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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Eric Anderson, has disclosed that secen bands would be competing in the 2022 Calabar Carnival fiesta after two years of lull.
In a media brieding held in Calabar on Tuesday to herald the annual festival, Anderson said as usual the event would be loaded with activities to entertain the people and tourists.
He said the Calabar Carnival could not hold in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant of COVID-19, adding that it was important to save humanity from these creeping scorch.
He said: “We have learnt lessons on the contributions and vaccum the Carnival Calabar and featival have on the state tourism and local economy. Thus, the determination to host the 2022 fiesta. We have expanded the brand with innovations for increased participation and patronage while ensuring thw socio-economic benefits teixkles down.
“In expanding the brand and development, the competing Carnival bands have been increased to seven, with the constituting of two new bands being Calasvegas and Diamond Carnival bands to add to Seagull, Bayside. Passion 4, Freedom and Masta Blasta Bands.
“As we gear up for the 2022 experience, we are starting wirh full engagement of the public and private sector with participatory innovation. We, therefore, call for entries for suggestible carnival theme for 2022 and the peraon with the selected theme will be carting home a cash rewars of N1m. Entriea opens on Agust 2 and closes in ten days from today,”
The Commissioner acknowledged the contributions of the creative industry and called on the sponsors to embrace the event, adding that the first Carnival Dry Run would kick off in October, the second one in November and the third one in December with the final Calabar Carnival on December 28.
He listed other activities slated for the fiesta to include performances by local artisits, stage plays, essay competition, movie awards night and children party.
Others are Utom Obong and Ejagam festivals, gospel experience with Ekwueme band, Calabar food festival, Cultural carnival, African Beauty pageant parade, African Nigth festival, Bickers parade, Calapiano nighr featuring brass and Jass bands and Marian Street party.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of Carnival Commission, Mr Gab Ona, said: “Africa is the new fronties for torurism and entertainment. So we have to tap into it as we are still the destination point.
“Those coming to savour our Carnival Calabar would not regret as it remains the biggest street party in Africa.
“We have had it for 16 years and it has become a research point for scholars across Africa and Europe. Untill we celebrate ourself nobody would celebrate us and that is what Calabar Carnival has done.
“Our thematic and corographic contents have remained our unique selling points. It is our own oil well and we shall explore it to the fullest.”
On her part, the Commissioner for local government Affairs, Dr Stella Odey, said the ministry would collaborate with the Carnival Commission to promote the local governemnt cultures and cuisines.
