Thrills And Frills Of 2013 Calabar Carnival

YEAR AFTER YEAR, THE CALABAR CARNIVAL SEEMS TO BLOSSOM WITH EVERY EDITION. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2004, IT HAS GONE PAST BECOMING ONE OF AFRICA’S MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS TO ONE WITH STRONG ECONOMIC VALUES AND POTENTIALS. OMOLOLA ITAYEMI WHO WAS PART OF THIS YEAR’S CARNIVAL WRITES ON THE ALLURE OF THE 2013 CALABAR CARNIVAL

On 27 December, the 12-kilometre route starting from the muster point of the Millennium Park in Calabar through Mary Slessor – Marian Road – Efio Ette Junction – MCC Road to the U. J. Esuene Stadium was a beehive of activities. The event was the adult carnival of 2013 Calabar Carnival. And for almost 18 hours, there was no stopping the thousands of fun seekers on this corridor. Hundreds of thousands of people engaged in one activity or the other – dancing and singing – with other people watching, buying and selling.

As the city of Calabar came to a standstill with offices and business premise under lock and key; hot hues of colour, exotic and stage-like costumes, sequins, music and choreography unseen in this part of the world took over. Welcome to what is reputed to be Africa’s biggest street party.

The adult carnival, however, was just a climax of the one-month event for residents and tourists every year-end. This year’s event like the previous ones featured cultural and musical shows, freestyle parade, international heritage parade, children carnival and beauty pageant. Other top events include Christmas carols from both local and international bands, performances from the Rwandan band, the Governor’s Ball and others, a further testament to Calabar’s sobriquet as the emerging entertaining capital of Nigeria.

The high point of the carnival was the various bands interpreting the carnival theme in their floats, dance and songs and performance by Kcee of Limpopo fame.

These bands - Bayside, Passion4, Masta Blasta, Seagull and Freedom - translated, interpreted and conceptualized the carnival theme into dance, costumes and floats in the spirit of the carnival.

Calabar lived up to its reputation as one of the cleanest cities in Nigeria during the festival as attested to by participants who couldn’t contain their disbelief on sighting  immediate evacuation of refuse.

The Bands of Parade...

The five bands left no stone unturned in interpreting the theme of the carnival. Creativity, acrobatics display and illusion were employed in no small measure as they competed for the star prize of N10 million.

After the road show, the revelry continued at the stadium. From Bayside Band (the first to perform) to Masta Blasta, the audience were captivated. Former governor, Donald Duke and wife, Onari (patrons) ushered in the Bayside Band dressed in electric blue and silver on bike (who performed for the first time since he left office). An avid biker, they kept the audience excited as they gave deft bikers stunt.

Freedom Band followed with their Illumantes (illumination of the mind) theme which encompassed great acrobatic displays and float designs that captivated the audience.

Passion4 was all about Pan Africanism and it showed in its Fela and Wole Soyinka-like group of choreographers. Costumes reminiscent of ancient zulu warriors, Akabaulam of Egypt and Mousa Mousa of Mali.

Seagull Band made good use of colour, style and creativity. Exotic floats and good use of Nollywood actors. Actor Emeka Enyiocha was the king of the band. Other Nollywood actors such as Osuofia, Mr Ibu, Fred Amata, Funke Akindele stepped out with Senator Florence Ita-Giwa (the patron) and the audience exploded.

Lastly, Masta Blasta, the current champions didn’t take it for granted that they were winners. With their olives and doves themes, magic, fantasy and illusion were the order of the day. Obioma Liyel-Imoke dressed in the American seal-like military uniform with her team members that included Omoni Oboli, Ini Edo, Oge Okoye, Shan George. OC Ukeje and others gave a brilliant dance.

And Nollywood Came...

A far departure from the past, Carnival Calabar invested in Nollywood stars and the crowd went berserk. From the road show to the performance at the stadium, Nollywood stars were definitely the audience favourite.

Masta Blasta Again...

