By Yemisi Suleiman

The 17th edition of the annual Cultural fiesta, Africa’s largest cultural fusion festival, held recently at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, was a celebration of Africa’s rich cultural diversity and heritage.

With the theme, “Creating Opportunities in African Culture for Economic Development via Strategic Investments in Arts & Tourism,” the annual cultural festival has, over the years, fostered a deep appreciation for the tapestry of African culture.

Speaking at the event, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, and organiser of Culturatti, Mr. Idris Aregbe, said this year’s theme underscores the festival’s commitment to exploring the boundless potential of African culture as a catalyst for creativity and economic growth within the realms of music, arts, food, and tourism.

He stated that as an African cultural enthusiast, with a penchant for creating value, he believes African culture can be translated into a sustainable vehicle for youth empowerment, tourism promotion and other economic initiatives that resonate with global sustainable development goals (SDGs), given the latent economic potentials therein.

“The dire unemployment situation precipitated the cultural movement SISI-OGE in 2006, created to bring attention to the potential in African culture.

“Over the course of a decade, SISI-OGE metamorphosed into Culturati which has become Africa’s largest cultural fusion, continually creating business opportunities for many young cultural buffs to leverage on rewarding cultural excellence while celebrating Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage,” Aregbe said.

Aregbe however noted that this year’s edition was a lot more robust as it was targeted at opening up economic opportunities in African culture for youth empowerment, tourism promotion and general economic development.

The event showcased exciting and educating activities that weaved around African culture.

There was the Culturati food court, saturated with an assortment of delicacies portraying the richness of African cuisine; the Culturatti Fashion Show, which featured collections of some of the best fashion brands in the industry; and the presentation of best dressed African of the evening, with four persons carting home cash prizes of N250,000 each.