By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
The Commissioner of Youth Sports and Culture, Honourable Daniel Danauta has announced that the Ministry will be holding its annual Kaduna State Festival of Arts and Culture (KADFEST) on Tuesday 4th of September 2018.
Honourable Daniel Danauta wo disclosed this Kaduna-based journalist during a Pre-KADFEST Press briefing on Friday, the 31st of Augusts, 2018 in Kaduna, North-West, Nigeria said KADFEST is an annual events organized by the Ministry to bring together the State’s artists from the 23 Local Government Areas and private cultural organizers to come and showcase their God-given talents in the cultural sector.
According to him, with the theme “Kaduna: Our Festivals, our Culture, the purpose of KADFEST is to organized, promote and package a festival that will encourage appreciation of the state culture by creating self-employment through indigenous arts and crafts.
The Commissioner described KADFEST festival as a cardinal to the state cultures which marks the significant events important to the human race and instills a sense of common pride and knowledge of the history.
He was of the opinion that KADFEST is not all about dances, but celebration of the diverse food types, arts, crafts, social customs, attires and history of the people of Kaduna State, adding that it also has social benefit to bring people in the State together, as well as economic benefit to attracts visitors and stimulate the growth of tourism and other businesses when properly harnessed.
“Every year’s KADFEST comes with a theme and this year theme is “Kaduna: Our Festivals, our Culture”. I find this theme quite interesting because festival is cardinal to our cultures because it marks the significant events important to our human race and instill a sense of common pride and knowledge of our history.
“KADFEST therefore is not all about dances, but celebration of our diverse food types, arts, crafts, social customs, attires and history of the people of Kaduna State.
“It has social benefit to bring people in the State together, as well as economic benefit to attracts visitors and stimulate the growth of tourism and other businesses when properly harnessed.
“This is an opportunity the Ministry is looking forward to explore as it is appealing to the private sector to participate in the celebration of KADFEST.
“Apart from KADFEST, Kaduna State is endowed with diversified rich cultural festivals like the Afan Festival, Agbmiya Festival, Kumana Carnival, Moro’a Cultural Day, Baranzan Cultural Festival, the famous Durbar, and so many others.
“These are important festivals that would generate an image boost and offer plenty of advantage to the State and offer the people in the State a feeling of social, geographic cultural belonging.
“The competitive events are organized to source the best to represent the State positively in the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST).
“This year KADFEST thus have the following events lined up of which at the end we shall have the overall winners and also source for the best to participate in NAFEST 2018 in Rivers State as the State Contingent.
“The competitive events are Dance Drama, Ayo Board Game, Indigenous Fabrics in Contemporary Apparel, Traditional Wrestling (Junior Category), Traditional Cuisines, Children’s Essay Writing, Children’s Craft, and Children’s Tales by Moonlight.
“While the non-competitive events are Stakeholders’ Round-Table on Entrepreneurship, Command Performance, Arts and Crafts Cultural Market/Exhibition, Female Wrestling Demonstration, Free Skills Acquisition/Training and Night of Entertainment,” he concluded.
Mr. Danauta therefore disclosed that the State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is expected to declare the festival open, while the closing ceremony is billed for September 8th, 2018.
