"The South West Cultural Festival is an opportunity for us to see who are real South Westerners"

-Ngoh Grace Ewang- Regional Delegate of Arts and Culture for the Southwest Region.

Ngoh Grace Ewang- South West Regional Delegate of Culture

We are about to witness the maiden edition of the Southwest Festival of Arts and Culture. What spurred you to initiate this event?

I came as a Regional Delegate and I had to listen to people. So after listening to the chiefs and other cultural stake holders, I understood that they needed an event that would bring the Southwest people together. An event that will showcase what we have in the Southwest Region. Despite the rich cultural heritage of the Southwest Region, there is nothing in the form of events to showcase it. The Cultural Festival is like our National Identity Card. It showcases who we are. We don’t speak but simply show those things that make us unique. The Southwest Cultural Festival is a Forum to explain who we are.

It is really expensive to do what you have in mind for the preservation of culture is pretty expensive.

I have realised as a Regional Delegate that there are funds to preserve culture. There are some Traditional Dances that you have to preserve and are difficult to preserve. International Funds are there but we don’t benefit from it due to the lack of events. These events serve as tools for those funds. It is a tool that will help in the task of cultural preservation. Villagers don’t know the meaning of this term but we are putting in place a mechanism that will make them help us in cultural preservation without necessarily knowing the meaning of the word “preservation.” While dance groups are working hard to be part of the event, they are preserving it without realizing it.

How did the preparation go and do you think everything is in place with the event already taking off?

We started preparations in December. This makes a period of 11 months of preparation and hard work. During this period we have written a project and we have met everybody that we had to meet; Administrative Authorities, sponsors, elites and we've gone every where that we had to go. Divisional Steering Committees were created around the chiefs. Chiefs serve as focal points. We have only a Regional Delegation in the Southwest Region with 4 staff so we could not succeed without putting committees in place. We want to give every Division a full day to showcase what they have. The Divisions had at least two or three meetings with their people. A large meeting was equally held presided at by the Government of the Southwest Region Bernard Okalia Bilai to make people know that they have to be committed.

How forth coming have the traditional leaders been?

We don't start any Cultural event without going to the Traditional Rulers since they are the base of everything. I really want to thank them for embracing the project from the first time they heard of it. From the first day that I saw the Paramount Chief of Kumba Nfon V.E. Mukete in the Kumba Forum they have been mobilising people. With the chief behind it, we are confident it will work. They gave me letters of recommendation and now they are lobbying for sponsors who have indicated they will be there.

You certainly sourced from other cultural events in the Southwest Region that did not take a Regional dimension so as to benefit from some past experience?

When I came, I could go only where I was invited. I went to Lebialem, Ndian and Meme Divisions. So I encouraged them to bring at least one dance group from their respective Divisions. We are networking with the Mayors and the chiefs because if they team up, we will have every thing that we need.

Just before the event starts, what message do you have for stakeholders?

This event is not just mine but that of the Southwest Region. They should seize this opportunity and show people who they actually are. They should come during the period from the 5th to the 12th of December, 2015. They should mobilize and bring what they have to showcase. Sponsors are called upon to come forth because every support is welcome. This is just the first edition and it is very difficult. We will see those who are real South westerners. They should come to Kumba with their hearts without calculating money and time.        

edevnews.blogspot.com/Email:edevnewspaper@gmail.com/francoeko@gmail.com/Tel:+237691755578/+237696896001/ +237678401408/ +237661864369