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Tag: Carniriv

  • CARNIRIV reaffirms Rivers cultural, tourism prowess

    CARNIRIV reaffirms Rivers cultural, tourism prowess

    THE perspective that the Rivers State-owned international carnival, The Port Harcourt Carnival, combines the advantage of being a purely cultural carnival and the contemporary Caribbean style carnival is one of the factors that stand it out of its kind. Therefore, many are quick to submit that CARNIRIV as it is popularly referred is a two-in-one carnival.

    CARNIRIV is said to be a purely cultural carnival because it offers Rivers people the opportunity to showcase their rich and diverse cultural heritage through headline events such as the International Heritage Parade, Ekere: Rhythm of the Tribes, International Aquatic Fiesta, Egelege and Dance of Fireflies among others. Every year, the heritage parade in particular provides the platform for contingents of the 23 local government areas in the state to engage in a procession through the streets of Port Harcourt to showcase their enthralling dances, masquerade and peculiar occupation. The carnival is said to be contemporary due to its blend of Caribbean style, modern events such as entertainment that give CARNIRIV a wider appeal across geographical, ethnic or political leanings.

    Again at the 2013 edition, CARNIRIV sustained its distinctiveness by offering the residents and visitors seven days of superlative rich African culture laced with first class entertainment. Coming as a starter package for the year-end festivities, the week-long carnival made the Garden City the first choice destination for lovers of culture, tourists and leisure seekers. The entertainment offered by CARNIRIV was top-notch ranging from music to comedy, local wrestling to parade and boat regatta to contest for some coveted prizes. Whatever it was worth, those who attended the carnival would rather say that it was better experienced than being told.

    Dubbed the ‘Green World Edition’, CARNIRIV 2013 held from December 15 to 21 under the theme, ‘Our Environment, Bedrock for Sustainable Development’ with the intent of raising awareness on responsible behaviour towards nature and the preservation of the ecology.

    The fun and pageantry that characterised the carnival was non-stop from day one to the end. The carnival was kick-started on Sunday, December 15 with a fantastic show of skills, colour and style by children who filed out for their own edition of the carnival titled ‘Kids’ Carnival’. Spectacular in their displays, the kids used the occasion to advocate green world and responsible behaviour towards the environment. Speaking on behalf of their colleagues, Miss Elizabeth Ucheawaji and Master Chigozie Obikwere, pupils of Government Secondary School, Elekahia, noted that environmental sustainability was a crucial factor to engender sustainable national growth.

  • Psquare thrills fans at CARNIRIV 2013

    Psquare thrills fans at CARNIRIV 2013

    City of Port Harcourt stood still last week as the hip hop duo, Psquare ‘personally’ treated the fans to the best of entertainment at the opening ceremony of CARNIRIV 2013.

    It was a night to remember. The adrenaline was at its peak. Expectations were high as the multi award-winning stars stormed the stage of the Liberation Stadium to the admiration of the thousands of fans that filled the 27,000 capacity stadium to its brim.

    The event which was earlier declared open on the night by the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi had featured traditional dances tagged Dance of Fire Flies. The dancers, robed in their regalia showcased the rich in the culture of the oil-rich state while 10 bands which participated in the march past presented their flags to the King of the carrnival.

    Those who sneaked their ways into the backstage and the few sitting close to the entrance crowded the star artistes’ convoy when it drove into the venue around 10:30 PM.

    As envisaged, no sooner the MC  announced the introduction of the ‘Alingo’ crooners to the stage than the crowd who had been in anticipation went wild upon sighting their favorite artists live.

    In wild jubilation garnished with sheer excitement, the crowd jostled their way as close as possible to the stage to savour the performance of the stars — there was mild shoving and pushing but was curtailed.

    It’s never a dull moment when Psquare perform. There is always so much to offer and to enjoy. They don’t just sing, they are truly wonderful performers.

    Being stars with a lot of hit tracks, performing for hours was never boring, the fans couldn’t just have enough of these gifted duo who have done the country proud the world over.

    Every track performed on the night sent the crowd yearning for more. Seeing them dancing ‘Alingo’ on stage after establishing their arrival with the performance of ‘Do me I do you’ along with their dance crew was a perfect condiment for utmost fun. The choreography was top notch, their creativity acumen was second to none.

    They brought not only music on stage but drama, dance, and comedy.

    To spice up the performance, Paul and Peter showed their fans they do not only sing but also play instruments. Peter showed class by dancing to Usher’s track ‘You remind me’. The band was perfect, they did justice to the beat.

    Peter then challenged his twin brother to show his other talents outside singing and dancing. To the amazement of the fans, Paul grabbed a base guitar and played Tupac’s ‘Do for love’ tune with no flaw which wowed the crowd. Peter would not be bemused, he also played the guitar seamlessly.

