CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The Second World Black and African Festival of Art and Culture, popularly referred to as FESTAC 77, has a long and interesting history behind it. It is a history that is linked to some of the epochal events in the history of Black and African peoples. These are slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism. It would be recalled that, by the instrumentality of slavery, Africans from all parts of the continent were shipped to all the nooks and crannies of the globe where they were essentially hewers of wood and drawers of water. The misery, torture and agony of slavery are well known to historians and other chroniclers. Yet, the unsalutory consequences of slavery have not received sufficient scholarly attention. Slavery did not only entail the forcible use of Africans as farm hands and domestics. More fundamentally, it also targeted African cultures and world views which were pejoratively portrayed as inferior to the cultures of other races. That slavery ended was not because the slave masters suddenly realized that the slaves were after all humans. The end of slavery and slave trade was not a mark of benevolence on the part of the enslavers. Rather, it was a response to a new logic created by the industrial revolution. It was a logic which rendered slavery as both anachronistic and unprofitable. The collapse of slavery gave rise to colonialism. While under slavery, Africans were carried away to foreign lands where they were dehumanized and treated like any other domestic property of their owners, the story under colonial rule was different altogether. The colonial setting was such that Africans were dominated politically, economically, socially and culturally right on their own soil. Perhaps, the difference between slavery and colonialism stems from the fact that under the latter, Africans were not articles of trade that could be sold and bought by the highest bidder.

However, it is pertinent to note that Africans were not just helpless recipients of their fate as dictated by their enslavers and colonial masters. For instance, in Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean, there were many instances of slave revolts. On the continent, the likes of Ovoramen, Nana of ltsekiri, Ashantihene of Ghana, and Shaka the Zulu in southern Africa did not only resist foreign incursion and domination, but they also fought relentlessly to safeguard their cultures and all attempts to desecrate them.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In many instances Africans fought hard to defend their cultures and territorial integrity. The series of activities that were geared towards projecting the image and dignity of Africans culminated in the hosting of the first Pan-African Conference in 1900. This served as an impetus to and triggered off a number of activities which had one purpose as goal. namely the emancipation of Africa from the shackles of colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism. Though not much has been written and said about it, the meeting of Black and African writers in Rome in 1956. It is in view of the challenges facing Africa as race that necessitate the need to project her culture and heritage to the rest of the world. The challenges and benefit of Festac 77 has raised questions as to the importance of the event. It is against this backdrop that the researcher intend to explore FESTAC 77 planning execution and socioeconomic consequences on Nigeria.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to explore FESTAC 77 planning execution and socioeconomic consequences on Nigeria, but to aid the completion of the study, the researcher set out the following specific objectives

i) to examine the effect of FESTAC 77 on Nigeria socioeconomic development

ii) to examine the challenges encountered by the organizer in planning this marmot event

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study:

i) Does FESTAC 77 have any effect on Nigeria socioeconomic development?

ii) Were they challenges encountered by the organizer in planning this marmot event?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The need for a cultural dimension to the Pan-Africanist struggle, the 1956 meeting in Rome resolved that a black and African festival of arts and culture would be desirable. It was against this background that the first Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture was held in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966. The Dakar festival was successful and the organizers agreed that another version of the same festival be held in Nigeria 10 years later, in 1976. Due to some internal political problems in Nigeria, the festival could not be held as scheduled in 1976. However, it eventually was held in Nigeria in 1977 from January 5 to February 12. It is pertinent to state that the choice of Nigeria as host of the second edition of FESTAC was because she emerged as the star country at the 1966 festival in Dakar, Senegal. Indeed, the organizers were working towards establishing a tradition by which star countries hosted the next edition of the festival. It is in view of the above that the study was carried out as it is deem very useful to students of history and cultural studies.

The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study:

i) Does FESTAC 77 have any effect on Nigeria socioeconomic development?

ii) Were they challenges encountered by the organizer in planning this marmot event?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The need for a cultural dimension to the Pan-Africanist struggle, the 1956 meeting in Rome resolved that a black and African festival of arts and culture would be desirable. It was against this background that the first Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture was held in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966. The Dakar festival was successful and the organizers agreed that another version of the same festival be held in Nigeria 10 years later, in 1976. Due to some internal political problems in Nigeria, the festival could not be held as scheduled in 1976. However, it eventually was held in Nigeria in 1977 from January 5 to February 12. It is pertinent to state that the choice of Nigeria as host of the second edition of FESTAC was because she emerged as the star country at the 1966 festival in Dakar, Senegal. Indeed, the organizers were working towards establishing a tradition by which star countries hosted the next edition of the festival. It is in view of the above that the study was carried out as it is deem very useful to students of history and cultural studies.