The Second Deputy President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Justina Ovat, has called for deliberate knowledge transfer, documentation, and education to ensure the long-term sustainability of festivals and tourism in Nigeria.
Ovatt made the call during her presentation at the Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference 3.0 themed, “Festivals and Tourism in Nigeria: A New Pathway.”
Speaking from the perspective of an educator, Ovat argued that while conversations around festivals in Nigeria often focus on infrastructure, funding, marketing, security, and policy, little attention is paid to preserving cultural knowledge and building systems for continuity.
“So how do we ensure Nigerian festivals remain relevant, authentic, and economically viable for the next 50 years?” she asked.
According to her, the sustainability of festivals depends heavily on knowledge transfer, mentorship, documentation, cultural preservation, and tourism education.
“My key proposition is that festivals survive when knowledge survives. Sustainable tourism requires documentation, education, mentorship, skills development, and cultural preservation,” she said.
Ovatt warned that the absence of deliberate learning structures within festivals could weaken authenticity, succession planning, and economic opportunities within the tourism value chain.
She noted that many festival attendees participate in celebrations without understanding the cultural significance behind the traditions, rituals, and symbols associated with such events.
“There are things tourists and even participants do simply because they do not understand the culture or the traditions guiding the festival,” she said.
Using Carnival Calabar, Ojude Oba Festival, and the Osun Osogbo Festival as case studies, Ovat highlighted the need for cultural education programmes, volunteer development, tourism training, digital archives, and heritage interpretation initiatives.
She described Carnival Calabar as one of Nigeria’s strongest tourism brands, noting that beyond its economic impact, it has created opportunities for entrepreneurship training, costume design workshops, volunteer development, and cultural performance education.
“Ojude Oba has strong cultural identity and youth engagement, while Osun Osogbo has global appeal through UNESCO recognition, but more deliberate heritage interpretation and documentation are needed,” she stated.
Ovat also expressed concern over the gradual erosion of indigenous cultural knowledge as older custodians of traditions pass away without proper documentation.
“The older people are dying off. If we are not archiving what happens, then the younger generation will not have enough knowledge to sustain these festivals and heritage assets,” she said.
To address the gaps, she proposed what she described as a “Festival Learning Ecosystem,” designed to integrate learning and development into festival planning and execution.
The framework includes cultural knowledge promotion, youth participation, community ownership, tourism professional training, institutionalised documentation, heritage preservation, indigenous knowledge archiving, and sustainability-focused learning.
She stressed that communities hosting festivals must understand the economic value of their cultural assets and be educated on how to convert local traditions into tourism opportunities.
“People come to communities to dance and celebrate, but many local residents do not know that what they have can be translated into economic advantage,” she said.
According to Ovat, stronger tourism education would also improve visitor experiences and reduce cultural misunderstandings among tourists and participants.
“There is a need for deliberate tourism education for practitioners, professionals, and tourists alike,” she added.
She concluded by urging stakeholders to transform festivals beyond entertainment and celebrations into platforms for cultural learning and sustainable tourism development.
“While we celebrate and enjoy ourselves, we must ensure that knowledge transfer is happening consistently for the purpose of sustainability,” Ovat stated.
