Five Nigerian children whose ages range from five to 10 years old have won the inaugural African cultural dance contest.
The dance contest was staged on Facebook, where contestants submitted five minutes dance videos for adjudication by a panel of cultural experts.
The contest climaxed on Saturday with presentation of prize sums to the winners by the sponsor, Nigeria-born United States based cultural exponent, Perfecta Mfonma Ekpo.
Out of the 42 participants from across some African countries, in the children category, Master Chisom Ikenna won the first prize of N50,000, while Master Emeh Ifeanyi pocketed the second prize of N40,000.
Other winners in the teenage category were Miss Chimamanda Bisong, Miss Gracious Dickson and Master Wealth Obu, who smiled home with N30,000 each for the third position slot.
Consolatory prizes of N20,000 each was given to 23 other participants for special performance to encourage their efforts.
Another set of seven participants received N10,000.
Addressing the participants at the grand finale of the event, Ekpo explained that the programme was organised to raise awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultures, traditions and languages that exist within Africa.
“The aim of this competition is not just for the financial support but a reflection of our collective belief in the power of culture to connect people and build bridges between communities. Africa is a continent blessed with an incredible array of traditions, languages, and histories.
“The aim of this programme is to foster a sense of pride and unity in our shared heritage, which signifies the unity in diversity that makes Africa unique”.
She assured that another edition will be staged in March.
