20 November 2008
ALL roads lead to the capital city of Abuja from today, Thursday, November 20, as the famous Abuja Carnival opens with pumps. The annual carnival remains a celebration of the vast cultural, hospitality and entertainment tradition and values of the country.
Already, the aroma of festivity is romantically hanging in the air as the Abuja residents troops out en-masse to identify with the spirit of the festival.
For the first time since its inception, there has been massive publicity in the mass media to generate massive awareness and build empathy with the citizenry so that they can see the festival as an event designed to expose and communicate with them the finer aspects of the country's way of life.
Also, the merchandising and promotional efforts to sensitize Abuja residents to attend and partake in the carnival festivities has been most successful as interaction with some residents clearly indicates that majority of them view the carnival most positively and committed to attending some, if not all, the events.
Musa Franklin, a civil servant, claimed that the organizers had made efforts to woo and induce Abuja residents to attend the carnival, which had been lacking in previous years, as there had been a general apathy amongst the populace in the past. "All that has changed this year and I'll be attending some of the events for the first time this year," he concluded.
Another resident, Joseph Asamoko, a manager in a construction company, remarked that he was convinced to attend because the festivities offered him the opportunity to learn more about the way of life of other Nigerians other than his own, and that he had been fascinated by the build-up and publicity for the carnival which had propelled him to make the decision to attend, also for the first time.
"I intend to attend with my wife and kids so that they can learn more about this our unique nation and we are all looking forward to the event." he added.
At a recent press briefing, the festival director, Dr Ahmed Yerima, says, the best of the cultural resources and traditional ethos of the people would be dramatically on display. Furthermore, he says, it would be a vibrant and robust re-enactment calling on the people to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the carnival to participant in all the events lined up.
Yerima hinted that the 36 states and FCT are taking the carnival in their strides as they place great premium on it and what it has come to represent for the country and particularly for the fledging tourism industry.
About six countries are expected to participate in this year's carnival. They include, South Africa, Niger Republic, Ghana, Egypt, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago. Yerima says, the participation of these countries would help to boost the international appeal and captivation of the festival.
The carnival climaxes on Sunday at the Eagle Square by 4.00pm. The events, expected to be beam live by the national TV station, would feature different cultural displays and floats among others.
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