By Beatrice Akpala
The entertainment world received a great boost with the coming into fruition of unarguably, the most celebrated Christmas Carnival Show in Africa tagged Carnival Calabar. The world pours into the Cross River State capital on a yearly basis in an evidently deafening crescendo that has remained evergreen in the minds of pundits, adventurers, investors, fun seekers, tourists, and stakeholders who formed the core of the audience at the carnival celebrations.
The past years have seen diverse themes of the carnival with each one trying to improve on the successes of the proceeding year. Needless to say, the organizers have equally upped the ante. Due largely to the successes of the carnival, from the arid zone of northern Nigeria to the deciduous forests of the south, Calabar has continued to command the allure of the people seeking relaxation all over Nigeria and beyond.
Today, any discourse on the Nigerian tourism map without a mention of the Carnival Calabar would be an exercise in futility. The brainchild of His Excellency, Mr. Donald Duke, the carnival came into being in 2004, during his second tenure in office in order to make Cross River State the most sought after tourist destination and hub for hospitality and entertainment in Nigeria and Africa. Since its inception, the carnival has grown in leaps and bounds, earning its unique reputation as Africa’s Biggest Street Party and attracting millions of visitors from around the globe. It has become a significant and vibrant tool in driving the socio-economic and cultural development of not only Cross River State but Nigeria as a whole.
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It has also effectively become a dominant factor in the State Tourism Calendar and it has positively impacted the State and its people in very many ways. Firstly, the economic benefits of the carnival cannot be adequately quantified in monetary terms as its attraction of millions of people from all over the world generates revenue for the local economy as well as generating both temporal and permanent jobs for the residents. From event planners to hospitality service providers, cultural troupes and owners of holiday resorts, the carnival events boost businesses, hotels, restaurants, eateries, sale of footwears and the costume businesses as well as the very huge financial benefits generated from the many tourist sites that abound throughout the State.
In its twenty years of glorious enactments, the Carnival Calabar has contributed significantly to the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the large inflow of tourists adventurers and entertainers of all hues. It is on record that the carnival has grown and contributed greatly to the showcasing and preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Cross River State through cultural exchanges and understanding amongst Local Government Councils, State contingents and the cultural troupes from countries around the world, which have become recurring decimals of the carnival.
The carnival fosters community spirit, brings people together from various backgrounds to celebrate their culture and tradition. It fosters social cohesion, unity, and peaceful coexistence among the people. Additionally, since the introduction of the carnival, Cross River State has obviously witnessed tremendous infrastructural and social developments anchored on the desire by the successive State administrations to boost the carnival and properly showcase the State to the world. As a result, Christmas periods in Cross River State presents the State in very positive light, enacting spectacles that enchant the global audience.
The capital city of Calabar has been ably projected as a tourist destination and the growth index of the State has been quite appreciable. From its pristine beginnings to the huge status it has assumed today, the Carnival Calabar can be summarized in a few words: fun, razzmatazz, growth, entertainment, investments, cultural revivals, wealth creation and 21st century innovation in the entertainment industry.
The Spotlight is on Cross River State and the whole world is paying attention to the artistic ingenuity that the competing bands will showcase through “THE TRACES OF TIME”.
Beatrice Akpala is a Broadcast Journalist. She writes from Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.
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