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Calabar Carnival and the promotion of indigenous

culture in Cross River from 1999-2013. (History and
international studies)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of study
In a bid to develop cultural tourism in Nigeria, a number of
states of the Federation have recently developed carnivals in which

they showcase aspects of Nigerian and popular cultures in street

performances. Cross River State, Rivers State, Lagos State, and the
Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are at the forefront of this initiative.
Carnival Calabar in Cross River State is probably more popular than
the rest, judging from the organization, publicity, patronage, utilitarian
thrust and artistic profile of the carnival.
In terms of organization, the carnival held every 26 th and 27th
December, it is run by a commission made up of technically
competent members who are either drawn from the performing and
visual art industry/academia or are connoisseurs of the arts 1. The
commission also collaborates with and draws technical manpower
from the well-established carnivals of Trinidad and Tobago and Rio in
Brazil. As part of technical manpower development for Carnival
Calabar, workshops and series of interactive sessions have been held
over the years for creative personnel involved in costume production,
float construction, headgear production and other technical activities.
In 2012, a detachment of a band from Brazil participated in Carnival
Calabar probably to strengthen the technical partnership, while also
providing a different variety of cultural performance2.

Moreover, varieties of

promotional

jingles

are shown in

numerous national and international media networks prior to the

carnival. The ripple effects on the indigenous culture are remarkable,
particularly in cultural dances, arts, local craft and musical
performances3. The thrust of the carnival appears to be utilitarian to a
large extent, and this feature is unique. This is exemplified in the fact
that every year, the carnival theme addresses a particular development
issue within society. The fact is that Carnival Calabar has been
developed to become a medium through which societal shortcomings
can be addressed4.
Carnival is define as a public celebration or parade combining
some elements of a circus, masks and public street party. Carnival,
creates room for organization and expression of thoughts towards
improving the lots of the society. Carnival Calabar shares the burden
as a theatrical form to find links and connections to all committed to
the power of theatre in making a difference in the human life span
.The carnival is in the mould of applied theatre, about which creates a
practice that seeks to debate vital issues and see those concerns

transformed into new stories, to provide people with a means to work

their way through difficult periods.
The acclaim of the carnival also arises from the nature and
quality of artistic display or performance. The carnival is an
assemblage of visual and performing arts displayed as costumes,
make-up, dance, choreography, props, carnival float on wheels,
special effects and sound production. Many of the presentations are
products of complex creations usually put together by groups of
artistic and technical personnel with the aim of depicting indigenous
culture5.
Therefore, this study will examine Carnival Calabar and the
promotion of indigenous culture in Cross River State from 1999 to
2013. The study systematically lays out the general themes of the
carnival through the period of study (19992013), and the bands
interpretation using the float as an index throughout the years under
review. The float is so chosen because it is the most dominant singular
visual art form in the carnival train and can be described as
ambulatory scenery that embodies the theme of the production in
aesthetic and functional units that depict indigenous culture.

1.1 Statement of research problem

The Cross River State government has mapped out some
strategies to conceptualize and implement an integrated tourism
master plan that will give a unique tourism flavor to visitors and
residents of the state. The unique festivals and recreational facilities
that abound in the state have not been fully developed to international
standards and adequately utilized in order to enable them showcase
the rich tourism potentials of the area. This under development as in
the case of festivals and recreational facilities could be traced to
inability of both the government and private sector to invest
sufficiently in these tourism sub-sectors. This could also be linked
with inadequate information on the tourism potentials that are
inherent in the development of festivals and recreational facilities. To
a large extent, little is known about the vote of this festivals and
investment in recreational facilities in the development of tourism.
This study therefore examines the influence of Carnival Calabar on
the development of indigenous culture of Cross River state.
1.2 Objectives of the study

This research evaluates carnival Calabar and the development of

indigenous culture in Cross River State.
Secondly, the study systematically lays out the general themes
of the carnival through the period of study (19992013), and the
bands interpretation using the float as an index throughout the years
under review.
Thirdly, to examine the effect of Carnival Calabar, on
organization and expression of thoughts towards improving the lots of
the society.
Finally to provide a base for further research adding to existing
literature as well.
1.3 Scope of study
The scope of the study is narrowed down to Cross River State. Cross
River State is located in the southern part of Nigeria, It has 18 local
Government Areas

richly endowed with wonderful indigenous

culture.
1.4 Significance of the study
This

study

will

be

relevant

to

government,

organizations,

communities and private individuals who are event managers. The

findings of this study will enable government to make policies that

will enhance the development of the carnival as well as create
enabling environment for the carnival to thrive. The study will also be
of importance to organizations to invest and market their products
during the period of carnival. It will also help communities to
showcase their cultural heritage as well as develop them. Individual
will also have opportunity to display their talents and other theatrical
abilities during the carnival float.
1.5 Research Methodology
The research work employs a library based methodology as emphases
will be laid on primary sources to include; Oral interviews, reports,
articles, unpublished works etc. The Secondary data will be obtain
from materials such as

Newspapers, Internet resources, seminar

papers, Textbooks. These will in no doubt give a holistic approach to

achieving the objectives of the study.
1.6 Chapterization
The study is divided into five (5) chapters, chapter one the chapter
one is about the introduction of the work that is background of the
study, aims and objectives of study, scope of the study, research

methodology, literature review, chapterization. Chapter two gives a

detail account of the establishment of Calabar Carnival, chapter three
focuses on Carnival Calabar and socio-economic development, while
chapter four discuses the impact of Carnival Calabar on indigenous
culture and Chapter five will be conclusion, recommendation and
bibliography.

