Valourising cultures, traditions of Region: South West Chiefs’ Conference announces cultural festival in December.

The President of SWECC, His Royal Majesty Chief Moses Obenofunde, and his leadership team made the announcement Saturday, September 21, during a special preparatory meeting in Limbe.

It was the first preparatory meeting that will set the pace for the organisation of the event, which involved the setting up of teams to lead different activities. 

It brought together executive committee members of SWECC, presidents of the six Divisional Chiefs’ Conferences in the region and other key stakeholders.

Addressing stakeholders during the meeting, the President of SWECC who doubles as head of the organising committee, , HRM Chief Moses Obenofunde, said SWECC was instituting the South West Cultural Festival to fulfil their role as traditional rulers and promoters of the customs and traditions of their people.

The pioneer edition of the South West Cultural Festival will be celebrated under the theme: “Peace, Cultural Revival, social cohesion, and investment promotion”. The theme, according to the president, highlights the desire of SWECC to promote culture and values in a climate of peace and social cohesion, while displaying the investment potential in the region to investors.

Vehicle for normalcy to return to SW

He expressed desire that such a platform will be a vehicle for normalcy to return to the South West Region, which has faced many hardships over the years because of the socioeconomic crisis in the region. 

The festival will mobilise more than 10,000 Southwesterners from all the nooks and crannies of the region, other parts of the country and those in the diaspora. The people will all unite under one umbrella to promote and project the culture of the South West people.

The South West Cultural Festival will become a yearly feature in the cultural, social and economic calendar of the region and an opportunity for denizens of the region to preserve and promote their culture and social cohesion. 

It will be characterised by traditional dances, fashion parades, exhibition of artefacts, gastronomy, music, caravan, artistic creations and other activities portraying the vast cultural diversity of the South West Region from all the six Divisions.

Speaking to journalists, HRM Chief Obenofunde said the festival will reawaken love and living together amongst denizens of the region, which have been missing because of the crisis, thus promoting the wellbeing of south-westerners.

“…Peace is a prerequisite for the development of social, cultural, infrastructure, and economic sectors, without which the people of the South West will not be able to display the avalanche of cultural values we have,” he said.

On his part, the Public Relations Officer of SWECC, HRM Chief EbongPende Epiekesse, said the festival would aim at promoting the spirit of solidarity amongst south-westerners.

This, he said, will enable the region to project its cultural values not only to other Cameroonians but also to the world at large.

On his part, the Secretary General of SWECC, Rev Chief Dr Ekoka Molindo, highlighted the huge economic potential of the South West Region and the need for peace to attract such investments. 

“…the forests, waters, and soil are rich so these investors will be able to explore investment opportunities in our region,” he explained.

He expressed his regrets that many kids in the region do not speak their mother tongue. The festival, he added, will provoke a reawakening and a new hunger for the revival of the cultures and traditions of the people of the South West Region. 

“…we have an avalanche of cultures and traditions and we must valourise them and be proud of our cultures and traditions,” he noted. 

Speaking to journalists after the event, Grace Ewang, a consultant with SWECC and vision-bearer of ‘Eyasu’ the South West traditional fabric, expressed joy at such an initiative from SWECC to revive and project the culture of the South West Region.

Such an initiative, she said, will project the region’s diverse cultures and traditions to the world.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3238 of Monday September 23, 2024