Director-General, Centre for Black Arts and African Civilisation (CBAAC), Oluwabunmi Amao, says the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), held in 1977, has helped in reviving the hope and aspirations of the Blacks and Africans.
Amao, during the 45th commemoration of FESTAC, in Abuja on Thursday, 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 Years After FESTAC”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme began December 7 and will end 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.
“Indeed, FESTAC was an epochal event that revived the hope and aspirations of black and African people in a world where they were treated without respect, dignity and recognition.
“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 characterise 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 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)