Semba- Freeing the African Spirit at Calabar Festival.
What is the difference: whether they are festivals or carnivals? Festivals, because Nigeria has always had festivals: New Yam, Osun Osun Oshogbo, and Argungu Fishing among others. Carnival in the sense they seek to imitate the Brazilian model? To that extent colourful costume designs assume themes beyond the usual African (Efik in the case of Calabar Carnival) traditional costumes. Indeed Calabar Carnival renamed Calabar Festival in 2009, coloured Calabar, the Capital City of Cross River State with syntheses of global cultural costumes. Further so, if Brazilian Rio Carnival livens up with Samba music, the prime ingredient of its fanfare, Calabar Festival was inclined, though very Nigerian. Songs by contemporary Nigeria artistes gave rhythms to dancing gaits by carnival parade bands. In Brazil’s Rio Carnival students compose songs and music specifically as part of the competition.
Calabar Festival bands or troupes, which included the Base Side, Master Blaster among others competed: just like in Rio Carnival. But they were judged mostly for their costumes. It was not as big as the Rio Carnival, which will resume its usual global sway 2010; Calabar Festival had its colossal impact last December 2009.
Not minding that the word Samba came from Angolan semba, reflecting ritual music application; Afro-Brazilians made good their African origins by championing its popularity. Of course its thrilling beats, typically African could not come from anywhere but Africa. Semba therefore stoked fires of passion, for African slaves shipped to Brazil in the 17th, 8th and 19th Centuries. Of course just like Blues evoke melancholy in the souls of Southern plantation slaves in the US. Therefore when the African spirit made contact with the uncertainty of American pastures, it was bound to find a way to express its agony in slavery. Calabar Fetsival would not miss that aspect; therefore it expressed Africa’s burden in the Americas, through dramatized costumed parade.
Calabar Festival also recognized Africa’s pre-colonial and colonial times. Africa’s national identities ranging from Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Niger, Ghana and many more were showcased. To that extent the planners reflected a sense of culture and history; albeit with a tinge of Latino!
Carnival as it is globally known is a Latin American Brand. Its Brazilian origins, feature celebrations 40days before Ash Wednesday, while Calabar Festival in about 30days thrilled the spirit of Yuletide through last December. Meaning as it were to encourage tourism, Calabar Festival featured wholesome Christmas celebration with lots and lots to eat, chew and drink. But Brazilian Carnival with the coming lent period in mind, consummate in all things, usually ushers in the Roman Catholics traditional abstinence from meat and poultry. Accordingly the term Carnival, from carnelevare, meaning to take meat out of meals, connotes worship. Such association with worship took roots from pagan festival of Saturnalia, adapted for Christian worship. It was to bid farewell to bad omen.
On the contrary festivals of the type like the Oshogbo among others in Nigeria command a sense of worship of deities. But festivals in recent times may be focusing more on commerce.
Calabar Festival had in 2009 benefited from increased commuter traffic by air and land converging on the city. Flights were fully booked two days to major events days during the carnival period. In fact, not withstanding the commissioning of new Ibom Airport in neighboring Akwa Ibom State passengers went by road, if they could not fly.
On December 27, which fell on a Sunday, the Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke announced citizens should attend church services; and resume parade about 2p.m. So streets were scanty till about 3p.m, when the main thoroughfare into the Calabar Metropolis came alive again. It was a resumption of freedom from routine of work; a time as it were to dance and race one’s heartbeat on the pulsating rhythms of semba-like music from bands. They rode atop big decorated trailers, and blasted decibels of contemporary Nigerianised hip-hop music.
Carnival dancers, spectacles of costumes clad young men and women had come from a camp near the State’s UJ Esuene Sports Stadium. The Governor Imoke and wife, who hosted the respective governors, Rotimi Amaechi and Chief Timipre Sylva of Rivers and Bayelsa States, signaled the beginning of the parade by leading a throng of crowd from the States Cenotaph, a converging point, to a view stand.
It was a spectacle of colours through a distance of five kilometers around town, ending inside the UJ Esuene Stadium. The bands entered the stadium at night amidst beautiful lighting that created sights not only for the judges, but spectators watching till the break of dawn.
The former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke who started it all, to further promote tourism in addition to establishing the Tinapa Resort also paraded. He received loud applause from the people, indicating he was still loved. The former Presidential Liaison for former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Florence Ita Giwa, popularly called Mama Bakassi, also lead a carnival train.