The Centre for Black Arts and African Civilisation (CBAAC) says the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), held in 1977, has helped in reviving the hope and aspirations of blacks and Africans.
The Director-General of CBAAC, Oluwabunmi Amao, during the 45th commemoration of FESTAC, in Abuja, described the event as epochal and a beautiful development for Africans.
“Considering a world where the blacks and Africans generally are treated without respect, dignity and recognition, FESTAC rekindled Africans’ hope.
“CBAAC has come up with the 45th commemoration of FESTAC to further re-enact the hopes and aspirations of Africans,” Amao said.
The programme which is a hybrid one, holding physically and on webinar, has its theme as “Cultural Diversity, Integration and Nation Building in Africa and the Diaspora: Forty-Five (45) Years After FESTAC”.
The programme began on December 7 and will end on December 13.
Amao noted that Nigeria’s acceptance to organise FESTAC was majorly influenced by the need to recall, record and document the contributions of Africa and people of African descent throughout the world to human civilisation.
“FESTAC equally took place to project African cultures to the world and strengthen historical connection and relationship between Africa and the diaspora.
“Regrettably, 45 years after FESTAC, most African countries still grapple with the challenges of integration and nation-building, occasioned by the marked diversity that characterises their societies.
“These germane issues are for discussions in the course of this conference,” she said.
Amao noted that the conference will examine the various factors inhibiting the growth and development of the African continent and the diaspora.
She said the colloquium also hopes to fashion out effective ways of managing cultural diversity so as to engineer and establish the much-needed progressive changes in Africa and the diaspora. (NAN)
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