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 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus. Vol. 4. (Issue: 2); December, 2020

Carnivals as Catalyst for Economic Development: Strategic Role of Newspapers

By

Jammy Seigha Guanah Eseovwe Emakunu

Department of Theatre Arts and Mass Department of Theatre Arts and Mass
Communication Communication
University of Benin (UNIBEN) University of Benin (UNIBEN)
Benin City, Nigeria Benin City, Nigeria
E-mail: jammyguanah@yahoo.com E-mail: ehimareese@gmail.com
Tel: 0803 213 3664 Tel: 0803 771 6514

Loveth Okowa-Nwaebi Stella Omedomero Egbra

Department of Mass Communication
Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku
Delta State, Nigeria
E-mail: wonderloveth@gmail.com.
Tel: 08037517697
Department of Mass Communication
Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku
Delta State, Nigeria
E-mail: stellaegbra@gmail.com,
Tel: 07032208330

Abstract
Carnivals contribute a lot of cultural and economic derivatives to a nation. There is no arguing
the fact that Nigeria`s economy is not stable currently; and this necessitates the need to explore
carnivals as veritable means of revitalising the economy. This study examines the contributions
of carnivals to Nigeria`s economic development; and how newspapers strategically facilitate
such contributions. The library and documentation research methods are used to interrogate the
subject; while the study is hinged on the status conferral and commodification of culture
theories. The study reveals that carnivals have the potential of creating jobs for the teeming
unemployed youths and artisans. They also showcase different aspects of Nigeria`s cultures,
especially through costumes, dances and drums. The study also reveals that the mass media,
(the print in particular), can play significant roles in promoting carnivals. It concludes that as
part of the drive to use tourism to diversify Nigeria’s economy, carnival processions could be
critical contributors to enhance the nation’s revenue generation. This could also help to
surmount the prevailing economic challenges. Consequently, the study recommends that
custodians of the cultures of the people should preserve these cultural carnivals in their purest
forms, while still offering them as unique tourism products. Also, that all the three tiers of
government should promote carnivals, using their local cultural displays as unique aspects of
such tourism products. Finally, the full potentials of newspapers in enhancing the organisation
of carnivals before, during, and after processions should be appropriately utilised.
Keywords: Carnival, Economy, Festivals, Newspaper, Procession, Recession.

Introduction
It is cheery news that Nigeria is gradually navigating her way out of her present
economic challenges, even though there is still biting hunger in the land. In 2014, after the
economy was rebased, Nigeria was declared the largest economy in Africa; the country was
also said to be the third fastest growing economy in the world. But in 2017, according to the

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Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the economy slipped into recession, with over 3.67 million
job losses and very minimal foreign direct investment (FDI).
According to Jude Ndukwe, Nigeria was one of the world`s foremost preferred FDI
destinations just a little over two years ago. Now, the same cannot be said about her; from a
robust stock market to a rapidly depleted one; from a fairly strong currency that was
manageable, especially with reference to its foreign exchange rate, to an abysmally weak one
(2). The exchange rate of the naira at the financial market dipped down to N367 to the US
dollar. There is no doubt that the current economic problem of Nigeria is basically because of
the mono-economy: there is undue over-reliance on crude oil in the international market. Even
though successive governments have harped on the need to diversify the economy and make it
inclusive, they have only paid lip service to the economic policy.
Before the discovery of oil, and before it became the major source of revenue for the
country’s economy, Nigeria’s economy depended on other export products, especially
agricultural products. Kano had the groundnut pyramids, which were exported and which raked
in a lot of money for the then Northern Regional Government in particular, and Nigeria in
general. Also, cocoa was produced and exported from the Western Region of Nigeria. Nigeria
used to be the biggest producers of cocoa in the world (Kolawole 2). The then Western Regional
Government of Nigeria under Chief Obafemi Awolowo carried out massive developments in
that region from proceeds of cocoa exports, most of which are still standing today. Monuments
like Cocoa House, Ibadan, (the first high-rise building in Nigeria) and the massive structural
development in the University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University), are part of
Awolowo`s developmental strides. It was also Awolowo, who established the first television
station in Africa in 1959.
The Eastern part of Nigeria also had the coal mines in Enugu, from where coal was
exported and also used to power locomotive trains, rail transport being a major means of
transporting goods and people to and from different parts of the country. The rubber plantations
in the Mid-West Region of Nigeria also contributed immensely to the growth and sustenance
of nation’s economy. Rubber plantations existed in the Mid-West Region; and raw and
processed rubber were also exported to earn foreign exchange for the country. It was even due
to the abundance of rubber in Nigeria that made vehicular and other locomotive tyre producing
companies like Michelin and Dunlop to set up factories in Nigeria. According to Ken Ugbechie,
in the 1960s, Nigeria accounted for 60% of global exports in palm oil, 30% (groundnut) and
15% (cocoa); but today, the country is exporting less than 5% of these produce. Thus, Nigeria
has no reason to bleat over the dwindling fortunes of crude oil (1). As a point of fact, there was
healthy developmental competition among the regional governments because they controlled
the resources in their regions. Little wonder then that, today, there are agitations for
restructuring so that there will be fiscal federalism.
According to Peter Olayiwola, on 3rd August, 1956, Shell-BP struck its epoch-making
discovery of oil in Oloibiri, situated some 80 kilometres West of Port Harcourt, in present day
Bayelsa State of Nigeria (79). A pipeline was then constructed from Oloibiri to Port Harcourt
to evacuate the crude oil; and in February 1958, Nigeria, then with a production capacity of
about 4,928 barrels of oil per day, exported her first cargo of crude oil (Aghalino 41).
Unfortunately, the moment crude oil was discovered in Oloibiri, and its exploration and
exploitation started to yield huge income for Nigeria, other sources of income for the country
were neglected gradually until they could no more give Nigeria significant revenue. The
government concentrated wholly on oil as the nation’s major revenue earner. Since then, over
thirty billion barrels of crude oil and gas have been extracted from the Niger Delta region, and
either dedicated locally to our refineries or exported to earn foreign exchange. It explains why
Odein Ajumogobia warns that, “at the current reserves and production rates, the oil and gas
wealth of the Niger Delta will be depleted in about fifty years – give or take a few years” (3).

