By Sylvia Etta
Governor Liyel Imoke on Tuesday inaugurated the Carnival Calabar Festival 2014.
The carnival featured a cultural parade and dances by troupes from the 18 local government areas of the state and invited states. The states include Nassarawa, Benue, Imo, Anambra, Osun, Delta, Kastina, Rivers and others.
Imoke said that the cultural parade was an opportunity for the people of the state to celebrate their culture and heritage.
“You can see the number of verities and their display; this is to tell the world that we appreciate our culture and heritage.
“We have the 18 local government areas of the state and other states represented here today; we are celebrating our unity and indeed our culture.
“The cultural display is very exciting, we are celebrating one another, appreciating one another and displaying our cultural varieties’’, he said.
Mr Gabriel Onah, Chairman of Carnival Calabar Commission, said there were yearly innovations to make the carnival unique and colourful.
Onah said the state was giving culture its full support, adding that the 18 local government areas of the state and 21 states were invited for the event.
“We are giving the cultural parade a six kilometer walk, culture has united us and we are proud of that unity.
“We are using this festival as a means to bring people together, the entire country is represented here today and we are very happy to host them’’, he said.