In 1970, when the first edition of the Nigerian National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) was organized, the primary aim was to provide a platform to stimulate national healing and unity for a country that had just emerged from a civil war. The festival is one of the mechanisms which the Federal Government of Nigeria devised to combat the challenges that cultural diversity poses to the country. The primary aim of NAFEST is to nurture a sense of belonging among Nigerians, through a showcase of the diverse arts and culture of Nigeria. In agreement with the argument of some scholars that mere celebration of festivals is inadequate to promote national unity among citizens, this article connects to the Yoruba Awarawari’rawa concept and the theory of statehood to seek the negotiation of unity in NAFEST activities. The paper establishes the NAFEST ideology and classifies the contents of the festival. It also identifies the channels through which the festival drives its set goal of national cohesion. The study employs the participant-observation and interview techniques as instruments for the harvest of data. It is our finding that the NAFEST ideology of statehood and national unity is consciously manifested in the various activities of the festival. The paper concludes by advocating for intensified collective actions of the festival organizers and participants, to increase grassroot participation at the festival, so as to ensure a wider reach for the NAFEST message of national unity.

1970 年，第一届尼日利亚全国艺术文化节 (NAFEST) 举办时，其主要目的是为一个刚刚摆脱内战的国家提供一个促进民族康复和团结的平台。该节日是尼日利亚联邦政府为应对文化多样性对该国构成的挑战而设计的机制之一。NAFEST 的主要目的是通过展示尼日利亚多样化的艺术和文化来培养尼日利亚人的归属感。与一些学者的观点一致，即仅仅庆祝节日不足以促进公民之间的民族团结，本文与 Yoruba Awarawari'rawa在 NAFEST 活动中寻求统一的谈判概念和国家理论。论文确立了NAFEST的思想，并对节日的内容进行了分类。它还确定了节日推动其既定的民族凝聚力目标的渠道。该研究采用参与者观察和访谈技术作为收集数据的工具。我们发现，NAFEST建国和民族团结的思想自觉地体现在节日的各种活动中。论文最后呼吁节日组织者和参与者加强集体行动，增加节日的基层参与，以确保更广泛地传播 NAFEST 民族团结的信息。