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It is pathetic that Nigeria that borrowed money to International Monetary Fund (IMF)
in 1974 ran into recession in 2017 (the first experience being in 1984). This fact of Nigeria`s
largess to the IMF was disclosed by Abubakar Alhaji, who had served as the Minister of
Finance in the Second Republic. Kess Ewubare cites Abubakar Alhaji as saying that,

In 1974 when I was permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance,

the IMF approached us for a loan. I signed the agreement on behalf of
Nigeria. Unfortunately, today expenses of government have driven us into
recession (2).

However, the consolation is that tourism, with carnival as a major product, is among
the sectors that have been identified as alternative veritable sources of revenue generation for
the nation. Tourism has been seen as one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), tourism has boosted virtually
uninterrupted growth over time, despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the sector’s strength
and resilience. As at 2015, international tourist arrivals and tourism receipts rose to U$D1186
million and U$D1260 billion, respectively (UNTWO Tourism Highlights 2). Tourism is one of
the topmost employers of labour, whether skilled or unskilled, permanently or temporarily. And
carnival, which is gaining momentum in Nigeria, is one of the tourism products with huge
potentials to diversify the economy. Carnival creates hundreds of jobs, thus keeping most
people meaningfully engaged; and this also affects the economy positively, as people will have
money to spend. If appropriately utilised, carnival can go a long way to contribute to Nigeria’s
economy to enable her to fully come out of the recession.
Carnivals are so relevant to the society that the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
has blazed the trail by being the first University in Africa to offer a degree programme in
Carnival Studies. According to Dr. (Mrs.) Brenda Akpan, Head of the University’s Department
of Theatre, Media and Carnival Studies, the department plays a major role in sustaining the
reputable Calabar Carnival; and in replicating similar carnivals in other states of Nigeria. Also,
stressing that Calabar Carnival is one that cannot be put aside. Lin Cornellah quotes Akpan as
saying: “You cannot talk about carnivals in this country without mentioning Calabar Carnival.
In fact, they take us to go and build carnivals in other states” (2). She points out that the staff
of the department form the foundation of the workability of carnivals in other States in Nigeria.
Nigeria has a lot of festivals that can be celebrated in carnival forms. For Nigeria to
attract the world, the presentation and packaging of her festivals and tourism related events
must be top-notch. Carnivals that are poorly organised cannot attract tourists. So, concerted
efforts need to be made to put together fantastic and colourful carnivals and make them
attractive to domestic and foreign tourists, so as to benefit the country and her citizens who take
part in these carnivals right from the preparation stage to the end of the processions,
economically. This view is supported by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, who was quoted by sunnewsonline.com, as restating Federal Government`s
commitment to supporting and elevating the nation`s numerous festivals to enable them to
contribute their quota to Nigeria`s economic development, while also preserving the nation’s
rich cultural heritage (2).
However, for carnivals to occupy that enviable position whereby they will be revenue-
spinners for a nation, the support of the mass media, especially the newspaper, is very critical
to promote carnival activities through attractive pictorials of carnivals displayed on its pages
portraying the aesthetics of carnival events, among other strategic roles they can play. Also,
due to the status conferral ability of the media (newspapers inclusive) the forgotten and
unannounced potentials of carnivals can be brought to the public attention. This is achievable
because newspapers have the ability to set the agenda for the public discourse in their reportage,

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editorials, features, and so on. Newspapers also have online versions that can support carnival
publicity because the Internet, aided by the Social media, which according to Jammy Guanah,
Ijeoma Obi, Stella Egbra and Theodora Akumabor are the most effective media to reach a mass
audience, especially youths, that are heterogeneous, spread all over, and located in different
places at the same time (32).

