Female fish vendors in canoe at a shore (Credit: Facebook, Calabar Blog.)
By Ogar Monday and Sylvia Akpan
A festival to celebrate Bakassi’s diversity and showcase the fishing potentials of the Bakassi people of Southern Cross River State is set to hold on Tuesday, the 28th and Wednesday, 29th June of 2022.
According to Ms. Frank Edima, Convener of the festival, the event will include a canoe parade, fishing competition, seminar, and a lot more.
Edima added that the festival is an opportunity for Bakassi to show its resilience and what it has to offer to the world, and also, for the world to experience Bakassi beyond what is written on the pages of newspapers.
“The Bakassi Fish Festival will create a platform that will directly empower the fishermen as it will help the fish sellers buy and sell fish at good rates. Empowerment is not just about money, but if we can assist them with boats, paddles, hooks, fishing nets among others, it will go a long way. Bakassi will become a fishing hub in Africa.” She said.
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Edima said at the festival, fishermen and women will be exposed to what they need to do to make their products export worthy and they will be trained on new ways for sustainable fishing.
Throwing her weight behind the event, Ms. Hannah Essien Edet, Queen of Ikang market told CrossRiverWatch that “We have heard about Bakassi Fish Festival and we are all ready to welcome the development in Ikang.”
Culled from Calabar Blog.
