I Will Use Culture to Unite Nigeria, Says Runsewe

The Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has said that his ultimate goal was to use culture to unite Nigeria and bring about sustainable peace and national development.

This is as the wife of the state governor of Ekiti, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi received the award of MaMa NAFEST 2021.

Runsewe, who is also the President of the World Crafts Council, African Region, stated this at the opening of a 3-day meeting of the National Technical Stakeholders of the National Festival of Arts and Culture held in Ado Ekiti, in Ekiti State.

Runsewe added that time has come for Nigeria stakeholders to change the narratives of culture in Nigeria. According to him, it is time for all hands to be on deck to take our good hands, good ideas and good culture to other parts of the world.

He also commended the EKiti State Cultural Troupe for their wonderful performances and promised to give them more exposure to the outside world. He urged the Culture Commissioners and stakeholders to tap into the SWOT analysis and emphasise the good aspect of our country for the time has come for the nation to blow its trumpet.

The Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi who was represented by the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, expressed his excitement that Ekiti State will be hosting the 52nd edition of NAFEST later this year.

He expressed the readiness of Ekiti State to host this year’s NAFEST saying that NAFEST will present a good opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Ekiti State for the world to see and to tap into its economic potentials.

He added any state that fails to take into account the need to situate culture as well as the creative capacity of its people within its developmental plan is bound to face serious social, political and economic crisis in the long run, hoping that the forthcoming NAFEST will promote national unity, social integration, redirect cultural activities, revenue generation and create windows of investment opportunities for the economic growth of not only Ekiti State but Nigeria in general.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Professor Rasaki Ojo Bakare, in his opening speech said that the essence of the meeting was a reminder to the stakeholders of the Iconic American President, Abraham Lincoln quote who said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

This quote according to Prof. Bakare underscores the importance of proper planning towards having satisfactory NAFEST. According to him, this collective interface among all the principal implementers of the National Festival of Arts and Culture 2021 project has become and will continue to be a major success factor in every successful edition of the NAFEST.

Bakare promised all the stakeholders at the meeting that the forthcoming National Festival of Arts and Culture with the theme ‘Celebrating Unity in Diversity’ scheduled for 13th to 20th November, 2021, promises to be a festival Nigerians would be proud of.

He reiterated that Ekiti State which is the home of honour, a home of professors, a home of good food and the most hospitable and peaceful state harbours people of different ethnic and religious groups all over the country adding that Ekiti State will set a new standard in the hosting of NAFEST.

At the meeting which was attended by over 30 state Commissioners of Culture and other stakeholders in the culture and tourism sector of the country.

The governor’s wife, whose presence added colour to the Technical Stakeholders meeting, welcomed all the delegates and thanked the Director General of National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Runsewe for giving her the award of Mama NAFEST 2021.

She urged the delegates and stakeholders to feel at home and explore all the good experiences that Ekiti state has to offer and expect more later in year during the forthcoming NAFEST in November this year