Imo Launches Cultural Carnival

The Imo  state government on Monday commenced the 2012
Ozuruimo Imo Cultural carnival in Owerri with fanfare.

Speaking
at the launch, Gov. Rochas Okorocha, who unveiled the carnival symbol, said
Igbo culture was the mirror through which the world viewed them.

Okorocha
urged the people to hold firm to their cultural heritage so that it would not
die.

“This
year’s cultural carnival will be the ultimate and will showcase to the world
the beauty of our culture. “Let’s show the world that we don’t have only
intelligent people but also beautiful ones. I call upon all to support this
great carnival,” he said.

Speaking
earlier, the state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Ugochi
Nnanna-Okoro, said the aim of the carnival was to inspire the people to cherish
their cultural heritage.

Nnanna-Okoro
added that it would foster a dynamic re-evaluation of the Igbo cultural past
with the socio-economic changes of the present.

She noted that the ceremony would herald the up-coming
event which will feature a plethora of cultural performances based on the ways
of life of the people of Imo.

She said the events would feature a colourful festival,
dances, songs, artworks, masquerades, traditional wrestling, food exhibition
and cultural beauty contests.

“There will be a beauty pageant where the most beautiful
girl ‘Ada Imo’ and the most handsome boy ‘Opara Imo’ will emerge for the first
time in the history of Ozuruimo,” she said.

The commissioner thanked Gov. Rochas Okorocha for
providing the support for the annual cultural celebration.

“Above all, he has
approved two brand new cars for the Ada and Opara Imo. Since his inception of
the rescue administration, our cultural carnival has been repackaged,” she
said.