By Godwin Ogar
The FCT Department of Arts and Culture, on Saturday, June 12 2025, organized a one-hour ‘Cultural Dance Aerobics’ for staff and residents of the FCT, which took place at the Amphitheater of the Cyprian Ekwensi Center for Arts and Culture, Area 10, Garki.
The event featured cultural dance aerobics and free medical check for both staff and other residents of the FCT who found time to participate in the activity which was aimed at improving their quality of health for improved performance in work places, businesses and schools.
Speaking with the Nigerian Pilot newspaper at the event, the Deputy Director of the FCT Department of Arts and culture, Joseph Ukomadu, said the programme was born out of the need to keep the residents of Abuja and, especially the staff of the Department of Arts and Culture fit in a cultural way as a way of contributing to the wellbeing of the society, since not all can afford to pay for the cost of going to the gym to keep fit, adding that a research carried out by the department has shown that “ our African cultural dances have a way of vigorously exercising the body.”
He, therefore, advised residents to find a way of socializing with others in the society using the traditional and cultural ways such as evening or moonlight dances that bring different families together as a way of relieving stress, thereby improving physical and mental health.
Also, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Department of Arts and Culture, Ejith Kalu, highlighted the need to fall back to our traditional African way of life that bring different families together as a way of doing away with depressions and other resultant effects of anti-social life in modern society today such as getting glued to one’s cell-phone or building fences that seclude people from having time together to share feelings and experiences. According to him, the FCT Department of Arts and Culture encourages residents to imbibe the traditional cultural ways that bond family members together through story-telling under the moonlight and cultural dances.
The event did not only witness the display of cultural aerobics; representatives of the FCT Primary Healthcare Board were also in attendance to give free medical diagnosis to staff and residents who were in attendance to dance, exercise their body and socialize.
According to one of the medical experts, Fatima Abdulraman, said the free medical check covered areas such as blood pressure, blood sugar level, body weight as well as counselling on how to renew their body cells in line with the type of work that they do, for a better quality of life that matches their age. According to her, aerobics and physical activities have a way of improving physical and mental health, as there is a strong connection between mental and social health.
For Segun Samuel, one of the medical experts from the FCT Primary Healthcare Board, the games, dances, exercises and social interactions are all activities that are geared towards improving the general wellbeing of an individual. In his words, ‘health is not just the absence of diseases, but physical and social activities also help us to stay fit and improve our morale.’