    The Okoye brothers performed most of their hit tracks from the old to the most recent.

    Earlier, Buckwhile one of the reigning music artistes in the region had performed a couple of his popular tracks and his single billed to be released in 2014. Among upcoming artistes that staged their performances at the initial stage of the celebration were Queen Lush, Zuril and Young.

  • CARNIRIV: Children advocate environment preservation

    CARNIRIV: Children advocate environment preservation

    This year’s edition of the Rivers State-owned international carnival, CARNIRIV, kicked off on Sunday with the Kids’ Carnival. During the event, the children advocated a culture of environment preservation to engender sustainable national growth.

    Hundreds of school children who converged on Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, which also doubles as the Carnival Village, were spectacular in their enthralling and creative costumes that encapsulated the essence of the first carnival in Nigeria.

    More importantly, their beautiful and creative carnival costumes reflected the theme for this year’s CARNIRIV dubbed the ‘Green World Edition.’

    The kids, in their renditions and messages, emphasised responsible environmental culture by all and sundry to stem the current global warming, even as they called on all stakeholders to show more concern by doing everything possible to curtail activities which could impact negatively on the environment.

    The theme of the seven-day carnival which started on Sunday December 15 to end on December 21, is, ‘Our environment, bedrock for sustainable development.

    Apart from the matched dance steps, well-choreographed body swings and acrobatic display, their messages of environmental responsibility were very strong and captured in very emotional phrases some of which included ‘‘say no to marine debris,’’ ‘‘give a hoot, don’t pollute,’’ ‘‘say no to plastic, say no to trash,’’ and ‘‘trash is dangerous, dispose your waste properly.’’

    Some of the pupils were also members of Clean Coast Nigeria, a volunteer group that advocates clean and green environment and responsible environmental behaviour.

    Speaking on their excitement and involvement in the events, Miss Elizabeth Ucheawaji and Master Chigozie Obikwere, both pupils of Government Secondary School, Elekahia Port Harcourt, said the message of environmental sustainability could not be over-emphasised because ‘‘our environment is our heritage.”

    ‘‘CARNIRIV is a very big event for us in Rivers State, and I love what is going on here this year. The environment is crucial for our survival. We must take care of our environment,’ Ucheawaji said.

    On his part, Ucheawaji declared: ‘‘I am happy to be part of the contingent and also to speak on the issue of our environment. Without a sustainable environment, no human being, plant or animal can survive. This is why we must be responsible the way we handle our environment.’’

    The Director-General, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) Dr. Sam Dede, commended the excellent display of the rich culture of the Rivers people by the children, stressing that the intent of giving children a special place at CARNIRIV was to bring out the creativity and potential in them.

    He said the Kids’ Carnival spoke to the fun, refreshment, leisure and unrestrained entertainment befitting of an ice-breaker event in anticipation of the grand opening of the carnival.

    “The show of colour, glamour, style and class which CARNIRIV is renowned for, has been brought to bear through these children today. But it was just the beginning. We assure everyone coming to attend this year’s carnival of the best experience of our colourful and captivating parade. No doubt, every moment of the Green World Edition of CARNIRIV is a moment no one will forget in a hurry,” Dede said.

    The coordinating choreographer, Mr. Dan Walter, alluded to the brilliant performance by the children, which he attributed to rigorous rehearsals, endurance and sacrifice on the part of the children.

    He said: ‘‘we went to their schools and we did audition for them. We had series of rehearsals; we took them through the various aspects of dance and body movements. We wrote the script and thought them everything along the line of the CARNIRIV theme.’’

     

     

     

     

  • CARNIRIV begins tomorrow

    CARNIRIV begins tomorrow

    Preparations for this year’s edition of the Rivers State-owned tourism carnival,the Port Harcourt Carnival (CARNIRIV 2013),have gone upbeat as various groups from the 23 local government areas of the state conducted their final rehearsals during the week, days ahead of the carnival which begins tomorrow with the Kids’ Carnival.

    In the same manner, facelift and environmental enhancement of venues that have been designated to host specific events have been carried out to create nice ambience for the participants. For instance, the Liberation Stadium, which also doubles as the Carnival Village and host centre of most of the events, has undergone tremendous transformation in preparation for the carnival. Among the events that will take place at the stadium are Kids’ Carnival, CARNIRIV official opening ceremonies, Dance of Fireflies (DOFF), Cultural Arts Exhibition, Egelege: Champions of the Sand Arena, Ekere: Rhythm of the Tribes, HOSH Jam: Port Harcourt Exclusive, Black Africa Music Festival (BAMFest), Reggae 360 and the World Peace Concert/closing ceremonies.

