CULTURAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE SACRED AND SECULAR PERFORMANCES OF AGAN FESTIVAL OF EGOSI IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The effective management of cultural activities especially the traditional festivals has been observed to have been a crucial factor in the attainment of economic growth, national development and cultural recognition as heritage festival by UNESCO. However, Agan festival of Egosi people in Kwara State, Nigeria, has been observed to have restrictive factors such as under-utilisation of mainstream and social media for promotion and being regarded as an archaic practice which hindered its popularity. This paper, therefore, examined the cultural management strategies in the sacred and secular performances of the Agan festival of Egosi, Kwara State, Nigeria to find out how the festival has survived over the years. Qualitative research design is adopted with interview and participant-observation instruments to gather data for the paper. The study revealed that the cultural management of the Agan festival relies on a model combining sacred management and secular management with the participation of multiple community subjects. Despite the number of towns and villages in the Kwara South senatorial district where Agan festival is celebrated, the festival faced the challenges of fund shortage and insufficient promotion in spite of its unique spiritual, socio-cultural and economic potentials to the Egosi people. The paper recommended the intervention of government and private corporations in the areas of financial intervention, promotion and cultural orientation. It is concluded that Agan festival as a mini cultural event can metamorphose into a larger one through adequate finance and promotion.