Music Tourism as Cultural Diplomacy in Underdeveloped Countries: The Role of Nigerian Music Festivals, Cultural Exchange Programmes, and International Collaborations in Cross-Cultural Engagement (Published)
This article examines music tourism as more than a leisure activity, framing it as a strategic cultural, diplomatic, and developmental resource for underdeveloped countries. Using Nigeria as a focal case, the paper argues that music tourism can strengthen cultural diplomacy through festivals, cultural exchange programmes, and international collaborations. Nigeria is especially significant because of its rich musical heritage, globally influential popular music industry, diverse indigenous performance traditions, vibrant festival culture, and large diaspora community. However, despite the international visibility of Nigerian music, the country has not fully institutionalized music tourism as a coherent instrument of cultural diplomacy, national branding, and sustainable development. Adopting a conceptual and positional approach, the article draws on cultural diplomacy, soft power, music tourism, cultural sustainability, creative economy, and postcolonial development perspectives. It shows how music festivals, exchange initiatives, and transnational collaborations can promote cross-cultural engagement, intercultural dialogue, national image-building, creative entrepreneurship, and heritage preservation. The article contributes to debates on cultural policy, tourism development, creative economy expansion, and Global South cultural diplomacy.
Keywords: Music tourism, cross-cultural engagement., cultural diplomacy, cultural exchange, music festivals