    Stadium Road, venue of the Carnival Praise Jam, has also worn a new look while the Lagos Bus Stop/Aggrey Road, venue of the Pilgrimage ’88 and Old Port Harcourt Town Groove is not left out. The surrounding of the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach has also been enhanced in readiness for the International Aquatic Fiesta just as Rumuola Road down to Aggrey Road has also been prepared The Director-General, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA), Dr. Sam Dede, while providing update on CARNIRIV 2013, assured participants all over the world of the readiness of the government and people of Rivers State to host them to another glamorous cultural and tourism fiesta beginning from December 15 to Saturday 21 in Port Harcourt. He said everything was ready from the preparation of the venues for all the lined-up events to the confirmation of international guest artistes and their Nigerian counterparts. Besides, he said all the logistics such as the construction of booths and stages for specific events across locations as well as musical equipment and sound gadgets were also in place. He added that other critical success factors like traffic management, emergency and ambulance service, security and uninterrupted electricity at designated event venues had been taken care of, as part of plans to ensure a hitch-free CARNIRIV this year.

  • Soweto Gospel Choir for CARNIRIV 2012

    The Soweto Gospel Choir, a Grammy Award winner, will be top on the bill for this year’s CARNIRIV. They will be performing at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt December 9. This is part of the activities for this year’s festival.

    The organisers, in a release, stated that this is part of the efforts of the Chibuike Amaechi-led government to promote River State as a destination.

    The Rivers State Tourism Development  Agency (RSTDA) has even promised that this year’s edition will be the best so far organized and that  it has made ready everything that is necessary for the hosting of the biggest carnival ever known.

    According to Dr. Sam Dede, RSTDA director-general, this year’s carnival is a commemorative edition, and it has been

    titled CARNIRIV 2012 Port Harcourt 100 Edition in celebration of the centenary anniversary of the existence of Port Harcourt.

    He said the carnival will be celebrated with its unique blends of culture, music and entertainment as well as the participation of international stars, thereby underlining the distinctiveness and multifaceted character of CARNIRIV as a global carnival brand compared to any similar carnival held elsewhere. He also promised that local and international tourists that will attend the carnival will savour the full bouquet of A-list events already packaged  to make CARNIRIV 2012 an unforgettable experience.

    To this end, he revealed that Grammy Award-winning reggae star and rapper, Shaggy; compatriot and fellow reggae singer, Patra ,popularly called the Queen of the Pack; and gospel music  sensation, Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa, are some of the international music acts and groups that will light up the state at this year’s edition of CARNIRIV. The carnival holds from December 8 to 15 in Port Harcourt, the capital city. The director-general explained that arrangements have been concluded with a number of local and international stars and entertainers that will thrill guests on various  days and across various segments of the carnival including the opening and closing ceremonies on December 10 and 15 respectively.

    According to him, one of the high profile events for this year is the Christian interdenominational CARNIRIV Praise

    Jam slated for Sunday, December 9 at 7pm at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt during which Grammy Award winner, the Soweto Gospel Choir, will be in their best element with soul-lifting songs. ‘‘This is an ice-breaker event for CARNIRIV 2012. The best gospel artistes within and outside the country are expected to grace this stage in an evening fused with soulful and uplifting music requisite for inspiring the added spiritual ambience which the Port Harcourt Carnival ordinarily thrives on’’, Dede said.   He revealed further that Shaggy and Patra alongside other top local and international artistes are expected to storm Reggae-360, an event organised for reggae lovers and connoisseurs alike on Thursday, December 13. ‘‘As music is largely incomplete without a tinge of reggae timbering away in its familiar pulse-like rhythm, so is the carnival incomplete without a well-rounded reggae feast’’, he declared.

    While informing that Dance of Fireflies (DOFF) is another thrilling event in which renowned musicians and entertainment buffs will be treated to good music, Dede said DOFF forms the theme of the opening ceremony concert. He said the concert will feature a well-choreographed, dance collage compromising indigenous riverine dances and calisthenics for the enactment of a dance Drama titled “The Return of the Mangrove Giant”.

     

     

     

     

    Still on the entertainment side, he said it will be another evening of excitement on Wednesday, December 12 as lovers

    of African music gather for the Black African Music Festival (BAMFest). This is a celebration of the black African heritage

    which stretches beyond the continent of Africa? Expected at BAMFest are select black musicians from the Americas,

    Caribbean islands, Europe and Africa. HOSH Jam, a concert which reminiscences the splendour, ease and rustic charm

    of night life in the 60s and 70s, is equally billed for December 11.

     

     

  • Positioning Carniriv as global brand

    Positioning Carniriv as global brand

    The Rivers State government has flagged off activities for this year’s edition of the cultural fiesta tagged CARNIRIV 2012.