Clarifications of Concepts
Carnival
According to wikipedia.org, carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade
combining some elements of a circus, masks, and a public street party. People wear masks
and costumes during many such celebrations, allowing them to lose their everyday individuality
and experience a heightened sense of social unity. With its history, dating back to the 5 th
Century BC in ancient Greece, with the Panatheniac games and the Dionysian festival,
celebrated in a carnival like processions, carnivals have become part of our popular culture
from the last century till this time (2). Processions were also held after victories at war as
evident in the record of I Samuel 18: 6-7 of the Holy Bible thus:

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with
instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played,
and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands
(Authorised KJV).

Carnivals like the Rio Carnival and Sao Paulo Carnival in Brazil, the Nothing Hill Carnival in
England, the carnivals which populate the Caribbean’s, and the Calabar and Lagos Carnivals
down here in Nigeria, among others, are now part of the annual calendar of international tourists
and revellers.
Carnival, a cultural tourism product, is a veritable tool to build the economy of any
destination in which it is being held. If the destination is packed with other tourist attractions,
it serves the purpose of marketing the destination and attracting tourists all year round, instead
of only during the duration of the carnival. This is what carnival organisers in Nigeria should
be looking at doing, making such carnival events as means of marketing their cities and town
to potential tourists. If this is done very well, and tourists will troop into the country; there will
be increased economic activities which will help engender sustainable economic growth.

Festival
Festival refers to the celebration or commemoration of a feast, event, or community gathering,
centring on a unique feature or theme of such community. In the traditional circle, it may be a
celebration in honour of a god, deity, hero or event at special times set aside by the community.
A festival could also have an historical, cultural or religious root. Kukoyi et al. opine that
festivals play a significant role in the life of a community where people have understood and
used them to lift spirits, transfer knowledge, enhance neighbourliness and create community
resilience (34).
Festival activities (processions inclusive) can enhance economic growth and the quality
of life and wellbeing of residents in the location where such festivals take place as a form of
cultural tourism. Kukoyi et al. emphasise that the resilience observable through festival making
demonstrates the cyclical nature of change that has been embraced without the destruction of
the community (36).

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There are numerous festivals in Nigeria that are celebrated in carnival styles; and most
of them came into existence before the coming of the present major religions: Christianity and
Islam. Festivals usually feature different displays of cultural norms: dance, folk songs, groups,
different associations, and age mates entertaining people in the procession. Some popular
festivals in Nigeria include the Ojude Oba Festival of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; Osun-Osogbo
Festival in Osun State; the Seigbein Festival of Kabowei Kingdom of Delta State; Igue Festival
in Benin City; and the Argungu Fishing Festival in Kebi State, among others.

Theoretical Framework
This study is based on the status conferral and commodification of culture theories. The status
conferral theory, propounded by Paul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton in 1948, explains how the
mass media influence people`s attitude and behaviour, including how audience members are
likely to react to mass media messages. The theory states that the media make the audience to
see certain people in a particular way based on the nature of coverage given to such people. It
could be an individual, ethnic group, political class, activities (like carnivals) or profession.
With this ability of the media to “confer” status, newspapers can blow the trumpet of carnivals
and elevate them to the extent that people will be moved to participate in them; and when this
happens, the economy of the nation will be boosted because money is involved.
The commodification of culture theory, on the other hand, is concerned with what
happens when culture is mass produced and distributed in direct competition with locally-based
or community-based culture (Baran & Davis). According to this perspective, the mass media
have become industries specialising in the production and distribution of cultural commodities.
By reason of their greater economic power, they are able to displace the local producers of
cultural wares to the detriment of the people`s everyday lives. The elite entrepreneurs engage
poorly-paid skilled workers who weave together bits and pieces of folk culture which they then
market for profit and as a substitute for the authentic folk culture. The subversion is carried out
through Westernised and other hybridised folk music, television programmes and movies.
Hitherto, “commodification’ was seen as an impetus for capitalism thus very negative;
hence, previous commodification theories felt commodifying native culture rather results in
alienation than in protecting them (Stuart; Matthew). However, contrary to this position,
commodification comes with a lot of advantages accruable to the hosts of “commodified”
cultures like carnivals; there are economic benefits, among others. Elizabeth Berkeley and
Charles Haddox, as well as Stephen Lyon support this view because of their belief that cultural
goods are produced for the internal economic development of a community or for export which
jointly determines the size of production The production processes, that is the preparation and
organisation of carnivals, for instance, can be strengthened through newspapers` participation
by way of reporting and giving them wide publicity (Berkeley & Haddox 57 Lyon). Mollie
Lambert cites Schiller’s commodification of culture theory as stating that viewing information
as something to be “sold” can explain the simplistic and similar “products” in the media (4).
This theory is also appropriate for this study because carnivals are based on and derived from
the culture of a people; and when such cultures are “commodified” or “commercialised”, the
people and the community (nation) enjoy benefits that can lead to economic development.

