Kano Durbar Festival Recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has officially recognised the Kano Durbar festival as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The recognition was marked with the presentation of a certificate of inscription to Hannatu Musawa, Nigeria’s minister of art, culture, tourism, and the creative economy.

Hajo Sani, Nigeria’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, also extended a congratulatory message during the ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, as confirmed by Nneka Anibeze, the special adviser to Musawa on media and publicity.

The Kano Durbar festival, a vibrant celebration of Hausa cultural heritage and traditions, is renowned for its grand procession. The festival features magnificent horsemanship and equestrian parades and is believed to be the largest procession of colourful horses in the world. It traditionally serves as an occasion for noblemen to pay homage to the Emir and reaffirm their loyalty to their emirates.

Sani expressed that the UNESCO recognition highlights the festival’s beauty, dignity, and the unity it fosters among the people of Kano. She also acknowledged the role of an inter-governmental committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in approving the nomination and urged Nigeria to push for more inscriptions.

“The inscription of the Kano Durbar on the representative list brings a lot of benefits for Nigeria and the local communities and also calls for greater responsibilities of government and all stakeholders to maintain the Durbar festival and keep it sustainable within the scope of its new international status,” the statement read.

Sani also noted that this inscription brings the total number of items on the intangible cultural heritage list to eight, citing the approval of the Sango Oyo festival and a multinational inscription on midwifery knowledge, skills, and practice involving eight countries, including Nigeria.

Musawa further emphasised the significance of showcasing Nigeria’s rich and diverse cultures, pointing out that cultural expressions bring both economic benefits and opportunities.

“What really makes Nigeria great is our cultural expression. Our diverse cultures represent every part of the world,” she said.

She added, “To have an inscription of the Kano Durbar, which we all know is a part of the tradition, culture and value of specifically, northern Nigeria, is of huge value, not only to that region, but to Nigeria as a whole.”

Musawa also affirmed her commitment to increasing efforts to secure further UNESCO inscriptions for Nigeria in the future.

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