By Ayodele Abere
Towards putting Ekiti State in the world map again, the state has taken it upon itself to host the 2024 Festival of Arts and Culture, EKIFEST.
The State Commissioner for Culture, Arts and Creative Economy, Prof. Rasak Ojo Bakare, disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, Ado-Ekiti.the State capital.
Addressing journalists, Prof. Bakare stated that the five days event which will run from 6th to 10th August, 2024 would serve as an avenue for all the local governments and council development areas in the State to display whatever they have from their various places to the centre for exposure, exhibitions, marketing, developments and all that the world can help them with.
The Commissioner explained that the hosting of this year’s event is at the instance of the State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who mandated his Ministry to ensure a superlative outing that will put Ekiti on an enviable cultural indices. He reiterated that the event will tap the talents with skills that can make them best actors in the world.
While commending the media in the State for projecting the activities of his Ministry, he expressed his confidence in the media as partners in progress to ensure a robust and successful festival.
The Professor of Dramatic and Performing Arts, equally pointed out that his ministry has continued to prove its mettle in uplifting the culture of the state as the establishment was among some of the Ministries adjudged by the Ekiti State House of Assembly at its first anniversary to be performing excellently
Prof. Bakare stressed that the festival is a forum for people to exhibit products of their culture, products of their talents, products of their creative energies.
“You have thousands of talented youths in those villages and towns across the state that can sing better songs than some musicians. You have visual artists, painters, sculptors, weavers, graphic designers.They abound in those towns and villages. But they don’t have the opportunity of recognition. Nobody recognizes them because nobody knows what they’re doing.”
“It is for people like that that EKIFEST was established as a platform so that the local government authorities and the Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs can fish for such talents and bring them to this five days festival to showcase their talents, to exhibit their talents so that they can get recognition across the globe”.
He posited the state is inviting visitors from across Nigeria, visitors from all over Africa and beyond. People who are coming to Ekiti state with different products. Such people, he remarked, are not just coming as tourists to stay here and spend their money.
“What we also want them to do is to see what our people are capable of producing with their talents. So that they can invest in these products. So that they can help us take these products beyond the borders of Ekiti state, and when it is appropriate beyond the borders of Nigeria. That’s why we are organizing EKIFEST”.
The Commissioner further informed the media that the festival will feature both competitive and non-competitive events saying that all the events, either competitive or not, are exhibitional for people to see what the people that have the capacity and the creativity are doing.
“Some of the competitive events are performing art, the visual arts, the fashion art, traditional sports, that’s, traditional wrestling and others. The non-competitive events will include opening and closing ceremony, where each chairman of a Local government or LCDA will take his/her contingent on a procession at the venue. There’s also a festival hall where the people are bringing locally-made materials to sell for those number of days”. The Commissioner explained.
Prof. Bakare said considering the financial implications of hosting the programme, his ministry is also making efforts to approach private sector players to support the festival because ventures like this cannot be solely financially- handled by only the government. He underscored that the future of festival of this nature is actually in the hands of the private sector.
“Ekiti State Festival of Arts and Culture began in 2012, and held every year, but in 2020 it was held in the closet because of COVID-19. And it could not hold in 2023 because of transition from outing administration to incoming government”. Bakare said.