Carnival Processions
Carnival processions come with a lot of glamour, colour, fun, beauty and rich display
of culture. The participants are usually dressed in different colourful paraphernalia; and they
go in a procession through designated routes with music accompanying, street dancing and

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more, in a parade which normally ends at a spot where the grand finale takes place with
attendant spectacular displays.
A typical Nigerian festival that is celebrated with carnival procession is the Eyo Festival
of Lagos. The Eyo Festival, also known as, the Adamu Orisha play, is a Yoruba festival that is
celebrated yearly in Lagos, Nigeria. It attracts tourists from within and outside the country. The
word, “Eyo”, is said to also refer to the costumed dancers, known as, the masquerades that
come out during the festival. According to Butt-Thompson, the origins of this observance are
found in the inner workings of the secret societies of Lagos. History has it that the Eyo festival
is held to escort the soul of a departed Lagos King or Chief and to usher in a new king (25).
Furthermore, travelintelligence.com reports that it is widely believed that the play is one of the
manifestations of the customary African revelry that serves as the forerunner of the modern
carnival in Brazil (2). According to Lizzy Williams, the first procession in Lagos took place on
the 20th of February, 1854, to commemorate the life of the Oba Akintoye (1).
On Eyo Day, the masquerades proceed on a procession from their family/ancestral
homes at Idumota to the Iga Idunganran Palace of the Oba of Lagos, where prayers and
obeisance are made. The white-clad Eyo masquerades represent the spirits of the dead, and are
referred to in Yoruba, as "agogoro Eyo" (literally, "tall Eyo") (lagosat50-org.ng 2). The
masquerade costumes are donned by males of every age-group (from children to the elderly)
from the families of the initiates.
The Eyo costumes are unique; they consist of overall white-clad robes from head to toe,
with netted veils over their faces, long socks for the feet and specially designed broad-rimmed
hats, called, ‘Aga’. The Aga is made of various colours, which symbolises the family the Eyo
masquerade is coming from. Also referred to as, “Agogoro Eyo“ (tall Eyo), the masquerades
hold on to long patterned sticks called ’Opa Obata’, which are adorned with diverse rich cultural
decorations (https://malta4nigeria.wordpress.com). Festivals in other parts of Nigeria have to
be celebrated like this too because of the cultural and economic benefits that come with such
celebrations.

The Economic Benefits of Carnivals

All human beings are involved in an economic system in one way of the other. Hence,
Natascha Pröschel says people are involved in cultural systems which are made up of values,
beliefs and a certain affiliation regarding identity; therefore when economic systems are
combined together with cultural systems, like carnivals, in a cohesive manner, there is a
culturally sustainable development (15). To make this realisable, newspapers play a
complementary role. Goods, and according to Mollie Lambert, commodities too, need to evolve
and be innovative and be competitive in the marketplace, just as media and culture change to
better compete to serve society for this reason competition does not falsify the commodification
of culture theory, but rather solidifies it (3).
In the report of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions, UNESCO defines cultural goods as: “those goods, which at the time they
are considered as a specific attribute, use or purpose, embody or convey cultural expressions,
irrespective of the commercial value they may have” (6). This validates the fact that cultural
goods have both commercial and a communicative value (David 24). Carnivals fall into this
category of cultural goods. This further shows that there is a symbiotic medley that exists
among nations` cultures, their societies, and their economies.
Carnivals are cultural goods as well as tourism products that have a lot of benefits to
individuals, communities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate organisations and
government. They can attract visitors, especially foreign visitors, who pay for visas to come
into the country, and spend money for accommodation, transportation, souvenirs, food and
other sundry services, thereby stimulating the growth of the local economy and other

