It was tagged Children's Day, but it was converted to a veritable avenue to showcase the rich Nigerian cultural heritage by pupils of Roemichs International Schools in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. In fact, it was a cultural festival of sorts.

Pupils of the school in different Nigerian costumes and attires a day after the May 27th children day celebration displayed some cultural extravaganza. Sprucely attired in Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, Kanuri, Edo, Tiv, Idoma, Efik and Ibibio etal, the pupil danced to the admiration of ecstatic parents and guests alike. The school's Principal, Mr. Kevin Massey said the exhibition was to celebrate the cultures that are found in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mr. Massey said "so many cultures that bind the people together and we are trying to demonstrate that this can happen in a peaceful and harmonious environment. "Some of these children are not from the cultural background they have demonstrated. They have practiced and learnt and that we they are appreciating other people's cultures from other parts of the country. That way everybody will learn to appreciate another person's culture."

Some of the parents bared their minds on their wards' exhibition at the event. A parent, Mrs. Kunle Idiagbon told The Nation his impression of the event. Mr. Idiagbon Said: "I am impressed with what they put together. We are Nigerians and we need to start promoting and embracing our culture. Each and every one of us has to make a conscious effort to embrace our culture. It is a fantastic idea. It is beautiful. All the children look beautiful in different costumes that the put on.

"This school has set the pace here and everybody else has to follow suit. I mean it is only Nigerians that can promote what we have. So I will advise organizations, individuals and schools to support the promotion of our culture. This is just culture.

To Mrs. Olayinka Nyang: "This cultural extravaganza shows that we as Nigerians are beginning to embrace our own culture. It is a good initiative. One thing that is commonplace now is that our children are growing too westernised. This is like bringing them back and showing that we are rich in tradition and culture. "It also shows that our heritage needs to be preserved. And they have done so fantastic and we are proud of them. I am proud of the school, the teachers and kids everyone has put in his best

"I am extremely impressed. The teachers have put their best feet forward and they have done a lot in transforming these children, because at home we barely speak the traditional language. I, for one, my husband is from Akwa Ibom and I am Yoruba, So the lingual franca at home is English. But now coming here and my kids representing different culture; they are really happy and overwhelmed that this thing that can be interesting. I think they have really tried.

"I blame the parents for the embracement of western ideas because, though I love culture but, I am married to an Akwa Ibomite it is very difficult to break that barrier of not speaking English in the house. If I speak Yoruba my husband will not understand, if he speaks Akwa Ibom I will not understand."

A guest, who simply gave his name as Gbenga Power said: "When I saw the invitation, I know the importance because culture in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Gbenga Power Foundation is for sports, youths and cultural initiatives. We are happy to be here today to know more about our culture. It is a pity that our culture is going gradually because of the borrowed culture from the Americas and Western countries. I think, it is high time we imbued our culture in our children so that we will not forget our culture.

"It is important that we take advantage of this. Roemichs International School is placing a role model is this area now. I am so impressed by the effort of the school to bring our culture to our children.

"Government needs to take advantage of this by investing more in our culture, tourism and our fore-fathers ways of doing things. We pray that in the next 50 years we will not be using money to buy our culture back. Because I heard about somebody in London that wrote on Yoruba culture and that book is being sold on a lot of Pounds and Nigerians are buying it when we have our fore-fathers whom we can learn directly from."

He suggested the inclusion of our cultural heritage in the Nigerian school's curriculum "as this school is doing its own today, other educational institutions and groups should emulate this and make sure that our culture is not forgotten."

Guest speaker at the event and a lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Dr Joseph Fayeye suggested some of the ways to protect, preserve and promote the country's rich cultural heritage. Some of these ways according to Dr Fayeye include organization of cultural festivals; encouraging youths and young adults to wear native attires and eat traditional cuisines; reduction in the promotion of imported cultures above the Nigerian cultural heritage in primary and post primary schools and encouraging all to speak the local languages.

The university teacher also urged parents to give their children basic cultural orientation, saying that "government and other organisations should organise and promote cultural programmes and initiatives.