Forty years after Nigeria hosted the gathering of the black race in what was famously known as the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) ’77, the frill, thrill and fun associated with it was brought back to life for four days by the Centre for Black And African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) in Lagos.
In what organizers described as a blend of “cultural renaissance and entertainment”, dance drama, musical performances, cultural parades, arts exhibitions, speeches and lectures, documentaries, historical narratives and reflections as well as poetic renditions among others, all formed the ingredients that spiced the FESTAC commemorative soup.
“It would be recalled that 40 years ago, 59 Black and African countries and communities from around the globe gathered in Lagos, Nigeria, to chart a common course for the black race,” Dr Ozo Ferdinand Anikwe, CBAAC Director-General said at the opening ceremony of the FESTAC commemorative event in Lagos. “The second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, called FESTAC ’77 was a tremendous undertaking that debunk the erroneous claims from some quarters that the black man has no culture and therefore has contributed nothing to world civilization.”
Many would readily agree with the CBAAC Director General that there could not have been a better time for the black race to assert its identity and earn global respect than when the FESTAC ’77 held.
Historians gladly recalled how the three-week event became an outpour of cultural displays with boat regatta, dance, drama, acrobatic display, durbar, traditional wrestling, music and colloquium, among others, all of which brought to the fore the intellectual and cultural contributions of the black and African people to the pool of universal knowledge.
Beyond its contribution to universal knowledge however, organizers are taking stock of other achievements they said FESTAC had brought to bear after its hosting.
“It prepared African youths to make their contributions to socio-economic development, attracted the world to Africa’s entertainment packages in films, visual arts, poetry, traditional music and dances, traditional wrestling and exhibition, historical monuments and food culture, traditional costumes and above all, the promotion of African unity and brotherhood through culture.
“Also, FESTAC helped to enhance conflict resolution and peace building through African traditional method, promoted unity among world comity of nations and pooled the world to a global film of world peace through cultural renaissance or through music and dance,” Anikwe said.
Ambassador Wallace Williams, a poet, singer, songwriter and anti-apartheid crusader, could not agree less with the CBAAC Director General. While sharing historical reflection of what FESTAC ’77 was all about at a symposium at the National Theatre on Wednesday, the then 25-year old musician said he wished everyday can be for the festival as it was 40 years ago.
“It was really emotional for all of us when the festival came to an end. I mean for the first time in the history of the world, the black people came together. Especially for those in Diaspora, there could not have been a better time to be re-united with our root than the period. At the then FESTAC village, now FESTAC town, we were living like true brothers and sisters who have lost contacts for ages.
“After the day’s outing, we would gather in the evening to share stories of what was obtainable where we were coming from. We played, joked, sang together, danced together and had fun. That was why it was heartbroken when it all came to an end after three weeks. It was one festival that would remain evergreen because thousands with black roots turned out from different parts of the world,” Williams said.
The 65-year old singer who sang “back to Lagos” in memory of FESTAC to cheer up the audience in the hall, was however quick to appreciate the conceptual and organizational skills of the former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, who was at the helms of affairs at the time. He said if not for Obasanjo’s vision and doggedness which saw to the actualization of the FESTAC ‘77, the black race could have missed the opportunity and remain relegated in the scheme of things ever since.
Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, a global art and culture promoter also had kind words for the former military Head of State. According to Dosunmu, prior to the hosting of FESTAC ‘77, the dominant perception was that Nigeria has no justification to devote scarce resources to cultural matters and that what was important to humanity was simply science, technology and space exploration.
“However, the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo rose above this myopic view and rightly focused attention on the nurturing and promotion of black unity, pride creativity, culture and civilization by hosting the second world black and African FESTAC in 1977. Without playing to the gallery, one man that has constantly demonstrated unrivalled love for the promotion of African culture is Chief Obasanjo, who besides hosting the FESTAC ‘77 event, also as a civilian President, devoted a whole ministry; the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to the promotion of culture,” Dosunmu said.
For the former Head of State, aside the return of power to the civilian administration in 1979, no other thing perhaps, could be taken as the hallmark of his three year and eight months administration as a military head of state other than FESTAC ‘77.
While giving an insight on how his regime organized FESTAC ‘77 despite all opposition, Obasanjo, who attended the 40th anniversary programme in Lagos to be crowned the Ruby King of FESTAC, said: “We wanted a symbol, which was taken away from here and it’s in London. We said, ‘give us this symbol or even lend it to us; we know you have taken it, we didn’t say that you are a thief. But lend it to us.’ They refused. And we said the expertise that created that one could still remake; and we said we would make another one. And we made it, and the symbol was exactly the same as the one that the British had taken away.
“This is where human beings moved out from to occupy the rest of the world as we have it today. So, when we are celebrating, our objective is to say to ourselves, ‘We are going to change the narratives that others have given us; the names that are not our names that they have called us. Africa is not a poor continent.”
The former president also used the occasion to dispel the insinuation that culture is antithesis of development. He said, “Let nobody deceive you, culture and development are not opposed to each other. In fact, if you are going to develop outside your culture, it will be a mismatch. You must develop within your culture.”
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