Centre for Black and African Arts and
Civilisation (CBAAC) has scheduled to
crown Former President of Nigeria,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Grand Patron
of FESTAC ’77 on March 3, 2017, in
Abeokuta, Ogun State. This was
recently disclosed to Vanguard’s Arts &
Reviews by the Corporate Affairs
Department CBAAC, D-G’s Office, at
Broad Street, Lagos. Manji Diyal,
Corporate Affairs Officer, CBAAC, said
the decision to honour Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo was taken in recognition of
the pivotal role he played in 1977 as
the chief host of the unprecedented arts
and cultural festival in Nigeria. He said
there will also be a roll-out of 40
African traditional drums that day in
Abeokuta, all as prelude to the 40th
anniversary celebration of FESTAC ’77.
The great event will coincide with the
80th birthday of Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo. It would be recalled that
FESTAC ’77 was previously scheduled to
hold in 1974. It was later shifted to
1975. Still, it was postponed to 1977
due to change of government through
which Providence enthroned Obasanjo
to take charge of the affairs of the
nation. •A painted portrait of former
President Olusegun Obasanjo Last year,
the former president had told staff
members of CBAAC who had visited him
at his Ota residence that he will support
the 40th anniversary celebration of
FESTAC ’77and also mobilise for it.
“Since we have never had another
convergence of such magnitude in
Africa, the 40th year of the last one is
welcome. I will support it and mobilise
former presidents in Africa to be here,”
said Obasanjo. Other prelude activities
for the anniversary will be a launch of
customised vehicle number plates which
the Federal Road Safety Commission,
FRSC, has been commissioned to
produce. The customised vehicle plate
numbers will still be in use after the
anniversary. Manji also disclosed that
there will be an exhibition on African
creative industry in Abuja in which
other African countries are expected to
participate in performances ranging
from folklores, traditional dances,
contemporary dances (infusion of the
old and the new), and pop-music. There
will also be a colloquium with the
theme: “Black and African Arts &
Culture and the 21st Century
Imperatives”. Other programs in
collaboration with state governments
are also being arranged, for instance,
Enugu state’s masquerade (the
mmawu), Sokoto and Katsina state’s
Durbar. Don’t expect another FESTAC
’77 As excitement mounts over the
announced FESTAC 40th anniversary
scheduled to kick off on April 1, 2017,
Manji pleaded with people not to expect
in 2017 another FESTAC 77 in terms of
magnitude. The Corporate Affairs
Officer said the real objective of the
anniversary is to make it a platform for
the revival of the ingenuity of African
arts and culture and to “rekindle the
spirit behind FESTAC ’77. According to
Manji, FESTAC 1977 was one
magnificent event no one might be able
to recreate. About 16,000 participants,
representing 56 African nations and
Africans in Diaspora, had attended and
performed at the event held from
January 15 to February 12, 1977. After
the ’77 festival, all the exhibited arts
and artifacts were handed over to
Nigeria, not only for safe-keeping, but
also for continued improvement. CBAAC
was established in fulfillment of
Nigerian’s pledge to be a custodian of
those materials for the 59 Black and
African countries which participated in
the Festival. On whether CBAAC and
Nigeria are ready for this event, Manji
said: “It’s not just a CBAAC’s event,
there are other partners. We have been
planning this for one year and we are
not solely depending on government
financially. We have some private
sectors that have bought into the idea
and are ready to partner with us. The
program will be self-funded. Arts and
culture are infinite and sustainable
resources, and Africa is very rich in
these. Our aim is to package this wealth
of ours for enhanced patronage and for
export.” Indeed, Obasanjo is deserving
of this honour, given his African-ness
and love for African culture. In the
Foreword of the book, Olusegun
Obasanjo: The presidential legacy
1999-2007, Nelson Mandela wrote: “It
gives me immense pleasure to join in
applauding a remarkable African
leader with outstanding qualities of
sustained commitment, genuine
African-ness and exemplary
performance.”
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