Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mr Obi Asika, has said that a revamped National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) will boost Nigerians’ participation.
Since its establishment in 1975, the NCAC has been saddled with the mission of developing and promoting the best of Nigeria’s living arts and culture and using them as resources for national integration and unity.
However, research by academic experts indicates that there has yet to be any innovation or development in the artistic and cultural performances of NAFEST. Similarly, states tend to re-feature cultural performances from one dialect/community to exclude others and showcase run-of-the-mill crafts as unique cultural products of some states at the International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC), leaving much to be desired.
However, the new director general of the council has taken several steps to revitalise the festival and the expo. These include rebranding NAFEST activities, reformatting its competitive aspects, and introducing the impactful theme ‘Connected Cultures’.
“Our culture is alive and healthy because we live it – in our clothing, weddings, burials, child naming ceremonies, every day.
“However, we have rebranded all elements of NAFEST and reformatted the competitive areas. It is not called the ‘Cooking Competition’; it is now called a ‘Jollof Wars’ and is contemporary. It is not called the ‘Fashion Competition’ but the ‘Swag Show’. It is no longer the ‘Singing Competition’; it is now ‘The Sing-Off’, and it is no longer the ‘Dancing Competition’, but rather the ‘Dance Off’.
“The language tells you where we are going. We are going to the young people. We have told all the states that NAFEST is about everybody. It is a celebration of culture, a culture Olympics where all the states of Nigeria compete in ten categories. Some activities, like the exhibition, are non-competitive. But I look forward to seeing who makes the best jollof rice and knowing which state, in a nation full of ‘swaggerlicious’ people, has more swagger.”
Noting that purpose goes a long way toward an event’s effectiveness, Asika sidestepped the much-abused theme of ‘unity in diversity’ for the more realistic and impactful one—’ Connected Culture’.
“Connected Culture means the connections in our culture that connect all of us. Every culture has a burial ceremony, a naming ceremony, a traditional wedding ceremony, and a way they approach their food culture and masquerade culture.
“We all have our gods – ‘Chi’, ‘Orisun’, etc. The Ojude Oba in Ijebu land, the Ofala in Onitsha, and the Durbar in Kano are the same, but they have different presentations of one thing. We celebrate that connection with our internal cultures and the global diaspora.”
“We have created and licensed these rebrands to pilot in NAFEST this year. Who knows, maybe next year, (the Sing Off) will be a three-month Television Show that ends at NAFEST,” said Asika.
Asika further stated that rebranding NAFEST would bring it closer to the public and creatives without close ties to the government.
“Most people, though they live in Abuja, have never heard about INAC or NAFEST, not to mention those who live in states. We are trying to take the communication beyond the government to the people and give them a sense of ownership.
“What is NAFEST without the people? If I am doing an event and people don’t know about it, I haven’t done my job.”
Scheduled to be held this November at the Arts & Crafts Village, the International Arts & Crafts Expo opens today, 18 to 30th, while NAFEST kickstarts November 23 -30, 2024.
