By Zalson Willam
Recently, the Laka community within and outside Adamawa State marked their 2023 annual national cultural festival. The event took place at the Mahmud Ribadu Square in Yola the Adamawa State capital.
The event was witnessed by prominent sons and daughters of the Laka extraction and top government functionaries including the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, was represented by the Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Hon. Aloysius Baba Doke.
In his paper with the theme "Cultural Festivals And inter Communal Cohesion" , the guest speaker, Dr. Calvin Yusuf Pelene defined cultural festival as a celebration of the tradition of a particular people.
Dr. Calvin Yusuf, added that it is an organized set of special events such as musical performance or plays, usually happening in one place or a special day or period in memory of a cohesive effort, saying that the beauty of festivals are the joy they to our lives.
He urging them to embrace the spirit and spread happiness whereever they go, lamenting that the threat to national unity is the greatest challenge facing the nation today.
According to him, Nigeria is a multiethnic nation with diverse cultures and traditions but in spite the seeming challenges of the diversity of culture, there have been many institutions promoting value through cultural festivals.
The Guest Speaker said the Laka nation is now blowing a wake-up trumpet calling on other dialects who have not started a traditional/cultural festival to stand up to the challenge to build a festival that will shape the future of the land people in a cohesion for coexist and sustenance of values.
According to him, the Laka people must to be commended for coming strong in this context, and that every individual, every family and indeed every society has principles and standards which are appreciated and held in high respect.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the National President of the Laka Cultural Association, Shu'aibu Usman Leman, explained that the event aimed at building a compassionate and harmonious community by bringing Laka people and peoples of different cultural backgrounds together in celebration through songs, dance, meditation and dialogue.
He said cultural festivals are catalysts for intercultural dialogue and they can reach out to people from different backgrounds and across generations.
According to him, through cultural integration, they learn how to be better people in the society and how to live together as brothers and sisters and used the opportunity to commend Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for releasing Adamawa State from the clutches of underdevelopment.
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