Brazil to Send Delegation to Abuja Carnival 2019

Brazil to Send Delegation to Abuja Carnival 2019

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

A contingent of revellers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will participate in this year’s Abuja Carnival, the Artistic Director of the event, Biodun Abe, has disclosed.

The carnival is scheduled for November 23 and 25. Abe revealed yesterday at the Abuja carnival stakeholders meeting that apart from Brazil, South Africa is another country that has indicated interest to attend the event.

Abe said the carnival routes will be decentralised into six routes, enabling all the floats coming from the street party in different areas to converge at the Eagle Square.

Delegates from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT will converge on the nation’s capital, Abuja to display their various cultures, costumes, cuisines, art and craft among others

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs. Grace Gekpe, who apologised for the postponement of the Abuja Carnival, earlier scheduled for December 2018, said this year’s theme “Culture For Peace,” will provide a veritable platform to further strengthen the bond of unity of the country after the 2019 peaceful general elections.

“This year’s carnival, among other gains, will provide platform to unwind, recreate and continue the onerous task of nation-building after the peaceful 2019 general elections,” she said. Gekpe said the ministry is equally exploring the Abuja Carnival as a vehicle for wealth creation, poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration as well as panacea for peaceful and stable society.

“Though diverse in language, tribe, culture and tradition as well as in religious and political philosophy, the carnival is conceived to showcase our strength even in our diversity and to forge a nation of one destiny, one people,” she stated.

In his remarks, the Emir of Machina in Yobe State, Alhaji Bashir Albishir Bukar, stressed the need to diversify the nation’s economy by leveraging on culture and tourism because of their enormous potentials in wealth creation.

While citing Egypt and India among countries that turned their tourism and culture sector into huge economies, the Emir harped on the need for the stakeholders to look at the successes and challenges of the Abuja Carnival since inception in order to improve on the quality of the cultural fiesta.

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