October 16, (THEWILL) – The 2022 edition of the Calabar Carnival has officially kicked off with the first dry run.
The dry run takes place in three installments in preparation for the main Carnival and competing bands usually showcase how prepared they are for the carnival.
Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River on Sunday, flagged off the first dry run for the 2022 Carnival Calabar, marking the return of the Carnival which has as theme: “Agro-Industrialisation.”
Ayade said that the theme of the carnival was carefully chosen with a view to sending a message to the global community that Africans can depend on themselves for food.
He decried the high dependence for food by African countries on western nations in spite of the vast arable land God has blessed the continent with, saying “Agro-Industrialisation was indeed the way to go.
“Today, we have great reasons to celebrate because Cross River is gathered yet again, to invent the charm that characterises creativity.
“The theme for this year is agro-industrialisation and indeed, agro-industrialisation is the way to go.
“For any nation that is committed and serious, that is the way to go. The greatest insecurity is hunger. There is no insecurity more threatening to man than the insecurity of hunger.
“The war between Ukraine and Russia led to scarcity of grains, this means that by the unset of 2023, the nation will be in big trouble.
“Therefore, I see a harbinger of scarcity, hunger and pain, grinding people to their zenith in terms of criminality and animalism”, he said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Calabar Carnival Commission, Mr Austin Cobham, described the dry run as the mother of all dry runs due to the additional bands in the carnival.
Cobham disclosed that the presence of the service commanders in the state indicated that Cross River was ready to host the world.
He congratulated Gov. Ayade for expanding the carnival bands from five to seven, which he said was creating an avenue for more participation.
The seven competing bands are Seagull, Passion 4, Masta Blasta, Bayside, Freedom, Diamond, and Calas Vegas.
THEWILL reports that this is the first carnival to take place in two years following a break as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
About the Author
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
