Keshi’s audioAudio Attached
NAN-ELS-1
Centres
By Sharon Obi
Abuja, Sept. 28, 2016 (NAN) The National Council for Arts and Crafts (NCAC) has advocated the establishment of three National Arts and Crafts centres in the country to promote the industry.
The Director-General of the council, Mrs Dayo Keshi, made the call when she featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Wednesday.
Keshi also called on all state governments to set up arts and craft villages to showcase the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the people.
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“I believe that our role is to create these economic structures; create an arts and craft fair.
“It doesn’t have to be just AFAC (African Festival of Arts and Culture) – once in a year; we can have ten.
“I believe that in order to promote Nigeria’s Arts and Craft industry, every state in Nigeria should have somewhere in the capital that they will call Arts and Craft village so that all their works from that state will be showcased in such a place and sold there.
“So whenever a visitor or a tourist comes, you just take them to the Arts and Craft village in your state.
“From all that I believe too, we should have three major national arts and craft centres in Nigeria as a start up.”
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The director-general dispelled the view that the country’s art and craft sector was dying, saying that foreigners had always valued and appreciated the creative art and craft works of Nigerians.
“People want these art and craft products; the problem is getting the wares as indigenous as it is to the buyers, and the buyers cannot go into all the villages where they are produced.
“However, we can have an African Festival of Arts and Culture where these things produced will be brought.
“A number of non-Nigerians do place high premium on works of art from Africa.
“What an average Nigerian will see and pass by because he or she is used to it, an art investor will pay attention to it.
And such an investor would constantly want a platform where people will be able to buy the products.”
She further said that the responsibility of promoting indigenous works of art was largely on the citizens.
Keshi said that Nigeria possessed arts products that aptly depicted the country’s diverse and rich culture. (NAN)
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Edited by Shittu Obassa/Emmanuel Yashim
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