The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) has utilized
this year’s London Nottinghill Carnival to serve the world a foretaste
of what to experience during this year’s Port Harcourt Carnival,
popularly referred to as Carniriv.
The state’s contingent, which was first hosted to a cultural
reception at the prestigious African Centre in London by Zmirage United
Kingdom, put the best of Rivers culture on display that held revellers
at the carnival spellbound.
Executive Director, Zmirage UK, Shabaka Thompson said,” it is a privilege for Rivers State to be part of the Nottinghill Carnival
again this year which has made Nigeria to have a distinctive cultural
intrusion into the Nottinghill Carnival to showcase an authentic African
cultural brand called Carniriv.
Shaba, a one-time CEO of Nottinghill Carnival said, not only is the move by Rivers State timely, it is also strategic because Carniriv is bringing something unique to the world and also something authentically African and creative.
The Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Nabs Imeagwu, explained the
decision of the state’s Tourism Ministry and the RSTDA to use the
carnival as a platform to market the rich Rivers’ culture to the world.
“We are here to promote a platform that has already been established
by the Caribbeans to exemplify what other African states ought to do in
bringing to light, the culture of Africans and the conviviality of our
people and our values.”
Imeagwu also said that the state government has decided to tie this year’s edition of Carniriv to the wrap up celebration of the centenary anniversary of the city of Port Harcourt.
Shabaka disclosed that Rivers was the first Nigerian state to
introduce the Afrobeat genre of music to the Nottinghill Carnival
musical tradition as opposed to the Calypso the carnival has been known
for.
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