Foods, Drinks, Fashion, Arts, Music Take Center Stage As Diplomats Discuss African Heritage

The need to promote regional integration with foods, drinks, music, arts and fashion was top on the agenda as diplomats from Russia, India and Africa gathered for this year’s Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) lecture on Thursday November 21, 2024, in Lagos.

 

SWAN used the occasion to unveil and present its International Diplomacy And Its Diversity on Foods, Drinks, Cultural Heritage, Fashion, Arts, Music, and Dance Fiesta.

 

Speaking at the event, the High Commissioner of Gambia to Nigeria and the country’s permanent representative to the Economic Countries of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Musa Njie, advised that African diplomats should look for ways to use African foods, drinks, arts, music, and dance to promote culture to attract and strengthen tourism to the rest of the world.

 

The Gambia High Commissioner further stated that his presence at the event was to show African fashion, and culture, to directly or indirectly affect trade and tourism and also to basically speak to Africans across the world that they have a good cultural heritage.

He stressed that Africa has beautiful artefacts with different types of foods that can be sold to the international world.

Njie urged all Africans to join hands to promote things that they have in abundance, which he said include food.

“I was thrilled by the Nigerian fashion and culture, when I first came to Nigeria over four years ago,” he said.

 

Amb. Njie revealed that he is impressed with all the tribes in Nigeria, adding that he is in love with the culture of the people, which he said has unique identities, saying that this is fascinating.

He said that he is now accustomed to wearing Yoruba outfit on Mondays, and that on Tuesdays, he wears Hausa outfit, and on Wednesdays he adorns Igbo wears, and that he wears Gambian attires on Thursday, while he adorn other attires on weekends.

“And if you look at my dressing today, you will see that it is a combination of Yoruba and Gambian culture. So, we are ambassadors, we really have to portray that positive image of Africa.

“I must commend the organisers (SWAN Lagos) for extending the invitation to me and particularly, the Lagos State government for the hospitality in the state,” he said.

 

He then encouraged everyone to promote African cultural heritage to the rest of the world.

Also speaking, the President of Inter Guide Academy, Grace Olowo-Adegboyega, wished the people of Nigeria would support educative things like this.

According to him, “we have quite a number of things to educate ourselves on and even our children.”

The United States of America-based Nigerian believes that when it comes to foods, cultural diversity, and oil and gas, Nigerians should come together to educate one another, hence the reason she found the programme interesting.

She said that apart from education, Nigerians should get their children prepared for the future.

“When you have something to offer, children would emulate it, there’s a lot of additional education that could be gotten from Google, YouTube and obviously reading for the betterment of the community and society at large,” she said.

President of Inter Guide Academy, Grace Olowo-Adegboyega
The Convener and Chairperson of Sport Writers Association of Nigeria, Lagos and Head, Foreign Relations, Pan African American Chamber of Commerce, Amb Olatutu Oladunni said that to her, culture is personality.

“It’s an ideal, not modest because modest is when you try to please the society, you want to favour the society, but ideal comes from the personality, from your individual from within. Ideal from proper manner that fits every community or environment that you find yourself both young and old.

“Therefore, culture has to be ideal, that’s what culture stands for, culture starts from me and you, from there, we can project whatever we bring forward inform of foods, fashion, greeting, arts, whichever way we want to project it, it’s going to be fabulous,” she said.

Oladunni stated that the government can’t do everything, and that it’s imperative for the citizens to project a logical and productive initiative, adding that collaboration, and partnership would come from parastatals and corporate world.

Chairman, SWAN Lagos, Amb. Olatutu Oladunni
She stressed that they are the ones running things, and that it’s all about administration, which she said can’t do everything, and that most of the responsibilities fall within everyone to create a better environment.

Guests were treated to the display of African fashion, arts, and traditional dancing.

The event was rounded off with presentations of awards and decoration of deserving individuals and personalities.

 

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