Gov. Oyetola, Kwara First Lady, others to grace Eko Chocolate Show, Cocoa Film Fest 2022
By Editor
OSUN State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, Kwara State First Lady, Dr. Olufolake Abdulrazaq, Chief Abiola Dosumu (Erelu Kuti IV) of Lagos, among other dignitaries will grace this year’s Eko Chocolate Show and Royal Cocoa Film Festivals. The 2022 edition of the events are scheduled to hold between 7 and 11 April 2022.
Speaking in Lagos during a press conference to herald the events, the President Eti-Oni Development Group, Queen Angelique-Monet Gureje Thompson, said the 2022 edition is themed: ‘Our Cocoa, Our Chocolate , Our Climate’.
According to her, Eko Chocolate Show 2022 will kick off with a dinner and Nigerian Cocoa Awards on Thursday, April 7, 2022 and has as theme ‘Celebrating Women in Cocoa.’ The wife of Kwara State governor, Dr. Olufolake Abdulrazaq, will be the special guest of honour while the Founder and CEO of Temple Productions, Mrs. Nwakaego Boyo (popularly known as Ego Boyo in Nollywood), will be the special guest speaker. The event will be chaired by Erelu Abiola Dosumu (Erelu Kuti IV) of Lagos.
On the second day, there will be the Africa Cocoa and Chocolate Forum between 9am and 2pm. It is themed ‘Beyond Cocoa Production Towards Wealth Creation and Achieving Sustainability within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)’.
On the film festival, Queen Gureje disclosed that the Royal Cocoa International Film Festivals (RCIFF) is the first film festival founded by a reigning monarchy and the only film festival in Nigeria hosting two major festivals yearly. They will hold on April 7-11, 2022 in Lagos and November 23-25, 2022 in Eti-Oni, Osun State.
The Royal Cocoa International Film Festivals (Lagos edition) will be held over three days from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th, April 2022 screening films that are impactful. The films will focus on climate change, family, animation and drama.
The opening ceremony of the film festivals comes up on Friday, April 8, 2022 by 6pm with a green carpet reception. Executive Governor of Osun State, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, is expected as the special guest of honour and will declare the festival open. Queen Gureje stated that the festival has made great impact since it made its debut, adding, “It is about cocoa renaissance in the country, to create awareness of the real value of cocoa and the immense opportunities that can open up through moving up the value chain.”
The festival was launched on November 25, 2021 and was founded by His Majesty Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson Gureje IV and Queen Angelique-Monet in an effort to celebrate cocoa farmers worldwide and create cocoa renaissance and culture around cocoa utilizing “films of purpose.”
According to her, there would be a filmmaking workshop on Friday, April 8, 2022 between 2pm and 5pm. This will be partly hybrid (virtual and physical) to allow for international participation due to Covid-19 restrictions.
