Arts Council Strategises For CARNIRIV

Ahead of the 2013 edition of the Rivers State CARNIRIV, a yearly cultural fiesta, billed to commence in December, the Executive Director of the Rivers State Council for Arts and Culture, Chief Deede Baedee has called for the active participation of the State Arts Council in the cultural event.

Chief Baedee disclosed this during a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt recently.

The director who decried the under-utilisation of the state Arts Council in the past editions of CARNIRIV in the state, noted that the State Arts Council was supposed to play a complementary role to the Tourism Development Agency to effect a balance in exploring the tourism and cultural components of the yearly carnival.

Describing the State Council for Arts and Culture as the institutional foundation for cultural development in the state, he pointed out that the active involvement of the council in grand cultural events, such as CARNIRIV would not only stimulate cultural growth, but also boost research and development in the sustenance of the cultural potentials of the state.

As part of efforts to engender a stronger foundation for cultural development in the state, the director said the council was already building alliance with indigenous artists in the state through partnership.

He said the development was recently unveiled through a maiden arts exhibition in Port Harcourt by the collaborative partners.

He emphasized that Rivers State was blessed with enormous cultural potentials which could be properly harnessed through collaborative effort as an alternative to oil in revenue generation, and commended the vision of the Rivers State Government in attaching importance to cultural development.