The Trustees and Organizers of the Life In My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), Nigeria’s longest-running annual visual arts festival, are delighted to join the global community in commemorating World Tourism Day 2025, which this year is celebrated under the most timely and resonant theme, “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation.”
Tourism, much like the visual arts, stands as a profound driver of social and economic progress. It is a sector that creates employment, stimulates local enterprise, strengthens cultural identity, and fosters bridges of understanding across nations. At the same time, it carries the sacred responsibility of preserving traditions, safeguarding heritage, and inspiring the resilience of communities. In this regard, LIMCAF has, for nearly two decades, served as a living testament to these very ideals, offering a unique nationwide platform through which the creative energies of Nigeria’s young people are harnessed for development and national pride.
In his reflections on this occasion, LIMCAF’s Art Director, Dr. Ayo Adewunmi, emphasized that the kinship between art and tourism must be understood as more than incidental but rather as foundational to sustainable progress. He observed that through LIMCAF, art has been shown to be not merely an aesthetic pursuit but a veritable instrument of empowerment, drawing communities together, attracting cultural tourism, and affirming Nigeria’s heritage as a source of global admiration. By situating creativity at the centre of national life, LIMCAF has consistently demonstrated that the arts can serve humanity, aligning with the global call for sustainability, inclusivity, and transformation.
As the world reflects today on the role of tourism in shaping a better tomorrow, LIMCAF proudly presents itself as an enduring symbol of how culture and creativity can advance this noble cause. From its modest beginnings in 2007 to its present stature as the only nationwide visual arts festival for youth, LIMCAF has empowered over 10,000 emerging artists, elevated Enugu into a hub of cultural tourism, and forged pathways of dialogue that resonate far beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The forthcoming LIMCAF 2025 Grand Finale Week , October 18th to 25th, 2025 will stand as yet another affirmation of this transformative mission. The week-long celebration in Enugu will feature the Grand Finale Art Exhibition of the Top 100 qualifying works out of the 750 at the regional rounds, a vibrant Art and Craft Fair, Art Lectures, Tours within the city of Enugu and will culminate in the distinguished Gala and Award Night on Saturday, October 25. These events, infused with dignity and festivity, will not only highlight the immense talent of Nigeria’s youth but also reinforce the Festival’s role in positioning the arts as a cornerstone of cultural tourism and sustainable development.
On this World Tourism Day 2025, therefore, LIMCAF renews its call to all stakeholders in government, private sector, patrons of the arts, and the international community to recognize, support, and celebrate the power of the creative industries. In placing the arts at the very heart of tourism and transformation, Nigeria has before it a unique opportunity to build a legacy of resilience, sustainability, and shared progress for generations to come.
