From Lukman Olabiyi, Osogbo
Lagos State Government in collaboration with Asa Day Worldwide Inc, will showcase Yoruba art and culture, in its efforts to earn higher Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) through tourism. The event tagged, Lagos 2021 Asa Day, comes up on November 27, 2021.
Founder, Asa Day Worldwide Inc, Mr Olaniyi Oyatoye, said: “Let’s use our cultural heritage to revive our economy. This is a three-in-one event including empowerment of youths and restoration of cultural items. Nigeria stands a great chance of surviving the current economic lapse, if it can focus more on cultural tourism.
“Government should harness the vast potential in its arts, culture and tourism heritage to create employment and boost its economy. If collaboration and partnership are cultivated between performing artists, museums and states that are blessed with natural and cultural endowments, the resultant cultural tourism synergy will be presented as exciting performances at vital tourist destinations across the country.
“As a significant tourist destination, museums are the cultural centre and memory bank of any nation, including Nigeria. There should be a cultural tourism calendar of events in the country to guide both local and international tourists.
“Asa Day is aimed at promoting the Nigerian culture especially the Yoruba language and culture from going into extinction. Parents are advised to speak native languages to their children because it emboldens culture. If languages die, the culture will also die a natural death.
“We are trying to encourage every Nigerian, not just Yoruba alone, to go back to the roots. The English language is just a means of communication it is not our identity. Our culture and traditional must not die. Whatever we need to do to ensure this, we must do it.”
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Solomon Bonu, said: “I will urge all our youths to key into the creative industry and bring out something unique. Just like Lagos State is supporting Mr Oyatoye, we will also support you.”
Project manager, Asa Day, Ololade Babade, said: “With a depressing $2.79 million earning per year, Nigeria ranks 131 out of 141 countries with a tourism competitiveness index in 2015.
“We are still miles away from the countries that make the money from tourism development in terms of naira and dollars from 2015 to the present.”