United Nations spokesperson says art ambassador position does not exist Share Updated: 10:18 PM CDT Jul 9, 2021 Share Updated: 10:18 PM CDT Jul 9, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript TO THAT MAN... BRETT, SO MANY QUESTIONS... ON TUESDAY, THE MAYOR ACCEPTED AN AWARD FROM IBIYINKA ALAO, WHO SAYS HE'S AN ART AMBASSADOR FOR THE UNITED NATIONS, BUT A U.N. SPOKESPERSON SA YS THAT POSITION DOES NOT EXIST, SO WE ASKED ABOUT IT. "I am the Ambassador for the Arts for the United Nation" s. THAT'S IBIYINKA ALAO, ON JUNE 17TH FOR THE UNVEILING OF THE POSTER R FOTHE FORT SMITH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. ON TUESDAY ALAO PRESENTED MAYOR GEORGE MCGILL WITH A CERTIFICATE DECLARING FORT SMITH A UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CITY FOR ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL INNOVATIONS. BUT SPA OKESPERSON FOR THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL SAYS THERE'S NO ART AMBASSADOR POSITION FOR THE UNITED NATIONS. "it's not a scam, you know what I'm doing, it's not a scam at al Ml.y thoughts about it are I was just disappointed and nothing like this has ever happened to me before." ALAO WAS AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCY FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL HOUSEN I ROGERS AND HAS MADE NUMEROUS PRESENTATIONS ACROSS THE AREA. HE SAYS FOR HIM, IT L AL STARTED WHEN HE WON A UNITED NATIONS ART COMPETITION IN 2001. HE SENT US THIS PICTURE. "I got a chance to represe nt my country of Nigeria among 61 countries in the United Nations international art competition." "Ambassador Gamberry introduced mtoe the Secretary General and certified the work I was doing, showing how to vi ew peace through art was very important, so that was when they asked me to be the arts ambassador for the United Nations." BUT U.N. SPOKESPERSON STEPHANE DUJARRIC (STEPH-AWN DO-R-JA EEK) SAYS A COUNTRY MIGHT DESIGNATE AN ART AMBASSADOR BUT NOT THE UNITED NATIONS. "this person, I don't know him or her, I don't know what they know about mywa ard, I mean things change over time." ALAO REFERRED US TO THE NIGERIAN REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.N., BUT AS OF NOW WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK AND SO FAR HE'S NOT BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION LINKING HIM TO THE UNITED NATIONS, OTHER THAN THIS PICTURE HE SENT US OF AN AWARDS CERTIFICA. TE AND AS FOR THE DECLARATION THE MAYOR RECEIVED IN FO RT SMITH A FEW DAYS AGO... "I didn't designate y an city, I just declared a city for fulfliilng some tofhe objectives I was told to fulfill as the arts ambassador for the U.N." "I'm hoping that the good people in Arkansas will be able to see through e th falsehood and know what the truth is." OF COURSE WE'LL LET YOU KN OW WHAT WE LEARN FROM THE NIGERIAN EMBASSY WHEN WE HEAR FROM THEM. THE MAYOR SAYS HE'S ALSO WAITING FOR MORE FOINRMATION BE