BY Emmanuel Bello

COME April 11, 2012, Taraba State would be agog with what we have termed TAFEST ( Taraba State Festival of Arts and Culture). It is a maiden edition of the cultural fiesta as Jalingo comes alive with dancers, masquerades and arts from all the local government areas. It would be a four-day affair full of gaiety and fun.

The idea was firstmooted sometime last year when Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai said he wants to start a twelve-monthly festival of arts and culture- an event that will bring performers from all the 16 local government of the state together.

He said this at an annual cultural event at Sondi- a community on the outskirt of Wukari local government. He noted, at the said occasion, that culture is the fulcrum of civil society. According to him “a man who does not respect or honour his culture is doing a graet disservice to himself or herself. We all come from one background or the other. We must not run away from this.”

This has been the refrain of the governor in most fora where he speaks on culture. He once told a group that the diversity in the state in terms of religion and ethnic configuration is an evidence of divine intervention in the affairs of mortals.

Hear him: “if God wanted all of us to be of one tribe or religion, he would have done so. But that He chooses, in His infinite wisdom to make us different in outlook, it means God wants us to be together. We must learn to live as one and continue in the same way and accept our differences as a divine act.”

Taraba state is indeed a case study in how providence can bring together all sorts of persons in one place. Taraba is an anthropologist delight as it offers ample examples of how the forces of history can bring together diverse people with all sorts of tongues into one enclave. The state has over eighty ethnic groups- the largest perhaps in Nigeria.

And although it is politically divided into three broad senatorial zones, Taraba is a vibrant theatre of a myriads of dialects, dances, cuisines, costumes, songs, poetry, folklores, and others cultural aspects. How all of us could live together in peace, being our neighbours’ keeper and generally appreciating each other is simply mind boggling. In some parts of the federation, such differences would have led to all sorts of internecine warfare, mutual suspicion and open hatred.

Gov Suntai

And indeed, in the past, Taraba state did witness the eruption of hostilities due to these differences in faith and tribe. Suddenly, former neighbours turned enemies, with whole communities getting razed. Who can forget the dark days of Jukun/Tiv crisis or the deadly Kuteb crisis or the Gembu wars- the list is endless.

In the sad past these crisis were so serious they threatened the very foundations of the fledgling state. And the stories coming out of Taraba back in the day was one of trouble, pains and acrimonious relationship among the ethnic groups.
Most of these tensions disappeared with the coming of the current administration, because as soon as he came in, Governor Suntai made it clear that he has zero-tolerance for violence

. One of his many first acts was to ban all kind of thuggery in the state. He went after criminal with the ferocity of a jaguar. He read the riot act to war-mongers that they had no place in the state. Traditional institutions and religious leaders were conscripted into the “coalition of the willing”.

They became the ultimate guardian of the peace. In time, the state gradually became one of the haven of peace and security. Today, Taraba is arguably among the most places to do business, live and lead a decent life.

That is why the theme for the maiden edition is tagged: culture for unity and development. Yes! Unity is indeed a sin qua non for any meaningful development. With peace and stability, this government can continue to build roads, expand commerce, open up new routes of investments, deal with  challenges of employement, health and social security. With peace, the government can continue to engage all the sectors for growth and effectiveness. That is why Suntai has made peace and security his number one goal in Taraba.

To achieve this he ensures balance in all his appointment to reflect all the ethnic groups and the two major faiths- Christianity and Islam. This is no mean feat in a state as heterogeneous as Taraba. Lesser men with little or no idea of handling this would only throw up their hands in despair.

But Suntai has managed this well as the state is more united than ever. For the faith, eqitable distribution of state resources is the magic wand. He built churches and mosques with equal zeal. He recently gave out hiluxes to both CAN and the muslim council in all the 16 local government area.

For cultural fusion, he has ensured that every ethnic group is, for want of a better clause, carried along. Our hope is that by having an annual festival to display our rich cultural heritage greater unity would be forged amongst the groups. Besides, Taraba has a lot to offer the rest of the world when it comes to locally made craft. In this year event, we shall have exhibitions of all kinds ranging from the agricultural, to the solid mineral sector and the sheer creativity of our people.

We are also using the period to rejuvenate our cultural troupe. Suntai recently swung into action and released sums of money for this cause. Very soon, we shall be recruiting newer talents to form the cultural troupe. We are “laying to rest” the old dancers who have been on stage now for the last twenty years (some of them dancing their way from old Gongola to date). They would be absorbed into the civil service and they would be transformed into trainers and makeup artists.

The new blood injected into the state cultural troupe will reposition it to be more effective. When next Taraba state troupe are performing in any event, it would be clear that they are not only effective but repositioned to even bring in some earnings.

Bello is the commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Taraba State.