Even as preparations are in top gear for the 2019 National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST, scheduled for October in Benin City by Edo State, the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) is also ramping up its efforts towards flagship cultural expo. The latest effort was the hosting of pre-International Arts and Crafts EXPO (INAC) dinner in Abuja to which was invited no less than 36 ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives of countries drawn from around the world.

The assemblage of countries included the likes of South Africa, Iran, Cameroun, Spain, China, Sudan, Venezuela and USA.  INAC (previously known as AFAC– Africa Festival of Arts and Culture) is a flagship culture exhibition that attempt to drive Nigeria’s cultural awareness to the world and a deliberate attempt by NCAC to rewrite the culture narratives of Nigeria to the outside world. The pre-INAC dinner, a tradition started in 2018, is a prelude to kick-starting the event in earnest, making it a most memorable one especially for foreign nationals.

At the dinner held at the Sheraton hotels, Otunba Segun Runsewe in his welcome address, thanked the various envoys for gracing the occasion recalling that the 2019 pre-INAC dinner with 36 attendants was an improvement over the 22 countries that participated in the 2018 edition of the event.

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The essence of the dinner, Runsewe intoned, is to provide a platform for diplomats to interact and unwind in an informal atmosphere in a bid to further cement the cordial relationship already existing between them and the host country, Nigeria.

The third edition of INAC will dedicate an entire day to countries interested in entertaining the convention. Last year witnessed phenomenal entertainment from countries like China, India and Bangladesh. Also, slated for this year, he further disclosed, is the commemoration of the Cultural Diplomacy Day for Peace on November 24. Conceived and launched in 2018 by Runsewe, it is a day established as a cultural link amongst nations with the aim of ensuring a common network of cultural identities.

The dinner featured Nigerian cuisine, sensational cultural presentation, group photo, exhibition of artistic masterpieces by contemporary Nigerian artists, display of vintage bronze casts and other historic artefacts courtesy NCAC. There was also presentation of souvenirs by the NCAC DG to the envoys.