HIASFEST: The Most Rewarding Teen Arts Festival in Africa

What is HIASFEST?

Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Festival (HIASFEST) is a Mega Arts and ground breaking literary Festival, which is undoubtedly Nigeria’s largest Schools Festival and Africa’s most rewarding teen arts festival. It takes place annually in Minna, Niger State. It is organized by Hill-top Creative Arts Foundation. It is headquartered bin Minna, Niger State under the leadership of an Iconic father, BM Dzukogi who is a poet, a writer and indeed a patriot of Nigeria.

Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Festival

Hill-top Creative Arts Foundation is a literary mentoring foundation devoted to nurturing children and youths. It is also aiding them in their formative years to discover and reach their potentials. Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu Schools Festival began in 2019 under the initiation and sponsorship of Alh. Bala Abdullahi Kwatu.

The sponsor being an ardent observer of the impactful and light unveiling activities of Hill-top Creative Arts Foundation, requested the Founder to submit a proposal for a festival in the name of Late Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim Aliyu. This was as a result of the impact she had on the academic life of the sponsor and in order to Immortalise her and the outstanding humanitarian services she delivered to the State during her life time.

The maiden edition of the festival began with only schools within Niger State, the festival attracting more sponsors like Aliyu Trust Foundation, grew to a national level with schools all over the country converging in Minna for the second and third editions. The 4th edition coming up on the 19th to 22nd January, 2022 is set to cover West Africa.

HIASFEST Prizes

The festival consists of numerous contests including poetry, short story and essay writing, painting, spoken word, quiz, contemporary songs in English, Cultural dance, Drama and Craft making. It also packages a N100,000 tuition scholarship for one art and one science students of 100 Level of Niger State indigene in any tertiary institution across the country. It also rewards N200,000 each to the best WAEC, NECO and JAMB students nationally. It further has a prize for indeginous languages in creative writing and science books (in Hausa, Fulfulde, Igbo, Yoruba, Nupe and Gbagyi languages) with a total of N1,150,000 prize.

The Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors

The Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors in Fiction and Poetry is also another prize with a sum of N600,000 for the top three winners in each category. Other prizes are the Star Prize, Most valuable contestant prize(male and female), most well behaved school prize, Golden award for outstanding art administrators in Nigeria and others. The festival has 32 trophies to be won by students and schools.The first day of the festival begins with opening ceremony in the morning at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre and contemporary songs in English comes up in the afternoon at the same venue.

The on-the-spot writings (poetry, short story and literary essay) queues next at Himma International College, Minna. On the second day comes on-the-spot painting and Quiz in the morning at the Hill-top Arts Centre. With the acme of the day being Spoken Word at the Justice Kutigi Conference Hall.Day three carries on with Cultural Dance, Drama and Craft in the morning.

The day ends with a very social and interactive session between students and established writers and authors from diverse cultures and backgrounds.The fourth and last day of the festival which is the most significant day begins with welcome address and speeches of well wishing by the invited dignitaries.

The festival completely rounds up with the long awaiting and most spectacular moment, the presentation of prizes and awards to deserving winners.

World Art Day 2022: Artistic Creations and Society

Sulaiman Adamu

Sulaiman Adamu writes from Gombe State. He is a graduate of Gombe High School, a poet and an essayist. He is the 3rd Prize Winner of the 2021 Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors. Sulaiman is the Author of FROM MY WINDOWPANES, a book which is listed among the Top Ten (10) Best Teen Books for the year 2021 by Konya shamsurimi.