‘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.