The Nigeria government is looking to strengthen bilateral ties with the Caribbean country of Cuba using arts and culture as potential tools.
The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Olusegun Runsewe made it known when he played host to the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Clara Escandell who paid him a courtesy visit.
Runsewe made a statement in which he highlighted that both Countries have very rich cultural heritage, mentioning also the similarities existing in music and dance, explaining that these similarities should be explored to create room for easy affiliation.
He said,” the NCAC has provided a platform for the diplomatic community to gather and rob minds on cultural issues to engender cultural diplomacy.”
He further stated that the International Arts and Crafts, INAC, Expo also brought other international communities under one umbrella to network their arts and crafts to the rest of the world.
The director-general commended Ambassador Escandell for dressing in Nigerian attire for the visit and promised to visit the Republic of Cuba soon.
Escandell said she was in the Council to see the man who had projected the image of Nigeria culturally both home and abroad as well as working tirelessly to use arts and culture to show the need for peaceful co-existence among countries of the world.
She reiterated the need ”for stronger collaboration between the NCAC and the Republic of Cuba to harness the rich cultural heritage of both countries for export.”
The Cuban Ambassador used the visit to call on the diplomatic community to perceive culture as a veritable tool in the building of strong bilateral relationships.
