News Investigators/ 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.
Mrs Musawa made the call at the “2026 Heritage in Motion” programme, organised by the African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF), on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this year’s theme is, “Transforming Africa’s Heritage into Opportunity through Documentary Storytelling, Creative Innovation and Cultural Diplomacy.”
Mrs Musawa applauded the foundation’s dedication and commitment towards preserving, promoting and documenting Nigeria’s heritage and culture, and called for more partnerships in the sector.
” Heritage in Motion is not asking you to simply appreciate heritage but also, offering you the tours, training and a pathway to build the future around it.
” This is not government’s work alone; we are joined today by several implementing partners, multinationals and traditional institutions as well as other private sectors.
” Therefore, I implore every partner here to see heritage in motion, not as an event but as an opportunity to align with the Agenda 2063 and with the AfCTA Creative Agenda,” she said.
Mrs Musawa said this would enable Nigeria to tell its’ own stories to the world and also take ownership of who the people truly are, while also urging young creatives to key into the diversity of the programme.
Earlier, the Director General of AFIDFF, Mrs Malame Mangzha, said that the programme was organised to celebrate the foundation and its’ 21 partners’ five years journey, in promoting Nigeria’s heritage and culture.
She said: “Heritage is not confined to museums or monuments. It lives in our festivals, languages, landscapes, music, traditions, and communities.
” It remains alive whenever it is documented, celebrated, and passed from one generation to the next; that has been AFIDFF’s mission since its inception.”
According to her, heritage conservation cannot succeed without improving the lives of the people who protect it.
She noted that while documenting the Sukur Heritage site in Adamawa the process led to community development through the foundation’s partnership with the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and others.
“The achievements demonstrate that when government, development partners, communities, and civil society work together, heritage becomes more than preservation, it becomes a catalyst for sustainable development.”
Mangzha further stated that, preserving Africa’s heritage would require a new generation of storytellers, which she added, moved the foundation to launch the “African International Documentary Club.”
She explained that the club was open to filmmakers, photographers, writers, students, journalists, content creators, and cultural enthusiasts who were passionate about documenting Africa’s stories.
“Through mentorship, training, production opportunities, and access to heritage documentation projects, the club will nurture the next generation of African documentary storytellers.
“Our goal is simple; that future generations inherit authentic African stories, documented by Africans themselves,” she said.
She also said that, ” Lens on Africa”, another project launched by the foundation, was a continental expansion of everything AFIDFF had proven was possible at the community level.
Mangzha said that the project was a mobile heritage documentation and cultural diplomacy tour that would travel across African sub-regions.
“It seeks to visit ancient kingdoms, sacred sites, trade routes, and cultural landmarks that the world has yet to fully see.”
She urged governments, development partners, diplomatic missions, the private sector, and creatives across Africa to join the historic movement and help tell Africa’s story to the world through the project.
NAN reports that partners from various ministries, agencies and parastatals, and Civil Society Groups were represented at the event.
NAN
