C-River Govt Celebrates Calabar Carnival @ 20

BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – For its two decades of delivering thrills and frills to tourism and entertainment lovers on the global stage, the Cross River State Government (CRSG) has set in motion plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Calabar Carnival.

With assurances that originality, creativity and unlimited ecstasy will not be in short supply, Governor Bassey Otu has already unveiled the celebration package with theme “Traces of Time”.

The event, which took place at Transcorp Hilton Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), attracted important dignitaries, including foreign diplomats, captains of industries and notable politicians among others.

Governor Otu used the occasion to pour encomiums on the visioners and the founding fathers of the Calabar Carnival, which he described as the heartbeat of the State’s tourism agenda.

He also said that the Carnival Band dancers; Food vendors, who display their cuisines along the Carnival routes; fashion designers, not tired of coming up with creative costumed each year; Sanitation officials, who clean up the routes and the Media are the unsung heroes of the Carnival project.

The governor said the carnival is not all about the display of colourful costumes and the display of new dance steps, but a bold expression of a collective dream, cultural heritage and economic ingenuity of the Cross River people.

Highlighting innovations introduced to maintain the frenzy of the Calabar Carnival in the past 20 years, Governor Otu said, on assumption of office, new additions to the annual programme include the Children Carnival, Night of Kings and Queens as well as the decentralization of the Carnival to Ikom and Ogoja to ensure the people of the Central and North senatorial districts of the state have a first-hand experience of the event rather than only getting to hear and watch things on radio and television alone.

He said; “Twenty years of an existing brand is no joke. Everything humanly possible should be done to keep the Carnival alive as it has drawn global attention to the State in the world tourism calendar.

In his presentation, the Chairman of the Cross River State Carnival Commission (CRSCC), Sir, Gabe Onah traced the history to the fact that it was birthed at the turn of the millennium with its impressive 12 kilometers stretch being the world’s longest carnival route.

Onah noted with delight that the dream of 20 years ago, which evolved as a spectacle, has blossomed into a viable economic platform, attracting support and partnership from AFRIEXIM Bank and other notable world economic power houses.

Also known as “Africa’s Biggest Street Party“, the Calabar Carnival was formally unveiled in 2004 by the then Governor Donald Duke. It was packaged as an activity to mark the yearly Christmas celebration, with the goal of making Cross River a home of tourism and hospitality in Nigeria and Africa.

Additionally, as a way of promoting tourism and improving the local economy, the government re-boosted the Calabar Carnival, by bringing in participants and visitors from other African countries, international investors and the Diaspora.

No doubt, its quality and content have grown over the years, making it Nigeria’s biggest carnival and an internationally recognized festival.