Abuja: Mrs Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, has called for support and partnerships to strengthen Nigeria’s heritage documentation and promote the country’s culture. Musawa made the call at the ‘2026 Heritage in Motion’ programme, organised by the African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF), in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this year’s theme is ‘Transforming Africa’s Heritage into Opportunity through Documentary Storytelling, Creative Innovation and Cultural Diplomacy.’ Musawa applauded the foundation’s dedication towards preserving, promoting, and documenting Nigeria’s heritage and culture, calling for more partnerships in the sector. She emphasized that ‘Heritage in Motion’ offers opportunities for tours, training, and future-building around heritage, and stressed the importance of collaboration with multinationals, traditional institutions, and other private sectors.
Musawa stated that enabling Nigeria to tell its own stories to the world would allow the country to take ownership of its identity, while also urging young creatives to engage with the programme’s diversity.
Earlier, Mrs Malame Mangzha, Director General of AFIDFF, highlighted the programme’s focus on celebrating the foundation’s journey of promoting Nigeria’s heritage and culture over five years with the support of 21 partners. She noted that heritage is alive in festivals, languages, landscapes, music, traditions, and communities, and that it thrives through documentation and celebration.
Mangzha emphasized that heritage conservation succeeds when it improves the lives of those who protect it, citing the documentation of Sukur Heritage site in Adamawa as an example where community development occurred through partnerships. She underscored the need for a new generation of storytellers, prompting the launch of the ‘African International Documentary Club,’ which offers mentorship and training to filmmakers, photographers, writers, and cultural enthusiasts.
Mangzha also introduced ‘Lens on Africa,’ a project aimed at mobile heritage documentation and cultural diplomacy across African sub-regions. She called on governments, development partners, and creatives to engage with these initiatives to help tell Africa’s story to the world.
The programme saw representation from various ministries, agencies, parastatals, and Civil Society Groups.