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Tayo Olanipekun
Nigerians resident in the U.S will host a cultural festival to highlight the various tribes that make up the most populous black nation as well as to hallmark the country’s 59th Independence.
The Cultural Parade and Festival, now in its third year, will hold on September 28 in Downtown Huston, Texas, home to the largest Nigerian community outside of Nigeria, the organisers have said.
According to the Executive Director of We Lead International, Linda Anukwuem, in a diverse and multi-cultural city like Huston, various nationalities like Greeks, Colombians, Chinese and others have their cultural festivals and they celebrate in a big way.
“Nigerians in Huston are the majority of the African population, however, we have no platform to highlight our culture in a very big way,” she said. “The focal point is presenting the authentic culture of Nigeria. Not just the green white green but the cultural and traditional authentic display.”
Houston has the largest Nigerian expatriate population in the United States, estimated to be about 150,000 as of 2014.
Anukwuem said Nigerians are well known in the city for their achievements in various fields of endeavour but decried the fact that their culture has not been projected to the outside world like those of other nationals living in Huston.
The Mayor’s Office in the City of Huston, through its Culture Department right from the first year of the Festival, has always provided the organisers with the logistics, including the closure of some streets to vehicular movements, provision of guards and security and access to the city field.
Anukwuem said further that the event will indirectly create an avenue to encourage tourism in Nigeria as the festival will also “highlight the food” and encourage trade and investment into the country.
“It can also provide a political platform in the city of Huston as it is an event that is targeted at a the majority of Nigerians that reside in that city,” she added.
