A Nigerian cultural promoter, Sylvester Sede, has taken part in the Festival of Making in Blackburn, United Kingdom, where he shared ideas and experiences from his work organising the Bayelsa Food and Art Festival in Nigeria.
Sede joined the UK festival as a volunteer and cultural participant, engaging with artists, organisers, and creatives from across Britain. The event, which celebrates creativity, design, and local enterprise, is one of the UK’s most diverse public festivals.
Speaking, Sede said his participation was aimed at learning how festivals in other countries are used to build community, support local businesses, and promote creative industries.
“Festivals can be a tool for development,” he said. “What I saw here was how culture and creativity are taken seriously — not just as entertainment but as part of the economy.”
He presented a T-shirt from the Bayelsa Food and Art Festival to the Festival of Making’s Director, Lauren Zawadzki, during an informal meeting. Sede described it as a gesture of goodwill and a step towards possible collaboration between the two events.
The Bayelsa Food and Art Festival, founded by Sede in southern Nigeria, focuses on local food, crafts, and performance. It has grown over the years into a platform for promoting culture and tourism in the Niger Delta region.
No official partnership has been announced yet, but Sede said the exchange of ideas during his visit could help improve how festivals are run in Nigeria, particularly around logistics, sustainability, and community involvement.