Arts & crafts expo holds in Abuja
The 11th edition of the International Arts and Crafts expo (INAC) held at the FCT Exhibition Pavilion. The event which officially opened on Monday 19th and ended on Saturday 24th November 2018, attracted participants and visitors from within and outside the country who showcased their culture and other wares.
Speaking at the fiesta themed ‘Networking Nigeria Arts to the World’ Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Director General of the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), organizers of the event, said the expo serves as a platform for craft men and Women all over Africa and beyond to make contact, interact, showcase their arts and crafts products, exchange ideas , skills and network for investment partners.
He added that, “the expo is geared towards empowering the masses, stimulating rapid socio-economic growth and contributing to the Gross Domestic Product of the nation.”
According to Runsewe, “the exposition has taken it upon itself to bring about regional integration, continental unity, as well as unveiling the economic opportunities in the Arts and crafts sector.”
Some of the participants spoke to Arts & Ideas.
Agota Horvath from Hungary described it as a very good decision for Hungary to participate in the event for the first time.
She said, the event gave her an opportunity to meet with different Nigerian artists and interact with them and their works.
Sudanese, Ahmed Osman Murtada, described the event as wonderful, while commending the efforts of the organizers for putting it together.
He said, “the beautiful cultural display since the first day actually caught my attention. We brought some of our cultural art works like the picture of Sudan’s pyramid, Goota, Bambar, tabag and lots of items that depict the cultural festival of Sudan.”
Yamin Khan who presented Bangladeshi cultural heritage said the event was an opportunity for guests to know a little more about. He added that the embassy brought a lot of Bangladeshi cultural heritage to share with Nigeria.
Eko Emilia Agbor from Cameron expressed joy over the event saying, “Nigeria gave us good reception on arrival. We presented our culture on the opening day and the event has been calm and beautiful. Nigerian culture is wonderful; the dresses and the art works exhibited catch my attention. I also brought my cultural items to share with the people of Nigeria.”
The weeklong event ended with the official launch of the International Cultural Diplomacy for Peace.