The Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival is a large gathering of carol singers in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. A

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

featuring 25,272 carol singers at the Akwa Ibom Stadium, Uyo,

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Ib ...

, with

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

representatives in attendance, was officially certified as the largest such gathering in the world by

on December 13, 2014, against a former record of 15,674 carol singers which was achieved the previous year (December 15, 2013) by a group called CENTI in Bogotá, Colombia.

History

2012–2013 edition

The 2012 festival featured artistes like

Alvin Slaughter Alvin Martin Slaughter (born July 17, 1955) is an American gospel musician, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. Slaughter is based out of New York City, where he was a member of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir until the early 1990s, when he wa ...

and

Donnie McClurkin Donald Andrew "Donnie" McClurkin, Jr. (born November 9, 1959) is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. ...

from the US and the Chorale Devine de Merveilles of the Republic of Congo. The 2013 edition was attended by Bishop Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners' Chapel) and human rights activist, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and featured the National Choir of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, international singers like Lionel Peterson and

Israel Houghton Israel Houghton (; born May 19, 1971) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, producer and worship leader. He is usually credited as Israel & New Breed. Musical career Houghton produced an album by Michael Gungor, ''Big ...

, and Nigerian singers like Bongos Ikwue, Frank Edwards, Nathaniel Bassey, Aity Dennis Inyang, el Mafrex, Freke Umoh, and Fadabasi.

2014 edition

The 2014 event broke a Guinness World Record to become the "Largest Assembly of Carol Singers on the Face of the Earth". In attendance were

Don Moen Donald James Moen (born June 29, 1950) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter of Christian worship music. Early and personal life Moen grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he attended high school in 1968. Moen attended Oral Robe ...

, international gospel music composer, and Cardinal

John Onaiyekan John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (born 29 January 1944) is a Nigerian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2012. He has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, ...

of Abuja Catholic Diocese. The event featured special performances by Quartets from the five international choirs that performed in past editions. Also performing were gospel

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

Angela Christie, Lionel Peterson,

Sinach Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu, known professionally as Sinach, (born 30 March 1972) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and senior worship leader at Loveworld until 2021. She is the first singer-songwriter to top the Billboard Christian Songwriter char ...

, Harmonious Chorale and many more.

2016 edition

In 2016, the Akwa Ibom State Government organized the concert again on December 17, 2016. With guest artists from around the world such as Award Winning gospel singer,

, PRM band, The Kayamba Africa Choral Ensemble and Kenya Boys Choir. Some locals artists from Nigeria such as Sammie Okposo, Buchi, Steve Crown, Elijah Oyelade, Rev. Fr. Patrick Edet, Esther Edoho, Julius Nglass and Perfecta Ekpo were also in attendance.

2018 edition

In 2018, at the

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

Carols

Festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

, Aity Dennis was among the ministers who graced that event. She Performed after the gospel music minister sensation, Mercy Chinwo, and before American import, Nicole Mullen, Aity performed her prophetic song at the

Uyo Township Stadium Uyo Township Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Akwa United F.C. of the Nigerian Premier League. It is also a center for social ...

, she sang, danced and prophesied a glorious future for Akwa Ibom state and

. Aity spoke after the event, saying: "It's always a big pleasure every time I have a performance in my home state. I am also glad I had the opportunity to perform the theme song. Let the People Say Amen!. She congratulate the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and the coordinator of the carol for a successful event."

2019 edition

In 2019, the theme of the carol was "Only God". During his speech at the carol, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel said that the state has every reason to be thankful to God for making them enjoy significant peace irrespective of all their challenges. Some significant appearances at the 2019 carol includes, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the redeemed Christian Church of God, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Panam Percy Paul, Nathaniel Bassey and Prospa Ochimana.

2020 edition

In 2020, the Carol was cancelled due to the outbreak of coronaviurs in the country. The cancellation is in line with the WHO directive to ensure compliance of socal distancing and avoidance of large crowds due to the outbreak of the virus. The cancellation was announced by the commissioner of culture and tourism, Mr. Orman Esin in Uyo.

2021 edition

In 2021, the carol returned with the theme "The Return". The event held at the Ibom hall field and It was a time of celebration after the long break due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Significant appearances in the 2021 edition includes Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Ada Ehi, Dunsin Oyekan and Tim Godfrey.

Gallery

File:Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Ground, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.jpg File:Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Ground, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state3.jpg

References

{{reflist

External links

Glo Lifts 2015 Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol FestivalThe Inaugural Edition of Akwa Ibom State 9,999 Christmas Carol
Christmas festivals