The Korean Cultural Centre says the performance of the Bongsan Mask Dance Drama team at the just concluded Calabar Festival is to mark 10 years of the Embassy’s relocation from Lagos to Abuja.
The Director of the centre, Mr Han Sungrae, said in Abuja on Wednesday that the team performed for the first time on Dec. 26 at U J Esuene Stadium during the Carnival Kings and Queens Night as part of the Korean Cultural Day event.
“The 17-member team also participated in the street carnival of Dec 28; they performed Korean traditional music dance called Salmulnori, Mask dance and Lion dance.
“Their performances were quite humorous and exciting,’’ Sungrae said.
He noted that the Chairman of Calabar Carnival Commission, Mr Gabe Onah, expressed gratitude to the Korean team for their participation, saying Nigerians enjoyed their shows especially the Mask and Lion dances.
Sungrae expressed satisfaction with the participation of the Korean team in the carnival.
“I want to express the willingness of Korea to also be part of other festivals in many parts of Nigeria such as Kaduna, Port-Harcourt among other states.’’
NAN reports that Calabar Carnival, which started in 2004, is organised by the government of Cross River.
It has since become one of the biggest street carnival and tourism attraction in Africa with about one million people taking part in the carnival.
Mr Akin Ricketts, the President, Metallic Knights Motorcycle Club in Calabar, on Monday said 10 African countries participated in the 2016 Calabar Carnival.
Ricketts said bikers from South Africa, Ghana, Togo, Egypt, Senegal and others had indicated interest in participating in the 2016 carnival to give a boost to the festival.
Ricketts, a former Commissioner for Information in Cross River, said that the 2016 bikers’ show would be a display of riding talent across the carnival routes.
“Last year carnival was not a flop. We came out in our well-kitted attires to give the carnival a boost using our power bikes.
“This year, we are bringing in bikers from no fewer than 10 African countries. I can assure you that the 2016 bikers show is going to be bigger and better.
On the 27 of December which was the grand finale of the bikers show, people from all strata of the society participated.
