If you were in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, during the yuletide, you will be appreciate the resilience and determination of a people to build and package offerings that people from across the world visit to enjoy.
Truly Carnival Calabar is worth seeing. It offers a 32-day (December 1 to January 1) excitement across different genres of entertainment, cultural displays among others activities that culminate with the main carnival, aptly tagged Africa’s biggest street party.
The 2018 edition was not different; it rather surpassed the previous editions. From the carnival village, beauty pageant, children outings, music festivals, competition, bikers’ parade, international carnival to the main carnival, Calabar entertained the indigenes, the reason for the carnival, the visitors, revelers and foreigners alike.
It paraded 50,000 costumed revelers who performed in five major carnival bands and other 10 non-competing bands in a 12 kilometer parade route dotted with live DJs, live musician artistes, steel bands, which combine to build incredible floats.
The 2018 edition of the carnival, which had seen three dry-runs to prepare participants ahead of the main event, was flag-off at the Millennium Park by Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River State who was assisted by top dignitaries.
The excited governor was happy to open the door for the five competing bands; Passion Four, Seagull, Freedom, Masta Blasta and Bayside to lead the way, engage onlookers, employ all their creative ingenuity in interpreting the theme of the carnival, which is Africanism and also to impress the judges at the different adjudication points in order to emerge winning band of the 2018 carnival.
The very long carnival and colorful float, the music blaring from every corner, revelers who danced to the rhythm and the many acrobatic shows set the carnival apart. The huge crowd was a testimony to the popularity of the carnival.
The revelers were highly costumed in glamorous attires that reflected the cultural heritage of the African people, while the drama, dance and music were designed to tell the Africanism story and theme of the carnival.
There were over two million tourists on ground in the city of Calabar, and 50 million television audience who watched live broadcast of the street parade and never wished it would end. The number keeps growing every year, and is a feat no destination in Nigerian and even West Africa has achieved long after Festac 77.
The crowd included people from over 26 countries from different continents who joined in the procession. The countries are; Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, Indonessia, Lithuania, Brazil, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Switzerland, United States of America, Canada, Ukraine among others who also participated in the International Carnival competition at These countries who participated in the International Carvival competition at the U.J Esuene Stadium.
At the end of the electrifying carnival, which sustained excitement from the afternoon to the early hours of the next day, Passion 4 emerged the overall winner of the bands and street parade, Seagull won the second place, while Freedom emerged third place.
However, the best king and queen of the carnival went to Bayside band, while Akw Ibom State won the best Cultural Carnival, with Anambra and Enugu states following respectively.
At the International Carnival, which held a day after the main carnival at the U.J Esuene Stadium, South Africa, best the over 26 participating countries to emerge overall winner, Mexico won the second place while Lithuania emerged third place winner. The participating countries include; Ghana’s Carnival Queens, Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia, Lithuania, Brazil, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Switzerland, United States of America, Canada and Ukraine.
Apart from the winning countries, the likes of Ethiopia, Ukraine, USA, Kenya, Ghana, Swaziland and Brazil were sought-after by the crowd.
Swaziland wooed the crowd with her fascinating energetic steps and performance with bold bare skin Swazi dance, while Ghana excited with a blend of acrobatic and bare skin dance mixed with some spiritual display.
Earlier, the residents and visitors were treated to a breathtaking showpiece by over 5,000 power bikers and 300 vintage cars drivers. The atmosphere was electrifying like a car race scene.
The stern looking bikers came from America, Canada, Australia, Germany and other parts of the world including Africa to participate in the second edition of the Bikers’ Parade at the carnival.
The parade was ‘wonders on wheels’, while the vintage cars parade drew people back in time with a wide range of convertibles numbering about 300 and other vintage cars that existed in 70s.
Flagging off the event at the Millennium Park Roundabout which serves as the take off point, Cross River governor, Prof Ben Ayade intimated that “
As governor Ayade rightly pointed out while flagging off the parade, “This is a new version of what our Carnival Calabar entails. Today, we are taking you through different actions on wheels. This is a new option and we just introduced this to ensure that we pump the adrenaline of young people.”
Speaking further on the performances, the governor was impressed with the interpretations of the theme; Africanism by the competing bands.
“With the theme Africanism, Africa has the opportunity of telling the whole world its story the way it knows best which is through its dance and bright colours. Civilisation started in Africa, so Africa must take its pride of place in the world. We are also here to show that Africa as a continent is the future, Europe is the past while Asia was the present,” he said.
But Gab Onah, chairman, Cross River State Carnival Commission, was impressed that the 2018 carnival was peaceful as usual but surpassed the previous editions in colour, participation, activities and excitement for the visitors.
For Ikechi Uko, consultant on the International Carnival, the international carnival, which is now in its fourth edition, is mature, was a huge success and has spiced the overall carnival with unique excitement.
Uko, who is also the CEO of Akwaaba Africa Travel Market, said that the international version of the carnival was appealing to participating countries that come with their creative ingenuity to electrify Calabar.
The visitors are grateful for the huge feting in Calabar, while the organisers are excited at the overall success of the 2018, but also work towards a better and bolder edition this year.
OBINNA EMELIKE
