Highlighted below are some projects aimed at developing our cultural industries towards contributing to the growth of the national economy. Significantly, they are aimed at promoting cultural assets for national pride, integration, unity and peace.
- The African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo
- Bi-Annual Meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation (CEC)
- The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST)
- The National Culture Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria
- Indigenous Games
- Indigenous Cuisines Development
- Local and International Exhibitions
- Collaboration with NGOs and International Organizations
- Documentation and Compilation of Statistics of Crafts Centres and Practitioners
- The Culture of Peace and Dialogue Forum
- NCAC Annual Honours Lecture and Award Series
• The African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo
In our renewed efforts to position our programmes and activities towards keying into the Transformation Agenda of the present administration, we have re-strategized the planning and featuring of the Annual African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo to become more comparable to if not better than similar Arts and Crafts Expos in other parts of Africa and beyond. It was initiated in the year 2008, with the renewed approach and strategy of re-engineering the Expo which is critical towards dovetailing our culture industries to contribute meaningfully to our national economy; the 6th edition witnessed great improvement in the areas of national and international participation with fifteen (15) countries and over two hundred (200) Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in attendance. The 7th edition with the theme African Arts and Crafts: Tools for Economic Empowerment scheduled to hold in Abuja, FCT from 1st to 12th July, 2014.
• Bi-Annual Meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation (CEC)
So far, the National Council for Arts and Culture has successfully organized forty (40) editions of the meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation with all the 36 States and the FCT as members. The Council’s achievements from these meetings include the articulation of a common position towards deploying our diverse and rich cultural resources aimed at combating the vices such as youth restiveness, insecurity, unemployment etc. These efforts are being manifested through our National and State engagements in the areas of Drama, Music, Dance, Arts and Crafts Exhibition and Children’s’ programmes.
• The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST)
The National Festival of Arts and Culture as of today remains one of the major cultural festivals that serve as great platforms for mobilizing Stakeholders in the Arts and Culture Industry at which they interact, showcase talents and project the values of our heritage as well as develop the spirit of national identity and peaceful co-existence.
Towards meeting the challenges of our time, the Council is positioned more than ever before to deploy its diverse and rich arts and culture resources to be a spring board and an instrument for promoting national unity, national integration and an avenue for economic empowerment. The Cultural fiesta which attracts contingents from all over Nigeria does not only serve as a platform for the exhibition of Nigeria’s Arts and Culture but also provides a unifying link for the diverse ethnic groups in the country as evidenced in the transactions, friendliness and atmosphere of warmth which is always at play during the one-week event.
• The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST)
The National Festival of Arts and Culture as of today remains one of the major cultural festivals that serve as great platforms for mobilizing Stakeholders in the Arts and Culture Industry at which they interact, showcase talents and project the values of our heritage as well as develop the spirit of national identity and peaceful co-existence.
Towards meeting the challenges of our time, the Council is positioned more than ever before to deploy its diverse and rich arts and culture resources to be a spring board and an instrument for promoting national unity, national integration and an avenue for economic empowerment. The Cultural fiesta which attracts contingents from all over Nigeria does not only serve as a platform for the exhibition of Nigeria’s Arts and Culture but also provides a unifying link for the diverse ethnic groups in the country as evidenced in the transactions, friendliness and atmosphere of warmth which is always at play during the one-week event.
• Indigenous Games
The NCAC has over the years been in the fore front of promoting Nigerian Indigenous Games such as Traditional Wrestling, Traditional Boxing, Catapulting, Abula, Langa, Ayo, Archery, Charapke etc. This is with a view to developing and standardizing our various Indigenous Games to make them gain international acceptance as well as becoming a major revenue earner.
These Indigenous games are regular features of NAFEST Competitive and Non-Competitive events while special championship contests have also been organized in the past on some of them. When fully developed our Indigenous Games have great socio-economic potentials.
• Indigenous Cuisines Development
This is a value-added initiative to the Nigerian Cuisines Project of the Council which essentially aims at promoting Nigerian culinary heritage within and outside Nigerian shores. The in-house arrangement is looking at alternatives to packaging and marketing Nigerian food culture beyond its geographical confinement.
• Local and International Exhibitions
The Council organizes as well as participates in both local and international Exhibitions of Arts and Crafts aimed at creating public awareness on the role of Arts and Crafts in national development on a regular basis. At such fora, creativity, indigenous skills and talents are displayed with a view to harnessing and updating them for contemporary usage and thereby encouraging the consumption of Made-In-Nigeria products. This has great potentials in contributing to our pursuit for sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, our participation at international exhibitions promotes the Nigerian identity and creative advancement in the comity of nations serving also as a tool for rebranding Nigeria. Nigeria participated in several International Exhibitions; of special mention are the Embellishment of the Nigerian House in Bahia, Salvador (Brazil) and packaging a cultural Exhibition at the World Trade Fair Shanghai, China. Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 9th-12th Feb 2013, Cultural Exhibition show and Tourism Forum of the African-South American Summit, China, Taiwan.
• Collaboration with NGOs and International Organizations
In line with the efforts of the current administration in promoting the Public Private Sector Partnership (PPP), the Council regularly interfaces with Non-Governmental Organizations and professional groups both at the national and international levels. These include the Art Writers Organizations of Nigeria (AWON); Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Nigerian Herbal Practitioners Association, Nigeria Crafts Council (NCC), National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FAAN), the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) and the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN).The Council, in line with its mandate, is a Member of International Federation of Art Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), a global network of Arts Councils that aims at promoting artistes from the 73 Member Countries.In addition to this, the Council is a member of the World Crafts Council (WCC) a body charged with the promotion of Crafts producers and Marketers worldwide. It currently has 98 member countries.
• Documentation and Compilation of Statistics of Crafts Centres and Practitioners from the 36 States and the FCT with the purpose of providing data for planning purposes.
• The Culture of Peace and Dialogue Forum
This programme is devised as a platform for social re-orientation on alternative perspectives among Nigerian youths on the issue of conflicts and their resolution. The Culture of Peace and Dialogue Forum aims at entrenching dialogue as a viable alternative to violent means of resolving conflicts. The Forum draws Speakers and Experts in the area of peace and conflict resolution and some of the Children themselves are made to be Speakers at the forum. The programme has a national spread as it holds in six geo-political zones of the country where participants are charged to become Ambassadors of Peace in their respective Schools and Communities. Our effort in this programme is being renewed in view of the current developments which call for peace and unity.
• NCAC Annual Honours Lecture and Award Series
The programme is designed to honour eminent Nigerians who have excelled in their various callings as well as those who have contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria’s Arts and Culture. The Honoured Lecturer of the 10th NCAC Honours Lecture was Professor Saint Gbilekaa, a lecturer of Theater Arts University of Abuja and Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Benue State. Professor Gbilekaa lecture was on the theme: “THE ROLE OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA” Other Cultural icons honoured at the event were Mrs.Patience Ozokwor for the promotion of Nigerian Womanhood through Nollywood; Institutional award was received by the Guardian Newspapersfor the promotion of Nigerian Culture through Print Media; andFrank Oshodifor the promotion of Nigerian Arts and Culture through Visual Arts (Fashion Design).
In addition members of Staff of the Council who had distinguished themselves in the discharge of their duties were honoured of special mention is the ED/CEO’s Award which was given to Fatimah Hassan from the Arts and Crafts Department.