Business
‘Festival Has Potentials For Business, Tourism’
A lecturer in the Depart
ment of Sociology, University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Steve Wordu, says New Yam festivals have the potentials of promoting business and tourism in the country.
Dr. Wordu came up with this at an inaugural lecture presentation on the occasion of the 2013 celebration of new yam festival held at Obiri Akpor in Ozuoba last Friday in the series instituted by the Akpor Monarch, HRM Eze Anele Orlu Oriebe.
According to the university don, such events were capable of awakening in outsiders the beauty of native traditions which increase their curiosity and excitements on the materials they come in contact with.
“For outsiders, the culture of a people can evoke a special beauty and attraction which arouse stimulating excitement, curiosity and desire to experience something that is exotic, transcedental and solstice.
“Such quest to experience native traditions on materials form by tourists is called cultural tourism” he said.
According to him, some authorities has listed different form of tourism to include health/medical tourism, recreational, cultural, environmental, historical as well as conference tourism.
He explained that organising such cultural festivals like the new yam festival had the ability of getting tourists to participate and experience the ways of life of the people in their local behaviour, customs, arts, music, dance language (vanacular) among others.
According to him, the Akpor New Yam festival has become a global trend compared to ancient festivials and ceremonies of Germany, Rome, Maya and Az tecs Native American Indians and African tribes as the event continue to attract tourists across the world.
He further explained that cultural tourism such as the Akpor New Yam Festival also includes the acquisition of knowledge about contemporary societies through the arts, crafts, works, religion, food and dresses.
“I present tourism as a social phenomenon. This is true because tourism promotes social interaction among people from different societies when they come together”, he said.
He listed the benefits of such festivals to include the buying of things, usually (arts, crafts) from employment and reduce poverty.
It further generates cultured understanding and awareness between societies, establishment of friendship and acquaintances, dissolve social and racial barriers, understanding of international peace and the improvement of infracstructure among other benefits, he added.
He opined that Nigeria could be described as a country that was rich in multicultural diversity.
He said the assertion was true because traditional Nigerian communities were composed of approximately 350 (major and sub) ethno linguistic group with a plethora of local festivals, customs traditions, arts and crafts ceremonies and leisure activities, even as he said the first stanza of the old National Anthem which began in 1960 independence celebration recognised the essence of Nigeria’s cultural diversity particularly with re sect to its contribution to National Unity.
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