Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has introduced a Diaspora Band into the 2025 Carnival Calabar, adding a fresh cultural layer to the event’s twentieth anniversary. The unveiling took place during the second dry run of the festival, where the governor also presented the new anniversary mascot, a symbol designed to capture two decades of growth in what has become one of Africa’s leading cultural carnivals.
Represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, the governor said the Diaspora Band was created to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral roots. He noted that the state has strengthened ties with the global diaspora community through the Cross River State Diaspora Commission, which has begun to deliver measurable results.
With the 2025 theme titled Traces of Time, the new band will feature a sub-theme centred on shared memory and cultural reconnection. Otu said the group is expected to enrich the carnival procession with stories that speak to history and identity.
He explained that the anniversary mascot reflects the journey of the Carnival Calabar over the past twenty years. According to him, the emblem embodies the resilience and creativity that have shaped the festival and lifted it into international prominence. He said he authorised the design of a mascot that tells the story of the state’s cultural pride and the festival’s transformation.
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The governor described Carnival Calabar as a cultural bridge that has showcased the talent, unity and tourism potential of Cross River State to a global audience for two decades. He added that the festival has become a defining part of the state’s heritage and will continue to serve future generations.
The chairman of the Cross River Carnival Commission, Gabe Onah, said the twentieth anniversary carries special meaning for the people of the state. He recalled the homecoming visit of ninety two members of the African diaspora in October, a reconciliation and heritage tour that helped inspire the creation of the Diaspora Band.