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entrepreneurship opportunities for the people where the carnival is taking place, and invariably,
the national economy.
Small and medium scale entrepreneurs, who form the service sector of tourism, benefit
immensely from the influx of visitors that come to either witness or participate in the carnival.
This is very critical to the people. They include photographers, local petrol station operators,
water and food vendors, hotels, restaurants, private security providers, car rental services, car
park operators, souvenir sellers, GSM service retailers, and so on. The service providers benefit
economically from the services they render during such carnivals, and when it is done regularly,
their income flows in regularly. This boosts the economy of the carnival destination as tourists
patronise them.
Some local and foreign visitors to carnivals may post comments and photographs of the
carnival and about their experiences on social media. Their experiences of the carnival shared
on social media platforms serve to advertise, not only the carnival, but the destinations,
indirectly to their friends and followers. This singular act, which is one of the best forms of
marketing and advertising in the 21st century, encourages other tourists within their spheres of
social influence, who may have heard about the carnival, but are still undecided whether it is
worth the while or not, to make up their minds to be part of the experience of the carnival during
subsequent editions.
With more people coming into the destination of the carnival, it is expected that there
will be increase in economic activities, from hotel bookings and car rentals to patronage of food
vendors like restaurants and eateries, and so on. This will boost the local economy and, in the
long run generate increased tax for government to finance other development projects,
especially in providing critical infrastructure for tourism to strive. Meaningful and sustainable
development is not achievable without the provision of basic infrastructure. Tourism cannot
develop without the supporting infrastructure. Critical infrastructure, such as, good and, durable
roads and bridges, potable water, good transport system, good health care, world class
hospitality industry, and so on. It is with these infrastructures that tourism, of which carnival is
a product, is sustained. Carnival, because of its economic benefits, encourages the government
to provide such infrastructure. The Calabar Carnival ignited the drive by the government of
Cross Rivers State of Nigeria to provide the necessary infrastructure to support the carnival
more than it would have ordinarily done.
Also, those who are directly involved in the planning and execution of the carnival
benefit financially. These groups of people include artistic directors, costume designers,
technical designers, drummers, musicians, dancers, choreographers and dance instructors, the
media that handle publicity, and so on. Titus Amalu and Ajake Ajake assert that investment in
combined arts is considered important for future social and economic returns. Carnival can
engage the communities, especially the young people and disadvantaged groups that more
traditional art forms cannot reach. It can also create new commercial opportunities in digital
and creative industries, among the priority sectors in the government's plan for economic
growth. And the best carnivals are also major boosters of the local economy (Amalu and Ajake
17).
Before it was stopped in 2014 by the present administration of Lagos State and restarted
in 2016, the Lagos Carnival, although on a smaller scale than was previous done by the
Governor Babatunde Fashola administration, employed the services of students from the
School of Vocational Studies to make the costumes of the carnival. Every single material for
the costume was sourced locally, apart from the feathers, which were imported from South
Africa. The Carnival gives opportunities to people to provide these products and services to
earn money. The proceeds could then be spent legitimately to maintain their families, to pay
their bills. This means that, they will be ploughing the money back into the economy. If
foreigners are employed to make the costumes, they will repatriate their profits to their

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countries. Also, if the materials are sourced from abroad, it will result in capital flight and
enrichment of other economies, while denying the local or national economy the opportunity
to grow.
The Calabar Carnival, “Africa’s Biggest Street Carnival”, is probably a success story
that will never go unmentioned. When one talks about carnivals in Africa, Calabar Carnival is
a reference point. Right from its inception in 2004, Festival Calabar, as it is also known, has
become the benchmark to evaluate the success of other carnivals. There are CARNIRIV in
Rivers State, Abuja Carnival, Benin Carnival and the Lagos Carnival. But, as of the time of
writing this paper, it is only the Abuja Carnival, Lagos Carnival and the Carnival Calabar that
are being organised. Either because of structural, management or policy issues, the other
carnivals have met their untimely end. As a point of fact, Calabar Carnival is still growing
strong, and its economic benefits are being felt by the citizens of Calabar metropolis.
The Carnival Calabar, which started out as the Christmas Carnival, was instituted by
the Donald Duke administration in 2004, as one of the media to make Cross River State a
tourism hub in Nigeria and indeed Africa. During the festival, which spans the whole of
December, Calabar metropolis is always a beehive of activities, and the traffic witnessed at this
period is very enormous. The seeming sleeping town goes into frenzy as the festival progresses,
culminating in the carnival procession proper; that is, the cultural carnival, children carnival
and the adult carnival.
The carnival is fashioned after the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival of the Caribbean’s;
but it is with an African flavour, as the local culture of Cross River State is retained, with all
the 18 local government areas of the State featuring in the carnival procession. Also, troupes
and organizations from different states in Nigeria as well as from other African countries are
invited to participate. The main carnival procession features five bands at inception: Passion
Four, Bayside, Seagull, Masta Blasta and Freedom Band. But the 2017 edition featured a new
band, called, Governors Band, bringing the number of the bands to six. The 12-kilometre
carnival procession commences from Mary Slessor Road and snakes through IBB Way, Marian
Road, MCC Way, Calabar Highway, and terminates at the U. J. Esuene Stadium, where the
final performances take place before judges, who adjudicate to ascertain the winning band(s).
Carnivals also provide jobs for those who will dress and undress the carnival procession
participants (though not masquerades) in their special costumes, as advocated by Nigeria`s
Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who avers: “if masquerades
were well-packaged, dressing and undressing of the masquerades could provide 1000 jobs for
some young Nigerian men”. According to him, “most States today have more than one festival
a year; but the packaging and lack of capacity has not enabled them to make the most out of
these festivals” (starsgist.com 1). He disclosed that there is a particular masquerade in the South
Eastern part of Nigeria which takes 100 people to dress, and another 100 people to undress.
Apart from their potentials to contribute to the growth of the nation`s gross domestic
product (GDP), carnivals foster peace and unity as well as provide various job opportunities to
unskilled workers, as they can be engaged to do one thing or the other. That is why the
Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, sees festivals (carnivals) as
part of the sectors that are “pro-poor, pro-the-underprivileged and pro-rural”, and that, “these
are the only sectors that import the market to the products” (sunnewsonline.com 2).
Outside economic gains, other benefits derivable from festival processions include
making people happy, moral sanctions against social and traditional authorities, renewal of the
communal life of the people involved, and entertaining and reducing of tensions. Carnivals also
provide a forum for creativity, custom, heritage and cultural practices for both residents and
guests. The health benefits include increasing the body metabolism of participants, as they trek
the long distances, the obese burning of excess weight, just as those who want to shed some
weight do so. Thus, carnivals are therapeutic.

