ABU Carnival: It Is All About Our Culture And More
By Hashim Muhammad Suleiman
A society defeated in battles can rise again and win the next battle. However, a society defeated by alien culture may find it extremely difficult to even recognise itself.
This is the intent and message that the ABU, Zaria students strategically put across to millions of mesmerized and hooked on audience across the globe during the just concluded fiesta of a carnival.
As a teacher of strategic communication, I know first hand, the power of alluring visuals interspersed in beautiful cultural hues. Such strategy penetrates the bubbles and layers of naysayers and deliver the intented message with dexterity at more than the speed of light.
Indeed, the entire week of activities that culminated in the well choreographed procession should be studied not only by scholars strategy but also those studying theatrics, cultural communication, choreography, human geography, trends, cultural renaissance, human ingenuity, celebrity culture, class struggle, and many more.
Also, I look forward to time when giant corporate organisations like MTN, Airtel, producers of large moving consumer goods, tech companies and many more would begin to factor in and cash out from such attention grabbing and attention retaining activities like the ABU, Zaria carnival.
As from the title of this piece, the carnival wasn’t, isn’t and wouldn’t be only about entertainment, it is all about our culture and many more. It is about studying us by us; it is about empowering us by us; it is about rendering the beauty of our cultural attire, cuisines, mannerisms and our human beauty to the entire world. It is about telling the whole world about our socially acceptable norms that others can copy and find happiness.
Indeed, the ABU, Zaria carnival is about you, it is about me, it is about them, it is about us, it is about unity in diversity, a maxim that’s very dear to the existence of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Understand it from this primism and appreciate that what the ABU, Zaria students excellently put together and delivered with near perfection is a call to action to all humanity.
The students have done their part, let’s all play ours too in order to make Nigeria a nation where diversity makes us stronger, more coherent and more united. For a society whose defeat is through its culture, may never rise again.
It is about us.
Suleiman, PhD can be reached at mshashim@abu.edu.ng