The ongoing 34 edition of National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), in Ekiti State capital, Ado Ekiti, has witnessed a beehive of activities with the influx of participating states, cultural enthusiasts, tourists and exhibitors from across Nigeria.
Buying and selling as well as networking increased intensely at the Fujuyi Pavilion where the NATEST exhibition stand housed a plethora of sectoral exhibitors, ranging from food and stacks vendors, traditional herbal remedy products sellers, Different arts and crafts souvenirs and other ancillary businesses.
The ambience continued to showcase the significance of NAFEST as a flagship platform to not only create an ecosystem of unity and showcasing the potentialities of Nigerians but also reconnect and remind all and sundry that there is more joy in standing as one people, with diverse cultures and value with one destiny to rule Africa and the world.
However, the ongoing festival with the theme ‘celebrating national Unity in diversity’ has recorded participation from over 23 states of the federation, among them are Borno, Ogun, Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Kogi, Lagos, Osun, Benue, Delta, Imo, and Kaduna, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Yobe and Jigawa states.
In his address at the flagoff of the event at Ekiti Parapo Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti, the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi urged Nigerians to fully harness the nation’s cultural potentials for national development.
He added that culture is one of the main pillars of development, adding that without culture, development would be greatly hindered.
“The current state of the nation requires that efforts should be made to revive our diverse culture to enhance the potential in our arts and to ensure socio-political stability and viability of our economy,” he said.
Fayemi called on Nigerians to engage in innovative and creative solutions by investing in culture which would in turn impact on economic growth.
“As a country with diverse cultures, it is imperative for us to take advantage of the innate gains of our diversity; we are hospitable, generous and peace loving people.
“I am happy as the host governor of the 34th NAFEST. My administration has invested in the development of culture; we have gone beyond the development of physical infrastructure to promote culture.
“This has given us the strength to host such a festival as this.
“Today’s event marks the fulfilment of our aspirations to draw attention to our culture, tourism and the creative industry,” he said.
Fayemi disclosed that the state has inculcated the state’s cultural value ‘Ekiti Kete’ in the educational curriculum of primary and post primary schools.
“We have taken the development of culture to the realm of cultural re-orientation, attitudinal change and value re-orientation.
“Am delighted to inform you that our cultural value as ‘Ekiti kete’ has been included in our educational curriculum to be taught in primary and post primary classes in the state.
“This is to let you know how we believe in culture as an instrument of change, capable of transforming our society and changing our socio-political lives for the better.
Also speaking at the sideline of the events at the festival the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Olusegun Runsewe, organiser of the annual festival, said that the 34th NAFEST was a period of cultural integration with the people of Ekiti.
Runsewe said that the states would be participating in 12 events and competitions, including children’s tales by moonlight, drama, traditional board game, children’s drawing and painting.
Others are children’s essay writing, traditional cuisines, archery, indigenous fabric and fashion as well as cultural markets and colourful displays.
He noted that the festival was a post-civil war cultural creation meant to heal the wounds occasioned by Nigeria’s three years war which ended in 1970.
The DG stressed the need to engage culture and come together in unison to fight every form of separatist agitations and security challenges facing the nation.
According to him, the theme of the festival is apt and timely as its choice was informed by current happenings in the country.
“We need to remind ourselves now and again that in spite of tribes or tongues, religions or creeds, political or cultural affiliations, Nigeria have been destined to be one nation under God, not even the 30 months of civil war could dismember our country.
“There are more things that unite us than those that separate us, it is therefore our collective responsibility to continually emphasise those things that unite us and to constantly enrich and build on them,” he said.
He commended Gov. Kayode Fayemi for hosting the 34th edition of the festival, adding that he had shown uncommon political will and commitment.
” Indeed the governor has demonstrated uncommon political will and commitment in the hosting of this edition of the festival,” Runsewe added.