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Strategic Role of Newspapers

Newspapers have become an integral part of every society today because of the invaluable
functions they perform. This informs Brohle’s declaration that it is hard to imagine a world
without newspapers, as it is a world without streets or telephones or houses. Brohle opines that
newspapers are a part of the mass communication industry, which also inform, entertain,
influence, and contribute to the economic system (3).
Apart from the fact that newspapers employ reporters and other staff, a step which in
one way or the other contributes to a nation`s economy, they engage in the sales of
advertisement spaces to individuals and multinationals to enable them reach their target
audience with their goods and services. Brohle thus argues that without advertising, readers
would not know about sales, about items they need and the best places to buy them, about
services for their homes or offices, and about items for sale by other readers of the paper
through the classified ad section (4). In this case, the newspaper becomes handy in helping to
promote carnival processions and carnival-related activities.
According to Stephen Cushion, newspapers or print journalists remain a frequent
reference point for rival news media, and a routine source for understanding how an event or
issue is interpreted; and that newspapers continue to play an important agenda-setting role in
raising debate about the stories they select and editorially frame (5). Newspapers report and
explain the goings on around the world; outside their popular functions, Elaigwu expects the
mass media to also perform the function of providing historical contexts and perspectives for
the masses through feature articles in papers, documentary series on radio/television and others,
to help to give invaluable historical contexts to current society, especially as more people have
access to media outlets, such as, radio/television, newspapers and other printed matters. No
doubt, promoting our culture, and in this context our carnivals, is an assignment that the mass
media, pointedly the newspaper, must robustly handle. Asor Tsebee therefore urges the press,
as a matter of duty, to begin to accord culture adequate reporting because, as at now, the style
and content of the media show lack of interest in cultural reporting except for a few cases (33).
The media, which the newspaper is part of, are certainly the most influential mediators,
representatives and purveyors of values, beliefs and social practices within society. They
produce "our" collective identity; they reflect or reproduce "our" sense of collective national
identity, speaking for society as a whole (www.newi.ac.uk).
The core function of a newspaper is to inform its readers about the goings on, not just
around its immediate environment but all over the world. The newspaper, which has the ability
to break down information to the understanding of readers, also provides entertainment news
as well as educates citizens on various issues. Some of the qualities of a newspaper that make
it attractive to people are the fact that it is portable and can be carried around; it is cheap
compared to other information generating and supplying media; it is regularly available for
readers; and it is attractive because of the beautiful photographs the cover is always adorned
with. More people tend to believe the contents of a newspaper more than other communication
platforms, like the social media, because thorough investigations are carried out before stories
are published. Another advantage of the newspaper is that it can be kept as a reference material
because of its tangibility. The newspaper presents its story types in form of straight news,
editorials, opinion articles, feature articles, advertorials, personality profiles and picture stories.
Through these avenues, it can support the promotion and success of carnivals and ensure they
contribute to the growth of the economy of a nation.

