NCAC Unveils Virtual Cultural Tour of Nigeria

NCAC Unveils Virtual Cultural Tour of Nigeria

Charles Ajunwa

The National Council for Arts and Cultural (NCAC) has unveiled a virtual tour of Nigeria, the first of its kind in Africa.

The cultural tour which took place in Abuja, was the seventh in the series of zoom meetings the Council has held since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Director-General of NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said the essence of the weekly virtual meetings was to keep stakeholders engaged and the sector busy at this period of global health emergency.

He said that rather than keep the sector idle, the virtual meetings were evolved to get the views and opinions of experts, members of the diplomatic community and industry players on emerging trends and how to reposition the sector to mitigate the effects of post-COVID-19.

Mr. Runsewe said the virtual cultural tour was held to give an opportunity for participants worldwide to tour Nigeria from the comfort of their homes and to mark the end of the first series of online meetings of the Council.

He noted that Nigeria has diverse cultural manifestations which offer great opportunity for investment in tourism and other recreational services.

“COVID-19 is like rain falling and it gives us an opportunity to think outside the box and to come up with this virtual cultural tour which serves as a therapy and rain jacket for the pandemic.”

The online cultural tour is made up of two parts, the Executive Summary and an array of cultural manifestations across the states of the country.

The Executive Summary showcases Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria; Tafawa Balewa Tomb in Bauchi State, North-western Nigeria; Ikogosi Warm Spring in Ekiti State, South-south Nigeria.

Others are Leje Iron Smithing Kingdom in Enugu State, South-eastern Nigeria; Kanta Museum in Kebbi State, North-western Nigeria and Military Cemetery in Zugeru, Niger State in North-central Nigeria.

The NCAC boss said that the virtual cultural tour shall be used as a template for the forth-coming National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) slated to hold in Jos, Plateau State in October this year.

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