    The annual festival, holding from December 8 to 15, is to commemorate the 100th year of Port Harcourt – the Garden City.

    According to the Director-General of the Rivers State Tourism Development Authority (RSTDA), Dr Sam Dede, there are plans to make the CARNIRIV one of the world’s biggest cultural fiestas by 2015.

    Dede, who said there was no limit to the growth of CARNIRIV, restated the government’s resolve to project the fiesta as a global brand with the largest support and audience.

    He said: ‘‘CARNIRIV will evolve into a recognisable global brand beyond the imminent demands of 2012 edition. Our projection is to make it a carnival brand of reckon and a recognisable global brand that would become the biggest cultural fiesta by 2015, in terms of impact, benefits and attendance.’’

    Dede added that the government has a long-term plan of granting CARNIRIV financial autonomy, as the era of dependence on subventions and handouts from the government was over.

    “This year’s carnival has been packaged to attract more corporate sponsors as well as deliver greater return on investment,” he said.

    He praised the carnival for its widespread acceptance among the people and assured that it would continue to impact the prosperity of the people.

    The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Nabs Imegbu, said the Amaechi’s administration was not only interested in making  CARNIRIV a platform to project the rich cultural value of the people, but to turn it into a major pillar for the socio-economic growth of the state.

    Imegbu said: ‘‘The government of Rivers State, over the past five years, has been consistent in its efforts to make CARNIRIV a tool for cultural revival; I mean culture in the broad sense of it.  That is, the articulation of the special values, customs and attitudes of the people into a whole sellable package. In Rivers State, we are a people founded on unique good values, which we individually and collectively express in the way we live and interact with others.’’

    The commissioner, who identified  CARNIRIV as the second largest cultural event in the country, said the government has a plan to make it one of the most sought-after cultural fiestas by tourists across the across the world.

    According to him, the government has been doing its best to make CARNIRIV 2012 like no other in terms of planning, content, logistics, security, attendance and participation among others. The commissioner said:‘‘A carnival is about big media, big mobilisation and big performance, and we are improving on these at every yearly edition of CARNIRIV.’’

    Reeling out the activities lined up for the carnival, Dede stated a command performance entitled: King Jaja would set the ball rolling on December 8. The stage performance would give a momentous account of the earliest migrations of the Riverine peoples onto the precipice of Western reckoning.

    Another activity according to him would be the Old Port Harcourt Town Groove, designed to relive the fond memories of the city. Other activities lined up include kids’ carnival, in demonstration of the importance attached to children in CARNIRIV and by extension tourism development in the state.

    A carnival praise jam would also be staged to uplift and inspire the spiritual ambience for which Port Harcourt is renowned. Local and international groups including Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa are expected to feature during the praise jam.

    There will also be the unveiling of the Carnival Monument, one of which is the CARNIRIV ’88 monument. The old carnival monument is the symbol of CARNIRIV, the oldest carnival, established in 1988 has just been refurbished into a befitting memorabilia. The second is the new CARNIRIV monument, a towering monument to mark the Port Harcourt 100 edition of the carnival. CARNIRIV 2012 colloquium, a forum for intellectual discourse on issues that border on the state and the nation, is another high-profile event scheduled for the carnival with Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka expected to give the keynote address.

    Expectedly, Amaechi will declare the event open with the official inauguration of the Carnival Village.

    “This is an elaborate display of fireworks and it is meant to set the tone for a memorable opening ceremony with attendees enjoying all-round free access into the Carnival Village to view the artistic renditions of the different cultural climes  of Rivers State,’’ Dede said.

    Other events are: Dance of Fireflies (DOFF), a nostalgic retrospection into the ancient ageless fireplace gatherings of indigenous African tribes and Rhythm of The Tribes in which the 23 local government areas will parade the best of their cultural heritage, Hosh Jam, a reminiscence of the old highlife style of the people, international aquatic fiesta and the Black African Music Festival (BAMFest), a celebration of the black African heritage among several other events designed to make CARNIRIV 2012 an unforgettable experience.

    A world peace concert amidst a rhapsody of spectacular fireworks, a star performance by Raggae-360, an international heritage parade, Old Port Harcourt Town groove and Garden City freestyle parade would drop the curtain on the weeklong carnival.

    Former Miss World and Face of CARNIV 2012, Agbani Darego, expressed delight to be the face of the brand. ‘‘It’s great to return home; to familiar soil and the loving people of Rivers State for an occasion that celebrates our rich heritage and buoyant culture in all its splendour,’’ she stated. Star actress Ibinabo Fiberesima, who delivered Miss Darego’s message, said she was excited at her new role while she looks forward to ‘connecting with my people and sharing this wonderful experience together.’