a) News: News reports about carnivals can go a long way to help the fortunes of carnivals.
Positive news about carnivals can attract more attendance and participation, and
invariably enhance economic growth. From news reports, previous organisers of

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carnivals will have the opportunity to gauge public opinions about carnivals, and get to
know where they did well, and how they can improve on subsequent editions. News
stories in newspapers can also help to launder the image of carnivals and their
organisers, where such is needed, Take the unfortunate case of some models engaged
by the organisers of the 2017 Calabar Carnival. Their payments were delayed and they
threatened to go on street protest. Such actions could dent the image of the carnival
organisers; hence, the newspaper can come in to do some damage-control. There were
also some photographs of drunken participants of the 2017 edition of the Calabar
Carnival that went viral on social media. They were seen sleeping in different positions,
and in odd places, around the streets of Calabar after the programme. Needless to state
that even though these occurrences were after the programme, they paint the carnival in
very bad light.
Newspapers also report about tourist centres that can be visited during carnivals.
These include hotels that tourists can lodge; and other goods and services that can be
provided around the carnivals. All these have multiplier effects on both the host
communities and the nation as a whole. While organisers of carnivals are busy
concentrating on ensuring that carnivals are successfully organised, newspapers care
about other aspects, supplying relevant information participants need. At the end of any
carnival event, the reports by newspapers and published further give publicity to
carnivals and make both those who attended and potential participants of future editions
to eagerly look forward to subsequent editions.
With newspaper reports reeling out the rich packages that upcoming carnivals
promise to deliver, participants would have a foretaste of what to expect. Newspapers
also report about host communities of carnivals, their culture and idiosyncrasies; they
identify early enough things that could hamper the successful hosting of such carnivals
and intimate relevant bodies to correct such anomalies before the commencement of
such carnivals.

b) Features: The feature article can also be an effective tool to boost carnival activities
through the newspaper medium. A feature is a write-up that gives details about a matter.
It can be used to spice up the bones of the straight news, which is usually scanty with
details, as well as render exhaustive information on any issue in a fascinating way. The
feature article can be utilised in reporting about carnivals. Through it, detailed
information that has to do with carnivals can be well written to enhance their success.
Captivating and well-composed reviews of past carnival events through feature will not
only whet the appetite of prospective participants to plan to attend, but will avail them
of more background information about the carnival procession in focus.

c) Personality Profiles: Newspapers, sometimes, write detailed stories about

personalities. Such write-ups trace the background of such persons and chronicle as
well as highlight their achievements in life and the potentials they possess. Personality
profiles can be used as avenues to spotlight icons, who are authorities in cultural-cum-
carnival matters in the newspaper; icons who occupy enviable positions in diverse areas
in the society. The profile may be on celebrities or culture ambassadors, who are well
respected in the society. The people in focus will use the opportunity to speak
extensively on carnival activities to enable readers know more about carnivals and give
them the opportunity of deciding to be part of such carnival events. An in-depth analysis
of the icon`s expose` on carnivals will surely endear more people to a prospective
carnival event.

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d) Advertorials: Advertorials are advertisements that are placed in the media as part of its
editorial content. They occupy different spaces, and are of different sizes depending on
what an advertiser pays for. Ogbiten Ogbemi defines advertorial as an advertisement
written in an editorial style to attempt to give more credibility to the message (9). Also,
Michael Hoffmann sees advertorial as an advertisement styled to resemble the editorial
format and typeface of the content in which it runs; and it often generates higher
response rates (10). Unlike news, advertorials are paid for, and are presented exactly
the way the sponsor wants it in the press. Carnival organisers can explore the services
that advertorials offer to promote the activities before, during, and after every major
carnival event. They need to deliberately budget for this just to publicise whatever they
want the world to know about the carnivals they organise.

e) Editorials: An editorial states the stand of a newspapers or magazine concerning any

particular issue that is of public interest, importance and benefit. Through its editorials,
a newspaper can influence a person or group to take action or support a philosophical
stance that it believes is right. On the strength of this, the promotion of carnival can also
be advocated through newspaper editorials. It can make a big difference in the way
people see carnivals because the newspaper, through its editorials, can subtly sell its
opinions to the readers.
The editorial is also an instrument for the enforcement of the status conferral role
of the media (newspaper). Since it is only important issues that are addressed with
editorials, if newspapers feature carnivals in their editorial, it will show that it attached
importance to the event. Most readers, especially elites, go to editorials of newspapers
to know their stands on burning issues; and most times, they tend to align themselves
with the opinions expressed in the editorials and build their views based on the
perspectives of such newspaper editorials. This is because they know full well that a
newspaper must have taken a lot of factors into consideration before deciding on such
editorials. More so, the editorial boards of most newspapers are composed of men and
women, who may not be trained journalists, but are vast in various fields of human
endeavour; they are people of high intellectual fecundity, who possess critical minds
and have analytical prowess.

