NCBA, Nigeria explore Carnival collaboration

The Na­tion­al Car­ni­val Bands As­so­ci­a­tion of Trinidad and To­ba­go (NC­BA) is ex­plor­ing greater cul­tur­al and Car­ni­val col­lab­o­ra­tion with Nige­ria fol­low­ing a meet­ing with Nige­ria’s High Com­mis­sion­er to Trinidad and To­ba­go, Jer­ry­mon Samuel Man­we.

NC­BA pres­i­dent David Lopez and the as­so­ci­a­tion’s ex­ec­u­tive met with Man­we to dis­cuss op­por­tu­ni­ties for cul­tur­al ex­change in­volv­ing Car­ni­val, the cre­ative in­dus­tries, youth de­vel­op­ment and African her­itage.

Dis­cus­sions cov­ered stronger links be­tween Trinidad and To­ba­go and Niger­ian artists, de­sign­ers, mu­si­cians and oth­er cul­tur­al prac­ti­tion­ers, as well as pos­si­ble col­lab­o­ra­tion in mas and cos­tume de­sign, mu­sic and dance, cul­tur­al ex­hi­bi­tions, her­itage preser­va­tion and in­ter­na­tion­al Car­ni­val par­tic­i­pa­tion.

The NC­BA is al­so con­sid­er­ing a for­mal Nige­ria-Trinidad and To­ba­go cul­tur­al ex­change pro­gramme through which artists and cul­tur­al prac­ti­tion­ers could share skills and ex­pe­ri­ence.

The as­so­ci­a­tion said it wants to ex­plore Niger­ian par­tic­i­pa­tion in se­lect­ed Trinidad and To­ba­go Car­ni­val ini­tia­tives, while cre­at­ing op­por­tu­ni­ties for lo­cal cul­tur­al prac­ti­tion­ers to par­tic­i­pate in Niger­ian cul­tur­al events.

The NC­BA said the ini­tia­tives could strength­en cul­tur­al links be­tween Africa and the Caribbean while cre­at­ing op­por­tu­ni­ties for young peo­ple in the cre­ative in­dus­tries.

Lopez and the NC­BA ex­ec­u­tive thanked Man­we and the Niger­ian High Com­mis­sion for their re­cep­tion and said dis­cus­sions would con­tin­ue to­wards de­vel­op­ing prac­ti­cal ini­tia­tives for the cul­tur­al and cre­ative sec­tors.

The NC­BA said it re­mains com­mit­ted to ex­pand­ing Trinidad and To­ba­go Car­ni­val in­ter­na­tion­al­ly and wel­com­ing in­ter­na­tion­al cul­tur­al part­ners.