The Rivers State annual hosted Carniriv has been described as a borrowed culture.
The Carniriv is organized annually in the state capital every December where all 23 local government Areas are mandatory display their cultural heritage in a road float, depicting each LGA’s cultural heritage.
According to the stakeholders, the show was a wasted of fund and it promotes immorality amongst the youths of the state, pointing out that it does not add value to the economy of Rivers state rather it gives some few the opportunity to be enriched themselves.
Speaking offensively the stakeholders said, Rivers State culture from the LGAs is decent but looking at the state organized carniriv, it is a shame and foreign to the typical Rivers cultural heritage where indecency is the main stay of it all.
The stakeholders accused the Rivers State government of having lost the essence of the purpose of organizing the cultural show of the Rivers man and woman.
“It is a shame to see girls half-naked to the public eyes where breasts and other sensitive part of the body of our maidens where exposed in the name of cultural show, that is never the true culture of the Rivers.
What happened at 2013 carniriv is a borrowed culture from Brazil, which should not be supported or copied into Rivers culture because it satanic and immoral, it debased the true sense of the Rivers woman.
“It was only Degema LGA, Bonny, Okrika, Khana and some few LGAs that portray the real culture of Rivers State in their floats, infact Degema really demonstrated it true status and culture when they float pass the judges in their typical living abode with zinc houses in their road float show. Khana also depicted her true culture when they matched pass the judges with their typical building, the float added with plantain trees and skeleton looking elderly man lying on the float, meaning, poverty the people are subjected to due to oil exploration in that LGA.
“It would be better the state government think of organizing an exhibition of Rivers State crafts during that period to replace CARNIRIV which in our opinion is going to be more beneficial to the Rivers State craftmen and also promote the true cultural heritage of the Rivers man art and culture. This will also attract foreign investors to like Rivers state craft as Opobo, Bonny, Kalabari lands and other LGAs have enough to showcase to the international community. It will also interest the young school leavers to take to craftsmanship instead of depending on white collar jobs which never exist. ###
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
