CBAAC, Salon Africana rekindle memories of FESTAC “77

Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Hon. Aisha Augie Adamu, has said a great future lies ahead for the Centre, promising to take CBAAC to the world and tell the younger generation there was a time Nigeria united the 59 Black and African countries and Communities.

She spoke in Lagos when Arts enthusiasts from across the globe converged for the inauguration of “THE FABRIC OF COURAGE” by SALON AFRICANA in collaboration with the Centre.

The event featured a pictorial Exhibition in celebration of FESTAC “77 with a symposium moderated by Jahman Anikulapo.

The pictorial exhibition centered on FESTAC”77 Remembrance and the place of Black and African peoples in the aftermath of FESTAC.

The event was also designed to celebrate the work of the ace photographer Merilyn Nance, who was part of the US contingent to FESTAC”77 in Nigeria, in 1977.

Merilyn Nance, who was the official photographer of FESTAC “77, was visiting Nigeria for the first time after FESTAC’77.

Other popular artists in attendance were Tam Fiofori also known as uncle Tam an iconic Nigerian documentary photographer, film maker, writer and counterpart photographer who covered the opening ceremony of FESTAC’77, Prof. Duro Oni, a former Director/CEO of CBAAC who also happened to be a technical director during the historical event, and the convener of the event, SOMI Kakoma.

The Director General of CBAAC, stressed the need to take the centre to the next level leveraging on the feats of the past DGs and the management of the centre.

The DG said, “The past is gone, the future is here, and the future is now,” adding the present government is interested in the arts and creative economy sector.

The DG encouraged the general audience on the need to make use of social media platforms to communicate the Nigerian stories and history ahead of FESTAC’77 @ 50 celebration happening in 2027.

Marilyn Nance who was 21 years of age during FESTAC highlighted her FESTAC “77 landmark experience which she documented into a book titled “My Last Day in Lagos ” as edited by Remi Onabanjo.

Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the Fabric of Courage event seeks to reconstruct the fragmented archive of FESTAC ’77, delving into the enduring impact of this seminal event on Nigeria’s cultural landscape and the broader pan-African cultural sphere.