The just-concluded annual National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), which held in Kaduna, has opened fresh vistas for women empowerment through free skill acquisition programmes. National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC) Director-General Otunba Segun Runsewe speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on many innovations that will reposition the festival.
It is the first time skill acquisition is made part of NAFEST. What informed its introduction this year?
We introduced skill acquisition as a major added advantage to NAFEST this year for the first time. Also, in the history of NAFEST, this is the first time we will have the next hosting state a year ahead and that is Rivers State. Until now, there used to be controversy on results, resulting in contingents fighting. But this year, we made sure all that was eliminated maybe not up to perfection, but at least, some sanity has been brought into it.
States that took first, second and third positions saw that there were some levels of seriousness in the event and we have been able to use the festival to unite our people. Some might have said I can’t go to Kaduna because it is not safe. But we have been here and everything is going well and okay. To me, with what we have done now, there is room for improvement and we have added value to the event. By next year, we will have enough time. There was not really enough time for us this year, but we still managed to try and give the best. I believe we have been able to do something to make a difference
Where do you want to place Nigeria using cultural windows such as NAFEST and others?
The Nigerian people are open to tap into advantages before them. Long before now many opportunities were not getting across to them. Nigerians want the best and if we get it right culturally the better. I went to the Golf Course in Kaduna for the launching and we bought 24 pieces of different local materials for the golf setting and people were asking, so it’s possible? That means, they want somebody to start an initiative for them to follow. Such initiative like using Adire as school uniform is another project that needs attention, but unfortunately, we don’t have enough resources. Nigerians definitely want the best culturally, but nobody is championing it. That is the honest truth.
NAFEST is taking a new shape now. Next year there will be nothing like colloquium. I allowed it because it was my first outing. I don’t want to be seen like you have not tested it. Village square sounds more ideal, even the opening of calabash as symbolic of opening ceremony is more ideal as people have started asking why are we are cutting tape? But the calabash contains kolanut, garden egg, which people can eat after the opening ceremony. The same thing is done during the closing ceremony. So, there is a cultural content in it and everything I am doing is how to empower ordinary Nigerians.
On the skill acquisition programme, we have about 349 participants. I must lead by example. I have so many tie and dye products now, even the jackets we used for the event is locally sourced. Take note, in the next six months, golfers in Nigeria will patronise Adire, which I introduced. For you to buy a pair of trouser and t-shirt for golf, you will pay as much as N45,000 to N75,0000 because they are imported Nike products. So, the problem has always been how do you start it and who will start it.
Again, for the first time, the opening and closing ceremony of NAFEST were broadcast live. Before now, my staff, who came from Abuja for the festival, used to stay in the hostel, but this time all of them were in the hotel, even though we have not gotten most of our allocations. I made sure things were done properly. It may take some little time, but soon you will be amazed what this industry will become. These are some of the issues we need to work on and do aggressively. Note that everything we have done is to give it a pilot approach and Rivers NAFEST 2018 is going to be something else.
What do we expect from Rivers NAFEST 2018?
The 2018 NAFEST in Rivers State is going to be one of the best ever culturally packaged events in Nigeria. I am going to introduce new components into it. If you see what happened at the children’s programme (drama performances) believe you me, you will almost weep for this country. We have all it takes, but the only thing is that we are in a society that you may not be proud to tell people what you are doing. But with all that is now in place, things will change.
How do you encourage states that did not feature in Kaduna to participate in future events?
Some of the governors have watched the live coverage of the festival and they will feel bad that their states did not participate. You may ask what does it benefit a state to host NAFEST? Two months before NAFEST, I came to Kaduna to inspect the venues. I knew the kind of things we needed and I put them in place. Like Lagos State, it was difficult to attend this year’s festival, but the state has assured me that it is ready for 2018 NAFEST. Now we must be sincere to ourselves, there is need to reduce the aspect of Abuja Carnival. With a NAFEST, you don’t need Abuja Carnival. The problem is that if you are a Governor and your director comes to you that he wants to go to NAFEST, AFCAC, Abuja Carnival, Calabar Carnival, you will ask if it is only culture you are promoting in the state and all these are done about the end of the year. What we have done now is that we are moving AFAC, which is no more AFAC but International Arts and Craft Expo (INAC), to the early part of the year. That is one of my strategies. When we do that, we now get a good date for NAFEST. When we went to Calabar recently, the governor was very upset, he lambasted everybody, saying the Federal Government is competing with the states. If NAFEST is doing well, I can tell you today nobody will talk of any carnival. You can do Calabar Carnival that late time no problem. NAFEST in Rivers is going to live up to expectation. I am ready to cancel NAFEST if we don’t get a host on time and that is the implication. Now, why wouldn’t the states bid when there is benefit to the states?
From next year, I am going to change the narrative and we are going to properly package the event. When we are going to inspect the venue for NAFEST, we are going with the media. If you have watched the children’s progamme, you will be shocked by the kind of proverbs coming out of these children’s mouth. Even me as an adult I have not heard some of them before. so we have to, as a matter of urgency, go into some of these things quickly. Nobody will regard this sector, we have to rebuild it and I am not pretending about it. That is why I am saying we need to do it together.
For NAFEST 2018 in Rivers State, I have told the officials that we are going to deal with the Governor directly and then he can now bring in the Secretary to the state government to stand in for him.
Are we looking forward to having the private sector on board to tap into this cultural goldmine?
If you want to meet the big time players, you must have a brand. If today Tiger Wood comes to Nigeria, you don’t need to do advert. Just tell people that Tiger Wood is at the stadium and the whole place will be filled up because he’s a brand. Until now, we didn’t have a brand. The opening ceremony of NAFEST is spectacular. For the Dubar, what the Emir of Zaria brought was almost unbelievable. That is why I said tourism is a non-issue till we establish culture. Culture is the palm oil with which to eat good yam. So, if you are sure of the brand you are building, sponsors will come. By next year, sponsors will be jumping on each other to be part of NAFEST because they saw the live coverage of the event. They know what live coverage of an event is and some companies have votes for this kind of event. But you have to meet them ahead of time. What I want to do first is to build a brand, which I have succeeded in building, and by the time the brand is built, people will be asking questions.
Do you know that most people think that culture is about beating drums and dancing? That is why we have brought in cuisines, performances, essays, even visited the governor and reached the children to be able to influence their future.
You cannot begin to beat your chest when you have not been able to build a brand. The cultural brand identity is what is called tourism. If you don’t have a product, what do you want to market? Nothing.
Any plan to collaborate with local manufacturers like some of the trainees on skill acquisition to create a market for their products?
We have already addressed the issue. That is the whole essence of the N300 million Bank of Industry loan. The would-be beneficiaries must go and form clusters and from the clusters they will apply for soft loans to be able to grow their business. We are ready to assist them, but they must be ready to assist themselves.
For the use of local fabrics like Adire as school uniform, are you considering legislation to make it have a bite of the law?
Compelling them may look too harsh for now. But Ogun State government has passed a motion that people wear local fabrics and the Lagos State government has also passed Yoruba Language Bill. They are also using one day of the week to conduct legislative proceedings in Yoruba Language. So, some states have started keying in, based on their understanding. I have told you that our problem is who starts something first? So, we are ready to support those kind of people, but the first thing is that they have gotten the skills and from there they move on.
In between NAFEST and AFCAC, there is a long span of time. What are the activities you will undertake to continue this cultural movement you have set in motion?
We will be involved in anything that will help to promote culture and the states do not need to even invite us. The AFAC and NAFEST are statutory and that will not stop us from our daily cultural activities, which we will still continue to build on.
