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Dr Sam Dede is the Director General and CEO of the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency saddled with the responsible of the yearly CARNIRIV, the Rivers State Carnival Festival.The First Edition of the Carnival held in 1988, while this year’s festival will hold on the 14th-20th of December, 2014. Dede, who teaches at Department of Theater Arts, University of Port Harcourt, is one of Nollywood’s brightest and most gifted actors.City People Business Development Manager, BUNMI DUROJAIYE interviewed him on his readiness for the 2014 CARNIRIV.
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What is the difference between Carniriv and Port Harcourt Carnival?:
CARNIRIV and the Port Harcourt Carnival are one and the same brand. The Carnival is held every years in Port Harcourt hence it is called the Port Harcourt Carnival. You must have observed that most renowned global Carnivals are branded according to the host City or destination. The Port Harcourt Carnival as we know it today has a history which dates back to 1998 when it was first held as ‘CARNIRIV’ making it the oldest multi-event Carnival in the Country. The name ‘CARNIRIV,’ is the linking of the first Five letters of Carnival (The Event) and the first three letters in Rivers (the Host State) to form ‘CARNIVAL.’ i.e.Carnival of the Rivers people (for everyone). So when people refer to CARNIRIV or the Port Harcourt Carnival, they refer to one and the same brand – Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival.
What makes the Carnival unique?:
One of the unique features of the Carnival is that each year we launch it with a predominant theme. For instance, the 2013 edition was themed, ‘The Green World Edition’ in consonance with the Universal crusade to go Green. As expected, throughout the duration of the 2013 edition, we promoted everything organic, respect for nature and sustenance of the environment in the quest to improve our general wellness and the quality of life.This year, the Carnival is themed, One Love, One People Edition, for reasons that are self evident: Our country and indeed the global community has embraced Globalisation- the breaking down of barriers, the closing of ranks between people of diverse colours, creed, culture, political leaning, race etc. Our theme is well thought out because it denotes the unity of our people, diverse as we are in creed, and culture and faith and opinion – we celebrate our oneness as people of the greatest city in Nigeria – calm, peaceful, fun filled and original.
What is new about the 2014 edition?:
The 2014: One Love, One People Edition, is a Carnival with many firsts. For the first time in the history of the Carnival, we are set to unveil our State-of-the-Art performance stage. It is a One Hundred and Fifty (150) feet of Architectural masterpiece with many outstanding features. The Stage is collapsible and can be uncoupled into smaller units to Stage multiple events at far-flung locations within the State. The Stage is designed to complement our Sponsorship drive as it can also be deployed for branding purposes by interested Sponsors. In no small measure, this Stage, which is the largest of its kind in Africa, will raise the standard and brand pedigree of the Carnival in line with our vision to position it as a global brand.Secondly, we have packaged the different activities of the Carnival into sub brands for commercial exploitation. Unlike in previous editions, we have fully democratised the Carnival to encourage business participation from interested corporate bodies and multi-national organisations in order to make it a ‘commercially attractive and economically viable Carnival brand’. At least twelve individual events such as the ‘Free Style Street Parade’, the ‘Kids Carnival’, ‘Praise Jam’ and ‘Ekere – rhythm of the Tribes, to mention a few, are open to exclusive and non-exclusive category Sponsorships. We have also created a headline Sponsorship window for interested Sponsors.Thirdly, for the first time, we are staging Miss Carniriv Beauty Pageant (MCBP) as part of the Carnival. The Pageant, slated for the 13th of December, is a special event to herald the Carnival and introduce the beauty of Port Harcourt and indeed Nigeria to the world. I will also like to add that successful participants and fans alike are set to go home with unique prizes and gifts as a token of appreciation from the organisers. And there are more that we can not reveal in one sitting.
Who are the acts performing this year?:
The Carnival thrives on the element of surprise and we do not wish to let the Cat out of the bag, so to speak, at this stage. What we can say is that our guests from every part of the globe will find the Carnival a most memorable experience not only on account of our intimidating assemblage of a constellation of International Stars but because the indigenous flavour will be unbelievable! You only need to look at the past editions to fully appreciate what we do here at the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, RSTDA and I consider myself lucky to work with a very hard working, dedicated and creative team of professionals.
What is there in the carnival for the people apart from the entertainment?:
One major trust of the Carnival is empowerment. Every year, we attract different Musicians, Performers and Entertainers who are given rare opportunities to connect with their fan base, develop their talent and ride on the Carnival platform to market themselves to Local and International audiences. At the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, RSTDA, we have a deliberate policy to line up our local talents to perform on the same stage and to the same audience with their international counterparts. For instance, last year, about 60 Local talents shared the centre stage with global Chart Toppers.
What are the security checks put in place during the festival?:
Yes, we are and each year we work with various security and non-security Stakeholders to deliver a hitch-free carnival. Our Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi, who is the major impetus behind the success of the Carnival because of his passion and love for the Arts, Culture and Entertainment accords us all the necessary support every year to ensure that we host a hitch-free event.
What about the treat of Ebola?
Thanks to the efforts of all and sundry, the World Health Organisation has designated Nigeria as an Ebola free country; however, we are still working with the health ministry and other health stakeholders to ensure that we are not taken by any surprises before, during and even after the carnival as far as health matters are concerned.
About Unknown
Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.
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