f) Opinion Articles: Opinion articles are personal views of individuals that are expressed
in writing on different issues. Some newspapers have an “op-ed” page (opposite the
editorial page), which is devoted to opinions from individuals other than the newspaper
editors. Opinion articles could be veritable platforms for carnival organisers, carnival
promoters, carnival lovers and advocates to air their views on various aspects of
carnivals and give readers information they need to make up their minds about and learn
what they (the writers) think about carnivals. The services of good writers could be
engaged by carnival organisers to write extensively about carnivals.

g) Picture Stories: According to Kujenye and Agbro, a picture (photograph) tells stories
of a million words (18). Photograph is a powerful tool of communication that can be
used to effectively send out messages because of its aesthetic values. It is a truism that
the use of a newsworthy and exciting photograph/picture is a major area of concern in
the mass media, especially newspapers and magazines. Reading the photos and graphs
in a newspaper is important for everybody because, according to Martin Field, “the way
the media cover a story, the range of issues that they address, even the language and
pictures that they use are significant” (34).

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Fascinating, beautiful and colourful photographs and snapshots of previous

carnivals adorning the covers of newspapers will not only enhance the aesthetics of the
paper but will endear and capture the attention of people to carnivals. For instance, the
photographs of the Governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade and Donald
Duke, former Governor of the State, with their wives and their power bikes during the
2017 edition of the Calabar Carnival attracted a lot of persons to the carnival in the
subsequent days of the weeklong event. It showed there was security for all classes of
people that may want to attend. The publication of beautiful carnival rehearsal
photographs (or that of the scenes of previous editions of carnivals by newspapers),
with well written accompanying stories, with a promise that the forthcoming ones will
be greater can arouse, attract, and sway the interest of potential participants, including
foreign tourists.

Added to the foregoing, the newspaper should be in the forefront of publicising the
innovations that are taking place in the various carnivals we have across the country. A good
opportunity for the press to do so was what transpired in the 2017 Calabar Carnival, where the
Governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade led 250 power bikers, including former
Governor Donald Duke, in an acrobatic display of state-of-the-art exotic power bikes. The
bikers’ segment of the carnival witnessed throngs of spectators, who laid siege on the 12-
kilometre carnival route to witness the acrobatic and colourful of display. The Bikers` Carnival
pulled tons of stunts in front of the ever cheering crowd. Ben Ayade justifies the introduction
of the Bikers Carnival thus: “The motor parade which you saw earlier is to connect all those
who have deep pockets to come and spend their money in Calabar. So, there is an economic
model that I am bringing” (calabar.website). This, on the long run, can lead to the nation’s
economic growth.
Furthermore, reflecting on the metamorphosis the carnival has undergone in the last ten
years, the governor said it has grown from the participation of the elderly to the middle age and
now to the young people. According to him, this has brought the change in the content of the
carnival to reflect the enthusiasm and the adrenaline pumping nature of the young people.
Professor Ayade added that, “before now it was procession and dance on the streets and of
course now I am trying to tell the story of migration, trying to bring out the business aspect and
trying to connect the youth and inspire them” (4).

Conclusion
Carnivals have a great role to play in generating revenue, and also helping to sustain
the growth rate of any economy. This is the reason the governments of Rivers and Edo States
should resuscitate the carnivals in their various states that have abandoned, just like their Lagos
counterpart did. This will create a medium for businesses in the states to thrive, thereby
developing the destinations of these carnivals economically and their infrastructure. When
various states in Nigeria develop their carnival potentials, it will enable the citizens and Nigeria,
as a country, to engender sustainable economic growth and development. Nonetheless,
carnivals and carnival processions cannot successfully lead to economic growth and
development of any society if the organisers do not join forces with the mass media, the
newspaper in particular, to contribute towards enhancing sustainable development of such
carnivals and consequent economic growth of the local communities in particular and the nation
in general.

Recommendations

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1) Governments at the three tiers of government should be involved in promoting

carnivals, while private investors and indigenous festival custodians should do all it
takes to protect their festivals.
2) Carnival processions should be moved from the margins to the mainstream to create
employment and generate revenue for the country.
3) The media, especially newspapers, should be actively involved in repositioning carnival
processions as one of the main pillars of the economy because of their potential to
generate wealth and create jobs.
4) Festivals need genuine collaboration between the private and public sectors, not only to
grow them, but to make them money-spinners for the people.
5) Efforts must be made to ensure that cultural festivals are packaged in line with global
best practices as a way to get global recognition.
6) Also, the full potentials of newspapers in enhancing successful carnival processions
before, during, and after processions should be appropriately utilised.

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