By Innocent Onoh
Africans have been urged to be proud of their origin and culture and to refuse to be portrayed as poor and backward people. A former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, gave the advice at the University of Lagos, while declaring open the week-long program in commemoration of 40 years anniversary of FESTAC ‘77. The program which runs till this weekend was put together by the Center for Black African Arts and Civilization, CBAAC.
Chief Obasanjo who was the military Head of State when Nigeria hosted FESTAC 77 forty years ago at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, explained that the event was a celebration of Africa’s diverse and rich cultural heritage and not a fetish festival as some critics maliciously stated.
Chief Obasanjo described culture as the totality of the way of life of any group of people, arguing that a people without culture have no identity. “Our culture enables us to remember our past which is history and that is why history is important in our schools; to forget history is to lose our memory”, Chief Obasanjo stated.
The former Head of State said that the commemoration of FESTAC ’77 would highlight the diverse contributions of blacks and Africans to universal arts and re-discover the ties which bind all blacks and African people together. He regretted that Africans were being relegated to the background, despite the fact that civilization started from Africa and culture still remains the only identity of any society, which should be preserved.
“We must not accept the narrative given to us by others, stories of helplessness, poverty and all. They are not true of us because this is where human beings emanated from to occupy other parts of the world. Africa is not a poor continent. We want the world to know that we want to be part of the decision-makers in the world we live in. We can do it and we must do it.
This event today has showcased the commonality of the people of Africa and we must unanimously promote the course of Africa,” Chief Obasanjo said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Her Royal Highness Eleru Abiola Dosunmu, said the black race has recorded tremendous success in Arts and culture after forty years of celebration of FESTAC. In his remarks, the Director-General of CBAAC, Dr. Ferdinand Anikwe, said the celebration of FESTAC 77 at 40 was compelled by the need to address the influence of western culture on Africa and rekindle the feeling of brotherhood among Africans.
A former Ambassador of Antigua and Barbados to Nigeria, Ambassador Wallace Williams, who narrated his FESTAC 77 experience, hailed Nigeria for putting up such a great global show.
The artist who carved the mask of FESTAC 77, Chief Alufa Igbinova who hails from Edo state, appealed to the federal government to compensate him for his work. However, Chief Alufa Igbinovia and the legendary musician, Sir Victor Uwaifo, were subsequently honoured as Patrons of FESTAC.
The event featured the exhibitions of various African fabrics, arts, beads and crafts among others. The high point was the crowning of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as “Ruby King of FESTAC and patron of African culture.
