Calabar Carnival

The Calabar Carnival[1] started in 2004, when the governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, had a vision of making the state a hub for tourism and hospitality in Nigeria and Africa.[2] The Carnival presents a perfect platform from brand visibility for consumer and market awareness. "According to Osima-Dokubo, the carnival aimed to include more aspects of local heritage and culture and at the same time strengthen the capacity of the locals to participate in an economically beneficial way." Recently, Cross River State has become the pride of Nigeria in the areas of tourism, carnivals and hospitality.

The programme of the event at the carnival are drafted each year by the committee in charge of tourism and cultural activities and new initiatives are introduced every year. In December 2009, Carnival Committee organized "Carnival Cup 2009", a football competition amongst the five competing carnival bands - Seagull, Passion 4, Masta Blasta, Bayside and Freedom. The Festival also included music performance from both local and international artists, the annual Calabar Carnival, Boat regatta, Fashion shows (introduced in 2016), Beauty pageant (Miss Africa introduced in 2016[3]) Christmas Village, traditional dances and the annual Ekpe Festival is a yearly events that brings in thousands of tourists.[1]

Other activities include Essay Writing Competition which involves both secondary school and tertiary students. These competitions are aimed at resuscitating the reading culture amongst the youths of the State as well as inculcating the carnival culture.

The event hosts top local and international musicians, Nollywood Actors and Politicians. Some of the entertainers who have attended the carnival include Lucky Dube, Akon, Fat Joe, Young Jeezy, Nelly, Kirk Franklin, and many more has thrilled the large crowd of Nigerians and tourists from outside the country. Due to large crowd and fans that Nigerians artist carries, 2013 Calabar Carnival was focused on Nigerian artist. [1]

The 2013 Edition of the Carnival Calabar Festival, "Ain't no stopping Us", was unveiled by the Governor of the State Sen. Liyel Imoke, who said that it would hit an all-time high level. The 2013 carnival focused on Nigerian artists that draw huge crowd of fans to grab media headlines instead of foreign entertainers that attract fewer fans.

This follows a careful observation by the Festival Planning Committee that Nigerian headliners consistently pull larger crowds than their international counterparts. Governor Imoke declared that the beauty of Nigeria is wholly expressed in the Calabar Festival and the unique brand should be jealously protected and promoted by all. He therefore used the occasion to call on the Federal Government and private sector to invest more in the creative industry, as it holds a lot for the country as regards revenue earnings.

The Calabar carnival 2015[4] was a success with many performances and guest appearance by celebrities across Africa. Calabar Carnival 2015 theme was unveiled by Governor Ayade the Governor of Cross River State and was tagged "Climate Change". The governor also elaborated that the 2015 carnival could only get better by adding more activities to the carnival, hence the addition of the Bikers Day and Disco Fiesta.

The Carnival and Festivals in 2016 took a different shape. The theme this year was maintained as "Climate Change" as unveiled by the Executive Governor Sir Prof. Benedict Ayade which is to entrench the culture of preserving the environment and emphasis the effect of doing so on individual lives. The official marketing company Okhma Global Limited [5] in conjunction with the Carnival commission brought a new dimension of excitement to the activities this year. The events were divided into four weeks which include the Millennium Week (1-10 Dec 2016), The Sports Fiesta (12-17 Dec 2016), The TINAPA Family Fun Festival (19-24 Dec 2016) and the Carnival Week (25-31 Dec 2016). Among the activities this year is the Green Initiative which encompasses the Green Ball - a celebration of the Government's efforts in combating Climate Change, the Green Symposium which brought major protagonists of the Climate Change cause globally together to discuss and educate the teeming populace and the 10,000 Tree Planting Project a.k.a. The Green Carnival. The carnival was streamed live online to audiences around the world.

Migration[6] has a long history in Africa, as it has also been the home of many cultures for many centuries. During the era of slavery and colonialism, Africa was the home for many foreigners. Now it becomes the land of opportunity.

This time the world recognizes it as the new frontier, not to be exploited for the benefits of others but to be cultivated on its own. The Calabar Carnival and Festival is an opportunity to bring people together in going beyond tribal and religious conflicts. It also showcases Africa’s talent and several opportunities.[7]

In the 2018 edition, making it the 15th edition since its inception in 2004, the Cross River State Governor, Sen, Benedict Ayade introduced a new theme tagged "Africanism" to tell the African story from the African perspective; thereby bringing the global attention to the plight of Africa. The theme was also meant to show that Africa is free from Western Colonization and no longer under their political and economic control.[8]

Living in harmony amongst humans has always been a problem from the beginning of time, so, the Carnival Calabar themed, "Humanity" was created to challenge mankind that every human being has a right to existence. The theme was also meant to charge mankind not to be a source of pain to another person’s life. Apart from dancing and displaying the rich culture of the African people, the Carnival Calabar serves as an opportunity to address the world's problems, in which inhumanity is a part. As Governor Benedict Ayade flagged this year's theme - Humanity he emphasised the need for all to shun war as this does not depict the true personality of those who claims are humane to humanity.[9]

• Festivals in Nigeria

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Calabar carnival.

• Carnival Calabar's Website
• Cross River State Government Homepage
• Cross River State ... People's paradise
• Cross River State Festival Website
• Cross River Forum..Tourism and Investment website