The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, USA, has collaborated with the Consulate General of Indonesia in New York to hold a joint cultural exhibition on textile.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the maiden cultural exhibition is to promote and showcase the similarities between Adire and Batik.
Nigerian Adire textile is an indigenous indigo-dyed cloth made by using different wax resist methods to create dazzling designs while Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth.
The Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, said the exhibition was a road show to tell the world what Nigeria and Indonesia had to offer.
Egopija said that the two countries had a special offer to the world to gather in New York, which is like a meeting point of civilization.
“It is also to tell the world that friendship at all times should be emulated. So Nigeria and Indonesia have a lot in common.
“This is a maiden edition and we will improve on it. I will discuss the way forward with the Consul General of Indonesia but we will definitely improve on it,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Consul General of Indonesia in New York, Amb. Winanto Adi said the two countries from the historical point of view are members of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
NAM is a forum of 120 countries that are formally aligned with or against any power bloc.
It represents nearly two-thirds of the United Nations members and contains 55 per cent of the world population.
Adi said that from a population point of view, Nigeria has the biggest population in Africa while Indonesia has the biggest population in Southeast Asia.
He added that from the economic perspective, Nigeria and Indonesia have a huge economy.
“The two countries share the process of dyeing textiles in common,
“We can improve the cooperation within the economy sector and the exhibition is a way of showcasing that.
“New York is a place for Indonesia and Nigeria to promote their culture and to show our strong relationship,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the exhibition also featured musical displays from the countries as well as demonstration of adire and batik into various designs. (NAN)
