Calabar Carnival brings in online voting and streaming

The Cross River State Government has launched online voting and digital streaming to get more people involved in the Calabar Carnival.

Gabe Onah, the Chairman of the Carnival Calabar Commission, shared this news at the 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos on Wednesday.

Mr Onah explained that this new system will let the public play a bigger role in picking the winning carnival band.

He mentioned that Nigerians and Africans would be encouraged to sign up as members of carnival bands, just like football fans register with their clubs.

He said, "What we bring to Akwaaba this year is deliberate digital streaming and online voting."

Mr Onah stated that this initiative will work alongside the current scoring system used by judges from various professional fields.

He added that public voting will bring a new angle to the competition, letting spectators show support for their favorite bands.

"We now want the public to have a say, like the Big Brother framework," he said.

He also mentioned that activities related to the carnival would be turned into games.

He pointed out that this new method aims to boost revenue, stressing that the main goal is to increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.

He called for better funding from both public and private sectors, including crowdfunding, to help the sector grow beyond just government support.

"We should experience more public and private sector funding as well as people’s funding, like crowdfunding," he said.

Mr Onah urged for more teamwork among tourism players, saying that the focus should be on working together rather than competing.

He thanked Akwaaba for promoting the festival over the years, noting that they are also working on enhancing the carnival's international profile, following offers received from past Akwaaba events.

He revealed that the commission will soon announce its international headline artist, sharing that plans are already in motion.

He expressed condolences to the state government and the media, especially in tourism, over the passing of Ojoi Ekpenyong, the managing director of the Cross River State Tourism Bureau, who died on June 24.

Mr Onah appreciated the late Ekpenyong for his major contributions to Carnival Calabar and for helping to revive its cultural showcase, which gained international recognition.