1.7 Literature review

In recent times Festivals and events have been view by various
scholars as having a range host destinations, and they in most cases
are divided into economic, socio-cultural, environmental and political
impacts (Baugh, C., 2005). Many researches on event has it main
focus on assessing the economic impacts of events with less empirical
research on socio-cultural impacts. Even less attention has been paid
to environmental impacts of events. It has been observed that many
scholars have placed more emphases on the economic impacts partly
because of the need of event organizers and governments to meet
budget goals and justify expenditure, and partly because such impacts
are most easily assessed. (Agnes, K.,2004)

Recently, it has been recognized that the economic aspect alone

is insufficient, and awareness of the need to measure also the
intangible socio-cultural impacts has been increasing in recent years
( Taylor P., 2005).The locals have most often been the interest group
that is taken into accounts. Today socio-cultural impacts of festivals
are very difficult to measure and as a result, some frameworks and
scales have been developed to effectively evaluate their impact on the
people and the environment (Thompson, J.,2001)
Much work has been done in an attempt to develop standardized
measures for economic and non-economic impacts of carnival events.
The lack of standardized approach has limited the comparability
between events evaluation across

economic, environmental and

socio-cultural criteria. Equal emphasis must also be placed on

evaluating both event. (Brockett,O and Ball. R.,2004.)
Recently, an attempt towards a holistic approach in impact
evaluation has emerged, and comprehensive work has been done to
weave together all the different components of event evaluation into a
single framework so that overall assessment can be made (Olapade,
W. 2011). An evidence of this holistic approach is tripple bottom line

borrowed accounting and finance, and it brings together the social,

economic and environmental aspects of events into one framework
(Taylor, P., 2006).However, many researchers have been conducted in
a global perspective but none has highlighted the cultural impact of
these two leading carnival events with specific reference to Cross
River State which is the gap in literature that this work wish to bridge.
Carnival and culture have a whole lot in common. Just like
carnival is an integral aspect of human life, culture too is the totality
of human life and culture is seen in the eyes of carnival. Carnival is a
product of culture and one cannot do without the other. The centrality
of carnival to cultural sustenance of Trinidad and Tobago has been
stressed in the various Carnivals, Calabar pre-event publications.
However, these publications have opened a new window on
carnival, highlighting carnival as a space in which history as memory
and national heritage are continually being made and remade. This
explains why most countries that organize carnival do it in a way that
it can teach young people about their roots and culture; and one of the
best ways to teach young ones, is through the performing arts, as it
provides the avenue for young people not only to see physically

socio/cultural features of their society, but it offers them the privilege

to practically experience the working of their culture.
In the carnival and event brochure 2010, in a bid to make
carnival a cultural event, the former Governor of Cross River State,
Donald Duke has ensured that communities work together to develop
stronger friendship and greater love for their respective cultures and
the other cultures of the world. (Carnival, Calabar preview 2010, 35),
declares that carnival is an art, and as an art, it offers as all dynamic
arts, the tool as self expression and exploration which helps us go out
in search for our roots which is our cultural heritage, and this
ultimately, helps us celebrate what make us different from the rest of
the peoples of the world.
Carnival like culture creates a sense of value and belief in
individual or the culture of a community. It helps the people to
appreciate what they have as a people, it enables visitors to interact
with the host community and helps the people enjoy and meet with
others. Carnival provides both the host community and visitors alike
with a unique vibrant and valuable culture.
1.8 Theoretical framework

The Calabar Carnival is a tourism and a recreation project.

Demand as well as supply of recreational and tourism facilities is
directly related to higher living standards, higher income, greater
education, improvement in transportation facilities, political stability
longer vacations, etc. These issues have been dealt with by many
urban and regional planners. In general, recreation and tourism are
viewed as service industries (Eglash, R., 2005). What this means is
that not so much of economic benefits should be expected from it as it
is a bag of mixed blessings.
Two theories which have captured the place of tourism in the
development of third world economies are the functional approach
and the political economy approach (Lea, 1995). The functional
theory according to Martins (2011) and as amplified by Packer, W. O.,
et al

(2003) is an analytical approach to the complex issues of

tourism. This theory sees tourism as an activity or a process which

can be broken down into three main sub-divisions. The first he called
the dynamic phase. This covers the movement of the tourist to and
from the destination. The second phase is the static element which
focuses on the stay of the tourist and the third is the consequential

element which involves the description of the impact of the tourist on

the economic, physical and social environment of his destination. The
functional approach is a model for looking at tourism as an
interconnected process or a system with inputs, and outputs, links and
feedback mechanisms. The functional view pays little or no attention
to issues of profitability, economic exploitation and inequalities
preferring rather to focus attention on how to provide a description of
the attributes of the industry in terms of the tourists, their destination
and various impacts.
On the other hand, the political economy approach clearly states
that tourism perpetuates many existing inequalities despite its
considerable benefits to poor countries . Unlike the functional
approach, the political economy approach probes beneath the mere
surface characterization of the industry. This theory views tourism as
emanating from the desire of the affluent middle classes in
metropolitan countries to travel abroad. It contends that the
companies which have emerged to service the tourism industry have
organized themselves in a manner to best exploit the tourism demand.
And such companies include hotels, airlines and tour guides. For the

Calabar carnival, we may add the costume designers and a litany of

middlemen and women. The consequence is that a bulk of the tourist
expenditure is retained by the above cabal. In addition, these agencies
ensure that the tourist is confined to isolated enclaves separated from
most of the local population. And finally, the tourist package makes it
impossible for host countries to gain adequate control over their own
visitors. In fact this approach sees nothing economically or socially
beneficial in engaging in tourism. Rather it views tourism as an
extension of imperialism and a reflection of patterns of trading links
and spheres of influence which must have been established over time.