Movable Artifacts in Akwa Ibom State and National Development

Abstract

Artifacts are works of arts produced by indigenous people for a usable aim in daily chores. Quite a number of them are immovable whereas a greater number are movable for commercial purposes to meet their functional obligations as small and medium scale enterprise or informal sector carried out by indigenous people which contributed to national development. However, the inability of the government to effectively harness and support the potentials of these entrepreneurs and link them to the real sector has continued to foster poverty and undermine the potentials of economic growth that is inherent in this sector. The objective of the study was to examine the importance of movable artifacts as produced and understood by indigenous people, access its relevance to national development. The phenomenology method was employed in the study. It was concluded from the findings that indigenous artists were proven entrepreneurs in the society that contributed immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state and Nigeria. There is need for support and encouragement for such individual entrepreneurs by individuals, corporate bodies and government at all levels.