The National President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has described the annual Nollywood New Yam Festival and Awards as a platform that unites stakeholders in the film industry.

Rollas, who said this on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 11th edition of the festival in Abuja, added that the festival also showcased Nigerian culture.According to him, celebrating the diversity of Nigeria’s rich cultures and traditional values at the annual fiesta is what binds stakeholders from different background in Nollywood together.

”Nollywood have played a major role in propagating, promoting the culture of Nigeria and indeed Africa in the last 20 years and it is in the same light that this event was conceptualised.

“The reason for this New Yam Festival is that for the Igbo people, yam is the symbol of peace and togetherness, that is why this event becomes a tool for unity among stakeholders in our industry.
“Abuja is the city of unity for Nigeria and we have decided to use yam as a symbol of unity for Nigeria, bringing all the tribes together under one umbrella.

“This year is not different from what we have been doing over the last 10 years, but it is still another commemoration of this continual propagation of the culture and unity of our country.
“I want to thank all the invitees and congratulate all those that will be giving an award today and people that have come to identify with Nollywood in this beautiful culture of ours,” he said.

Chief Agility Onwurah, National Coordinator of the Festival, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the initiative was to present a platform where artistes as models and opinion leaders can promote Nigerian culture.
He explained that the festival had evolved over the years into a rallying point for Nollywood stakeholders, fans and culture enthusiasts.
He said that the festival was already a household name in the FCT, urging relevant stakeholders to support the organisers for its continuity.

“This festival has joined us together because we now find out whether you are from the North,South, East or West, we are all one.
“Every year, Nollywood people tend to look forward to meeting new people, royal fathers, politicians, so that we can talk because it helps us in our productions.
“Each edition of the festival has always come better, and this is a testimony that people are proud of our culture and want to identify with it,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy, thanked the organisers of the event for using culture to promote peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

“This is a symbol of unity because in all circumstances traditional celebrations are done in the villages but we brought it down to Abuja to unite the country so that everyone will participate,” she said.

The high point of the event was the unveiling of the roasted yam, spiced with traditional delicacies and the presentation of awards to some industry stakeholders and supporters of Nollywood.