Mr. Orman Rain, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State.
By Abasifreke Effiong & Ekemini Simon
The Akwa Ibom State Government is planning to build a tourism village to be named after the late Scottish Presbyterian Missionary, Mary Mitchell Slessor.
A posthumous birthday and memorial banquet are also being planned in her honour, according to the state government and its tourism partner, Kenduo Nigeria Limited.
Mary Slessor, born on December 2, 1848 in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, played pioneering roles in women’s rights advocacy and rescuing children, especially twins from infanticide.
She had worked in a riverine community called Obot Itu, in Itu local government, Akwa Ibom State where a cairn erected in her honour stands near a stream named after her.
The banquet is part of activities lined up for the celebration of a twin festival, tagged, Twinfest, billed to hold between December 2nd – 4th in Uyo.
According to the promoters of the event, the inaugural ceremony will feature a costume carnival parade by twins, ground-breaking ceremony for a tourism village called Mary Slessor Heritage Project, and a visit to Mary Slessor historic sites across the State.
It will also feature a colloquium, awards, music and theatre performances.
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The private sector promoter of the event, Kenduo Nigeria Limited, said the event will bring together twins and multiple births all over the world to identify with their counterparts who were killed due to ignorance and superstitious belief.
Chairman of Kenduo Nigeria Limited, Mr. Offiong Akpan, told journalists at a press conference held at Ibom Icons hotel, Uyo, that the theme of the Twinfest is, “Celebrating twins and the dignity of humankind.”
He said individual twins or persons of multiple birth can register for the event on the website; www.twinsfest.org.
Twins and multiple births who register for the event will become shareholders in the proposed tourism village, including other benefits.
Mr. Akpan said, “we are here not just to unveil Twinsfest as an event but also to unlock and point the way to wealth through tourism and promote the culture of oneness and love among humankind by identifying with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal number 10, which is against all forms of discrimination by man against fellow man because of gender, race, circumstances of birth or any consideration whatsoever.
“Twinsfest as an event is put together to memorialize the end of the historical killing of twins and children of multiple birth that took place in Nigeria more than a hundred years ago.
“Beginning in unrecorded historic times up to the early 20th century, Twins and Multiple births (TMB) in some parts of Nigeria were believed to be children from the evil spirit. They were killed in gross violation of their human dignity and right to life. Their mothers were not only traumatized by the sight of the children being killed but were also banished from their homes and communities.
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“The memorable termination and containment of this genocidal culture is recorded in global history and attributed to the exceptional missions work of a Scottish missionary to Nigeria, Mary Mitchel Slessor. Borne out of her genuine love for humanity, Mary sacrificed her life, lived in the jungles of South-Eastern Nigeria, Use Ikot Oku, lbiono lbom Local government in the present day Akwa lbom State and died in 1915.”
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Orman Esin noted that the Akwa Ibom State Government has endorsed the event.
He said the State Government is deliberate about supporting the Twinsfest because of its significance and tourism potential.
Other partners of Twinsfest are Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria-USA (AKISAN) and Uyo Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
