FG offers support for African Drum Festival
The Federal Government has assured Ogun State Government of its unalloyed support for in South West state’s efforts to take the African Drum Festival to a higher level.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance at the opening of the 3rd edition of the festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday.
“We will continue to support this festival by making all our media platforms available to create awareness for it. We will also ensure that it is included in our national calendar of festivals, when the calendar, which we are working on now, is ready.
“The drum festival keys into our objective of turning the creative industry into a thriving industry, one that provides jobs and boosts the economy, and that’s why we will continue to support it. I will also like to appeal to the corporate world to partner with Ogun State and to support this festival through sponsorship,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed commended the Ogun State government for “this brilliant and intellectual addition” to the festival, in reference to the decision to convene a conference and an exhibition as part of the festival this year.
He said the annual drum festival is very important because “it provides an avenue for us to showcase our rich cultural heritage and to attract global tourists to our country.”
“The festival also plays a critical role in not just recognising the development and curation of the art form of indigenous drum poetry but, more importantly, the preservation of drum culture for future generations,” the Minister said
He used the occasion to announce that Nigeria will be hosting the 61st Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)/Commission for Africa (CAF) in Abuja from 4-6 June 2018, and that Tourism Ministers from 51 African countries, top
executives of the UNWTO and tourism stakeholders are expected to attend the event.
“We want to sincerely thank the Ogun State government for agreeing to partner with us in our quest to host a successful meeting, which will be used to showcase our rich cultural heritage and tourism destinations. As you are aware, culture and tourism are intertwined,” Alhaji Mohammed said.
