Imo Carnival
Imo Carnival is a festival in Nigeria, also tagged " Celebration of unity", was created as part of the vision of making Imo State in Nigeria. The carnival has been designed to be an annual event which begins on every 16th day of December and lasts till the 31st day of every December.It has boosted the cultural mosaic of the Nigerian people while entertaining millions of spectators/visitors within and outside the State, thereby boosting the tourism industry for all stakeholders. Buchi George is the initiator and the founder of Imo Carnival, also the executive director Imo carnival development commission.
History
The Imo Carnival will be held for the first time in 2011 under the name Imo Carnival, Which is aimed at celebrating the unity of all festivals in imo state has come to stay.The governor of Imo State, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha, has a vision of unity and making his state the hub for tourism and hospitality in Nigerian and in Africa. The Carnival presents a perfect platform from brand visibility for consumer and market awareness. The carnival aimed to unite every Imo indigene all over the World and to include more aspects of local heritage and culture and at the same time strengthen the capacity of the locals to participate in an economically beneficial way",.
Programmes
The programme of the event at the carnival will be drafted by the committee in charge of tourism and cultural activities and new initiatives which will be set up by the executive director, Buchi George. The Festival also boasts of music performances, from both local and international artistes, the annual Ahianjoku festival, Ozuruimo festival, Mmanwu (masquerade), Fashion shows, traditional wrestling festivals, Okorocha dance, and other traditional dances.Having all traditional rulers in attendance. Carnival villages will be set up across every local government in the state, to help carry everyone along.
Other activities lined up for the year according to the work plan, include beauty pageants: mister and miss tourism Imo, an essay writing competition *, which will involve students from both secondary schools and tertiary institutions, just to mention but a few.
- The essay competitions is aimed at resurrecting the reading culture amongst the youth of the State as well as inculcating the carnival culture.