Planners of Nigeria’s Akara Festival and Brazil’s Acarajé Festival are teaming up to celebrate their vibrant Afro-Nigerian and Afro-Brazilian heritage with a four-day cultural spectacular that blends food, fashion, music, and fitness.
Akara Festival, organized by Fitnesstalkshow Communications, will be held on October 16–19, 2025, at the Elekahia Stadium, Port Harcourt, to mark World Food Day. It will feature cooking contests, music and dance performances, traditional games, art exhibitions, and Ankara fashion exhibitions that will give visitors a true cultural experience.
President of the Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation of Nigeria (ABBFN) and representative of the IFBB Academy, Mr. Soye Elekima, said that the collaboration represents the age-old cultural and historic relationship between Nigeria and Brazil.
This partnership is bigger than food or exercise it’s a vibrant celebration of our collective African heritage in fashion, music, and wellness,” said Elekima. “It also supports President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and builds on the recent bilateral agreements with Brazil.”.
A major highlight will be the SHAPE UP Nigeria 30×30 Fitness Challenge, which will encourage participants to engage in activity for 30 minutes a day for 30 days throughout October, while also promoting Akara as a healthy and culturally significant meal.
The festival theme will be carried through in its decor, packaging, and dress code, all of which will incorporate the vibrant colours of Ankara prints. Joint culinary exhibitions and cultural displays will further enhance the Nigeria-Brazil cultural exchange.
This project follows the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding in aviation, trade, energy, culture, and science and technology during President Tinubu’s recent visit to Brazil. A milestone outcome was a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, restarting direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil after decades that will boost tourism, cultural exchange, and business.
Elekima called on government, private sector players, corporate sponsors, and philanthropists to support the festival, stressing that preserving and celebrating shared heritage requires collective effort.
