NAFEST: Obaseki projects boom for Edo’s crafts sector

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the annual National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST) provides rare opportunity for players in the art and craft sector to access niche market devoid of middlemen, and make huge profit from their creative works.

Obaseki who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said: “NAFEST is clearly the country’s biggest assemblage of craftsmen and women, art collectors and enthusiasts, restauranteurs that will exhibit several African cousins, visual artists, dance troupes that will represent the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) amongst others.

“Our hotels will swell with guests in their thousands during the period, our transporters, bronze casters, bead makers, will witness a bullish trend and smile to the banks with more money.”

The governor added: “So I urge the key players in the art and craft sector to see the festival as a huge fair that will put a lot of money in their pockets and bank accounts. They should be ready to exhibit the best of their creative works during the period.

“As government, NAFEST will offer us the opportunity to develop our tourism infrastructure, reinforce our cultural values and further unite the country.”

Obaseki stressed that, “The players in the sector, such as hotel owners, fashion designers, transporters, food vendors, bronze casters, furniture makers, tourist sites, destinations and fun places such as Ogba Zoo and others will be the biggest beneficiaries.

“Our decision to host the festival is in line with our belief that government has to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive, and clearly our art and culture sector is our biggest asset as a people.”

The festival will feature competitive and non-competitive events such as: Cultural Market; Traditional Wrestling; Indigenous Fabric Competition; Cultural Roundtable; Children’s Essay/Crafts Competition; Tales by Moonlight amongst others, that will be spread across several venues in the state capital.