UNESCO has presented the certificate of inscription for the Kano Durbar Festival to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa.
Dr. Hajo Sani, Nigeria’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, presented a congratulatory message in Abuja on Tuesday, acknowledging the government and people of Nigeria for the inscription of the Durbar festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition celebrates the festival’s beauty, dignity, and unity among the people of Kano.
She explained that an Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage approved the nomination, and urged Nigeria to push for more inscriptions, adding that the recognition brings numerous benefits to Nigeria and local communities. She called for greater responsibility to maintain the festival’s sustainability.
“The Inscription of the Kano Durbar on the Representative List brings a lot of benefits for Nigeria and the local communities, and also calls for greater responsibilities of government and all stakeholders to maintain the Durbar Festival and keep it sustainable within the scope of its new international status.
“It is on record that this Inscription has brought the total number of items on all Intangible list to eight. At the 18th Session in Botswana, the Sango Oyo and a multinational inscription on Midwifery on Knowledge, skills and practice by eight other nations and Nigeria were approved.
“On this note, it is important for Nigeria to justify its multicultural status, as there is need for all stakeholders to work assiduously for more inscriptions”.
Receiving the certificate, Minister Musawa emphasized the importance of showcasing Nigeria’s diverse cultures, which represent every part of the world. She promised to step up efforts to earn more inscriptions, recognizing the economic benefits and job creation opportunities that come with these recognitions.
She expressed her delight and commitment to diversifying the economy through the promotion of Nigeria’s rich cultures, which in turn will attract different ethnic groups to Nigeria.
“One of the things that we want to use our talent, our content and our culture to do is this soft power, especially now that the world is interested in Nigeria. We want to expand our presence on the UNESCO intangible and tangible list. We want to export our culture and creativity to bring people to Nigeria. By doing this, we will be adding to the economic expansion and job creation, so, we will work hard to ensure more inscriptions for Nigeria.
“What really makes Nigeria great is our cultural expression. Our diverse cultures represent every part of the world. To have an inscription of the Kano Durbar, which we all know is a part of the tradition, culture and value of specifically, northern Nigeria, is of huge value, not only to that region, but to Nigeria as a whole”.
Musawa decried the inscription of few sites in the country, promising to step up action to earn more inscriptions.
Nigeria now has a total of eight inscribed elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
