Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has assured that his administration will exploit the hosting of the 2019 National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST), to showcase the state’s rich, innovative cultural products to the world.
The governor gave the assurance in commemoration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, marked every May 21, by the United Nations and its various organs.
The 2019 National Festival for Art and Culture will be hosted by Edo State from October 19 to 26, 2019.
According to Obaseki, “As we mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, we assure of plans to showcase the glamorous heritage of Edo people and promote our world-renowned cultural products during the 2019 NAFEST. There is no denying that Edo State occupies a pride of place in the cultural map of the world as a result of our peculiar heritage in arts, culture and remarkable footprint in human civilisation.
“All of these and the modern incarnations will be on display at the 2019 NAFEST, which will serve as an opportunity for us to show how through innovative approaches, we have continued to preserve our rich cultural heritage bequeathed to us by our forefathers.”
The governor reiterated the state government’s commitment to building institutions as well as leveraging multilateral partnerships to preserve and promote its cultural assets, noting, “Our cultural artefacts and expressions hold unique features which speak to and amplifies our identity as a people. We have set modalities for the building of institutions to showcase, promote, conserve and preserve our cultural assets for future generations.”
According to the United Nations, “In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249, declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
“The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to advance the four goals of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted on 20 October 2005 to support sustainable systems of governance for culture.”
