultural matters.  Culture will still live even in a depressed economy.  But what I know is that with the kind of enthusiasm the minister has shown, it will be very easy to mobilize the states, to have the ear of the governors and see how they’ll encourage their states’ artistes to be there.”

In order to see how culture and other properties of traditional heritages can help to diversify the economy, the Abuja Carnival can then be said to be in order.  Now that there is absolute peace in Abuja and its environs, this is the most poignant time to bring back the event.  It is to continue to cement issues of love and togetherness where culture plays the most relevant role for civil orderliness.  “It is to show also that Nigeria is a happy place where they can spend their holidays.  These cultural products will drive tourism.  And while the Abuja Carnival is on, you’ll see plenty of these products on display.  There, varieties of costumes, masquerades, durbar, boat regatta and so on will be displayed.”

Security will also be provided along all the carnival routes.  The routes will also be decorated with different colours to synchronise with the mood of the people and the theme of the event.  Usually, the festival happens for three days during the last week of November and Husseini is saying that this timing may not be altered this year.