Guardian

It was 32 days blast of artistry, fun, entertainment and communal feasting, writes ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA who was in Calabar for the 2012 edition of Calabar Festival

FOR 32 days, Cross River State witnessed exciting and colourful celebration. Calabar, the capital city, which was the  centre of attraction and theatre of celebration as it played host to hordes of visitors.

It all started on November 30 with the traditional Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Millennium Park. The ceremony was well – attended with all the accoutrements associated with it.

The event set the mood and tone for the entire festival. It was obvious from the lineup of activities and various artistes from across the globe that the people were in for a rollicking time.

And when indeed the festival went into full blast, the people were not disappointed as they thronged the various centres for the best of the festival – ranging from indoors to outdoors. There were “broths” for the different ages and classes of people to savour.

The Cultural centre, which usually serves as the festival village was a theatre of entertainment. Name it, from shopping fair, arts gallery, musical, cultural dances, pop music to contemporary vibes, the village had it all.

Of course, complementing the bouquet of fun at the village were the numerous leisure spots, eateries and hotels in and around the city, which had on offer a range of events that attracted leisure seekers and lovebirds.

Some of the events that headlined the festival include World Aids Day Charity Concert and Paradise City Walk Against HIV/AIDS, which were devoted to drawing attention to the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

There were also a number of comic shows with Laffmatazzi featuring a number of Nigerian comedians as one of the showstoppers. Rhythms of Paradise featured a blend of artistes just like Voices of Paradise 11, which was a competitive choral celebration.

The 18 local government councils also put up impressive performances during the local government day event. They increased the tempo  on the cultural parade day with commanding display as they showcased the best of their unique cultural arts alongside over 21 states from across the country, which participated on the day.

Other highlights were the youth development programme, hyperactive night, paradise reggae splash, Calabar’s Got Talent, football and golf event, stomp night and essay competition, Calabar Carnival Queen Beauty Pageant and a number of musical shows featuring the best of Nigerian artistes alongside foreign acts. The carol night and Christmas Day celebration were fantastic.

It was for many people 32 packed days of action, fun, and excitement and exploration of the best of the state and its people. The people through their various offerings showed how devoted they were to the biggest and largest leisure and entertainment culture ever on showcase in Nigeria.

After all the celebrations, street parties, parades and gyrations as well as Insomnia (Night of fireworks) at the Millennium Park on Monday, December 31 night, it was a grateful people, led by the Acting Governor, Efiok Essien Cobham, that on the final day, January 1, 2013, held hands and sang praises to God at the thanksgiving service for yet another successful year and celebration.

Carnival Calabar: Celebration Of A New Dawn

THE climax of the festival was the Carnival Calabar, held on Thursday December 27, a day after the children’s carnival and cultural parade, a prelude to what the adult carnival.

It all started in the early hours of the day and spanned the next day. It was excitement all the way. That is, from the moment the Acting Governor, Cobham, amidst the crowd of jubilant celebrants, cut the ribbon to formally declared the carnival open with the traditional declaration : ‘Let the show begin.’

Just like the theme itself, ‘Celebrating a new dawn,’ the five traditional bands – Passion 4, Seagull, Masta Blasta, Bayside and Freedom – took to the 12 kilometres route with revellers in what has been dubbed the biggest street party in Africa, to entertain the crowd with their compelling and colourful hybrid performances.

From the beginning to the end, the competitive edge was obvious as the bands put on spirited performances as reflected in their artistry, costumes, interpretative gyrations and dance steps. The carnival was indeed a notch higher this year and the people acknowledged this even the adjudicators confessed that the result was too close to call.

Besides the number of people that flocked the streets to witness the carnival, the level of participation by visiting teams and states also showed that the carnival has attained a remarkable. Five countries were in attendance: these are Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Cameroun, Jamaica and Brazil, which had the Vai Vai Samba group entertaining the crowd with titillating display.

The people were quite happy and satisfied with the level of performance by the bands and the quality of entertainment. At the end of the day, Masta Blasta was named the band of the year and awarded the trophy and N10 million cash prize with Passion 4 trailing and going home with N5 million while Freedom Band emerged the third best band and went away with N3 million.

Mrs. Victoria Abiyak, a member of Passion 4, who was splendidly adorned in her mixture of white and pink outfit, typified the joy and excitement that the carnival elicits from the participants, regardless of age and status:

‘‘Today is the senior carnival and this is section 13, the big women’s group, which is called the Spectral Reflection. This group is all about reflecting the beauty of Passion 4 in the carnival and today is such a great day. We are excited and can’t even wait, walking in the street, the biggest street party in Africa,’’ she enthused.

‘‘I am as old as the carnival,’’ she said of her active participation at the eight-year-old carnival, adding that ‘‘carnival walks it out with you, you stream it on the street, you have fun, meet people, refresh yourself, adore yourself in this costume, you meet people and you enjoy, it is all about having a great time in the street, flexing, swagging, we women  are not left out, we are swagging it out.’’

According to the chairman of the Carnival Commission, Mr. Gab Onah, the carnival has really grown, ‘‘So far so good, Carnival Calabar is taking on a new dimension; the carnival event is growing in leaps and bounds and it is becoming a way of life for the Cross River people, which is the desire of the state governor, Liyel Imoke —-that this sector begins to create jobs and becomes an eventual plank for economic growth of the state.’’

This sentiment was also expressed by Mr. Nsan Ogbe, who is in charge of events development and promotion in the state. ‘‘So far, we think it has been going very well. We have had a lot of people coming, we feel that the product is getting to a stage where we can now confidently sell it as an international product.’’

The bottom line, he said, is the creation of wealth, ‘‘what we want people to understand is that it is more than the 32 days of fun because there is an economic side to it. Ultimately, the government plan is that wealth is created for the people and as you can see, there are hundreds of people on the streets and people are buying and they are selling because people are eating and drinking.’’

For the first time in the life of the festival, the state governor was absent from the celebration as Governor Liyel Imoke with his wife, Obioma, was away on vacation. His absence was quite noticeable however, the deputy governor and the organising team held on well.

Onah and Ogbe acknowledged this feat even as they both paid glowing tributes to the governor whom they described as a good and transparent leader who has, in many ways, succeeded in passing on his legacy to the people and instilling in them the skill, discipline and vision.