Masta Blasta, the largest and most populated band won the N10 million prize, Passion4 came second and Seagull came third. This is Masta Blasta’s second time winning in a row.

Carnival Rebirth…

Though Carnival Calabar is not the first carnival in Nigeria, it has become the most popular, giving rise to the birth and rebirth of carnivals all over the country. From the ancient city of Lagos where Fanti Carnival provided succor and entertainment for the slave returnees decades ago to the city of Port Harcourt with RIVIFEST in 1988, carnivals have been a part and parcel of our culture.

The Calabar Carnival has gone a long way since its inception in 2004, when the then governor, Donald Duke had a vision of making the state the hub for tourism and hospitality in Nigerian and in Africa. The Carnival also presents a perfect platform for brand visibility and market awareness.

Calabar Carnival is a unique display of African heritage, showcased through music, dance, drama and visual creativity, which is reflected in the design of floats, costumes and make up. Since inception, this festival, which has become one of the biggest tourism and leisure attractions in West Africa, has grown tremendously in popularity and scope.

Over the past years, the Cross River State Government has used this carnival to drive its tourism sector and provide exposure for its citizens, as well as develop its vast tourism sites and infrastructure such as the Obudu Ranch Resort, the Tinapa Business Resort and Marina Resort.

Economic Booster…

Carnival Calabar was conceptualized nine years ago and it is still going strong with almost all the hotels in the city booked to the hilt and residents leasing out their homes and vehicles for extra cash during this season. This is definitely one festival with economic value. Restaurants and other entertainment holes are not left out as they are all smiling to the banks. So fully booked were major airlines plying this route that travelers had to fly in through Uyo International Airport and brave the over one-hour journey to Calabar.

Travel and tourism generates jobs through companies/agencies directly involved in the business and in related supplier industries such as retail, construction, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors of the economy and all these came into fore in Calabar. The five bands had in their employ fashion designers, make-up artists, hair dressers, ushers and professional choreographers who helped get the participants in top gear. Kaffy, one of Nigeria’s top choreographers was in town to help perfect Masta Blasta’s dancing and choreography. Nikky Khiran, another top Lagos-based designer was in town to help with costumes.

With each band guarding their designs and other props, its hard to deduce which designer or choreographer worked with who, well except for Kaffy, despite being heavily pregnant walked along with other members and partners of Masta Blasta band.

Community participation (which can mean a level of control, ownership or influence) in a tourism initiative appears to be closely linked to the derivation of livelihood and other benefits from the initiative to the same people. Such was evident with a large number of the local population of food vendors, hawkers of assorted drinks selling along the 12 kilometers stretch where soft drinks peaked at 50% increase from N100 to N150 per bottle. Both residents and guests took out time to cool off from the hot blistering heat to eat, drink or just relax. Photographers snapped and printed pictures at the rate of N200 to N400 per copy depending on what was taken.

Hawkers of memorabilia and band members were not left out as they smiled to the bank. Slim, dark-skinned and tall Justice, a 300 level Computer Science undergraduate of the Cross River state university said she was paid N20,000 to participate in the carnival. While it took others two weeks to rehearse, the 4th time participant who is resident in Calabar (she won’t be returning next year) said she got her dance routine in just one week. According to Justice, costumes cost up to N300,000 per person and have to be returned after the carnival. When we asked if there is any special criteria for picking participants, she said, ‘’one just needs to be fit, confident and enjoy dancing.’’

According to Gab Onar, the DG of the Calabar Carnival Commission, “What makes Carnival Calabar tick is the warmth and welcoming smile of our people. But above all, what stands our carnival out is the dance and choreography segment, which is not common in other carnivals.

The crowd appeal and opportunities open to sponsors along the territory of performance make it a unique avenue and domain for merchandising goods and services. And lastly, it’s a place to let your hair down and dance.’’

The 2013 carnival commenced with a tree lighting ceremony on November 30 at the Millennium Park, Calabar and ended with a thanksgiving ceremony on January 1.