Event Tourism and Economic Empowerment in Nigeria: A Case Study of Pus Kat Cultural Festivalin Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria

Cultural events are some of the most vital aspects of human life in society because they can create and serve as a unifying factor among the people and can also transform their lives. They can also serve as sources of income and economic empowerment for the people. One of these events is the Pus Kat annual cultural festival of the Mwaghavul nation in Plateau State of Central Nigeria. The Pus Kat annual cultural festival normally brings together the Mwaghavul people and their neighbors both at home and in the diaspora. The festival normally serves as an avenue for unity, progress, and development of the Mwaghavul nation. The main aim of this paper is to appraise the economic impact of the cultural festival on the host community, the Mwaghavul nation at large as well as its neighborhood. The paper used both primary and secondary sources of data collection. However, the paper dwelled more on the primary sources and minimally on the secondary sources. The methodology employed in this paper is the survey method. Information was generated through observation and oral interviews. The secondary data were obtained from a few already documented materials such as textbooks, journal articles, and internet materials. Findings from the research revealed that the Pus Kat annual cultural festival has fared well as a vehicle for unity, progress, development, poverty reduction, and economic empowerment within the host community, the Mwaghavul nation at large. It also found that the influx of visitors from different places is true which in turn boosts the economic activities in the area. The paper recommends among others the need for more resources to be injected into the event by both the Nigerian government (particularly Mangu Local Government) and industries particularly SWAN Nigeria Ltd (a subsidiary of UAC) located within the area as part of its corporate social responsibilities as well as well-meaning spirited individuals.